Shilpa to do a song with Abhishek, John

IndiaFM
Post Celebrity Big Brother, Shilpa Shetty seems to be on a professional high. The tall and beautiful actress continues to make news, even though it's been more than a year since she stormed UK winning the reality show.

Now Shilpa, whose last release was Apne, surely seems to have jumped into the big league. The actress will be seen doing a 'special song' in Dharma Productions' Dostana starring Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles. This Karan Johar production, directed by Karan's erstwhile assistant Tarun Mansukhani is currently being shot in Miami. "Yes, Shilpa is currently shooting in Miami along with Abhishek and John for a really special song for the film Dostana. I wouldn't really call it an item number,” said Shilpa's publicist Dale Bhagwagar. “However, the song is indeed going to be one hell of a sensational chartbuster. Let me put it this way, if she won over the nation with her UP- Bihar song you can expect her to win a reasonable part of the world with this song."

So what else is Shilpa up to these days? "Shilpa would be starting work on her film The Man opposite Sunny Deol. It's a Vijeta films production and co-directed by Sunny Deol and Neeraj Pathak. Her role in the film is quite similar to what happened to her in real life [read the instant worldwide fame]. She would also be seen in the international flick Hanuman where she plays Sita. They are in talks with Keanu Reeves to play the role of Lord Ram"

What about her plans of getting into production? "Yes, Shilpa is starting her own production called S2 Global Production. The first thing that was made under S2 global Production was Shilpa's Yoga DVD, which mainly released in the UK & international market,” said Dale. “The first film under her banner is an action comedy to be directed by Manish Jha (Matrubhoomi, Anwar). It's a two heroine project with Shilpa playing one of the heroines. The second female lead would also be a very famous Bollywood actress. I can't reveal much now."

For all those who are eagerly waiting for Shilpa's Yoga DVD in India, there is good news on that front. "Yes, she is going to release her Yoga DVD in India. Shemaroo has bought the rights at an astronomical price. Shilpa will be dubbing for it in Hindi when she returns from Miami,” he added. “The DVD got a fabulous response in the UK. It was a sell-out among the non-fiction DVD charts. So we are looking forward to its release in India."

Well, after speaking to her publicist all we can say is that Shilpa surely has her plate full and the next few months are bonanza time for her die-hard fans.

Amitabh Bachchan cleared in tobacco ad case

Panaji,(PTI) In a relief for superstar Amitabh Bachchan, a local court has cleared him in a case of an alleged violation of Goa's law against smoking after a poster showed him puffing a cigar. National Tobacco Eradication Organisation (NOTE), an anti-tobacco organisation, had filed a suit against Bachchan along with others objecting to his poster on the hoarding which showed him smoking a cigar and accusing him of violating Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act, 1997.

District and Sessions Judge U V Bakre nullified the legal process against Bachchan initiated by judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) in the case. NOTE had accused the actor of indirectly suggesting and promoting smoking on a multi-coloured billboard advertisement that depicted him puffing a cigar while endorsing a brand of electric appliances.

The board was prominently displayed on Goa's national highway. NOTE had asked the court to prosecute Bachchan for violations the Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act.

Bachchan's lawyer had in a revision petition filed before sessions court said the criminal case was registered despite the actor conveying in writing that he was not a party to the hoarding. PTI.

Review Report : 'Shaurya'

Film: 'Shaurya';
Cast: Rahul Bose, Javed Jaffrey, Kay Kay Menon, Minissha Lamba, Deepak Dobriyal;
Director: Samar Khan;
Rating: *** 1/2

It takes vision and courage to make a film about the de-escalating valour and plummeting morale of the Indian Army. 'Shaurya' is about the army, but it isn't a war film. The battles are all fought at the level of individual conscience. But never does it get preachy.

It's a film about the Indian Muslim's identity. But it steers miraculously clear of taking sides or becoming hysterically passionate on the subject. There have been significant films on the isolation of the Indian Muslim as seen through the eyes of a persecuted individual. One can immediately think of John Matthew Matthan's 'Sarfarosh' and Raj Kumar Santoshi's 'Khakee'.

In 'Shaurya', Deepak Dobriyal as Javed Khan, the Muslim army man accused of terrorist activities, reminds you of Atul Kulkarni in 'Khakee'.

There's even a predictable sequence where the mother of the accused comes visiting the lawyer's home in the dead of the night. Seema Biswas' cameo as Javed's mother is surprisingly lacklustre.

She demonstrates unnecessary restraint where a more dramatic pitch for the distraught mother would have carried the theme of persecution and isolation further.

Samar Khan seems exceptionally shy of emotional display. The relationships that grow within Joydeep Sarkar's intricately plotted courtroom drama seek solace in silences rather than dramatics.

Even the relationship that grows between the hero Major Siddhanth Chowdhary (Rahul Bose) and the journalist (Minissha Lamba) resonates with restraint rather than rhetoric. Buddies Bose and Javed Jaffrey, we are told, are inseparable. But that level of camaraderie isn't evident in the film.

The cloudbursts are saved up for the entire climactic interlude. The last 45 minutes are so stunningly honest that you wonder if the dormant spirit of the rest of the narrative was meant to mislead us.

The wake-up call - how a certain section of the government-sponsored agencies look upon the Indian Muslim - is hurled into our face with a ferocity that leaves us in state of stunned incredulity.

Credit must go to the writer, director and the dialogue writer (Aparna Malhotra) for telling it like it is about the alienation of a community.

More than Rahul Bose, who's remarkably in-sync and uniformly vibrant in playing his character, it's Kay Kay Menon as the biased army officer who imbues a compelling credibility to Samar Khan's honourable and brave intentions.

It would be no exaggeration to say that 'Shaurya' and its theme of the Indian Muslim's self-worth would not have worked without Menon's vital presence.

In the courtroom, when he spews venom against the community for 'polluting and poisoning' the country, Menon sounds frighteningly Hitlerian.

Again, we must stress that the director doesn't try to get fashionably polemical in addressing the sensitive issue of communal angst. Samar Khan mostly remains non-judgemental in his treatment of characters and their blemishes.

The trial of the silently smouldering Muslim is punctuated by bouts of humour between Bose and his screen-friend Javed Jaffry.

'Shaurya' reveals sparks of master storytelling and doesn't hide away from uncomfortable truths - from its opening titles, when on a wet, windy, and slippery night out in Srinagar, Javed Khan pulls the trigger on his senior, to the stunning finale when Shah Rukh Khan's voice recites poignant poetry defining valour and courage not as we see it but as the conscience knows it.

But the director could have easily avoided the limp pockets in the narrative, those telltale breathers when the buddies bond, lovers sing and the fringe characters try to get a face from the edges.

Forget the humbug. Just watch 'Shaurya' for its compelling and positively gripping insight into the heart and mind of the average Indian who hides his subconscious biases in the garb of fashionable liberalism.

The film's army backdrop is authentically captured by Carlos Catalan's panoramic cinematography. It captures the feelings and failings of the characters as fluently as the cascading tranquillity of the Srinagar backdrop.

Mughal descendant moves court against `Jodhaa Akbar'

Agra, (IANS) Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, the great grandson of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court against what he calls 'molestation of history and character assassination of emperor Akbar' in Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Jodhaa Akbar'.

In his writ petition filed Thursday, Tucy prayed to the apex court to direct the producers of the film to change the name of the character 'Jodha' to 'Harkha' or some other fictitious name which 'does not distort history and defame the name of Akbar or the illustrious Mughal dynasty'.

Talking to IANS from Hyderabad, Tucy said he presented documents and statements of prominent historians like Jadunath Sarkar, Satish Chandra, Ashirwadi Lal Srivastav, and R. Nath to establish that emperor Akbar had nothing to do with Jodha Bai 'who was actually the daughter of Udai Singh and daughter-in-law of Akbar.'

He objected to the distortion of history in the movie, which the producers were promoting as a 'period film'.

Tucy said he wanted the film's screening to be stopped as it was misleading people and creating a wrong image of the Mughal dynasty.

Noted Mughal historian R. Nath said 'Jodhaa Akbar' is an example of perverted history for entertainment.

'The film by Gowariker is no match to K. Asif's 'Mughal-e-Azam'. No doubt Asif added characters and events to romanticise the film, but hardly ever did he try to transgress the limits of history or outrage its sensitivity or authenticity. That was how Anarkali was permanently imprinted on the collective psyche of people.'

Nath said 'Jodhaa Akbar' is a poor imitation of 'Mughal-e-Azam' and without any historical basis whatsoever.

'In history, there was only one Jodha Bai, daughter of Mota Raja Uday Singh Rathor of Jodhpur, and was married to Salim (Jahangir, 1628-58).

'She was called Jodha Bai because she belonged to Jodhpur. Jahangir bestowed upon her the title of Jagat Gosain, as he styled himself as Jagat Guru. Jahangir's queen Jodha died in 1619 and her son Shah Jahan built for her a magnificent tomb at Agra.'

Akbar had four wives and with none did he have any romance as 'all these were political marriages'.

Nath said Gowariker had done 'injustice' to Mughal emperor Akbar whose dignity, majestic looks and grandeur had been 'caricatured' in the form of Hritik Roshan.

Even the inscription outside the so-called Jodha Bai palace in Fatehpur Sikri clearly mentions that Jodha Bai has been mistakenly called Akbar's wife, said Tucy. With such material proof how can filmmakers claim they had researched and presented true Mughal history, he asked.

No one needs to question what I've done: Big B

Stung by comparisions with superstar Rajnikanth, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan said no one had the right to question what he has done for Mumbai.

"No one needs to question what I have done for Mumbai, for I know what I have done," Bachchan said.

He was reacting to a question on an article in the Sena mouthpiece Saamna that compared him with Tamil superstar Rajnikanth, who is agitating for Tamil Nadu on the issue of Hogenakkal water project.

The article: 'Rajnikanth Khalya Meethala Jaagla' (Rajnikant has been loyal) said though he was born in Maharashtra and grew up in Karnataka, he took sides with Tamil Nadu after achieving superstardom.

The article said, 'several actors who live in Mumbai achieve fame and glory. But when it comes to taking a firm stand on the issue of Marathi or regional pride many of film stars including Amitabh Bachchan backtrack'.

Reacting to the allegations, Bachchan said, "do you think I am not doing much for Maharashtra? If that's what you think, then it is unfortunate".

Review Report:Bhram

Bhram
Cast: Dino Morea, Milind Soman, Sheetal Menon
Direction: Pawan Kaul
Rating: *

If this wham-Brahm-thank-you-ma'am cross-hover effort will go down in the annals, tunnels and funnels of Indian cinema history, it's simply for the fact that it has more ‘eff' words than you'd find in a country bevda bar.

Anyway, Morea (dentist's delight), Soman (call good old Nalini-Yasmin for an immediate shear) and newcomer Menon (with beer mug eyes), go on that f-and-butt spree. Oof, eff, such pelf.

Surely Kaul could have made a straight, slick whodunit, instead of making you gasp at the lingo, endless shots of a lady looking through a monsoon glass, and heavens, Simone Singh delivering angry Bachchanesque dialogue while moving around in a satiny night gown. Clown frown.

More: two lines of dialogue might actually make you fall out of your chair. Asks Dino of Menon, as saltily as Eno, "Do you like your eggs fried or fertilised?" And a reluctant cab driver is howled at, "Then just sit there and sh.." Honestly, the cabbie could have just said eff eff. For Finland, of course.

Kerala girl wins Miss World crown

Mumbai,(IANS) Parvathy Omanakuttam, a 20-year-old from Kerala, was crowned as the Pantaloon Femina Miss World 2008 at a glittering ceremony here Saturday evening.

At the grand finale, Simran Kaur, a 22-year-old from Mumbai who has won the Miss India Universe 2008 title, was named the first runner-up. Harshita Saxena, 20, from Goa, was the second runner-up.

Article attacking Big B not my views: Thackeray

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray distanced himself from the article on Marathi pride in party mouthpiece attacking actor Amitabh Bachchan, and said the views published in the paper were not his.

"Amitabh Bachchan is our family friend. I have neither said anything against him nor written against him in the editorial. The hue and cry which has been created by the media regarding the news in Saamna is condemnable. Our relations with Amitabh are not so weak that it can be broken by electronic media news," Thackeray said in a statement.

He said people were beginning to 'lose faith' in the electronic media because of the way they were making mountains out of molehills, but the relations between him and the Bachchan family would be unaffected 'because it is a bond of love'.

A front page article in Saturday's edition of the party organ edited by Thackeray, targeted Bachchan who was born in Uttar Pradesh but achieved stardom in Mumbai on the issue of Marathi pride.

While praising his Tamil counterpart Rajnikanth for taking the side of Tamil Nadu on the issue of Hogenakkal water project issue, it said actors like Bachchan would backtrack when it comes to taking a firm stand on the issue of Maharasthrian regional pride.

Katrina raises the price and prestige!

Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network
As is known, the actress with one of the fastest ascent to the top, Katrina Kaif, has agreed to do an item number in Ashtavinayak's Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Kumar starrer, BLUE. Reliable trade sources confirm the buzz that Katrina has demanded and received a whopping 1.5 crore for the same. With that the much maligned item number has assumed a new high and also a prestigious new name- Hot and sensational dance number!
In fact, we now hear that many other top and respectable names in the industry have decided to take the plunge too. First off the block is going to be the woman of substance, Preity Zinta, who has consented to do an item number in the Salman Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer, MR AND MRS KHANNA.

Well, we won't be surprised if more top names join the fray and agree to do (as per our new nomenclature), hot and sensational dance numbers!

Amitabh Bachchan to judge Aishwarya

IndiaFM
For the Big B it seems that the reel life seems to be following the real life. We are talking about Amitabh Bachchan's relationship with the name 'Aishwarya'. At home, he is a loving father-in-law to the dutiful Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. He is also planning to start 'Aishwarya Girls School', amongst many others to follow.

At work, Amitabh is all set to be the judge to the beautifully talented Aishwarya! We are not talking about his bahu, but a contestant Aishwarya Mazmudar, the finalist of the mega reality show Amul Star Voice of India - Chhote Ustad, who is pitted against Anwesha Dattagupta, yet another volcano of talent.

The finals of this show will happen on Saturday April 5, 2008. What remains to be seen is that, after months of hard work and eliminations, who will finally be crowned the winner: Aishwarya or Anwesha?

Abhishek: I like Ash's pairing with Hrithik

Guru which most consider your finest performance to date came at the start of 2007. Do you think it's forgotten at the awards at the end of the year?
Why do you say that? Rang De Basanti had also been released in January. Awards are no doubt very encouraging. But there have been many notable films in the past that haven't won awards. At the end of the day, the greatest award is a successful film.

Are you more possessive about Sarkar Raj than Jodhaa Akbar since the former stars you with your wife?
No. At the end of the day I am an actor. And we're both thoroughly professional. It would be incorrect for me to be possessive about our film together. I am both an actor and her husband. I'm possessive about her, not her films. It doesn't matter whom she works with. In fact, I really like her pairing with Duggu. I think they looked good together in Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa Akbar. I wish that pair all the best.

Interestingly the first and second turning points in your career were both courtesy Mani Ratnam, weren't they?
Yes, Yuva and Guru. Mani is very special. He had faith in me at a time when most people had lost faith, including myself. He's a friend and mentor. I hope I never let him down. I'd love to work again and again with him. He knows I'm only a phone call away. According to me, he's one of the most talented directors we've ever had. Mani is very reserved. If he has another film for me he would tell me when he's ready.

You went through a prolonged lean phase at the beginning of your career. Comment.
During the times when my films were flopping I had friends like Karan Johar who kept my morale high. I can't deny access to the industry was easier because you are a Bachchan. And I guess I did have it much easier than many people. But once you get a chance you've to prove yourself just like anybody else. I had to struggle. I almost gave up after seventeen failures. My father kept saying, just keep working and believe in yourself. Thankfully, better days were around the corner. You've to work very hard to get anywhere in this business. And I'm working hard. However, there's no formula for success. When I decided to do Guru, a lot of my friends thought it wouldn't work at all. By the grace of God it did well.

Are you pleased with your assignments?
Of course! How wonderful to be working at a time when an actor gets to do a Sarkar Raj, Drona and Dilli 6 during the same year. It's a dream come true for any actor.

Why did you initially opt out of Dilli 6?
Rakeysh Mehra mentioned the subject to me many years ago. He finally decided to shoot it in winter 2006 when I was committed to shooting Drona. I suggested he do it with someone else. He asked Duggu who asked me if it was okay. I was perfectly okay with that. But then Duggu's dates didn't work out. Then Rakeysh decided to re-write the script. By then it was December 2007 and I was thankfully able to do the film. The rest, I hope will be history. Rakeysh is a very sensitive director and I love working with him. I was meant to start my career with him.

How has the experience in Jaipur been so far?
It's like attending acting school every morning. When would I again get an opportunity to observe and work with actors like Waheeda Rehmanji, Chintu Uncle(Rishi Kapoor), Om Puriji, Deepak Dobriyal, Pawan Malhotra,, Vijay Raaz, Atul Kulkarni, K.K Raina….It's school! It's cool!

Both you and dad are huge fans of Waheedaji?
Who isn't? This is my second film with her after Om Jai Jagdish. I just keep staring at her. Actors would do anything to be in one frame with her.

And what about your co-star Sonam Kapoor?
I saw Saawariya and thought she was wonderful. When I started my career I wasn't half as good as Sonam or Ranbir. It's wonderful to see this whole eager enthusiastic new generation coming in.

source:IndiaFM

Rani moves high court in land ownership case

Bollywood actor Rani Mukherji moved a petition in the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday, challenging the cancellation of her ownership of a piece of land in Maharashtra.

Rani's father Ram Mukherji arrived in Aurangabad and furnished the necessary documents pertaining to the land deal before the registrar of the court.

The petition challenging the Shrirampur sub-divisional officer's (SDO) order directing her to surrender the land in Ningaonkovali village, on the border of Nasik and Ahmednagar districts, will come up for notice before the court on Friday.

Nandkumar Suryavanshi, the SDO, said that earlier there was a sugar factory on the land that was subsequently closed. Since the factory had excess land, the government took it over in accordance with the Urban Land Ceiling Act (ULCA) and handed it over to the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation (MSFC).

As the land remained unused for a long time, the MSFC sold it to the original owner, a farmer who worked in a hotel in Shirdi town. From the farmer, Rani bought the plot in December 2005 for Rs.3.3 million.

However, when she applied for registration of the plot in her name, the revenue department refused permission and stressed that as it was an agriculture land, only a farmer could buy it.

The deputy collector of Ahmednagar district conducted an inquiry and Rani was asked to pay penalty for buying a farmland. Since the actress failed to pay the penalty, the Shrimanpur SDO ordered her name be deleted from the sale deed.

Suryavanshi told IANS that instead of going to the court, Rani could have availed of the options of either regularising the plot in her name at a reduced penalty or ask to reconsider the decision. "But as per the ULCA, the penalty on her could not have been waived totally," he said.

The actor's father Ram told the media in Aurangabad that Rani did not commit any irregularity in the land purchase.

"The deal was transacted as per the laid down procedure and the payment of the stamp duty. Rani was not the first person to purchase the land - it has changed hands at least six times before Rani bought it," he said.

"The penalty imposed on her is totally unfair. Why did the objection not come up earlier? Is it because she is a celebrity, a Bollywood star? Would this ever have happened if any common man had purchased the land?" he added.

David Dhawan is back with two films

IANS
After an eight-month sabbatical, the irrepressible David Dhawan, who churned out hits like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and Biwi No. 1, is back in the swing of things and will direct two films.

"The layoff has done me good. I needed the break from direction, yaar! It's not as if I was sitting idle at home. I was a judge on a dance show ('Nach Baliye'). That I enjoyed thoroughly. I was finalising the scripts for my next two films and spending time with my family," Dhawan told IANS.

Dhawan is teaming up with Govinda for producer Vashu Bhagnani's next film. The duo has given successful films like Hero No. 1, Coolie No.1 and last year's hit movie Partner, which also starred the director's another favourite actor, Salman Khan.

"The first would be for my friend Vashu Bhagnani with my dear friend Govinda in the lead. It'll be an out-and-out David-Govinda dhamaka, the kind that audiences will expect from us," said Dhawan.

"This would be my sixth film with Vashu - can you believe it? We still continue to believe in each other! We're looking for an interesting title for the film. But my next Hook Ya Crook written by Rensil D'Silva is a complete departure from everything I've done so far."

In Bhagnani's untitled film, Dhawan is repeating the Govinda-Lara Dutta pair after Ravi Chopra's Pappu Pass Ho Gaya. The film will also star Riteish Deshmukh.

While the Bhagnani project takes him into familiar territory, Dhawan has decided on a completely new team for Hook Ya Crook.

"Rensil wrote the full script for me immediately after Rang De Basanti. He's an amazing writer. His film for me is unbelievable. I've decided on John Abraham for the lead. One more major leading man has to be selected. This is a darkish film with violence in it. But nothing that would make the audiences alarmed, 'What's wrong with David Dhawan?'

Dhawan's son Rohit is also ready to turn director this year.

"In a couple of months, Rohit will be ready with his project. I'll most probably be producing the film along with a corporate house."

Vidya: My man can be from any walk of life

With two hits - Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Heyy Babyy - in her kitty, Vidya Balan's career is going great guns and she believes the industry has started offering meaty roles to actresses.

"I'm lucky to be a part of the movie industry when leading ladies are no longer decorative. It's providential that I started with Parineeta."

So is she doing her Heyy Babyy director Sajid Khan's next film? "There's been no formal talk on this. Sajid hasn't offered me the role. I've been reading reports that I'm doing the film. Right now he's writing his next film." Vidya had five releases last year - Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Heyy Babyy, Eklavya: The Royal Guard, Salaam-E-Ishq and Guru. She also made a brief appearance in the title song of Om Shanti Om.

"I was very happy about all my five releases in 2007, though some of them didn't do well. From the very start when dada (Pradeep Sarkar) showed so much faith in me by giving me 'Parineeta', the industry has made substantial space for me.

"By the grace of god, there're lots of interesting roles happening. I'm in the process of signing some more. Since I came to cinema, my criteria for signing a role remain unchanged. I've never been in a hurry to get anywhere. Things are happening at a pace I'm enjoying. And I'm not insecure." The actress, who was seen in Rajkumar Santoshi's Halla Bol along with Ajay Devgan this year, has no regrets.

"I don't regret anything. I'm a hopeless optimist. I feel what I've to go through will happen regardless of how much I fight it."

The industry is looking at Akshay Kumar and Vidya as a hit pair after Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

"I'd love for us to be seen that way. Even Katrina Kaif-Akshay look great together. I'd love to work with Akshay again. Yes, we have offers together. He's a great co-star. The icing on the cake is our films together have worked."

In Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Vidya invested demoniacal energy.

"Yes, it was a frightening experience. My director Priyadarshan handled the last 20 minutes of the story when I get into a supernatural rage of dance very intelligently. I love Priyan. He's a man of few words. We even converse in Malayalam."

This year Vidya was supposed to do another film with Priyadarshan. "But there's a problem with the leading man. I'd love to work with Priyan again. I've been fortunate in the fact that directors have signed me more than once."

Any hopes for 2008?

"Add some spice to my own life and not wait for others to do it for me. I would like love to happen. But I'm not holding my breath for it. Yes, there're times when I get lonely. But most of the time I'm quite happy being with my family and myself."

Unlike Preity Zinta, Vidya has made no pledge to stay away from actors in her personal life.

"Some people are doctors, others are actors. My companion can be from any walk of life. If he's an actor we can both carry our own mirrors to the sets and be narcissistic individually. And we can have mirrors all over the house. Instead of looking into each other's eyes, we can look into the mirrors," Vidya joked.

Raj Thackeray watches excerpts from Sarkar Raj

Raj Thackeray, chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the man whose remarks and activities of his followers sparked off parochial unrest in Mumbai, has met Bolloywood director Ram Gopal Varma to watch a part of Sarkar Raj.

Loosely based on Shiv Sena's chief Bal Thackeray's life, Sarkar Raj is a sequel to Varma's Sarkar and stars Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in key roles. Raj Thackeray had also taken on Amitabh Bachchan in his diatribe.

"Raj and Varma have been friends for some time now. In fact, when Sarkar was made, it was Raj who coordinated between Varma and the Shiv Sena supremo," a source close to Varma told IANS.

"Raj is keenly interested in movies. So when after chatting up, Varma asked Raj if he wanted to watch some of Sarkar Raj, he readily agreed. He watched about 30 minutes of the film and apparently loved it," the source said.

Raj was amused to see one of the actors in Sarkar Raj resembled him. "Yes, one of the actors does resemble Raj, but his role is not modelled on him," added the source.

Interview with Emraan Hashmi

Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network
2006 was an eventful year for Emraan Hashmi. Though he had three releases to his name (GOOD BOY BAD BOY, THE TRAIN, AWARAPAN), only AWARAPAN worked in his favor as it brought him immense critical acclaim. Close to a year after his last release, Emraan gets ready with his latest film JANNAT, yet again with Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt. Joginder Tuteja catches up with the young man to know more about his first release of 2008 - JANNAT.
Q: What character do you potray in JANNAT?

A: The character I play in JANNAT has a whacky and mischievous shades. It is an author backed role. How my character changes from being a street side gambler to that of a man who operates at an international platform brings a completely diverse state of affairs. It is an exciting journey for him in quest of JANNAT as he gets sucked deeper and deeper into the world of cricket.

Q: JANNAT has a lot going along with it - match fixing, betting, Bob Woolmer episode, Azhar and Jadeja scandals. Is there anything more as well?

A: See, references to number of elements that you mention are there in the film though we are not naming any people. JANNAT is not a docu-drama where we start showing the events the way they happened. We are not picking up stars and icons and making their life public. We are here to tell a tale which would certainly have fictional elements as well while keeping the commercial prospects of the film in mind.

Q: Isn't there any fear of censors or any other body?

A: I don't think that censors would have any objections to JANNAT. As I said, we are not picking up people at all. We are talking about things which have actually happened, have been talked about and are generic in nature. Everyone knows to a good extent what really had transpired.

Q: This means JANNAT would boast of yet another shock-fest from the house of Bhatts?

A: Oh, absolutely, you can expect shock value from JANNAT. The good part about the film is that the shock value of the subject is quite relevant even today. In fact if we look closely, in the months gone by, sports have been glorified in Bollywood cinema. CHAK DE INDIA is a living example. Here the world of cricket and what happens beneath will be the focal point of the movie. The film will also bring to light other issues around cricket. (Laughs) Thankfully the post World Cup slump period is over and cricket is back to riding high with India's win over Australia.

Q: With the film having cricket as a backdrop, what part does a leading lady have to play?

A: In building the character graph of the protagonist, it is essential to showcase the relationships he has shared in his life. Why just this film, even if you look at a film which belongs to the horror genre, it is but natural to have a basic premise of a man-woman relationship. There is no point getting away from that. In the film too, the girl plays an important role in the protagonist's journey in the quest for JANNAT. Newcomer Sonal Chauhan is being launched with JANNAT and she has done a very good job in the film.

Q: Other than Sonal Chauhan, even film's director Kunal Deshmukh is a newcomer. How was the experience being a veteran on the sets?

A: This may be Kunal's first film as an independent director but he is not a novice. He has assisted Mohit Suri in 3-4 films. He has done a phenomenal job in the film and that pretty much comes from the fact that he is a die hard cricket fanatic. He knows in and out about the film's subject and has done a thorough research. There was a certain look he wanted to give to the film and I am proud to see the way he has accomplished that.

Q: How exactly?

A: Well, he has got a love story imbibed well into the script even as the film has a basic wallpaper of cricket. Even though he is a debutant director, you hardly get a feel that he is handling a project for the first time. For certain projects you get a feel that things are going quite right. Positive vibes get generated, you know. JANNAT is one of those projects.

Rajnikanth blasts Karnataka over water project

Chennai(IANS) Tamil film star Rajnikanth launched a blistering attack Friday against his native state Karnataka for opposing the Hogenekkal drinking water project in Tamil Nadu.

'I unequivocally condemn Karnataka for this reprehensible act of denying us what is rightfully ours,' Rajnikanth said.

Anger was writ large on the visage of the ageing superstar when he warned politicians in Karnataka against 'using a false premise for (short term gains) during elections'.

'A national political party I respect is forcing me to wonder by its despicable acts whether there is (rule of law) in this country (guaranteed by) the Supreme Court,' Rajnikanth argued.

'Don't people who indulge in mindless violence for a worthless cause deserve to be belaboured?' he asked, speaking near the Chepaul cricket stadium where Tamil film stars were on hunger strike in support of the water project in Dharmapuri district, 350 km southwest of Chennai.

'I appeal to people like (former Karnataka Chief Ministers B.S.) Yediyurappa, (H.D.) Kumaraswamy and (former prime minister H.D.) Deve Gowda to desist from whipping up (chauvinistic) sentiments purely aimed at the (ensuing) elections and nip this fissiparous tendency in the bud before the situation gets out of hand,' Rajnikanth added.

Rajnikanth, whose mother tongue is Marathi, hails from Bengalooru where he has considerable investments. He has also played the male lead in several Kannada films.

A galaxy of stars including Kamal Hassan, Vijaykanth and Sarath Kumar made an impassioned appeal to Karnataka to give up its 'unjust quest'.

At the end of the fast, a joint resolution on behalf of the Tamil film fraternity was adopted. It assured Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi of the tinsel town's total support in his fight to achieve justice for the state.

WELCOME BACK Akshay, Anil, Nana, Kat, Mallika!

Bollywood Trade News Network
WELCOME enjoyed the grandeur success and rave reviews from all corners. It even broke all records turning out as a true Box-office champ.
Few days' back we even told you that WELCOME completed 100 days. It is counted as one of the solid blockbusters of 2007 grossing maximum moolah not only in India but overseas also. Later it was also released in Pakistan where it again made a good business and was well appreciated by the audience there.

Now seeing such overwhelming response Firoz Nadiadwala is so much so impressed that he is planning for the sequel titled as WELCOME BACK. This sequel will have the same star cast - Akshay Kumar, Anil kapoor, Nana Patekar, Katrina kaif, Mallika Sherawat.

So fasten your belts again for the hilarious sequel to come!

After London, Durban, Anupam's next destination is US

Mumbai(IANS) Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher is literally going places - setting up acting schools in London and Durban. He now plans to open a branch in the US.

'We've completed all the formalities. The school in London will start some time in June, while the one in Durban takes off in August 2008,' Anupam told IANS.

'In 2007, I started new branches of my school in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. What started as a very small and sincere effort to share my acting skills with newcomers has now spread to three continents. For our acting school, the proudest achievement in 2007 was Deepika Padukone. Yes, she's our product,' added the actor Anupam, who was trained at the National School of Drama in Delhi.

The 'Saransh' star is the only actor in the world with acting schools in Asia, Europe and South Africa.

From Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution' to lead India, 2007 has been an extraordinary of triumphs for the actor.

'Yes, when I look back on the year I do feel a great sense of satisfaction. I did quite a large number of films, good and not-so-good! In addition I went to Israel to do the commentary in a six-dimensional film on India and its culture, and then I gave my voice to an international animation film, in which I played an Indian horse.

'But I guess my biggest achievement is my acting school. I'm very proud of our students. The one in Mumbai is so successful that we've to take two batches of students instead one this year.'

Bachchan concerts to feature Saif Ali Khan and Madhuri Dixit

Mumbai(IANS) The 'Unforgettable' concerts in July that will see the Bachchan clan of Bollywood perform live across Europe and United States has new glamour quotient.

Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit (Nene) will join Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai at different venues across Britain and the US, a source close to the family said.

Riteish Deshmukh, Bipasha Basu and Akshay Kumar are also part of the entourage.

'Saif and Shahid showed absolutely no hesitation in joining the Bachchans on their tour. The price being offered was fine and the dates for venues where they'll perform also worked out to their convenience. As for Madhuri, it would be the easiest thing in the world to join the Bachchans for the concerts in the US because that's where she lives,' the source said.

Lara Dutta had opted out of the concert earlier. 'There's much more to her sudden withdrawal from the concert than a painful knee,' a source said, without elaborating further.

I will make my mother watch my new movie: Esha Deol

Mumbai(IANS) Actress Esha Deol, who has played a loud Tamilian in the comedy 'One Two Three', has one regret - that her mother Hema Malini, a true-blue Tamilian, was not around to watch her recently released comic caper.

'My mother has become quite a jet-setter travelling all over the place for her dance recitals. She's in Kolkata right now. I'll make her see 'One Two Three' as soon as she returns,' Esha told IANS.

The boisterous bit on screen notwithstanding, Esha stood out at the premiere of the movie in her chic makeup and elegant gown. 'I guess I wanted to create a contrast to my loud brassy character in the film. People see me as a tomboy. But I can be quite a lady if I want to be,' she said.

Esha is now gearing up for the release of her first action film 'Hijack'.

'But let me warn you, I don't do any of the kickboxing and all that stuff I'm dying to do on screen one day. Though this is a hijack-adventure story, all the action converges on Shiney Ahuja. I'm the airhostess and therefore very timid and gentle. The director, Kunal Shivdasani, made sure I don't jump out of character suddenly. It's a very realistic action drama,' the actress said.

She dismisses stories of her differences with Shiney. 'I don't know where that came from. Shiney and I had a great time shooting 'Hijack',' Esha said.

'Hijack' would be Esha's last film for a while. 'I haven't signed anything. And I won't until something worthwhile comes along.'

Preity Zinta hurt at IPL launch

Mumbai(IANS) Actress Preity Zinta, co-owner of the Indian Premier League's Mohali team, suffered a minor injury during its formal launch in Mohali, on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

'I don't know how it happened,' Preity said. 'But in the melee at the launch (Monday), an elbow came and hit me straight in the eye. I had to go through the event with a black eye wearing dark glasses.'

Eyewitnesses said there was a huge rush at the launch, and somebody appeared to have thrown something at Preity. As one of her bodyguards lunged to catch whatever had been thrown, his elbow appeared to have hit Preity in the eye.

After the event, the actress spent the evening nursing her eye with ice packs.

'It will swell a bit. I guess it's bound to happen when one is in such situations,' she said.

The IPL Mohali team is led by Yuvraj Singh. The tournament starts April 18.

Sandhya Mridul oozes oomph at Lakme Fashion Week

Mumbai(IANS) Bollywood actor Sandhya Mridul created a flutter at the Lakme Fashion Week as she swayed and oozed oomph on the ramp in an outfit designed by Priya Kataria Puri.

Decked in an off-white single shoulder short dress with asymmetrical hemline, the actor kicked off the show here late Sunday.

Her outfit was embellished with golden embroidery and a belt with geometric motifs. She sported a buffoon hairdo and carried an oversize golden flower clutch bag.

'Priya and I are childhood friends and she is very special to me. I usually defy glamour but when she called me up saying 'I need the attitude that you have', I couldn't refuse her,' Sandhya told IANS.

With lounge music as the background score and blue velvet curtains at the entrance to the ramp, models set the ramp ablaze sporting cowl neck dresses, two-in-one ensembles stitched like kaftans on one side and fitted on the other, dresses with puffed cap sleeves, ruffled hemlines, sash and lots of disco ball shimmer.

Models also sashayed down the runways in saris, skirts, kurtas with churidars and stoles. 'My collection, 'Bombay Glam', draws inspiration from Mumbai because as a child when I used to fly to the city with my mother, the air hostesses dressed in silk sarees and buffoon hairstyles fascinated me,' Puri said.

'Moreover, somehow or the other everyone is connected to Bollywood and Mumbai,' she added.

The colour palette was dominated by subtle hues - olives, off-whites, muted goldens, pinks, grays, greens and blacks. 'I used fabrics like Benarasi silk, taffeta, satins, chiffons, georgettes and brocades. The brocades have floral prints and have been imported from France and parts of Europe and printed in India. The fabrics are so rich in themselves that I used muted shades,' she said.

'I also wanted to revive traditional Indian fabrics that our designers are slowly forgetting,' she added. The show ended with Gregory David Roberts, author of book, 'Shantaram' and Puri's muse Francoise Sturdza, Princess of Romania, dancing for a few minutes on the runway.

'A muse makes the work of a designer so easy. Princess Francoise is a true princess by heart and that's why I selected her as my muse,' Puri said.

While Roberts sported a black suit and white shirt, Francoise was attired in a knee length beige dress in muted pink and green floral prints, highlighted with lots of shimmer.

'She creates such fantastic clothes, it can be worn anywhere - in India or outside,' Roberts said.

The princess added: 'I am not only smitten by Puri's creative brilliance, but she is also a very beautiful human being. All her designs are so feminine. I just love her collection.'

Model-turned-actor Anupama Verma was also present at the show. 'Whether I walk the ramp or not, I try my best to attend Puri's show as she is a friend of mine. I love her work.'

The five-day fashion fete, underway at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), will close April 2.

Film industry loses Rs.160 billion to pirates annually

Mumbai(IANS) The Indian entertainment industry may be worth Rs.500 billion, but the movie segment loses Rs.160 billion annually to piracy.

This startling revelation was made by Ron Summers, president of US-India Business Council (USIBC), at the recent Ficci-Frames global convention on media and entertainment in Mumbai.

He said the global revenue share of the Indian film industry was only two percent of the total annual gross income of Hollywood, primarily because pirates usurped a good chunk of the Indian movie revenue earned from the domestic and international markets.

'Apart from adopting effective legal measures to pre-empt piracy, efforts should also be made to extract maximum value proposition from the entertainment content. The best way to do it is by cashing in on the technological advancement witnessed globally in electronics,' the USIBC president said.

Noted Bollywood filmmaker Yash Chopra admitted that it would not be possible to root out the external market force of piracy, which has entrenched itself too deeply over the years.

'But we can't afford to resign ourselves to this fact. We must identify measures to mitigate the hold of this force over the market. We must understand the enormous potential of the digital media and try to get value out of it.

'We have to beat pirates in their own game. But to be able to do this, we need the help of the regulatory bodies,' Chopra said.

According to the secretary in the Information and Broadcasting ministry, Asha Swarup, the only way to tackle piracy was to ensure tight security in the supply chain.

'Simultaneous or quick release of movies on the Internet or home video could be an alternative to curb piracy,' she said, citing how distributors of 'Jab We Met' benefited from this strategy recently.

Chief executive officer of Sony Entertainment, Kunal Dasgupta, also touched upon this paradigm shift in movie distribution.

'By releasing 'Jab We Met' in the home video circuit soon after its release in theatres, Moser Baer not only managed to reduce piracy, but also earned more revenue,' he said.

Dasgupta believed that a large number of people would want to watch a movie in the theatres even if CDs and DVDs were available in the market.

Notice issued to Ram Gopal Varma for cheating

Noida, March 31 (IANS) The Noida Police have issued a notice to noted Bollywood filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma on a complaint from Super Cassette Industries Pvt Ltd, the maker of T-Series brand of audio and video cassettes, alleging that Varma had cheated the company of Rs.15 million.

The notice, posted by investigation officer Narendra Kumar Sharma, was sent on Saturday by registered post to Varma's Mumbai address. The filmmaker has been asked to be present before the officer within seven days of receipt of the notice to give his version.

The criminal case was filed against the noted filmmaker at the Sector 20 police station of Noida by Neeraj Kalyan, an official of Super Cassette Industries.

In his complaint, Kalyan stated that Varma June 13, 2006 inked an agreement with the company selling the rights of his upcoming 14 films. The agreement was signed at the Film City Noida on a Rs.100 non-judicial stamp paper in which Varma clearly stated that all rights, including marketing, publicity and realization of outstanding money and even copyright of his new films have been given to Super Cassette Industries. He stated that the 14 films, including, 'Nishabd', 'Aag' and 'Darwaja Bund Rakho', would be the sole proprietorship of Super Cassette.

After the agreement, the company invested Rs.14 million on a film produced by Varma, which incurred heavy losses. But in anticipation of recovering the loss in the other films, the company continued to invest in his new ventures. But Varma, breaching the contract, signed up with another company to realise the outstanding cash of his new ventures from the market. When Super Cassette came to know about his new assignment, Varma denied it and told the company that he would abide by the old agreement, Super Cassette official said in his complaint.

The company then issued public notices in newspapers saying that it holds all the rights of Varma's new films. But the company learnt later that Varma had breached the contract and signed on ADLABS to realise all payments from the market, including the copyrights of the films after terminating the old agreement with Super Cassette.

The complainant said by signing the new contract, Varma has cheated the company and requested legal action against him. The Sector 20 police registered the complaint under various sections of the Indian Penal Code against Varma, a resident of Link House, Bir Desai Road, Andheri Road, Mumbai, and some others.

Varma could not be reached for comments despite several attempts to reach him on his mobile phone.

Saif starrer "Race" making waves in Lahore

Lahore, Apr 1 (ANI): Recently released Bollywood film "Race" having Pakistani pop singer Atif Aslam's romantic number "Pehli Nazar Mein" is doing a roaring business in Lahore, even as cinema halls running the film are going full to the capacity for the past two weeks.

The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor, Akshay Khanna, Sameera Reddy, Katrina Kaif and Bipasaha Basu.

Taking the popularity of the film, a number of colleges, cellular companies and government departments have booked cinema halls for their staff, the Daily Times reported.

Defence Housing Authority (DHA) spokesman Tajjamul Hussain said that a number of people had requested to help them in obtaining tickets at the DHA cinema.

Sozo cinema, with a capacity of thousands, is running three shows daily. Abdur Razzaq, the cinema manager, said that a large audience had swarmed the cinema in the last two weeks. Alina Sheikh, a cinemagoer, praised the performance of Saif Ali Khan and Atif Aslam's song. (ANI)

UP govt accusing amitabh bachchan of evading stamp duty

The case against superstar Amitabh Bachchan by the UP government, accusing him of evading stamp duty of just Rs 695, is ridiculous and an attempt to defame Indian art and culture, Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh said.

"Amitabh is a personality who can pay Rs 6 lakhs. Rs 600 is nothing for him. Registration of such a case against megastar like him is ridiculous and an attempt to defame Indian art," he said.

The Barabanki district authorities on Monday issued a notice to the superstar accusing him of undervaluing the stamp duty on a plot of land he bought in the area.

Additional District Magistrate (Finance) of Barabanki Shirish Dubey said that the cost of the land purchased by Amitabh was Rs 843,639 but it was shown as Rs 6,000 less and accordingly the actor paid Rs 695 less in stamp duty.

Amar Singh, along with MPs Jaya Bachchan and Jayaprada, has arrived in Harda to campaign for the party candidate ahead of the Betul Lok Sabha bypoll.

The party MLA from Multai in Betul district Dr Suneelam is the SP candidate for the bypoll, in which the BJP has fielded Hemant Khandelwal, whose father's death necessitated the by-poll. Congress has fielded sitting MLA from Masod Sukhdeo Panse.

When asked whether Amitabh is being troubled at the behest of Gandhi family, he avoided a direct reply on the issue.

Even Jaya Bachchan refused to comment.

Uttar Pradesh government not targeting Big B: official

Lucknow, April 1 (IANS) Refuting allegations that the Mayawati government was 'unduly harassing' Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, a top Uttar Pradesh bureaucrat Tuesday said the action against the actor for evading a marginal stamp duty was 'routine'.

The Uttar Pradesh government had slapped a notice on Big B for evading Rs.690 in stamp duty on registration of land bought in Barabanki for a college named after his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The case came up for hearing Monday.

Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh and Amitabh's wife Jaya Bachchan alleged that it was 'political vendetta' by the Mayawati government on account of their close proximity to the opposition Samajwadi Party.

But a top government official told IANS: 'Action would follow in a routine manner against anyone charged of undervaluing a property with a view to chopping off the stamp duty payable against a deal.'

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: 'I fail to understand how the media was trying to establish a connection between the action initiated by the Barabanki additional district magistrate (finance) and the dismissal of a Special Leave Petition moved by the state government against a high court order giving Bachchan a clean chit in a land scam in Barabanki district (about 40 km from here).'

The Bachchan family laid the foundation stone of the college on the plot of land Jan 27 at a high-profile bash in the village where they also flew in prominent politicians like Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, the party's leader Amar Singh, former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah.

The official said: 'The first notice for underpayment of stamp duty was issued to Bachchan way back on Dec 26, 2007, while the Supreme Court had dismissed the state government's petition March 31.'

When his attention was drawn to the fact that the underpayment was only Rs.690, he shot back: 'If you look into land records of any village or town, you will find umpteen such cases filed for violation of the Stamp Duty Act.'

While giving a detailed account of the case against Amitabh Bachchan, Barabanki ADM (finance) Shrish Dube told IANS: 'Bachchan had purchased three bighas (0.810 hectares) of land in Daulatpur village of Barabanki district that was registered in his name July 13, 2007 for a declared consideration of Rs.837,000.'

Dubey said: 'Subsequently during a routine cross-check, which is done in most sale deed cases, we discovered that the plot had been undervalued; as such, the stamp duty should have been paid on a value of Rs.843,695 as against Rs.837,000 shown by Bachchan.'

The case was listed for hearing before the ADM Monday.

Bachchan's counsel Ram Gopal Shukla sought to argue that the marginal difference in the valuation was attributed to the existence of a few date-palm trees on the land.

'Even if the officially estimated value was to be taken into account, the matter was too trivial. And considering that the chargeable stamp duty was only 10 percent, the total alleged default would not exceed Rs.690,' he said.

The ADM has fixed May 4 for the next hearing in the case.

Sanjay-Manyata marriage case hearing adjourned

Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) A court here Tuesday adjourned to April 15 the hearing against Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt and Manyata, who have been asked to depose before it after Manyata's former husband challenged their marriage, claiming she was still his legal wife.

Satish Maneshinde, the lawyer for Sanjay and Manyata, told the Bandra metropolitan court in north-west Mumbai that the couple could not be present in court since the summons never reached his clients. He asked that hearing should be adjourned. The metropolitan magistrate accordingly fixed April 15 as the next hearing date.

Manyata's first husband, Mehraj Shaikh, had Feb 15 petitioned the Bandra metropolitan magistrate that by marrying Sanjay Dutt, Manyata violated the Muslim marriage norms as she was still his legal wife. He claimed he married Manyata in 2003 and their marriage is still valid.

Manyata has been interrogated by the Bandra police as per the court's direction and the report submitted.

Manyata and Sanjay were to state their versions in court Tuesday on the claims made by Shaikh.

Rani Mukherjee to move HC in Shirdi land deal case

Bollywood actor Rani Mukherjee will move the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday to challenge Ahmednagar district collectorate's order canceling her ownership of a plot near Shirdi due to irregularities in the deal.

"We will be moving the High Court against the governments forfeiture of Rani's land," her lawyer Nanasaheb Chaudhary told PTI from Shirdi.

Rani failed to pay penalty after breaching the condition of acquiring ceiling land and thus the land was forfeited by the government earlier this year, Chaudhary added.

The Sub-divisional Officer, Srirampur had ordered the cancellation of Rani's name from the sale deed in January and taken possession of the land.

The actress is said to have paid Rs 33 lakh in December 2005 for a farmland near Shirdi. After the purchase, Rani had paid a stamp duty of Rs 1.32 lakh for registration. But the title of the land could not be transferred to her name as it was an agriculture land belonging to a farmer.

Ash turns down Will Smith - for the third time!

Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) Aishwarya Rai has declined to co-star with Hollywood wonder-boy Will Smith again. This is the third time she has turned down his offer.

'That's true,' she laughed. 'I had to say no to Will for 'Tonight He Comes'. I feel awful about it, but I've my priorities very straight. Yes, family always comes first,' Aishwarya told IANS.

Two years ago the 'Men in Black' star offered Aishwarya the comedy 'Hitch', remade into Hindi with Salman Khan and Govinda as 'Partner'. She couldn't do the film due to time constraints. In quick succession, Aishwarya has turned down two Will Smith projects.

Contrary to reports, Aishwarya, who tied the knot with Abhishek Bachchan last year, didn't decline another Smith's 'The Seven Pounds' to celebrate Karwa Chauth with her husband in Mumbai.

'That's what they wrote in the US press... that I preferred to return to Mumbai to 'starve' myself for a religious occasion than to meet Smith for the film. That's completely incorrect.

'The script reading for 'The Seven Pounds' was just after Diwali when Dadimaa (Teji Bachchan)'s health dipped drastically. So I didn't make that trip out to LA for the reading session with Will. Is that wrong? Not to me. I'd any day put family over career.'

So are Ash and Smith star crossed?

'When it has to happen it will happen. We'd love to work together. There's something very charismatic about that actor. He gives off very nice vibes.

'He's very adventurous as an actor. He does 'I Am Legend' and 'Pursuit Of Happyness' at the same time. He's an actor, rapper, and a great family man. He likes to be adventurous. I like that.'

Review Report:One Two Three

Movie
One Two Three
Director
Ashwani Dheer
Producer
Kumar Mangat
Music
Raghav Sachar
Cast
Sunil Shetty, Tusshar Kapoor, Sameera Reddy, Neetu Chandra

You’ve seen films with hip, classy proms promising you the same quality through the three hours in the theatre, only to be met with biting disappointment; 123 is exactly the opposite. The tacky promos on TV make you expect another no-brainer comedy with dead jokes, but this film surprises you with its originality and wit.
The film’s writing tries to marry the lowest denominator-catering comedy with the more refined humour, which is why perhaps no one will be entirely unhappy with the film. Add to that some spirited performances and you have a decent watch.

Three protagonists, apart as chalk, cheese and chana, share the same name – Laxmi Narayan. One is an aspiring supari killer (Tusshar Kapoor), another a small-time businessman dealing in undergarments (Paresh Rawal, marvelous) and yet another is a gentlemanly executive (Sunil Shetty, surprisingly adept) who’s all out to please his dominating boss.

Jia (Esha Deol) is an undergarments designer who needs the cash bad to save her late father’s hotel from being taken over. Laila (Sameera Reddy) runs a used-cars showroom and then there’s Chandni (Tanisha Mukherjee) who works in Laila’s workshop along with boyfriend Chandu (Upen Patel).

There’s also a priceless diamond that everyone’s after and underworld kingpin Bhai (Manoj Pahwa reveling in some fantastic one-liners) sends Laxmi Narayan (Kapoor) to bump off a hilarious don D’Mello (Mukesh Tiwari) for the diamond. A lady cop (Neetu Chandra) doing a Haryanavi accent adds to the fun; identities get crisscrossed and sweet confusion maintains over next few sequences.

Note the humour high-points – wannabe supari killer Laxmi Narayan’s aged mother in typical Hindi Mom style yearns for her son to “settle in life” and prays he gets his first murder soon so his career is set before she dies. Then there’s the scene where D`Mello wants Laxmi Narayan (Sunil Shetty) to tease a woman to create a diversion. He suggests he go up to a lady and ask – `Aati Kya’. But compelled by his good manners Laxmi wants to say `Aati Kya…err…Ma’am?’ Out of excess politeness, he’s used to asking too many questions (should I sit on the chair or sofa; the left or the right one?) that he’s branded `question paper’ by D` Mello’s henchmen. The film is dotted with other witty one-liners galore that pop up at the impossibly funny circumstances.

Yes, some dialogues are extremely offensive and should have been done away with. But by and large, thanks to reasonably intelligent writing and endearing performances, you tend to grit your teeth and sit through them to enjoy the better humour. For example, the premise of an avuncular man selling men and women’s inners has the potential for unlimited lewd and risqué jokes, and one cannot imagine the level of insanity another writer would have taken this. But here, thankfully, the lines here are teasing and often sweet.

Disappointingly, the drone of gay-bashing continues in this film with the standard – `Main Vaisa Nahin Hoon’ line repeated all the time. One did expect more subtle comedy from Ashwani Dheer (Office Office), but it’s obvious that commercial compulsions have won the battle many times in the script here.

Oddly, the technical aspect of One Two Three is abysmal, dating back to a decade or more. The first song that begins the story is shockingly tacky and unimaginative. Ditto goes for production value all over. Another grouse is the hurriedly wrapped up and abrupt ending, that could have been more interesting.

Songs are immensely enjoyable, even the forcibly insinuated Gotta Rock Mahiya and the title song One Two Three. Music by Raghav Sachar is above average and lyrics by Aditya Dhar and Munna Dhiman are excellent. Cinematography ranges from the unbearable, where several shots are out of focus, to just about ok.

The cast is the sparkler here – Paresh Rawal is supremely funny and carries off, what could have been a very offensive character, as an endearing one. Sunil Shetty is fabulous and this is, possibly, his most spirited performance so far.

Esha as the Tamil-spouting hotel owner is fantastic as is Sameera as the loan EMI bunking showroom owner. Even Neetu Chandra as the feisty cop is entertaining. Mercifully, unlike most mainstream comedies, here, the women characters are treated with relative respect and you can see the actors revel in their interestingly written roles. Manoj Pahwa, Sanjay Mishra, Vrijesh Hirjee, Mukesh Tiwari are all at their comedic best.

This is multi-award winning serial Office Office writer Ashwani Dheer’s directorial debut and he does fairly well. Don’t expect a comedy of the level of Office Office and you won’t be disappointed. One Two Three is a fun ride, with some dips and some highs.

Verdict: 2 stars out of five

Satish Kaushik hospitalised

IndiaFM
Satish Kaushik who's currently confined to bed after a surgery plans to ask his new blue-eyed boy, Himesh Reshammiya, to compose a promotional song for Kaushik's teen romance Tere Sang.

"Tere Sang needs a promotional prop. And who better able to provide it than Himesh? Coincidentally, both me and my Tere Sang hero, Ruslaan Mumtaz, are currently confined to bed. He's so accident prone. While we were shooting Tere Sang he fell off the bicycle and had a serious injury. Now he has torn a ligament in his knee while I am recovering from a minor surgery. This is a good time for me to work on the music of our film."

Satish Kaushik who has just returned from 35 days of shooting with Himesh Reshammiya and Urmila Matondkar for Karzzzz in South Africa can't stop praising his two stars. "They're such professionals and so clued in to the technicalities of cinema. I was amazed by Himesh's ability to deliver long dialogues with the right pauses for breath and punctuation. This rhythm in the speech patterns is generally lacking in our film actors. The last time I saw an actor convey the same rhythm in speech was that other singer-actor Kishore Kumar." As for Urmila, "The last time I worked with her was when I was assisting Shekhar Kapoor for Masoom. She was just a child then. In-between we were supposed to do a full-on masala film called Bus Conductor. But she opted out. Now for Karzzzz, she's so passionately involved."

Ash, Big B at Advani's book launch

IndiaFM

L K Advani has never been your conventional shrewd politician. The BJP leader is also a heartfelt writer and an author.

That could explain why actor Amitabh Bachchan, his daughter-in-law Aishwarya, ace art director Nitin Desai and Manoj 'Bharat' Kumar were in full attendance at the grand launch of Advani's book 'My Country My Life'.

It's too early to even speak about the book review, but looking at the creme de la creme who had come for the launch, this book does promise to make a good read.

I will work at my own speed: Kajol

IANS
She is one of the most talented actresses in Bollywood, but Kajol, who graces the screen after a gap of two years in her home production U, Me Aur Hum, says her priority is her family.

"I am not going to do four films a year. I will work, but at my own speed," Kajol told IANS.

After marriage with Ajay Devgan in 1999, the actress cut down her film roles and was occasionally seen in hits like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Fanaa.

For U, Me Aur Hum, she teams up with hubby. The film, which releases April 11, marks Ajay's directorial debut and he has written the script too.

Asked how different this film is from her other movies, the ebullient actress says: "Well, I hope it is not so different that it becomes a bad film (laughs). I won't say it is different, but it is a very special film for me."

"While working in the film I never felt constrained. In fact, it was the other way round. I felt very comfortable and at home."

Her debut film, Bekhudi, in 1992 did fairly well, but it was Baazigar with Shah Rukh Khan a year later that was her first blockbuster. She later went on to deliver some of the biggest Bollywood hits like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham opposite Shah Rukh.

Juggling multiple roles of a wife, mother, actress and judge of a TV show, Kajol is neck deep in work. "Time management is a huge issue. I'm doing it with difficulty. Even a 15-minute delay makes a lot of difference. But I think it is not impossible to manage all this, you can do it."

Commenting on the changes in the film industry in the last one decade, Kajol says this evolution is vital.

"It is very important that things should change. We should change. You will die if you don't change. In the last few years viewers have changed, their demands have changed, the business of cinema has changed, and with so many changes the parameters of Indian cinema has changed."

On rumours that she has signed Karan Johar's next venture, Kajol said: "I have not signed the film, but I am discussing it with him. When I sign, I will certainly let everybody know about it."

She is having a ball as judge on Zee TV's new reality show "Rock n Roll" along with her husband and mother, actress Tanuja. "I'm really enjoying the reality show. There is so much positive energy," she said.

She has a high opinion of her fans. "I think we underestimate our fans. They are so level-headed and know where to draw the line. Only a very small percentage of fans go overboard."

Himesh records his career's 75th song

IANS
Himesh has had enough of his status as a one-man music industry. At least for now. He wants to introduce at least one new singer in each one of his forthcoming starrers.

Himesh feels he owes it to the industry. "I think I must give new talent to the music industry because even I was a newcomer once. And fresh untried talent always works since my music usually caters to a younger audience which is always on the look-out for fresh unconventional voices."

For Mudh Mudh Ke Na Dekh Mudh Mudh Ke which is a love triangle, Himesh intends to introduce new singing talent for the two leading ladies Niharika Singh and Jennifer Kotwal. "I came across some mind-blowing female voices while I was judging Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. I'll be using these for M2KNDM2K". On Friday, Himesh Reshammiya recorded his 75th song.

"I've already released fifty songs and I intend to use the twenty-five songs that I've in my music bank for the four films Karzzzz, Kajraare, A Love Issshtory and M2KNDM2K that I'm starring in.” Himesh intends to introduce four new singers in these four films.

I want to do a full-fledged film with Arbaaz: Malaika

IANS
Model-turned actress Malaika Arora has just done her first film with her husband Arbaaz Khan, however they just have an item song together. She is very keen to do more feature films with him.

She told IANS: "It's a marital comedy called Shaadi Ke After Effects. I'm not Arbaaz's wife in the film. I play the temptress and I've an item song with him.

"It was great fun working with Arbaaz. Now I want to do a full-fledged film with him. I want to do a comedy with my husband. So far no aspect of talent has been tapped except my dancing."

Now Malaika, who was seen in hit item numbers like Chaiyya chaiyya and Kaal songs, will be extremely cautious about the item songs.

"But if tomorrow a Farah Khan tells me to do a song with Shah Rukh Khan, of course I'll do it. But it has to be something worth my while. It's always been nothing but the best for me."

She is married for 10 years and and says that the secret to their successful marriage is an angel who is protecting them.

"I don't know how these ten years have passed. It's been so unreal, such a dream.

"How do we manage to avoid all temptation? I guess there's an angel watching over our marriage," she added.

The couple's top priority is their son Arhaan.

"Arbaaz and I make a conscious effort to share domestic responsibilities. When I'm out working he looks after our son. Without a doubt our baby is our top priority. And the work I do has to centre on his schedules," said the actress who plays main lead in Suniel Shetty's EMI.

I don't want to dance to colleagues' songs: Ranbir

IANS
Kapoor scion Ranbir, who walked the ramp for the first time at the the Lakme Fashion Week, says he has no plans to perform live on stage for a long time.

He said 'no' to lucrative offers to dance at all awards functions at the beginning of the year.

"I'm just not ready to perform on stage. I don't have a body of songs. After my second release Bachna Ae Haseenon in August maybe I will. Until then I don't want to go on stage to dance to my colleagues' songs," Ranbir, who debuted with Saawariya last year, told IANS.

Commenting on his first ramp walk, Ranbir said: "Walking the ramp is something I would've never done so early in my career if it wasn't for Arjun Khanna. I was as nervous as I was for my first shot of Saawariya. But this was something I had to do for the sake of my friend Arjun."

Khanna and Ranbir have been friends forever. "He's my neighbour and a dear friend. I try to wear his clothes as far as possible."

Recently when Ranbir attended his best friend's wedding in Goa, he wore sherwani and other wedding clothes designed by Khanna. For a photo-shoot in Bangkok last week, all his clothes were done by Khanna.

"I try to be faithful to Arjun's clothes because he knows my likes and dislikes and styles my clothes accordingly."

Ranbir blows kiss to Deepika from ramp

IANS
Making his love interest clear, Ranbir Kapoor blew a kiss straight from the ramp to actress Deepika Padukone.

Attired in a black and beige "sherwani" or Indian-style coat with intricate ethnic motifs at the hemline and sequin work at the collars, the star walked the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) ramp for designer Arjun Khanna in Mumbai late Saturday.

The sherwani was tastefully teamed with beige churidar and red scarf to give a dramatic effect, the actor's face and hair were painted golden.

"Before I came here I didn't know that my face would be painted golden. Only when I reached the venue and sat on a chair (backstage) to get the make-up done, I got to know about it. But I enjoyed the whole experience," Ranbir told IANS after the show.

He refused to comment on his romantic link-up with Deepika. Starting with his signature dance step from the title song of Saawariya, Ranbir descended on the runway.

And then he spotted Deepika sitting next to his mother Neetu Singh. Cutting short his catwalk, he blew a flying kiss towards her. Deepika blushed and hid her face behind her cascade of hair.

While Deepika sported a light grey tube top with abstract prints matched with slim fit dark blue jeans, yesteryear actress Neetu Singh was decked in white trousers and a kurta top with white, red and blue geometric prints and Swarovski work at the neckline.

"There couldn't have a better confession of love than this. Ranbir made it clear at the LFW that Deepika is his love interest," said Rashmi Singh, who attended the show.

Unlike his contemporaries, Ranbir did not take expert advice from his ladylove, who was a model by profession. "No I did not take any tips from Deepika before walking the ramp. I had never walked the ramp before. It was the first time for me but I was quite confident. It proved to be an excellent experience," Ranbir said.

"Moreover, the Indian fashion industry is growing very fast and if I can contribute a little to it, it would be great," he added.

When asked how fashion conscious he is, Ranbir said: "I am not fashionable at all. My knowledge about fashion is only through Arjun. Fashion for me is being comfortable."

After the show, Deepika left the venue with Neetu in the same car.

The five-day fashion extravaganza at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) would end on April 2. Fifty-seven designers, established and new, including the likes of Narendra Kumar, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Neeta Lulla, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Wendell Rodricks will show their collections.

I can never say no to Ekta: Karan Johar

IANS
Director Karan Johar, who teams up with TV tycoon Ekta Kapoor in her next home production C Kkompany, says he cannot refuse any offer from her.

"Ekta is a sweetheart. I can never say no to her. I don't want to divulge any details about the film. Ekta will tell you what I've to do," Karan told IANS.

Added Ekta: "C Kkompany will have Karan and also Mahesh Bhatt making appearances. I'm also there. The awards committees are going to have a tough time next year."

Ekta ventured into filmmaking with Kucch To Hai and Krishna Cottage. Last year she co-produced the box office hit Shootout At Lokhandwala with Sanjay Gupta.

This won't be Karan's first acting assignment. He started as a child actor in Anand Mahendroo's Doordarshan serial Indradhanush, and then played Shah Rukh Khan's nerdy friend in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. More recently he had a cameo in Sujoy Ghosh's Home Delivery and a voice-on-telephone part in Nikhil Advani's Salaam-e-Ishq.

However, Karan refutes recent reports that he is acting in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion. Karan, whose last film Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was panned, has an extremely busy year ahead. Not only is he neck-deep researching for his next directorial venture titled Khan, he's also heavily into chatting up celebrities thanks to his reputation of a glorious gabber from STAR TV's "Koffee With Karan".

Sush, Ketan Desai tie up for Rani Laxmibai

IndiaFM

Now that Sushmita Sen has decided to direct her dream project Rani Laxmibai herself, she has got Manmohan Desai's son Ketan Desai's MKD Productions to collaborate with her. Ketan will serve as the executive producer on the project.

Sushmita can barely contain her excitement at the collaboration. "It would've been impossible for me to look into all the nitty-gritty. I had to work with people whom I could trust implicitly. Ketan is an extremely capable and clued in man."

While Ketan will bring his cinematic expertise into Sushmita's dream project, another Desai, Nitin, is busy designing the elaborate period sets of the film. For the crucial war scenes Sushmita takes her mixed Indo-British crew to China. "The cast will be both British and Indian actors." The casting of the British actors is currently on. The celebrated British agency William Morris has been employed to find the perfect British actors for the project.

Sushmita, who's currently busy, among other things, brushing up her Urdu diction, says excitedly, "We will stick as far as possible to the language of the characters' national identity. But we've to keep the question of accessibility in mind. The film will therefore be largely in Hindi and Urdu."

Since Rani Laxmibai's husband was a man much older than the Rani, there will be no romantic interest for Sushmita in the film. And, yes, Sushmita will dedicate Rani Laxmibai to her dear friend Rajiv Narayan who died of cancer recently. "They were both such fierce warriors battling their enemies till the very end," says Sushmita who admits Rani Laxmibai has always been a role model.

Tanusree's loss is Rakhi's gain

By movietalkies

Rakhi Sawant seems to be getting lucky with her growing item numbers in films. After featuring in an item number in Rakesh Roshan's Krazzy 4, she has been roped in to for yet another number in Horn OK Please. She replaces Tanusree Dutta.

Tanusree, as is known, got into a spat with the Nana Patekar on the sets of the film at Fimistan Studios on Wednesday. According to the actress, Nana passed some derogatory comments on her dress sense and that did not go down well with the actress. According to the version that Tanusree has shared with the journos, it seems that her main problem was that Nana was getting too physically close for comfort during the dance number, on the pretext of showing her certain dance steps. The producer Sami Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang approached Rakhi on Wednesday night and explained their dilemma to her. She is believed to have immediately agreed to do the song and even shot for the song yesterday with Nana. Meanwhile Rakhi also said that she had no qualms about doing the item number with Nana as she had great regard for him.

Finally, Rakhi to shake a leg with Nana

Bollywood Trade News Network

Ex-Miss India Tanushree Dutta who showed 'Pyaar ka signal' in BHAGAM BHAG couldn't exhibit green signal with HORN OK PLEASE.
The story goes like this; Tanushree was signed by the makers of HORN OK PLEASE for an item number with Nana Patekar, who plays the lead in the movie. It seems the pretty actress started throwing tantrums from the very first day. Right from the rehearsal on the first day she had some or the other issues, as per the reports in the media. Even the makers of the movie reportedly revealed that she was well informed in advance about the item song. But once they started rehearsing she objected on a few dance steps. These dance steps required the dancers to touch her, but she claimed that Nana Patekar and other crewmembers were touching her inappropriately.

There was lot of interference on the dance steps from the crewmembers also. This was not enough to end her grief. She got more furious when she wore some skimpy clothes for the song and one of the crewmembers reportedly made a lewd remark, about the outfits. Because of this Tanushree then locked herself in her makeup van for long time wasting valuable time. Later when she stepped out of the vanity van she straight away left towards her car. This ended up creating hue and cry on the sets that resulted in a huge scene (not for the film, obviously) on the sets. And ultimately the producer roped in item queen Rakhi Sawant immediately replacing Tanushree.

Now call it Rakhi's luck or one more feather on her golden cap. Recently Rakhi did an item number for KRAZZY 4 made under Filmkraft's banner. Also, a few days back we had reported that she had been signed for an item number in Vikram Bhatt's 1920 and with Yashraj films she plays a dancer from the bhand samaj. With this we can very well see that surely Rakhi is heading northwards these days.

Govinda excited about working with David Dhawan again

(IANS) Govinda is excited about getting together with director David Dhawan and producer Vashu Bhagnani again.

'We've created quite a `dhamaal' in the past with 'Hero No 1' and 'Coolie No 1'. We'll definitely be creating a full-on entertainment again. Yes, it'll be a comedy. I'll try my level-best that we come back with a film that will do justice to all three of us.'

Govinda says he owes his entire comeback to David Dhawan. 'It's something I learnt from Bachchan. When he needed to make a comeback he called Yash Chopra for `Mohabbatein'. Similarly when I needed to come back I rang up David and he gave me `Partner'.'

Govinda has no qualms admitting that the Big B influenced him. 'Yeah, I copied Bachchan. I'm not anything like Bachchan. But why shouldn't I copy a man as great as him? If he could reach out to a filmmaker, why couldn't I? David is such a big man. One call to him and my career was re-made. Today, if he asks me to do another film with him I don't even need to think about it. I'd do it blindly.'

Govinda has never been more charged up about his career. 'I don't really care what people say about me. All I know is, I'm doing my work with sincerity. And I've become very punctual. I reach my sets on time.

'I'm not here to create any problems for anyone. If I'm doing my work quietly, why are some people getting troubled by it? But I'm not going to get rattled.

'I don't regret anything, not even my entry into politics. I respect politicians because they're doing their jobs very efficiently. But the fame and fortune I've got has come through Mata Saraswati and my art (movies). No one has the right to eye my career and try to ruin it.'

Govinda's 'Money Hai To Honey Hai' producer Kumar Mangat adds: 'A miracle happened during the shooting. We finished Govinda's work in 60 days when we had reserved his dates for 85 days.

'In Mauritius where we shot most of the film, Govinda was the first of the cast to be awake. In fact he'd wake me up and we'd have our morning tea together. I remember we had to shoot at a discotheque in Mauritius. We had to reach at 8 a.m. and all we saw were the janitors at work. That's how punctual Govinda has become.'

In fact Kumar Mangat is planning another film with Govinda this year. 'He's a pleasure to work with,' says the producer.

Yet Another Historical In The Making?

By movietalkies

Our filmmakers seem to be quite smitten with the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. We had Ketan Mehta making his Mangal Pandey a few years ago. If that wasn't enough, he even had plans of making a film on the Rani of Jhansi as well. That idea has probably been shelved for now by the director. But actress Sushmita Sen is quite gung-ho about forthcoming film on Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. Now it seems that the government of India too is jumping into the fray.

As part of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Revolt of 1857, the Information & Broadcasting Ministry is believed to be entering a tie-up with director Vinay Shukla, of Godmother fame. Shukla is expected to direct a film for the ministry which will showcase the revolt and focus on the efforts of its protagonists like Rani Laxmibai, Nana Saheb Peshwa and Tatya Tope. The bigger news is that the Om Shanti Om girl Deepika Padukone is being considered for the role of the Rani and Akshay Kumar for the role of Tatya, her childhood friend. Incidentally, if this casting goes through, it will be the second film which will see Deepika and Akshay come together on screen. The duo is currently shooting for Chandni Chowk To China being directed by Nikhil Advani.

Tanushree Not Taking It Lightly

By movietalkies

The fracas between actress Tanushree Dutta and the makers of Horn Ok Please has taken on another turn with the actress refusing to let herself be maligned by the makers. She reportedly went on air last night and spoke extensively to a news channel where she reiterated her allegation of unseemly conduct by Nana Patekar.

Tanushree has also leveled allegations against the makers for damaging her car and her reputation. The actress refuted all reports of her leaving the sets midway, saying instead that she was there right till pack-up, hoping to sort out the matter. The press and the ruckus that followed thereafter, was all staged by the makers, according to her. Protecting her professional reputation, the actress said that she agreed to do the item number only after it was mutually decided that she would not do anything that she found uncomfortable or that which compromised her dignity. According to her she attended rehersals for five days, prior to the shoot. The makers had alleged that she refused to reherse for the song. The actress also said quite clearly that she was disturbed and uncomfortable by Nana's presence on the shoot. She had made it known to the choreographer Ganesh Acharya, the film's director and producer. It was only on the fourth day, that she finally voiced her objections aloud, and that too about a dance step. Meanwhile, the actress has now gone a step ahead and filed a complaint with the Cine and Television Artistes Association (CINTA), demanding that she be compensated for the damage to her property and her reputation. The artistes' body intends to issue notices to all in the case.