By Jilawatan

Bollywood is considered to be a superstitious lot, not willing to take risks especially when it comes to trying to ensure the success of their films at the box-office.

Apart from auspicious mahurat dates and naming of films, even casting of actors considered lucky mascots for the makers is increasingly the norm. So, what happens when both the leading actor, as well as, the film-maker have their own ‘lucky’ stars. Well, they simply cast both! And according to the buzz that’s what happened in Anees Bazmee’s Thank You. The film that stars Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor and Bobby Deol also has a surprise cameo by actor Vidya Balan, apart from an item number by Mallika Sherawat.

Apparently, while Bazmee considered it was lucky to include Mallika as she she had made a cameo in his earlier hit Welcome, Vidya is considered to be lucky for Akki and reportedly that is what helped the director zero in on her for a vital role opposite Akshay. A source reveals, “Akshay and Vidya have had two superhits together Bhool Bhulaiya and Heyy Babyy and hopefully the combination will click again. So the makers agreed immediately and cast Vidya.” In fact according to another insider, the length of her character was considerably increased and even a song was thrown in after Vidya agreed to come on board. The source adds, “Vidya’s also of course a talented actor, so it was like a win-win situation for the film. So things fell into place, even though Anees already had his own lucky actor Mallika in the film.”

But Sherawat and Balan are not the only ones. Rani Mukerji and Kajol too have been considered film-maker Karan Johar’s lucky charms, although he has gone on record claiming Shah Rukh Khan to be the luckiest mascot. In fact, according to Bolly-lore, if Kajol tripped while shooting for a film, then the film was bound to be a super hit.

Actor Salman Khan is the lucky boy for the Barjatyas, while Katrina Kaif’s been proven lucky for Akshay. Anushka Sharma’s now being considered lucky for her film-makers too. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali swears by his heroine Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, while actor Sridevi was apparently the lucky mascot for the Chopras. Actor Madhuri Dixit was considered to be lucky for Indra Kumar, but then so was a particular tree in Ooty that he featured in all his films, while Urmila Matondkar was both the muse and the mascot for Ram Gopal Varma.

By Jilawatan

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan and former union minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor have been voted as the hottest celebrity vegetarians in an online poll by animal rights organisation PETA.

Vidya and Tharoor beat out actors R. Madhavan and Lara Dutta to claim the title. They

faced competition from Mallika Sherawat, Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Shahid Kapoor, and even international names like Natalie Portman and Bryan Adams.

“Vidya Balan and Shashi Tharoor embody many admirable qualities, but their commitment to a vegetarian diet that’s as kind to animals and the earth as it is to their own health makes them true royalty in our book,” Poorva Joshipura, chief of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, said in a statement.

“All our nominees are winners because there’s nothing more beautiful than a caring heart to go along with an attractive appearance,” she added.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan will represent Indian sensuality at its best in ‘A Dirty Picture’ where she will revive the sex-appeal of Silk Smitha.

Vidya Balan’s performance prowess needs no corroboration. But when you learn that she will be playing a character loosely based on the South sex-symbol Silk Smitha (who featured in string of soft-porn films in the 80s and early 90s), it certainly generates a lot of curiosity. While a formulaic filmmaker would have thought of casting someone like today’s sex-symbol Mallika Sherawat to portray the character of a yesteryear sex-symbol, director Milan Luthria chooses Vidya Balan for the role in his film A Dirty Picture . “I wanted the casting to arouse interest. At the same time I wanted a process of discovery to happen with the film and lend a new dimension to Vidya Balan”, says Milan.

While Vidya Balan has largely restricted herself to the girl-next-door image, she displayed a hint of her sensual side in Ishqiya . Will she take it a step further in A Dirty Picture ? “Everything from sex, sleaze and exposure will essentially be a part of the character”, assures Milan clarifying in the same breath, “But I am not an exploitative filmmaker. I want to capture the dramatic and moving side of the story. For that I wanted an ambassador who would not only add sex-appeal to the character but also bring a certain element of emotion and class”.

So can we expect to see Vidya Balan at her sexiest best in A Dirty Picture ? “Definitely! Vidya will have a complete image makeover with this film. She will represent Indian sensuality at its best” claims Milan. And how does he plan to achieve that? Milan puts forth his point giving references, “Every actress from Waheeda Rehman, Hema Malini, Sridevi to Madhuri Dixit have, at some point of time in their career, exhibited a very sensual side of theirs. We will try to capture that sensual side of Vidya with this film”. Concurrently he emphasizes that painting a dirty picture is no easy job and it’s very important to get the right shade. “There will be a certain level of rawness to the sensuality but at the same time it has to be captured very tastefully. We need to strike a balance and ensure that it does not look cheap”.

Reportedly Vidya had reservations about the role and also laid her conditions before signing on the dotted line. Milan doesn’t deny. “Vidya had reservations regarding a lot of things and not just skin-show. When an actor plays an actor onscreen there is a tendency to get too absorbed in the character. Also Vidya wanted to understand the entire emotional graph of the character. The so-called reservations were more of questions that she had about her character and its portrayal which were answered. Having said that let me tell you that there will be no compromise on the portrayal of the character in any way.”

So can we expect Vidya Balan to revive the sex-appeal of Silk Smitha? “Why just Silk Smitha”, questions Milan. “My film is based on an entire generation of actresses who were bold enough and carved their own way in life. We have taken references of many such soft-porn stars of the era and added fiction to the narrative. So the story is a mix of several things relating to the character and time and is not just based on one person’s life.”

That lifts our expectations more. Seems like Vidya Balan is all set to revive an era and redefine the term sex-symbol with her oomph and sex-appeal!

By Jilawatan

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who has recently walked out of the movie ‘Dhamaal 2’, has lost a solo heroine role in ‘Rascals’, which is the first film of Sanjay Dutt Productions (SDP).
David Dhawan is directing ‘Rascals’ and Sanjay Dutt is one of the lead actors of ‘Dhamaal 2’.
Initially, the actress agreed to be a part of ‘Dhamaal 2’ but asked for a whooping amount of INR 1.5 crore as fee. The producers refused to pay such a huge amount and she walked out of the movie. She was replaced by Mallika Sherawat.
It is reported that when Vidya came to know about ‘Rascals’, the actress expressed her desire to be a part of it to the director David Dhawan. But, her refusal to star in ‘Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who has recently walked out of the movie ‘Dhamaal 2’, has lost a solo heroine role in ‘Rascals’, which is the first film of Sanjay Dutt Productions (SDP).
David Dhawan is directing ‘Rascals’ and Sanjay Dutt is one of the lead actors of ‘Dhamaal 2’.
Initially, the actress agreed to be a part of ‘Dhamaal 2’ but asked for a whooping amount of INR 1.5 crore as fee. The producers refused to pay such a huge amount and she walked out of the movie. She was replaced by Mallika Sherawat.
It is reported that when Vidya came to know about ‘Rascals’, the actress expressed her desire to be a part of it to the director David Dhawan. But, her refusal to star in ‘Dhamaal 2’ cost her the movie because Sanjay Dutt was not happy with her decision. Dutt and Vidya have worked together in ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ and her debut movie ‘Parineeta’.
The lead female role in ‘Rascals’ required a youthful charming woman so everyone in the unit wanted a fresh face. Sanjay Dutt, Dharam Oberoi, who is the business manager and CEO of SDP, and director David Dhawan shortlisted Anushka Sharma, Lara Dutta, and Kangna Ranaut for the role.
Kangana Ranaut bagged the role.
David Dhawan said, “Vidya Balan was not suitable for this role even though she is a fine actress. This is the only reason we did not sign her for ‘Rascals’. I am sure Vidya does not mind as she is a good friend, we will work on another film together.”’ cost her the movie because Sanjay Dutt was not happy with her decision. Dutt and Vidya have worked together in ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ and her debut movie ‘Parineeta’.
The lead female role in ‘Rascals’ required a youthful charming woman so everyone in the unit wanted a fresh face. Sanjay Dutt, Dharam Oberoi, who is the business manager and CEO of SDP, and director David Dhawan shortlisted Anushka Sharma, Lara Dutta, and Kangna Ranaut for the role.
Kangana Ranaut bagged the role.
David Dhawan said, “Vidya Balan was not suitable for this role even though she is a fine actress. This is the only reason we did not sign her for ‘Rascals’. I am sure Vidya does not mind as she is a good friend, we will work on another film together.”

By Jilawatan

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who has recently walked out of the movie Dhamaal 2, has lost a solo heroine role in Rascals, which is the first film of Sanjay Dutt Productions (SDP). David Dhawan is directing Rascals. Sanjay Dutt also stars Dhamaal 2 along with few other actors.

Initially, the actress agreed to be a part of Dhamaal 2 but asked for a whooping amount of Rs 1.5 crore as fee. The producers refused to pay such a huge amount and she walked out of the movie. She was then replaced by Mallika Sherawat.

It is reported that when Vidya came to know about Rascals, the actress expressed her desire to be a part of it to the director David Dhawan. But, her refusal to Dhamaal 2 cost her movie as Sanjay was not very happy with her. He did not wish to take her in this film. Earlier Dutt and Vidya have worked together in Lage Raho Munnabhai and also in her debut movie Parineeta.

The lead female role in Rascals required a youthful charming woman so everyone in the unit wanted a fresh face. Sanjay Dutt, Dharam Oberoi, who is the business manager and CEO of SDP, and director David Dhawan shortlisted Anushka Sharma, Lara Dutta, and Kangna Ranaut for the role. However, Kangana Ranaut got lucky finally to bag the role.

David Dhawan said, “Vidya Balan was not suitable for this role even though she is a fine actress. This is the only reason we did not sign her for Rascals. I am sure Vidya does not mind as she is a good friend, we will work on another film together”.

By Jilawatan

Now that designer Sabya-sachi Mukherjee is over with the couture week, he’s taken a week off. Unlike fellow fraternity members, his work now is of a more filmi kind – he’s started work on his first directorial venture. “It’s one of my priorities at the moment,” said Sabya. He began writing the script from August 1.

There are two parallel stories and he’ll work on the one which appears stronger in the discussion stage. He says, “It’s all in my head right now. I’m going to take a week off from work and start it with my writer.” He refuses to give the writer’s name, saying, “It wouldn’t be fair on her. She’s quietly writing two other films too, besides this one. I don’t want to upset her apple cart.”

As to the cast, Sabya insists it’s undecided, even as the names of friends Vidya Balan and Rani Mukerji do the rounds. But, he says, “I still don’t know if Vidya is there in the film. I’m very strict about my casting. If I think she doesn’t fit the role, she doesn’t fit. And I think Rani and Vidya both understand that. We are not friends because of what we can do for each other.” But, he’ll know soon enough if he’ll work with Vidya in his maiden venture. “There are two narratives. One of them will have Vidya and the other might not have. But, both films will be as vocal as I am about the socio political issues plaguing the country,” he says.

But, hadn’t he initially planned to make a dark love story? “The dark love story flew out of the window,” he says nonchalantly. It’s the changing socio-political fabric of the country that has got him hooked. “It’ll be a movie that makes you want to react,” he says. The Ayn Rand kinds? “I can’t really say. You know, if I ever wrote an autobiography, it’ll be like that movie – “Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai.” Perhaps my movie will be like that and may be called “Sabyasachi Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai!”” he says.

But, despite its seemingly serious theme, Sabya says that he plans to make it a visual delight, though people should not expect any reference to the world of fashion in it. “Just because I’m a designer, people assume it’ll have good clothes. Shayad is mein ache kapde dekhne ko hee nahi mlienge aapko. It’s a movie that’ll reflect all that you feel bad about in the society.” Even though he says it’s neither like “Udaan” or “Devdas”, he does add, “It’ll be a strong, intense film, but one that’ll make you want to change things around. People should sit in a coffee shop and discuss it. I started the khadi movement singlehandedly in my workshop without the government. Just like that, I want people to start talking about issues. I don’t want to be a preacher. Even if 10 people come (I hope more will come) to watch the movie, they should go out thinking – let’s make a change. It’s not a coming of age film, but one that makes one want to make changes around.”

But the designer himself doesn’t plan to make an appearance. “Perhaps if there is a farmer in the film, I’d do that role,” he says.

At the moment, his only focus is his writer. He says, “Today all the big studios are in a mess, because they are clueless. Big star ko le rahe hain, Sabyasachi ko le rahe hain, Rahman ko le rahe hain – fir movie kyun nahi chal rahi hai? Because they are not paying the most deserved – the writers. A good story can sell a movie. Nothing else can. Money should be paid to the writers. The distributors’ system has affected the industry adversely. They’ll say is mein Mallika Sherawat ka scene laga dijiye, waterfall de dijiye, thoda sex daal dijiye … movie chal jayegi. Today, you can’t plant such things. A lot of people must have watched “Ram Teri Ganga … ” to see Mandakini under the waterfall. But today you can’t call the audience just for that. They have easy access to pornography. Sex cannot sell a film, an idea can.”
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By Jilawatan

A few days ago, news began circulating that actress Vidya Balan had exited the sequel of Dhamaal, but hot on the heels of this, was the exciting news that had become a buzz in B-Town.

According to the rumour mill, sexy ‘oomph’ girl, Mallika Sherawat had signed to play Vidya’s part.

Following the success of Ishqiya and Paa Vidya had asked for a huge fee, which did not go down too well with director, Indra Kumar.

Before one could blink an eye, Mallika, who settled for a fee which was fair to both parties, was given the nod.

Well, it looks like this sultry babe, Mallika, is not as money hungry as many may have thought!

By Jilawatan

Finally hot and sexy actress Mallika Sherawat nods to do a Bollywood venture after her busy schedules in Hollywood. Mallika has replaced Vidya Balan in the sequel of comedy film ‘Dhamaal’.

Vidya who was the first choice for the role was kicked out due to her rise in price demand and then the director Indra Kumar approached Mallika for the role who agreed to sign the film affordable price.

The birdies reveal that Arshad Warsi has also been replaced by Aftab Shivdasani in the sequel.

The film also features Sanjay Dutt, Jaaved Jaaferi, Ashish Chowdhary and Ritesh Deshmukh.

Mallika is right now waiting for the release of her upcoming Hollywood ventures ‘Hisss’ and ‘Love Barrack’.

By Jilawatan

Mallika Sherawat has reportedly been cast as the female lead in Dhamaal 2.

Mid Day says that director Indra Kumar decided to cast the actress because first choice Vidya Balan was asking for too much money.

Sources close to Paa and Ishqiya star Balan have apparently said that she now earns around 10 and a half million rupees (around £150,000) per picture.

However, some reports have claimed that Balan, who starred in the original Dhamaal, walked out on the project because she was not happy with how her character was being developed.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan is the latest Bollywood celeb to sign up for Twitter. Though she admits she’s not deft in using social networking sites, she’s learning fast.

“Everybody was telling me about Twitter so I decided to join it. I have just started and I will soon learn it,” Vidya is quoted as saying by a website.

Incidentally, Vidya joins Twitter just 10 days after Shahid Kapoor too signed up. She’s yet to post her first tweet but has already got close to 100 followers.

Meanwhile, Shahid has been tweeting regularly and has already got more than 14,000 followers. In one of his recent tweets, he wrote: “MORNIN PEOPLE ….. Am up ….. Lotsa work today … Shootin in some warehouses … Trap still sore … But 1 day to go .. I’m extatic …”

Shahid is presently shooting director Parmeet Sethi’s first film in Bangkok with Anushka Sharma.

Among other Bollywood celebs who tweet regularly are Mallika Sherawat, Priyanka Chopra and Gul Panag.