Vidya Balan

By Jilawatan

There are two films being made on heroines and their lives. One is The Dirty Picture which has Vidya Balan in the lead and the other is Heroine that stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead role.

While Vidya essays a Silk Smitha-type character in Milan Luthria’s film, the second sees Ash playing the role of a superstar whose career is fading away in the Madhur Bhandarkar directed flick.

Now both directors have stepped up their pace to ensure that their project goes on the floor as soon as possible. Madhur wants to release the film after Ra.One while Milan is working with Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan refused to step into Hema Malini’s shoes in the remake of the 1982 blockbuster Satte Pe Satta. She will definitely not be the one to yet again reform the seven untamed brothers living on a ranch.

“Vidya didn’t want to do this film simply because she feels that Satte Pe Satta should not be tampered with. That film is too iconic to be copied or revised,” explains a source about the actress’s reason for turning down Sanjay Dutt’s offer.

While Dutt will essay the role that Amitabh Bachchan played in the original film, he is having difficulty casting the female lead. Balan has point-blank refused to take on this challenging project, which will be directed by Soham Shah.

When the filmmakers spoke to Vidya’s manager, she did not make them wait too long for a reply. We last heard that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan might do the film. Let’s wait and watch.

Both, Balan and Bachchan, remained unavailable for comment.

By Jilawatan

If one would have really enjoyed the classic Amitabh Bachchan-Hema Malini starrer ‘Satte Pe Satta’, then they would be equally anticipating for its remake.

The news of Satte Pe Satta’ remake has been going around for sometime. While the new version will be directed by Soham Shah, the role of Big B will be played by Sanjay Dutt. Of late the grapevines are focused on the female leads. It’s heard that charming Vidya Balan is being considered for Hema Malini’s role. On the other hand, hot Bengali babe Bipasha Basu will be roped to play Ranjitha’s character, where she played a wheel-chair bound girl.

Wait, there’s more to this…! Names like Celina Jaitley, Minissha Lamba, Sonal Chauhan, Anjana Sukhani, Rimi Sen and Neha Sharma are being thrown in for the other female leads in the film. Similarly, Arshad Warsi will again be a partner to his Munnabhai co-star Sanjay in the remake.

Besides on the male team Fardeen Khan, Shreyas Talpade, and Zayed Khan are said to be thought about. Some sources said that Siddhant, Shakti Kapoor’s son, will debut in this movie and he will do the same character which his dad played in the original….

The film is expected to start its shooting from mid-April in Panchgani.

Hmmmm, this new cast gives us a mixed feeling… What about you?

By Jilawatan

Will Aishwarya Rai Bachchan topple Vidya Balan in the battle to bag the female lead opposite Sanjay Dutt in the remake of Satte Pe Satta? The two heroines were cast together in Guru, where Ash had a bigger role, but Vidya gave a better performance.

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then. Ash has a disastrous record opposite Sanju. The 2002 film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin, where the two costarred, was a big flop.

And then there was Leena Yadav’s Shabd, another box office disaster. Vidya, on the other hand, has had a good run with Sanju. The first film she did with him, Parineeta, was a critical as well as a commercial success.

Later, Lage Raho Munnabhai was also received extremely well at the box office. Will the makers of the film choose talent over glamour, or cast Ash in the hope of cashing in on her considerable box office clout?

By Jilawatan

It was reported that Vidya Balan was offered to play the lead in ‘Satte Pe Satta’ remake and lapped up the role as soon as it was offered.

However, a source reveals that it’s Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who has been appoached to play Sanjay Dutt’s wife in the remake and it was never Vidya.

The film is being produced by Sanjay Dutt’s production house, and Sanju is very keen that Ash plays his better half in the movie. Soham Shah is all set to direct the remake of this classic, and it is heard that the writer and he will fly all the way to New Zealand to give Ash a narration.

Ash is keeping hubby Abhishek some company in New Zealand while he shoots for ‘Players’ there.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan looks all set to unite with her Munnabhai co-star Sanjay Dutt for a new bag of gags. This time, she will be reprising Hema Malini’s role in the 1982 comedy, Satte Pe Satta.

The film, directed by Soham Shah, will see Dutt essay Amitabh Bachchan’s role in the original.

“It’s true. Vidya has been approached to play the role essayed by Hema Malini in Satte Pe Satta.

“Shah wanted an actress who could look mature and sexy, traditional and modern at the same time,” says a trade analyst.

Reportedly, Vidya loved the script and is keen to work out the dates for the film in her packed diary.

Shah, who made his Bollywood debut as a director in the Karan Johar-produced film Kaal in 2005, is now busy giving finishing touches to his script, said a source.

“The casting of the other characters will be announced in due time,” added the source.

The 1982 original, directed by Raj N. Sippy, was a Bollywood remake of the 1954 Hollywood musical, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.

While Vidya’s role in the new film will be along the lines of Hema Malini’s character of a no-nonsense bhabhi, director Shah plans to give her character a quirky update to match the tastes of Gen-Now.

It will also be in keeping with Vidya’s image as an actress who has been successfully playing very different characters, including a hip mom in Paa and the sultry village woman in Ishqiya.

“The heroine also had to be a girl who could match up to a senior actor like Sanjay Dutt,” said the source.

In fact, Dutt was reportedly keen that Shah cast Vidya as the heroine in the film. The original film saw Hema Malini’s character, Indu, fall in love and marry Amitabh Bachchan’s character, Ravi.

Much of the comedy in Satte Pe Satta arose from Indu’s attempts to get along with Ravi’s six brothers, who have grown up without any parental supervision.

Of late, Vidya has had a great run at the box-office. Also, after picking up almost all the popular Best Actress awards for her role in Paa last year, she seems to have become the darling of the awards circuit. She is on a winning spree for her role in Ishqiya as well.

Vidya’s upcoming kitty of films is quite an interesting mix. She plays a vengeful action heroine in Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani, said to be a remake of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.

Milan Luthria’s Dirty Picture is a biopic that casts Vidya as the troubled Tamil siren, Silk Smitha.

Vidya has already created a buzz with reports saying she has put on weight to match Silk Smitha’s “thunder thighs” look that ruled in the eighties.

Her special dance number in Santosh Sivan’s upcoming Urumi has also kept her in the news, even as she continues to receive rave reviews for her role of Sabrina Lall in her latest release, No One Killed Jessica.

“It’s been a while since Vidya has done a solid comic role. She would love to play the central female character in the Satte Pe Satta remake. Of course, she has to okay the script first,” says the source.

By Jilawatan

Buzz is that Vidya Balan was replaced by Kangna Ranaut in Sanjay Dutt’s home production, Rascals, because she had dropped out of Double Dhamaal, in which she’d also been paired with Dutt, over the question of a price hike. The actress refutes the rumours: “I wasn’t even offered Rascals. How can I be replaced when I was never in the film? I’m very fond of Sanju (Dutt) and had he asked, I would have happily done his film.”

She admits that she was approached for the Dhamaal sequel, but things didn’t work out. “Director Indra Kumar has made some
memorable films and hopefully and he’ll come to me with a Beta (1992) or Raja (1995) soon,” she smiles.

Balan doesn’t believe her “no” to Double Dhamaal pushed Dutt into dropping her from Rascals. “Sanju is a professional and would not take something like this personally,” she retorts.

Ranaut is also said to have stepped in for Balan in Venus’ Bullet Train. “The dates didn’t work out. I had committed to Sujay Ghosh’s film that will be shot in October,” she says. “But Priyan sir (director Priyadarshan) and I did an ad recently, and all is well.”

Munnabhai 3 is likely to flag off next year with Dutt and Arshad Warsi. Will Balan be a part of the cast too? “This is news to me!” she exclaims. “I can’t imagine anyone, but Sanju and Arshad as Munna and Circuit. As far as I’m concerned, I have no clue.”

What about the Ishqiya sequel? “Is that happening? If it is, they better have me or I will take my screen role literally and shoot them down. ‘Abhishek (director Abhishek Chaubey) agar jaan pyaari hai, to mujhe film mein le lo’ (If you value your life, sign me),” she laughs. “That’s one sequel I’m looking forward to since we had such a blast making Ishqiya.”

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan has rubbished reports that she was dropped by Sanjay Dutt from Rascals after she refused Double Dhamaal over a paycheck dispute.

It was rumored that Dutt, who is producing Rascals, wasn’t amused when Balan walked out of Double Dhamaal which features him in an ensemble cast.

Balan clarifies to HT;

“I wasn’t even offered Rascals. How can I be replaced when I was never in the film? I’m very fond of Sanju (Dutt) and had he asked, I would have happily done his film.”

“Sanju is a professional and would not take something like this personally,” she added.

Balan hopes to work with Double Dhamaal producer Indra Kumar in the future, and nurses the hope that he will offer her a film like Beta (1992) or Raja (1995).

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

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’.