PicShik Blog

Actor Saif Ali Khan may have had to cancel his big birthday bash, but he is happy that his 38th birthday on Saturday coincides with the festival of Raksha Bandhan as his two sisters celebrate the festival in a big way.

“There’s no one in town! All my friends from the industry are not here. In fact I had spoken to Shah Rukh (Khan). He had promised to fly back to Mumbai for my birthday. Very sweet of him.”

But the superstar couldn’t make it and Saif says he’ll miss his parents too.

“My mom and dad are not flying over from Delhi. My birthday is not such a big deal for me. I’d just be happy to spend it with Kareena (Kapoor) and my kids,” said Saif.

But since his birthday falls on Rakhi day, he says he is expecting presents from his sisters Soha and Saba instead.

“Rakha Bandhan is always special for me as my two sisters celebrate it in a big way every year, and this year it is even more special because it also coincides with my birthday,” Saif said.

“On earlier occasions of Raksha Bandhan, I have always presented them with gifts, but this time I am expecting a gift from them,” he added.

Things couldn’t be better for Saif as he completes 38.

“It’s been an eventful and fulfilling year. I found love in Kareena. Professionally it was a quiet year. There was Race, but then there were two films that didn’t do well. I need to focus more on my work. I want to put together some good projects and work hard. Since my personal life is so stable I’ve no excuse to not give my job my best shot.”

This was also the year when Saif turned producer.

“I’m actually a creative producer. My partner Dinesh Vijen takes care of the nitty-gritties. I’m there as an actor. For my first production I let my director Imtiaz Ali do exactly what he wants.”

Saif says he has begun to understand himself much more now.

“I’ve discovered there are many things I like about myself, and a couple of things that I don’t like about myself. I’m 38 now. Do I feel wise? Sometimes I do. At other times I’m still as impulsive and headstrong as I used to be.

“I felt when I grew older I’d outgrow certain bands when it came to music, that I’d stop enjoying rock when I was older. That didn’t happen. I still enjoy some of the things that I did 10 years ago. Is that bad?”

Saif is also heavily into fitness now. “I think if you’re health conscious and you’re physically fit and look after yourself, 38 is a great age to be. Today I’m more aware of myself. I know who I am with and what I’m comfortable with. I’ve quit smoking completely. This the healthiest time of my life.”

There were rumours that the actor had a panic attack while shooting in London last month. But he completely rubbishes them.

“What nonsense! I don’t even know what a panic attack is. Does it mean I thought I had a heart attack? No such thing happened to me.”

Saif has just returned from London and the US after one of the longest shooting stints abroad.

“London has become Bollywood’s favourite second home. Mine too. A lot of us actors love London. I spent a lot of my growing years in London. But I don’t feel too much at home there. Mumbai is where I feel home is,” said Saif, who’s just back in the city after two months of shooting abroad.

“Sadly I’m going off to Dubai to do a show, then I’m going to the US for an event. I also have to shoot in Kolkata, Delhi and Rajasthan to complete Imtiaz Ali’s film. There’s quite a lot of the film that remains so I’m hardly in Mumbai. It’d be nice to spend some time in Mumbai not working…just spending some time with the kids,” Saif said.

As far as films go, he has signed another film opposite Kareena to be produced by Ashthvinayak.

“But I’m quite open to her working with other leading men. I think she’s doing Imtiaz Ali’s next film with another actor, just as I’m doing Imtiaz’s current film with Deepika Padukone. So what? Even if we work separately we still manage to spend quite a lot of time together.”

With the battle the war between the two Khans of Bollywood– Salman & SRK is making headlines, it seems some well wishers are already making attempts to cool the tempers. One such name being- the item girl Rakhi Sawant.

When asked by the media about what she though of the war of the Khans, Rakhi said that they should patch up because they are both part of the industry. They both are fierce. Calling one a tiger and the other a Cheetah she concluded that they are all number one in the industry so today or tomorrow they will be friends, as they are the Khan brothers.

Though, considered the motor mouth of the industry, Rakhi this time is playing a different role, that of a peace broker.
Well, we hope the item girl’s earnest suggestion to the Khan’s doesn’t rub them the wrong way.

Renowned singer cum composer Adnan Sami has been hospitalized. Sources close to Adnan said that his hospitalization was due to a bad case of food poisoning which he suffered a couple of days back. That also explains the reason why Adnan was missing from the grand music launch of Vikram Bhatt’s film 1920, for which Adnan has composed the music.

When we spoke to Vikram Bhatt regarding the same, he admitted that Adnan could not attend the music launch because of the food poisoning.

Adnan’s fans need not fret as the sources close to the singer said that Adnan was doing fine now but was really upset of not being able to attend the music function.

That’s ok Adnan, as long as you recover fast and get back to what you are best at: Music! Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery for Adnan!

Rani Mukherjee recently threw a party at her newly renovated bungalow and invited all the four Khans of Bollywood.

But reports are that Aamir Khan , Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan decided to skip Rani’s house-warming party as it was to be attended by Shahrukh Khan .

The three Khans chose to stay away from the bash and only the King Khan was seen making an appearance.

Speculations are rife that this has more to do with the SRK-Salman spat, since Rani is known to be at good terms with all the Khans, namely.

Rani has recently moved into a spacious new home which has been beautified by Sussanne Khan Roshan and Twinkle Khanna in the upscale Juhu neighbourhood and had been planning a house-warming party since long but had a tough time fixing it up all thanks to the busy schedules of all the stars Rani wanted at the party.

But all that planning has gone into the drain with most of them snubbing her do.

Those who made it to the party were- SRK, Gauri, Karan Johar , Akshay Kumar and Twinkle, Farah Khan , Farhan Akhtar , Anil Kapoor and Sunita Kapoor, and Sussanne Roshan.

Much has been written and said about Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor after their debut film Saawariya which failed drastically at the box-office. Though Ranbir many a times referred Sonam only as a childhood friend and denied to be in any sort of intimate relationship, it is the media that occasionally refreshes the issue. Sonam who till date did not come open of her relationship with Ranbir had finally opened her heart. She clarified that she knows Ranbir from childhood and he is not her type. They are just good friends and not seeing each other.

Rumors are rife that Ranbir’s ladylove Deepika Padukone disliked his mixing up with Sonam and according to her advice Ranbir had cut off all the ties with her. Sonam’s choice of guy is Salman Khan and says that if he be single, she would definitely go for him. She loves to get into a messy relationship rather than a mature one.

Childhood friend Sonam and Ranbir are now like two opposite poles, hardly enquire about one another’s well-being. Today, Sonam is highly stimulated with her next release Dilli 6 with Abhishek Bachchan and Ranbir eagerly waiting for the Bachna Ae Haseeno outcome.

“Shah Rukh?” asked the distinctly Indonesian voice as I sleepily gripped my handphone. Shah Rukh? Who? Then I remembered that some guys I had met the night before had called me Shah Rukh Khan and I had left it at that. We had exchanged numbers at some point. And now this … “No, this is Neh-ru” I said in jest, “Jawa-har-lal Neh-ru.” The man on the other end hung up.

Shah Rukh Khan is the most recognizable Indian in Indonesia today. I don’t mind being called Shah Rukh Khan five times a day. I must confess though, that I bear absolutely no resemblance to that startlingly good looking, traffic-stopping heartthrob. Gandhi would look handsome next to me. But when in doubt, or in jest, all Indian men are Shah Rukh Khan.

Bollywood has certainly renewed an Indian cultural presence here, in Indonesia, after the Majapahit kingdom crumbled aeons ago, after Nehru walked off the podium at Bandung in 1955. For every atavistic Ramayana wayang performance in Bali and Java, there are perhaps a hundred Bollywood movies viewed.

I am constantly besieged with people inquiring after the meaning of lyrics from Bollywood songs: “Mister, what is Dil Toh Pagal Hai? (my heart is wild)” asked the man refilling my handphone, or “what do you mean by Dum maaro dum? (go on, take a hit)” inquired the long haired teenager on the bus as a conversation opener.

This phenomenon is not limited to big cities, nor is it particularly recent. I was in a small village in Kalimantan about a decade ago working on a documentary film. This place was way upriver, in the real interior I assure you. As I went down to the bank to wash my clothes a group of middle aged Dayak women started laughing at me and then broke out into “oh made in India, made in India…”, the chorus lines from a Bollywood hit from back when. This love for Indian movies dubbed in Indonesian clearly cuts across all demographic cleavages.

Night clubs in Jakarta with hefty cover fees blast reversioned movie dance hits while pembantus (housemaids) will quietly iron clothes watching a 1970s Amitabh Bacchan re-run. I so want to shake the hand of the man who does the Indonesian voice over for the Big B. His intonation is so mean, so apt, so Lawaaris. And even when the cheaply made, appallingly tacky, Bollywood produced, Mahabharata television series aired in the 1990s many people were glued to their TV sets.

But sadly, there is not really much else going on between Indonesia and India. Sure there are diplomatic visits and some improvements in trading but its nothing to write home about — only about 2 percent of Indonesia’s imports are from India. My parents generation had however, seen a different nature of interaction between the two countries, at first during the aftermath of World War II and then during Sukarno’s non-aligned nations dream.

I grew up with a story that rivals anything that Bollywood might be able to conjure up — of a daring mission during which ace Indian pilot Biju Patnaik flew a Dakota aircraft through stormy, Dutch patrolled skies and rescued Sutan Sjahrir. When the Dutch threatened to shoot him down Patnaik had famously replied, “Resurgent India does not recognize Dutch colonial sovereignty over the Indonesian population,”

In 1995 as part of Indonesia’s 50th year celebrations Patnaik was awarded the rare “Bintang Jasu Utama.” But Biju siapa? Maybe a heady Bollywood song and dance biopic might help remind us of those glory days.

Nehru’s presence in Indonesia is of course better known. But whatever does remain of the famous meeting of non-aligned nations in 1955? There was a stamp issued in India, in 2005 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Bandung conference. It bears Nehru’s image to the left and those unmistakable pillars and flags from the conference to the right.

Shah Rukh Khan arguably has more prominence in Indonesia than Nehru ever did. While that is uncomfortable to come to terms with, one has to accept that despite its often tacky, mediocre, downright silly productions Bollywood has culturally penetrated in areas and numbers that political ideology could not.

Of course, the advent of new beamable, copyable, easily-viewable media has helped this. And thus, the cultural intercourse spanning the Indian ocean, between the two countries, for millennia has reached epic proportions again.

But could this then be the basis of a more durable bond that could be parlayed into trade and improved bilateral relations? We appear to have two gigantic democracies, both open to free trade now, with vast human and natural resources within a few hours of flying time a few days of cargo ship travel.

Add to this the thought that if you’re a little tired, or have had a couple of drinks, it becomes very difficult to distinguish between a Dangdut duet and a Bollywood ballad. Like it or not, in this post-Reformasi era of the New World Order, a pirated DVD of Om Shanti Om has more socio-cultural salience than a stamp, a statue or a shadow puppet. I thus implore marketing guru’s and political strategy Imam’s to ponder over this and possibly devise some new directions for better relations — both cultural and fiscal.

I wouldn’t mind getting in touch with my inner Shah Rukh Khan if it gives Indians and Indonesians more reasons to hum together.

Bipasha Basu is hunting for a brother! Bips was recently in Delhi along with Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Minissha Lamba and director Siddhartha Anand to promote Bachna Ae Haseeno.

Bipasha seemed in a mood to enjoy herself as she joked and chatted with everyone present. Sounding upbeat about the upcoming film, she said, “Watch it to know what the film is all about.”

During the conversation someone asked the Bong beauty about her plans for Rakshbandhan. Bipasha replied candidly, “We are a family of sisters. So, of course, there are no major plans for Rakshabandhan. But, this year I have a novel idea. I guess I should go out and advertise that I am looking for a brother. I wonder if anyone would come up to me and tell me that he will let me tie a rakhi on his wrist!”

After having delivered two back to back solo hero hits like ‘Vivaah’ and ‘Jab We Met’, Shahid has delivered yet again with ‘Kismat Konnection’. Shahid becomes one of the select few top Bollywood heroes to have an opening at the box office. It also takes Shahid Kapoor in a different league with a wide release of prints, since only the superstars of Bollywood can command that clout. The ‘young superstar’ of Bollywood, Shahid has proved both his box office clout and his acting prowess with three back to back hits.Trade watchers are already predicting superstardom for Shahid, as they say that the time is not far when Shahid is officially acknowledged as one of the top five stars of Bollywood.

Shahid Kapoor, the young superstar is presently shooting in Pune for Vishal Bharadwaj film ‘Kaminey.. .’ he will be sporting a new look for the film.And when multi starrers are ruling the roost in Bollywood, Shahid has gone against the trend and delivered three solo hits. His forthcoming films are also solo starrers with Yashraj Films, two with UTV, Vishal Bharadwaj and Ken Ghosh, including another to be directed by his dad, Pankaj Kapoor!! With lady luck showering her affection, Shahid is enjoying every bit of his success. After all he is the only actor to have had three back-to-back solo hits.The success of ‘Kismat Konnection’ overseas too has opened a huge NRI market for Shahid. He is also referred as the new romantic icon, considering his huge fan base amongst the youth of the country. Shahid continues his solo winning trend at the box office!!!!

Bollywood super star Amitabh Bachchan, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Ashwarya Rai ended their tour of five cities of the United States with an energetic mega performance here today.
Bachchan family was also accompanied by actors Preity Zinta, Madhuri Dixit, Ritesh Deshmukh, choreorgrapher Shiamak Davar and other 130 performers on their “unforgettable tour” which began from Toronto on July 19.

Talking to reporters, the star family said, though the tour was hectic, it gave them an opportunity to spend quality time together, something which is hard to find when they are busy shooting for movies.

It was a massive venture, they agreed, saying that each show cost around one million dollar to organise but it ran to full houses.

They shared their happiness of staying together and spending time under one roof during the tour. “It is an experience to spend time together without hectic filming schedules,” as Abhisek put it.

He said it provided an opportunity to spend six weeks on the road with the family and “I don’t think we have spent this amount of time and such quality time for over 10 years together.” The warm reaction of the audiences, Amitabh Bachchan said, is their reward and incentive.

Abhisek said their success is tribute to the successful film industry and movies which are appreciated everywhere by the audiences.

The bollywood family headed to Europe to hold similar live performances for thier fans.

Two romantic comedies “Bachna Ae Haseeno” and “God Tussi Great Ho” - both releasing Friday - are getting a cold response at the ticket counter in terms of advance bookings, thanks to the overwhelming reaction to last week’s release, “Singh is Kinng”.

The films are releasing over a long weekend that marks Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan celebrations. But distributors and cinema owners in Delhi are keeping the Akshay Kumar starrer on regular screening slots because it is doing good business.

“‘Singh is…’, which released last week, is still going strong and would be the first choice of family audiences during the festival weekend,” Joginder Mahajan, a Delhi-based distributor.

“‘Bachna Ae…’ is only for the young audience vis-à-vis ‘God Tussi…’, which is a film for the masses because of Salman Khan’s presence.”

“There has also been no pre-release tempo preceding both the films. Even their music has not made a mark in comparison to the music of ‘Singh is Kinng’ that is still driving people crazy,” he added.

Director Siddharth Anand’s “Bachna Ae…” is the story of a Casanova, played by Ranbir Kapoor, and his three girlfriends - Deepika Padukone, Minissha Lamba and Bipasha Basu.

“God Tussi…” by Rumy Jafry is said to be a remake of Hollywood movie “Bruce Almighty” and stars Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra in the lead. Amitabh Bachchan too features in the movie as the almighty.

In terms of budget, producer Afzal Khan invested around Rs.400 million in “God Tussi…” and comparatively Yash Raj Films’ (YRF) “Bachna Ae…” is a medium-budget film. Its total cost is about Rs.190 million.

“God Tussi…” will be released worldwide with around 700 prints. YRF refused to divulge details regarding the prints but director Siddharth Anand said the movie would be released with the average print limit of the banner for a medium-budget project.

A reliable source from PVR cinemas said: “There is a good pre-release response to all the three movies. However, it is true that ‘Singh Is…’ is still managing high sales.”

Anjali Malhotra, manager, brand communications, Adlabs, echoed the same saying: ” ‘Singh…’ is going strong in its second week and is expected to keep on garnering sales. But we have divided our screens equally for all the three movies.”

However, Ashok Bisht, assistant manager of Jam Cinemas, Ghaziabad, showed confidence in the Ranbir starrer, saying: “We are expecting a good business with ‘Bachna Ae…’ because of the Yash Raj banner in comparison to ‘God Tussi…’ but ‘Singh is…’ is still getting us business of around 70 percent even on weekdays.”

However, the slow start at the booking counter has neither disturbed Anand nor Jafry - both directors are confident of their projects.

Anand said: “Nothing affects the ticket sales. It is tough, but it depends on the film. If an individual has to go for a film, then he or she will definitely go for it, come what may.”

Jafry stated: “I don’t fear any movie. There is nobody greater than god and I have my faith in him. My movie is commercial, but different. The audience would come to know of it when they will watch it.”

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh too is optimistic of both the releases and is looking forward to watching them.

He said: “There are a lot of expectations from both the movies. Both are big projects and have big stars. It would be a great holiday period and the movies are expected to do great business.”

“However, what movie fares well at the box office depends upon the content that is the driving force of a film,” he concluded.