PicShik Blog

Not so long ago most actors would have killed to be a part of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie. But the mercurial director it seems is finding it tough to get the right actors for his next film, yet another love triangle after Saawariya.

Bhansali who is very particular about the actors he casts had his heart set on signing Hrithik Roshan for his new venture. The two had been in talks and sources close to the developments say that the director had even sent Hrithik a copy of the bound script.

“Bhansali and Hrithik have always had cordial relations, and Bhansali has been in talks with him for three-fours years for various projects, but Hrithik is very particular when it comes to matters professional.

After Saawariya, Bhansali and Hrithik have been in talks, Hrithik even went to the director’s house for meetings, and just when everything seemed set, he backed out,” says the source.

Hrithik who is at present in Mexico with his father Rakesh Roshan, shooting for his home-production Kites being directed by Anurag Basu, informed Bhansali two days ago that he would be unable to do the film. The reasons for declining the film are not known.

Unfortunately for the director, the other star on his wishlist for the second hero’s role too has had second thoughts. Bhansali, our source reveals, had been in touch with his Saawariya hero Ranbir for the second hero’s role but nothing went beyond initial discussions.

Right now, Ranbir is busy with Yash Raj Films’ Bachna Ae Haseeno, Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and Prakash Jha’s Rajniti. He has also given dates for Karan Johar’s next film (untitled) which leaves him with little time for his mentor’s movie.

Both Hrithik and Bhansali remained unavailable for comment, but there is speculation about the future of the project. Remember how Bhansali who had set his heart on casting Ash and Salman had canned Bajirao Mastani because he couldn’t get them to act together again?

He might be able to dance for a while but, nevertheless, Hrithik Roshan is an actor par excellence.
And it’s not only us who believe that, but also a leading world-renowned business weekly ‘New Mexico Business Weekly’ that has placed twinkle toes Hrithik in the same ranks with Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt.

The publication has stated that ‘Hrithik Roshan is the Brad Pitt of India’. The article was in clear reference to Rakesh Roshan’s forthcoming international film project ‘Kites’. The film will see Hrithik sharing screen space with Brazilian model Barbara Mori and B-town chick Kangana Ranaut.

The film is set to be directed by Anurag Basu, and will be made in three languages- Hindi, English and Spanish.

So are you wondering what’s the Mexican connection?

Well, apparently Barbara has starred in a Mexican film ‘La Mujer de Mi Hermano’ that went to be a hit. Cashing upon the lady’s success, Roshan is set to take his ‘Kites’ flying off to Mexico.

Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan together look fabulous on-screen. Whatever role they portray together, they look dynamic and entertain audience to the fullest. They made a long time impression on people’s mind when they had enacted siblings in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Zoya Akhtar, sister of Farhan Akhtar has again roped the vibrant duo for her next flick Luck By Chance.

Like Om Shanti Om, Zoya has also signed a group of Bollywood stars for doing small cameo in her film and top in the list of cameos is Shahrukh Khan. King Khan has already given his dates for the special role and reportedly, he will play himself in the film while Hrithik will play the role of a struggling actor who turns envious when his favorite role goes to Farhan Akhtar. Karan Johar will be seen in the role of fictional director.

Other cameos will be done by Juhi Chawla, Rishi Kapoor, Konkona Sen, Ishaa Sherwani and Dimple Kapadia.

Long after they starred together as siblings in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan will once more be seen together.

Sister of Farhan Akhtar Zoya is all but ready to start shooting her new flick Luck By Chance, and for this she has lined up an array of Bollywood celebrities for cameos. Top of the bill is Shah Rukh Khan, who has already given her dates for the special guest appearance.  He is expected to play himself in the film which is a comedic take on the Indian film industry.

Hrithik Roshan will play the role of a struggling actor who gets jealous after the role he is trying for goes to Farhan Akhtar. Karan Johar will play a fictional director.

Other actors who have shot for cameos are Juhi Chawla, Rishi Kapoor, Konkona Sen, Ishaa Sherwani and Dimple Kapadia.

Audiences could never have enough of his dancing. But now they may have to do without the delights of Hrithik’s dancing in some films to come. He is looking at scripts that will not require him to display his superb dancing skills.

The actor first got his knee surgery done at Bangkok soon after completing Jodhaa Akbar. But both the pain and the stiffness persisted.

A week ago, he went to Los Angeles to get a second surgery done. (It’s another matter that most people thought he was in LA for the pre-production work of Anurag Basu’s Kites.)

Now, the surgery is over, the swelling is gone too, more or less.

But it seems he will not be able to do his usual naacha gana with ease now, without harming the operated-on knee.

And no, he has no dancing scenes in Kites.

He is reading plenty of other scripts too. But, besides looking at the meat of his role, his main criterion is, ‘No dancing, please’. Alas.

In 2000, it was Amitabh Bachchan with Kaun Banega Crorepati, in 2008 it was Shah Rukh Khan for Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain but it seems Salman Khan is slowly stealing the TRP thunder with his Dus Ka Dum with TAM ratings showing that the show has now garnered a peak rating of 4.5 while King Khan’s show got 4.14 in its first week. The TAM ratings which were out on Thursday, reveal that the show which has Salman Khan, giving away Rs 10 crore to anyone who answers five questions, has taken over Hrithik Roshan’s Junoon Kuch Kar Dikhane Ka which garnered a very low rating of 1.1. So does that mean that Salman Khan’s popularity overrides that of other actors? “4.6 is a pretty good figure in today’s day and age. During KBC’s time were getting 14-plus TRPs but now all of them are hovering around four and five. So it’s good,” says VP, India Media Exchange, Sejal Shah. Of course the quantum of viewers watching these game shows being hosted by famous actors is reducing over the years. Amitabh Bachchan’s KBC high TRP’s was 14.13 in 2000 but Shah Rukh Khan’s ratings fell 6 in his edition of KBC 2007.“Reality shows have been getting around one. The continuing factor will be soaps and saas bahu serials,” Shah says. Perhaps then the next big thing to hit television would not be yet another celeb hosting a game show but a filmstar acting in a saas bahu serial. One never can say.

The Friday fever is now getting transferred to the small screen. After debates on who proved to be a better TV host Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan, with Big B even discussing the issue on his blog, it’s now the turn of other big stars to enter the fray. This Friday will see Hrithik Roshan facing Salman Khan at the hustings, only the fight will not be over the BO but TRP ratings. It’s a given fact that every time a celebrity makes an appearance on a show, the TRP ratings soar. The bigger the star, the higher the ratings! But what happens when the stars in question are equally popular? And muscular too?! Well, it so happens that both Salman and Hrithik are debuting on the small screen on June 6. While Salman will be host on the game show Dus Ka Dum, Hrithik will be appearing on NDTV Imagine’s Junoon… Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka, a music reality show. Sallu miyan is riding high on the success of Partner and Hrithik too has had his share of fame with Jodhaa Akbar. With a dedicated fan base each, it has to be seen who finally wins the game of ratings. SRK whose Paanchvi Paas… is still to really catch on, is also in the fray. As are Kajol and Ajay Devgan and Urmila Matondkar who are part of reality shows on various channels.
Hrithik, who will be appearing as the goodwill ambassador on Junoon… Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka, justifies his choice thus, “I can identify with the participants and their desire to achieve success with their God-given talent. I relate to their positive and exuberant spirit.” Meanwhile, Salman, who was initially reluctant to sign on the dotted line for Dus ka Dum, says, “I had my reservations. The idea sounded so impractical that I rejected it even without giving it much thought. But then I decided to follow my heart. All my decisions are based on my instincts. I do not depend too much on intelligence and calculations. I believe in poet Adam who said: Akal har kaam ko zulum bana deti hai…” So, who will win the battle of TRPs? Answers Ila Arun who is a judge on Junoon, “Each show has its audience. On one side, it is sur-taal and on the other side, there is Salman and a prize money of Rs 10 crore!
Let the fight begin.

After a series of superstars opting for the television, here’s another super star who gets associated with television. Hrithik Roshan has been signed as a goodwill ambassador for a yet to begin show on NDTV imagine named “Junoon…Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka.” The actor here is not a host or a judge, but is present only to raise the spirits of the participants. While the organizer’s happiness is understood, Hrithik himself is also quite exited about the project. I am very pleased to be associated with NDTV Imagine and Junoon. I can identify with the participants and their desire to achieve success with their god-given talent. I relate to their positive and exuberant spirit because I believe that I have a similar Junoon - be it my work or my personal life,” says the actor. Well, all the best is all we say.

Kites, Anurag Basu’s new film, is all set to give Hrithik Roshan an unusually steamy image. So far the actor has been known to steer clear of love-making traps laid by his sensuous co-stars. Barring Kareena Kapoor in Sooraj Barjatya’s Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon there have been no really hot-and-sizzling bed-room scenes in this image-conscious star’s career who is happily married and likes to be seen that way by his fans. All that is about to change now. In Basu’s Kites, Hrithik apparently has a lot of roll-in-the-hay scenes. According to a source the film is actually an adaptation of Woody Allen’s film on a lust-quadrangle, Matchpoint, about an ambitious working-class man who marries into huge wealth and then keeps stealing back to his girlfriend, who comes from an objectionable background, for some livewire excitement on the sly. According to the source, “Kites will show Hrithik as never before. And the girls chosen to play Hrithik’s wife and mistress are Kangana Ranaut and Barabara Mori who have been briefed about the steamy sensuous scenes in the film. Neither of the two ladies is known to be particularly coy. Kangana and Barbara are more than willing to go with the script.” In fact, Sonam Kapoor turned down Barbara Mori’s role because neither she nor her dad could see her doing those steamy adulterous scenes. Says the source, “When Sonam’s father heard the script, he was shocked that Anurag Basu could even think of Sonam for such a steamy part after Saawariya, where she was covered from head to toe.”

The buzz about the multi-crore deal that Hrithik had struck with Adlabs last year is that it’s off! Hrithik wants to return the full amount to Adlabs. But the company is not willing to take a no for an answer.According to a source, “Hrithik has given the cheque back. But they aren’t accepting it. In fact they’ve asked him to keep the money and they’ll make just one film instead of three films for that whole amount with him at a date convenient to him.”Hrithik won’t comment on the status of his deal with Adlabs. All he’ll say about star prices is, “The corporate companies are looking at the movie market expanding in the next 3-4 years. I agree many recent films haven’t done well.But Om Shanti Om and Jodhaa-Akbar reaffirmed the industry’s faith in big films. Jodhaa-Akbar was a period film and above three hours long with no commercial trappings.Theatres across India could’ve just four shows daily. And it’s done 150 crore-rupee business worldwide. For me that’s what matters, not the controversies that happened initially. It’s my biggest hit ever overseas.”