| Actresses with kids don't have to sit at home: Lara Posted: 16 May 2012 11:38 AM PDT 
Bollywood actress Lara Dutta feels that gone are the days when actresses' career hit dead end once they became mothers. She says she will sign a film in a few days. "I will be signing my next film in two-three days. It will be an easy role for me to jump back to. My own production will be later," Lara told reporters Tuesday here at the launch of her DVD - Parental Yoga With Lara Dutta. Lara, who wed ace tennis player Mahesh Bhupati in 2011, gave birth to her daughter Saira in January this year. "So many actresses have become mothers. They have all taken their time to come back. So, I think this is an outdated concept that if someone has become a mother, so she will sit at home. I can't wait to come back," she said. Determined to wear the grease paint and face the camera, again, Lara says she will pick her movie projects keeping in mind her daughter's welfare. "My film choices are obviously going to be dictated by Saira's welfare. I am not going to do films which would require me to stay on the sets from morning to night or for multiple days in a row. So, I will pick my choices very carefully. I am excited with what's coming my way already," said the 34-year-old. Lara informed the reporters that she would think about her next production venture in the second half of the year. |
| Nepal plane crash: Rasna girl Taruni Sachdeva dreamt to become heroine Posted: 16 May 2012 11:31 AM PDT 
 When she entered the glamour world at a little over five years, Taruni Sachdeva dreamt of becoming a heroine one day. "Uncle, I want to do the heroine's role in your film," Taruni told director Vinayan T G who introduced her to films in 2004.
But the girl's dreams were cut short when she was killed in Monday's plane crash in Nepal. Her mother Geeta, who was travelling with her, also died in the mishap.
The two were part of a group of Indians who had chartered the Agni Air flight for a pilgrimage to Muktinath in Nepal. Taruni's father Haresh Sachdeva and his friend Ajay Jain have gone to Nepal to bring the bodies back. "The bodies are being shipped by Agni Air but we are paying the fare. We will reach Mumbai tomorrow," Jain said.
The vivacious Taruni, who became one of the most poplar faces on television-she was the Rasna girl-had won the hearts of her directors and fellow actors, right from Amitabh Bachchan, with whom she had shared screen space in both ads and a film, to Karishma Kapoor. It was in an ad film where director Vinayan first spotted her and chose her for his Malayalam horror film, Vellinakshtram, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran. Vinayan said, "I saw her in an ad with Mr Amitabh Bachchan. I got her number from the agency and called her. When her mother Geeta handed the phone to her, Taruni said, 'uncle, I want to act in films'. She was an extraordinary child, full of life. She was always with me all through Vellinakshtram. It is shocking that she is no more." Vinayan is so fond of the child that he has even posted his photograph with her on a social networking site.
After Vellinakshtram, Vinayan also cast Taruni in his next film, Sathyam, where she acted with Sukumaran again.
A couple of months ago, Taruni was in Kerala shooting for a commercial. Vinayan said, "From there, she called me up to tell me that she wanted to be in my film. I told her that we will definitely meet to speak about it. She said, 'Thank you, uncle'. And those were her last words to me."
Taruni was probably the first 11-year-old to have played the Big B's girlfriend in a movie. Abhishek Bachchan, who was an assistant director of Paa, only had words of praise for the girl, who would play around the sets and chat with everyone. "She was a brilliant kid. She was not only a good actor but also a well-informed child who had knowledge about everything that was happening around the world," he said.
Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: "Just reading that Tarini Sachdev the girl child artiste in Paa, has perished in Nepal plane crash. Please God may this not be." Abhishek also posted on the micro blogging site: "SHOCKED and very saddened to hear about the Nepal plane crash. Lost 1 of my cutest co-stars. Little Taruni Sachdev from Paa. Speechless."
Like the Bachchans, others known to Taruni and her family are yet to come to terms with the tragedy. R Balki, who directed Paa and also shot many commercials with Taruni, did not have any words to describe his feelings. "I will not be able to talk," he said. "She was a lovely vibrant child," is how Karishma describes Taruni; Karishma featured in the very popular Rasna ad, which made Taruni a household face.
According to those in the film industry, Taruni was not only a good actor but also a very bright student and her mother always made sure that she never neglected her studies. Line producer of Paa Anita Manchanda said, "Her mother was strict about her studies and would make her sit with her books on the sets, during shoot breaks." Manchanda fondly remembers how during breaks, Taruni would frolic around the sets and her mother would sometimes have to "rein in her make her sit down". "But at the same time, she was a very diplomatic kid who knew how to handle both the young and the old. There were times when boys on the sets would try to trouble her but she tackled them so well that they ended up liking her." |
| ‘Kahaani’ likely to be remade in English too Posted: 16 May 2012 11:10 AM PDT 
Sujoy Ghosh's "Kahaani" is going places. After the confirmation that it would be remade in Tamil and Telugu, here comes the news that the hit Hindi film is likely to have an English version too. Talking about this, Ghosh Wednesday said: "There are talks. If it happens, great. If it doesn't, it didn't happen. It's at a very nascent stage." He was talking at the DVD release of "Kahaani". The TV production company Endemol India, now set to foray into movie making business, has bought Telugu and Tamil remake rights of Vidya Balan starrer "Kahaani". |
| Vidya Balan wants to work with Hrithik Roshan, Shahrukh Khan Posted: 16 May 2012 11:05 AM PDT 
After giving solo blockbusters "The Dirty Picture" and "Kahaani", Vidya Balan has draw up a wish list of male co-stars. She wants to work with actors like Abhishek Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Prosenjit Chatterjee. "I would like to work with those who I have already worked with and those who I haven't. I would love to pair with Abhishek (with whom she was seen in 'Paa')… It's been long. I am very greedy to work with good actors and directors," she said at the release of the DVD of her film "Kahaani" here Wednesday. "Kahaani", a thriller directed by Sujoy Ghosh, is about a pregnant woman's difficult journey to find her husband's killer. The actress said she would like to work with Hritik because she hasn't worked with him. Talking about Bengali superstar Prosenjit, she said: "We have been wanting to work together for a long time. Every year there has been talks about a Bengali film but we have not been able to work out the dates. So this year, Sujoy has said he will make a film with both of us. We are on a lookout for a good script. If everything happens, we will make it work." Vidya said she would love to team up with Shah Rukh in a romantic flick. "I think I grew up watching all his films where he plays the ultimate romantic hero. When you think of romance you think of Rajesh Khanna and Shah Rukh Khan. These are the names that are foremost on my mind. "Every woman wants a Raj (SRK's character in 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'). That's why I have always wanted to work with him. Whenever we work together, I would like it to be a nice relationship story," she said. If "The Dirty Picture" is remade in Bengali with item girl Rakhi Sawant, how will the latter fare? Vidya said: "I have seen Rakhi a lot, so I think she is a lot of masti. I am waiting to see what she does in the film." – IANS |
| Shahid Kapoor misses being on the movie sets Posted: 16 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT 
Shahid Kapoor misses being on the movie sets, wants to do more and more films, and says that he has stopped being choosy about movies. "I don't think I am choosy about films now. I might have been like that three years back. For quite some time, I have not spent time on the sets and that is the time (being on the movie sets) I enjoy the most. I am going to be busy for a couple of years from now on," Shahid told reporters here Wednesday. "After 'Mausam', I told myself that I want to do three films in a year…I don't understand why I have not been on the sets." "I was supposed to start shooting for Maneesh Sharma's film in February, but unfortunately he is unwell so the shooting has been postponed. We will start shooting in July. We are planning to shoot in Jaipur and unfortunately it is very hot there now…" added the 31-year-old. He was speaking at a promotional event of his forthcoming movie "Teri Meri Kahaani" at Big FM. Directed by Kunal Kohli, the film will see him romancing Priyanka chopra in three time zones and it will hit the screens June 22. – IANS |
