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May 4, 2000
5 QUESTIONS
BILLBOARD
BOX OFFICE
MAKING WAVES
MEMORIES
MOVIES CHAT
QUOTE MARTIAL
REVIEWS
ROUGH CUTS
SHORT TAKES
SOUTHERN SPICE
THE LIST
WISH THE STARS
ARCHIVES
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Desperately seeking Preeti
The hottest new discovery in town is Preeti Jhangiani. The girl, who was first noticed when she appeared in a series of music videos for Rajshri Music, made waves when Aditya Chopra signed her on for Mohabbatein. Now every other producer wants to sign her up. But the Chopras are so firm about their exclusivity contract that they are not willing to bend the rules even for good pal Amitabh Bachchan's son. Apparently, a young director, Gurudev Bhalla, who has signed Bachchan Jr, approached Preeti, assuming that Yash Chopra would definitely release her for an Abhishek-starrer. But that was not to be. So now Guru is left hunting for a fresh heroine.
Where are the new girls?
While on new heroines, believe it or not, projects have been stalled for want of new girls. Filmmakers need young girls to be paired opposite the likes of Aftab Shivdasani, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan who do have the dates. If they decide to go in for more established names among the younger lot, then the cost of a film goes up. Actresses like Karisma, Kareena, Preity Zinta do not have the dates. And there is no good talent going round either. That is why even though a music company like Tips has a ready subject, dates from the director as well as from hero Aftab, they cannot commence shooting because they have not found a heroine. Sad, but true!
Leave Shah Rukh alone
If Shah Rukh Khan becomes a recluse and withdraws into a shell, the poor guy is not to be blamed for it. He is unnecessarily being embroiled in one controversy after another for no fault of his. The death of Ashraf Patel, who was shot dead in Bombay recently, has opened a Pandora's box, with his underworld connections having been unearthed. And Shah Rukh's name is also being dragged into it. The only association the star has had with him is that the late Patel was instrumental in getting Swatch to co-sponsor the premiere of Shah Rukh's home production, Phir Bhi Hai Hindustani. And though Patel was the go-between, Shah Rukh and his company dealt directly with the big bosses of Swatch who flew down from Singapore for the event and the deal. Must be heartbreaking for the Khan when people allege that Ashraf Patel partly financed the film when the fact remains that Shah Rukh and Juhi Chawla had pumped in their hard-earned money into their dream project!
Anu-Karan: Not making music
How fortunes change, in a matter of days. Just a week ago, we told you that Jatin-Lalit have been unceremoniously shown the door by Karan Johar. And that the director has been having secret closed-door meetings with Anu Malik. But the tides have turned again, now in favour of the composer duo. Either Anu has not been able to come up with the right kind of tunes to suit
Karan's film or Jatin-Lalit's PR with Shah Rukh has worked -- the bottomline is they are in and Anu is out. A disappointed and crestfallen Anu is now banking on Refugee to outclass them all.
The truth behind star shows
Believe it or not, star shows, which seemed a lucrative business till sometime back, is no longer so. The entourage of Salman Khan-Saif Ali Khan-Bobby Deol-Raveena Tandon-Sonali Bendre, who are now performing abroad, has proved it. The shows have not managed to generate the kind of excitement that they should have, with most ending up as average grossers. Earlier, star shows were a rare commodity, but then with frequent visits by stars, these shows have begun to lose their charm. Which means only one thing: that stars will probably now get more time to concentrate on better films. So it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Err... wrong number!
We have to let you on to this sweet little incident that shook up Saif. During one of the items he was performing, Saif, as he does often, pulled up a hysterical fan onto the stage to dance with him. She danced, twirled around and gave Saif a tight hug, and then pleaded with him to let her to go backstage and meet Salman. She also expressed her keen desire to dance with Salman. A crestfallen Saif didn't venture to invite any other girl onto the stage after that!
Salman has the last laugh
Did you know that Salman Khan began his career as an assistant to director Shashilal Nair? And that he was ridiculed by many filmmakers who found him either too short or not good-looking enough and kept refusing to even give him a second glance? That heroines like Madhuri Dixit and Juhi refused to work with him? Which is the reason why he always insisted on staying away from established heroines in the beginning, opting to introduce new girls such as Nagma, Kanchan, Revathi, Sheeba, Chandni...
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