Producers think bigger

MUMBAI: Although recent mega productions haven’t done too well, big is still beautiful in Bollywood. The next big thing is producer Gaurang Doshi’s adventure saga Deewaar: Let’s Bring Our Heroes Home. The Rs 300 million film features Amitabh Bachchan as well as Sanjay Dutt as prisoners of war.

The film’s last lick is being negotiated right now on a set at Film City in Mumbai, depicting a Pakistani prison built by Jayant Deshmukh. The set cost a whopping Rs 15 million! It is the first of the war epics in 2004 to be released on May 14.

Farhan Akhtar’s Lakshya and Anil Sharma’s Ab Tumhare Hawaale Watan Saathiyon are the other war epics lined up for 2004.

Manmohan Shetty (whose father-actor Manmohan played villainous roles in the 1970s), who last year burnt his fingers with the small-budgeted comedy Nayee Padosan, is back Rudraksh. Said to have been made at a cost of nearly Rs 250 million, Sanjay Dutt’s make-up for Rudraksh, which was readied in the US, alone cost the producer a whopping bill. Manmohan is already shooting another multi-starrer Tango Charlie with Rudraksh director Mani Shankar.

Mani Rathnam’s second Hindi film Yuva, scheduled for April, stars Ajay Devgan, Esha Deol, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Vivek Oberoi and Kareena Kapoor. Other super-biggies this year include Yash Chopra’s untitled film featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee. Karan Johar is planning his next venture featuring SRK.

And right after the movie maestro Sanjay Leela Bhansali finishes with his intimate portrayal of epic emotions in Black, he goes to the romantic historical Bajirao Mastani featuring Kareena, Salman Khan and Rani Mukherjee.

Kareena to be seen in Hulchul

MUMBAI: Hungama touched the 25-week mark recently. Besides celebrating the silver jubilee of their Akshaye-Aftab-Rimi-Paresh starrer, the Jain brothers of Venus also announced their new film earlier this month. Hungama director Priyadarshan will direct this film as well.

Titled Hulchul, the film will star Akshaye Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Arbaaz Khan, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Amrish Puri in pivotal roles. Let’s make it clear that Hulchul is not a sequel to Hungama. Hulchul will mount the sets in March, should be wrapped up by June and is scheduled for release in October 2004.

“It’s an action film with generous doses of light moments,” producer Ratan Jain tells. Meanwhile, the makers are talking to actress Laxmi (of Julie fame) to enact a significant role.

Koi Mil Gaya lucky again

MUMBAI: Koi Mil Gaya swept the Filmfare Awards’ best actor title for heartthrob Hrithik Roshan as well as the best film and best director (Rakesh Roshan) honours. Koi Mil Gaya is a touching story of a mentally challenged man, played by Roshan, and his friendship with an alien.

The best actress award went to gorgeous Preity Zinta for her role in Kal Ho Na Ho, which also won the award for best music. Veteran filmmaker B R Chopra, with more than 60 years of filmmaking, won the lifetime achievement award while Filmfare “power awards” went to India’s acting diva Amitabh Bachhan and poster boy Shah Rukh Khan. —AFP

Manya’s guy threatens Tum PRO

MUMBAI: Now this is an actress whose films are always dogged in controversies. After

Ek Chhotisi Love Story, Manisha Koirala is making news for her upcoming erotic thriller Tum — A Dangerous Obsession due to release the coming Friday, thanks to close boyfriend — Cecil Anthony.

Anthony has allegedly called the film’s PRO, Alok Mathur, on his mobile phone and abused and threatened him for spreading hot revealing photographs of Manisha Koirala from the

film Tum to the media. Mathur however claims that the images were provided to him by production house of the film. Mathur has lodged a complaint against Anthony in the police station.