Cheers for Anurag
Anurag Kashyap seems to be having a great end to his year with the news that his Gangs of Wasseypur will be screened in the Spotlight section of the Sundance Film Festival 2013 where he has been chosen as a Jury member of the World Cinema Dramatic section. The film has also bagged top honours at the Asia Pacific Film Festival and The Asia Pacific Screen awards. That’s a lot of good cheer!
Sequel logic
Arbaaz Khan confesses he has modelled his sequel to Abhinav Kashyap’s Dabangg on Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky series retaining the main characters but keeping the situations dynamic. “Dabangg worked, I think, because of Chulbul Pandey and his character was something I didn’t want to change. I couldn’t suddenly uproot him from the rural setting and place him in a pub in an urban city. In that sense, I followed Rocky’s ideology. But I admire Rajkumar Hirani for making the Munnabhai sequel by totally turning the character over its head and even changing the main characters around him and yet keeping it within the concept of a sequel,” said the debutant director.
Prachi turns pale
Prachi Desai has been handpicked by Vikram Bhatt for his next in the 1920 horror franchise. To be directed by debutant Tinu Suresh Desai, the new film is set in a royal house. Apparently, Vikram was convinced that Prachi’s classy look could gel with the royal character she plays. We also hear that the shooting might take place in the same locations where the Harry Potter series were shot!
Not Tere Bin Ali
The 2010 sleeper hit Tere Bin Laden ’s sequel strangely titled Tere Bin Laden 3 will be go on the floors next year. The original saw Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar rise to fame so the actor wanted to play a part in the sequel too. Apparently the producers, Walkwater, and the director, Abhishek Sharma, share a good rapport with him and kept him in the loop on the goings-on when the sequel was conceptualised. Ali found one part interesting and suggested he play it to which the others readily agreed. Apparently this cameo is quite unique but will be kept under wraps till the film’s release.
From Russia with love
Russian model-turned-actress Kristina Akheeva has just come to Mumbai with the Deol family after a three-month-long shooting schedule in the U.K. for Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 in which she is cast opposite Sunny Deol. We hear that the model, who worked on several commercials in India prior to her Bollywood debut, now wants to focus on her film career. She has started learning Hindi, not just for the sets, we learn. Now, that’s commitment for you!
