Rajinikanth & SRK finally shoot for Ra.One

The long-delayed moment in cinematic history finally happened when two superstars -Rajinikanth and Shah Rukh Khan - shot together for " Ra.One" at Subhash Ghai's Whistling Woods studio. 

The mighty Tamil icon arrived with his younger daughter Soundarya who single-handedly made the historic scene possible. The rest of Rajinikanth's family was apparently totally against his one-day break from his sabbatical and the process of recuperation.

In fact, Rajinikanth's elder daughter Aishwarya categorically told this writer a few days ago that the super icon was not shooting for "Ra.One"!

But Rajini did arrive here Sunday with Soundarya and her team of technicians.

In the afternoon, the megastar and his team headed for Ghai's studio and shot the scene amidst an environment of incredible bonhomie.

Shah Rukh then bid goodbye to the semi-ailing Chennai God.

King Khan and his "Ra.One" team later headed straight for the studios to put the scene in place.

"Ra.One" now stands officially complete.

Sound designer Resul Pookutty took time off from post-production of "Ra.One" to describe the "humbling, inspiring, overwhelming experience" of watching the two superstars shoot together.

"The shooting went off like a dream. Watching Rajini Sir and SRK together was indeed a dream come true. The shooting went off so gracefully and with so much finesse. This is truly a great tribute from one superstar to an icon," said Resul.

"The 'Ra.One' team feels the film is complete now after Rajini Sir's shooting. Both Rajini Sir and Shah Rukh in one frame together are like wildfire! They were so comfortable together. It was hard to imagine they had never shot together before," Resul added.

Resul felt the shooting couldn't have happened without Soundrya's support.

"She came to Mumbai with her team to oversee every detail of the shooting. There is no one like Rajinikanth. He proved it when he set aside his health concerns and came to Mumbai on Sunday," Resul noted.

"The 'Ra.One' team can't thank him enough," said Resul adding: "If he had not shot for us, 'Ra.One' would've remained incomplete."

A witness said, "Shah Rukh and Rajini Sir hit it off instantaneously. It was almost like their sequence together was meant to happen."

"Shah Rukh and Rajni Sir were so comfortable with one another. Shah Rukh made the senior superstar so comfortable. There was no doubt that Shah Rukh is Rajinikanth's fan and he didn't hide it on Sunday afternoon as he faced the icon for the camera," the witness said.

Apparently the only other time when King Khan felt so humbled while shooting with a co-star was when he shot with Amitabh Bachchan for the first time, and with that other doyen of Tamil cinema - Kamal Haasan - in "Hey Ram".

I won’t date anyone from the industry: Shweta Bhardwaj

.. says Shweta Bhardwaj, rubbishing rumours of being romantically involved with her co-star,Mahakshay Chakraborty 

She may have been MIA since her debut, Mission Istaanbul (MI) flopped at the box office, but Shweta Bhardwaj says she wasn't laying low intentionally. "I had signed a three-film contract with Suniel Shetty's production house - that got me MI and my next film, Loot - and, therefore, could not act in other films for about two years," explains Shweta. But the actor's schedule is now packed with films - there's the psychological thriller Raqt Ek Rishta, the cameo she's doing for Players, and the role she's playing in the Naseeruddin Shah-starrer Chaalis Chaurasi.

But if the rumour mills are anything to go by, it seems that Shweta's been busy on the personal front as well, with her Loot co-star Mahakshay Chakraborty, to be precise. "I guess PR companies don't have much to do," she says, shrugging off the reports. "I won't date anyone from the industry as the relationship will never work out," maintains Shweta.

For now, then, it seems that Shweta will have to pick up where she left off work-wise, before MI released. In fact, if things had worked out, she would have starred as Chandramukhi in Dev.D, which she claims to have been on the verge of signing before she took on MI. "If I had signed it, Anurag (Kashyap) wouldn't have met the right girl and married her!" laughs Shweta.
richa.

No Botox for dad: Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor reveals the secret of dad Anil Kapoor's youthfulness. 

Ask actress Sonam Kapoor, who was last seen in 'Mausam', when she will share screen space with her dad Anil Kapoor, and she is quick to say, "It seems like a dangerous proposition. He's such a fine actor. I think I'll get weak knees. I'm still not prepared for it."

While many are wondering how Anil Kapoormanages to remain this young, Sonam spills the beans. "It's not botox for dad. It's all just genetic. I hope 'youth' remains in my genes as well. It's all natural. Dad practises something called Bikram Yoga, and he remains forever young."

Apparently, even Sonam practises Bikram Yoga. "I'm a part of a health oriented family. Whenever I miss a turn I have four people pushing me to exercise. They don't have to push me too hard though for I enjoy it, too!" 

Wedding bells for Payal Rohatgi?

Payal Rohatgi and wrestler Sangram Singh, who've been dating for five months, are planning to take the next step, it seems.
A month ago, Sangram met Payal's family, and now, Payal is coming to Delhi to meet Sangram's sister. Sangram said, "I stayed at Payal's place when we came back after our new reality show "Survivor"." But when we asked Payal about her meeting Sangram's family, she said, "Yes, I am coming to Delhi, but to meet my dad. Sangram's parents stay in Rohtak, so I'll be meeting only his sister, who stays in Delhi." She added, "His simplicity attracted me." So is a wedding happening soon? "Well, in the long run, we might, but right now, we both want to concentrate on work for at least two years," she said.

Tanu Weds Manu is back in court!

Tanu Weds Manu, the Kangna Ranaut-Madhavan starrer that turned out to be a suprise hit this year, has been courting legal problems right through its run at the box office.
Vinod Bachchan, one of the producers of the film, locked horns with a film corporation and a distributor called Sunil Bohra. He claimed that even though the film's intellectual property rights were with him, Bohra had gone ahead and sold it off to the film corporation without his knowledge or consent.
While Vinod didn't get his dues the first time around, the grapevine now suggests that recently another leading film corporation purchased the rights to remake Tanu Weds Manu in Tamil from Bachchan. With Bohra and Bachchan still locked in battle over who actually owns the IPR, a court in Chennai has ruled that a Tamil remake is not possible unless all other cases against the movie are resolved. A trade source says, "The Tanu Weds Manu rights issue has been a mess since day one. Bohra and Bachchan have both been taking turns pitching the film to other companies. In the bargain, they've messed up matters to a great degree."

Dad never asked for favours: Anil Kapoor

He bid a final adieu to his father last week. While the rational side of Anil Kapoor knew that every man has to go through it in their lives, the son in him wants to hold on to the memories.

Talking to Mumbai Mirror, Anil says he was not informed about his father's death. He was just summoned to his elder brother's home.

Recounting the evening, he said, "I had just returned home from office. I was asked to come back since father was not well. Something told me we were going to lose him this time.

"Whenever Dad had health issues, I was around to take him to the nearest hospital. Five years back, the doctors gave in. Dad was put on a ventilator.

"Anand Bakshi's son had told me that rubbing my father's feet might help him to get off the ventilator. I followed it. Dad had come out of danger," the actor recalled an incident years back.

This time, however, he couldn't revive his father. "Boney and Sanjay had reached his bedside five minutes before me. Mum asked if I could wake him up. But he had already gone.

"All of us in the room just stood there. It was the end of the journey for a kind and honest human being. The entire film industry will vouch for this fact. The only consolation for us is that he didn't suffer. He went silently, like someone who has just left home for a walk and did not return.

"It was out of the pure instinct to gift him with a 'star' if I can call myself that. Quite a few of Dad's films had done well, Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati with Shashi Kapoor saab, Shehzada withRajesh Khanna saab and Ponga Pandit with Dabbooji (Randhir Kapoor). However, Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan wiped him out. Boney and I knew that we had support our parents. That's how Hum Paanch and Woh Saat Din happened. We made those films, knowing that Dad would be proud of us that he wouldn't have to chase anyone anymore.

"He was never sad after Hum Paanch. He was very proud of us producing films. He did not say this but I know he felt it. My sister Reena has been closer to mum. Boney and I were papa's boys. We had to make him rock again. I think we did," reflected the actor.

The brothers, Anil, Boney and Sanjay would share their parents. "When my house in Juhu became livable, Sunita and I were lucky to have my parents with us for three years. Sanjay and Maheep were with them in their Lokhandwala home till they got a home of their own. For the last two years, he was with Boney and Sri. I think my parents would have liked to stay with Reena too but she is settled in New Delhi. Dad was a pukka Mumbaikar. He'd like visiting other cities but Mumbai was where he belonged."

Anil was never really scolded by his father. Perhaps just once, he said. "I wanted to become a singer, I started lessons. He said, 'Beta, kyun time barbaad kar raha hai? People will sell their radios if they ever heard you sing'," said the actor. "Dad never asked for favours. So there was no question of him helping me to get roles. He led Boney and me to the water and we had to learn how to swim," recalled the actor.

Katrina Kaif turns singer for Dhoom 3

Katrina Kaif's dream of taking her mother, brother and sisters on a long vacation has to be put on hold for the time being.

After completing the current schedule of Ek Tha Tiger in Dublin, the actress will have to start preparing for her character in Dhoom 3 in the month that she had kept aside for her family holiday.

According to sources, Katrina has received an urgent return-to-duty call from Yashraj Films to not just learn some heavy-duty stunts but also exercise her vocal cords for her role in the sequel to Dhoom.

The actress will need to undertake para gliding lessons and a full-fledged singing course for the project. "Katrina has to go one up on the last Dhoom heroine Aishwarya Rai. That's a tall order in itself," informed a source.

Katrina, who had been planning to sing for Ali Zaqfar's album has yet been uninitiated into the realm of music. This will be the first time Katrina will sing for herself in a film.

Apart from the singing, Katrina it seems has a lot of pending work for the same film. She will need to discuss with Aditya Chopra and director Vijay Krishna Acharya about the look, body language, spoken language and attitude of her character in the project.

In fact, the singing portions of her character are now being worked out, waiting for Katrina to come down and lend her voice. Katrina remained unavailable for comment.

Aishwarya Rai is really beautiful: Hugh Jackman

In an exclusive interview, Hollywood superstarHugh Jackman speaks about his next film and the Indian film he really liked - My Name is Khan. 

Hollywood superstar Hugh Jackman is a popular name in India as well, esp. for his Wolverine act in the X-Men series. His upcoming film Real Steelreleases this Friday in India, simultaneously with its global release. In an exclusive interview to Gaurav Malani , Hugh speaks about his next film Real Steeland his view on India and Indian films. 

Are you aware that both Hugh Jackman and Wolverine enjoy a massive fan-following in India? 
Well, if that's true then I am really happy. I hope I get all the love and support for Real Steel as well. 
  
Talking about 'Real Steel', does it have the popular 'man v/s machine' theme? 
It revolves around the concept, where machines have taken over the boxing ring replacing human. So, it is a kind of Man v/s machine but it has a different take to it. 
  
What would you say is the USP of the film - boxing robots or the father-son bonding? 
I'd say both. It's a proper mix of both and that's its USP. 
  
Dakota Goyo (who plays the son in Real Steel ) has been winning rave reviews. What do you have to say about the young talent? 
He is a very talented young lad and I am proud of his work. He deserves the appreciation he is getting. 
  
How heavy-duty is the action in the film and can kids watch it? 
Certainly kids can watch the film. My kids are going to watch it. There is no blood shed so it's a safe watch for the entire family. 
  
Did you ever try your hands at boxing before this film? How good are you at the sport? 
I have always been a crazy supporter of sports especially boxing but I never got an opportunity to try my hand at boxing as much as I got in Real Steel . 
  
Is a sequel to Real Steel in the offing? 
That question goes for Steven Spielberg. 
  
Real Steel releases simultaneously in India with its US release. How important is the 
Indian market for any Hollywood film today? 
It has become extremely important in today's date. The growing success of Hollywood films in India proves that there is a huge demand for Hollywood films. 
  
How was your experience the last time you came to India during FICCI in March 2011? 
It was wonderful, had a great time. People over there are so warm and humble. They made me feel at home. 
  
How was your interaction with Shah Rukh Khan and Vidya Balan? 
They both are amazing human beings. Extremely warm and humble. 
  
Other than Shah Rukh Khan, any Indian actor that you can recollect at the back of your mind? 
I met Aishwarya Rai also. She is really beautiful. 
  
Have you seen any Indian films? What do you think about them? 
I have seen My Name is Khan and I quite liked it. 
  
Given a chance, would you like to work in any Indian film? 
  It would be my pleasure 
  
When do we see you in India again? 
I hope soon.