'Blue' sequel to start soon

Original cast set to return

Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision spent Rs 80 crore plus on “Blue”. Now the producers are getting set to shell out even more money for the film’s sequel, which could be starting sometime soon.

The cast of “Blue” – Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Zayed Khan and Lara Dutta - will be repeated in the new film, with probably the addition of another hero.

While “Blue” was shot in Bahamas, “Blue 2” will head to Australia, known for its stunning beaches and marine life.

It’s also being reported that “Blue” director Anthony D'Souza is planning another film too, an airborne drama tentatively titled “Aerial”.

The director has confirmed that his good friends John Abraham and Sonal Chauhan have already being signed for the project. It will be a three-hero film, and we’ve heard Akshay Kumar is also likely to be on board.

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Latest update: 'Blue' Friday is Rs. 16 cr. [gross], Rs. 10 cr. [nett]

Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision, the producers of BLUE, have reasons to rejoice. The film has fetched one of the biggest starts ever in the domestic market on Day 1, grossing a mammoth Rs. 16 crore [gross], which works out to approx. Rs. 10 crore [nett] on Friday. The collections are mind-boggling and the film is expected to have a humungous weekend, setting a new benchmark as far as weekend business goes.

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Blue - Movie Review

Roll out the red carpet.
Blow the conch shells.
Beat the drums.
It's time to pop champagne...

BLUE, the most awaited movie of the year, with its canvas as huge as the ocean, comes alive on the Hindi screen this Friday. Like every biggie, this one also comes with the baggage of monumental expectations. With tremendous hype surrounding it, the inescapable question that crosses your mind is, will BLUE live up to those colossal expectations?

Let me keep it concise and to the point. You haven't watched something like this on the Hindi screen before. Never ever!

It requires courage, willpower, fortitude, vision and of course, the financial backing to accomplish a project of this magnitude. And debutante director Anthony D'Souza puts his skills and the financial resources to best use. BLUE is not merely a stunning looking film, it's also a well structured film. Most importantly, it's a solid entertainer that packs in so much in those 1.58 hours.

Final word? Go, grab a ticket, if you haven't booked one yet. This under-sea treasure hunt is a kickass film. A must-see for all those who love adventure flicks.

BLUE is set in the sun-soaked white sand beaches of Bahamas. Sagar [Sanjay Dutt] is a simpleton, while his friend Aarav [Akshay Kumar] is a rich, ambitious businessman.

Sagar's brother Sameer aka Sam [Zayed Khan] has inadvertently managed to rankle the mafia in Bangkok [Rahul Dev]. He flees Bangkok and arrives in Bahamas. But the dangerous men reach Bahamas too. Sagar is the sole person who can bail him out from this crisis, but to save his brother, Sagar has to wrestle with the ghost of his dead father.

If you're a die-hard moviegoer, you'd draw parallels with a lot of international projects [especially THE DEEP] that were set in the ocean. In Bollywood, flashes of the Dharmendra - Jeetendra starrer SAMRAAT cross your mind instantaneously, but comparing the two is akin to comparing chalk and cheese.

BLUE grabs your attention from its opening titles itself. The marine life, which you may've watched on National Geographic Channel or Animal Planet, comes alive in all splendour at the start itself.

The story is uncomplicated and Anthony D'Souza garnishes it beautifully. If the aquatic life keeps your eyes wide open, the action sequences are sure to make your jaws drop to your knees. The bike chase at the start, yet another chase subsequently, the chase soon after the interval [atop a running train] is simply astounding.

Anthony's expertise comes to the fore in several sequences. One sequence that needs to be singled out is when Sanju narrates the tragic past, how he was responsible for his father's death. It's simply incredible!

Major portions of the film have been filmed in the ocean and you can't stop admiring and appreciating the enormous contribution of the underwater cinematographer [Pete Zuccarini]. The lighting in those sequences deserves special mention. Also, the underwater sequences, which feature aquatic life like puffer fish, stingrays and sharks, hold tremendous appeal. Cinematography [Laxman Utekar] is gorgeous.

On the flip side, the climax could've been more impactful. The villain's track looks cliched, but you tend to overlook the minor aberration since the film never falls prey to mediocrity.

Anthony D'Souza is a director to watch. This film has style as well as substance. Also, it requires courage and conviction to think out of the box and most importantly, execute the material with panache. There's not much scope for music in an action thriller, yet A.R. Rahman's score suits the requirements. The Kylie Minogue track - 'Chiggy Wiggy' - is already popular. Sanju and Lara's romantic track - 'Aaj Dil' - is sensuous. The song at the end credits - 'Fiqrana' - has a lot of energy.

Sound design [Resul Pookutty] is fantastic. Action scenes [James D. Bomalick and R.P. Yadav] are a treat and, in fact, one of the mainstays of the film. Dialogues [Mayur Puri] are effective, while the screenplay [Anthony D'Souza and Jasmine D'Souza] is well thought-out, especially towards the second hour.

Sanjay Dutt carries his part well, although he looks very well-fed in some scenes. Akshay Kumar steals the show with a sterling performance. This would easily classify amongst his best works. Zayed Khan is highly competent. This, despite the fact that he's sharing the screen space with two hugely experienced actors.

Lara Dutta has never looked so good before. Though the story revolves around the guys, you can't overlook Lara's small but significant contribution to the film. Katrina Kaif [sp. app.] looks gorgeous and performs exceedingly well. The feminine charm [at the start specifically] would send the youth in a frenzy. Rahul Dev is first-rate. Kabir Bedi is hardly there.

On the whole, BLUE has style as well as substance. The film has everything going in its favour, right from its incredible star cast to the superb action scenes to the hitherto unseen marine life to the tremendous hype and hoopla. At the box-office, BLUE will strike like a hurricane in the festive week. It should set new benchmarks in days to come. In short, the business will be humungous.

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Katrina's new look in Blue

Everyone who’s seen Katrina in the promo of Blue has been pleasantly surprised by her ‘biker chick’ look.

The pretty actress who always been portrayed as a girl next door, is for the first time sporting a gothic grunge look with a stud pierced below her lip, dreadlocks and tattoos all over her arms. Kat’s look has been designed to complement Zayed’s character in the film – that of a daredevil biker.

Says a source form the production team, “Kat was extremely excited about her new look as it’s a huge contrast from her earlier roles. She gave a lot of inputs and worked closely with the designers on minute details.” But one thing that gave nightmares to Kat is her hairdo! The dreadlocks that she sports cause a lot of damage to one’s hair and Kat was very particular about that. “She’d immediately go for a hair wash once the shoot would be over,” says a source from the team.

Rocky S, who gave her the confidence to pull off the look so stunningly, is sure it will be a hit with auds.

We sure can’t wait to see Katrina in this new, rugged avatar, can we?!

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Lara’s waiting with bated breath

Two of her films are releasing soon

Lara Dutta, who has been creating waves with her svelte figure and bold avatar in the promos of Blue, hopes the film turns out to be a hit and makes her Diwali really special.

Blue, also starring Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan is centered on an underwater treasure guarded by sharks and is slated to release Oct 16, just a day before Diwali.

"My next film after Do Knot Disturb, Blue is releasing just a day before Diwali, so I'm hoping that it does well and my Diwali becomes a bumper Diwali," Lara, who was wearing a pink satin dress, told reporters here.

Asked how she planned to celebrate the festival of lights, Lara said Diwali would be a family affair for her this year, unlike last time.

"Diwali is a festival meant to be celebrated with family, but last year I was shooting in Singapore for Do Knot Disturb. So this year I'll be spending time with my close ones," Lara said.

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Blue is coming to the UAE first!

Bollywood mega-starrer will have its world premiere at the third Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi

Expect the best of world cinema at the third Middle East International Film Festival to be held from October 8 to 17 in Abu Dhabi. And Bollywood will be represented by none other than Blue, the Akshay Kumar-Sanjay Dutt-Lara Dutta-Katrina Kaif movie that features Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue in a special song appearance. The promos of the movie are already burning up our TV screens, so we can’t wait to see the film.

All of MEIFF ‘s gala screenings will be held in the Auditorium of the Emirates Palace Hotel , with some of them receiving second screenings at Cinestar Cinemas at Marina Mall.

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In Pics: Shahrukh Khan meets Akshay Kumar on the sets of 'Blue'

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Akshay and Sanjay ka Dostana

The dudes will be seen in Blue where they play pals but they weren’t on talking terms during the making of the film, thanks to their 15-year old enmity. It’s not only actresses that fight, actors have ego issues too.

Their dushmani began when they were shooting for Raj Sippy’s Amaanat which released in 1994. According to folklore, Raj Sippy wanted to shoot a song video with Akshay Kumar but Sanjay Dutt wanted to be part of the video and he convinced Sippy to shoot the video only with him. Both Sanjay and Akshay were big stars at the time and Akshay was and is the better dancer among the two. He didn’t take very kindly to his being bumped off the video and thus began a 15 year long cold war between him and Sanjay.

A source tells us, “During the making of Blue, both of them gave director Anthony D’souza a hard time because of their ego clashes. They wanted to know who's role was meatier. Apparently, Sanjay even stopped shooting for Blue for a while. Only after a lot of praise and pleading from the production house and some special ads in his favour, did he return. This was around the time of Kidnap’s release. Things were cool for a while but then escalated when Kylie Minogue came to India. Akshay Kumar and wife Twinkle played her personal hosts. Sanjay Dutt also wanted to throw a party for her but his political schedule and the short duration of her visit didn’t allow that to happen. Poor Lara had to yo-yo between the two people as she is friends with both Kumar and Dutt.”

Finally peace prevailed on the last day of the shoot in Mumbai. Our source adds, “Akshay and Sanjay are both adults and they decided to get over what had happened 15 years ago. Both decided to be cordial and warm towards each other and this surprised everyone on set but they were only happy as everybody could finally relax and bond together. Blue is an important film for both of them (along with the rest of the cast) as neither Akshay nor Sanjay has had a hit this year. If it does well and people like their rapport, then they will team up for another project. Both stars have a huge fan base and any movie could cash in on it.”

Sanjay’s spokesperson denied that the duo had any problems in the first place and maintained that they have always been friends.

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Sanjay Dutt and Lara Dutta date Dolphins

An underwater action thriller, Blue captures the fast paced action, above and below the ocean as never seen before in Indian cinema.

And when you talk of a film based on underwater sequences, how can you miss out on the most adorable sea animals – the dolphins?

In Shree Ashtavinayak ’s Blue directed by debutant director Anthony D’Souza, you can see Sanjay Dutt and Lara Dutta frolicking with the dolphins!

The audiences will get to see Sanjay and Lara cavorting delightfully with the sea creatures in a romantic song Aaj Dil Gustak Hai in the film.

Says director Anthony, "It was very difficult to shoot with the wild spotted dolphins and we had to travel overnight to Bimini to shoot with them. It was well worth all the efforts as the outcome was spectacular! We were extremely lucky to find a cluster of them and the delighful tricks which the dolphins learnt especially for the song make for a visual treat."

The song has been picturised on the actors playing with wild dolphins in all their majestic glory in Bimini Islands. There were also scenes which required them to shoot at close range for which they had
specially trained dolphins at the dolphin encounters. These mammals were specially taught tricks and which are shown in the film. Not just the actors even the dolphins were trained for their roles.

Even after the required shots, Sanjay and Lara would stay back in the dolphin encounters and play with the dolphins. And being very intelligent creatures, the mammals picked up the tricks very fast and were loved and petted by the entire team.

Slated to hit the theatres on Oct 16, ‘09, this oceanic spectacle features Bollywood stars like Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan, Rahul Dev and Katrina Kaif.

Dr. A R Rahman has composed the tracks for the film with the winning combination of Resul Pookuty engineering the sound.

Do we sniff an Oscar nod already?

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Akshay's Blue a copy

From the promos of the multi-crore Ashtavinayak venture Blue, starring Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Lara Dutta, you notice the strong resemblance it bears to the Jessica Alba starrer film, Into the Blue.

Directed by Anthony D’souza, the films boasts of some big names other than the main leads, Oscar winner A.R Rahman has composed the music, Kylie Minogue’s has an item song, and Hollywood bigwigs have taken charge of action and cinematography. The film which has Akshay Kumar playing a negative role, revolves around the complex relationships shared amongst the lead characters and their search for a lost treasure.

Whereas Into the Blue, starring Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker and Jessica Alba was about their search of a historic treasure, only to stumble on to a plain wreck of cocaine, leading evil druglords to sniff in the moolah. The plot of Blue though not revealed entirely bears striking resemblance to Into The Blue and the entire look of the film has also been picturised over the original.

When we contacted director Anthony D’souza, he remained unavailable for comment but in an earlier interview he had said, “Blue is about betrayal and a treasure-hunt. I had always been fascinated by water and wanted to make a film that would be one of its kind. And shooting in the ocean was a unique and exhilarating experience in itself. What better than an action adventure with real sharks, sting-rays and eels to the menacing great whites?”

Let’s hope the film is indeed an original, the last thing we want is another déjà vu moment!

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Miss Body Beautiful

Everyone's talking about Lara Dutta's daring body show in the promos of Blue. To say the lady's worn less than a bikini would be an understatement.

Anyway, Ms Dutta would do well to thank Dianne Pandey, who is rumouredly responsible for her well-toned body.

On the other hand, Kylie Minogue's body has done her no favours. The ageing songstress looks unappealing and the song even more so.

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Blue - First Look

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Watch: Trailer of Blue

Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision’s 100 crore budgeted Blue is out with its theatrical trailer. And from the looks of it, this is one thrilling underwater ride for sure.

The film stars Bollywood big wigs Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan, Dia Mirza and Katrina Kaif in a special appearance. The film has had its share of obstacles in the making right from a mishap while shooting an underwater sequence at Bahamas wherein Sanjay Dutt and Akshay were about to be literally killed by sharks.

Then there were rumours of ego clashes between Akki and Sanju and Lara being upset with the makers of the film for giving more footage to Katrina. But all that was a thing of the past. The film has some thrilling action sequences and the entire look of Blue is nothing less than a Hollywood blockbuster. Katrina Kaif looks smokin’ hot in her new avatar and even in a cameo she looks nothing less of a main lead.

The film also has International pop star Kylie Minogue in a guest appearance and the music has been composed by none other than music maestro A.R Rahman. In order to bring a genuine feel to the background score of the movie, Sound expert Resul Pookutty recorded the underwater sounds. Resul and his crew went 60 feet underwater with their equipment to capture the required sounds for the film. Back in India, He worked on the sounds and modified them to suit the needs of the film.

Anthony D’souza the director of the film said, “Blue is about betrayal and a treasure-hunt. I had always been fascinated by water and wanted to make a film that would be one of its kind. And shooting in the ocean was a unique and exhilarating experience in itself. What better than an action adventure with real sharks, sting-rays and eels to the menacing great whites?”

A.R Rahman and Resul Pookutty launched the promo of the film at a recent event and promised that Blue is indeed the thrill-seeker's guide to paradise.

Check out the thrilling promo of the film:

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Lara worked up over Blue promos

Despite bikini, actress has less footage in promos than special-appearance Katrina.

Lara Dutta is blue. And this time, it isn't her boyfriend Dino Morea who's causing her worries. Lara is miffed with the producers of Blue after seeing the rough cut of the first teaser for the film. The promo, incidentally, has more of Katrina Kaif then Lara Dutta.

This should be fine in the normal course of things, given that Kats is clearly a much bigger star than Lara. But Katrina only has a special appearance in the Akshay Kumar-Sanjay Dutt starrer. And Lara has been billed as its heroine, or at least that's what Lara was given to believe.

So, when she watched the promo, she was fuming. How could the producers focus more on someone who had done a cameo than on the person who was the star of the movie?

A source on the film said part of the reason for this was that Katrina was in a different league. "The fact is that Katrina is definitely hotter than Lara in the market."

But he added that there was another reason for a little less of Lara in the promo. And that was that there is a lot of Lara to be seen in the movie. And we're not talking about the length of her role! "She's looking hot in the bikini, and we don't want to give it out in the promo itself," said the source. And not having too many other chick scenes in the movie led to overuse of Katrina.

"Lara is feeling sidelined because now she not only has to compete with Katrina, but also Australian pop sensation Kylie Minogue," he added. He said that the Katrina 'special appearance' bit was also turning out to be a little more than that. "Initially Katrina's role was supposed to be very limited, but during the making of the film, the length of her role increased," he said.

Another factor that's troubling Lara is the fact that Akshay Kumar and Katrina share a fantastic equation. "Since Sanjay Dutt has hardly taken any interest in the film, the producers consider Akshay's opinion in every aspect. It was Akshay's idea that they use Kat in the first teaser."

Now, it's to be seen whether the production house gives in to Lara's demand and chops Kat from the promo, or retains it.

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Akki joins the sharks!

Apparently, swimming with the sharks has its advantages.

That’s what Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan have discovered after emerging from the deep sea in Stuartcove, the Bahamas — the biggest and most famous underwater shark diving centre in the world. The three actors, who have apparently done some spectacular underwater stunts with the predators for the film Blue, have made it to a Hall of Fame where the names of all those daring enough to take their chances with the sharks at Stuartcove are included. And, among them is Johnny Depp whose film Pirates of The Caribbean was shot in the Bahamas, plus the likes of Bond stars Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig and Sean Connery.

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'Getting sharks to act was not easy'

Even if directing three Bollywood macho men, two sizzling beauties and one Australian pop diva didn't seem a tough bet for debut director Anthony D'Souza, wielding the megaphone for 40 sharks for an underwater action sequence for "Blue" surely gave him jitters.

"The scariest part of 'Blue' was in fact the sharks. Getting them to act in my film was not easy," D'Souza told IANS in an e-mail interview.

The particular scene with sharks has actors Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar and Zayed Khan in the frame and it called for a lot of safety measures.

The director explained: "We had shark handlers present on the shoot to make sure that nothing untoward happened. But it was a risky business. Everyone who was around knew that these were living, breathing sharks and that it was their turf."

To perfect the scene, D'Souza brought down Hollywood's renowned underwater cinematography specialist Pete Zuccarini apart from getting James Bomalick of "Indiana Jones" fame to choreograph the action sequences, but he says it wasn't because India lacks their kind of talent.

"I would like to make it very clear that we (in India) absolutely do not lack international level talent in Bollywood. The location of my movie was the Bahamas and that required people who had shot in that area. That is the reason technical crew from Hollywood was asked to be a part of the film," he said.

The film, also starring Katrina Kaif and Lara Dutta, has a special appearance by Grammy award-winning singer Kylie Minogue, who will be seen in a song with Akshay. The director says it was a delight to work with her.

"Kylie was completely a director's actor. She did what was required of her. She reached the sets ready on the dot; she threw no tantrums and was a delight to work with," he said.

Contrary to reports that Kylie has a full-fledged role in "Blue", D'Souza clarified that she has "some dialogues and a song" in the film. "She is essentially playing herself in the film. She has shot with us for six days to finish her part," he added.

With such international expertise and glamour, one may expect "Blue" to be a truly Hollywood experience. However the director, who shot parts of the popular adventure series "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" earlier, says he has retained the Bollywood flavour.

"I watch a lot of Hollywood films and I have tried to make a film that looks like it is from Hollywood but is in fact a 100 percent Bollywood film. I am hoping that 'Blue' is an entertaining experience for the filmgoing audience. If that is achieved nothing else matters," he said.

"Blue" is slated for release in August, on the Independence Day weekend, and it was apparently clashing with the release of Vipul Shah's much-hyped "London Dreams". While there was a talk that the release of either film would be advanced, D'Souza has ruled out the option.

"There is ample scope for two big films releasing at the same time. As long as they are both good, there is enough opportunity for them both to do well. Aug 14 is a long weekend and I am not going to let that go for any reason," he stated.

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Kylie earns $1 million for one song!

The Australian singing sensation shot for eight days in Mumbai for the film Blue and went home with a neat $1 million.

That makes Kylie Minogue the most expensive star to make an appearance in a Hindi film. She shot for a video and director Anthony D’Souza said, “There is more to her role than is apparent.”

Apart from the fat pay cheque, Kylie loved the enthusiasm in B’wood. “I think the experience has been intense," she said at a recent press conference in Mumbai.

"Many things I have done before, particularly making music videos, but in Bollywood, with that many people in a studio and the pace at which they work ... it was a totally new experience.

The fact that I have been invited to come and take part in a Bollywood movie surely must be saying something about the feeling [for me] in the industry."

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Kylie earns $1 million for one song!

The Australian singing sensation shot for eight days in Mumbai for the film Blue and went home with a neat $1 million.

That makes Kylie Minogue the most expensive star to make an appearance in a Hindi film. She shot for a video and director Anthony D’Souza said, “There is more to her role than is apparent.”

Apart from the fat pay cheque, Kylie loved the enthusiasm in B’wood. “I think the experience has been intense," she said at a recent press conference in Mumbai.

"Many things I have done before, particularly making music videos, but in Bollywood, with that many people in a studio and the pace at which they work ... it was a totally new experience.

The fact that I have been invited to come and take part in a Bollywood movie surely must be saying something about the feeling [for me] in the industry."

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Kylie Minogue’s ego-free auto ride

Kylie Minogue impressed one and all, including Blue director Anthony D’Souza, with her willingness to rough it out and use auto-rickshaws to move from one set to another.

This is in direct contrast to the Indian stars, who would never go out unless in their air-conditioned cars.

Other Hollywood stars who have ventured out in autos are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, when they were in Pune to shoot for A Mighty Heart.

She also won the director’s heart when she gifted him her autographed DVD.

He says, “It's been made by her friend and is about Kylie's road to recovery after her illness.

She also gave me a letter where she thanked me for bringing her to Bollywood."

Kylie also proved to one and all that despite being a mega global star, she’s a thorough professional.

She’d report with her make-up on at 8am for a 9am shoot and not throw any tantrums or make crazy demands.

Maybe some Bolly stars should take note!

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Kylie Minogue a big fan of Akshay Kumar

Australian singer Kylie Minogue signed up for Hindi film "Blue" not just to get a taste of India and Bollywood but also because she is apparently a huge fan of action star Akshay Kumar.

"It started when Kylie watched 'Chandni Chowk To China'. She was completely hooked to Akshay's antics. In fact one of her main incentives for accepting 'Blue' was the opportunity to meet up with Akshay. When she decided to do the film and the date for her arrival was confirmed, she made discreet inquiries about Akshay's schedules and his availability," said a source close to the film.

Apart from shaking a leg for director Anthony D'Souza's "Blue", she's also fallen in love with all things Indian and has even draped a sari for a part of a song.

"She wanted to go through the full India experience, including the khaana (food), wedding and of course the Taj Mahal and Jaipur," the source added.

D'Souza too said that the international pop star was a fan of Hindi films and, of course, Akshay.

"Kylie is a big Bollywood buff. She has done her homework and has seen lots of our movies. And she's a huge Akshay fan. She's seen lots of his films. I think she was at the premiere of 'Chandni Chowk To China' in London. The comfort level between them comes from the fact that Kylie knows Akshay's work," the director said.

She's also able to match steps with her Bollywood co-stars.

"She gets the nuances perfectly correct. And she's very intelligent. I've shot with her for a week and I'm bowled over by her professionalism. She's a fantastic performer," said D'Souza.

Apart from Akshay and Kylie, "Blue" also stars Katrina Kaif and Lara Dutta.

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