Aishwarya & Abhishek Bachchan on the sets of Koffee with Karan - Photos, Video

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan & Abhishek Bachchan on the sets of Koffee with Karan

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Hrithik confirmed for 'Agneepath' remake

It's official. Karan Johar has finally admitted it is Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra in the 'Agneepath' remake.

Speaking officially for the first time about the casting of the 'Agneepath' remake, Karan Johar coolly and cleverly passes on the buck to his novice director Siddharth Malhotra for Abhishek Bachchan's absence in the remake...a decision that jolted everyone who thought that Abhishek was a natural and inevitable inheritor of the 'Agneepth' role.

Says Karan: "When my father (late Yash Johar) produced 'Agneepath', he left everything to his director Mukul Anand and kept completely away from the project. I'm carrying on the family tradition."

"The casting for the 'Agneepath' remake was decided by the director Siddharth Malhotra. He decided on Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra. Why Hrithik and not Abhishek? I think Siddharth has his own ideas on how to present the character. I think the protagonist in the new 'Agneepath' would be very different from how he was in the original."

The script for the new 'Agneepath' is also entirely revamped. Priyanka Chopra won't play a nurse, like Madhavi had done in the original. And Mithun Chakraborty's character from the original has been done away with completely.

If there was any tension about Abhishek not even being approached for the remake of "Agneepath", it was wiped away at the HDIL Haute Couture Week where it was crystal-clear that the Bachchans still treated Karan as part of their family.

At Manish Malhotra's fashion show, Abhishek, more baffled than hurt by not even being asked to do the 'Agneepath' remake, walked up and warmly hugged Karan. Later, Karan coaxed the original 'Agneepath' protagonist Amitabh Bachchan to walk the ramp with star of the remake Hrithik Roshan, thereby putting an end to all speculation within the film industry about a strain between the Bachchan parivar and Karan over the 'Agneepath' issue.

Says Karan emotionally: "The Bachchans and my family go back a long way. Our association is not on a film-to-film basis. It doesn't matter how many films we work in or don't work in. For the record I will be doing at least 10 more films with Abhishek in my lifetime. He has already done two films with our banner Dharma Productions. He's doing 'Dostana 2' next year."

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Dostana 2 will release as per schedule: Karan Johar

The shooting of John Abraham-Abhishek Bachchan starrer gay comedy Dostana 2 has been pushed for next year but producer Karan Johar is confident that they will be able to release the film as per schedule.

The sequel, about two young men pretending to be gays, was originally scheduled to go on floors this year but they had to postpone it as director Tarun Mansukhani was not happy with the script.

"We were aiming for Dostana 2 to release in the second half of 2011. But I am sure that we would meet our original deadline. Its just that we all would now have to work extra hard to get the post production in place in time after wrapping up the shooting part," Johar said.

Johar, who released three of his films this year My Name Is Khan, I Hate Luv Storys and We Are Family, says he did not want to compromise on the story and hence decided to take the risk of rescheduling the shooting.

"There are huge expectations from the film. This is why we decided to hold on for a while before rushing through the proceedings. It was Tarun who came to me and requested some more time to spend on script before hitting the sets. He wasn't entirely happy with about 15 minutes of the film and wanted to refine it further," Johar said.

The producer had already locked the dates of his main actors and had even made the announcement and the delay means added cost to Johar, who would soon begin shooting Kareena Kapoor and Imraan Khan starrer Short Term Shaadi.

The new schedule will also mean a major reshuffle in the date diaries of Abhishek, John and Katrina Kaif but Johar says the actors are ready to adjust.

"My actors are staying along with the film. They are using this interim period to do other films. I don't think that moving ahead of Dostana 2 has caused pain to any of them."

Meanwhile, what happens to his other dream production, the remake of Agneepath. There is still mystery around the new face, who would play Vijay Deenanath Chauhan, originally essayed by Amitabh Bachchan. "The script is ready but since we are still in the process of approaching talent," Johar said.

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GQ Men of the Year awards 2010 - Photos

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Aamir's set for 'Koffee With Karan'

Aamir Khan is definitely becoming a friendlier man towards all of Bollywood. The once-upon-a-time-reclusive star is now seen at lots of parties and events (particularly with new bestie Salman Khan), and now we hear that Aamir's finally agreed to appear on Karan Johar's talk show 'Koffee With Karan'. Buzz is he's going to be one of the guests on season three of the show.

It seens Karan had approached Aamir to appear on the show in earlier seasons as well, but the star had always refused. Could it be that Aamir didn't want to have to answer all those fun and naughty questions in the show's famous rapid-fire round? The very same where Kareena Kapoor called John Abraham expressionless! We'll be watching out for what KJo has in store for Aamir, and if Aamir has really loosened up enough to answer some tricky questions about his B'wood choices.

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Karan Johar is in fighting mode

Just when Karan Johar has been taking pride in having produced an official Hollywood remake with "We Are Family", his critic, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has hit out with negative comments on the quality of the film.

"The good thing about official remakes is that we can officially prove to the world how bad as makers we are," Varma posted on his Twitter page.

In return, Karan posted: "It's sad when extreme failure and death of talent drives filmakers into a zone of negativity...sad! But that is the unfortunate truth!"

This isn't the first time both the filmmakers are caught in a war of words. They just love to hate each other.

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"Aishwarya rumours are ridiculous"

Karan Johar says rumours about Aishwarya Rai stopping husband Abhishek Bachchan from working with Katrina Kaif were baseless and ridiculous and that the movie is set to roll filming next year.

"Rumours about Aishwarya dissuading Abhishek from working with Katrina are absolutely baseless and ridiculous. The cast of 'Dostana 2' is Abhishek, John (Abraham) and Katrina and we start filming early next year. Bringing Aishwarya into this is unwarranted," Johar posted on his Twitter page.

The film, directed by Tarun Mansukhani, is a sequel to the 2008 John-Abhishek-Priyanka Chopra starrer 'Dostana'.

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'We Are Family' earns Rs.27 million

Kajol and Kareena Kapoor starrer 'We Are Family', which opened to mixed reviews, has grossed about Rs.27 million (Rs.2.7 crore) from its paid previews.

Produced by Karan Johar, the movie had a limited festival release on Janmashtami (September 2) with paid previews - a day before the formal release on September 3.

Distributed by UTV Motion Pictures, 'We Are Family' is the Hindi adaptation of the Julia Roberts-Susan Sarandon starrer 'Stepmom'.

It also stars Arjun Rampal and child actors Aanchal Munjal, Nominath Ginsburg and Diya Sonecha.

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Box Office: 'We Are Family' collects Rs. 2.75 cr. on Thursday

WE ARE FAMILY lived up to its title by attracting families in good numbers! Instead of having a wide release on Thursday [2nd September] due to Janmashtami, Karan Johar and UTV decided to open the film in limited shows [3-4-5 shows] at limited centres [main multiplexes] and the response was excellent. The film collected approx. Rs. 2.75 cr. nett on Thursday, making it the second highest opening in limited preview shows.

The word of mouth amongst the target audience of the film, namely women and family audiences, is wonderful and the Friday evening occupancy as well as Saturday and Sunday numbers are expected to be very strong.

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MOVIE REVIEW: We Are Family

Okay, WE ARE FAMILY is the official adaptation of Chris Columbus' STEPMOM [1998] and lots of us have already watched this Julia Roberts - Susan Sarandon starrer. Even otherwise, the story of a woman, diagnosed with a terminal illness, entrusting her kids to the 'other woman' before she does the final salute, gives the feeling of deja vu. But WE ARE FAMILY is not a tear-jerker. Sure, it has dollops of emotions, but also integrates the light moments wonderfully in those 12 reels.

In the good old days, in the 1960s and 1970s specifically, well-made family films struck an instant chord with viewers across the spectrum. But with the changing times, the quantum of well-made socials made a rapid decline. WE ARE FAMILY belongs to the Rajshri gharaana and tells the story of a family facing two life-changing developments: The woman of the house is diagnosed with a terminal illness and two, there's a stepmom on the scene. A difficult subject to handle, without doubt.

But debutant director Siddharth P. Malhotra surprises you constantly. Casting the best available talent for two pivotal parts and doing complete justice to their roles is tough. Very tough. But the ease with which he handles the tense moments between the women and also the emotional finale shows he has learnt his lessons well from his peers.

Final word? WE ARE FAMILY is for the family. It is well acted, deftly written, entertaining and broadly appealing drama. Watch it with someone you love!

Maya [Kajol] is the perfect mother. Her life revolves around her three children, Aleya [Aanchal Munjal], Ankush [Nominath Ginsberg] and Anjali [Diya Sonecha]. Despite being divorced from her husband Aman [Arjun Rampal], Maya has ensured that everything runs smoothly in her house, under her watch, and that they continue to remain a happy family unit.

When Aman introduces his girlfriend, Shreya [Kareena Kapoor], a career-oriented woman, the situation takes an unexpected turn. However, Maya is diagnosed with a terminal illness and circumstances bring the two women under the same roof. Can two mothers make a home?

With a plot like this, you expect WE ARE FAMILY to be an out-and-out serious outing. However, the film has its serious moments, but the director ensures that it doesn't come across as a gloomy and serious fare. In fact, the generous dose of light moments in the narrative keeps the drama fluid. There's an inherent sensitivity that the director brings in, which keeps you involved for most parts.

On the flip side, the film tends to stagnate in the middle of the second hour. One expects the story to move forward, but there's not much movement here [thankfully, the film picks up wonderfully towards the penultimate reels]. Also, the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is a complete letdown. You feel it all the more because Dharma is synonymous with excellent music. The only redeeming track in the enterprise is 'Let's Rock', which is high on energy. S-E-L need to reinvent themselves by experimenting a little more.

Director Siddharth P. Malhotra handles the dramatic portions best. The tense moments between Kajol and Kareena, the confrontation between the two and also the cold stares that they exchange time and again have been captured very well. The gradual transformation in Kajol's looks, from striking and energetic to pale and morose, is also well projected. The finale is the best part of the enterprise and can be best described in one word: Outstanding. However, like I pointed out earlier, the writing could've been tighter towards the second hour.

Mohanan's cinematography is eye-catching and the locales of Australia only enhance the look of the film. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogue are decent at places, but a few lines are amazingly real. The background score [Raju Singh] is first-rate.

WE ARE FAMILY gives the two popular actresses an opportunity to sink their teeth into strongly drawn, juicy, challenging and interesting female roles that move beyond the normal stereotypes. The scene stealer is, without doubt, Kajol. She expresses the gamut of emotions brilliantly and speaks a million words even when silent. This is yet another incredible performance from an actor par excellence. Kareena excels yet again and her sequences with the kids are a delight. In fact, casting Kareena as the stepmom is just right, since she's the only actor who can stand up to Kajol in high-voltage scenes and that's because Kareena is a powerful actor herself. Arjun continues to surprise. ROCK ON, HOUSE FULL, RAAJNEETI and now WE ARE FAMILY indicates the growth of this actor. He handles the emotional moments well too. The kids - all three of them - are superb. In fact, the casting of the kids [done by Shanoo Sharma] is an ace.

On the whole, WE ARE FAMILY is a perfect family film with a good mix of emotions and humour. Plus, a brilliant climax, which will ensure that the film grows with a strong word of mouth. The last film which came close to being a family outing was PAA. Before that, the only quintessential family film was BAGHBAN. WE ARE FAMILY is the kind of film that should work instantly with ladies and when ladies watch such films, they bring their spouses and children along. Recommended!

RATING: 3.5/5

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KJo's next is 'My Name Is Karan'

For Karan Johar, the past few weeks have been very stressful. He has hardly been getting any sleep and has even put his next directorial venture on hold as he is busy with the promotions of his production 'We Are Family'.

Since Kajol, one of the leading ladies of the film, is on maternity leave and the other leading lady, Kareena Kapoor, had to leave for the shooting of Saif Ali Khan’s 'Agent Vinod', the producer was left with no choice but to promote 'We Are Family' on his own.

"I’ve completely sidelined the film I’m going to direct next. I’ve no idea what it is going to be simply because I haven’t had the time to think about it. Maybe, I’ll make 'My Name Is Karan' and cast myself in the lead," Karan says jokingly.

Karan is especially worried about 'We Are Family' as it isn’t a typical mass entertainer. In fact, Karan jokingly admits that his product was intimidated by the power of machismo in the Salman Khan starrer 'Dabangg'.

"Yeah, we shifted our release before 'Dabangg'. Ours is the kind of film that would have a gentler impact. We are not the hare, we are the tortoise. Kajol is of course the undisputed queen of the show. But Kareena will surprise you. She has given the best performance of her career and Arjun Rampal balances the fire and the passion of the two women," Karan says.

Karan’s production house will start shooting for the Imran Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer in October.

He says that all talk of Kareena losing more weight for the film directed by Shakun Batra is "baseless".

"I never said Bebo would have to lose weight or wear ‘chaddis’ for the part, as reported. Nor is the film called 'Short Term Shaadi'. That’s just the working title and we’re changing it," he says.

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It wasn't me!: Karan Johar

Karan Johar was highly amused at a recent report which spoke about him making Kareena Kapoor wear 'chaddis' in his next film with her and Imran Khan.

"Darling, do you think I am so tacky as to ever use the word chaddi anywhere, forget making my heroines wear things like that?" No darling, we know you don't.

The politically correct and ever-diplomatic KJo will never use rude slang. EVER.

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Bollywood’s ready for 3D

Hollywood's buzzing with it and now it's time for some cool hi-tech action in Bollywood as well.

To give a first-hand experience of live 3D filmmaking and associated technologies to the film fraternity, Panasonic organised a two-day conclave called Dimensions in Mumbai recently. And guess who was most enthusiastic about it? Karan Johar himself.

KJo said, "I am so excited that the 3D technology is now available to filmmakers like myself. It will literally add a new dimension to our story telling and creative expression. We all acknowledge the influence of this medium and with 3D captivating the audience so much more, there is going to be a new revolution in movie making. I'm sure the next 3D blockbuster movie just like Avatar is going to come from India."

Introducing the brand's internationally acclaimed 'camera to couch' 3D solutions, Daizo Ito, President, Panasonic India, said, "Panasonic has been the harbinger of new technology for several decades now. With Indian creativity getting applauded across the world, it becomes imperative for our company to make available the latest movie-making and broadcast technology in India."

Added Manish Sharma, Director Marketing, "Given the increasing success of 3D internationally, we are happy to bring this technology to India. We take pride in our association with the Indian film fraternity, and this latest technology innovation will serve to further strengthen the relationship."

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Shahrukh Khan joined Arjun and Kareena in press meet to promote We Are Family

Shah Rukh Khan has decided he will be part of every Karan Johar production in some capacity or the other. In I Hate LUV Storys, Shah Rukh did a small voiceover. Unfortunately, he couldn't be accommodated anywhere in We Are Family although SRK was quite adamant to feature somehow.

"Ek photo hi daal do kisi shot mein," he kept urging Karan.

Not one to give up even when his wish has gone way past its fulfilment phase, SRK barged in sportingly at a media meet with Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal and insisted on conducting an interview with the pair...

"Just as a good luck charm," as SRK put it.

On Wednesday afternoon SRK just decided to drop in at the venue of the interview and said, "Even I am part of the family. So I'm joining them to promote the film."

Director Siddharth Malhotra can't get over the magic of the moment. "It is such gestures that make Shah Rukh who he is. It is his ability to make people feel special that makes him the superstar and the King."

Siddharth had entered the media meet when he saw an exceptional bustle at the venue. He jokingly asked what the clamour was about.

"SRK aa gaya kya? I asked sarcastically. Imagine my surprise when someone turned around and said that's precisely what has happened and that SRK was doing an interview with Kareena and Arjun for my film."

One now hears that SRK will make his presence felt in all of Karan Johar's films on one way or another.

Says Karan, "Shah Rukh is just about the most generous human being I know."

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A prayer meeting held for Bobby father-in-law

A prayer meeting was held to condole the death of Bobby Deol's father-in-law Devendra Ahuja on Wednesday at Worli.

Gauri Khan, Sussanne Roshan, Karan Johar, Shabina Khan, Twinkle, Rinke Khanna, Sonali Bendre, Maheep Kapoor, Tarun Mansukhani and Chunky Pandey were among those who offered their condolences to Bobby and wife Tania. Dharmendra was also present.

PS: Star biwis Gauri Khan and Twinkle Khanna who share thanda vibes bumped into each other!

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"Karan is more than a brother"

Kajol doesn't believe in rakhi as she feels "bonds are made from the heart". And the actress says filmmaker Karan Johar is more than a brother to her.

"The definition of a friend is somebody you choose and not somebody you are born with really. I think Karan is my friend for centuries and generations and lifetimes I feel. I always felt that connection with him. He is more than a brother. It's a unique fantastic friendship that I am very grateful to have in my life," Kajol said.

Kajol has played the lead actress in three of the four films Karan has directed - 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998), 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' (2001) and 'My Name Is Khan' (2010).

The actress will be seen playing a key role in Karan's next production 'We Are Family' as well.

While Kajol doesn't believe in rakhi, the festival that symbolises the affection and love between brothers and sisters, she encourages her seven-year-old daughter Nysa to tie rakhis (decorative threads) on her cousins' wrists.

"I don't believe in rakhi. I believe that bonds are made from the heart...Yes rakhi is a great way to reaffirm that but I don't think that if you don't have a rakhi, it makes you any less of a friend...less of a relationship," said Kajol.

The actress, who is expecting her second child with actor husband Ajay Devgn in October, doesn't have a brother but will celebrate the festival of rakhi with a get-together at home.

"I don't have any brothers. Yes, my whole family is going to get together. My daughter has seven cousin brothers and they are all coming over and I think we are going to have a little bit of a party," said Kajol.

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The devastating 'We Are Family' moment

Filming the Indian version of Elvis Presley's track ‘Jailhouse Rock’ in the forthcoming film ‘We Are Family’ was more like a nightmare for the crew and director Siddharth Malhotra describes it as the most devastating moment of the shooting.

Releasing September 3, the film starring Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal is the Indian version of the Hollywood hit ‘Stepmom’.

Earlier, producer Karan Johar had obtained the rights to the song ‘Pretty Woman’ for ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ fairly easily. This time too getting the original copyright holders of ‘Jailhouse Rock’ to say yes was easy enough.

The nightmare began later.

Apparently just days before filming, the official contract arrived from the US. To their horror, Karan and director Siddharth discovered that they were not allowed to use any image, visuals, dance steps or even the words associated with the original Elvis song!

At that late juncture everything from the dance steps, to the set to the lyrics had to be changed and the Elvis' classic song ‘Jailhouse Rock’ was titled ‘Dil khol ke let's rock’.

"The contract arrived just days before shooting. We got to know that we couldn't use anything to do with Elvis. We had everything ready, the set, the costumes, the songs and words... Most importantly we had images of Elvis splashed all over and we had incorporated the words from 'Jailhouse Rock' into the track. All that had to be scrapped."

For a while Karan and Siddharth contemplated scrapping the song altogether.

"What is the point of a tribute to Elvis when we couldn't use his face, his dance steps, even his images as props on the sets? We couldn't even replicate any of the lyrics from the original and had to rewrite the words on the spot. So what could we use?

"It was the most devastating moment of the shooting. First, Kajol was three months pregnant and we had to change all her steps. Then we had to change everything because we hadn't read the contract."

Matters got worse when the little girl playing Kajol's younger daughter suddenly fell sick with chickenpox.

"We had to rewrite the scene explaining her absence in the song. It was a nightmare. And one we'd never like to go through again," said Malhotra.

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Bebo in chaddis!

When Kareena Kapoor returns from the schedule of Agent Vinod in Latvia around mid September, she has a lot of cleaning up to do. Her best friend, filmmaker Karan Johar, who loves Bebo to distraction, has ordered her to empty her wardrobe.

Karan jokes, “I have asked her to throw out all her old clothes and fill her wardrobe with chaddis (he means shorts) and other skimpy outfits. She has to sport a short haircut and I also want her to try and get herself into a size minus (not a size zero) because she has to match Imran Khan perfectly for my film tentatively titled Short Term Shaadi.”

Post Diwali, Bebo may actually think of making a trip to Paris and London accompanied by designer Manish Malhotra to get herself a totally new wardrobe that will consist of LBDs, chaddis and other equally seductive clothes.

Bebo says that she is also going to consider a personal wardrobe change because that way she will be “living the part 24/7”. One last heard that beau Saif Ali Khan was contemplating hiring a couple of bodyguards for his girl.

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Karan Johar is restless

Karan Johar is itching to go behind the camera once again.

"The director in me is restless and wants to break free... can't wait to be back on set and yell 'Action'... my job is truly my best friend," Johar posted on his Twitter page.

His last directorial venture was 'My Name Is Khan' starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

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