Zayed Khan out of Mission Istaanbul's promotional campaigns

The ongoing tussle of priority between Zayed Khan's dates for Mission Istaanbul and Subhash Ghai's Yuvraj has reached a flashpoint.

On Sunday Zayed was unable to attend a huge musical concert in Dehradun by the film's producers Popcorn Entertainment. Only producer Sunil Shetty, director Apoorva Lakhia and actor Nikiten Dheer (who plays the main antagonist) along with the musicians were present. Neither of the two protagonists Vivek Oberoi or Zayed Khan could attend.

While Vivek is shooting in South Africa for a Tips film, Zayed, though in the country and extremely desirous of promoting what he considers to be his most important film so far, was committed to shoot for Subhash Ghai.

And there's no way the Showman will allow his leading man to take time off from the shooting schedules when the film has already suffered innumerable delays. Says a source close to both the projects, "After the film got delayed Zayed's dates for Mission Istaanbul were obtained because of Salman Khan. In-between for whatever reason, Salman stopped shooting for Yuvraj. So there were chunks of Zayed's unused dates which the makers of Mission Istaanbul used. If Salman hadn't shuffled around his dates for Yuvraj, God knows what Zayed would've done. So basically, Zayed shot Mission on the time that Salman created."

But now Subhash Ghai, harassed by the delay in his opus's completion is in no mood to slacken the last lap of the shooting for any reason. Says Sunil, "We were aware Zayed couldn't join us in Dehradun. So his non-presence was no shock to anyone. Of course we'd have liked him to be with us. But he was needed for Subhashji's shooting. So we had no choice."

Ironically, Sunil intends to promote Mission Istaanbul in a big way in traditionally neglected promotional areas like Uttaranchal. And these are places where the stars provide face value. "Normally areas like Uttaranchal and Bihar aren't seen as being important for a film's promotion. But I feel we need to push our cinema in the non-metropolitan centres specially an action film like Mission Istaanbul."

Sadly, it will have to be done without either of the film's leading men.

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Vivek Obero back from South Africa for Mission Istaanbul Premiere

Vivek Oberoi has not been reading the unflattering stories about himself. "I prefer to read books," he laughs on his one-day visit to India---Mumbai-Pune-Delhi, to be more precise. Vivek landed on Wednesday evening, rushed to Pune for a personal visit, rushed back to Mumbai on Thursday and flew to Delhi for the premiere of Mission Istaanbul, thereby putting an end to all speculative stories about dissociating himself from the film.

Says Vivek, "I requested Tips to let me off just one day. Just for the Delhi premiere. Then I'm flying back to the join the unit. I'm really excited because I'll be seeing the complete film for the first time. Apu has shown me parts of the film. I've heard such great things about the film and my work."

Vivek is currently shooting a hush-hush project with Kumar Taurani of Tips. It features Vivek with Sanjay Kapoor and Vivek has three leading ladies opposite him. But Vivek isn't allowed to talk about it. "Mr. Kumar Taurani of Tips has been treating me really well. I'm shooting for his film in South Africa. It's an action thriller directed by a guy called Kookie Gulati who's actually a fantastic music video director doing his first feature film. I love the script. Beyond that I'm not allowed to say anything about the film."

But wasn't Vivek supposed to be in Mumbai for the Mission Istaanbul press conference? "Yes, I couldn't make it on the 19th. I was shooting in South Africa. You see Mission Istaanbul was supposed to be released two weeks earlier. I was going all-out promoting it for two months. I kept myself completely free for the promotions till the 11th. But when the film got postponed to July 28, I had no option but to join my unit in South Africa. I'm really excited by my character in Mission Istaanbul."

Vivek has completely changed his look and hair for the Tips film. "Since I've to keep my look under wraps I've to wear a cap all the time. I joked with my producer Kumar Taurani. 'Normally actor producer ko topi pehnate hai. This time it's the other way around.'

The last 24 hours was hectic for the actor. "I'm so tired," Vivek said on Wednesday night. "I've flown 23 hours. I've become the jet-setting guy."

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"Apoorva wanted me to be strong and think strong to act strong" - Vivek Oberoi

What happens when you stop a Bollywood star who is just about to board an international flight? He'd say 'Sorry, not now'. But if the man in the picture is Vivek Oberoi, what then? I'm sure he'd remind you of Maya in Shootout at Lokhandwala and you'd rather not mess with him. Here, the story took a bit of a turn. Nicknamed 'Tiger' and 'Rockstar' by his friends and colleagues, Vivek Oberoi is on a high these days because his director thinks Mission Istaanbul is his best work till date. Bollywood Hungama's Devansh Patel grabs the actor moments before he boards his flight to find out his comment on the quote, his bad and good guy image, his mission and lots more interesting answers to some hard hitting questions.

So, Maya is back after Shootout… to complete his Mission... What say Vivek?
(Laughs out loud) I like the way you put that. Very creatively done. Have you ever thought of dialogue writing? Actually, I am really excited. 'Maya' was a big bad boy who ended the Shootout. Here the good guy is going to complete his Mission. Rizwan Khan (Vivek's character in Mission Istaanbul) lost his own family, his wife, and his child to a bomb blast in Ankara. So, he takes an oath that he will try and protect as many innocent lives he can from the dreaded terrorists. That's his mission, he is the hero and the good guy. But having said that, his attitude is a real bad one and that's what I love about him.

Gabbar Singh's famous dialogue 'Jo Darr Gaya, Samjho Mar Gaya' has been transformed by Apoorva Lakhia, which reads 'Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai'. So who's right?
Gabbar Singh was a legend and the dialogue is part of history. You don't mess with legends. But as far as 'Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai' is concerned, it rocks for us. Rizwan Khan (Vivek Oberoi) forgot to get introduced to fear. He is that kind of guy (laughs). There is a situation where Vikas Sagar (Zayed Khan's character), tells Rizwan Khan which is my character, "Wahan pe bees armed security guards hain yaar, andar kaise jaayenge?” to which Rizwan smiles casually and says, "Pahuncha doonga.” And the next moment, they both are in. He breaks through everything and lands up killing the bad guys in the terrorist network. He is in the cold zone where 40 people are staring at him from their work desks and are shocked to see how this guy came there. Rizwan then comes in and casually looks at all of them, loads his automatic weapon and questions, "Bahar jaaoge ya upar?"

Chiseled looks, bulging biceps and long hair is what we haven't seen much of from Mr. Oberoi. What went into creating such a look?
Rizwan Khan is such a cool guy that in terms of the clothing, styling and everything was an extension of his personality. When I read the character itself, it was so cool. I mean, he is the kind of guy who'll land up anywhere, anytime. That is precisely what Vikas Sagar tells him, "Rizwan Khan tum toh bhoot ho yaar, kahin se bhi aa jaate ho aur kahin se bhi nikal jaate ho." Anything that is impossible, he'll make it possible with a wink of an eye. One wanted someone who could physically also look like that. Rizwan Khan had to have this demeanor that we had never seen before. Dilshad who is my hair stylist, did my hair, and Falguni Thakore did the clothes and designed the entire look. On the other hand, Apoorva was working with both of them in tandem to create the entire image of Rizwan.

What went into your exercise regime? Did you have to build your six-pack and then shoot the film?
The first thing that Apoorva narrated to me was a scene where Vikas Sagar is running through the grand bazaar with six guys after him to kill him. And just as you think that he is going to get killed any minute, in the nick of time, a guy comes from nowhere, grabs him and pins him up against the wall and takes care of the six baddies in thirty two seconds single handedly. Rizwan is that strong. Apoorva wanted me to be strong and think strong to act strong. Therefore, there was little more that went into my training, even though we actors have to stay fit. Here I had to stay extra fitter.

When I spoke to Apoorva last week, he said that he had Abhishek Bachchan in mind before he signed you for the role of Rizwan. Do you consider yourself lucky?
You know, it's been strange. I think many people don't know this but my first two films - Company and Saathiya both had Abhishek Bachchan in the lead. I got a break because Abhishek didn't do Company and then I got Saathiya for the same reason. Even in Apoorva's previous film Shootout at Lokhandwala, he had considered Abhishek to do a full fledged role but only managed a special appearance. So all this is rather quite interesting. People remember that Saif Ali Khan did Hum Tum after I said no. I couldn't do that film. I think it's destiny for all of us. Someone's loss is another's gain.

We have seen you at your best in Company and Shootout. In between, you have a bit of Masti as well. But then again you are on a Mission. Should we change your name to Versatile Oberoi?
Thank you so much. It's a very nice compliment. It actually goes with my initials too (laughs). Many critics tell me that I should stick to roles like in the two films you mentioned. Critics will always be critics but the point to remember for me everyday is that I'm a greedy actor and I like to do every kind of role whether it's action or comedy. Recently, at the IIFA Awards in Bangkok, I had twenty pretty girls apprehend me. They grab hold of me and told me that we are going to threaten the action hero. The point they conveyed to me was that if I didn't do another love story for them, I'd be in big trouble. They said, "We supported you through Shootout, we are supporting you through Mission Istaanbul and are going to see it but it's time you do a love story.” So yeah, I am doing different stuff now. I am excited. I'm doing a big film in South Africa with Tips and that's a huge solo hero film for me. After that, I'm doing Karan Johar's film with Rensil De Silva directing and writing it which also stars Saif and Kareena in it. And there is this love story which I am doing and is being developed in the first quarter of next year. It's a very sweet, Saathiya kind of feel.

You will remember this interview as it's your last before you check in the immigration to go to South Africa. So who and where is the leading lady of the film?
Ahh! That's a big surprise.

This is your first film where you've performed some daring stunts all by yourself. Were you willing to take such a risk?
That's actually untrue. I've been performing stunts from my very first movie. Infact, I earned the nickname 'Tiger' because on my very first schedule in Kenya for the film Company, I was challenged to leap across from a six-storey building to a five-storey one. I went across the entire length of the road and landed on the other side. In Mission Istaanbul, too we are coming down from a 44-floor building. That was mad and insane but had to do it.

Does Mika's 'Apun Ke Saath' start from where 'Ganpat' ends?
Absolutely. It was always meant to be a follow up to 'Ganpat'. 'Ganpat' was such a rage and such a big sensation that we wanted to take it to the next level and promote Mission Istaanbul. 'Apun Ke Saath' shows the attitude of Rizwan Khan.

I have to be a bit biased here Vivek. But what do you have to say about the young Gujarati boy Chirantan Bhatt who is just 21 years old and has given chartbuster hits like 'Mission Mission' and 'Nobody Like You'?
Oh, my God dude, I didn't even know that Chiru's name is Chirantan Bhatt. We call him Chiru. But I'm really happy for Chiru and Hamza who have worked with him in both these songs. They have done a great job and very happy with not only the two songs you've mentioned but the entire album. I think, by far my favourite is 'Apun Ke Saath'. The kind of dynamics, lyrics and cool quality that Mika has come up with after 'Ganpat' and the kind of response it got at the IIFA Bangkok is truly unbelievable. Everywhere I go now people associate me with this song.

One of the most clichéd questions for you Vivek. How was the experience of working with Zayed Khan?
It was great man! All these guys were cool. They were fun to work with and we worked pretty hard, partied pretty hard too. All in all a great experience.

That's a short answer.
Well, that doesn't make it clichéd, does it? (Laughs)

Mission Istaanbul is a film, which will have its own target audience. Do you think the film will work in the overseas?
One never thought that Shootout would do very well in the overseas audience. But it did. In the Middle East, it did terrific business. The audiences mindsets are changing. They are accepting change. There are liking different kind of cinema. So we're hoping. Overseas has a big audience and are important for the success of our films. If Mission works in the overseas, we all will be very happy.

Any plans of having a premiere in Istaanbul.
Yeah. Apoorva always wanted that. I don't know how much of that is going to be possible. At the end of the day, one wants to have a big premiere in Mumbai and then fly off to Istanbul the very next moment. It's not as easy as it looks. If it happens, it will be exciting and awesome. But that really isn't my call. It's between Apoorva, Suniel Shetty and Balaji.

Besides filming, what were you up to in Istanbul?
We had a blast man. I mean, I am a complete party animal. When I get days off, I love to club all the way through the morning. One of the other nicknames that I've earned from college days is 'Rockstar'. That's not because I'm musically inclined in anyway. I can't play any musical instruments. If I party, I've got a golden rule. I don't come back before seeing the morning sun. You party all night, see the sun, and then go home.

Aren't we going to see any romantic side of you in Mission Istaanbul?
No man, not this time. You'll just have to wait a year more.

I know you have to check in now. But before I say Bon Voyage, one last question. Your director says that Mission Istaanbul is going to be your best performance till date. What are the odds?
I am really excited about that statement. It's a really big statement to make. But I don't know. I've given my best, worked an entire year, I've not done anything else and focused only on Mission Istaanbul. I hope what Apoorva says is true. He keeps telling me that. I haven't even seen the film yet but I have faith and belief in Apoorva.

Any message for your fans before you board your flight to South Africa.
A big Thank You straight from my heart. When I was not doing well in films, the one thing that kept me going was the belief in my fans and the support, which they have shown for me. Every little 'I love you Vivek' which comes out from them makes you feel so special. My fans aren't just statistics for me, they are the reason for who I am today and where I am.

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It's 'Mission Istaanbul' For Zayed Khan

He's been pretty much off the B-Town radar for a while now, but Zayed Khan's back in the new film, Mission Istaanbul, and he was out at Big FM to promote the music.

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George Bush, Osama Bin Laden in MISSION ISTANBUL

Apoorva Lakhia and Suneil Shetty are really thinking BIG for their upcoming project MISSION ISTANBUL.

The film is being promoted extensively with each of the actors getting a fair dose of limelight for himself. While Zayed Khan is being the common factor amongst all the film's promos (since he plays the central protagonist), even Nikiten Dheer (who did loose his share of pie in JODHAA AKBAR in spite of being pitted against Hrithik Roshan) has been making quite an impression with his physique standing tall over anyone else in the frame.

Vivek Oberoi too doesn't have a reason to complain since he has not just become much more prominent in the promotional plans of the film but now also has an item song all for himself. No wonder, he is giving tough competition to Abhishek Bachchan who has been roped in as an item boy for MISSION ISTANBUL.

But are you aware that apart from Zayed Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Suneil Shetty and Nikiten Dheer, there are two more characters which form an integral part of this action packed thriller? And these two men are not fictional but belong to real life!

We are talking about the characters of George W. Bush and Osama Bin Laden, who would feature in this most ambitious venture of Apoorva Lakhia.

Of course, one can't expect the two men to be facing the camera for a feature film and hence the makers of MISSION ISTANBUL have roped in look alikes of Bush and Osama for their film. While Brent Mendenhall, an exact look-alike of U.S President George W. Bush, appears in the film as Bush, the part of Osama Bin Laden would be enacted by Khalil Ahmed.

In a film that has been shot in Turkey and exposes behind the scenes games of media and terrorism coming together, MISSION ISTANBUL is indeed generating quite some heat for itself. Also starring Shabbir Ahluwalia, Shriya Saran and Shweta Bhardwaj, MISSION ISTANBUL is a co-production of Popcorn Motion Pictures and Balaji Telefilms Ltd. and is all set for a 25th July.

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Abhi, free hoon main

It's become the norm rather than the exception to do favours for friends by doing cameos and item songs for free in their projects. Amitabh Bachchan returned Shah Rukh Khan's cheque after doing a cameo in his home production, Paheli. Now Abhishek is doing the same.

The Junior B recently shot for an item number for Apoorva Lakhia's Mission Istaanbul sans any compensation leaving Popcorn producer Sunil Shetty stunned!

An overwhelmed Sunil Shetty says, "Abhishek hadn't taken a single paisa even when he shot for One Love in Popcorn's Rakht."

He adds, "The funny thing is Abhishek initially agreed to accept the money but then sent the cheque back quietly after he finished shooting. He does not accept gifts so it has become very difficult for me. After shooting for the song, Nobody Like You he quietly sent the cheque back to the Popcorn office."

Sunil adds that Abhishek's item number was part of the script but there were several date problems. "He was shooting for Karan's (Johar) Dostana. It was gracious of Karan to let him go. Abhishek would shoot during the day for Karan and shoot at night for us at Film City. In between breaks, he would sleep in his van. More than returning my money, I was touched by that effort. Abhishek would be so tired shooting for two shifts but he always came on time and shot till he was required."

Sunil adds that it's great having Abhishek on the sets. "He takes over the production and when he does, we chill. While shooting the song, he'd tell me to go home, drink milk and go to sleep by 10 pm as he knows I sleep early."

Sunil says Abhishek's item number "is a hip-hop, peppy number choreographed by Rajiv Goswami. Chirantan has scored the music."

Co-producer Shabbir Boxwalla adds about the song. "Abhishek has danced with VJ Pia Trivedi. Bhool Bhulaiyya singer Neeraj has rendered the song. It's a pre-climax number where Zayed and Vivek are on a mission in a hotel to get some vital information. The styling has been done by Falguni. The dark and stark look has been conceptualised by director Apoorva Lakhia while the sets have been done by Sunil Mevrekar."

Boxwalla adds, "Abhishek is great fun on the sets. He would play pranks on the assistants and refused to dance till Apoorva danced first. It was then we realised that Apoorva is a good dancer too."

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"I play Rizwan, a Turkish elite commando for whom nothing is impossible" - Vivek Oberoi

He was once touted as the 'Oberoi' who towers. His debut film Company set his stocks rising so much that it even put the best of scrips to shame! Added to that was the fact he was also carrying the legacy of the illustrious surname of his respected father Suresh Oberoi. We are indeed talking about Vivek Oberoi, who is all set to repeat history, only this time, he wants his work to do the 'talking'. Talk it will, as he is gearing up for Mission Istaanbul amongst others. One may note that Mission Istaanbul shares its initials with the Hollywood blockbuster Mission Impossible. But what remains to be seen is that will Mission Istaanbul create the same impact or maybe more than Mission Impossible? Well, Bollywood Hungama caught up with this actor and came back tad impressed, but, with just one regret that since he was sporting a cap, we couldn't see his new hairstyle that he will be sporting for his next film. Excerpts of the interview:

Vivek, your forthcoming film Mission Istaanbul (MI) has really become the talk of the town. Sunny days are here again…What say brother?
Thank you very much yaar. I just hope that the sunny days retain itself forever! (Smiles)

For starters, what's with your role in the film Mission Istaanbul that people have just not stopped raving about the new and improved Vivek?
Well, I am playing the role of Rizwan Khan, who is a dude with an attitude. At one point in the film, there's a time when Zayed Khan (who plays the role of Vikas Sagar) tells him that "Rizwan, tum toh bilkul bhoot ho. Kabhi bhi kahin bhi aa jaate ho aur kabhi bhi kahin se bhi nikal jaate ho" (Rizwan, you are a ghost, simply because you squeeze in and out anywhere and everywhere). Basically, Rizwan is a person who is one of the best Turkish elite commandos. He gets so deep into the ring of commercial aspects of international terrorism that it eventually leads him being framed into fake circumstances and thus having him suspended from his post. But that doesn't stop him and that he has got the mission to take them down. There's one point in the film when a certain character's life is in danger and he is running through the Grand Bazaar of Istaanbul with six people chasing him with guns, all of a sudden a hand crops in from nowhere (that's Rizwan) and picks him up and pins him to the wall and says "wait a minute here" and he steps out and completely 'dismantles' the six people who are a threat at that point of time. That's the kind of guy Rizwan is and nothing is impossible for him. He is a cool customer who is a main threat to all the villains and he is also a person who inspires the journalist Vikas Sagar.

You are one person who is no stranger to journalists (no pun intended). So, how was it when it came to deal with your co-star playing a journalist?
It is really different I guess. Because in real life, journalists are brave in their own way and they don't crumble due to the threats by the politicians, bigwigs and the industrial figures when they are breaking big story. They come out there and put themselves on the line for the truth. So, I think in that way, it's similar, but, the physicality of this journalist, the physical problem of this journalist that he is going through and how he's constantly running for his life is totally different. The fact also remains that it's not a documentary; hence, it's not so absolutely real. There's no doubt it's a film that's based in the real world of international terrorism but it also has the masala element to it, thus making it a hardcore masala entertaining action flick. So from that prospective, I guess Zayed's character would do little bit of incredulous things in that circumstances. In real life, the journalist would be mentally brave but in this case, this television journalist is not only mentally brave but also physically very brave.

There is news that you have even sung a song in the film. Mission Ustaad….is it?
The answer is, No. I have not sung any song in the film. It's kind of strange, but the fact is that, when my dear friend Mika Mehndi sung the song 'Ae Ganpat Chal Daaru Laa' for me, then people thought it was me who had sung it. And now, he has sung this song which is a follow up to 'Ganpat' that reads as 'Apun Ke Saath Jo Bhi Ladega, Sar Sale Ka Wohi Fatega, Goli Padegi Jo Bheje May, Kaun Maai Ka Laal Rukhega'. He (Mika) has sung the follow of Ganpat with the attitude of Rizwan Khan in the film and this song is the embodiment of that attitude. But the thing with Mika is that whenever he sings anything for me, it sounds like I am singing it myself.

Mission Istaanbul seems like one film which promise to be an out and out action thriller, right from the word 'go'. Action means stunts, and stunts means experiencing some breath taking and breath stopping moments. What kind of action sequences one can look forward to in MI?
The stunts of this film are by Ejaz and Javed, which are simply mind- blowing. They had earlier worked with me in Dum and later Shootout At Lokhandwala. We have done some great stunts and we really had great fun. Apart from blowing up a lot of things, I literally had to jump off the terrace of a building onto a chopper and then the chopper flies onto the ocean and there he jumps off the chopper into the ocean. And as he is jumping down, I had to fire at the chopper to blow it up. My character is someone who is all into doing all these crazy stunts and believe me it was unbelievable to do all the stunts. We have done many underwater shots as well as we also did a lot of explosion! In fact, Zayed and I had one sequence where we are rappelling down from the 44th floor, and here I was giving 4-5 takes of the same shot, even after the shot was Okayed after the first take itself! In fact, the Turkish rappelling expert literally came to me and told me to stop doing so as he did not want to take any chances with me! (Laughs)

Sounds damn interesting Vivek. What were the locations like whereby you have shot?
We have practically shot everywhere, The Bosphorus River, the famous Assk Café, the Blue Mosque and also on some of the tallest buildings. Since I play a Turkish lead commando, we have shot at many places with my character traveling all over the place.

In the climax sequence, I had to run on the tin roof of a very old dilapidated factory that I have to blow up. So I had put all the dynamite sticks everywhere and run on the roof, simply hoping that it doesn't break, because it's like if you stay longer than a few seconds on one patch of roof it felt like you are going to cave in. And by sheer God's grace, I didn't get injured at all. I think I have had more than my fair share of injuries (laughs heartily).

There were also these talks about you getting the six-pack abs. What's the 'status' on that?
It's actually Zayed who is supposed to be getting the six packs as he has to have such a body for the climax. There was a slight confusion about me getting the six packs. But if you see, there's one sequence in the film, whereby Zayed, me and Shweta Bharadwaj take on 30-40 people, who are fully loaded with arms. Shweta was using a baseball bat and Zayed a chain as their weapons. And when I asked Appu (Apoorva Lakhia) about my weapon, he simply smiled and said "Your weapon is your weapon. You are Rizwan Khan. He doesn't need a weapon as he is a weapon in himself!"

Were there any preparations that you underwent while preparing for the role of Rizwan Khan?
There are very few sequences where I have been shown as a part of the Turkish Regiment, which happens to be in a flash back section. But in the scenes where I had to penetrate in the entire ring of the international terrorist operation, we had to be truly authentic. I had picture references even for how a Turkish commando salutes. Even the small things like how their uniform would look like, how they behave, how they load an automatic weapon, all these little things I sat down with and I learnt from the experts. What I did to do this film is that I learnt parts of Arabic and Turkish. But, unfortunately very few have been left in the film because we felt that somewhere it was getting distracting and unfortunately in our films we can't have too much of sub titles.

As you said that Apoorva wrote MI keeping you in mind, it only becomes needless to say that you will be doing his next film too. Right?
Unfortunately no. Due to the date clashes, I had to (with a heavy heart though) let go his film and also Prakash Jha's Rajniti.

Let's talk about your performance at the IIFA. It has really taken the country by storm.
Thanks a lot. I'm really happy because people have loved the song and the 'Ganpat' track is really a big legacy to live upto. I'm happy to the reaction this new song has been getting and to top it all I really enjoyed dancing live on stage.

It's kind of ironical that you play a Turkish commando in reel-life and you have gone underground in real life, only to safeguard your new haircut by Dilshad Pastakia for your new movie with TIPS. So, what was the brief that was given to her?
The only brief was that it had to look completely different from anything that I have done before and believe me, it is looking really different. The problem here is that I have to promote MI so I had to step out. But as per my contract, TIPS requires me to cover my hair all the time. So it's been a difficult process to find new kinds of hats to keep my head covered (laughs).

This film is an action thriller which also marks the directorial debut of Kookie Gulati who has shot some of the famous music videos. What's your role in the film?
All that I can say at this very moment is that this is probably THE biggest film that I have ever done in my career. It also happens to be a solo film and I'm really excited and nervous about it. I have been training for this film since the last eight weeks, under a guy called David from Thailand. It's basically a combination of Muay Thai (Thai kick-boxing) and a combination with that of Aikido and Taekwondo.

Besides that, there is Dean Alexandrou from London, who has trained me in Parkour which is a form of martial art and that's to be performed without cables. So I have lost like roughly around 8 kilos from MI for this film. All in all, I feel like a kid in a candy store!

Lastly, what's new on the menu?
Though I cannot speak much on this, all that I can say is that finally, I'm doing one nice romantic slice of life movie. It's in the same league as Saathiya and we will start shooting early next year. It's been written for me and by someone who is a big fan of Saathiya. This was the script that I was waiting for and I'm happy that I am getting to do this film.

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VO to dance with six Russian Beauties

Vivek Oberoi, who shot for a solo song for Apoorva Lakhia's Mission Istaanbul, personally selected the six Russian dancers who gyrated with him in the track. Lakhia confirms, "Vivek auditioned the girls himself. He wanted the song to look good and I guess Vivek also wanted to hang around with some cute and cool chicks!"

It is learnt that after Vivek got a good response to his performance at IIFA Bangkok. Mission Istaanbul producer Sunil Shetty and director Apoorva Lakhia were so impressed by Vivek that they decide to shoot a solo track with him.

The song is Apun Ke Saath Jo Ladega with Mika Singh rendering the track. It's an offshoot of the Aye Ganpat song in Shootout At Lokhandwala.

Says Lakhia, "Sunil and I decided to give Vivek the song choreographed by Rajiv Goswami. Originally, there was no solo song of Vivek's as he plays a Turkish commando so we couldn't have him singing and dancing around trees. He danced so well at IIFA — it was as if he wanted to prove he could dance too."

Is there any truth to the buzz that Vivek was feeling insecure and had fought with Apoorva as he felt Zayed Khan was being promoted more?

Says Apoorva, "Earlier, people were saying we were not promoting Vivek enough. That wasn't true. It's just that Zayed has a romantic angle and had two songs with two different girls. Vivek has never come to me with any complaints.

This is our second film together. We are friends and share a pretty good relationship. Now we have decided to promote only Vivek's song and not the Vivek-Zayed number. I have to be fair. It's a two-hero film."

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Vivek is unhappy with his role in 'Mission Istanbul'

Reportedly, Vivek Oberoi is not too happy with his role in Apoorva Lakhia's upcoming film, Mission Istanbul. The latest is that Oberoi and Lakhia have fallen apart completely.

Now, Oberoi is not on talking terms with Lakhia, who gave him a new lease of life with Shootout At Lokhandwala at a time he most needed.

However, Oberoi has not stopped shooting with Lakhia and is completing the film in all respects. Says a source, "Oberoi is a professional and he is going through the remaining work on the film quite smoothly."

Talking about the equation between Lakhia and Oberoi reaching an all-time low, our says, "The problem started sometime ago when Oberoi suddenly started feeling that Zayed Khan has been given more importance in the film and its publicity, and thus, a cold war ensued.

Lakhia and Oberoi did not mingle much at an awards event held in Bangkok in the first week of June. The two also had a confrontation recently."

So, what exactly overturned the boat completely? Our source reveals, " Oberoi called up Sunil Shetty (co-producer of Mission Istanbul) to complain and that was the last straw.

He complained that he deserved more prominence in the publicity as he is a bigger star than Zayed Khan.

Naturally, Lakhia felt terribly upset at Oberoi's whining."

When contacted, Oberoi said, "I am shooting for my solo song (a follow up on Ae Ganpat song) on Apu's set at the Film City and we are having a blast."

Apparently wanting to safeguard his film, Lakhia was only slightly forthcoming. He said, "Mission Istanbul has two lead actors, and we are publicising it accordingly. Oberoi has not spoken about his discomfort to me yet."

We then contacted Shabbir Boxwalla (Director of Shetty's company, Popcorn Productions) who said that they could have even included Shetty in the publicity campaign since he also has a role in the film.

He said, "But Sunil didn't think that was necessary since his role is not a big one. Mission Istanbul is a film where both Oberoi and Zayed have equally good roles and hence they both are in every frame of the publicity together."

When told that Oberoi had complained to Shetty about his star status being sidelined, Boxwalla shot back, "Everybody is a star. You get to know the real star only on a Friday."

Mission Istanbul is being co-produced by Popcorn Productions and Balaji Telefilms.

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"I made a lot of mistakes" - Vivek Oberoi

While on MISSION ISTAANBUL, its lead actor Vivek Oberoi has turned a new leaf. "I made a lot of mistakes, I rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, I got carried away. I went through hell, personally and professionally. The media turned its back on me. Some of the projects I was associated with, evaporated into thin air. Everything I did, backfired," Vivek reminisces as we get into the flashback mode.

"But," he continues in the same breath, "I realized that the problem was with me, not anyone else. If almost everyone was talking ill of me, if almost everyone had trained their guns on me, it only went to prove that I was at fault, it only meant that I need to mend ways. As you sow so shall you reap."

Vivek also admits that the Salman Khan episode -- calling the entire media to his house to malign Salman -- is something he repents. "I used a public platform to malign him. When I felt I must apologize, I did so publicly, not discreetly," he admits honestly.

Quiz Vivek whether he'd work with Salman, Abhishek or Ash, pat comes the reply, "Of course, I would. I am a professional and so are they." Meanwhile, Vivek begins shooting for Tips' new film shortly, followed by Karan Johar's new project.

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Music launch of Mission Istaanbul at IIFA 2008

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New 'Mission Istanbul' Trailer

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First Look - Mission Istaanbul

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