Kangana gears up for four releases

Kangna Ranaut is enjoying her current phase in Bollywood. Good films backed by good banners, working alongside some of the biggest heroes, has given the actress from Manali a big fillip to her career and Ranaut is glad of the choices that she has made. At present the actress has four films in her kitty.

With her wild tangle of hair covering a heart shaped face, Ranaut dressed in black dungarees exudes vulnerability as well as confidence. But talk about her movies and one cannot miss the bright glint in her eye. The actress disclosed, "I have four movies in the kitty. I have finished shooting for Knockout, while I am currently working on Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, No Problem and Tanu weds Manu. All these films are different and I can really work a lot on my characters. My directors often give me the freedom to express my character the way I have interpreted it. If only does it go against the broader vision of the film, that they give their inputs."

Ranaut has a big release scheduled for next year, Rakesh Roshan's Kites, which stars Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori.

Ranaut is today not bound to sign films that she does not like doing. After garnering respect for her histrionics, the actress is at a position to decline films, she deems not fit to act in. Kangna expressed, "When you are new in the industry, you are so keen to have a foothold and you do whatever films that come your way. Luckily for me, I got good films and they have all worked for me. I got a lot of brickbats too, but that has made me tougher. I actually laugh at all those people who thought I was not good enough. It’s good to meet them now, look at them in the eye and feel, I am a winner."

"Knockout" 95% complete

Aap Entertainment Ltd and Sohail Maklai's upcoming untitled film, directed by Mani Shankar has completed 95% of its shooting.

The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Irrfan Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Gulshan Grover, Sushant Singh. There is a special appearance by Rukhsar and the film introduces Apoorva Lakhia. The film is being shot across select locations in India & Switzerland.

The Story/Screenplay is by Mani Shankar, Dialogues by Shiraz Ahmed, Music by Vishal Shekhar. The D.O.P. is N. Natarajan Subramaniam, Action Director is Alan Amin, Editor is Bunti Nagi, and Executive Producer is Hussain Shaikh & Co-producer is S Naga Raja Rao.

The film is a Sohail Maklai Production.

Irfan Khan Can't Let Kangna See Him Dance

As much as Kangna Ranaut might have wanted to see Irrfan Khan shake a leg in Mani Shankar's forthcoming film Knockout, the actor, known for his serious roles, had other ideas. Irrfan refused to dance in front of Kangna and she was forced to cool her heels outside the sets. The incident happened in Pune when Irrfan was doing a take-off on Katrina Kaif's song Touch me touch me from Race. Mani was shooting a song picturised on Kangna and Irrfan, which has them in separate frames. When Kangna was done with her portions, she sat aside and started watching Irrfan's dance moves.

A source said, "When Irrfan started dancing, he kept fumbling and was feeling very uncomfortable. He saw many people around and asked Mani to ask some crew members to leave the sets. However, Kangna being the heroine of the film remained on the sets. That's when Irrfan and producer Sohail Maklai requested Kangna to leave too."

How did Kangna react? "Kangna took it very sportingly. She is a through professional and understood that Irrfan, who is not habituated to dancing, was feeling rather awkward in her presence," said our source.

Confirming the story, Maklai said, "Yeah. We requested Kangna to wait outside the sets. Irrfan was very shy but in the end, he did a mind-blowing job."

Kangana Attended Shilpa's wedding ceremony

Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty got married last Saturday and Tuesday, they had a wedding reception for Bollywood where lots of Bollywood stars attended. Kangana Ranaut were some of the big names that came to support the couple and she looked so beautiful in a pink sari. She has worked with Shilpa in Life In A Metro. Other celebrities that attended are Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and his wife Gauri. Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Roshan, Rani Mukherjee, Fardeen Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Sameera Reddy, Amisha Patel, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar, Vivek Oberoi, Govinda, Rekha and Jaya Pradha

Kangana Arrives in Mumbai After Accusations

Bollywood actress Kangna Ranaut, whose father strongly denied that she had any link with 26/11 terror suspect David Coleman Headley, headed back to Mumbai Friday morning after a few days at her ancestral home in Himachal Pradesh.

Pakistani-origin US citizen Headley was recently arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and charged with plotting terror attacks in Denmark. After his arrest, FBI officials have also alleged that he was involved in last year's 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, and was planning more attacks in India at the behest of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba.

'Kangna returned to Mumbai this (Friday) morning after spending a few days with us to mourn the death of her great grandfather. She is again back to her hectic shooting schedules,' Kangna's father Amardeep Ranaut told IANS over phone from their family home in Bhambla village near Hamirpur, some 200 km from Himachal capital Shimla.

Kangna has eight films in hand and would focus on completing them soon, he said.

'Kangna is busy in completing some of her films. The shooting of 'Tannu Weds Mannu' is also going on. For this film, she will shortly travel across various locations in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi,' he said.

Amardeep has strongly denied Kangna ever had any link with Headley.

'My daughter (Kangna) has no links with Lashkar aide David Headley. She never met nor spoke to Headley. We are really disturbed after such allegations were levelled against her,' he said.

'It (the controversy) is just a media (news channels) creation. No security agency has so far contacted or summoned Kangna in this connection.'

Asked about Kangna's acquaintance with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul, Amardeep said: 'She has worked in some of Mahesh Bhatt's films, but she has never met Rahul. Of course, Bhatt sahib helped her a lot during her initial days in film industry.'

Rahul has been questioned as a witness in the Headley investigation, as Headley used Rahul's south Mumbai gym during his stay in the city a few days before the 26/11 attack.

Headley had befriended Rahul and there have been rumours -- denied by the Bhatts -- that Rahul introduced Headley to Bollywood stars Emraan Hashmi, Aarti Chhabria and Kangna Ranaut.

Kangna's films 'Raaz The Mystery Continues' and 'Fashion' did fairly well at the box office.

She has recently signed up for Milan Luthria's 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbai'. The film explores the growth of underworld in Mumbai in 70s and 80s. Ajay Devgn will play the lead.

Emraan Hashmi does a Bachchan in "Once Upon A Time in Mumbai"

Moving away from his serial kisser image, actor Emraan Hashmi will seen playing an underworld don in period flick `Once Upon A Time in Mumbai` where his look is inspired by none-other-than Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan.


Hashmi will be embracing Bachchan`s dressing style of 70`s in the film which details the emergence of underworld in India.

"The film show how the underworld slowly trickled in the country in late 60s. I played a gangster in my first film `Footpath` which was more contemporary and dealt with drug issues in Mumbai, however, Once Upon... is a completely different take," Hashmi told reporters.

"It takes a rewind back to those times when Bachchan did `Deewar` in 70`s. Those are the kinds of clothes that I will be wearing in the film. Even the whole look of the city has been designed to depict that era. We will be seen driving old cars," Hashmi said while describing his look in the film.

`Once upon a Time in Mumbai` Chronicles the Mumbai Mafia world which started with gambling, bootlegging and smuggling in 60`s and later spread its wings in 70`s and 80`s. The shooting of the film will finish by January next year.

National-award-winner Actor Ajay Devgn will reportedly play a character designed on the lines of former underworld don Haji Mastan while Kangana Ranaut is set to play his love interest. Directed by Milan Luthria, the movie also stars Prachi Desai in a key role.

Hashmi, who was last seen in disaster romance `Tum Mile` extensive research before portraying a character onscreen.

"Eventually it is the director`s depiction. But I believe working for the character sets. I am more of a studied actor than a improviser. I need to know the entire journey of the character before playing it with conviction," Hashmi said.

The 30-year-old star, known as Bhatt camp`s blue eyed boy, has delivered hits like `Murder`, `Gangster`, `Jannat`, from the Bhatt banner. However, Hashmi reckons that an actor can get "stunted" working with "a particular camp".

"I have done seven films outside Bhatt camp but if you compare the ratio of the hits I have delivered, the ones with the camp is more weighted. But then whenever I get an interesting script from the Bhatts I make it a point to do it," Hashmi said.

"But I am not bound by a production house. I know that ifyou get complacent and work with only one camp you kind of get stunted as an actor," he added.

The actor who broke the mould of Hindi cinema and became the undisputed "serial kisser" of Bollywood believes that the image will fade away as he is doing different kind of films.

"I think eventually it will fade away. People don`t forget very easily I understand. But when I move on to different things, people will see me for the roles I am doing and it has started happening," Hashmi said.

"Moreover, everybody is doing it (kissing) on screen these days. I have earned this image but it does not matter anymore. I don`t embrace it and at the same time I don`t reject it. I do not sign a film with an intention of making or breaking an image," the actor added.

Amardeep Ranaut states that Kangana is innocent

After Bollywood actress Kangna Ranaut's name surfaced in connection with the probe into David Coleman Headley -- a man suspected of involvement in the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai -- Kangna's father Thursday strongly denied any link.
Pakistani-origin US citizen Headley was recently arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and charged with plotting terror attacks in Denmark. After his arrest, FBI officials have also alleged that he was involved in last year's 26/11 attack, and was planning more attacks in India at the behest of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba.

"My daughter (Kangna) has no links with Lashkar aide David Headley. She never met nor spoke to Headley. We are really disturbed after such allegations were levelled against her," her father Amardeep Ranaut told IANS over phone.

The family of Kangna is settled at Bhambla village near Hamirpur town of Himachal Pradesh, some 200 km from state capital Shimla. "We are consulting lawyers in this regard. We will take legal action against those who are spreading rumours (about her link with Headley)," he said. Asked about Kangna's acquaintance with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul, Amardeep said: "She has worked in some of Mahesh Bhatt's films, but she has never met Rahul."

Rahul has been questioned as a witness in the Headley investigation, as Headley used Rahul's south Mumbai gym during his stay in the city a few days before the 26/11 attack. Headley had befriended Rahul and there have been rumours -- denied by the Bhats -- that Rahul introduced Headley to Bollywood stars Emraan Hashmi, Aarti Chhabria and Kangna Ranaut.

"She will meet reporters at the appropriate time," Kangna's father said. Kangna these days is in Himachal Pradesh to mourn the death of her great grandfather.

"Kites" Will Release Summer 2010

Rakesh Roshan speaks about "Kites":
Why has Kites been delayed?

Well there are two versions — the Hindi version that is two hours and six minutes, and the international version (English). The Indian version was ready on Sept 30, 2009. However, the English version is being supervised by the Hollywood director Brett Ratner. Ratner is a friend of mine, and he is formatting the English version according to the Western sensibilities.

Is this the first time that a mainstream Hollywood director will be ‘editing’ a Bollywood film?

Yes. Ratner has films like Rush Hour 1, 2 and 3 to his credit. He has directed A Family Man, and has done episodes of the TV series Prison Break. To get someone who is so sought after in Hollywood to step and personally supervise Kites is something very prestigious.

Have you set a release date yet?

We’ve not set a release date. It should come in the summer of 2010. I’m flying to Los Angeles on November 29 for a meeting with Ratner. The mixing and the background score for the English version is also being done there. I will announce a date only after I know what progress has been made. Kites is my most ambitious release. I’m looking at releasing almost 2,500 prints globally.

The buzz is that Hrithik is keen on a Hollywood career ?

Hrithik is very happy with the work he is doing here. He is currently shooting with makers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Guzaarish), and he is also committed to make movies with Karan Johar, me and perhaps Vishal Bhardwaj. After watching Kites, Ratner felt that Hrithik has the potential to make it big in the West. So there is a definite possibility of his doing films there. But all that’s for a later date. Right now, Hrithik and I are both obsessed with Kites

Rumors about Kangana interaction with terrorist

Rumors have done it again and say that Kangana had some connection with David Headley who is a terrorist or something like that. Read this:
Bollywood actress Kangna Ranaut has threatened to take legal action against those who are spreading malicious rumors of her link with Lashkar terrorist David Headley. Raising serious objection to the news report being circulated in the media, Kangna says that she has never met nor spoken to David Headley in her life.

She has also objected to the reports of her alleged acquaintance with Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul Bhatt, who is in the eye of a storm for being known to David Headley.

Talking to NDTV India over the phone, Kangna says, "All these reports, which are running in Indian news channels, are totally baseless. I have never ever met Rahul Bhatt in my life. All those who are dragging my name into the whole episode will have to face legal consequences. Those people who are trying to malign my name don't have any proof at all."

Kangna says that no investigating agency has informed any news channel about her role or link with David Headley or Rahul Bhatt.

Says she, "My publicist has spoken to all the news channels running this news. But they couldn't provide any base for the news. All these are mere speculations."

Denying any link with Headley, she says, "I have never ever met this person or anybody except Bhatt Sahab and Pooja Bhatt from his family.

"Being a responsible citizen, I guarantee that what I say is true. I am going to take legal action against all those who are spreading rumors about me," says she further.

Lara Dutta in The Actor With Amitabh Bachchan

The film was penned keeping Amitabh Bachchan in mind. Written by Pritish Nandy’s son Kushan Nandy, Kiran Shyam Shroff, and Ghalib Asad, the film will have glimpses of Big B’s real life instances; however, the story of The Actor trails the life of a fallen actor. Bachchan, who last worked with Nandy in Kaante, did have some issues with the makers of the film earlier, but things began to fall in place later on. Pritish had spoken of the film to StarBoxOffice earlier saying, “The protagonist had to be an icon who’s about 55-60 years old, portraying what’s, according to the script, the greatest actor playing the biggest role of his life, and who better than Mr. Bachchan to portray the larger-than-life character?”

Kangana Ranaut has been zeroed in to play a journalist in the film, who would trail the life of Big B in the movie. And the search was on for an actress to play Bachchan’s wife in the movie. A source close to the production added, “After Kangana was roped into play the journalist, the hunt for Big B’s wife began. They needed an actress who would play The Actor’s young, beautiful, intelligent wife, who would be his pillar of strength and the only woman who could understand, bear and live with his capricious nature. Lara was perfect as the mature, understanding wife, who wasn’t too young or old to star opposite him. Big B hasn't had a problem with being cast with women much younger than his age. Whether it was Cheeni Kum with Tabu or Nishabd with Jiah Khan, the chemistry captured between them was as good as any actor or actress of the same age.”

The film which is still in its stages of pre-production will go on floors next year once Bachchan is done with promoting his upcoming projects Paa and Teen Patti this year.

Ek Niranjan trailers

Kangana Won't Be Able To Celebrate New Years

With five movies on the floors for which she has to shoot, Kangna Ranaut barely has time to breathe and won't be able to be with her family during New Year's after many years because of her work commitments. A source close to the actor informs: "Kangna is busy with back-to-back shoots and she is finding it incredibly taxing to shoot for one project and then suddenly move over to the next film which is also on the floors. Kangna likes to get into the character and stay in it till the time she does not end the project. But with lots of work on hand, she has no choice but to push herself to the hilt to get into one character shoot and then take her out of that space and get herself in the shoes of another character."

"Once Upon a Time in Mumbai with Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn, No Problem with Sushmita Sen and Akshaye Khanna, Actor with Amitabh Bachchan, Kites with Hrithik Roshan -- all these are very challenging films as each demands her to be completely different. Kangna took a break, refreshed herself completely and went into these projects as she knew once in, she won't be able to find time for herself.

That's what exactly has happened to her. She was shooting in Diwali and will also be shooting out of India during New Year's. It won't be possible for her to meet her family this year end. Kangna always makes it a point to be with her family and plan something specially during year end but tis year it's not happening."

Kangana Ready for Jhatkas

Kangna Ranaut — though several films old — surprisingly hasn’t performed a single dance number on screen, no mean feat in an industry where several actresses only get to do that in our hero-dominated films. But the actress, who’s known for her intense roles, is now all set to join the dancing league of actresses, as she readies to put on her dancing shoes for Anand Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu. This romantic comedy will also see Kangna give a break to her dark roles as she plays a light-hearted character opposite R Madhavan. According to a source, the song is a proper dance number to be choreographed by Saroj Khan and will be shot in Punjab. “It’s on the lines of the proper latka jhatka dances a la Madhuri Dixit style. And Kangna’s very excited. In fact, she’s being working really hard to get her steps right. They will be leaving for Punjab very soon,” said the source. Director Anand Rai confirms this. “Kangna’s been really looking forward to this dance sequence with Saroj Khan, as it’s for the first time that she’ll be dancing in a very traditional way for a film,” said Rai.

"Ek Niranjan" grossed 20 crores in 1st week

Despite all the piracy and negative reviews, "Ek Niranjan" has grossed 20 crores in its first week and is a hit. The family audience and masses are loving the film.

Ek Niranjan affected by piracy again?

The film Ek Niranjan which got released recently has been hit by the video piracy. The pirated film CDs are effecting the revenues of the films. The fans of hero Prabhas got furious when they got information about pirated CDs in the Paramita Heritage Residential school.

Piracy on "Ek Niranjan"

Every movie released nowadays is falling prey to video piracy. Adithyaram Movies chief Aditya Ram has formed a Clues Team to curb video piracy. Adithyaram's movie with Prabhas and Kangana Ranaut "Ek Niranjan" has been released recently. On getting information, the clues team headed by Sambashiva Rao approached the Sanathnagar police and with the help of S.I. Sambaiah raided on two mobile shops and arrested two persons selling pirated CDs. The clues team is working effectively. The producers are really upset as it effects the collections the movie is getting.

Kangana Ranaut and Sanjay Dutt on the sets of "Knockout"

Some fan took some pictures of Sanjay Dutt and Kangana Ranaut as they were shooting for their film "Knockout". The fan blogged that they also got to watch the shooting and the fan said the movie is looking good.