Race 2 stuck in a date trap

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone seems to have made her way into the cast for the second time. Dippy, who had walked out of the film, choosing to allocate her dates to Ayaan Mukerji's Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani instead of the Saif Ali Khan starrer, has been summoned back by the filmmakers.

In fact, the schedules have been rearranged and her original remuneration has been substantially enhanced to get the actress back in the project, claim sources.

A source told Mumbai Mirror, "Deepika felt that her pairing with Saif needs a break after Love Aaj Kal, Aarakshan and Homi Adjania's film (tentatively titled Cocktail). When the dates forRace 2 and Ayan's film clashed, she opted for the latter."

The Race 2 producers, the Taurani's were however, adamant on getting Deepika back on the project, revealed the source. In fact, they were willing to adjust the dates and comply with all her requirements to ensure that she stays with the film.

"Rumours about Priyanka Chopra replacing Deepika hasn't gone down too well with the Tauranis. They sat down with Deepika and sorted out all the problems. They even agreed to enhance her remuneration," added the source.

Ramesh Taurani admitted that there were problems regarding Deepika's dates, which have been sorted out. "Deepika is very much a part of Race 2," said the filmmaker.

The date adjustment for Deepika seems to have shattered Sonakshi Sinha's dream to shed her village belle avatar, which has stuck with her since her debut with Dabangg, and don the glam doll look for Abbas Mustan's Race 2. Due to date problems, Shatrughan Sinha's little daughter has had to opt out of the action thriller.

Not so long ago, Sonakshi, happy with her role in Race 2 had said, "I believe as an actress one must do different roles. I wanted to change my image from a traditional girl to a glamorous one. So I signed Race 2."

Shahid Kapoor, Bipasha Basu break up

Bipasha Basu

The break up, if you can call it that, happened about two weeks ago - just after the release of Mausam and before Bips left for Greece for a shoot. The reason? Apparently Shahid became increasingly indifferent to Bips after the initial excitement of meeting someone new waned.

A source reveals,"Bipasha takes people at face value. Although they were only just getting to know each other, she was keen to see where things would go with Shahid. Post her break-up with John, she wasn't in a hurry to get into another relationship. She was wary of opening up to someone new, but took a chance with Shahid as he really pursued her at the start."

However, friends and acquaintances who hung out with the seemingly cosy twosome knew the courtship would be shortlived. The source adds, "They're like chalk and cheese. Shahid is quite controlling, while Bipasha is a free spirit. After the initial high, Bips realised Shahid was slowly distancing himself from her. She's not the sort of woman to do things in half measures or stay with a man who does anymore."

The final straw was a minor fight that took place before Bips took off to Greece. "She was quite upset when it was over, as she didn't think it would be so soon. This has given her Dum Maro Dum costar Rana Daggubatti the perfect opportunity to play knight in shining armour though. He's being a good friend to Bipasha and helping her deal with the break up. While Bips was upset with the way Shahid ended things, her friends have told her to think of him as a rebound man and move on with life," says a close friend.

SRK caused Priyanka, Shahid to split?

Shah Rukh Khan and priyanka

Did Shah Rukh Khan come between Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor? 
That is indeed the big question doing the rounds these days. Apparently, talks have it that Shahid Kapoor wasn't too comfortable with how close Priiyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan had become, and that was indeed the reason Shahid and Priyanka decided to part ways.

Of late, Shahid Kapoor has unfollowed Shah Rukh and Priyanka on the social micro-blogging site, while Priyanka has unfollowed Shahid Kapoor, whereas Shah Rukh continues to follow them both.

Priyanka Chopra has done some special numbers for SRK in his previous films and now will be seen sharing screen space with the actor in Don 2. PC has also done a special number for SRK in Ra.One. If talks are to be believed, this 'dosti' has indeed become a special one, and Shahid isn't too happy about it

I'm a Rajini fanatic: Shahrukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan
The Bollywood Badshah will be in Chennai on October 9 to meet the Superstar 

Shah Rukh Khan is flying into Chennai on Sunday (October 9) with a twopoint agenda. Says a source, "He will be there because his IPL team will be in the city and he will also use this opportunity to pay Rajini a visit."People say that the exact details of SRK's visit to Rajinikanth's residence are 

being kept low-profile but a few days ago, SRK told this reporter, "I'm a Rajini fanatic. I will definitely pay him a visit at home on my next trip to Chennai."


Shah Rukh said interacting with the Tamil icon during the recent shoot of his film RA.One has been the most memorable experience of his life. Said he, "I get goose bumps even as I talk about it."


Apparently, SRK thought of using Rajini's Robot avatar (Chitti) in his film a few months ago. And then he was distraught because the Superstar took ill.


However, just when he was giving up, Rajini's younger daughter Soundarya emailed him to say that her 'appa' would resume work for Rana most probably by October 4 and then she would also ensure that she got him to do the cameo for RA.One. "Rajini sir hasn't begun work on Rana but Soundarya kept her promise. The moment she felt her father was well enough to take the flight to Mumbai, she called me and said they would fly down. They came with their own set of technicians and as I have said - my tryst with history happened. I met Rajini sir and shot with him. Soundarya used the editing set up in Mannat and even gave me a finished scene that we later got approved by Rajini sir."


SRK remembers that last year, his children had expressed a desire to see Robot in their home theatre and a print was not available. Says he, "When Latha heard about it, she called Gauri and ensured that the local distributor in Mumbai got us a print, so my children could watch the film. I'm indebted to Rajini sir's family for life."


Before signing off, Shah Rukh says, "I am one of the fortunate few who has had the good fortune of working with Kamal Haasan in Hey Ram and now Rajini in RA.One. Both of them are my childhood heroes. My mother is from Hyderabad and even as a young boy, I remember her telling me about these two great actors. I am also impressed with the work of Mammooty and Mohanlal. These are actors I deeply admire." SRK adds, "I just wish I can be as humble as Rajini sir some day. He's a fantastic human being. He has touched my life in more ways than one."

Rajinikanth

Chitrangada's excited about "Desi Boyz"

Chitrangada Singh

" Desi Boyz" is Chitrangada Singh's first big movie and she is excited to share screen-space with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. 

"The actress is very excited and enthusiastic about the forthcoming schedule of the film. Chitrangada is very inspired by Khiladi Kumar's action image and she is hoping for some great adventure action with Akshay during the schedule of the film," a source said.

The film also stars John Abraham, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.

Following the footsteps of papa David Dhawan, Rohit Dhawan is making his directorial debut with "Desi Boyz", which may release at the year end. 

 Desi Boyz

I missed being on silver screen: Shilpa Shetty

 Shilpa Shetty

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who is returning to the big screen after four years with the Sino-Indian venture " The Desire", admits that she missed being on celluloid but has learnt to prioritise her life with time.
"I have taken a backseat from showbiz purely out of choice because I am really enjoying what I am doing. I've been there and done that," Shilpa told reporters here at the launch of website www.grouphomebuyers.com.
Shilpa, who married Britain-based Indian businessman Raj Kundra in 2009, wants to focus on her personal life and business.
"I miss being on the silver screen but I have learnt to prioritise things and my marriage is obviously my first priority.
"Then all my ventures where I have put my hard earned money and my sweat and toil into, obviously require time. So it's not possible for me to dabble into too much," she said.
The 36-year-old, who has appeared in nearly 40 films, is soon going to make her debut as a producer.
"My production isn't on hold. We are still working on it and there will be an official announcement very soon," she said.
Her film, "The Desire", chronicles the journey of an Indian classical dancer, Goutami played by Shilpa, and the love story between her and a Chinese artist, Jai Leang, whom she meets during a travel assignment.

Rascals

Rascals

 Story: Chetan (Sanjay Dutt) and Bhagat (Ajay Devgn) are two conmen who spend the entire length of the film trying to win the love of rich girl Khushi (Kangna Ranaut). Adding to the confusion is gangster Anthony (Arjun Rampal), who wants his revenge from the conmen. Why? Because they have conned him of his monies....And his mommy is very angry!

It was always about dancing: Sophie Choudry

Sophie Choudry

Born and brought up in London, by the time I hit 17, I was almost bored of partying because my supercool mum allowed me to start going out to all the best clubs with my elder brother when I was just 13.
She knew that for both of us, it was always about dancing and not about drinking and rebelling! However, 17 turned into quite an amazing, exciting year! My girlfriends had more freedom to come out, we could now legally drive and most importantly, I joined university (a year younger than most)! A whole new world opened up for me... new friends, new people, new clubs, crazy college parties! The most bizarre night out though, was when I was taken to a club called 'Heaven' by new university friends. It was a hardcore rave club, about 2,000 people and totally not my scene. I literally sat in a corner shocked by all that I saw, but calmly took it in and had a laugh. Fortunately, I was a confident, young girl with a mind of my own and even though drink and drugs were easily available they never turned me on. Till today, all I need to get high at a party is great music!

Fall TV: 'Homeland' Pilot Review

Homeland

It’s really a shame that the buzz for Showtime’s new dramaHomeland is so minimal, because it’s pretty fantastic. Sure, the phrase "political drama" or "political thriller" inspires little excitement in the masses, but it should. This Claire Danes-starring series is (at times) sexy, smart, thrilling and suspenseful and it’s certainly worth your attention.
Our protagonist, Carrie Mathison, is a CIA Agent with a volatile history and a potentially unstable present and she's already on thin ice at the agency when Missing In Action Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damien Lewis) returns home after being a prisoner of war for years in Iraq. While everyone else is happy welcoming the tortured soldier back to the States, Carrie isn’t buying his innocence. One of her informers in the field told her that an American prisoner had been turned to Al Qaeda’s side and Carrie believes Brody is that prisoner. For someone in such a precarious position, accusing an American hero freshly returned to American soil isn’t exactly the easiest task – especially because of the actions she took in order to obtain the intelligence she’s using. Her illegal actions are what landed her in hot water three years prior. Needless to say, Carrie is facing an uphill battle.
But Brody isn’t just facing a CIA agent breathing down his neck; he’s also got problems at home. He’s been gone so long that his 13 year-old son has grown up without really knowing his father, since he was just a tyke when Brody shipped off. His 15 year-old daughter is in her rebellious phase, smoking pot with the slacker from her school and being generally sullen and apathetic. Add to this that his wife started sleeping with one his friends and almost let him move in with her when Brody returned home unexpectedly. Plus, there’s the whole living in a Iraqi prison camp -- that could really mess with someone’s head.
Both Carrie and Brody are incredibly complex, introspective characters. They’re both incredibly flawed – the nature of those flaws should remain hidden until you’ve actually seen the fantastic first episode – and incredibly fragile. Watching these two play out their intricate, delicate little dance for the next 12 episodes is going to be an incredible journey. Danes and Lewis are fantastic choices to lead the series and we find equally capable supporting characters in Brody's wife, Marina Baccharin (V), and Carrie's boss and mentor, Mandy Patinkin (Criminal Minds, The Princess Bride).
My biggest fear with this series is that audiences won’t give it the time it deserves. It faces some series competition in its Sunday night time slot and its mystery is slowly unraveling, the dance is just beginning, and you have to pay attention to every last detail in order to keep up. The good thing is that unlike some series (ahem, Lost), Homelanddoes reveal enough of the mystery to keep us on the hook; I’m just hoping that audiences actually allow themselves to be caught. 

Seven 'Real Steel' Clips Pack an Iron Punch

Real Steel

Real Steel, starring Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly and Dakota Goyo, is a film exploring the growing industry of the Robot Fighting League, which former regular boxer Charlie Kenton (Jackman) enters as a coach/operator to reclaim his glory days, and maybe make a little money for his struggling wife-like counterpart Bailey (Lilly). All the while, the estranged Charlie forms an unexpected relationship with both his son Max (Goyo) and new robot pal Atom (Atom).

Real Steel comes out next Friday, October 7, and is directed by Shawn Levy

Star Of the Week

Ranbir Kapoor

Dressed in ""Rockstar"" film tee, actor Ranbir Kapoor along with director Imtiaz Ali launched ""Rockstar"" film's poster at Padmavathi Hall in Ameerpet in Hyderabad on Monday afternoon.
The duo, who were in town to promote their film, unveiled a 20 foot gigantic poster of the film and spoke about the same to media personnel. Imtiaz Ali, informed that a lot of effort went behind making the film's creatives and posters like the one that was launched in Hyderabad. ""The idea was to make the posters iconic.. posters that retained the vulnerability of being a character larger than life, which a rockstar has to be, even if he doesn't want to be. They have been designed by Rahul Nanda, our publicity manager and all the campaigns are done by hand, by sketches. Real photos haven't been used for the same and the sketches have been done by various artists from around the world,"" he told Hyderabad Times exclusively. ""They're not computer generated graphics as well,"" added Ranbir.
Before launching the poster, the duo visited St Mary's College in Yosufguda to promote their film. Post the poster launch, they will be heading to Old City for a photo-shoot near Charminar before flying back today.

Riya Sen's best kept secret

 Riya Sen

Actress Riya Sen has never shown any keenness in the past to bare her private outings in public.
Even recently when she was spotted at the Chandigarh airport, the pretty lass kept mum and refused to open the lid on her visit. However, our sources reveal Riya's halt in Chandigarh certainly lasted for few hours and she eventually left for her sojourn in Punjab.
On her tour, she went on to explore several cities and rural towns before returning to Mumbai. Riya, who has recently done a cameo of Dev Anand's "Chargesheet", and has acted in Deepa Sahi's directorial debut "Tere Mere Phere", was absolutely buoyant after her Punjab trip. "She had gone to Ludhiana to meet some friends," said a source.
We also heard that besides Ludhiana, Riya went to Bathinda from where she went to visit a temple located in Rajasthan. With lot happening, Riya's schedule is packed. "She's doing movies besides mulling over some TV offers," a source added. TV if it has something to do with Bigg Boss? Well, there's still uncertainty as Riya recently gave her version on a microblogging site saying she's not doing the 'brainless' show. With Riya's much talked about Punjab visit over, the grapevine has now started to do the rounds that she's likely to venture into the Punjabi cinema.
"There's lot happening," said a source. Whatever the reason maybe, but Riya looked rejuvenated during her Punjab trip.

Sonakshi Sinha off to Paris Fashion Week

Sonakshi Sinha

Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha is elated at getting a chance to be part of the Paris Fashion Week being held from Sep 27 to Oct 5.
"Louis Vuitton taking me to Paris for Fashion Week. Next few days full of fun, excitement n glamour. Taking off now, see u when I am back! I sleep now in Mumbai, wake up in Paris," Sonakshi wrote on microblogging site Twitter late Saturday. Sonakshi, who rose to fame withSalman Khan starrer "Dabangg" isn't new to the fashion world.
She has been a student of fashion designing and worked as a backstage coordinator before jumping into filmdom. She is off and on also seen on the ramp as a showstopper. Sonakshi, it seems, is on cloud nine after having six films in the pipeline. She is shooting for "Joker" and "Rowdy Rathore", both of which star Akshay Kumar. She has "Race 2", "Son of Sardar" and is also doing "Dabangg 2" and "Kick" with Salman.