The good and the bad

The good thing about the coming Friday is that it will usher in two young heroes. While audiences have something more to choose from, it is producers and directors who stand to gain the most. Until a year ago, Bollywood was starved of fresh faces. If you had to cast a young male as hero, there was hardly anyone you could approach except Shahid Kapoor. Then Ranbir Kapoor and Neil Nitin Mukesh made their appearances. A fortnight ago Rajeev Khandelwal proved his mettle. And now there is Imran Khan and Harman Baweja. But as Shekar Kapur remarked about Ranbir's Saawariya debut, Imran and Harman are already stars-- they have been signed up for multi films even before they have made their debut.

The bad thing about this Friday is that it once again underlines how nepotism rules in Bollywood. Save for Rajeev Khandelwal's debut, the message for struggling actors trying to get an entry into Bollywood remains the same: If you don't have a relative or a Godfather to back you, there's very little hope for a newcomer to make a debut as a hero in an A grade production.

Aamir's rare appearance

Do you remember the last time you saw a film that had Aamir Khan doing a special appearance cameo? Well he has done it for Farhan Akhtar. Last week, Aamir dropped in for a quick shoot at Cinevista Studios in Mumbai's suburbs. He is doing a cameo in Zoya Akhtar's Luck by Chance and, if my sources are right, plays himself on screen too.

Farhan is trying to rope in as many stars as he can for cameos. Incidentally, Hrithik Roshan has also done a cameo in Luck By Chance. Don't be surprised if Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan also do one, apart from other Bollywood stars. Do we see Zoya becoming the next Farha Khan?

Luck by Chance is a story of a struggling actor who comes to Mumbai from New Delhi. Farhan plays the lead, supported by Konkana Sen, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia and Juhi Chawla.

Post Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya, Farhan has been trying to rope in Aamir, Hrithik and Saif for his films. But he has no luck so far. Aamir had refused the Don remake. Hrithik and Saif have both refused both Luck By Chance and Voice From The Sky.

Jackie Chan in Sholay?

Jackie Chan's Indian connection is not limited to just a disappointing myth (remember the film?) Came across two titbits about the international actor that almost knocked me off my chair...

Firstly, the producer of Kamal Hasan's Dasavathaaram Aaskar Ravichandran , who has been distributing Chan's films in India, hopes to rope in the star for an ambitious project. Aaskar (a friend tells me he used to write his name Oscar earlier but changed it since there is no letter O in Tamil!) is planning an action comedy. Chan it seems has okayed the script. The estimated project cost --$ 150 million or approx Rs 650 crores! How the hell does one arrive at figures like that? And how do you recoup that investment? I guess Aaskar will make it in Mandarin, English, Hindi and Tamil..

The second bit about Jackie is more hilarious than any of his flicks. Ram Gopal Varma in his blog mentions how he was called some years ago by Sasha Sippy (grandson of Sholay producer GP Sippy). Sasha wanted a Sholay sequel wherein the son of Gabbar and Helen (duh, flashback cut to a romp after the Mehbooba song?) comes back to kill Veeru and Basanti's sons. Seems Sasha wanted Jackie Chan to be in the film too. Ramu says he came out of the meeting laughing. After RGV remade Sholay as Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, Sasha couldn't stop laughing.

Maybe Aaskar Ravichandran and Sasha Sippy should have a drink together. I can clearly picturise Jackie Chan laughing!

"When you have Hritik, why do you want me?"

Rajeev Khandelwal's success story with Aamir is now a beacon for scores of television actors in Mumbai that they too can make it in Bollywood. One struggling actor with whom I had coffee recently had some interesting nuggets about Rajeev.

Almost eight years ago, Rajeev's parents were very upset about their son's decision to take up acting. His father, an army officer, in true filmy style told his son to choose between home or acting. Rajeev left home and stayed with friends. He then started making corporate films and came to Mumbai with the proverbial single suitcase. He shared accomadation with drivers and workmen. And then got his break first with some commercials and then with Ekta Kapoor.

The interesting thing is that a couple of years ago Rajeev a successful TV star, bought a Honda CRV, drove to to Jaipur and showed it off to his father. Last heard the son-parent relationship was healing well.

The other interesting nugget is that Rajeev was also called by Farhan Akhtar when Lakshya was being cast. He asked Farhan, " When you have Hritik Roshan, why do you want me?"

Lastly, even though Rajeev had earned a reputation as the romantic Sujal from his TV serial, he has several times confessed to his close friends, "I will commit to a relationship only when I have achieved my ambition of making it big in films."

Good to see someone having so much self-confidence despite the early insecurities in life and profession.

Shilpa's Angels

If Bollywood Whisper were a TV channel we should have been screaming Breaking News. Anyway here it is. Shilpa Shetty's home production is all set to roll with their debut film. The untitled venture will feature Shilpa Shetty, Bipasha Basu and Shamita Shetty and is said to be fun-filled girlie action flick, a la Charlie's Angels. There are whispers that Shilpa is thinking of asking her one time good buddy Akshay Kumar to put in a guest appearance.The film will be directed by Manish Jha and is likely to be co-produced by UTV.

For Jha this is going to be a completely different cup of tea. He had earlier made the critically acclaimed A Very Very Silent Film, and then Mathrubhoomi. His last film Anwar didn't do well. Jha also directed Shilpa recent yoga video. Hope he has learnt how to hold his breath when making a masala film.

Bipasha has three releases coming up. There’s the experimental Sudipto Chattopadhyay's Pankh (produced by Sanjay Gupta), Sidharth Anand’s Bachna Ae Haseeno (Yash Raj Films) and Freeze with Neil Nitin Mukhesh.

Shamita's last film was Anubhav Sinha's Cash which sadly bounced. Much like Uday Chopra her career hasn't taken off yet. That is one of the reason why Shilpa is playing the angel and launching a production company.

De taali for Abbas?

After being knocked out by viral fever, I was getting ready to get back to work when my doctor, a pucca film buff, bowled a googly. "Is it the same Abbas Tyrewala, the writer-director of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, who has also written De Taali releasing this week?"

Did some home work and discovered my doc is right. But then why isn't Abbas or any of the people associated with De Taali talking about it during their publicity interviews? Strangely even the official website (www. detaalithemovie.com) doesn't credit Abbas as the writer.

Abbas has written some marvelous screenplays (Maqbool) and dialogue (Munnabhai MBBS, Main Hoon Na, Welcome). He also contributed to films such as Asoka, Chupke Se, Salaam Namaste and Shikar.

I hope De Taali turns out to be a fun film. And not a film Abbas wrote to earn a livelihood just like Anurag Kashyap did with Shakalaka Boom Boom.

Enter Sarkar Rani

After Sarkar Raj what? Well, just like the Godfather series , Ram Gopal Varma and the Bachchans are going to have a trilogy on the Sarkar theme. A little bird that visited Pyramid (RGV's apartment in Versova) tells me that the film maker and even the B family is very kicked about the idea.

While a proper screenplay has yet to be worked upon RGV has got the key players excited about two central concepts. One that Aishwariya Rai will be the protagonist of this film--Sarkar's bahu runs the Raj! And two that Jaya Bachchan will also make a dramatic entry in the finale.

And don't be surprised if the company that produces this film also makes news-- BCL or the Bachchans Corporation Ltd.

Struggler's shot: "Whom should i assist?"

Rachna_08 says: "Hi, came across your blog last week. Nice to see you are not talking about who is seeing whom! Have finished my Mass Comm and am passionate about Hindi films. Would like to learn direction 'cos i want to eventually direct a film. Which director do you suggest I start my career with assisting? Can you help with their contacts pls? And if I am not asking too much, how much do ADs get paid? Thanx."

Hi, Rachna, nice to know you like Bollywood Whisper. If you are passionate about films, then you must also have a fair idea of what kind of films you like and who your favourite directors are? I suggest you approach them to start with-- check out their office location and try meeting the Chief AD, First AD or Exec Producer if you can't meet the Director. If a director has 5 ADs it is likely that a newcomer stands a chance to be the 5th AD.

My suggestion is for your first film assist a lesser known or a debutant director-- its the best way to learn and the experience will come in handy when you approach your favourite director. Women ADs--and I am not endorsing this-- usually start off as those looking at prop continuity or costume assistants.

As for contacts, sorry don't want this blog to be a telephone directory. There are trade publications like Screen World which have the contact details; you can pick up them up from any bookshop. A fresh AD gets paid anywhere between 3000 to 7000 per month depending on whom you work for. Of course there are still creeps who don't pay anything. All the best.

Highest paid writer?

It's not just actors and directors who are raking in the moolah in Bollywood. Writers (hallelujah finally!) are licking cream too. Remember Shibani Bhatija, the one who wrote the commercial blockbusters but critically panned Fanaa and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna? Well, she has become the first writer to crack a multi crore deal. Shibani has been signed up by Indian Film Co (aka Studio 18) for a three film deal for an amount Rs 2.25 crores! The movies will be written over a two year period.

Bhatija is often seen grinning ear to ear these days, flying business class to LA (where she is penning friend Karan Johar's Khan). Her next release is Sanjay Gadhvi's Kidnap.

When a blockbuster director-producer heard the amount Shibani has been signed he almost choked over his coffee. He then called up another corporate and found out that the reason writers like Shibani are being offered such high amount is because it boosts valuation of a project. Instead of paying a writer 30 lakh to make a 25 crore project, it is better to pay 90 lakh and transform it into a 60 cr project!

Lets hope the bubble doesn't burst soon!