Amitabh Bachchan may have enacted his professor onscreen in 'Teen Patti', but the indomitable veteran turned student, every time the camera was switched off.

Reportedly, Bachchan Senior was suitably impessed with R Madhavan's skills at golf! Watching him teeing off during a Pune schedule, Bachchan expressed a desire to pick up the final nuances of golf from 'Idiot' Mady.

Needless to add, Maddy was only too happy to oblige. And when it came to canning scenes for 'Teen…, it was Bachchan Sr who coached Maddy in a few finer points of histrionics. Guess, Maddy's bonding to the tee

vpost :11

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Living legend Shyam Benegal's next, WELL DONE ABBA, has been in the news more because of lead actress Minissha Lamba's image change from her sexy avatar in KIDNAP to a non glamorous, Muslim girl, belonging to a rural background. However, the main protagonist and the lead actor, the mainstay of the film is the charismatic Boman Irani, who essays a double role in the film.

The audience simply fell in love with Boman's portrayal of a tough disciplinarian and educationist in 3 IDIOTS, despite the fact that the role had slight negative shades, his character Virus became a common name in all the households. And for all those who have relished his performance in 3 IDIOTS, there is more good news as they will not have to wait long for another class act by the master actor.

Those who have had the privilege of watching the screening of WELL DONE ABBA at the Dubai Film Festival have only good things to say about Boman. His performance in both the roles is absolutely top class and it is not surprising as WELL DONE ABBA is a Shyam Benegal film who has always been instrumental in extracting out the best from his actors, last time from Shreyas Talpade in WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR.

We wish Boman all the best and say, Well done Boman! We are certainly looking forward to the film which is all set to release on 26th March 2010!

vpost : 17

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Despite facing strict competition from top actresses like Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor, Kajol has remained the undisputed queen of bollywood and that too after being in semi/self imposed exile ever since her marriage. And her box-office clout and fan following, especially in the Overseas is unparalleled. Her upcoming project, MY NAME IS KHAN, with her lucky charm Shahrukh Khan, has all the ingredients to keep her position at the top of the ladder intact and even swell her fan base.

Not many will know that Kajol was offered roles in both the MUNNA BHAI films as well as the all time blockbuster, 3 IDIOTS, but she did not accept them as she found the roles too miniscule and felt that she did not have much scope in them. So, what made her accept MY NAME IS KHAN? As per the actress, it was because of the character of Mandira, which she essays in the film that she signed MNIK. She found Mandira to be imperfect, slightly mad, little crazy and zany. Kajol adds that she liked Mandira's conviction and the fact that her character thinks somewhat differently from what others will in her place or situation.

Well, watching Kajol is always a treat as she lights up the screen with her mere presence and watching her with her favourite co-star Shahrukh Khan will be 'sone-pe suhaga'.

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FREEDOM, which is all set to star Sanjay Dutt and Madhavan in the lead roles, is a multi crore affair which would be backed by a major production house. However, director Vivek Agnihotri (CHOCOLATE, DHAN DHANA DHAN GOAL), is unwilling to go on record and confirms that in due course of time; the producers would come on the forefront. Meanwhile plans are already in place to begin the film's shoot in March-April time period.

"The dates are already locked while the leading lady should be in place soon as well", says Vivek who gave Tanushree Dutta a break in CHOCOLATE", "However, I am not too keen on a new face because quite some time would be required to be spent in grooming her. 'Freedom' is going to be difficult film for any actor and it would makes sense to have a heroine who comes with good acting potential."

FREEDOM is a political thriller that promises to give a blow by blow account of modern day India during last three decades and begins from the period of emergency.

Says Madhavan who is riding high on the success of 3 IDIOTS, "I am keen to get started on FREEDOM soon. Vivek's vision of FREEDOM is rather exciting and I am raring to go. It should be wonderful to get into a dramatic affair like this."

Continues Vivek, "Characters played by Sanjay Dutt would be present from start to finish of the film and would remain a part of the narrative through all the decades. Same holds true for Madhavan whose character will also see a major transition from the era gone by to the current times."

vpost : 09

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From '3 Idiots' to 'Teen Patti', R. Madhavan is surely doing a different kind of cinema but he doesn't want to experiment with the genres. The multilingual actor says he just wants to work on good scripts but rues that these are hard to come by.

'I don't want to experiment with genres, I just want to work on great scripts. I wish I had the luxury of saying that I have six scripts that are fantastic and let me see which one I want to do,' Madhavan told IANS in an interview.

'Finding one good script is a huge challenge. So I do a film whose script comes and grabs me. Once I finish that, I look forward to the next movie,' he added.

Madhavan admitted that he follows his instincts while shooting although he goes through the necessary preparation to get under the skin of a character.

'I take all the information, I do all the rehearsals and the positioning and then I switch myself off completely. I forget whatever I have learnt and let the instincts take over. Sometimes it is the cumulative effects of all but sometimes it is natural and totally different from what I have rehearsed to be,' said the actor, who shares screen space with Amitabh Bachchan in 'Teen Patti'.

He is a huge fan of Bachchan and has become his devotee after working with him.

'I was a huge fan of Mr. Bachchan and now I am his devotee. It's his personality that made him stay in the industry for 40 years,' he said.

Directed by Leena Yadav, 'Teen Patti' is an emotionally riveting and razor sharp thriller about greed and deception. Releasing Feb 26, it also stars Hollwyood veteran Ben Kingsley.

Asked about his character in the film, Madhavan said: 'I play a professor who wants to have the luxuries of life as soon as possible. So he makes certain compromises for which he has to make a lot of sacrifices.'

The actor was recently seen in the super duper hit '3 Idiots'. After the film, Madhavan, who has always been choosy about his movies, would go even slower.

'I am very choosy about my films. I don't do a film just for the sake of money. I will continue to be choosy and I will go even slower now. I will wait for movies that are of equal calibre or have something, at least little bit, in respect to '3 Idiots'. 'Teen Patti' is one among them.'

Talking about his transition from a student in '3 Idiots' to a professor in 'Teen Patti', he said: 'Actually, I did the role of the professor first and then became a student. We actually finished 'Teen Patti' before '3 Idiots'.'

Madhavan's next project is director Aanand L. Rai's 'Tannu Weds Mannu'. It is a romantic movie and he has teamed up with Kangana Ranaut in it.

vpost : 25

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The industry whispers are turning louder and post '3 Idiots', the resounding verdict is out. Kareena Kapoor is being touted as the "highest paid actress." Her fee …a mere seven crores ...if Bebo has to wield her Monc Blanc!

Although KK diplomatically shoves away queries about her awesome remuneration, she readily concedes to being on a globe trotting spree, lending value to lifestyle and fashion products. Reportedly, Bebo has signed up for close to 10 pricey brands!

KK, though admits to being amused. "Either it's my price or my size that the media is always speculating upon," she giggles in a newspaper interphew. "If I get any thinner, I'll be a hanger!"Verrrrry Un Saif idea.

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It seems the success of his film 3 IDIOTS has given Vidhu Vinod Chopra new license: the license to break rules.

According to latest reports, the producer alongwith his entourage brought traffic to a halt just because the producer's car had to get into a by lane near Bandra. Reports further suggest that Vidhu Vinod Chopra's personal security took the role of traffic policemen and thus violated the rules. Not only did this power display caused inconvenience to the ordinary people who were stuck in traffic but also violates the very grain of Chopra's film's ideology - Gandhigiri.

A noted filmmaker was aghast at the brazen display of power by Vidhu Chopra and his personal security and dubbed this behavior as an instance of irresponsibility at it highest.

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Bollywood star Aamir Khan, whose recent release '3 Idiots' takes a critical look at India's education system, feels that the infrastructure in the country should be remodelled so that physically challenged people can move around without hindrance.

'Our society barely thinks about the physically handicapped people. It's necessary. There should be proper infrastructure - be it buildings, theatres, roads - everywhere so that they can too have a comfortable access to every places like a normal person does,' said Aamir, honouring 18 achievers of the IBN7 Bajaj Allianz Super Idols awards here at the Taj Lands End hotel Tuesday.

The award is an initiative by the channel in partnership with the Dainik Bhaskar newspaper group to recognise and celebrate those who have overcome their physical challenges to achieve success as well as the individuals who worked tirelessly for the rights of people with special ability.

Rajdeep Sardesai, the editor in chief of IBN 18 Network, told IANS: 'I think there is so much negativity in the media. Unless we focus on these kinds of positive stories how will we inspire the next generation? In my case, it happened by working with Ability Foundation (a charitable trust that works to empower disabled) on a project. I realised the remarkable work these people were doing and it shook me.'

'It will be an annual event. There are so many such people and it won't be that difficult to find 18,' he added.

Television actress and politician Smriti Irani, who was also present at the award ceremony, appreciated the effort and said she is also planning to work with Ability Foundation.

'This is extremely appreciable and an inspiration to those who want to achieve something. People who don't try because of their disablility, I think this award will be an inspiration for them. I am going to work on a project with Ability Foundation and it will be a new beginning for me,' she said.

Music director Anu Malik, Lalit and Aadesh Shrivastava were also present.

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Aamir Khan starrer "3 Idiots" has spurred Bollywood personalities to look at their educational qualifications, how they got their degrees and how students should lead their lives.

The film, about life in an engineering college, tried to give the message that getting a degree is not the be-all and end-all of education.

Here is how some Bollywood personalities react to questions on their student life and give their advice to students:

Urmila Matondkar: "I'm a BA in psychology. I was always under stress in both school and college as I had to manage both studies and acting. I dealt with it by diverting stress into positive aggression in my studies.

"My advice to students: Stress is part of life. You can't run away from it. So deal with it before it's too late. It helps to be book-smart at any time of life, as long as you learn from those books and not just mug."

Dino Morea: "I became a graduate. Was never stressed at school. Had the best time ever. Yes, if reading and being aware of a subject is being book-smart, for sure it's handy in life. I was never depressed in school. I was naughty, but I studied hard."

Kangana Ranaut: "I left school when I was 16. But I'm glad to tell you I've always been a topper in my class. To achieve that I used to study 18 hours a day.

"The science in school didn't help me much in my daily life as an adult. But the passion to be the best in my class and the love for books remain. Now I'm an artiste and I read on art. And I thank my hard work during school for this."

Pritam Chakraborty: "I did BSc honours in geology from Presidency College in Kolkata, postgraduate diploma in sound recording and engineering from the Film and Television Institute, Pune. I think mugging up and learning without understanding is useless in later life. But a basic education is important to build up personality.

"I used to feel stressed before exams after Class 7 when I stood first in class. Later everybody at home became interested in my rank and that was a matter of stress for me for years.

"I had music to kill the depression created due to studies. Also I had a great circle of family and friends. Doing badly in academics doesn't mean you do badly in life. Discover your inner strength and choose a career you enjoy."

Celina Jaitly: "I've done one and a half years of BSc and have a software engineering degree from NIIT. I scored 89 percent in 10th boards and 75 percent in 12th. I used to feel very stressed during board exams. Thanks to my parents I made it through all my panic attacks.

"Playing a sport like tennis or swimming is a great way to keep fresh and alert. I remember my mother insisted we play a sport for half an hour even during exams. It was a great stress buster. Focus well on your studies. Do meditation and take power naps."

Ken Ghosh: "I'm a 12th Standard fail. In school I was quite a smart kid and actually enjoyed studies because of excellent teachers."

Amole Gupte: "I was a class topper with distinction till the 12th, then passed BCom with 37 percent, having tasted theatre through degree college.

"I have no distinct school memories except for excursions, plays, poetry, elocution, quiz programmes and art melas. I remember my head mistress in primary school who instilled my self-worth by discovering my recitation skills. In high school I loved my Hindi teacher Naamvar Singh, a poet and lyricist of repute. And my English teachers Parmar sir and Acharya sir for their passion for the language and their love for Wordsworth, Auden, Frost and D.H. Lawrence."

vpost : 04

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Even as Aamir Khan

starrer ‘3 Idiots’ was mired in allegations of having inspired students suicides and ragging, Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has come out in support of the blockbuster movie.

Bachchan rejected charge that films inspire violence in society. "The biggest violence in modern history was partition. Tell me which film had provoked it, he asked.

He said the recent suicides of students were "unfortunate" but it was not the first time a suicide had taken place.

Raju Hirani directed film which has raked in Rs 314 crore at the box office so far was at the receiving end as nearly 20 suicide cases were reported from Mumbai and neighbouring Thane district.

"I am 67-years-old. I too faced ragging in school and college which was more than 45 years ago. A film was not made that time does not mean that there was no ragging in educational institutions. A film merely mirrors what happens in the society," he said.

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Aamir Khan starrer comedy-drama "3 Idiots" has grossed over Rs.315 crore ($70 million) globally in the 19 days since its release, a statement by Reliance BIG Entertainment, the film's distributor, said Tuesday.

Based on Chetan Bhagat's bestseller Five Point Someone, the film has been produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by Rajkumar Hirani.

"'3 Idiots' has opened new vistas for the Indian film industry. The huge response across continents reinforces our belief that a well-made, well-exploited film can still create magic in the darkened auditorium. We are proud to be associated with Vinod, Aamir, Raju and the talented team of '3 idiots'," said Amit Khanna, chairman, Reliance BIG Entertainment.

Added Chopra: "I am thrilled and humbled that so many people all over the world have loved this film. It proves true Rancho's (the protagonist in the movie) mantra - chase excellence and success will follow."

Aamir echoed the sentiment, saying: "As a member of the team I am so happy with the kind of success that the film is achieving. Thanks to Raju (Hirani), for making the film so well, to Vinod for doing such a great job as a producer and to Reliance BIG Pictures for the kind of release they gave the film."

According to the statement, more that 60 million people have so far watched the film in theatres since its release Dec 25. Its box office collections have exceeded the over Rs.260 crore earned by another Aamir starrer, "Ghajini", considered Hindi cinema's highest grosser till date.

"3 Idiots" is also being touted as the highest grossing Indian film ever to release in the US, Middle East, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Kenya and Fiji.

The film has retained its position in the top 10 film at the British Box Office and is also Aamir's biggest grosser so far and highest box office grosser of 2009. The screen count in the US for "3 Idiots" has increased by 25 percent by the third week.

Indian multiplexes added on an average 14 to 21 new shows in the second week of the movie compared to its first week with 150 additional shows.

The paid previews of the movie also garnered over Rs.9 crore worldwide, above those of the paid preview collections of "Ghajini" that were Rs.7 crore globally.

The film also stars R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Kareena Kapoor in pivotal roles.

vpost : 17

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Last week's three releases - RAAT GAYI BAAT GAYI, BOLO RAAM and ACCIDENT ON HILL ROAD- fared as expected. And one does not have to be a Nostradamus to have predicted that! To sum it up in one sentence; despite all the merits/demerits of the three mentioned movies, they were all washed aside by the 3 IDIOTS tsunami!

This Friday's three main releases are - Yash Raj's PYAAR IMPOSSIBLE!, the Mudassir Aziz directed DULHA MIL GAYA and Emaar Film International Unit's HELLO...HUM LALLAN BOL RAHE HAIN. It is obvious that PYAAR IMPOSSIBLE! is going to be the next setback for Yash Raj Films after their last disappointment, ROCKET SINGH...SALESMAN OF THE YEAR. Even the presence of Shah Rukh Khan (in an extended special appearance) is not going to achieve anything significant for producer Vivek Vaswani's DULHA MIL GAYA. And lastly, the bleak prospects of projects like HELLO...HUM LALLAN BOL RAHE HAIN are crystal clear from the day of announcement. A factor that is also going to be taken into consideration is the still very strong run of Rajkumar Hirani's 3 IDIOTS.

The Christmas release, 3 IDIOTS, as predicted in our last column, has set new and insurmountable box office records. In fact, in the first week itself 3 IDIOTS has surpassed the total business of Rajkumar Hirani's last blockbuster, LAGE RAHO MUNNA BHAI. Checking out the phenomenal numbers, the film collected 17 crores from Bombay (collections from 2 cinemas unreceived), 6 lakhs from Lonavala, 3 crores from Ahmedabad (collections from 3 cinemas unreceived), 1 crore from Surat, 15 lakhs each from Nadiad and Valsad, 25 lakhs from Anand, 1.20 crores from Baroda, 9 lakhs each from Navsari and Bharuch, 42 lakhs from Rajkot, 18 lakhs from Jamnagar, 4 lakhs from Bhuj, 13 lakhs from Gandhidham, 4.20 crores from Pune, 75 lakhs from Nasik, 67 lakhs from Goa, 7 lakhs from Hubli (6 days), 3 lakhs each from Belgaum, Bijapur and Dharwad(6 days), 7.15 crores from Delhi city, 1 crore from Noida, 75 lakhs from Ghaziabad, 1 crore from Lucknow, 21 lakhs from Agra, 15 lakhs from Allahabad, 4 lakhs from Bareilly, 9 lakhs from Aligarh, 60 lakhs from Gurgoan, 50 lakhs from Faridabad, 10 lakhs from Kurukshetra, 6 lakhs from Panipat, 3.50 crores from Calcutta, 15 lakhs from Darjeeling, 7 lakhs from Siliguri, 5 lakhs from Guwahati, 1.20 crores from Nagpur, 22 lakhs from Jabalpur, 10.35 lakhs from Akola, 45 lakhs from Raipur, 2.35 lakhs from Gondia, 4 lakhs from Chandrapur, 2 lakhs each from Sagar and Bhandara, 1.60 crores from Indore, 18 lakhs from Gwalior (collections from 3 cinemas unreceived), 34 lakhs from Bhopal (collections from 2 cinemas unreceived), 4 lakhs from Ujjain, 2 crores from Jaipur, 42 lakhs from Jodhpur, 25 lakhs from Ajmer, 40 lakhs from Kota, 2.10 crores from Hyderabad, 11 lakhs from Aurangabad (collections from 3 cinemas unreceived), 33 lakhs from Bangalore (6 days), 4 lakhs from Davangere (6 days), 7.45 lakhs from Vijaywada (6 days) and 4.40 lakhs from Madras (collections from 6 cinemas unreceived). In it's opening week (with an additional half day), the Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Kareena Kapoor starrer has netted an unthinkable and unimaginable 79 crores from India. The blockbuster hit has also set new records in the Overseas (US) grossing and#163;1,115,530 from UK and $4,757,078 from US, both till the second weekend (1-3 January).

Meanwhile, Yash Raj's Shimit Amin directed ROCKET SINGH-SALESMAN OF THE YEAR seems to be on the last lap in just its third week. During the week the film collected 10 lakhs from Bombay, 1.50 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 6 lakhs from Delhi city, 2.15 lakhs from Noida, 1 lakh from Gurgoan and 1.35 lakhs from Calcutta. Netting another 50 lakhs, the Ranbir-Shazahn starrer has 20 crores to show from India after 3 weeks. The below average fare has also been rejected in the Overseas grossing and#163;123,569 from UK up to the fourth weekend (1-3 January) and $164,649 from the US till the end of its run.

Moving on to Balki's Amitabh, Abhishek and Vidya starrer, PAA, manages some more decent collections. The film collected 42 lakhs from Bombay (collections from 3 cinemas unreceived), 9 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 1.05 lakhs from Surat, 3.35 lakhs from Baroda, 8 lakhs from Pune, 1 lakh from Goa, 15 lakhs from Delhi city, 2.25 lakhs from Noida, 1.05 lakhs from Ghaziabad, 1.10 lakhs each from Lucknow and Gurgoan, 6 lakhs from Calcutta, 1.35 lakhs from Nagpur, 1.15 lakhs from Jabalpur, 1.50 lakhs from Raipur, 1.75 lakhs from Indore and 4.25 lakhs from Hyderabad (collections from 5 cinemas unreceived). With an additional 1.75 crores, PAA has netted a good 30.75 crores in four weeks from India and is a semi hit. The double Bachchan starrer, unfortunately, has not appealed to the overseas audience grossing and#163;160,296 from UK up to the fifth weekend (1-9 January) and $199,228 from US at the end of its run.

Our last entry for this week is once again Priyadarshan's DE DANA DAN, which is breathing its last. The film collected 5 lakhs from Bombay and 1.10 lakhs from Aurangabad. Adding another 35 lakhs, DE DANA DAN has netted around 49.60 crores in five weeks from India. The Akshay, Paresh, Suneil and Katrina starrer is more than an above average success from India. The film is already a good success for its overseas distributor, EROS International, having grossed and#163;560,380 from UK up to the sixth weekend (1-9 January) and $944,979 from US at the end of its run.

vpost : 06

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