Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network

With his second release HOUSEFULL (after the super successful HEYY BABYY) all set to open to a bumper response this Friday, a brimming with confidence Sajid Khan is already planning his next. And as it is known, Sajid has a good mind to cast his two favourite stars and close friends, King Khan and Khiladi Kumar. So, what is the real situation keeping in mind the so-called differences between Sajid, Farah and Shah Rukh Khan?

Sajid is quick to dismiss them as mere baseless rumours and figment of someone's imagination and says, "There are absolutely no differences at all. I am close to both of them and quite confident that I will be able to convince them to essay parallel roles in one of my upcoming projects."

Wow, we are already excited as we have already had a sneak peak of what can happen when SRK-Akki come together in DIL TO PAGAL HAI and Sajid's very own, HEYY BABBY!

Here's wishing the best to HOUSEFULL and looking forward to hearing the good news about SRK-Akki project from Sajid soon.

vpost : 05

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Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network

There is no doubt that Karan Johar's Tarun Mansukhani directed DOSTANA has gone a long way in highlighting a new facet in both Abhishek and John Abraham's acting career. And ever since a sequel to the highly successful film has been announced there is a perceptible excitement amongst the movie buffs.

It was recently heard that Abhishek had given bulk dates for DOSTANA 2 as it was all set to commence in July and as a fallout Abbas-Mustan's THE ITALIAN JOB remake (which also features Abhishek) had been stalled.

To ascertain the facts we spoke to Tarun Mansukhani. After a short pause Tarun said, "Well... I can only say that it is someone's speculation and imagination. Right now we are working/finalizing the script of DOSTANA 2 and so the question of the film commencing early or affecting the schedule of another project (featuring Abhishek) does not arise.

Well, script is the king and we don't mind waiting for another dhamaal act from Tarun in the shape of DOSTANA 2.

vpost : 04

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Bollywood Trade News Network

He may be a mega superstar but A R Rahman doesn't believe in resting on his laurels.

Recently, at the music launch of his next film RAAVAN, A R Rahman stole the audiences pulse with a breathtaking composition which has been penned down by Gulzar.

What is interesting is the fact that Rahman composed this song in the night before the event was due to happen. Rahman was awake all night to give final touches to this song which mesmerized the gathering and impressed everyone around.

Though, this particular song is not part of RAAVAN'S music album as yet, but the makers are keen to add this composition to the album at a later stage.

vpost : 03

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Bollywood Trade News Network

Who said that the actors of today's time don't value experience? They do and that too in the most passionate way.

Actress Neha Dhupia who will be seen in the upcoming film WITH LOVE TO OBAMA in the role of a dacoit took counsel from none other than veteran actress Shabana Azmi to don the role.

It's learnt that Neha wanted to portray her character with all its nuances intact and she wanted some help in making it look convincing. To do that, the actress met Shabana Azmi in order to get some more inputs about portraying such a difficult act.

Shabana Azmi, who played the role of a gangster in the critically acclaimed film FIRE, shared a few words of advice with Neha Dhupia who was more than excited to get some firsthand tips from the veteran lady.

Now, Neha is waiting for the audiences to place their verdict about her role for which she has literally left no stone unturned.

vpost : 02

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Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

When HEYY BABYY released in 2007, the film turned out to be a huge hit. Yes, there were a few who didn't like the film but then there were also millions out there who loved the film and turned in into a huge money spinner at the box office. However, something which saw unanimous response from one and all, whether who liked or disliked the film, was the set of costumes that were selected for the leading lady of the film - Vidya Balan. The flak which came in was unprecedented and naturally, director Sajid Khan was much more careful in case of HOUSEFULL. Expectedly so because this time around, he had three leading ladies to his disposal.

"I know that in case of HEYY BABYY, there was quite some flak which we received due to Vidya Balan's costumes. I know that as a captain of the ship, I must have taken charge and ensured that everything was in place", admits Sajid Khan who is known for involving himself in every department of film making.

He isn't willing to play the blame game though. "This is why; it was neither Vidya nor Manish Malhotra's fault that her costumes didn't meet audience expectations. No wonder, I worked extra hard for HOUSEFULL. There were dress trials and photo shoots before the actual shooting", reveals Sajid.

Elaborating the look of each of his three leading ladies, Sajid says, "While Jiah is carrying an Indian look, Lara has a chic look with designer labels and Deepika has a modern athletic look. Akki Narula has done well in putting together these costumes. This time around, everyone is quite confident of how audience will respond to clothing of audience."

vpost : 01

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Gurinder Chadha's IT'S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE, that released in the UK this week and will release in India on May 7th is already making news for it's leading man Sendhil Ramamurthy's debut on the Indian screen. Gurinder however, spoke at length about another integral character in the movie- Goldy Notay!

At the heart of the movie lies a love story, and one that takes a while to come to the boil. Actress Goldy Notay brings Roopi, who's unlucky in love, to life on screen. "I'd seen Goldy on stage, and on TV, and she's very good at comedy and very empathetic" explains Chadha. "She's got a chubby face, but her body is really svelte-like, and she looked really pretty and svelte when I met her for the movie. In fact, I was really worried that it wouldn't work. I had to ask her to look less presentable. So she put on weight, wore bad clothes, kept her hair unkempt".

Chadha laughs. "Goldy's husband loved it. He's an Italian chef and for the first time in their married life she was eating all his pasta and food and not moaning. And of course she got an enormous bust, which he loved!" The writer-director goes on to note that Roopi's size is an important factor in the film. "You just have to look all those magazines, and all these poor girls with eating disorders, to see how unacceptable it is for someone to be overweight. That's true for all girls. It was therefore important to have a love story with a girl who doesn't necessarily lose weight in the movie. As the story progresses Roopi just gets healthier."

"Roopi's in a bit of lacklustre stage of her life," begins Notay. "Her father passed away recently and had a relationship that was sabotaged by her ex-boyfriend. And she has a very determined mum, who wants to find her a suitable match, because Roopi thinks she's not going to have that happily ever after ending, and no knight in shining armour moment that a lot of women want to experience.

"But her mum thinks that's not an option and poor Roopi follows whatever crazy idea her mum has, whether it's speed dating, or going to the Sikh temple to try and meet someone. She doesn't throw herself in with exuberance and vigour, but she loves her mum, and there is an understanding."

"The story almost feels a bit like Ugly Betty with Asian people," continues Notay, "and then with spirits and a wedding scene with a huge food fight! It's got a lot of different genres, and yet there's this pulsating heart in the middle of the movie, and that really comes from Roopi and her mum, Mrs. Sethi."

IT'S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE releases in India on May 7. It's an Indian Films- Studio18 release.

vpost : 20

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Asin and Dhoni are becoming thick friends by the day. Now, the latest incident to prove this fact is Dhoni's recent visit to the actresses place in Mumbai.

According to well placed sources, Dhoni paid a visit to Asin's Mumbai home to catch one of the semi finals of the IPL recently. When the society members saw Dhoni entering the premises, there was a lot of commotion in the beginning as everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the cricket superstar.

It must be mentioned that the bond between Dhoni and Asin is getting stronger by the day. Rumours about a romantic involvement between the two is also doing the rounds. Dhoni and Asin are the brand ambassadors of a common product and the bonding surely is here to stay.

vpost : 19

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Lesbian pairing of Tanushree Dutta and Neetu Chandra. DARR meeting GIRLFRIEND. Sex element. Cat fight amongst the leading ladies. Tiff between Tanushree and Rohit Roy. These are some of the many rumours that have been floating around for last 8-10 months ever since the shooting of APARTMENT kick started.

Though Neetu plays the role of a schizophrenic in APARTMENT and Tanushree is a victim, the promotional focus (whether designed or by chance) stayed on the aforementioned elements rather than the thriller quotient of APARTMENT. Naturally, Tanushree is upset.

"I feel so disappointed when I see such rumours floating around APARTMENT", says Tanushree who was recently seen as a possessed female in horror thriller ROKKK and saw some good critical appreciation coming her way, "I am also so worried about how to face people from media or industry in general because I may be asked some really uncomfortable sounding questions. When a horde of journos attack you of nowhere, it really scares me and bogs me down."

For someone who has worked in limited projects ever since her debut five years back with AASHIQ BANAYA AAPNE and CHOCOLATE, Tanushree is understandably particular about her screen image.

"Am I here to work in films dealing with subjects centred on sex? Am I indulging into fights with my co-stars all the time? Come on, at the end of the day I have to safeguard my image as well. My credibility as an actor is also associated with a film and it is not fair for me, who has worked so hard so far, to be getting dragged into something like this", fumes Tanushree, "Give me some credit for my work, talk about the way I have approached my character. But such stories just take all attention away from the relevant topics."

vpost : 18

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Over the last month, millions of Youngistaanis have played 'Pepsi The Game' using their mental smarts to come closer to winning Rs. 50 lacs. They experienced the fun and excitement of Pepsi's engaging adver-gaming TV concept; and were entertained by the awesome trio of Sanjay Dutt, Ranbir Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez. 22-year-old, Maria Islam from Mumbai was announced the winner of 'Pepsi The Game' and the grand prize of Rs. 50 lacs by Youngistaan's heartthrob, Ranbir Kapoor, right before the finale of the ongoing cricket tournament.

Pepsi The Game brought to life the fun of gaming through TV advertising throughout this cricket season. Set in a fantasy world, all the action took place in a castle owned by the 'Game Master' played by Sanjay Dutt who challenged Youngistaani, Ranbir to get a bottle of Pepsi from his lair.

'The Game' was played over five films with three levels, each ending with a brainteaser. As Ranbir came closer to his Pepsi, over 5 million responses poured in from viewers nationwide to help him. Over 1.2 lac Youngistaanis cleared all three levels with Ranbir and got an opportunity to win Rs. 50 lacs by taking the final tie breaker slogan challenge. Ranbir along with a panel of judges chose the final winner who had the most quirky and WOW answer.

The final question that was posed to those who cleared all three levels was, "Ad mein Ranbir, Game Master se jeetne ke baad kehta hai, 'Pepsi bhi gayi, sexy bhi gayi'. Agar aap Ranbir ki jagah hote toh Game Master ko haraane ke baad kya kehte?"

Maria's winning answer that WOWed Ranbir and the other judges was, "Loser Game Master... You gotta think faster... Aur bhi koi chunauti (challenge) ho to le AAO, par tab tak kehte raho...YOUNGISTAN KA WOW!!!"

Speaking about 'Pepsi The Game', Sandeep Singh Arora, Executive Vice-President (Colas), Marketing, PepsiCo India said, "With 'The Game', Pepsi for the first time combined the fun of gaming with TV advertising. We received a phenomenal response to the campaign, with over 5-million entries from over 2-million Youngistaanis in less than a month. Pepsi The Game has been one of the most successful consumer led initiatives this season owing to terrific reaction the campaign has generated."

"I am extremely excited as I have not only won Rs. 50 lacs but also got to meet Youngistaan's icon, Ranbir Kapoor. I really enjoyed playing each level of The Game and believe that I have shown Youngistaan Ka WOW to my friends and family who all are very happy for me", said Maria.

Ranbir Kapoor, Pepsi's brand ambassador, said, "The Game by Pepsi is a rocking concept and we were confident from the beginning that it would connect instantly with the Youngistaanis. I am delighted with the response and am already looking forward to what's next for me and the rest of the Youngistaan from Pepsi".

vpost : 17

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The wait is finally over!!! Venus Records and Tapes will present Split Image Pictures' HISSS, represented by William Morris Endeavor (WME), directed by Jennifer Lynch, starring Mallika Sherawat, Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta and American character actor Jeff Doucette with a First Look for attendees of the Cannes Film Festival next month.

The film, produced by Govind Menon and Vikram Singh Lamba has hit a fever pitch of anticipation about its release which has been in post-production in Hollywood for the past several months.

Sources say the stars of the film will appear at a press photo call at the famed Majestic Hotel on the Cannes croissette, and producers will announce the release date for the film. Rumor has it that even some live snakes may be involved! The event will be followed by an exclusive cocktail party for international buyers, celebrities and festival VIPs.

Irrfan Khan has confirmed his presence for the trip, and early word has it that the film could be his best performance yet. Divya Dutta, too, has been noted with a stellar performance as Khan's wife in the film.

If unveiling a first look of HISSS wasn't enough, a second event with Mallika Sherawat for her other new film, LOVE, BARACK is also set to take place. A romantic comedy set during Barack Obama's campaign for the U.S. Presidency, the film just finished shooting last month in Los Angeles.

vpost : 16

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Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

For the first time in her half a decade long career, Neetu Chandra is playing a central protagonist in a film. No wonder, her director Jagmohan Mundhra too has good words to say about his leading lady. Her miniscule appearance in a biggie like RANN notwithstanding, Neetu is happy that APARTMENT has managed to get her good visibility turn due to the role of a schizophrenic that she is playing in the film.

There seems to be some mutual admiration society in the making here. Jag says that he was very impressed with the way she approached the role and was totally uninhibited in front of camera. "It is nice of him to say all these things. He is a nice man and as a director if he says that he is happy with my work, I am doubly happy. As for me being uninhibited then well, that's the way I have always been ever since I did my first film GARAM MASALA. I didn't know how to swim and obviously had never worn a swimming costume. Still, I did that for the film when I was told to do so. The way it came on screen was quite classy and sweet rather than looking vulgar. It all depends upon the director. In APARTMENT too, even if there is some skin show, Jag shot it all very aesthetically. When I am 100% convinced about something, there is no question of being inhibited," Says Neetu with a glee in her voice.

Was it this trait of being uninhibited that led to some tension between her and Tanushree?

Neetu at once clarifies about her equation with Tanushree, "Please, I don't believe in any cat fights through media. If there is a fight required then I will do that and get over with it. But I don't have time and energy to encourage such random stories that keep making the rounds through various media forums. I am a straight forward person and that's the way I intend to be. If I have any problem, I talk it out."

Seems Neetu had no problem though in stepping into APARTMENT which was earlier supposed to star

Gul Panag and Raima Sen. However, Neetu isn't aware about this fact, "I have no clue if there was a different cast decided for the film. As far as I know, I was the first to be approached for the role."

Talking about casting decisions, she had replaced Raima Sen in RANN and had pined a lot of hopes on it. Unfortunately RANN couldn't live upto the expectations. Still Neetu wasn't overtly disappointed with it's non-performance at the box office, "I am happy though with the way my performance in RANN was appreciated. As for the box office fate of the film then well, working or not working of a project is not in anyone's hand. Whether it is Ram Gopal Varma or Amitabh Bachchan or Steven Spielberg or Tom Cruise starring in a film, it works only due to the collective efforts of a team."

vpost :16

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'Slumdog Millionaire' star Freida Pinto, who was supposed to be part of the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival, will not be attending the event owing to shooting commitments.

The actress was expected to walk the red carpet with the stars of 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' directed by Woody Allen.

'This is to confirm that Freida Pinto unfortunately will not be attending the Cannes film festival as she is shooting for 'Immortals' in Canada. Her film 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' directed by Woody Allen will be premiering at Cannes,' said a statement from her spokesperson.

'Immortals' directed by Tarsem Singh is slated to release in 2011. The Cannes Film Festival opens May 12.

vpost : 14

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Veteran actor Hemanta Das, popularly known as the Ashok Kumar of Oriya cinema, died Tuesday, family friends said. He was 76.

Das had lost his wife and son long ago. The death took place in Khamaranga, his village in the district of Cuttack, some 30 km from here.

Das had acted in more than 40 Oriya movies.

Some of the films he featured in include 'Sesa Srabana', 'Jajabara', 'Chilika Tire', 'Nirab Jhada', 'Danda Balunga' and 'Hakima Babu'. He also played a role in Hindi film 'Shodh' that won a national award in 1979.

'His death is a great loss to the Oriya film industry,' film critic Dilip Hali told IANS.

vpost : 13

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Notch one more breathless admirer for Dippy. Sendhil Ramamurthy, star of 'The Wonderful Afterlife', has been smitten well enough by Deepika Padukone.

The H'wood dude and the B town gal were introduced at a January party… and SR hasn't gotten over the Dippy meeting, although, he hasn't watched any of her Hindi flicks.

Besides, his curiosity was fanned some more when he learnt that Dippy was a Bangalore model who's made it superrrrr in Hindi showtown. Sendhil can speak a smattering of Kannada, as his parents are from B'lore, though he doesn't grasp a word of Hindi.

Reportedly, Sendhil has expressly requested director Gurinder Chadha to rope in Dippy for the special preview of 'The Wonderful Afterlife'.

Gushes Sendhil in a tabloid chat, "Deepika is the best looking girl and actor in Bollywood. I think she's really pretty. I won't be around for the preview show of my film in Mumba, coz' of prior commitments, but I have asked my director to show the film to a few friends that I've made in India."

Wonderful afterthought, Sendhil…

vpost : 12

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Salman Khan's merging his two great loves… charity and cricket… for a humanitarian cause. Come May 21, Dubai will welcome Khan for a charity cricket match for his 'Being Human'.

The prize: 'Being Human Cup' will be contended by celebs from India and Pakistan. Reportedly, Khan had been planning this move since quite a while, though he was waiting for the IPL 3 to tail off before he could announce it.

It's been touted that Sharman Joshi, Jackie Shroff, Riteish Deshmukh, Azharuddin, Govinda, Vinod Kambli, Arbaaz and Sohail Khan, among others, will represent the Indian team. The cheerleading glam gals are likely to be Zarine Khan, Riya Sen, Dia Mirza and Neha Dhupia.

A close source states, "All the proceeds from the match will be directed towards 'Being Human.' The Pakistani side will also comprise celebs such as actors Ali Zafar, Shaan Shahid and Adnan Siddiqui, among others. And among the cheerleaders will be Nadia Hussein, the musical group 'Strings' and Iman Ali."

Post match, plans are on the anvil to unveil a fashion show and a lavish dinner for team participants.

vpost : 11

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Live snakes on the red carpet... at Cannes?! Yeah, Mallika Sherawat and her reptilian saga have grand plans in store for global cinegoers.

Venus Records and Tapes will present Split Image Pictures' 'Hisss', represented by William Morris Endeavor (WME), directed by Jennifer Lynch, starring Mallika Sherawat, Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta and American character actor Jeff Doucette with a 'First Look' for attendees of the Cannes Film Festival, next month.

Produced by Govind Menon and Vikram Singh Lamba, 'Hisss' has hit a feverish pitch of anticipation about its release which has been in post production in Hollywood for the past several months.

Sources say the stars of the film will appear at a press photo call at the famed Majestic Hotel on the Cannes croissette, and producers will announce the release date for the film. Rumour has it that even some live snakes may be involved! The event will be followed by an exclusive cocktail party for international buyers, celebrities and festival VIPs.

Irrfan Khan has confirmed his presence for the trip, and early word has it that the film could be his best performance yet. Divya Dutta, too, has been noted with a stellar performance as Khan's wife in the film.

If unveiling a first look of HISSS wasn't enough, a second event with Mallika Sherawat for her other new film, 'Love, Barack' is also set to take place. A romantic comedy set during Barack Obama's campaign for the U.S. Presidency, the film wrapped up filming last month in Los Angeles.

Presently, though, Mally's marking her bites. Er, sorry, bytes.

vpost : 10

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Akshay Kumar zoomed into suburban Mumbai… and created a starry storm! Akki, together with Arjun Rampal, Riteish Deshmukh and director Sajid Khan, landed up at their 'Housefull' lucky contestant winner's residence.

En route, as they rushed to the third floor, Action Kumar rang the doorbell of every single home… to pep up the action.

There was an excited flurry of activity, as building folks rushed out of their homes to click keepsake snaps with the 'Housefull' team and have their starry fill of autographs. And what's better, AK made time to play with the building kids too! Brand building, Akki style.

vpost : 09

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Volcanic ash clouds paved the way for the saucy gal… as a determined Jiah Khan, made her way into Mumbai as part of the promotional campaign for the howlarious 'Housefull'.

Earlier, the actress had landed up almost every single day at London's Heathrow airport… only to be sent back owing to the irksome ash clouds.

Dame Destiny smiled… and Jiah beamed as she told an eager media, "I'm glad that I could make it before the release."

vpost : 08

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Bollywood star Aamir Khan was Tuesday appointed sanitation brand ambassador to promote cleanliness in all Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools across India - but not without being mobbed by his young fans.

'We are happy to have Aamir as our brand ambassador. We hope, he will help this scheme become a success,' Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said after launching the National School Sanitation Initiative at Vigyan Bhavan here.

He said through movies the actor had created public opinion related to education and his involvement would help the cause of sanitation. Aamir has starred in education related movies like 'Taare Zameen Par' and '3 Idiots'.

Aamir, after accepting the honour, said he would sit down with both the HRD and urban development ministries to know more about the issue and could create a 'package which will be easily available through CDs and internet for use in schools'.

However, after the programme got over, hundreds of students mobbed the actor while asking for his autograph. With little security at his disposal, the situation became quite unmanageable. But Sibal came to the rescue of the actor and took him away from the conference hall.

Earlier, Sibal had announced that health and wellness clubs would be set up in all schools for better sanitation practices.

The minister said only nine percent of school students wash their hands before eating and these clubs would promote such issues among students. 'They are the future and their good health will help a better tomorrow.'

Anshu Vaish, secretary school education, said at least 45 percent of Indian schools do not have separate toilets for girls. 'This is impacting girl students' admission and we have a long way to go in improving this situation.'

Vaish told IANS that initially the health and wellness clubs will come up in CBSE schools as it was this board's initiative. 'We will inform all the state boards and if they want all the material can be translated to desired regional languages.'

Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, who was present at the event, said safe drinking water and sanitation were part of the millennium development goals and the government was striving to improve the situation.

'With this initiative, we will create awareness about sanitation at the school level. Students are change agents and we are targeting them,' Reddy said.

The initiative is a collaboration between the HRD ministry and the urban development ministry. It is estimated that 17 percent of the urban population in the country has no access to sanitation facilities, while 50-80 percent of the wastewater is disposed untreated.

vpost : 07

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Shooting for Divorce rap in Vipul Shah's 'Action Replayy' has been suspended for now.

The much- talked about song has Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a retro look.

The shooting was stalled because Akki got finicky about his leather jacket, which went missing.

It was initially a cause of concern for the entire unit as it was interfering with the continuity of the song, as the shooting was only half done.

What we hear is that despite frantic efforts, it still hasn't been located. Now Vipul has no option but to wait for an exact replacement so that the song can be completed. When the unit got a similar leather jacket for Akki, he flatly refused to wear it. The action hero is known to be extremely con-scious of what he wears.

Says Vipul, 'It was a unique, hand- crafted, bling- bling leather jacket. I need to shoot the balance portions of the song but suddenly there was no jacket. It will take time to get it made again, so I've requested Akshay to allot some extra dates to finish the song later.' Vipul added that the manner in which the jacket disappeared has left him puzzled. 'I need to figure this out. It might have been misplaced by some production person or it may have been stolen when it was being transported. But why point fingers? We'll just have to take it in our stride,' says the director.

vpost : 06

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