Doing well at the box office
Veteran actor Paresh Rawal's film, 'Oh My God' has been one of this year's pleasant surprises — the movie managed to impress most critics and in addition to that, it's raked in the moolah at the box office as well. The film recently celebrated its 50th day at the box office — quite a feat in today's world of blink-and-miss films.Although it isn't your typical Bollywood song-and-dance fare, it's surprisingly managed to make quite an impact. The movie, which is based on the Hindi play Kishen Vs anhaiya, is an entertaining flick — but also has a social message.
'I wish to make a film on art'
Hema Malini is much more than just an actress and film-maker — she is an acclaimed classical dancer as well. She has stunned audiences with her grace on the dance floor and admits that she wants to translate this passion into a movie. Hema wants to make a film on an art form — but she's quick to admit that it is an uphill task. "I wish to make a film based on the subject of an art, depicting the importance of music and dance. But it is very difficult," the 64-year-old confesses. Hema is a trained bharatanatyam and odissi dancer. Her daughters Esha and Ahana have also done stage shows with her.
No hurry to be a legend
Veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar mostly features the life and times of those artists on his television show 'Classic Legends' who have passed away. So, he says he is in no hurry to be a 'legend'. In the second season of the show, Akhtar throws light on the lives of Bollywood icons like Dilip Kumar, Pran, Meena Kumari, Dev Anand, Nasir Hussain, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Sunil Dutt, Mohammad Rafi and S D Burman. Asked when he will talk about his own life on the show — as he is considered a legend as well — Akhtar says, "I am not in a hurry to go anywhere right now. Though this season, we have featured Pran saab and Dilip saab — who are very much with us — the rest have, of course, gone and left a memorable legacy behind." The chemistry is still there! Actor Aftab Shivdasani is currently spending his time shooting for Grand Masti with Vivek Oberoi and Riteish Deshmukh. He says that even after eight years, the chemistry that the three of them share has not changed in the least. Grand Masti is the sequel to 2004 adult comedy Masti, which had all the three actors in lead roles. "There was a gap of eight years, so obviously every person must have grown as an actor. But the important thing is that even after eight years, the chemistry has not changed. We are so comfortable with each other, enjoying it so much — there is no ego, no clash," the 34-year-old insists. "We have already shot for 40 days — but I have never felt like I don't want to go to the shooting or I don't want to talk to anyone. Everyone is working in a fun mood; this film has been a breeze," he adds. Indra Kumar, who had directed Masti, is wielding the megaphone for the part two as well. Masti featured Vivek, Riteish and Aftab as three friends who decide to cheat on their wives — played by Amrita Rao, Genelia D'Souza and Tara Sharma respectively. But for Grand Masti, Maryam Zakaria, Kainaat Arora, Bruna Abdullah and Sonalee Kulkarni will join them in the cast. Ajay Devgan will also feature in it. Meanwhile, Aftab does not want to call Grand Masti a sequel — instead, he terms it a franchise. "It's not a sequel, it's a franchise. I guess franchise is a safer option because people kind of know what to expect when it comes to a franchise or a sequel. At the same time, it has its own brand equity in place. You know that people had liked the brand in the past, so obviously, they will want to see the second part," Aftab states.