DO KNOT DISTURB

DIL BOLAY HADIPA

DADDY COOL

ALLADIN

ACID FACTORY

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During the shooting of Acid Factory, one of the actors in the action multi starrer, Aftab Shivdasani, challenged director Suparn Verma's entire shot taking approach. He got into a lengthy debate post which producer Sanjay Gupta announced it loud and clear that Suparn was the man in charge and his authority won't be questioned thereafter.

Says a prominent crew member who wished to be unnamed, "This was during the South Africa shoot of Acid Factory. A pivotal scene featuring both Aftab Shivdasani and Fardeen Khan was being shot. It was a high tension scene that involved two cameras - a steadycam and hand held."

"While Suparn was directing the scene, Aftab was very curious to know how he would eventually cut it. He kept challenging Suparn, so much so that the debate went on for a good half an hour."

Though Suparn wasn't quite pleased with the way the entire conversation was going, he kept his cool and had a word with Aftab only after pack up.

"I can understand where he was coming from. It was indeed a very unorthodox way of shot taking and something very different from the routine way of doing things. It was okay for Aftab to have some questions about it", says Suparn who has earlier directed Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena [Fardeen Khan, Koena Mitra, Firoz Khan], again a thriller.

He did make his stand clear though. "When the day's shoot ended, I met him and suggested that whenever he had any doubts in future, he could have a discussion with me after pack up but not on the sets. It isn't fair for anyone to keep the shoot on hold for even one minute."

Suparn informs that he had worked hard on designing the entire film in his mind and he had every single frame cut out for him even before the film's shoot began.

"This is why I was so confident about the film", he adds, "I told Aftab that he didn't have to worry since the entire factory set was custom made while keeping under consideration the shot division. I had spent 3 months with Nitish Roy, the production designer, to get it all right. I requested Aftab to just concentrate on acting and he too was cool once he understood the way I was going to shoot the film. We shook hands, hugged each other and it was back to business the next day."

However, the story didn't end here. There was more to come once the production crew informed Sanjay Gupta, who was at that time stationed in Mumbai for some work, about the entire hold up in film's shoot due to the lengthy debate.

Informs the source, "Once he heard what had transpired on the sets, Sanjay Gupta immediately wanted the message to reach out to the entire cast and crew of the film. He called up Aftab and categorically told him that he had complete confidence in Suparn's abilities."

"Yes, Sanjay did call up Aftab and then later me", confirms Suparn, "That's one call that I cherish most since Sanjay reinforced his trust in me. He told me that he was standing behind me like a rock and wanted me to make the film in the way I wanted it. In fact when he saw the final cut of Acid Factory, his face said it all. He felt really proud of the film. I am happy that I was able to justify the confidence he had shown in me".

All is well that ends well. Ultimately the very scene for which Aftab had his doubts is now the actor's favorite scene.

Laughs Suparn, "We happily chatted about the film once we saw the final cut together. Aftab was candid enough to admit that it turned out to be his favorite scenes from the film. I was truly humbled."

Starring Fardeen Khan, Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpai, Dino Morea, Aftab Shivdasani and Danny Denzongpa along with Dia Mirza, Acid Factory is a Suparn Verma film of a Sanjay Gupta production and is all set to hit the screens on 2nd October.

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Love Aaj Kal has opened to a fantastic response all over and Saif Ali Khan has all the right reasons to celebrate. Not just has his banner gained tremendous credibility, even as an actor, Saif Ali Khan has managed to find a new standing and respectability amongst the audiences. With the weekend numbers in hand and audience verdict being loud and clear, Saif is confident that Love Aaj Kal will attain further heights in weeks to come. Talking to Joginder Tuteja, an excited Saif talks about what the success of Love Aaj Kal means to him, how he shrugged away questions around him turning producer and how the entire business scenario has changed in Bollywood today with box office records being created and broken with every passing week.

So Saif, has the party already begun for you, your family and the cast and crew of Love Aaj Kal?
(Laughs) No, not really. Where is the time to party yet? When a movie comes closer to its release time then the tension starts building up to check how the advance booking is performing. Then you wait for Friday to open well and then you want to check whether collections are seeing further escalation over Saturday and Sunday. Of course you want to keep a tab on it when the film is a hit. If it's a flop you just wish to run away from it all (laughs). So yes, when a film is doing as well as in the case of Love Aaj Kal, then you are glued on to Monday collections to check if they have managed to hold on well. So you know, by the time you have realized that your film is actually a success, you are so exhausted and stressed out that there is no strength left to party.

One expects you to spend some time with the near and dear ones though, isn't it?
And that's something that I did. See, you do celebrate but it's all done in a different way. In any case I don't really believe in parties. This way I have sobered down a lot; so much so that even I am left amazed. I believe that now partying means spending some quite and quality time with my dearest ones and relish those moments.

It must have been a feeling of relief though considering the fact that you turned producer with Love Aaj Kal?
Yeah, one of the biggest outcomes of Love Aaj Kal has been that I have been able to establish our banner. At least the film's success has given me a confidence that we can now move on to our next one. At the end of the day, all of this was a job which required a series of decisions to be made. There are so many crores behind you and there is so much at stake for many out there. So yes, Love Aaj Kal succeeding with the audiences and the box office is a real big relief.

Saif Ali Khan There were many out there who thought that you were doing a professional hara-kiri by turning producer. Were you ever flustered because of that?
Yes, there were people who questioned that who were these guys who are trying their hands into production? What experience do they carry? Why are they spending so much? After all it has happened to so many people in the past who have lost credibility once they have shifted lines in filmmaking. But then as I said earlier, it is all about making right decisions at the right time. See, I am a history student and have read many stories and known many instances from the past. I have applied the same learning principle in my life as well. I have learnt from other filmmakers, seen their past success and failure. I have made notes of what to take seriously in life. All of that really helped.

For your very first film, didn't you ever feel that you were spending quite a lot?
Yes, Love Aaj Kal is indeed an expensive film and the importance of budget was always there at the back of the mind. So yes, the bottom line is that the entire business preposition was quite risky. We still didn't mind though by being adventurous with the storyline. Ultimately, a film is all about story telling and it depends upon how interesting can you make an entire experience. I remember my younger days as a kid in Bhopal when there used to be an old tailor who used to tell us stories. I am talking about that era when there was no TV, no cable, no DVDs. The only source for stories was listening to others narrate some interesting tales. These stories may not really be logical or carry a real feel to them. But then they had to be involving enough. This is what I learnt from those old days as I have been brought up on such tales.

Saif Ali Khan I am sure you must have been confident about the story of Love Aaj Kal and expecting a huge response for the film. That's the very reason you flooded the market with a huge number or prints as a result of which every multiplex was playing close to 20 shows a day.
(Laughs) No one can still be always so confident around where the film would be headed for. You can flood the market with prints but eventually you just hope that people come to the party. That's a risk that you run. You promote your movie to the fullest, make it reach out to as many people as possible and still there is always a high chance that people don't come to the party! Ultimately there is just not a question of me being a star good enough to get dozens and dozens of people walking into theaters. It's an overall combination of Imtiaz, me, newer stars, music, posters - everything to gel in well in order to excite audiences.

Well, seems the combination did work eventually for Love Aaj Kal, isn't it?
If we talk about business here then I am expecting the film to do an excess of Rs. 40 crores in the first week itself just from India. Even on the conservative side, overseas should bring in Rs. 15 crores at the end of first week and we are already looking at Rs. 55 crores before the second week begins. With satellite and other rights bringing in money as well and theatrical business of next few weeks, we are comfortably looking at a Rs. 100 crore milestone for Love Aaj Kal.

Saif Ali Khan Even with such huge numbers, aren't you amused with the entire multiplex success v/s single screens talk?
Oh yes, I am amused. I am surprised that people still start talk about single screens business when the fact remains that more than 80% money comes from multiplexes today. Come on, the entire business has become much more exciting today. Gone are the days when we used to talk about occupancy percentage and all. Today even if there are 10 people in a multiplex auditorium for some particular show and there are 30 odd shows running in a day, then no one starts worrying about it. Business has increased ten fold today, what with records being broken with every biggie releasing in theaters.

Just like the Hollywood model...
Why just Hollywood? In fact in our very country if you look at film business in Andhra Pradesh, the business has been all about numbers for so long. A Chiranjeevi movie would be screened at hundreds of theaters simultaneously that would help gain instant moolah. That's the reason why he used to charge a bomb at the time when we were probably being paid in single digits (laughs). Ultimately it's about the print thing. And when we talk about Hollywood, a film like Spiderman would release on 5000 prints but there would still be ready tickets available for Monday. Understandably so because logon ko kaam par bhi toh jaana hai weekdays par! But then comes a weekend and its back to packed houses again. It's all about the numbers game and better we start adapting to it, more comfortable it would be for us to digest the new phenomenon.

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What is it about Deepika Padukone that makes one get obsessed about her? Of course she's beautiful and tall. But is there something else? Maybe it's a magical spell. We dunno. Would we have been better off not knowing she existed so she wouldn't be on our mind? Is it love? It better not be because Ranbir might just be reading this interview... Padukone is a heart-shaped beauty that sends men into fits of sputtering praise. UK's Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent Devansh Patel speaks to the 21st century's pin up girl on her Kal In-Laws, her Aaj love Ranbir, her aaj kal idea about love, her being a love guru, Saif's love tips and much more.

Producers Aaj Kal
''I think both Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan have been extremely professional. I couldn't tell for a minute that they are first time producers. They have left no stone unturned. Right from approaching me for the film to the time that we are now ready to showcase our film to the world. Today's producers are more agile and are jack of all. They are young, think new and are far more experienced in the film industry than other independent producers.''

Imtiaz Kal
''Having worked with Imtiaz Ali, I can definitely tell that the success of his earlier film Jab We Met hasn't got into him. He hasn't even realised to date how big a film Love Aaj Kal has turned out to be. That's what makes him special. The fact that Imtiaz is here to make good cinema and not be affected by the success or the failure of the film. What makes it even more special is the fact that Imtiaz had signed me for this film before Om Shanti Om had released. That brings in you a lot of confidence.''

Imtiaz Aaj
''I would call him a new age director. But he does have sensibilities as an Indian and what the Indian cinema is really about. He has a good balance of both.''

The film
''The film is what the title is. Love was the same twenty years back or today. It has never changed. For different people, it might be different things. What's good about this film is that every generation will relate to this film. Like I said, love is a universal language. Everyone experience it at some point in their life. That's the USP of the film. I'm sure people are going to use the same lines that Saif and I have used in Love Aaj Kal. It'll be a trendsetter.''

London shoot
''Yes, we have shot the film in London and on the outskirts of London. The beauty in the way the cameraman has shot London is very unusual. You do not see the Big Ben, the Leicester Square, Oxford Street, Madame Tussauds or Millenium Dome. It's very real. We've shot some scenes in a coffee shop which went really candid. It's time the technicians experiment and as I said, the producer too brings in their new inputs.''

Deepika Padukone London Aaj
''It was a great experience shooting in London this time around. Whenever anyone says that we are shooting in London, I get really excited because you shoot for so many months out there and it instantly feels like it's your city. It has changed off late it seems. I guess the way we've shot the film that's why. But today's London is all about youth. All about new life. I'm shooting my next film in London titled Housefull with Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal and Riteish Deshmukh.''

Saif Ali Khan Aaj
''He is one of the most talented actors our film industry has. He is also someone who has brought in a different kind of actor after Dil Chahta Hai. Apart from that, Dil Chahta Hai was the first of its kind of new cinema to venture out of the traditional commercial films being churned out. Saif Ali Khan has also improved his dancing skills (laughs) off late. There isn't any other change except that he has grown a beard and plays a sardar.''

Deepika's Love Aaj:
''I believe in being loved and be in love and be in a beautiful relationship. I've seen my parents in a lovely twenty five years of their marriage and happy together. That's what I've seen all my life. Both together always. I am like that and so is Ranbir. Nothing has changed between me and Ranbir. We've spent a lot of time together and in return we've known each other better. I am comfortable with Ranbir today.''

In-Laws Kal
''It was a true pleasure working with Rishiji and Neetuji. It's an honour to be working with both of them because they are such senior actors and talented. It's too early to tell whether they'll be my In-Laws. But his passion and dedication towards what he does is impeccable. He is an enthusiast.''

Love Guru
''I don't know whether I'll be a love guru to anyone (laughs). But everyone likes to give their inputs on love to someone else. You are your best judge and you'll know who is the best for you.''

Upset Pack Up
''The last day of the shoot and the day of pack up had arrived. I was really upset and never wanted this journey to end. I would like to believe that before the film hits the big screens, the journey never ends. We are promoting the film till its last day and that's not the end. The day my film will release, I'll be happy and upset that it's all over now. The memorable journey has come to an end.''

Love tips from Saif
''This man is loaded with love tips. He will give you lots of things to take home at the end of the day. We did chat about 'Love' in general, his love for Kareena and so on. He is very intelligent when it comes to love. He has a lot of knowledge otherwise besides love.''

Love tips to Ranbir
''You are the last person I'll tell (laughs).''

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Mumbai, July 29 (IANS) On his 50th birthday Wednesday, Bollywood's troubled star Sanjay Dutt says his only wish is to leave his chequered past behind and move ahead as a free man.

"In the last 18 years, I've been fighting for my freedom and I feel the burden of the struggle now. I want to be free," Sanjay told IANS from Cape Town, South Africa.

"I want to walk into any consulate and get my visa. I want my passport to be with me. I want to visit any country I want. Most important of all I want the court cases to end," added the actor who battled with drug addiction and was also convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts under the arms act.

He says now he wishes for his "freedom".

"Can you gift me my freedom for my birthday? Otherwise the biggest gift god has given me is my wife Manyata. I'm very lucky to have her by my side," said the actor who is currently in Cape Town shooting "No Problem"

Friends from different parts of the world have flown in to celebrate the day and Sanjay says he also wanted his sisters - Namrata and Priya - to join him on this special day in his life.

"I've invited them. The day I turn 50 is important for me. And I'd like my family to be near me. I wish they could be here. No matter what misunderstandings we had, I'd like to wash them away on my 50th birthday."

Excerpts from an interview:

Q: In Mumbai, the buzz is that your friends and family are flying in for your birthday?

A: I don't want any celebrations until Amar Singhji (Samajwadi Party general secretary) recovers. Once he returns to Delhi, I'll have a birthday celebration with him. But I heard from the grapevine here that the unit of "No Problem" are planning a small get-together for my birthday. But when I asked them they said, no party. But my friends are flying down.

Q: Who are they?

A: Paresh from Chicago. I've known him for the last 25 years. We've grown up together. Then there's Mac from Los Angeles, another old and dear friend. Imran Ismail, who's here in South Africa. These are my three best friends who will be here on my birthday.

Q: And from Mumbai?

A: Well I heard Bunty Walia is coming. Everything he does is announced on Facebook. So he has announced he's coming for my birthday.

Q: Have you invited your sisters?

A: Yes, I have. I've invited them. The day I turn 50 is important for me. And I'd like my family to be near me. That's the way my parents would've wanted it. I wish they could be here, but they're busy with their own lives. No matter what misunderstandings we had, I'd like to wash them away on my 50th birthday. It's sad they can't be here. But I'm sure they've more important things to do.

Q: Tell me about your most memorable birthday?

A: They've all been memorable in their own way, even the ones that came in my worst days. I don't like a big birthday bash. I just want my near ones on my birthday. It's tough to remember my past. But I want to move on.

Q: It's very difficult to imagine Sanju Baba being 50.

A: At heart I'm still Baba. But when I look into the mirror, it's a reality. And I do feel 50, but not old. I've been in the film industry for so long. Yes, it's been a long innings. In the last 18 years, I've been fighting for my freedom and I feel the burden of the struggle now. I want to be free, Subhash.

I want to walk into any consulate and get my visa. I want my passport to be with me. I want to visit any country I want. Most important of all, I want the court cases to end.

Q: So your mentor is recovering?

A: He is not my mentor. He is my brother and family. Amar Singhji stands by his friends and we've to stand by our friends. As soon as I get my visa, I'll fly down from here (in Cape Town) to Singapore to spend a couple of days with him.

Q: So this friendship will last?

A: I've been betrayed by so-called friends many times. But this time I feel I've found a true friend. I've known him for 16 years. He has always stood by me, always been there in the worst situations in my life.

Q: Your one birthday wish?

A: Freedom. Can you gift me my freedom for my birthday? Otherwise the biggest gift god has given me is my wife Manyata. She has stood by me and supported me unconditionally. I'm very lucky to have her by side.

Q: What about a baby?

A: If that happens my happiness would be complete.

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