Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Bill Clinton calls up Big B

Former US president Bill Clinton has been trying to convince Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan to attend the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting to be held in Hong Kong next month.


"Bill Clinton writes in to ask me to join their global conference for the betterment of the world in Hong Kong," Amitabh posted in one of his recent blog entries.

The latest update on the same from Amitabh has been that Clinton called him up "to request" him to come for the event. The veteran actor has mentioned about the CGI more than once on his blog.

In one of the posts, he wrote: "I need to prepare also for the CGI - Clinton Global Initiative. Global warming, solar energy, lighting villages ."

The CGI was established in 2005 by Clinton to bring together global leaders from various backgrounds to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.


You seem to have gone into hiding?
Why do you say that? I've been written about the professional and personal aspects of my life. I'm doing cameos in Karz and Heroes and I want to be written about that. But alas the press finds other things in my life more interesting.

You mean your friendship with Lara Dutta?
Yeah that too. I wish the media would write about how excited I am about working with an enrirely new team in Heroes. Mithunda plays my father. As for Karz, it's a guest appearance. My role lasts for four minutes. And I'm doing it for the producers T Series. They've promised me lengthier roles in future.

Hah, promises. Remember how you were cheated in Aap Ki Khatir?
Yeah. That was a good role to begin with. But in the publicity they short-changed me. That wasn't in good taste. I'm happy with Karz. I'm now turning producer and I'd like my relationship with T Series to go further. We're in talks for more films and production tie-ups. Then we'll announce the cast. My director Pravesh Kumar has a wish list of actors.

And your brothers?
My elder brother Niki is running the cafes the Crepe Station chain. He isn't into movies at all. But my younger brother Santino is assisting Karan Johar on his next I Am Khan. He wanted to act.

But now he enjoys being behind the camera. Then Santino will join my production house.All three brothers live together in my house. And since none of is married it's like a bachelors's bad.

What happens when Lara Dutt comes home?
Sorry?

Doesn't Lara visit you?
She is a dear friend and she does come home. All my friends are allowed to come home, and that includes you.

How special is Lara?
She's very special.

More special than your other female friends?
Ha ha. Stop comparing women. That's bad manners. Behave yourself.

You're known to be quite a womanizer. Suddenly we see you in only one woman's company?
Womanizer? That's completely untrue. I'm just very friendly by nature. And even when I'm having lunch with a friend it's misconstrued as a romantic liaison. As for being seen with Lara, she's great company. I enjoy being with her We do go out together.

Lara and you make a great pair. When do we see you together on screen?
I don't deny we make a good pair together. It's up to producers and directors to cast us together.

Will she be in your first production?
It's entirely up to my director. But yes Lara is in my wish list. I am right now working on my career. I know I'm stepping into a new phase. I'm being very careful about the work I choose. I haven't accepted a script in the last year-and-a-half.

I wanted to be sure about the script and banner. I'm very excited about Sanjay Gupta's Acid Factory. It was really fun shooting with Manoj Bajpai, Danny Denzongpa, Aftab Shivdasani and Fardeen Khan. We had a blast. I might be doing another film with him.

A tiny, tacky-looking book of quotable quotes reads, 'A brother shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams.'


And in the movies, more often than not, share the same object of affection too.

Be it Hollywood's Sabrina, which had two brothers -- a somber Humphrey Bogart and flirtatious William Holden vying for the lovely Audrey Hepburn's attention or the soon-to-release Sorry Bhai where Sharman Joshi develops a huge crush on his bade bhaiya Sanjay Suri's fiancee, Chitrangda Singh.

Eventually, one gets the girl while the other nurses his broken heart and walks with all the audience sympathy.

Let's take a look at Bollywood's other reel-time siblings who've committed similar folly.

Shahrukh Khan is learnt to be getting ready for his role in Karan Johar’s directorial venture My Name Is Khan .

Finally, time has come for Johar’s much talked-about movie to go on the floors. The film was originally supposed to be shot in the middle of 2008, but Karan Johar postponed the shooting after good friend Aditya Chopra asked him to spare SRK’s dates for his film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi instead.

Now, ‘My Name Is Khan’ is ready to roll in the middle of December and the cast and crew will reportedly fly to Los Angeles since the story is set there.

The movie will have SRK sporting three different looks, one of which would be a crew cut. Hairdresser Dilshad has already given SRK a short cut. He will reportedly trim the superstar’s hair further after few days of shooting.

This is perhaps the first time SRK is sporting such short hair in a Bollywood film. His hairdo used to be bristled when he joined the film industry, but intensive care and continuous gelling made SRK’s hair soft and fluffy. He had even been sporting a pony tail till recently.

‘My Name Is Khan’ has SRK playing a man who suffers from milder form of autism. The film is partly based on the true story of a couple in the US.

The movie has SRK pairing with Kajol after a very long time.