Imran upbeat about future
India slowly getting animated
ACTOR Imran Khan, one of the voices in the animation film Rio, says southern matinee idol Rajinikanth’s Kochadiyaan marks a big leap for animated movies.
For the Hindi version, Bollywood stars Sonakshi Sinha and Khan provided the voices for the main characters, Jewel and Blu, respectively.
“The fact that a star as big as Rajini sir has taken part in this [animation] process is obviously a big step forward. That is the kind of thing that will encourage other people also. If he can do it, we can also do it,” said Khan, 31.
The Indian animation industry is still struggling to find a firm foothold.
Talking about this, Khan said: “If you look back, 10 years ago even in Hollywood it wasn’t a big thing. In the last 10 to 12 years, it has started growing in Hollywood and became part of the mainstream, so we have to give it a little bit of time.
“Talent is there in India. Most Hollywood films’ graphics are being done in India. I am talking about films like Batman and
Superman. So the talent is here, but the budgets are not there,” added the star of
Jaane Tu . . . Ya Jaane Na.
Praise for ‘2 States’
“2 States — Alia is fantastic in a startlingly different role. But it is Arjun who stole my heart and made me weep. He is a star! It’s a winner,“posted Mahesh on Twitter this week.
The film, based on Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller of the same name, revolves around a Punjabi boy who falls in love with a Tamil girl. The regional and cultural clash that this leads to forms the basis for this intriguing story.
Pyramids, here we come
Veteran actress and social activist Shabana Azmi has packed her bags for some “serious sightseeing” in Egypt, where she will be accompanied by her husband, veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar.
“Javed and I off to Luxor after spending three glorious days in Cairo. It’s the first time we are doing some serious sightseeing. Feel like tourists,” tweeted Azmi, 63, this week.
The couple are in Egypt for “India by the Nile”, a celebration of all things Indian.
A kiss to remember — or forget?
She is playing a wild character in Revolver
Rani and true to her role Kangana Ranaut got aggressive while locking lips with her costar, Vir Das, for a scene in the movie, said a source.
Apparently, the actress kissed him so wildly that his lips began to bleed.
“In one scene, Kangana is arrested and is on her way to jail. She asks for some time to attend to an urgent matter and drags Vir Das to a room and kisses him so wildly that his lips start bleeding,” said the source.
Set for an April 25 release, the film will present Ranaut as an extremely dominating and aggressive woman, in contrast to her role in her latest hit, Queen.
Leading ladies sought for sequel
After much speculation, producer Boney Kapoor has confirmed that shooting for the sequel of the super-hit No Entry will commence in January 2015.
No Entry, a Hindi comedy, was one of the biggest hits in Bollywood when it was released in 2005. The original cast of Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor and Fardeen will retain their roles alongside Esha Deol, Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitley. The curvaceous beauty Bipasha Basu will also return for a key role. According to the producer, the search is also on for seven new leading ladies and there are rumours that the lead actors will feature in triple roles. —