Pakistan Information & News

Lara Dutta

MUMBAI: Akshay Latest ‘Jumbo’ size ‘Kinng’ avatar has brought him applause from far and wide and it’s not only Akshay’s fans who are hailing the new ‘Emperor of Bollywood’ but also the beautiful ladies of Bollywood who are vying for his attention. And the latest B-town lass who is going gaga over this Punjabi munda is the sultry Lara Dutta.

In an industry, where actors are busy poking fun at one another; taking potshots in their attempt to cut through razor sharp competition, Lara Dutta is much too generous with her praises about Akki.

Speaking to a media, the bodylicious diva said, ‘Akshay’s story is very inspirational. He did not have anyone who could introduce him to the people in the industry. But he had the zeal to succeed and that is what has made him what he is today. Yet, his feet are completely grounded and he hasn’t changed a bit.”

Recognizing him as his mentor, Lara confessed to trust Akki with matters both personal and professional. But besides his obvious fame we wonder what’s making the lady go all praises for Akki?

But as much as we would like to believe that, it’s Akki superstardom that got Lara weak in the knees, the fact remains that the two hotties have been great buddies for long. And besides sharing a good work rapport, their personal equation is strong too.

Speaking about her source of admiration for Akki, Lara said, “I have enormous respect for Akshay, not because I have worked with him in many projects and he is a thorough professional, but also for the fact that he is a self-made man who has toiled hard to climb the ladder of success in Bollywood. He has a wealth of experience and I do fall back upon him for advice and guidance”.

Katrina Kaif

In case you didn’t know Katrina Kaif is very accident prone.

A month ago Ranbir Kapoor missed his cue and slapped Katrina Kaif so hard on the sets of Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani, her face ballooned and shooting had to be cancelled.

Last week Katrina got her leg rather badly injured at Film City in Mumbai while shooting for Priyadarshan’s Dhan Dhana Dhan.

According to members of the cast, Katrina was doing an underwater sequence with Akshay Kumar when her foot got tangled under water.

Says a source, “The more she tried to extricate herself the more her leg got tangled. She tried to scream for help. But because of the noise on the sets including the stunt co-ordinators who were shouting instructions to the entire cast, no one heard Katrina’s screams of pain.”

Finally it was up to the film’s leading man Akshay Kumar to do the needful.

Says the source, “Akshay saw Katrina was in trouble. He quickly swam to her and got her out of the tangle.”

Katrina leg was bruised and bloodied. Panic prevailed on Priyan’s sets for a while until medicos arrived and took care of Katrina’s wounded leg.

“It could’ve been worse, ” shudders the source, “But tetanus shots and sedatives have eased her pain.” When contacted Katrina tries to downplay the incident. “It was nothing. I hurt my leg. Nothing serious at all. There was a cut that hasn’t healed as yet. So I’m in a lot of pain.”

Akshay and Kareena Kapoor

Akshay Kumar ruled the B.O. last year (2007) with several back to back hits. This year, while his film Tashan, sank without a trace, Singh Is Kinng emerged as one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, thereby pronouncing him as the ‘Kinng’ of the Box-Office.

Now next year, Akki fans would get to see him in Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakht Ishq, which many insiders believe would be the biggest film of 2009. The film has been slated to release on May 29, 2009. Kambakht Ishq has been in the news for a while now, especially because of the pairing of Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. Among the highlights of the film is the presence of Hollywood heavyweights such as Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards.

The film directed by debutante director Sabir Khan has been shot at some extravagant locations across Europe and the buzz among the industry experts and the aam janta towards the film has been quite phenomenal. Now with Kambakht Ishq been scheduled to release on May 29, expect things to get all the more hotter next summer.

Katrina Kaif

In case you didn’t know, Katrina Kaif is very accident prone. A month ago, Ranbir Kapoor missed his cue and slapped Katrina Kaif so hard on the sets of Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani, her face ballooned and shooting had to be cancelled.

Last week, Katrina got her leg rather badly injured at Film City in Mumbai while shooting for Priyadarshan’s De Dhana Dhan.

According to members of the cast, Katrina was doing an underwater sequence with Akshay Kumar when her foot got tangled under water.

Says a source, “The more she tried to extricate herself, the more her leg got tangled. She tried to scream for help. But because of the noise on the sets including that of the stunt co-ordinators who were shouting instructions to the entire cast, no one heard Katrina’s screams of pain.”

Finally it was up to the film’s leading man Akshay Kumar to do the needful. Says the source, “Akshay saw Katrina was in trouble. He quickly swam to her and got her out of the tangle.”

Katrina’s leg was bruised and bloodied. Panic prevailed on Priyan’s sets for a while until medicos arrived and took care of Katrina’s wounded leg. “It could’ve been worse,” shudders the source, “But tetanus shots and sedatives have eased her pain.”

When contacted, Katrina tried to downplay the incident. “It was nothing. I hurt my leg. Nothing serious at all. There was a cut that hasn’t healed as yet. So I’m in a lot of pain.”

Deepika Padukone

People are seriously waiting for the forthcoming film ‘Chandni Chowk to China’. Deepika Padukone is looking Chinki in her upcoming film ‘Chandni Chowk to China’. She is working with Akshay Kumar in this film. If reports are to be believed, she is playing a double role in the film and she confirms the news and says it is not a publicity gimmick.

Deepika Padukone states, “It’s actually a double role and no publicity gimmick. I play two different characters in Chandni Chowk to China, one is an Indian called Sukhi, and the other is a Chinese girl, Meow Meow. The Chinese character is a pro at martial arts for which I had to do strict training for four months training before the movie started.”

There were rumors that Deepika had used tapes to make her wide eyes look like Chinese eyes, however Deepika confirms, “We had thought of that initially but it was not a good idea to use tapes. My makeup artist came up with a simpler solution and used the eyeliner in such a way that it gave my eyes the Chinese look.”

Akshay Kumar

Apart from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Ghajini, if there is one film which is trying to grab attention, it is Akshay Kumar’s Jumbo where the superstar has not just lent his voice for the central character of an elephant but also shot for an exclusive music video - ‘Everything Is Gonna Be Alright‘. While Percept Picture Company has proudly flashed their association with Akshay Kumar for the film and there have been (reported) talks about him being paid Rs. 9 crores to come behind the mike, the production house has chosen to keep the film’s origin as a closely held secret.

Well, the secret which has been unveiled now throws quite some surprise as it is revealed that the animation film Jumbo is neither an Indian product nor has it been made in collaboration with an International animation house. Instead, Percept Picture Company has claimed the rights of a Thai film that goes by the name of Khan Kluay.

Khan Kluay, which was released in 2006, is a Thai computer-animated feature film and is about a baby elephant named Khan Kluay who wanders away from his mother and eventually becomes the war elephant (for whom Akshay Kumar has given the voiceover).

The film has been directed by Kompin Kemgumnird, an animator who has worked on the Disney features such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire & Tarzan and also Blue Sky Studios’ Ice Age. The film was in the making for three years and cost 150 million baht (about $3.9 million USD). When released in 2006, the film was the highest grossing Thai film in 2006 with an approximate box-office receipt of 91 million baht. The film has already been released on DVD in the United States with its title as The Blue Elephant. The movie has won numerous awards ever since its release and now looks at making an impression at Indian theaters with Akshay Kumar endorsing its case.

Amir Khan Ghajini

Percept Picture Company’s animation caper Jumbo, might be a film under children’s content category, but it aims to give tough competition to Aamir Khan’s much-awaited film Ghajini, releasing on the same date.

“We have purposely pitched Jumbo against Ghajini because we feel that our film has the ability to stand against a big commercial film,” said Shailendra M. Singh, managing director of Percept Picture Company.

“This film is a pure Bollywood potboiler just like a Manmohan Desai movie. The film is entirely around relationships and emotions,” he said.

Jumbo that is scheduled to release on Dec 25 is an animation film where the protagonist, an elephant, sets out in search of his parents.

Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Dimple Kapadia, Rajpal Yadav, Gulshan Grover and Asrani are some of the voices behind the animated characters.

Singh explained that even though it was a task making Akshay dub for the title lead character, especially after a hit like Singh Is Kinng, the actor was always the original choice for the voice over.

Although the recent time has seen a spurt in animation flicks like Hanuman, Bal Ganesha and Roadside Romeo among others, Singh maintains that children’s content is not considered a priority in India.

“Children’s content is not a priority in our country. However, we want to change this scenario. In my view Jumbo is not just an animation film, which deserves to be only in the children film category. I want it to be in the general film category, viewed by people of all ages,” said Singh, who has plans to rope in cricketer Yuvraj Singh as the Punjabi voice of Jumbo.

The film, which is dedicated by Akshay to his six-year-old son Aarav will have a special screening at his place before it formerly hits the screens