Saif, Shahid refuse to do Bharadwaj’s Dreams

Saif, Shahid refuse to do Bharadwaj’s Dreams

MUMBAI: Bollywood handsome hunks Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan who fell in love with a same girl, Kareena once again show a same view regarding a project. Both the actors have refused to work in filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj’s remake of Hollywood blockbuster ‘Inception’.




Now the matter to think about is that when Vishal is an ace director then why the leading duo has said a Big NO to this offer?



Well, Shahid was Vishal’s first choice for the role who declined the offer with a reason that he wished to work with the filmmaker in ‘Kaminey 2’. Then came a turn to approach Saif who said no to the director after he refused to make the requested changes in the script.



The source reveals, “Bhardwaj is a director who sticks to his script and vision. Often, many actors are apprehensive and nervous before signing up for a character in Bhardwaj’s films.



Both Saif and Shahid took a long time to say ‘yes’ to Bhardwaj for ‘Omkara’ as well as ‘Kaminey’. This time too, the role is very challenging but fruitful.”



Talking about the film, it added, ‘Dreams’ is a story, which is narrated in a dream. Though the plot resembles a bit with the recent Hollywood blockbuster Inception, Bhardwaj was ready with the script of Dreams much before Inception released.”

A bright new start

A bright new start
SUNDAY FUN: A relaxed time with the family helps recharge you for the week ahead Photo:Sushil Kumar Verma

It's Monday morning, and you feel like you've been tossed around by a series of unfriendly waves. A steep mountain of work looms ahead, and you're trying to drag a reluctant self out of bed. The weekend trip was too short, and the Sunday party went on for too long. Your head aches, the muscles are on strike… It's the familiar attack of the dreaded Monday Morning Blues (MMB), “a case of the Mondays” as Office Spaces tells you.




If it's any consolation, count yourself as one-in-millions of weekly sufferers. As Ram, a business consultant, says of Monday mornings: “Work kills all on Monday mornings. It could be the sleepy-n-lazy Sunday bout. I face it with reluctance, procrastination, and play the blame game. But, I just can't beat it, my friend.”



MMB is as real as jetlag, but “it's not an illness”, consoles psychiatrist Mohan Raj. “It's a condition characterised by a low desire to return to the ‘grind'. If you enjoy your work, you'll enjoy the break as well as getting back to work. So, look for the larger issue. Why do you feel blue every Monday morning?



Is it sleep deficit? Problems at work? The wrong job? Or, a bad boss turning every week into five miserable days? “For a lot of IT professionals, it is unreasonable deadlines and chasing impossible targets,” the psychiatrist says, adding: “They sleep all weekend, have no outdoor activity, and do nothing they find enjoyable. MMB is a natural by-product.”



It's like having a cold. Mention MMB, and everyone around turns into an instant MBBS. Treatment tips waver from the flippant “Sleep an extra hour” to a serious discussion on setting the body clock right. Still, these bullet-point dos may help.



Get a grip



Take action to beat MMB. Before locking up for the weekend, clear files on the table and in-box, and write Monday's to-do list. On Sunday night, wash your hair, lay out your dress and pack your briefcase. You'll get 15 extra minutes of sleep. When the alarm goes off, leap out, don't linger between the sheets. Stand in bright sunlight and watch your grogginess disappear.



Start a morning exercise routine — yoga, aerobics, jogging or swimming. Your body will get the message: it's time for work. Reinforce it with a shot of strong coffee.



Switch on the metallic music you dig. End the shower with a jet of cold water; it's sure to get your blood pumping. All or some of it might make you Monday-worthy.



Or, pick something interesting to do on Monday mornings. “My antidote for MMB is the five-minute book read and blogpost on Dearreader.com,” says Amisha, a 12-hour-days techie. “The funny posts Suzanne writes is guaranteed to perk you up.”



Others start planning weekend gigs, read inspirational stuff or log onto icanhascheezburger.com for pictures uploaded over the weekend. You could call colleagues for a “connect” exercise, or friends to complain. Ranting is a great way to ward off the blues.



Should you have meetings the first thing on Mondays? Says leadership coach Nagesh Belludi: “Take a mini-break midweek. Take time off on Wednesday afternoons. Leave early and do something out of your routine and relax.”



And if the condition persists, maybe it is depression, and you need medical help.



“Sit back and view life from a fresh perspective,” suggests Dr. Mohan Raj. “MMB could be the harbinger of a bigger problem. If you're unhappy with what you do, it's time for change. Quit and do a course. Do what you always wanted to.”

New York fashion week

New York fashion week

12.45pm EST: Today is the day of Lady Gaga-related news. Then again, aren't most days? Anyway, the latest story is that she is releasing her own perfume. Or putting her name to it, anyway. Quite what a perfume inspired by Lady Gaga will smell like is anyone's guess. Base notes of bacon, top notes of yesterday's latex headwear and a distinct whiff of the 80s. Back at fashion week, I'm now blogging from the Green Shows venue (well, the cafe next door). Auralis Herrero is on the catwalk at 1pm EST - her inspiration is apparently Urban Tropical so I'm hoping for sand, sea and colour. A margarita wouldn't go amiss, either.




12pm EST: One emerging trend that's not going to make many people happy is see through. Sheer layers at Tom Ford, Rag & Bone, Jason Wu and Jenny Packham to name a few. What's on the catwalk is often a dramatic version of what hits the stores, so we can but hope there's some underlayers inserted at some point along the line. A nice thermal under vest, perhaps, because that won't ruin the look at all, no?



11.30am EST: Interesting news this morning that Nicola Formichetti has been confirmed as new creative director at Mugler. Formichetti wears many, very stylish, hats but the one he's most notable (notorious, perhaps) for is stylist to Lady Gaga. So quite what we'll see next season on the Mugler catwalk is anyone's guess. Giant telephone dresses? Couture gowns made entirely from proscuitto? Kermit-encrusted trousers? Though if there's one thing Lady Gaga wouldn't wear, it's trousers ...



11am EST: Looking back to yesterday's shows, the British press have, of course, gone to town on Victoria Beckham - ourselves included, I hasten to add - but interestingly the reaction in the US press is notable for its absence. The New York Times hasn't reviewed the collection at all, though they did run this feature a week or so ago - with the great headline, "Victoria Beckham: Is she for real?". It also revealed to me the shocking news that she has music lessons for her career in the Spice Girls. I really, really hope she got a refund.

Olivia Newton John in talks to star in Bollywood film

Olivia Newton John in talks to star in Bollywood film

TORONTO: Olivia Newton John is in talks to do a Bollywood film, she said Friday after her latest movie opened the Toronto film festival.




"I have a Bollywood-kind-of-film that is being talked about right now, but nothing concrete," the Australian actress and singer said.



Newton John has rarely appeared in film since her blockbuster roles in "Grease" (1978) opposite John Travolta and "Xanadu" (1980), as well as "Two of a Kind" (1983).



She landed supporting roles in "It's My Party" (1996) and "Sordid Lives" (2000), but her career has otherwise been focused on bit television parts, including Fox Television's runaway hit "Glee," and recording music, which earned her four Grammy awards.



Her newest album is due out on September 22.



In Canadian director Michael McGowan's "Score: A Hockey Musical," which opened the Toronto film festival on Thursday, Newton John plays the organic-loving New Age mother of a young hockey phenom, opposite Canadian singer-songwriter Marc Jordan as the father.



Jordan, whose wife Amy Sky produced Newton John's last album, took credit for luring her back to the silver screen.



"I used my wife to lure Olivia," Jordan said. "I was so terrified when I got the part and I confided in my wife and she said I wonder if our pal Olivia would play (opposite me), and she agreed."



Newton John said Sky "called me and said Marc was doing this musical and there was a part for his wife and would I be interested in reading for it."



The pretext for the film sounded "really fun," Newton John said. Sky sent her the script and a few of the songs and Newton John immediately agreed to join the cast, she said.



"I love to do fun things and it seemed like a fun project and who knew we'd end up opening the Toronto film festival," she said.

Kollywood calling

Kollywood calling
SWEET SUCCESS: Fox got off to a good start in India with "My Name is Khan".

Having gotten off to a flying start distributing International films (“Slumdog Millionaire” and “Avatar”) within its first two years here in India and finding a foothold in the Hindi film business (“My Name is Khan” and “Quick Gun Murugan”) during the last year, Fox Star Studios has recently tied up with A.R. Murugadoss for producing two Tamil films.




Sanford Panitch, President of Fox International Productions, and Vijay Singh, CEO of Fox Star Studios, were in town for the announcement. Before they rushed to catch a screening of “Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya” in connection with the Hindi remake of the film, we caught up with the top bosses to quiz them on their strategy and challenges.



“Now that we have got our markers in place for Hollywood and Bollywood, we thought it was time for our foray into Tamil with this two-film tie-up with Murugadoss,” says Vijay Singh. “Even in Bollywood, we are not trying to do 35 films at a time... we want to do five to six films. The idea is to work with the best talent.”



Does the studio feel the need to relax norms, and be flexible with the relatively unorganised nature of film production in India? “Certainly, there's some need for adaptability when you are trying to make local language films anywhere in the world,” admits Sanford Panitch. “But, we have the benefit of having the infrastructure already in place with STAR.”



Acknowledging the ground realities in film distribution, Singh notes: “It's about adapting and trying to understand each market reality, and then trying to develop a business model appropriate for that market.”



“The markets are changing as well,” Panitch quickly adds. “There are filmmakers who want to follow the Hollywood norms in making films, whether it is working with a script, or as Aamir Khan has been doing, not taking on multiple films. Or doing test screenings.”



It may be less organised here, but the basic principles in filmmaking don't change, observes Singh. “Recognising some of the challenges, we are taking our time to make sure we get a script we are happy with, and ensuring we are working with budgets that are workable.” As Panitch explains, “We do what's best for each particular film. Sometimes, if we get a big movie star, then there are certain things you have to bite off on.”