How to Make a Star-Spangled Show

What do you do when you have some of the most promising, popular young stars on your roster? You put together a killer show with the whole lot of them and set off for a string of live performances, that’s what you do! Reshma Shetty, founder of Matrix, one of the top talent management agencies in Bollywood (she’s also the architect of Salman Khan’s Being Human initiative), has reportedly collaborated with a promoter of live events in the US to put together a series of musical concerts featuring her enviable client list—Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra (loaned from YRF talent), and also Karan Johar who will emcee.

Unlike the big ‘tours’ that routinely feature A-listers like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and the Bachchans, this one will be a relatively modest affair for which the promoters have booked smaller venues—no 50,000-seater stadiums for these young ‘uns. The idea, apparently, is to have sell-out shows in six to eight US cities. It’ll be a big test of their overseas popularity when tickets go on sale for fans who will be expected to shell out upwards of $300 to catch their favourite heartthrobs in the flesh on a stage in their neighborhood.

Hrithik Runout?

Even as details of Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut’s continuing face-off spill into the papers every morning, there’s news coming in that the Bang Bang! star is unable to focus on his work as this controversy rages on. According to sources close to the actor, he recently postponed the start date of his next film Kaabil from 4 April to 4 May 4. Normally a delay of this nature would not go down well with filmmakers, but the movie is a home production, so papa Rakesh Roshan will likely bear the financial implications. Rumblings have also been felt in director Sanjay Gupta’s office, who must pacify the disgruntled crew and supporting cast who now have to rework their respective schedules. TV actor Ronit Roy, a close friend of Gupta who will play a key role in the film, is said to be particularly upset about the change in schedule. Roy, who is one of television’s highest paid stars, now has a one-month hole in his date diary which translates into a loss of several lakhs of rupees. According to insiders, Gupta is holding on to him with the skin of his teeth.

Starting June, Hrithik is expected to begin promoting Ashutosh Gowariker’s Mohenjo Daro, which is slated for release in August. The film’s producers are hoping his ongoing legal battle is resolved before that so he can commit his full attention to Gowariker’s ambitious period love story. But given that neither Hrithik nor Kangana is in any mood to back off and give up without a good fight, it could be a long time before the matter is truly dead and buried.

Rejection May Not Be Such a Bad Thing

Rejection can be a bitter pill to swallow, as the partner of this promising up-and-comer learnt recently. Her actor boyfriend called off their relationship after their umpteenth fight a few weeks ago, but she’s convinced he’ll be back when better sense prevails. Their common friends have reportedly been trying to drill sense into her, insisting that he’s moved on permanently, but she’s having a hard time coming to terms with it. The actor routinely complained that he was finding it “claustrophobic” to be stuck in a relationship where he isn’t trusted—he has said she used to insist he chat with her on FaceTime so she could be convinced he was on set, and not hanging out with other women—but those who’ve known him closely say her suspicions were not unjustified. Under the guise of being a committed boyfriend, he slyly played the field with every opportunity he got. His modus operandi involves hitting local nightclubs and watering

holes when he’s away from Mumbai. A wingman is entrusted the responsibility of directing pretty young things his way. It’s a plan that seldom fails, say insiders.

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Rajeev Masand

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