A Blessing in Disguise

A Blessing in Disguise • Playing It Saif • From Pillar to Post

Nargis Fakhri, the stunning model best known for appearing in the Platinum Guild campaign, has already been romantically linked to her Rockstar co-star Ranbir Kapoor. Rumours suggesting ‘closeness’ between the two began shortly after director Imtiaz Ali returned from an outdoor shooting schedule of the film in Prague a few months ago.

Imtiaz, who was clear he wanted a fresh face for his female lead opposite Ranbir in Rockstar, reportedly scoured dozens of casting agencies and model management firms before making his choice. But the grapevine has it that Fakhri, the half-Czech-half-Pakistani head-turner, wasn’t his first choice. Allegedly, Imtiaz had zeroed in on Mumbai-born model Diana Penty who had been all but signed for the film. Until Imtiaz happened to come across Nargis, and ultimately chose her instead, barely weeks before going into production.

A hurt and disappointed Diana continued with her modelling assignments, which included campaigns for Garnier Fructise, Maybelline (in which she replaced Deepika Padukone) and Virgin Mobile (in which she was paired opposite Ranbir, incidentally).

Guilty about replacing her at the eleventh hour, Imtiaz is believed to have strongly recommended her to Saif Ali Khan, his Love Aaj Kal star and producer, whose next film he is writing but not directing.

Impressed with Diana’s looks and encouraged by the thumbs-up she had from Imtiaz, Saif called her in for a screen-test. She’s now been signed to star in Saif’s next home production, a romantic comedy written by Imtiaz and to be helmed by the actor’s Being Cyrus director Homi Adajania. Diana will reportedly be the third angle in a love-triangle that also stars Saif Ali Khan himself and Deepika Padukone.

Prateik Babbar, son of Smita Patil and Raj Babbar, has been anointed the Next Big Thing in Bollywood. The 24-year-old star of Dhobi Ghat will go up against fellow young ‘uns Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan for all the romantic comedies currently being written for the teenybopper audience. But Prateik has been saying he’s looking for more. He’s completed My Friend Pinto produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and begins filming Prakash Jha’s Arakshan next in Bhopal, where he’s excited about spending time with co-star Saif Ali Khan.

A fan of Saif since his school years when he first watched Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Prateik befriended the Chhote Nawab recently when he bumped into him at their common gym. Saif happily offered words of wisdom to the young actor:  “Stay relaxed, don’t stress. Listen to yourself over others.” Keen on charting a career similar to Saif’s, Prateik seems to be seeking out films that are likely to appeal to an audience with an urban sensibility. Like Saif, he also wants to grow into something of a musician someday. While Saif is a trained guitar player who jams with professional bands like Parikrama occasionally, Prateik is still learning how to strum.

On Sunday, at a charity fashion show organised by Shabana Azmi, Prateik allegedly snubbed Karan Johar who complimented him on his performance in Dhobi Ghat. Fifteen minutes later, he bumped into the director again, and asked him what he thought of his work in the film. Bewildered, the filmmaker is believed to have reminded him that he’d praised him only minutes ago. A spaced-out Prateik muttered an “Oh…ummm…okay,” before taking off in the opposite direction, leaving Johar confused again.

Perhaps Saif can teach him better manners too!

A prominent film studio which has reportedly lost close to Rs 70 crore recently on two mega-budget flops by major directors has decided to tighten its purse strings. The first casualty could be a 3D sci-fi entertainer starring a Khiladi star that was initially allocated a budget of Rs 60 crore.

Rumour has it that the studio has asked the producer-director to bring the film in for Rs 40 crore, and if that can’t be done, they’ve given him the green signal to take it elsewhere. The filmmaker, who was a scriptwriter on one of the two duds this studio recently delivered, is panicking about the budget cuts. With a star unwilling to reduce his fee, and a special effects budget that is hard to compromise on, there seems little scope to cut costs.

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Rajeev Masand

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