Clash of the Box Office Titans

Sanjay Leela Bhansali doesn’t like to be challenged. The filmmaker is refusing to budge from the 25 December release date that he’s blocked for his Bajirao Mastani, although Shah Rukh Khan and his Chennai Express director Rohit Shetty have staked claim to the same date for their new film Dilwale.
Industry insiders are saying it makes bad business sense for both banners to release their ‘biggies’ on the same day, but neither Bhansali nor SRK appears to be in any mood to relent. The two clashed previously in 2007 when Bhansali’s Saawariya went up against SRK’s Om Shanti Om. And we all know how that ended for poor Bhansali… But reportedly the Devdas director is feeling more confident this time round, encouraged by the fact that his leads—Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone—are Bollywood’s reigning heartthrobs, and by the fact that Bajirao will be their first film together since his own smash hit Ram-Leela in 2014.
SRK’s Dilwale is no minor project either. Shetty has assembled a multi-starrer of sorts with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge veterans Shah Rukh and Kajol, and paired them alongside young guns Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon. Trade pundits are betting that one of the two producers will back down eventually, and the money is on Bhansali, the shooting and production schedule of whose elaborate costume drama could stretch longer than expected. But right now it’s like that staring match; both sides are waiting to see who will blink first.

Aamir’s Off-Screen Role

Tabloids have revealed that Aamir Khan will make a cameo in Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do, but truth is that you won’t see the actor in the film at all. Reliable sources have spilled the beans—Aamir has been roped in by his Dil Chahta Hai producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani to voice a four-legged character in the film.
Zoya’s dysfunctional-family ‘dramedy’ that unfolds during the course of a cruise vacation they take together stars A-listers Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and Farhan in central roles. Now Aamir reportedly joins that roster as the voice of the family dog Pluto, whom insiders say is likely the film’s narrator and through whose eyes the story will unravel.
Apparently, Zoya and her producers held a screening of the almost-finished film for Aamir recently so he could decide if he wanted to do the voice part. The actor has said in interviews—without speaking about his involvement in the film—that he enjoyed the movie immensely, and went on to praise Zoya, in whose debut Luck By Chance he made a teeny-weeny cameo. He is also believed to have discussed Priyanka’s performance in the film with the actress at a party he attended recently to celebrate Kangana Ranaut’s National Award win for Queen.

The Diva Who’s Been Dropped

It appears that the producers of a popular reality television show are shopping around for a new celebrity judge to replace a leading Bollywood diva who will likely be dropped when the show enters its eighth season later this year. An inside source at the channel that broadcasts the show insists that “a new face is needed to re-energise the existing format”, and that the said actress “has done her bit”. Ouch!
To be fair, the powerhouse actress was considered a perfect match for the show when she signed up to appear as a judge from its second season onwards. It was considered a coup of sorts when the producers landed the then-reclusive star to join the show. Over the years, she has become synonymous with the programme, and it’s likely her fans will be disappointed. Turns out the channel has offered the gig to another prominent female star, who is reportedly considering it. Bollywood insiders say it is unlikely the actress will deign to work on television, especially since she recently ended her sabbatical from the big screen by signing two major film projects, one of which she has already begun filming. Besides, the actress has repeatedly turned down TV offers over the years, no matter how lucrative they were.
Amusingly, it appears that at least a handful of ‘ Level Two’ starlets have approached the channel’s head to request the role, even volunteering to take a fraction of the salary that the exiting diva commanded for the job. The hope being, of course, that the very popularity of the show may give their flagging careers a fillip. Meanwhile, word on the street is that the show’s two male judges who served alongside the diva will keep their spots on the jury.

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Rajeev Masand

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