Foriegn connection

Work is Worship

He has always been known as an action hero who gradually moved to comic films. Ajay Devgn,who started his career with that famous stunt of his standing atop two moving motorcycles in Phool Aur Kaante,had once again insisted on performing an action scene in his recently-released Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. For the famous train sequence,a camera rig was attached to the side of the train that was to pass Ajay. The train was travelling at over 100 kmph and it was very important for the actor to find his balance or else things could have gone horribly wrong. As the shot progressed,the 50 kilo camera rig came within three inches of his face and he did the scene without even flinching. Though there was a lot of danger involved,Ajay was sporting enough to do the scene with immense sincerity.

Prankster at large

Director Rohit Shetty is known for pulling pranks on his team. Recently his victim was none other than Mithun Chakraborty,a prankster himself,who loves to talk and mingle with the crew while shooting for a film. The duo was teaming for the first time in Golmaal 3. One evening,Mithunda was having dinner with a group of friends at the Taj Vivanta in Goa. After his meal,he called for the waitress and asked for a falooda,just the way he likes it with lots of sevvaiya and orange ice-cream. He called it a ‘special dessert’ and even asked his friends to try it. However,he was in for a shock when he saw his plate. “I cannot have this ‘mountain of ice-cream’,” he exclaimed. Turning around he saw everyone was giggling and when he looked up,he saw Rohit laughing out aloud. The director,who was watching the proceedings from a distance,had called the manager and placed the special order for Mithunda.

“There is the prankster,” laughed the veteran actor and made everyone else share the ice-cream with him.

Laugh it off

Dev Patel admits that he and Freida Pinto laugh at engagement rumours. The duo started dating after starring together in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 but Patel admits they have no intention of tying the knot yet. “We always laugh about these things. The last rumours I heard was that Frieda and I were looking for a wedding cake in Los Angeles. Then we were going to fly it down to India to have our wedding there,” Patel said in London recently.

However,the 20-year-old actor insists that his mother Anita at times believes these false rumours and constantly calls him to check if the marriage reports are correct. He also insists that the couple secretly dated in the beginning,in case people thought it was merely a publicity stunt.

Since there was a constant debate where they are on or not,the two decided that it was fine if everyone know about their relationship. “Once we did come out in the open,the attention died down and that is great,” Patel said adding that despite filming on different locations the couple “make time for each other.”

Underworld ‘links’

After essaying the role of a don loosely inspired by Dawood Ebrahim in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai,Emraan Hashmi was offered to play alleged serial killer Charles Sobhraj. The actor,who is famous for his kisses on screen,turned down director Prawal Raman’s offer.

Emraan,declined the offer because he did not want to play another negative character so soon and more so,he does not want to be typecast in any particular role. Whether this is a right decision remains to be seen.

Coffee,tea or me?

The Lafangey Parindey cast is not as rowdy as the movie name suggests. In fact the lead pair,Deepika Padukone and Neil Nitin Mukesh,have been spreading some congeniality on the sets. It all started when Deepika refused to take another sip of the bad tea offered on the sets of the movie. So she took it upon herself to make tea,not just for herself,but for everyone present on the sets. And Neil reciprocated her gesture by serving freshly-brewed coffee and made sure that it was presented right. This has lead to a mutual admiration club. While Deepika finds Neil’s coffee awesome,Neil is completely ga-ga over her tea.

On a light note

Atul Kulkarni,who has impressed critics and audiences alike with his heart-rending performances in movies like Heyy Ram,Rang De Basanti and Natarang,is keen on treading new grounds. The actor,who is known for never repeating any performance and exploring various genres,is keen on doing a comedy play and film. He says,“My first play in college was a Marathi comedy,Katha Dinuchya Mrityupatrachi. It was a huge hit and I had become a star in my college overnight. I would like to loosen up and do a comedy play or film.” We can’t wait to watch this serious actor in a comic avatar!