Heart breakPerhaps Yash Chopra was a little superstitious. You know what they say about hyped films not doing well. Or, could it be that the Chopras were so confident about Dil To Pagal Hai that they didn't believe in extensive publicity campaigns? Whatever it was, their low-profile strategy seems to have backfired. A friend of mine, who owns one of the biggest garment stores in the city, had an interesting reaction to this film: "You know the best way to gauge a film's success is to head to the loo and listen to people's comments in there." He did exactly that. To begin with, the music is thanda. My friend tells me that every time a song came on people would walk out and go to the loo.Like anybody else, I was dying to see the film. But the first two days it was simply impossible to get tickets. The manager at Liberty was sure that this film was going to be a blockbuster. In fact, given his attitude, if you mistook him for Yash Chopra we wouldn't be surprised - he was really lording around. But by Monday, he was singing a different tune. The first two days the collections were phenomenal but now the response from the audience hasn't been encouraging. In fact, one of the gatekeepers in a suburban theatre advised me to see Ghulam-E-Musthafa instead. Don't know what's going to happen to this movie in the coming weeks but many feel that this is the worst film Yash Chopra has ever made.False startThe only person unaffected by Dil To Pagal Hai is Karisma Kapoor. She didn't exactly need a hit as her career is going great guns. But both Shah Rukh and Madhuri Dixit desperately needed a hit, even if it meant sharing the glory with two other stars. But life goes on and film stars never say die. Shah Rukh is now banking on Mani Ratnam's Dil Se to revive his flagging career and Madhuri is waiting for Raj Kumar Santoshi's Pukar. But the buzz is already negative on that release. She's cast opposite Anil Kapoor and they certainly aren't Bollywood's hottest jodi these days.Come togetherIt'S evident that Subhash Ghai isn't dying to work with Shah Rukh again. While they say he has signed Akshaye Khanna and Mahima for one project, he is also planning another one, this time with Govinda and Jackie Shroff. But wait a minute, didn't Jackie and Ghai have a problem once upon a time? It was said that they would never work together. But apparently Ghai and Jackie have patched up. So there is a good chance then, that Khan and Ghai may also get back together in the future.On his sideMeanwhile Jackie Shroff is a grapevine favourite these days. For some reason, tattlers have been whispering that there is some hanky-panky going on between him and Manisha Koirala. Of course, Jackie will say that it is a purely platonic relationship. And of course, we know that his statements must be taken with a pinch of salt. Perhaps what has encouraged these rumours is the fact that Jackie signed Manisha for Raju Raja Ram at the cost of upsetting Madhuri. Earlier, Manisha was signed for Grahan another home production, which is now almost complete. But logically speaking, Jackie couldn't have thought of a better heroine. After all Manisha is hot right now. And when we say she is hot, you know it's in more ways than one.Heady mixWhat was Indra Kumar thinking when he requested Amitabh Bachchan to make a special appearance in Ishq? After all, the guy has a reputation for making good films and he already has Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, Kajol and Ajay Devgan in the film. If, so many stars aren't enough then not even an Amitabh can sell the film. And even the Big B needed Daler Mehendi to prop up Mrityudaata, remember? But since Kumar is one guy who has his head firmly on his shoulders, we should give him the benefit of doubt. Maybe he knows what he is doing.PS: There are some though who are wondering why the Big B agreed to do a guest appearance. They say it's for the want of money - now that isn't so easy to believe.Stick to his gunsThey all say they won't run around trees but eventually end up doing exactly the same. But Rahul Bose is one `dedicated' actor who may just stick to his word. And so far, this guy has really been lucky. He has managed to do some meaningful roles in films like Bombay Boys, BomGay and English August. But now Bose is experimenting with negative roles or so it seems. While he is slated to do some Star Trek kind of a serial, where his role has a negative tinge, he is also doing a slightly negative role for Govind Nihalani's commercial film Takshak. Maybe his wish of not wanting to run around trees will come true: it's not often that villains are made to race around the flora and fauna of a city.
