'Dangerous Ishq' required actors with no image: Karisma

One would have expected Karisma Kapoor to make her comeback with established stars. But the case is different with "Dangerous Ishq". She says it's because the movie required actors with no image.

"These young actors have been cast in 'Dangerous Ishq' because we required actors with no image. That's why they have been cast... and they have been very appropriately cast in the film," said Karisma.

"Dangerous Ishq" features model-actor Rajniesh Duggal opposite Karisma. It also features model-actor Ruslaan Mumtaz, who made his debut with the film "Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar", and Arya Babbar.

Karisma, 37, who is appearing on the big screen after a gap of five years, says the audience, her family and friends led to her returning to films.

"I have a life beyond movies and I have done the film because the audience, media, family and friends, everyone told me to do a film. I am just excited, more than anything, that the audience will get to see me again on the big screen," said Karisma, who took a sabbatical from work post-marriage to Delhi-based businessman Sanjay Kapur in 2003.

Directed by Vikram Bhatt, "Dangerous Ishq" has been shot in 3D and hits theatres Friday. In the movie, Karisma plays a supermodel, who undergoes past-life regression.

Gained nine to 10 kg for 'Shanghai': Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi, who will be seen as a porn filmmaker in Dibakar Banerjee's upcoming political thriller "Shanghai", Sunday said he had gained nine to 10 kg for the role.

This film is all set to release June 8.

Hashmi said he plays the role of a porn filmmaker called Joginder Parmar.

"I play the role of Joginder Parmar. He is a very rooted and real character. He is extremely interesting and you would all love him. It is very different from what I played in 'Kalyug'," he said at the music launch here.

Hashmi's look is very different in the movie.

"There were a lot of look tests after the character sketch was given. Eventually this one emerged. I had to put on weight for this character. I had to go two shades darker. In the morning, we used to prepare for this, before the shoot."

"I had to even work on my teeth and put things on it to get the look. I dont know how many actors would want to look grotesque on screen. When Dibankar told me, he thought I would say no, but I didn't. I think its a great opportunity," he added.

"I gained nine-10 kilos. I had to start changing my diet and eat only fast food and pasta on the set."

The cast includes Abhay Deol, Kalki Koechlin and Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee.

Talking about the film, Hashmi said: "Its a very normal film. Its relevant and the story is very interesting. I am sure this film will be a landmark film for us. Its an interesting film. We have maintained a commercial outlook with the music of this film."

After back to back hits like "Jannat 2" and "Murder 2", Hashmi seems to be one of the biggest stars of Bollywood today.

Asked whom he wants to dedicate this success to, he said: "I have always said that when a film does well, its because of the team. The entire team contributes to it. It is a synergy of talent. Even if 'Shanghai' works, its a team effort. A lot of work goes into a film and its a lot of departments who work together."

No villain in my show: Aamir

Actor-producer Aamir Khan, whose "Satyameva Jayate" saw its first episode, dealing with female foeticide, aired Sunday morning, said there was no villain in his show and nor was he advocating any solution but just bringing problems to the people's notice.

"Doctors should not be blamed in this (female foeticide). Everyone involved in this are equally responsible. I don't understand why there is so much of fascination with boy child. After all, It is a woman who takes the family ahead," Aamir said, on the issue.

"There is no villain in my show. Who is the villain, it is we all who are doing something wrong. Each problem can be solved through love and that is the reason even my song 'Satyameva Jayate' is a love song," he added.

The opening episode had mothers from different parts of the country, from both rural and urban areas talking about the pressure and the problems they faced for delivering a girl child.

The actor says he can't solve anything, neither can the government.

"I am no one to bring change or solve anything neither can the government. One person cannot improve this or bring solution. I can only keep the issue in front of everyone. The only solution is each and everyone should say I will not do that," Aamir said.

Aamir strikes the right chord with 'Satyamev Jayate'

The much-awaited television show "Sataymev Jayate" has turned out to be another masterstroke from Aamir Khan. The star evoked a range of emotions as he dealt with the sensitive topic of female feticide and its repercussion on the society in the first episode of his maiden TV venture that went on air Sunday.

There were many moist eyes among those in the TV audiences and many more at homes and offices across India as people tuned in to watch the programme, which Aamir said in his ads he wanted to replicate the phenomena created by the epic "Mahabharat" and "Ramayana" teleserials of yore on Sunday mornings.

"My ammi (mother) was not here, she was in Pune. She liked the show and messaged, 'Dil pe lag gayi aur baat ban gayi'. It was very overwhelming that she liked the show. I had tears in my eyes. I am really happy," Aamir told reporters here Sunday.

"I was watching the show with my wife,the core team of the show and son Azad. I don't know how much Azad understood. I had tears in my eyes. I got good response for the show through industry people, various people, twitter reactions. Even our website crashed because of the traffic," added the 44-year-old.

Equipped with well-researched instances and case studies, Aamir's one-and-a-half hour programme was simultaneously beamed on Star Plus and Doordarshan, a first.

Not only that, in a bid to reach out to everyone, special screenings of the show were held in some villages in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat where people do not have access to televison.

The maiden episode highlighted how unethical medical practitioners are hand in glove with families wanting to kill the female unborn baby.

Aamir also dispelled the perception among people that female foeticide is practised by rural people or those living in small towns with Mitu Khurana, a Delhi-based doctor being asked by her orthopaedic surgeon husband and in-laws to abort her girl twins just after 20 weeks of conceiving. Finally, she left home to save her twin daughters from death.

Viewers have given the thumbs up to "Satyamev Jayate", saying it is a gutsy, hard-hitting and sensible programme that strikes an emotional chord with the audiences.

"What Aamir Khan is doing is fantastic. He has shown all aspects of the issue - the minuses and what could be done to prevent it. He has not left it hanging in the middle. He has shown the total picture. He has done it in a way that it will touch the hearts of people," said Ranjita, a Delhi-based counselor.

The show's success can be estimated from the fact that it occupied the "top five trends" on the social networking site Twitter. Even before Aamir could wrap up the episode, 2,254 tweets were notched up.

If that's not enough, "Satyamev Jayate" received such an overwhelming response that its official site crashed within minutes of the end of his programme due to huge traffic.

In terms of business too, Aamir has managed to draw big brands and loads of moolah to sponsor a reality show that puts the spotlight on the invisible people in the country. Airtel is the title sponsor, while Aquaguard Axis Bank, Berger Paints, Skoda, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and Dixcy Textiles paying crores for the show.

Jacqueline trains hard for 'Race 2' action scenes

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who is shooting for "Race 2", has been training hard for the action sequences and hopes the effort pays off.

"I am working hard on the action for 'Race 2' and concentrating on putting all my time and effort into that," the 26-year-old said here.

She is upbeat about the action sequences.

"I love action... so I am very excited. Actually it's a role I have been waiting to do for a very long time. I am most excited about this character because I get to do so much," she added.

Jacqueline also shared the gruelling training she and her co-star Saif Ali Khan went through for a particular action sequence.

"We are shooting an amazing action sequence together and it includes a lot of stunts and back flips. We are training very hard, and Saif and I have been training since November. I think we are actually very prepared now to shoot the action sequence," she said.

Jacqueline is the latest actress in B-Town to enter the league of action heroines.

Sameera Reddy did it in "Tezz", Aishwarya Rai tried her hand at action in "Dhoom 2" while Priyanka Chopra did action in "Drona" and "Don" franchise.

Katrina Kaif will also be seen doing action in "Ek Tha Tiger" and "Dhoom 3."

Bollywood goes back in time

Whether it is rewinding back to the 1910s or fast forwarding into 2050, Bollywood filmmakers are going back and forth in time with films like "Teri Meri Kahaani" and "Dangerous Ishq", whose stories span over decades.

And what's their biggest challenge? It's in creating the right ambience and weaving a well-connected story.

Kunal Kohli's upcoming romantic offering "Teri Meri Kahaani", starring Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, is set in three time periods -- 1910, 1960 and 2012. Each has its own flavour.

Similar is the case with Vikram Bhatt's "Dangerous Ishq", the story of which spans over 500 years. Though said to be based on the theme of reincarnation, the movie will see actors Rajniesh Duggal and Karisma Kapoor in varied looks as the story travels from one era to another.

According to film historian S.M.M. Ausaja, it is the writer's prerogative to pen a lucid script, the director's job to track trivial details, and the editor's work to cut a film in a way that the audience doesn't feel distracted.

"I feel content is king in such films. If a director makes the narrative less complex, it will be easier for the viewer to grasp it. Any confusion has to be credited to the script. Also, a lot depends on the depiction and the art direction. When you show a certain period in a film, it has to be well-researched," Ausaja said.

Bhatt, who went back to the 15th century for "Dangerous Ishq", says it took a good amount of team effort to shape up the film with the authenticity for each era intact.

"We did a lot of research in terms of setting, costumes, dialect and colour palette. Otherwise, we could have lost the authenticity. So whether it was art direction, costumes, dialogues or colour...all departments did their individual research and worked as a team to perfect the look of the film," Bhatt told IANS.

In the recent past, the transition in the looks of characters and the ambience have been portrayed in films like "Veer Zaara", "Bachna Ae Haseeno", "Actionn Replay", "Love Aaj Kal", "Mausam", "7 Khoon Maaf" and "Rockstar".

Kohli, who had portrayed these changes in his hit 2004 love story "Hum Tum", says more than the sets, costumes and research, it was important to focus on how the story holds over the time zones.

"It's very important that the story holds over time zones. And how do I overcome the challenge of covering different time zones in a film? Well I write a good story," he quipped.

Kohli admits "Teri Meri Kahaani" reflects his perception of the 1960s and his fantasy about the 1910 period.

"Most of my research for the 1960s era came from my passion for films. I have watched a lot of Shammi Kapoor and Raj Kapoor films and enjoyed watching them. So the setting came naturally to me. Capturing the 1910 period was complete fantasy for me.

"But unlike the way many filmmakers show the pre-independence period with serious, khadi-clad individuals, I wanted to show it with some fun. I'm sure people had fun back then and fell in love; so, that's the aspect I have tried to capture. In the 2012 era, I wanted to show a contemporary take on relationships and how love is taken forward through SMS and BBM," he said.

Filmmakers, who chose to deal with the subject of reincarnation in movies like "Madhumati", "Prem", "Milan", "Kudrat", "Karan Arjun" and "Om Shanti Om", were also posed with the challenge of showcasing different time zones.

Bhatt insists the idea of going back and forth in time is not distracting for the audience.

"Whether there are three eras or five eras in a story... one film has one story, and that shouldn't be disjointed," he added.

We've borrowed 'Rowdy Rathore' music from original: Wajid

Wajid, of the composer duo Sajid-Wajid, confesses that a part of the music in their "Rowdy Rathore" score is borrowed from the original Telugu film "Vikramarkudu".

Directed by Prabhu Deva, "Rowdy Rathore", that has Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead roles, is set for a June 1 release.

"There is a signature tune in 'Vikramarkudu', which we couldn't avoid. It was an integral part of the theme in the Telugu film. Our producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is very music-minded, our director Prabhu Deva and my brother Sajid decided that we needed to incorporate that refrain in the Hindi remake, so we did," said Wajid and adds tongue-in-cheek that there is nothing underhand about the appropriation.

"We've taken the rights of the original music and then we've used it. We've also changed the original tune completely. But we still want to draw attention to the borrowed bits before others jump in gleefully and accuse us of plagiarism," he added.

Wajid says that the right to use the original music has been officially bought.

"We didn't have to do that because we changed the original tune completely. But we didn't want to rob anyone of their rightful dues," he said.

There's an added reason why Sajid-Wajid decided to take the derivative root for "Rowdy Rathore".

"The 'Vikramarkudu' score is by M.M. Kreem. We're big fans of Kreem Saab. And we agreed to borrow his tune only because it's an honour to associate with him. Otherwise we maintain we'll never borrow let alone copy anyone's music. If anyone catches us doing so we are willing to apologize publicly," said Wajid.