New Sholay - Ram Gopal Varma

A very rare video of Sippy’s Sholay Real Ending

Watch it.

Soon there’s going to be a war of the remakes. Apparently, Kamal Sadanah’s ‘Victoria No 203’ and Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Sholay’ are releasing on the same day. Both films will hit the theatres either on August 24 or on 31.

Not that Kamal seems too bothered. Ask him if he’s apprehensive about ‘Ram Gopal Varma Ke Sholay’—the remake of the historic Bollywood blockbuster ‘Sholay’—releasing on the same day and he says, “I think it would be a treat for the audiences if two good remakes release on the same day.”

What if RGV’s ‘Sholay’ steals the thunder from ‘Victoria No 203? “I don’t worry about Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Sholay’ as such. Yes, if Ramesh Sippy were to release his original film then I would have had to think twice,” laughs Kamal.

Incidentally, Kamal has based his remake on his father, the late Brij Sadanah’s original film ‘Victoria No 203’in the 1970s. The film has been directed by Anant Mahadevan.

Kamal, who is producing the film, thought Anant would make a better director because he himself was a little too attached to the film. Also, a lot of new characters have been added to the story.

The film’s cast includes Om Puri, Anupam Kher, Javed Jaffery, Jimmy Shergill, and the late Vinod Mehra’s daughter, debutante Soniya Mehra. Kamal and a few other stars have made special appearances in the comedy.

Meanwhile, in Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Sholay’ Basanti’s horse cart has been replaced by an autorickshaw for a modern touch. In an interesting twist, Amitabh Bachchan, who plays Jai in the original, has played the villain Gabbar Singh in the remake.

Ajay Devgan plays Veeru (originally played by Dharmendra), Prashant Raj Sachdev is Jai (Amitabh) , Nisha Kothari is Basanti (Hema Malini) , Sushmita Sen plays Radha (Jaya Bachchan) , Sushant Singh is Sambha (Mac Mohan), and Rajpal Yadav plays Soorma Bhopali (Jagdeep).

Apparently, Abhishek Bachchan and Urmila Matondkar will do an item number in the film. The ‘Sholay’ remake has both been directed and produced by Ram Gopal Varma.

Amitabh : Mausi ladka “Infosys ” mein kaam karta hai.

Mausi : Hai raam.

Amitabh : Aajkal allocated bhi hai.

Mausi : To kya kabhi unallocated ( i.e. bench pe) bhi rahta hai?

Amitabh : Ab C rating waalon ka allocation itni asaani se kahaan hota hai mausi.

Mausi : To kya C rating bhi aati hai uski?

Amitabh : Project manager se ladaai karne ke baad A ya uske upar ki rating to nahin na milti hai mausi.

Mausi : To kya ladaaku bhi hai?

Amitabh : Are Mausi ab Paisa nahi denge Aur onsite jaane ko na mile to ho jaati hai kabhi-kabhi anban.

Mausi : To kya onsite bhi nahin gayaa aaj tak?

Amitabh : Ab civil engineers ka Visa itni jaldi kahaan lagta hai mausi.

Mausi : To kya ladka civil engineer hai???? Engineering kaun se college se kiya hai?

Amitabh : Bas uska pataa lagte hi hum aapko khabar kar denge!

Amitabh : To kya main rishta pakka samjhun mausi?

Mausi : Bhale hi hamaari Basanti call center waale se shaadi kar le, parInfosys waale se kabhi nahin….!

The promos of Sajid Khan’s HEYY BABYY, featuring Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Vidya Balan are out and as usual Akshay Kumar (in a comic role) looks in cracking form. HEYY BABYY is slated to release on August 24.

However, it now seems that the other major film listed for release against HEYY BABYY, Ramu’s RAMGOPAL VARMA KE SHOLAY, is all set to move to another date. As per rumours in Bollywood, the fact that comedy films featuring Akshay Kumar, have fared very well in the biggest territory of India, Bombay. Similarly, movies directed by Ramu have also done best there. As the maximum revenue is generated from the Bombay circuit, the makers of RAMGOPAL VARMA KE SHOLAY do not want to risk a clash with HEYY BABYY and are now thinking in terms of an alternate release date.

Sequel fever is setting in on Bollywood with the first of many such films announced with much pomp and show earlier ready to go on the marquees.

There are producers and directors working on sequels of their much-acclaimed films.

David Dhawan is working on Act II of ‘Mujhse Shaadi”. Ektaa Kapoor is threatening to come back with episode two of the truly awful crass comedy, ‘Kyaa Kool Hai Hum’.

The sequels that released in the year 2006 where, Boo - ‘Darna Zaroori Hai’, a sequel to ‘Darna Zaroori Hai’ from the stables of maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma.

Next was Priyadharshan’s ‘Phir Hera Pheri’, a sequel to hit comedy ‘Hera Pheri’. Then came ‘Krrish’ that duplicated the success of ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ and projected Hrithik Roshan as the first Super hero in India. ‘Dhoom 2′, was a follow up of ‘Dhoom’. Another eagerly awaited sequel was ‘Lage Raho…Munnabhai’.

Bollywood filmmakers had earlier tired their hand on sequels with ‘Nigaahein’ - a sequel to Sridevi’s super hit film ‘Nagina’ - that failed to win the box-office. From then on, sequel was an alien word for Bollywood. More recently, director Mahesh Manjrekar scooped a sequel ‘Hathyar’ to his highly successful film ‘Vaastav’ with disastrous results.

The fact that sequels are ready to grace the Indian marquees again after a long gap, speaks volumes about the changing face of Indian cinema.

Karnataka government’s decision to create new districts, including the ‘Sholay district’ (Bangalore South comprising Ramanagaram, where the famed Amitabh starrer ‘Sholay’ was shot) will have to wait as official gazette notification can be issued only after the Delimitation Commission of the Parliament and Assembly Constituencies submit its final report.

Incidentally, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is scheduled to announce the formation of Bangalore South district at its head quarters in Ramanagaram, which is also his home constituency, at a grand function today. He has already left for Ramanagaram.

He will lay the foundation stone for several developmental works costing Rs.1000 crore.

The Centre has imposed a ban on creating new districts or taluks till the final report is submitted by the Commission.

Though the State had written to the Commission seeking special permission to issue gazette notification, the Commission did not respond to it.

“Since the Commission is busy preparing its final report, it is not in a hurry to grant special permission just because some States want the new districts to be created at the earliest,” a Commission official said.

“Once the final report is brought out by the Commission, the State Government is free to issue a notificiation,” he said.

Her life’s been a frenzy of activity lately. It’s almost as if Suchitra Krishnamoorthi is making up for lost time. That was the time she calls her “gestation period,” when she did “nothing more than host dinner parties and look after my baby.” Today, life has come full circle for her.

After hitting the headlines with a series of sensational accusations in which she implied that actress Preity Zinta was responsible for the break-up of her marriage to director Shekhar Kapur, Suchitra is ready to move on. With several successful art shows behind her, in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, she’s now heading to Bangalore. Where does the new single mom find the time and energy to do so much?

“I have so much energy, it’s coming out in bursts,” she says. How does the self-taught artist discover her affinity for art? “I never dreamt I’d be an artist. I’ve never painted before in my life. The way it happened was so bizarre. On September 27, 2004, the last day of the Ganpati celebrations, I suddenly had this huge crying fit. I thought I was going mad, seeing colours in my head. My neighbour, an art critic, had paints and colours with her, and gave them to me. It was probably building up towards something - I didn’t know it was painting. My father, in fact, had said my name, Suchitra, means ‘beautiful painting.’ Life’s bizarre - when I talk about it, it sounds like I’m telling a story.”

Ask her about life without Shekhar, and she’s matter of fact. “For me, physically nothing has changed. Shekhar was never around to begin with, he’s around now as much or little as ever. He’s as much a part of our lives as he was before, and things will continue this way. There’s been no sudden change.” she says.

With her focus completely on art, her acting career has moved to the back- burner. “I don’t regard acting as a fulltime career. It’s something I do sporadically. When I get offers for woman-centric roles, I explore them. Like Ram Gopal Varma’s Sholay, where I play the Thakur, Mohanlal’s wife, Karma Confessions and Holi. Now I don’t have the luxury of time for a two-month outdoor schedule.”

As for singing, she says, “it’s in my blood, like breathing.” But playback singing for Hindi films doesn’t interest her, she adds. “I’m not interested in cutting an album for the sake of it. I like to be totally involved - the whole creative process fascinates me. So maybe I shouldn’t say never.”

Her ability to multi-task with such confidence, she says, comes from her academic family - historians and doctors. “I’m able to express myself so confidently and clearly because of my background. I can apply thought and bring it to fruition. That’s the discipline of an academic background.” So while the discipline keeps her focused, her drive ensures she stays committed to her new career. Suchitra’s determined to put the past behind her. “Oh yes,” she says, “I just want happy times ahead.”

“No, I’m not adding extra ‘a’ and ‘k’s to my name. Nor am I visiting a dozen deities for my well being,” says a laughing Nisha Kothari, Bollywood’s new star denying rumours that she is getting progressively religious and superstitious to salvage her career.

“My parents and I just visited one temple. In any case, I’m not answerable to anyone except my family. What I do with my life is entirely my business.”

Crying foul against charges of misconduct on the sets of Aditya Dutta’s “Good Luck”, Nisha says: “I’ve never in my life abused anyone. Stories of my bad behaviour on the sets are growing. I no longer find these rumours funny.

“I’ve never shot for any film called ‘Good Luck’! I’ve met the director just once at Keshu Ramsay’s office and that too for half hour. I couldn’t give them the dates they wanted. I said no to ‘Good Luck’, and maybe some people didn’t like that.

“I had no choice. I was committed to a Telugu film and I didn’t want to wriggle out of it.”

About her role as Basanti in Ram Gopal Varma’s “Sholay”, she says: “I just finished dubbing my role. I have seen Hemaji in the earlier ‘Sholay’ but my character Ghungroo is not like Basanti. We dress, speak and behave differently.

“Ghungroo is not dumb. She behaves like a man but she’s all woman inside. She’s a bundle of contradictions. Sometimes she’s stubborn, then she’s soft. There’re so many different emotions to express in one character.

“I’m lucky to have got such a role so early in my career and to work with so many huge actors in one film! Wow! Many of them, I’ve been watching from the time I was a child.”

The busy actress has just completed shooting for a Telugu film. “It’s called ‘Okkamagaru’ with Balakrishnan, who’s very hot in Andhra. I had stared my career with a Tamil film ‘Jai Jai’ with Madhavan. Now I’ve done a Telugu film.

“I don’t care about the language of a film as long as it is a good film with a meaty role for me. I’d rather work in a regional film than sit at home waiting for Hindi films.”