Newsarchive August 2008

Rookies to direct Akshay Kumar for Levi's ad

Now comes a piece of news stating that the Khiladi of Bollywood will be soon seen in India's first collaborative advertisement. The ad, for Levi's company, will be directed, scripted, and performed by the winners of a contest conducted by Levi Strauss India.

Winners, chosen jointly by Akshay Kumar and Levi's, will begin working on the ad in November this year. These winners will perform various roles, such as writing the script, developing the music and background, directing the ad and acting in it alongside Akshay Kumar. Levi's India will be the producer and the ad will be released some time in December 2008.

Must say youngsters across the country would do anything to get up, close and personal with their favourite Bollywood idol.

Akshay gets unbuttoned

With the mega success of his latest movie 'Singh is Kinng', there doesn't seem to be any stopping Akshay Kumar. With that much of creativity and spunk pouring out of him, its only obvious that he would choose to channel it into something. In fact that is exactly what Akki has done.

The ad is said to be one of the steamiest ad campaigns to hit the market in recent times, with hunky Akki revealing quite a bit of skin while he gets unbuttoned by a ducky model. The ad campaign is set to go on air by August 26.

Singh Is Kinng selected for Toronto film festival

After creating new box-office records, the film has managed to achieve yet another milestone. "Singh Is Kinng", the year's biggest hit, is headed to the glittering Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 2008), one of the biggest cinematic events in the world. It will be one of the eleven coveted gala presentations to be screened at The Roy Thomson Hall on Sunday, 7th September, 2008.

Tickets to the gala are always in high demand, being high-profile star-studded events. The "Singh Is Kinng" celebration at the festival is tipped to be attended by Sandeep Bhargava, CEO of the investment adviser to Indian Films, producer Vipul A. Shah, director Anees Bazmee, and lead actors, Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif.

The Bollywood king, but not a Khan!

If the 1970s and 80s were dominated by Amitabh’s roles of an angry young man called Vijay taking on the system in Deewaar and Agneepath, the last decade has been mostly about the fun guy next door called Rahul getting the girl even if Shahrukh started his career by literally killing her softly with his song in Baazigar or scaring her out of her wits in Darr! The more serious space was occupied by Aamir whose Lagaan was nominated for an Oscar in the category of the best foreign film. And the schoolkids were wowed by Hrithik playing Superman in Krrish.

The last two years have seen six Akshay superhits grossing Rs 600 crore. It is difficult to typecast him even if his next release "Chandni Chowk to China" could be the closest to his heart since it tells the story of a bawarchi trying to make it big as a chef in China — Akshay grew up in Delhi and trained in martial arts in Bangkok, supporting himself by working as a cook. Bollywood’s latest superstar has proved that too many cooks needn’t spoil the blockbuster broth!

I love the way I look: Akshay

Akshay Kumar seems to be getting sexier with age, and he’s lovin’ it. "I feel good whenever I hear this type of a comment. If there is a secret to the way I look, it’s that I don’t do alcohol and drugs. I work very hard to keep it that way. I love the way I look. I’m not trying to be somebody else. Good, bad or ugly – I am the way I am," he says.

"It’s a great programme. I got to work with 13 beautiful girls, who wanted to prove that they are stronger than men. And it got decent TRPs too," he says diplomatically. Alright then, to change the subject, does he have a problem with the fact that women are upstaging men on so many fronts? "Not at all! I believe that women are stronger than men. At all times!" he quips. Would it be safe to say that Twinkle is stronger on the home front, then? "Quote me on that any day! She is definitely the stronger person between the two of us. In fact, marriage, by far, has been the most difficult stunt that I’ve performed in my life," he laughs. And this is what Akki has to say on his son Aarav – "He’s just five right now. He enjoys films and I’m enjoying fatherhood."

And with all that moolah, he says, there’s greater scope for going international. He rapped with Snoop Dogg in Singh Is Kinng and is sharing screen space with Sylvester Stallone in Kambakht Ishq next. "These collaborations are about getting two cultures together. And I’m doing them because people want to see it. They want to see me rapping with Snoop and work out other similar tie-ups too. Abroad, people really enjoy Indian cinema. I want to do more such things in the future," he says.

People also want to see more of his jodi with Kat. "I’ve seen her mature as an actor and from her first film to now, she has done some really good work. I’ve worked with many actresses, but it’s the most fun to work with her. She’s keen to learn and it’s true that I share a great rapport with her," says Akki.

Akshay dreams big!

He’s come a long way from being born in a middle-class family in Amritsar, to staying in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk and moving to Mumbai’s Koliwada, learning martial arts, cooking in a Bangkok restaurant... and well, to being the most saleable star in the film industry. On India’s 61st Independence Day, Akshay waved the tricolour for BT and delivered this message for the youth of India: "Be thankful to your elders for it is their strength and their beliefs that have made your life so full and free. And take great care of your family for it is the reason why you are here."

The Khiladi who is used to pulling off Bollywood’s most daring stunts on screen today, remembers running down the beach as a boy with the flag wrapped around his shoulders singing songs without a worry in the world. But, even then, Akshay had his dreams. And to everyone who has a dream, he shares Sylvester Stallone’s rock solid advice, "Remember, it ain’t over till it’s over. Be positive, nothing is too hard in life. If you can’t live your dream, no problem, pick yourself up and keep trying. But if it still ain’t working, wake up with a new dream."

"Singh Is Kinng" collects Rs 8 crore on day one

The Vipul Amrutlal Shah production directed by Anees Bazmee is already doing wonders at the Box Office. Bollywood sighs with relief as the film is all set to do amazing business at the Box Office.

The film is undoubtedly riding on Akshay’s shoulders who all through the past couple of weeks, has charmed viewers with his 'Rugged machismo' and 'witty repartees' in 'Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi', the adventure reality show being aired on the new General Entertainment channel 'Colors'. Akshay has garnered huge popularity across India through 'Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi' in just over a week of its telecast, coupled with a rise in his stock in Bollywood in the last few years and thanks to a series of successes like "Namastey London", "Bhool Bhulaiyaa", "Heyy Babyy" and "Welcome", which have generated an unprecedented buzz for "Singh Is King".

Trade sources said the strong curiosity surrounding the film is in large part due to the fact that it features the hit pair of Akshay and Katrina, who teamed up in two of last year's biggest hits - "Namastey London" and "Welcome". Shot in Punjab, Australia and Egypt, the movie has generated tremendous interest in film circles due to its music, which has already climbed popularity charts across India.

Incidentally, "Singh Is Kinng" will be the widest ever day-and-date release of a solo Akshay starrer in the UK, Ireland and Europe, in UK and Ireland, the film previewed with a general release today on a staggering 70 prints.

In addition to this, in Europe, the film opens on 10 prints in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. There will be a deferred release in Poland.

Fans hooked to Singh is Kinng

What do most people normally do early in the morning? It is generally have their morning tea or read newspaper but this wasn't the case this Friday. This Friday there was a 7am screening of "Singh is Kinng". It's the first time that a film's show has been screened so early in the morning.

This is first time ever that a Hindi film's carpet bombing theatres in such a big way to maximise first weekend earnings. Often the decider between a hit and flop. Last year with four successive hits Akshay Kumar laughed his way to the bank. With this release Bollywood's current king seems set to continue his reign.

Well, as far as the box office fate of the film goes, one will have to wait and watch this space.

Royal welcome for the Kinng!
Akshay-Katrina starrer runs to full houses, weekend tickets costlier

"In the movie both Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar have entertained us the like Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone did in "Om Shanti Om". After "Namastey London" and "Welcome", this romantic comedy will definitely make a new record this year,” said Vikram Kumar, a third-year student of St Xavier’s College.

However, the movie did not escape controversies. The Delhi Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee wanted to stop the release after they learnt Akshay was wearing an artificial turban, which was also not wrapped in the traditional way. "But the scene where Akshay was wearing the turban has been deleted," Shandilya said.

Meanwhile, Dushyant Jaiswal, the owner of Sujata Cinema, said they sold 60 per cent of their tickets in advance. "We have booked the tickets till Thursday. Today’s shows were housefull," he added.

While Paramjeet Singh, the secretary of Ranchi Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, said the movie is running successfully in all the cinema halls. "We have not received any complaints so far,” Singh added.

Akshay Kumar – the darling of movie buffs!

Is it his gummy smile or his sense of humour; is it his hot bod or his handsome demeanor; or is it simply his talent as an actor that makes the movie buffs queue up whenever an Akshay Kumar-starrer is running at the theatres. The truth is – it is the combination of all the aforesaid qualities that makes Akshay a crowd-puller.

It began with "Namastey London", and continued with one hit after another in the series of flicks like "Bhool Bhuliayaa", "Heyy Babyy" and "Welcome". Not many superstars in Bollywood can boast of four hits in a year.

But among the quartet, it is Akshay who commands most loyalty from fans. For when he smiles his toothy grin and blushes and shows his comic prowess, the crowd breaks into wolf whistles.

That’s what makes him a darling.

"Singh is Kinng" bags record number of shows at multiplexes

"Singh is Kinng" will be releasing across 1400 screens with 1050 prints (including digital) in India alone. This, in itself, is a record! Prior to this, no other Bollywood movie has released with so many prints. Last year's biggest hit "Om Shanti Om" released with approximately 700 prints in India.

For instance, in Punjab where the movie is jointly distributed by Sajid Nadiadwala and Cinemax, "Singh is Kinng" has as many as 27 shows daily at PVR Cinemas at Gurgaon's Metropolitan mall and 26 shows daily at PVR Cinemas at Gurgaon's Ambience Mall.

The advance bookings for the movie too have been fairly good in Delhi and Punjab, primarily because the subject of the movie is based on a Sikh with Akshay Kumar essaying the lead role of a Sardar. As of Tuesday, the advance bookings at PVR Cinemas in Delhi and Punjab amounted to Rs 3 million (Rs 30 lakhs) approximately.

In the wake of these developments, it'll be interesting to watch how Singh is Kinng gets placed in its second week.

"Chandni Chowk To China" will not see a Diwali release

"There's some technical problem that has to be rectified," Nikhil Advani tells me. Will the film make it in the Diwali week? "No, it's not arriving in Diwali," producer Mukesh Talreja confirms, "The technical problem is being worked upon, but it is a time consuming process. The Prime Focus people are working on it. Plus, a lot of special effects are involved in our film. Our intention is to make a genuinely good film and we don't want to hurry up just because it's the Diwali week."

So what's the new release date? "Right now, we don't know the date yet. It could be November-end or December," Talreja reveals.

"Singh Is Kinng" is Akki's widest ever release in U.K., Europe

The film has received a PG certificate from the BBFC in U.K., which means that it is a complete watch for the family audience. Included in the 70 prints are 2 prints for Ireland -- "Singh is Kinng" will have a day-and-date release in both Dublin and Belfast, in recognition of the growing Asian community in Ireland.

Confirms Tanuj Garg, Marketing & Distribution Head of UK & Europe, Studio 18, "Our "Welcome" did nearly £ 912,000 in U.K. on 51 prints, making it the biggest U.K. hit of Akshay's career. With "Singh is Kinng", we've raised the bar. Given the summer holiday period, the genre of the film, Akshay's star stature and the aggressive marketing for the film, we're giving it an extensive release across the circuit."

Impossible is nothing for Akshay

The regaining action king of Bollywood, Akshay Kumar had to Jet Ski in deep water for a particular scene in the forthcoming film "Singh Is Kinng". But the stumbling block was that without an official license it is not possible to do the act. And it takes minimum of three days to get a Jet Ski license and due to this the whole unit was in a dilemma.

No wonder why he can be called as the right man that we have in India to host Fear Factor-Khatron Ke Khiladi.

Akshay ki pathshaala

A source close to Akshay said, "The village doesn't have a school to accommodate all the children, especially the girls. Akshay Kumar has told the village authorities that he wants to fund a school for the children of the village." When contacted, Vipul Shah, a close fried of Akshay, confirmed the news and said, "Yes, it's true. It has been Akshay's long cherished dream to start a school for the children of Ranjitpura. We have been in talks with the village authorities and things are being worked out."

When we contacted Akshay, he confirmed the news and said, "It is my desire to do something special for the villagers and I have been closely working with the authorities. The people of Ranjitpura were extremely warm and helpful when we were shooting there."