HAS MAHESH BABU SIGNED A THREE-FILM DEAL WITH UTV FOR RS 15 CRORE?

Looks like there is too much money and too few avenues of investment in India. Which is why the big business houses have entered the entertainment segment like never before. And this has not only benefitted the audiences but also boosted the revenues of actors. Today, we hear that UTV has signed a three-film deal with Mahesh Babu, the star who is raising eyebrows in the Telugu film industry with the rollicking success of Pokiri. With this Mahesh Babu becomes the first actor in the south to sign a mega deal and the highest paid actor.

For starters, UTV has produced films like Rang De Basanti, Life in a... Metro, Khosla Ka Ghosla and has a major stake in television channels like Hungama, Disney's kids channel.

After its successful entry into the entertainment sector, especially in Bollywood, it is ready to spread its wings to the south. What more, with the kind of global response Rajnikanth starrer Sivaji: the boss has received, it has reinforced their resolve to take the long journey to the South Indian film industries like Tamil and Telugu sooner than later. Already Adlabs has made films in Tamil, and has announced plans to invest in Tollywood. Do we hear the young directors sing, Happy Days Are Here Again?

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IS RAM GOPAL VARMA RENAMING THE TITLE OF HIS FILM SHOLAY TO RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG?

Has Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma decided to release the remake of yesteryear's blockbuster Sholay by changing the much publicised title Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay?
A high drama was witnessed on the issue on Wednesday in the Delhi High Court as Sascha Sippy, who claims to be the owner of the film Sholay cited a news report that Varma has decided to release the movie on July 13 by not only changing the title, but also changing the names of popular characters like "Gabbar Singh" and "Basanti".
The title has been changed from Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay to Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag and the popular characters Gabbar Singh and Basanti have been renamed as "Babban Singh" and "Ghungroo", Sippy's counsel Pravin Anand contended, referring to a report on a website. He said Varma's interview in this regard was aired on Monday on a national channel.
Justice Gita Mittal before whom a petition of infringement of trade mark and copyright on Sholay was pending against Varma, said if the change of title and name of character was acceptable to Sippy, it would end the issue of release of the film in question.
However, senior advocate Rajiv Nayar and Amit Naik, counsel for Varma, expressed ignorance of the interview and said they did not have any idea of any such interview on any channel.
In view of the conflicting statements by the contesting parties, the court directed them to take instructions from their clients and inform it about the facts.
Amit Naik, after brief adjournment, informed the court that his client (Varma) had not given any such interview. He said the film cannot be released as it would require a lot of promotional activities.
Following which Sippy's counsel decided not to raise the issue and proceeded ahead with the routine arguments to establish that Varma's film could not be released by using the title Sholay.
The court, in an interim order in October last, had stayed the release of Varma's much hyped remake of the 1970s' blockbuster Sholay.
The court was hearing a suit filed by Sippy Films Pvt Ltd and Sholay Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, owned by Sascha Sippy and Shan Uttam Singh, to permanently restrain Varma from releasing the film Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay maintaining the use of the name Sholay by any other entity amounts to infringement of trade mark and copyright.
The roadblocks for the release of the film in which superstar Amitabh Bachchan has assumed the role of "Gabbar Singh" came on a lawsuit filed by the grandson of G P Sippy, who had produced Sholay.
Sippy had contended that they also have copyright on the use of character "Gabbar Singh" which was played by late Amjad Khan in Sholay.
Sascha Sippy, director of the Sippy Films, claimed that the late G P Sippy's son Ajit Sippy who reportedly sold the copyrights to Varma, had no such rights himself to transfer the same to others.
The suit was filed after it was reported that Verma had began shooting the film titled -- Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay.
The suit said the use of names -- Sholay and Gabbar Singh -- by Varma also amounts to infringement of moral right as there was threat to destruction of original work.
He submitted that the script and screenplay of Sholay are the original literary works, protected under Sections 14 and 51 of the Copyright Act of 1957.


LINDSAY LOHAN PROMISES SHE'LL LEAD A QUIETER LIFE

SIDDHARTH IS LUCKY TO GET A FILM IN BOLLYWOOD, AND HE SHOULD THANK ABHISHEK AND HRITHIK FOR IT

Siddharth, who does only one, or at the most two films, at a time, has pinned all his hopes on Aata in Telugu. Despite the super success of Rang De Basanti, for which he received critical acclaim, he didn't sign any films in Bollywood. But with Aata turning turtle at the box-office, he has his hopes too coming crashing.

Fortunately, for him, inspite of closing all the doors for Bollywood filmmakers, he still has someone knocking at his doors at the right time. And that is director Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, the director of RDB. This time, Mehra has named his film as Dilli 6. Of course, Siddharth was not his first choice. He zeroed in on Siddharth as Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik and Ranbir Kapoor, his first choices, either did not have the dates or were not interested in the film.

But, for Siddharth, it is a Hobson's choice. Or to put it plainly no choice. He can't but keep raving and ranting about his new Bollywood dreams. What say Siddharth?

BOLLYWOOD FILMMAKERS ARE MAKING A SONG AND DANCE OF THEIR TITLES: MORE AND MORE FILMS ARE NAMED AFTER POPULAR SONGS

Going by the list of movies released in the past year, it seems that Bollywood movie names now drive inspiraton from popular songs. Here’s a dekko — Ta Ra Rum Pum, Kuch Naa Kaho, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Na Tum Jano Na Hum, Chalte Chalte, Ek Hasina Thi, Ahista Ahista, Rang De Basanti and Salaam-e-Ishq, are some of the films that have over the last two or three years been named after popular Bollywood numbers.

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LAGE RAHO ARSHADBHAI: Arshad Warsi is still the comic favourite of the judges

Rang de Basanti walked away with top honours, including for best film, in most of the categories it was nominated for the eighth IIFA Awards as glamour, emotion and an electric atmosphere combined to make for an unforgettable star-studded ceremony at Sheffield in England.

Besides being adjudged the best film, Rang de Basanti, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's take on modern day patriotism, bagged as many as 11 awards, including for best actress in a supporting role for Soha Ali Khan.

The glittering ceremony, which began last night and ended early on Sunday, was interspersed with electrifying performances from Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Salman Khan, Govinda and Shilpa Shetty, and was watched by thousands of expatriates from all over Britain.

While Rani Mukeri won the Best Actress trophy for her performance in Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna, the Best Actor award went to Hrithik Roshan for his superhero act in Krrish.

Other major winners included Raj Kumar Hirani as Best Director and Arshad Warsi as Best Supporting Actor for Lage Raho Munnabhai.

Some of Bollywood's biggest names, including IIFA brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya, attended the marathon four-hour function, along with more than 50,000 people.

Siddharth caught in a catch-22 situation

It is not always a boon to be well versed with the technical aspects of filmmaking. And too much of planning might go against you. Siddharth has realised this hard truth a little too late. After the super duper success of Nuvvostanante Nenoddantaana in Tollywood, and Nuvvostanante Nenoddantaana in Bollywood, he was flooded with offers. Some of the big banners queued up in front of his house for his dates. But, Siddharth, who knew the nuances of filmmaking, was not to yield to any one of them. Except M S Raju, who he proclaims is his godfather. He was so choosy about the kind of films he wanted to do that when Davi Dhawan, the showman of Bollywood, wanted to make a film with him, Siddharth a la Aamir Khan, was not happy with the one-line story narrated by Dhawan. So, he told Dhawan to come back with the full script of the film. Dhawan was shell-shocked with Siddharth's attitude that it took a couple of days for him to come back to his senses. Dhawan, as you know, is known for tickling the funny bone of the Hindi audiences, and many heroes and heroines wait for his call to act in his films. What more, he is never known to have given anyone, including Amitabh Bachchan, the full script of his films. Siddharth has not only lost an opportunity to make it big in Bollywood, but with his latest films turning turtle at the box-office, doesn't have many filmmakers in Tollywood either who are eager to cast him in their films. Tamil, anyway, is ruled out, as he has been concentrating on Telugu cinema for sometime now. And, therefore, Siddharth is a forgotten chapter there. It takes some real guts, Siddharth, to burn your boats when you have set sail on a long journey.