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Rediff News

First Look: RGV's Sholay poster
October 17, 2006 15:03 IST



The Sholay buzz just keeps on going.

Ram Gopal Varma's remake with Amitabh Bachchan as Gabbar Singh continues to inspire much debate.

The latest update is that RGV's project is facing another injunction from the producer of the film GP Sippy's grandson Sascha, and will have to be named Ram Gopal Varma Ke Sholay, instead of using the original title.

Meanwhile, Himesh Reshammiya might be opting out as the composer. Ganesh Hegde (yes, the choreographer) has composed the new Mehbooba O Mehbooba track, and Sunidhi Chauhan has taken over vocal duties from Asha Bhosle -- with Bachchan himself apparently chipping in from time to time.

Hema Malini has gone on record telling a television channel that there should not be a Sholay remake. "Sholay has to be seen many times," the actress said. "Not made many times."

Almost as if in response, Varma has said his film doesn't revolve around Basanti, the character Hema played in the original.

All we can say for now is that the debate is far from over. And that this is a pretty cool poster.

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Rediff News

'This is an out-and-out Salman film'
October 17, 2006



If you've been catching Akshay Kumar's interviews and television soundbytes about his upcoming Jaan-E-Mann, you might have caught more than a whiff of boredom. But while the star admits he's going through the motions, it isn't because of a lack of enthusiasm.

"The thing is," Akshay sighs, "Everybody asks the same questions: what are your co-stars like to work with; what is your role in the film..." His being annoyed by the repetitive queries is justifiable, especially since he's worked with both Salman Khan and Preity Zinta before.

So while he admits to being fed up with irrelevant and obvious questions, what he really wants to talk about is the film.

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Rediff News

'This is an out-and-out Salman film'
October 17, 2006



Don't be fooled by the promos; Kumar is very clear that this isn't just another gags-and-backslapping film. "We've already done that, haven't we? We made people laugh their heads off with Mujhse Shaadi Karogi," he says. Also, Salman and Akshay are two heroes who really don't need to prove their comedic pedigree anymore. "Exactly. And while MSK made you laugh, this one will make you cry."

"It's a film with a message and a lot of soul. When I say it'll make you cry, I mean it's a powerful movie with genuine emotion. It touches you," says Akshay. "Of course, there is some humour. But this isn't comedy in the sense that it's designed as a joke; this is very realistic. In fact, the movie is very realistic; these things actually happen in life.

"On a very basic level," Kumar summarises, "This film is about a geek versus a dude, with the two having fallen in love with the same girl. I haven't seen characterisation like this. Both characters are very well-written." Contrary to type, he plays the geek in Jaan-E-Mann. "I had to break out of the box," he explains. "The tag of good-looking-but-can't-act is dangerous. I had to come out of the shell and Jaan-E-Mann helped me do that."

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'This is an out-and-out Salman film'
October 17, 2006



I have always played characters with appeal," he admits. "Like in Garam Masala, where I was juggling three women. But here, it isn't about appeal; in fact, no girl wants to date me at all."

He shrugs off suggestions of unfeasibility. "You're lying if you say you've never been rejected. Every stud has to face rejection." Apparently, college life for the actor wasn't quite like today. "I was an unpopular guy," Akshay declares. "I was just the opposite of how I am today, and to be very honest, nobody wanted to date me."

Unbelievable as that may seem, Kumar follows it up with another bombshell. "Jaan-E-Mann is an out-and-out Salman Khan film. And he's just great in the movie."

Suggestions of modesty almost anger Akshay at this point. "Why can't you believe me when I say that? It's not just about modesty; I honestly believe it's Salman's film all the way. And he's done so well that his work actually enhances my performance."

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Rediff News

'This is an out-and-out Salman film'
October 17, 2006



Currently in Dubai shooting for Anees Bazmee's Welcome -- where he stars with Anil Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat and Katrina Kaif -- Akshay still can't get over New York.

"Jaan-E-Mann was my first New York film; we shot 50-60 percent of the film there. And the whole look is completely different," he gushes. "I've shot all over the world, in many other countries, but New York is something else. The director wanted New York, and it's such a big backdrop. It's really come out excellently. Just the kind of thing we wanted."

Another thing Akshay feels has turned out perfect is Anu Malik's soundtrack. The actor actually breaks into lines of song as he highlights his favourite tracks Humko maloom hai and Ajnabi. "What I like about the music is that it has romance. Today's music has just got rhythm; it's all only beats. And I really appreciate the fact that Anu didn't go for the bang-bang sound. Here we have smoothness and genuine melody, and I personally think Hindi cinema is losing out on that."

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Rediff News

'This is an out-and-out Salman film'
October 17, 2006



And finally, the actor just can't stop raving about debutant director Shirish Kunder.

"I'm telling you, this guy is a genius. The way he's made this film, he's taken Indian filmmaking to the next level. I don't know the fate of the film, but he will definitely be remembered for this. The movie has such an international look and feel, and considering that our films are made on such a limited budget compared to Hollywood, this kind of product is indeed a big achievement."

He laughs when asked to go on. "No way. Watch the film on Friday and you'll know what I mean." All right geek, we'll be waiting.

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Rediff News

Farhan, his dad and the Don

October 17, 2006 18:46 IST
Last Updated: October 17, 2006 19:38 IST



It airs on television every other day; video stores report a run on copies. It is, at one time, the most-watched movie of recent days and the most eagerly awaited film of the year.

It is Don -- and even as the 1978 Amitabh-starrer directed by Chandra Barot airs on television screens and flies off store shelves, the 2006 version starring Shah Rukh Khan and directed by Farhan Akhtar counts down to release.

Naysayers continue to berate the film and to suggest that imagining any Don other than Amitabh is blasphemy; meanwhile, an entire generation born after the cult classic hit the screen queues up in theatres, and logs on to the net, for advance bookings.

"I'm not the torchbearer of the remake brigade," Akthar says -- but his decision to remake the classic film has sparked a slew of remakes that threaten to become the next big Bollywood trend.

Farhan sat down with dad Javed Akhtar -- who wrote the original film with Salim Khan -- at the latter's Juhu home; together, they revisited the old Don and unraveled the new.

In a living room scattered with high art, and facing French windows that open onto a sea view to die for, the cult-creating father and maverick son talk Prem Panicker and Raja Sen through their respective films, their creative impulses.

The first of a three-part interview:

Farhan, you started with a light, preppy film on friendship; then you made a coming of age, redemption-type film against the backdrop of war. Now you are remaking an iconic film about gangs and gangsters. What is the common creative thread, the identifiable signature that runs through your creativity?

Farhan: I would credit it to some kind of creative instinct that makes me move on to whatever it is that comes next, with the gusto I bring to it. But I think that probably what you could see as similar between the three is that all of them are films that have been made one way or the other, in the popular genre, before I made them.

Dil Chahta Hai is not the first film about friendship. Lakshya is not the first film about war and coming of age. Similarly, Don is not the first gangster film -- and it is a remake in any case.

I think what they have in common is a different, individual take from what you would normally associate with that kind of film.

So is it a case of you coming across a storyline that has been dealt with in a particular fashion, being dissatisfied with the treatment, thinking if you had done this, you would have done it differently -- and then following through on that impulse?

Farhan: No, it is not dissatisfaction. It is more the excitement of getting a chance to do it the way you want to. There is no dissatisfaction -- I love movies, I've seen so many movies, like Don, for example -- there is nothing wrong with the original, it is fantastic the way it is, and that is exactly why I am so excited to remake it.

Of all Javed-saab's iconic creations, why was Don the film that jumped out at you and said, remake me?

Farhan: I think Don is the one film from that time that in my mind lends itself to being remade today. For me, it is a film that back then was a little ahead of its time. I don't say so technically -- not the way it was shot, or the sets, or whatever. But the way the story was told, the language the characters spoke, the writing style there was, it was very modern even for its time. So today, when you adapt it, it fits very easily into a contemporary space.

Like, I love Deewar, Sholay, Trishul, Zanjeer, so many other films of the time -- but if you remake those films today, they will be dated. Also, Sholay has been remade -- not officially remade, but remade, so many times. Deewar has been remade so many times, Trishul has been remade so many times. But Don -- no one has gone into this area as often as they have gone into these other movies, and I think it fits into the modern sensibility of movie viewing quite well.

Javed-saab, if you were picking a movie of yours to be remade, would it have been Don?

Javed: Perhaps not. I see what Farhan's point is, and it is totally valid, it is a good point. But if I had to chose from my own films, I would pick one that after writing it and after watching it on screen, I felt oh god, I should have done this or that. So I would like to remake it, rewrite it to mend that mistake.

As a writer I don't have a problem with Don, so why would I want to remake it?

So which movie would you have remade?

Javed: Kaala Patthar, Arjun, Mashaal, Aakhri Jung -- these were the films I would like to remake because I feel they were very good films; they were very good plots, they were very interesting characters. But somewhere, I missed the bus as a writer, especially in the second half. The mistakes were minor, but it could have been corrected.

If I had taken one avenue instead of another, those films could have been much better.

Don is a totemic movie, an iconic character. We've all seen the film, we have at the time tried to walk like Don, talk like Don, copy the whole Don cool. In that sense, a lot of us have an indelible reference point with that film. Is that a potential problem for your re-imagining?

Farhan: There are two answers to this. Before you see the movie is the first answer, and after you see the movie is the second answer. When I started writing it, the first thing that I did was write down all the things I remember very clearly, as highlights, from the original Don.

For me, the excitement of remaking it was a fan's excitement; that is how I wanted to approach this. All of us have such mental lists, points of reference -- so when someone sees the film, he has to go thank god, that bit that I loved in the original is there.

So I made that list. And then I tried to weave the story around that. While doing that, there were things that weren't fitting into the narrative, so I had to sacrifice those. So the upshot was, when you see the movie, you realize it is more a fan's take on the film, rather than a filmmaker's.

And then -- this is the second answer I mentioned -- you realise after seeing the film that your point of reference for Don, the character, is not going to be applicable to this Don, because this is a different character. He may say the same lines, but he is not the same Don.

Whoever has seen the movie -- with the exception of Pa, who is sitting right here and who is so very close to the film -- has not mentioned the earlier Don to me. No one has come to me and said this was better or that was better; Shah Rukh was better or Mr Bachchan was better.

Those who have seen the movie have only spoken about the film, because by the end it is a completely different film, so you forget to compare -- actually, you don't have a need to compare. You come out without thinking of the original movie -- in that sense, your point of reference has changed. You don't get into comparison, because they are two different movies that happen to begin with a common premise.

Don't forget to read the next instalment of this fascinating conversation with Farhan and Javed Akhtar tomorrow!

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Bollywood Press

October 8, 2006
Gabbar Singh? new look



?mjad Khan and I struck a good friendship during Sholay. In fact, I wanted to play the role of Gabbar Singh and I told this to Ramesh Sippy (producer-director of the original Sholay),? Amitabh Bachchan said in a statement at the Le Meridien hotel in suburban Mumbai at a function held to reveal Gabbar? Singh? new look.

It has been three days since the shooting of Ram Gopal Varma? Sholay remake has begun and the film is expected to be released in May 2007.

?30 years ago Gabbar Singh was the villian of Sholay, but today I think he? the real hero. This film is the greatest challenge of my life,? Varma said.

? am overwhelmed and embarrased to unveil this new look,? said Bachchan.

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Bollywood Press

October 8, 2006
Abhishek Jhooms with Frank Lampard

The Yashraj camp has done it again. After getting international pop star, Tata Young, to perform an item song in Dhoom, Yashraj Films have now tied up a deal with Chelsea, a leading football club of UK.

The reason for the involvement of Chelsea in the film is that Abhishek Bachchan plays a die hard Chelsea fan in the film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, which is being directed by Shaad Ali.

Players like Frank Lampard and John Terry along with other members of the Chelsea team will make an appearance in the film.

The Chelsea team manager is very excited on the team? involvement with Bollywood. They will present Abhishek Bachchan with a jersey of the team.

It will be a real bonus for Abhishek Bachchan too since in real life too, Abhishek is a big fan of Chelsea.

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom also stars Priety Zinta, Bobby Deol, and Lara Dutta in lead roles.

Amitabh Bachchan also plays a cameo in the film. Rumors are rife that Aishwarya Rai will also be making a cameo in the film in an item number. Let us wait and watch.

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Bollywood Press

October 8, 2006
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt sit in a rickshaw !

After weeks of speculation, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt finally arrived in Pune on Thursday afternoon. Pitt and Jolie are in the city to shoot A Mighty Heart, a film on the life of journalist Daniel Pearl.



A Mighty Heart, produced by Pitt? production house, is based on the book of the same title by Daniel? wife, Mariane Pearl. Daniel, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002 while researching a story on Islamic militancy. The couple is reportedly scheduled to start shooting scenes on Monday.



The couple was spotted stepping out of their hotel on Friday afternoon and heading to an unknown destination. Many members of the press, both, national and international, were parked outside the hotel ever since the celeb couple arrived.

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Bollywood Press

October 12, 2006
Sanjay Dutt? Iftaar party



In this auspicious month of Ramzaan, Sanjay Dutt hosts an Iftaar party every evening. Iftaar is the party that marks the breaking of the Roza fast. Every evening after sunset, Dutt along with his Muslim buddies, which include his Man Friday, Kalim Khan and driver, Ismail break bread together.

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Bollywood Press

October 12, 2006
The truth about Shah Rukh Khan? Anita in DON!



That Ishaa Koppikar? character (Anita) in the new DON was not in the original version happens to be the popular conception, or should we say, misconception in people? minds. There was talk that Ishaa? character is a new introduction. But we hear that Ishaa? character in the modern DON was indeed present in the original DON as well but went unnoticed because it was a very insignificant one. Director Farhan Akhtar subsequently rewrote and increased it.

When asked, Farhan confirmed the question saying, ?here? a character in the original, which is the character of Don? girlfriend. She had a very minor part in the film; in fact she has barely two scenes and is standing on the side in one of the songs looking jealous. But Ishaa? character in the new version has been substantially developed and when you watch the film, you?l find out yourself!?

We can? wait, as DON releases in the UK on 19th October, a day earlier than the rest of the world.

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Bollywood Press

October 12, 2006
Shah Rukh Khan makes King-sized gesture



On the last day of shooting for Farhan Akhtar? Don, Shah Rukh Khan surprised the film? cast and crew by giving them presents and hand-written notes. So much so, that his King-sized gesture has left them all overwhelmed.

Personal touch

Says producer Ritesh Sidhwani, ?hah Rukh is one of the most large-hearted human beings I?e come across. Each day after pack-up, he would hug the crewmembers and thank them.

On the last day of shooting, he presented the members of the unit with gifts. He even wrote letters for us, recounting all the experiences he? had during those three months of shooting. He actually remembered his encounters with all of us individually and wrote them down in personalised letters to each one of us. It? wonderful the way he remembered those incidents!?

Ritesh says that SRK? presents weren? limited to just the stars and the director.

?e even gave presents to the choreographer, the sound person, the costume designer, the director of photography, the action directors and even the security personnel.

In fact, even the gifts he selected were in keeping with everyone? personal tastes and preferences. That? how closely he observed all of us. Each gift was accompanied by the note,? says Ritesh.

But this is not the first time SRK has shown his ?ighty Heart?. Says Ritesh, ?e were shooting in Malaysia for nearly 100 days with an equal number of unit members.

We? have lots of fun too. We? work six days a week and on the seventh day we? relax playing volleyball, have film screenings or then SRK would suddenly throw a party or invite people to his room to play on his PlayStation. He? pampered us much more than we pampered him.?

SRK? ?onnection?

Ritesh says that he? shot with many actors like Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Mr Bachchan, and all of them have been thoroughly professional.

?ut Shah Rukh has this amazing way of connecting with people. We miss him now that we are not shooting with him anymore. Shah Rukh brings this positive energy on the sets and makes the working experience really easy. That energy shows in Don.

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October 12, 2006
Hrithik? sister wants to re-marry



If all goes well, Hrithik Roshan? sister Sunaina may soon find the man of her dreams. Scarred by two bad relationships in the past, has not deterred her from seeking love again.

It was just last year when things seemed to be falling into place for Sunaina. After ending an eight-year-long bad marriage, Sunaina had got engaged to a Detroit-based NRI called Nick Udaysingh.

That was a big mistake. Two days after her engagement in Detroit, her family got to know that the man was having an affair with his brother? wife.

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Bollywood Press

October 12, 2006
DHOOM 2 Song listing



Pritam? music for ?hoom 2′ is the most awaited before the year coming to a close would be an stating the obvious. Before the arrival of the music on stands, we bring to you an EXCLUSIVE look at the songs written by Sameer.

1. Crazy Kiya Re [Sunidhi Chauhan]

2. Touch Me [KK, Alisha Chinai]

3. My Name Is Ali [Sonu Nigam, Bipasha Basu]

4. Dil Laga Na [Sukhbir, Soham Chakrabarthy, Jolly Mukherjee, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Suzanne]

5. Crazy Remix [Sunidhi Chauhan Remixed By: Bunty Rajput]

6. Dhoom Again [Vishal Dadlani, Dominique Cerejo, Lyrics: Asif Ali Baig]

The album is expected to break records on the very first day of the release i.e. October 19th

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Bollywood Press

October 12, 2006
When Salman Khan , Govinda stopped traffic



Traffic almost came to a halt on the streets of Mumbai? suburban Juhu in the early hours of this morning when Salman Khan decided to take a walk.

After a press meet at Hotel JW Marriott to promote his new film, Jaan-E-Mann, the actor left with Govinda.

Instead of getting into their swanky cars and bikes, the actors made their way towards a nearby residential complex on foot.

Salman? bodyguard protected the actor from the stunned crowds, who could not believe that Salman and Govinda were walking on the road.

Motorcyclists screeched to a halt, passengers in cars did a double take, and street children ran up behind their favourite stars.

A biker abruptly braked and turned to his young wife, saying, ?alman ne jo, Salman ne jo.?

Salman took in the hysteria quietly, and waved at people. He also lovingly pinched the children on their cheeks. But at the same time, he did not slow down his brisk pace.

Earlier in the day, Salman had surprised press photographers when he attended a press meet of Apna Sapna Money Money on a bike (above).

Incidentally, Salman and Govinda will be seen together in David Dhawan? Partner.

At the Jaan-E-Mann press meet, Govinda had commented, ? have been jobless as an actor for so many years. I am thankful to Salman for giving me a chance to make a comeback in films.?

Govinda will also be seen in films like Nikhil Advani? Salaam-E-Ishq and Priyadarshan? Bhagam Bhaag.

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Bollywood Press

October 13, 2006
A R Rahman - I? not insecure about my career



Composer A.R. Rahman has opted out of Shah Rukh Khan? production Om Shanti Om, but he insists the parting is amicable and certainly not final.

?? not doing Farah Khan? Om Shanti Om. But that doesn? mean there? any quarrel with her or with Shah Rukh who produces her film,? Rahman told IANS in an interview.

?arah and I go back a long way. We did Bombay Dreams together. In fact, I did some tunes for Om Shanti Om, which Farah has now returned to me, not because she didn? like them but because we just couldn? agree on my terms.?

Rahman? new policy for music composition is simple. ? just want to push for the financial rights of composers and lyricists, even producers. It? not as though I? saying I want to be the sole proprietor of the songs I compose. But I want a share. There? nothing wrong with that. I can? run to music companies like T Series and Sa Re Ga Ma every time I need to use my own song.?

Unfortunately, not too many producers in Bollywood are willing to share Rahman? demand for a share in the royalty for a song.

But Rahman holds no grudges against anyone, least of all Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh from whose productions the composer has opted out on this issue.

?n fact, Shah Rukh tried his utmost to see and to put forward my point of view.?

Unfortunately, T Series, the music company, which would market the music of Om Shanti Om, would have none of it.

Laughs Rahman. ? realise I?e a huge fight though I don? see it as a fight. It? not like the British rock band Queen, which owned sole copyrights to all their songs. But I won? run to music companies in Mumbai for the rights for my songs every time I want to perform them at the concerts.

?usic companies must recognise the changing ground reality. Today the conventional outlets for music sales are drying up. Soon all music will be free while the performers and performances will be paid for.?

Rahman is ready to take on the flak.

?ny change is frowned at. But I? standing up for what I think is right. Yes, producers will back out. But that? fine. This gap gives me the excuse to work on my private album. For long I?e been asked why I? not doing a non-film album. Now I?e the time to do that.?

What could complicate matters for Rahman in Mumbai is his selective attitude to the copyright issue. While he has chosen to assert his financial rights over Aamir and Shah Rukh, Rahman has exempted Ashutosh Gowariker? Jodha-Akbar from the copyright net.

?t has to be flexible. I can? draw a net on all my assignments and draw up a uniform code. At the same time I? not insecure about my career. If I lose out on some assignments in Mumbai, I? ready to bear with the loss.

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Rediff News

'I am not shying away from the old Don'
October 18, 2006 17:37 IST


Farhan Akhtar

With a couple of days to go before his third film Don releases worldwide, director Farhan Akhtar sat down with his legendary Pa Javed Akhtar -- who wrote the original film with Salim Khan -- at the latter's Juhu home; together, they revisited the old Don and unraveled the new in an exclusive and exhaustive interview with Prem Panicker and Raja Sen.

The second of a three-part interview:

Part I: 'No one has said Shah Rukh was better or Mr Bachchan was better'

So the 'remake' bit is only during its making, it is valid only till the theatre goes dark and the movie begins -- and then it is a whole other movie?

Farhan: When the picture starts, you are seeing the remake, and that is true until some point when the whole thing changes, and you begin seeing an entirely new film. Even within that new movie, there are points of reference that you will recognise from the earlier one, but at some point it is a totally different story. You will know what the differences are, but you won't stop to think about them.

The character's dilemma is the same, the plot is the same, the conflict is the same, but what transpires across all of that is different.

You've made a new Don but you've hugely referenced the old one, haven't you? Scenes, situations, dialogues, even a song or two -- you keep bringing back references; you are not shying away from the old Don.

Farhan: Of course not -- I am not for even one moment shying away from the old Don. Apart from the fact that I love that movie, the reason why I am remaking it, reimagining it, is because of how fantastic the first movie was.

So it is your tribute to a much-loved film.

Farhan: At some level, of course yes. It is a tribute, not just to that film, but to that time, to the films Pa and Salim uncle (Salim Khan, who co-wrote Don with Javed Akhtar) and Mr Bachchan made. The movies they made at the time have had an amazing impression on me, a deep impression, and this is my way of harking back to that time and publicly saying yeah, these movies did mean a lot to me.

Leaving the movie aside for a moment, what is it about Don, the character, that appeals to you; that makes you want to tell his story?

Farhan: It is always fascinating to see how a twisted mind works. We see good people on the screen all the time -- and the trouble with good people is they are not multi-dimensional. We see them as a good person and they remain a good person for the rest of the film; nothing can change them, nothing will ever happen to them, what they have decided to do they will do. But to have a mind that can keep changing, to deal with a mind that is dark, to create that kind of a character and then to tell his story, that is really fascinating.

Javed-saab, what was your mindset when you conceived Don?

Javed: At first, it was not about the character -- we thought that it was a very interesting plot. To begin with, it was about this man who was planted by a police officer in a gang because he resembles the dead criminal. And then the only man who knows he has planted this person, the only one who knows this man in the Don's clothes is innocent, dies -- so for the world, not just for the gang, this innocent person is actually a Don.

So now this man is in deep trouble. This twist was interesting, and to begin with we had only this twist. And then we evolved the whole screenplay around it. The creative spark was this impossible situation -- tala bandh, chabhi phenk di, so now what will happen? How will this person unlock himself?

[ Last edited by  ldg at 10-11-2006 05:31 PM ]

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Rediff News

Actress Srividya dies of cancer
October 19, 2006 21:31 IST
Last Updated: October 20, 2006 00:15 IST

Leading South Indian actress Srividya died in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday evening, hospital sources said.

She was 53 and had been undergoing treatment for cancer for the last few months.

Daughter of eminent classical singer M L Vasanthakumari, Srividya entered the film world at a very young age doing a prominent role in the Sivaji Ganesan-starrer Thiruvarul Selvar.

She, however, made it big in Malayalam ever since her debut film Chattambikavala in 1969. Srividya had put up memorable performance in scores of Malayalam films and she won the state government's best actress award twice.

At the height of her career, she married businessman George Thomas but they separated some years back. She had also acted in several Malayalam television serials.


Srividya will be cremated with state honours in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, an official spokesman said.

The body of the actress would be kept at the VJT hall in Thiruvananthapuram in the morning for her fans and the public to pay last respect to her. The cremation will take place at the Brahmin Samajam crematorium at Karamana in the city later in the afternoon.

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Rediff News

Brad, Angelina visit Jaipur
October 20, 2006 21:36 IST

Hollywood star Brad Pitt shot for an film at a historic fort in Jaipur today. Earlier, reports had suggested that Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who arrived at the city on October 18, were shooting for Jolie's film, A Mighty Heart, in Jaipur.

But persons who helped organise the visit claim that Pitt went to a palace in the city to shoot a commercial for a Japanese product.

The couple stayed at the Oberoi Rajvilas Hotel, where the entry of mediapersons was restricted.

According to a travel agent, who arranged transport for the stars and their crew, Jolie stayed in the hotel while Pitt shot for the ad. The sources said one of the courtyards of the nearly 200-year-old fort was used as a market place.

The couple is scheduled to leave Jaipur late in the evening by a chartered flight, police sources said.

Pitt and Jolie arrived in India recently to shoot for A Mighty Heart in Pune, after the movie crew decided not to film in Karachi for security reasons. The film is based on the abduction and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan.