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May 20, 1998
BILLBOARD
QUOTE MARTIAL
MAKING WAVES
ROUGH CUTS
MEMORIES
ARCHIVES
MOVIES CHAT
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Bachchan downed
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Amitabh Bachchan. Click for bigger pic!
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Amitabh Bachchan has apparently been working too hard. For after pushing to sell his films and ABCL and signing films all around, the big B finally hit a speed breaker is in the form of a viral fever.
He has signed about half-a-dozen new films, including K C Bokadia's next film, Bada Bhai, Mehul Kumar's Kohraam and ABCL's upcoming two ventures -- Dariya, directed by Priyadarshan and another yet unnamed one by Tinnu Anand.
With that kind of schedule, no wonder his body threw in the towel.
Cause over pleasure
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Madhoo. Click for bigger pic!
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Madhoo has broken it off. We talked of her romance with a millionaire a few columns ago.
The problem, according to her, is that her partner does not support the causes she does, including one for cancer patients.
"It is difficult to live with someone who cannot understand you. I would rather marry someone who understands me, even if he is a south Indian who applies oil on his head and is selected by my mother."
The only problem, of course, being that conservative south Indians are not likely to go for a modern actress like her.
'I will be back! But goodbye for now'
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Rishi Kapoor. Click for bigger pic!
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Rishi Kapoor has done his last schedule as an actor in Karobaar by Gurdeep Singh and Rakesh Roshan.
This was the only film he had to finish work in before teeing off as a director in Aa Ab Laut Chalein. However, he has made it clear that he is not quitting acting.
"I am just taking a break to concentrate on my work as a director. I will be back as an actor as soon
as I finish my film. I can never give up acting," he says.
End of the road?
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Deepti Bhatnagar. Click for bigger pic!
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She may get roles even in Hollywood, but in India Deepti Bhatnagar has no takers. The lady either lacks the requisite talent or the luck to make it big.
Deepti started off with a sizzling role in Ramshastra opposite Jackie Shroff, following it up with a video,Laung Gawacha that also made news though her presence didn't. She also acted in a Hollywood production opposite Asian kickboxing champ Don Wilson.
With just three films in hand -- Pahlaj Nihalani's Uljhan with Puru Raaj Kumar, a film with Sunil Shetty and another film with Mithun Chakraborty, Deepti seems to be headed nowhere.
Mr Bharat makes the grade
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Manoj Kumar. Click for bigger pic!
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We've just managed a peek at Manoj Kumar's Jai Hind-The Pride, before the editing began. And it compares well with some of the better Manoj Kumar productions, like Upkaar, Purab Aur Paschim and Kranti.
More important, the film comes out at a time the problems of the Kashmiri Pandits are being highlighted, Indo-Pak relations looking pretty messy, and nuclear tests having jingoists energetically flapping the flag. Right time, we guess, for another Manoj Kumar production.
Kunal too bears an uncanny resemblance to Manoj -- naturally, being father and son and all that but uncanny nevertheless -- reminiscent of Hariyali Aur Rasta and Woh Kaun Thi.
Manoj has a problem though with both heroes, Kunal and Rishi Kapoor, and heroine Raveena Tandon being considered bad news. He actually has to rely a good deal on the pulling power of the other heroine, Manisha Koirala.
Changing roles
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Salman Khan. Click for bigger pic!
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Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Jackie Shroff have stopped signing new films, opting for direction instead.
Salman, who had started his career assisting Shashilal Nair in Salim Khan's Falak, is all set to change jobs.
Aamir, who had assisted Nasir Hussain during Zabardast and Manzil Manzil, plans to get there by 2000. But he had always shown his interest in the job, 'helping' directors with his suggestions, some credit at least for Rangeela's success accruing to him.
Right now, he's fussing over his baby girl, Ira, born last week.
And Jackie? Yes, he doesn't want to just make films under the JSEL label, but, according to wife Ayesha Shroff, to direct an as yet unidentified future venture.
Seema's parallel fortunes
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Seema Biswas. Click for bigger pic!
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Maybe Seema Biswas made a mistake by doing Bandit Queen, thus winning the national award that gave her pariah status in Bollywood.
For despite a great performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Khamoshi, the only commercial role of note she has is a comic one in Ladies Only. But then, Shekhar Kapur picked her for Bandit Queen after seeing her act in a comic play.
But parallel cinema had drawn her into its arms. So she's starring in Amol Palekar's next film, Sudipto Chatterjee's Lajja about an actress trying to achieve her dreams vicariously through her son, and Bappa Ditya's Ragini, about a tribal who manages a snake show.
Commercially, her only confirmed assignment at the moment is Sunil Shah's Aankh Michauli, in which she is paired opposite Sadashiv Amrapurkar while some newcomers play the romantic leads.
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