Prabhudheva to do item number in OMG! Oh My God

Prabhudheva, who is known for his exceptional dancing skills, will be doing an item number in Akshay Kumar's production OMG! Oh My God.

Akki shares a very good rapport with his Rowdy Rathore director Prabhudheva and he requested Prabhu to shake a leg with Sonakshi Sinha in an item number in Oh My God. Prabhu immediately agreed to do the song. He might even choreograph the song. 

Oh My God is based on Gujarati play 'Kanji Viruddh Kanji' and is directed by Umesh Shukla. The film stars Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal.

Sunny - Anil team up for Singh Sahab The Great

Sunny Deol and director Anil Sharma, who have given hits like Gadar-Ek Prem Katha, The Hero - Love Story of a Spy and Apne, are now working together in Singh Sahab The Great.

Director Anil Sharma, whose last film was Salman Khan-starrer Veer in 2010, is very happy to get back to direction. "It is always exciting to get back to direction. For me it is always as if I am starting my first film. I feel as if I am going into a new class and preparing myself for a new exam," he says. 

When quizzed on casting Sunny Deol in the film, Anil says, "I chose Sunny because it is a very powerful character and I feel that Sunny is the most powerful action hero India has produced in 100 years." 

Speaking about the film, Anil says, "Singh Sahab The Great is the story of a District Collector, who wants to eradicate poverty and corruption. He is a very humourous and entertaining character. There is also a lot of action in the film. Sunny will be playing a sardar in the film. The script is written by Shaktiman, who wrote Gadar." 

"We are still in the process of finalizing the leading lady but we have two girls in mind. Till now we have finalized Sunny Deol and Prakash Raj, who will play a negative role in the film," Anil added. 

The first song of the film is composed by Anu Malik and has already been recorded. Singh Sahab The Greatwill go on floors by October-November and will be shot in Mumbai and on the borders of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. 

Speaking about his other film starring the Deol trio Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby, Anil says, "I am supposed to make Masters with the three Deols. We will start work on that film after I am done withSingh Sahab The Great because the Deols are first working on Yamla Pagla Deewana sequel but we will start the shooting of Masters sometime next year.

Sanjay Dutt injured on sets of Sher

Films of action genre are definitely loved the most by the audiences, however there is always a clear and present danger while shooting for them. The latest to fall victim to injury is Sanjay Dutt who was injured while shooting an action sequence for Sher.

Apparently, Dutt was shooting an action sequence with 500 extras, with some of the characters wielding swords, when a freak incident lead to the actor sustaining a deep cut, missing his eye by mere inches. Sanjay was rushed for medical attention, but after he got a few stitches he returned to the location and resumed shooting.

Slated for a December 2012 release, Sher is based on the Gujarat underworld with Dutt playing the role based on Gujarati gangster Sharman Munjha.

Ajay Devgn denies cheating distributor

Ajay Devgn has denied the allegations of cheating a Nagpur-based distributor over the all India theatrical rights for his upcoming film Bol Bachchan. 

The story goes that Nagpur-based distributor Appu Wadhwani filed a civil case against Ajay and Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd, the producers of Bol Bachchan, in a local court alleging that the producers went in for a deal with another company by dishonouring the one they struck with him last year, for the film's all-India theatrical rights. He moved to court asking for a stoppage on the film's release. 

Reportedly, the makers of Bol Bachchan had entered into an agreement with Appu Wadhwani of Hira Laxmi Amusement Private Ltd, for all-India theatre rights last year for Rs. 53.20 crore. Appu had paid a token money of Rs 1.01 crore. But the deal fell through. The producers later entered into a fresh deal with Fox Star Studios. 

Ajay, who is the co-producer of Bol Bachchan, does not want to comment on this issue as the matter is in court but he did clarify that he has not cheated anybody. He further stated that the matter is between Appu and Ashtavinayak as both have filed cases against each other and he is not involved in anyway. 

Bol Bachchan stars Ajay Devgn along with Abhishek Bachchan, Asin Thottumkal and Prachi Desai. Directed by Rohit Shetty, the comedy is slated for a July 6 release.

Is Sanjay Dutt's Bihaad on backburner for Milan?

Milan Luthria has announced plans for a film with Saif Ali Khan that would go on floors once he is through shooting Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2. However does that also more than just hint that Sanjay Dutt's dream project Bihaad finally been shelved? If the latest developments are any indication, it could well be the case, what with another filmmaker finishing a film by the same title and getting it readied for release.

"It was over five years ago when Sanjay Dutt had expressed his interest in making Bihaad. The film was supposed to be directed by Milan Luthria and also mark the revival of Late Sunil Dutt's banner Ajanta Arts. However, it could never go on floors even though the actor-director had worked together in Deewar - Let's Bring Our Heroes Home", informs a source. 

At that time, even Ajay Devgn and Vidya Balan were signed for the film. Milan had formed a good partnership with Ajay after Kachche Dhaage & Chori Chori and though they went on to do Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai together, Bihaad, which was supposed to be shot in the jungles of Madhya Pradesh, could never kick off. 

"Every two years, there were on and off talks of the film being revived but none of that could materialise. Milan roped in Vidya for The Dirty Picture instead and created history. However, no one heard of Bihaadagain", the source continues; "Now with a film with the same title being released, it is apparent that the dream project has been shelved. Moreover Milan too has moved on to his next two projects which means he would be occupied till 2013 at the least. It's a pity because Sanjay had a dream role in this film which was supposed to portray him in yet another realistic set up after Vaastav." 

One wonders how realistic would Krishna Mishra directed Bihaad be which has just been unveiled. 

"Well, it would be as realistic as it gets since it has a real life 'daaku' (Maan Singh) being cast as himself", says a source attached to the film, "Our film is based on the life of Nirbhay Singh Gujjar. We also have a character who plays the role of Phoolan Devi in the film." 

Guess one would have to wait for a newer set up now if Milan, Sanju, Ajay and Vidya were to unite again

Paresh Rawal replaces Prakash Raj in Sher

Wanted and Singham's arch-villain Prakash Raj has walked out of the Sanjay Dutt-Vivek Oberoi starrer Sher.

Known to be a thorough professional and absolutely hassle-free on the sets, it came as surprise when one of the film's actors accidently let out that Prakash Raj has walked out from the location in Rajasthan. 

Says a source, "I don't know what really happened. Prakash Raj was supposed to play the villain. But now I am shooting with Paresh Rawal instead. We heard Prakashji had some monetary issues." Further probing revealed not all was well in paradise. And it was not as simple as a dispute over the remuneration. 

A source from Rajasthan informs, "Basically Prakash Raj walked out because of the constant changes in the script. By the time he came around to actually shooting, his role was very different from what he had been narrated. Prakash who is used to playing pivotal parts in both Bollywood and South Indian cinema opted out because of the fluid script." 

Surprisingly, Paresh Rawal who is known to be extremely fastidious about the script has stepped in as a last-minute replacement. 

When asked about replacing Prakash Raj, Paresh honestly admitted to the re-shuffle. But Paresh added, "Initially I was to play the role. But there were date issues, and I had to opt out. Now they've been sorted. So I am in." 

Prakash Raj refrained from comment.

Criminal case filed against SRK

The troubles surrounding superstar Shah Rukh Khan's Wankhede brawl just don't seem to end. Now, lawyer-cum-activist Indrajeet Singh Bhatia filed a private criminal complaint against SRK at a local court in Indore, Madya Pradesh, for his alleged involvement in the fracas at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai last month.

Bhatia filed the case on Tuesday under section 200 of CrPc (examination of complainant) in the court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Sangeeta Tiwari. Admitting the complaint, the court posted the matter to July 9. 

Bhatia also insisted that the court book Shah Rukh under sections 294 (obscene acts and songs), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 499 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code. 

Earlier, the Mumbai Police on May 17 had registered a non-cognisable offence against SRK and three others in connection with the May 16 incident involving them and officials of the Mumbai Cricket Association at Wankhede Stadium.

Shenaz Treasuryvala in Main Aur Mr. Riight

Shenaz Treasuryvala, who received great appreciation for her performance in Delhi Belly, will be seen next in debut director Adeeb Rais' Main Aur Mr. Riight (MAMR).

Shenaz plays the lead role of a girl who is very finicky when it comes to choosing her Mr. Right but is looking for love in all the wrong places. What Shenaz finds most challenging in the role is that she plays a girl who never smiles, which is a complete contrast to her real life persona.

MAMR also marks the debut of TV actor Barun Sobti of 'Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon' fame. The film also stars comedian Kavi Shastri.

After Shanghai, Dibakar to make Kolkata

If you miss the fictional Bengali detective Byomkesh Bakshi, here is a piece of good news for you. Dibakar Banerjee's next titled Kolkata is a detective thriller and will have a detective a la Byomkesh Bakshi in the central role.

A well placed source reveals, "Dibakar is a huge fan of detective thrillers and investigative stories. 'Sherlock Holmes' and the Bengali detective 'Byomkesh Bakshi' are among his favourite detective shows. He was toying with the idea of making a film on such a subject for a long time and he is finally doing it." 

Divulging on the plot of the film, the source informs, "It's a murder mystery based in Kolkata but has no resemblance to Kahaani. It is going to be a hardcore detective thriller. Since Dibakar's lead character is also a Bengali detective guy and his film is set in Kolkata, the comparisons with Byomkesh Bakshi are bound to happen. However, it's not clear yet whether Dibakar's film is an original story or adaptation of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay popular detective series." 

"Dibakar is currently busy writing the story but the work on the film has already started. His production designer has been making frequent trips to Kolkata since February to finalize the locations," adds the source. 

The film is most likely to go on the floor by the end of this year or early next year. 

When contacted, Dibakar said, "Its definitely one of the next ones I am going to do."

Esha Gupta was original choice for Murder 3

Aditi Rao Hydari was not the original choice for Bhatt Camp's much awaited next, Murder 3. It was their latest blue eyed girl, Esha Gupta who was offered the film first. The newbie who has signed a three film deal with Vishesh films was seen in Jannat 2 and is also starring in Raaz 3.

If you are wondering why the leggy lissome opted out of such a huge franchise, here is the dope. An insider reveals, "Esha was the first choice of Bhatt's for the film. The reason she didn't do it is because her favourite writer Shagufta Rafique, who has written both her earlier films, is not writing this one. Also Mahesh Bhatt who has been involved in all the Vishesh films may not be able to mentor this one."

The source says, "Esha who shares a great bond with both of them and sees them as her mentors wasn't very comfortable working in a film that they are not part of. She expressed her reservation to the Bhatts and they welcomed her decision."

Esha confirmed that she was approached for Murder 3. However, she denies that Shagufta and Mahesh Bhatt were the reason for her to opt out of the film. She says she couldn't do the film because of time constrains. "I am busy with the dubbing of Raaz 3 and then the film's promotions will start. Then I have to finish Prakash Jha's Chakravyuh. There was no way I could give hundred percent to Murder 3 and do justice with the role. Why to do something when you know you wouldn't be able to pull it off. You don't want to do things half heartedly," she informs.

She signs off saying, "I am honored that Bhatt saab offered me Murder 3. It's a huge franchise to just let go off but I had no choice. I would have surely done the film if I had time.

Ek Tha Tiger trailer out on June 29

The theatrical trailer of YRF's Ek Tha Tiger, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will hit the theatres on June 29.

Director Kabir Khan tweeted, "Phew... Finally finished editing the theatrical trailer of #EkThaTiger... :-) If you liked the teaser... wait till you see this one... We will bring it out at the end of this month... will hit the theatres on the 29th of June..." 

Ek Tha Tiger brings together the on screen pair of Salman and Katrina after a gap of four years. The teaser promo of the film received a thunderous response from the audience. 

Ek Tha Tiger is a romantic thriller produced by Aditya Chopra. The film releases worldwide this Eid on August 15.

Farah Khan choreographs for KJo's SOTY

Farah Khan and Karan Johar's friendship goes a long way. Despite being a successful director now, Farah has been the choreographer in all of Karan's directorial ventures and is also choreographing for his next biggie Student Of The Year.

Farah excitedly tweeted, "Shooting with karan johar 4 studnt of the year! Frm kuch kuch 2 now..what a journey." Karan too seems to be enjoying having Farah on the sets of his directorial venture. KJo tweeted, "Shooting with @TheFarahKhan for SOTY!!! Shooting alia's' introduction song!!! Farah is fabulous as always!!!! And extremely entertaining!!!" 

Student Of The Year marks the debut of Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Siddharth Malhotra. The film is scheduled to release on October 19.

Vishesh Bhatt to direct Murder 3

We had earlier reported that producer Mukesh Bhatt's son will be making his foray into direction. Vishesh has now zeroed down on his debut directorial venture. He will be directing Murder 3 starring Randeep Hooda and Aditi Rao Hydari.

Next month is the 25th year of Vishesh Films and it will mark the debut of Vishesh as a director. According to Mukesh Bhatt, Murder 3 is as important for them asDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was for Yash Raj Films orMaine Pyar Kiya was for Rajshri. Vishesh had earlier written the story and screenplay for Jannat.

Murder directed by Anurag Basu, featuring Emraan Hashmi and Mallika Sherawat, was the biggest hit of 2004. While Murder 2 directed by Mohit Suri staring Emraan and Jacqueline Fernandez, was also amongst last year's biggest hits. 

Murder 3 will go on floors by the end of July and will be shot in Cape Town.

Sonakshi to do a song in Oh My God

Its not rocket science to know that Bollywood and superstitions go hand in hand. And the concept of 'lucky mascot' is not new to Bollywood.

When almost every film that starred Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif hit the goldmine, Kats quickly got tagged as Akki's lucky charm. But, with the super success ofRowdy Rathore, it seems that Katrina has now given way to allegedly Akshay's latest lucky charm Sonakshi Sinha.

News is that Sonakshi has been signed on to do a fast paced song in Oh My God. The film is being co-produced by Akshay Kumar with Ashwini Yardi under their banner 'Grazing Goat Productions'.

Commenting on the 'inclusion' of Sonakshi, Ashwini confirmed that they have just signed up Sonakshi for their film that's based on Lord Krishna, which has very little scope for a leading lady, and the small part is being essayed by Nidhi Subbaiah. News reports also have it that, besides Sonakshi, they also want to rope in Prabhudeva, since it was this trio that created the magic in Rowdy Rathore.

Rock The Shaadi on track confirms producer

There seemed to be a lot of uncertainty looming over Abhay Deol- Genelia starrer Rock The Shaadi which was touted to be India's first ever zombie flick. The film is being produced by Sid Jain's iRock in association with Balaji and directed by Navdeep Singh.

Earlier, there were rumours that Balaji wasn't too happy with the film going over-budget and hence it was stuck. And Abhay Deol in a recent interview said that it was Sid Jain (co-producer) who messed it up.

This allegation by Abhay hasn't gone down too well with Sid Jain who feels that Abhay should check the facts and talk to him directly rather than going to the press. Sid had earlier collaborated with Balaji on the successful spooky flick Ragini MMS and said that he is not the cause for the film being stuck in limbo. He further added that if he had caused the delay then Balaji would've completed the film without him, but that is clearly not the case.

Currently, Rock The Shaadi is 50% complete and is expected to resume filming post monsoon.

Abhishek Bachchan at the 24-hour Le Mans race

Abhishek has a secret passion. Besides wife Aishwarya and daughter Aaradhya, that is. Abhishek loves fast cars, especially those that burn up the race tracks. Unlike his contemporaries from the film fraternity who rush to the Grand Prix races every year, Abhishek has chosen to attend a far more elitist race event.

He left on Tuesday night for the 24 Hours Of Le Manscar racing event to be held on 16th June in the scenic town of Le Mans in France.

Apparently, Abhishek had been planning to attend this 80-year old annual racing event for some years now.

"But he never got around to it until now. Every year something or the other would come up putting a roadblock in the way of his secret fantasy. This year Abhishek was determined to make it, come what may. He virtually stayed awake nights to complete the dubbing of Bol Bachchan so that he would get time off for a few days before he returns for the promotion of the film," says a friend of Abhishek's.

Interestingly, Le Mans is the only car racing event in the world where the cars are on the tracks uninterrupted for 24 hours.

"Abhishek will be glued non-stop to the tracks for 24 hours. He's as excited as a schoolboy about realizing one of his secret dreams."

Abhishek left on Tuesday night. He returns at the end of the week.

Esha Deol to tie knot on June 29

Dharmendra and Hema Malini's elder daughter Esha Deol is all set to marry her fiance Bharat Takhtani on June 29. The marriage will take place at a Temple in Mumbai.

Esha has been dating Bandra-based businessman Bharat Takhtani for a while now. The couple got engaged on February 12, in a private ceremony at Hema Malini's Juhu bungalow. 

The marriage ceremony is likely to be a private affair but the reception that will be held on June 30 at a suburban five star hotel will be a grand affair and will be attended by many people from the film industry and politics.

Bollywood News Piping Hot News

*  The promos of Kabeer Kaushik's MAXIMUM have caught the eye. But if you think the film follows the beaten to death genre of cops versus gangsters/politicians, you're mistaken. "It's cops versus cops in MAXIMUM," Kabeer Kaushik clarifies. 

*  Not many know that the child artist of FERRARI KI SAWAARI, Ritwik, was spotted by the casting director of the film at McDonalds, while placing an order. The child artist had no film/advertising experience, nor did he know how to play the game of cricket, which was the criteria for enacting this role. 

*  Kamal Haasan may have just completed his ambitious film VISHWAROOP, but the actor/film-maker has no plans to take a break. He has decided to start VISHWAROOP 2. Reportedly, it's the most expensive film made in India. "I wouldn't know about that, but it's the most expensive film I've been part of," he states. 

*  JISM 2 is back to its original release date: 3 August. Will now clash with Ekta Kapoor's KYAA SUPER KOOL HAI HUM.

Jackie Shroff in Dhoom 3

There is good news for all Jackie Shroff fans as their favourite Jaggu Dada is all set to make a grand comeback with Yash Raj Film's Dhoom 3.

Jackie was approached by producer Aditya Chopra to play a pivotal role in the third installment of the popular action packed franchise. They have asked Jackie to shoot for 10 days. 

In Dhoom 3, Jackie will share screen space with hisRangeela co-star Aamir Khan after a gap of 17 years. Jackie is very excited to be a part of the film and is likely to start shooting for the film this month itself. 

Dhoom 3, directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya also stars Katrina Kaif, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra and will hit the theatres in 2013

Ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan passes away

Legendary ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan who had been ailing for a while passed away earlier today in Karachi following multiple organ failure. He was 84 years old.

Mehdi was known for his evergreen ghazals and even sung in many Pakistani films. He had a huge fan following both in India and Pakistan. 

Many B-town celebs expressed their sorrow via Twitter over Hassan saab's demise. 

Dia Mirza tweeted, "RIP Mehdi Hasan Saab... Your songs are eternal..." 

Manoj Bajpayee tweeted, "Ghazal king one of my favourites mehandi saab passed away. may his soul rest in peace!" 

Anupam Kher tweeted, "Very saddened to hear about my fav Gazal Singer Mehdi Hassan's demise. As a student had gate crashed into Pak Embassy to listen to him. RIP." 

Shreya Ghoshal tweeted, "Mehdi Hassan sa'ab is no more. The voice, who made many music lovers n lovers to find an expression of their heart's stories, is gone. R.I.P. Saddened beyond comprehension. Jagjit ji, now Mehdi Sa'ab. The voices who kept the legacy of ghazals alive and how, are gone. This void can never be filled ever again."

R.K. Films to get active again?

They are referred to as the First Family of the film industry and rightly so. After all, the Kapoors have enthralled the moviegoers for almost eight decades and continue to do so right to this day. However, since more than a decade, the prestigious banner -- R.K. Films -- has been inactive, despite the Gen X being active on the acting front.

But the once revered banner is all set to strike back. "Yes, we are planning to make a series of films. There's so much talent out there that's making wonderful movies," Randhir Kapoor states, when I ask him if R.K. is getting back at film production. The veteran actor/film-maker recently enacted a pivotal part in HOUSEFULL 2. "I'd love to act in movies, but the roles have to be meaty enough. Like the one in HOUSEFULL 2," he smiles. 

After directing HENNA, his father's dream project, he didn't direct any film again. Doesn't he feel like directing again? "No, there's so much young talent out there. Let's make movies with them," he retorts.

UTV acquires global rights of Joker for less than 40 cr

Now this is one piece of news that has turned out to be a pleasant surprise for all involved and also predicted a healthy trend in the making. Despite a 'back-in-roaring-form' Akshay Kumar as the lead protagonist inJoker, Shirish Kunder hasn't gone overboard as far as his Joker is concerned. As per trade insiders, the film has been sold to UTV at a price that would raise many an eyebrow, though with a smile and a sense of positivity.

"The film has been completed in a controlled budget, all thanks to Shirish who has made it possible since he is technically very well equipped. He planned Joker in such a way that it turns out to be commercially viable for all involved", says a source, "UTV is also mighty excited about the film's prospects since unlike Akshay's previous outings that have carried a very heavy price tag due to their pitching as out and out commercial entertainers, they have managed to acquireJoker at less than Rs. 40 crores." 

Since the film hasn't cost as much, the selling has been on the same lines. Even though the film's price could have been jacked after Rowdy Rathore and Housefull 2 scoring a century each, Shirish chose to be fair to the distributors and also smart enough not to overprice it. 

Confirms a trade insider, "UTV has bought global rights of Joker at a price less than Rs. 40 crores and that includes theatrical, satellite, home video, overseas and all other rights. While recovering this would be a cakewalk, there are good profits expected to be make." 

Many in the industry have wondered though if Akshay would turn out to be the first ever actor in the history of Indian cinema to boast of three back to back 100 crores grosser in a single year. 

"Well, when that happens, it would be seen. As of now, the next immediate target for Joker is to reach out to kids. That's the gift that the team wants to give to its younger audience. A path has been paved for the film to find its target audience. It is a win-win situation for all involved, whether Akshay, Shirish or UTV. Now one just hopes that looking at the current market where films are doing great business, the makers don't oversell Joker to the sub-distributors with lure to make quicker profits. Higher collections would only consolidate faith amongst top Bollywood superstars to invest in such outings. It would be interesting to see if Joker is the one that starts the trend", a corporate bigwig adds.