Karan Johar won't sell Agneepath rights?

Filmmaker Karan Johar may have already earned big money with 'Agneepath'. The successful film, we hear, may just get more successful.

After proving to be a hit at the box office, 'Agneepath' has caught the attention of South filmmakers who are apparently queuing up to buy the rights of the movie already, or so we hear.

While all and sundry are going gung-ho about this news, filmmaker Karan Johar won't speak about it. He has decided to keep mum on the matter, unless something substantial takes place. However according to sources, Karan isn't too keen to sell the South-remake rights of the movie, just like that!

We are told, "It's a very dear movie to Karan. He's going to think ten times before giving away any remake rights. And even if he does sell the rights, he may want to be part of the making and involved in some integral way. Karan may be a good businessman, but he is extremely emotional, and sentimental."

Well, so KJo is not necessarily going 'Show me the money', right now! He's probably testing people's passion for filmmaking and cult cinema.

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'The best special effects of Ra.One happened at Mannat'

In the first part of this interesting conversation with Anubhav Sinha, the director spoke about directing two superstars, Shah Rukh Khan and Rajnikanth.

In this part, Sinha tells Sonil Dedhia how he first met SRK in New Delhi when they were trying to make it big in showbiz. He gives some closer details about SRK, and also talks about the toughest part of shooting Ra.One.

Reports suggest Karan Johar and Tarun Mansukhani directed a portion of Ra.One. Is that true?

Karan Johar directed for a day and a half but Tarun Mansukhani did not direct anything. Tarun did come on the sets for one schedule and I don't want to speak about why was he there. He is a very dear friend of mine and I respect him and his work.

Why did Karan come on board?

It was on my insistence Karan directed the part. Ra.One was shot for 160 days. We were shooting in London and for some logistical reason the shoot had to be extended. We didn't want to cancel it. Initially, Shah Rukh and I had decided to do the shot breakdown on paper and he would shoot in London and I would juggle between the two locations. But we realised that would not be wise.

I asked Shah Rukh if Karan could shoot the two- day schedule and he was gracious enough to do it.

So was Shah Rukh Khan going to direct a part of Ra.One?

Not really direct a part of the film. As I said earlier, I would do the shot division and he would execute it and okay the shot.

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Hot finale with Kat, Imran and semi-nude men

As is the case with most fashion week finales, the one of VHIMW'11 too had spectators wait endlessly before the designer duo, Karan Johar and Varun Bahl, could weave their 'Mediterranean dream' on stage.

The trials and tribulations were soon put to rest once the much awaited finale commenced.

'Mediterranean Magic and Bollywood': A vision of 'Mediterranean chic'that the designer-duo wished to present was high on Bollywood with Imran Khan opening the show. Dressed in charcoal black jacket and a pair of white trousers, the enviable combination reflected spelled sensuality, luxury and high-class fashion.

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X Factor changed me as a person, says winner Geet

Geet Sagar from Shreya Ghosal's team emerged the winner of the first season of X Factor India, on Friday. He won the coveted title leaving behind Seema Jha from Sonu Nigam's  team and the Sajda sisters from filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's team.

Twenty-seven-year-old Geet has won Rs 50 lakh, a Tata Manza car and an opportunity to sing a song in a Karan Johar film.

This is not the first time Geet has participated in a TV reality show; he was among the top 130 in the first season of Indian Idol. A radio jockey by profession, Geet was pushed by his father to take up singing and now intends to concentrate more on singing.

He talks to Rajul Hegde about his big win.

How did you feel when your name was announced?

It was beyond my imagination, I was blank and speechless when my name was announced. It took some time to sink in. There were many singers in the contest who were better than I and had formal training in singing. However, I believe this show is about spotting the 'X factor' in a performer. That worked in my favour.

How are you going to celebrate your victory?

I am enjoying every moment of it. I am going to my hometown Gwalior on Sunday. Rani Sahib Priyadarshini Raje Scindia messaged me and congratulated me on Facebook. I know people are waiting for me back home. I am expecting a grand reception there. I am also planning to visit my native place in Uttar Pradesh [ Images ]. This win has given me the confidence to move forward in life.

You are not a trained singer?

No, I am not. I was an RJ for two-and-a-half years but later quit to pursue music. I have studied music as a subject, but I never took lessons in singing because of a throat problem. However, after entering this show, I constantly worked on improving my singing skills. Just a few months before I got selected for X Factor I was learning the basics of singing. Now I intend to take training in music. I was keen on taking lessons from Sonu Nigam but due to his busy schedule, things might not work out.

How would you sum up your experience on the show?

The journey has been adventurous and a learning experience. I believe the reality show provided me a platform to show and enhance my singing besides giving me an identity. X Factor was not only about singing, but a search for a complete performer. The show has changed me as a person. It helped me to grow not only professionally but personally as well

What did you think about the judges?

Shreya is a wonderful person and was more like a friend than mentor. She made me feel comfortable and bucked me up and gave me the confidence to perform. Sonu is my idol and Sanjay sir is my favourite judge as we both are very emotional as individuals. When you meet them and talk to them you get to feel the positive vibes.

Do people recognise you when you go out?

I haven't gone out after I have won. But, yes, a couple of months back when I had gone for a CT scan for my broken nose, the staff was excited to take my autographs and pictures.

What will you do with the prize money?
I haven't thought about it. I will give it to my parents.

What are your future plans?

Right now I have not planned anything but I want to continue singing. Playback singing is not my priority; if something comes my way I will definitely give it a try. I want to be a good singer and travel across the globe and give live shows. Interacting with the audience is important for me.

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Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy booted out of Dharma Productions?

While DK Bose composer Ram Sampath replaced S-E-L in Excel Entertainment, we now hear that the music composer duo Ajay-Atul has replaced the trio in Agneepath

We had seen this coming, especially after we heard the disappointing soundtrack of Prakash Jha’s Aarakshan, but this soon? No! For a very long time, S-E-L have saved their best tunes for their two most favourite production houses: Farhan Ahtar’s Excel Entertainment and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. But unfortunately they have been replaced by others in both companies. We are not entirely sure about the reason for the ouster, but it is indeed very sad to see that the talented triumvirate is being left out, despite their amazing record with chartbusters in recent times. We smelt something fishy when Karan Johar didn’t show up at the trio’s 15th anniversary celebration. Well, we just hope these recent developments don’t lead to a fall-out, as the rumours doing the rounds have told us. When we spoke to Ram Sampath about him replacing S-E-L in an Excel Entertainment film, he said, “I haven’t replaced anyone in Reema Kagti’s film. She was looking for a music director and Aamir Khan recommended me to her. Aamir, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani (the producers) left the casting choice entirely to Reema.” We are only hoping that the success of Shahrukh Khan’s Don 2 brings the trio back into business.

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