Shekhar Suman apologises to Akshay for 'Chandni Chowk...' comments

TV celebrity Shekhar Suman, who panned Akshay Kumar and his latest release "Chandni Chowk To China" as the"worst film made in the history of Indian cinema", has apologised to the star.

"It was never my intention to offend Akshay. And if I've done so then I've no hesitation in saying sorry. Akshay is too much of a good soul for me to hurt him. He should've realised my comments had nothing personal about them," Shekhar told IANS.

After watching "Chandni Chowk To China", Shekhar apparently said: "It will go down as the worst film ever made in Indian history. What an utter waste of Rs.400 that I spent on my ticket. I want a refund of all Akshay films that I've seen. The film is not just disappointing and amateurish but offends one's sensibility as well. I declare January 16 to be declared National Mourning in India, as it's the day cinema died."

"I'm upset with Akshay for doing such a film. He's lost it after seeing success. Akshay was better when he wasn't in the race... now his brains have turned topsy-turvy. I think Shah Rukh must be having the last laugh... Akshay said somewhere that SRK's not in the race but he (Akki) is already at the finishing line," Shekhar had said.

The actor says he is taken aback by the backlash to his tongue-lash.

"I never knew my opinion would matter so much. I reacted as an outraged viewer. I've always admired Akshay Kumar's resilient climb from the bottom rung to the top of ladder. In fact, I tell my son Adhyayan that Akshay Kumar is a role model to follow. Self-made superstar."

Sadly a section of Akshay's supporters, including the "Chandni Chowk To China" director Nikhil Advani, saw Shekhar's comments as below-the-belt attempts to get publicity for Adhyayan's release "Raaz 2". The film released Friday.

But Shekhar laughed off this accusation.

"My son is talented enough to do without such cheap props. We don't need to use big names to get noticed. Adhyayan's performance in "Raaz 2" will speak for itself. I'd say exactly what I did about 'Chandni Chowk...' even if my son's film wasn't releasing."

Akshay Kumar gave away his award in anger!

The real reason why Akshay Kumar gave his award away to Aamir Khan

Last Wednesday, Akshay Kumar gave away his Star Screen award to Aamir Khan. It is now revealed that the gesture was not out of generosity or nobility, but out of anger.

Initially, the actor was to perform at the award function but the organisers couldn't pay him his asking price (Rs 2.5 crore), so he backed out. These days, award functions are all about star attendance.

A-list actors only show up if they are winning awards, or performing at the function. Since performing was out, and the organisers wanted Akki at the event, they hinted that he'd win the Best Actor award.

Unkept promises

According to an insider, "The actor promised to be present at the event, and flew back from the world premieres of CC2C on Tuesday morning.

On the day of the award, he sent across a written speech and asked for it to be played on the teleprompter. He was all set to collect his Best Actor award that evening.

To his horror, his name was anno-unced for the Most Popular Actor, and not the Best Actor category as promised."

Quick thinking

Akki felt slighted but there was no way he couldn't have gone up on stage to collect his trophy without creating a flurry at the event.

So he went on stage, made his speech, announced that Aamir deserved the award for Ghajini, and walked off from the stage without collecting the trophy.

He announced Aamir's name because he wasn't present at the function. It was quick (and smart) thinking on his part.

After his seemingly generous act on stage, the actor walked off from the event, without waiting for the other winners to be announced.

Preposterous

Adds a source, "The award for the Best actor went to Hrithik Roshan for Jodhaa Akbar. At the time when the organisers told Akshay he'd win the coveted award, they were given to believe that Hrithik wouldn't be able to attend the function.

But at the last minute the actor showed up, and they had to give him the award, as it would've been preposterous to give the award to Singh Is Kinng when the Jodhaa Akbar actor was nominated in the same category."

Three hot HQ stills from Chandni Chowk To China

It's a wrap for Akshay

The crew wrapped up their Cape Town schedule for 8x10; the film is now ready for release

Akshay Kumar just wrapped up the shooting of Percept Picture Company's 8x10 in South Africa, four days ahead of schedule.

Crazy times

Shailendra Singh, Percept Holdings joint MD, says, "It was a crazy schedule and a very intense one. In fact, we have a release date for the film now and are very excited about the project. I think it will be Bolly-wood's first psychological thriller. Akshay is phenomenal in it. Now the special effects and post production work on the film begins." The film will release on March 27, 2009.

Praising Akshay for his daredevil stunts in the film Singh says, "Everyone knows Akshay's dedication to his action scenes. But you have to be there in person to witness the man! It was freezing cold, some minus five degrees and Akshay had to perform an underwater scene. He just rolled up his pants and walked in without hesitating. I told him to use a stunt double but he just refused."

Despite some schedule problems in Canada, Singh says he's glad the film is finally ready to release. "I believe every film has its destiny. Maybe 8 x10 was not supposed to be shot in Calgary. But Cape Town is beautiful and we've shot some amazing action scenes with Akshay."

Akki's downfall in 2009?

Numerologist Niraj Mancchanda had predicted in 2006 that Akshay Kumar will make it very big 2007 onwards. It was the movie Heyy Babyy, numerologically titled by Niraj, which changed Akshay's career graph and his overseas market. From there onwards, he reached the position of a King.

But now Niraj predicts that "Akki will have a downfall in 2009". According to Niraj, "Akshay is born on the 9th and he is number 9. His destiny number is 5, and destiny numbers play a vital role for changes in life. The name Akshay Kumar comes to number 28 which is a cyclic number, so the highs are extremely high and lows extremely low."

"Akshay started his career with a hit movie Saugandh and reached the pinnacle of his success with the Khiladi series. [He] then had a low phase where he had many flops, until in the year 1999 he turned 32=3+2=5. At the age of 32, his first hit movie Jaanwar got him back from his low cycle and once again his series of hits began. In 2007, he completed his 9 year cycle. In 2008, even though Singh Is Kinng did huge business, it entailed losses to all Indian distributors except Punjab as the price of the movie could not be recouped by the distributors even after its full run."

"After he turned 41=4+1=5 once again his destiny number got active. With his new 9 year cycle, he will have a series of flops which will begin from 2009. His first release of 2009 is Chandni Chowk To China which will entail losses to the producer as they will not be able to recoup the cost of the movie. [This] will be followed by Kambakkth Ishq to which I have numerologically [given] the number of Maine Pyar Kiya. Even though Kambakkth Ishq will do huge business, no credit will be go to Akshay or Kareena as I have titled it in such a way that the credit goes to Sylvester Stallone, Anu Malik, Sabbir Khan and the producer Sajid Nadiadwala who will make the huge bucks from it. The 100 crore Akki starrer Blue comes to number 16 which in tarot is represented as a tower burnt by lightning. This movie will be one of the biggest flops of 2009 and in continuity to Blue, Akshay will have a hattrick of flops. Akki will have a huge downfall in 2009, and he will have to wait for 2010 for a hit to come his way."

Akshay Kumar Turns Superhero in '8x10'

It seems like superheroes are the latest craze in Bollywood, with Hrithik Roshan's, 'Krrish', and Shahrukh Khan's rumored venture into superhero land as well. The latest actor to join the bandwagon is man of the moment, Akshay Kumar! Akki is currently shooting for the upcoming film, '8x10', in which he plays the role of a superhero, but not the typical cape crusading, tight wearing kind! Actually, Akki's character is more of a psychological superhero who can read people's minds and, therefore, has the ability to solve extraordinary problems.

But, don't fret action fans! Just because he's playing a psychological hero doesn't mean that Akshay Kumar won't be performing death defying action sequences! Score! In fact, Akki recently shot a risky underwater action sequence for which he had to undergo special training. '8x10' is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, who's known for creating unconventional, non-commercial films. A far cry from Akshay's famed film, 'Singh is Kinng'! '8x10' is set to release next year and also stars Ayesha Takia and Sharmila Tagore. Akki reading minds? Hmm... We wonder what he'd say if he could read the minds of his thousands of adoring female fans!

Akshay Kumar, filming an underwater scene for '8x10'

Akshay Kumar Ka Big Boss Jaisa Ghar

For zillions who weren't cognizant with 'Duplex House', Big Boss Ka Ghar gave them a clear picture. The spacious mansion with exotic interiors made everyone dream about going for it. Looks like Bollywood Ka Sabse Bada Khilladi should have undergone similar thoughts. Yup! We have Akshay Kumar who has already started constructing his 4,000 square-feet duplex. The property worth Rs. 9Crore is located at the centre of Bandra, Mumbai and Akshay didn't want this news to get leaked out. Nevertheless, he wouldn't have been cautious of proverb, 'Walls have ears' and his duplex house is latest sensation in Mumbai.

We convey our heartiest congratulations to Akki who has accomplished his dreams of occupying biggest properties in cosmopolitan Mumabai. So, Khans gang of Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman will have a new neighbor very soon.

Katrina prefers Anil Kapoor after Akshay, Salman

If you thought that ‘sexiest woman’ Katrina Kaif favours only ‘Khiladi’ Akshay Kumar when it comes to films, then think again, because ‘Mr India’ Anil Kapoor is not far behind. He is almost matching steps with ‘Khiladi’ Kumar to take away his onscreen ladylove.

According to a movie-buff, "Contrary to popular misconception that Katrina is working in a major way with Akshay Kumar, the fact is that she has been sharing screen space quite a lot with Anil Kapoor too. Raj Kanwar directed love story ‘Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ was the first film, which got them together. There they were paired opposite each other even though Katrina was shown to be romantically involved with Akshay."

Infact, ‘Yuvvraaj’ is the fourth film of Anil and Katrina after ‘Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’, ‘Welcome’ and ‘Race’. So, one may think that our Katrina favours only Akshay but this is clearly, not the case. Akshay Kumar is in a dangerous position of losing his onscreen love. Beware, Akki!

Aamir & Akshay’s one more clash!

Last year when Aamir Khan’s directorial debut TAARE ZAMEEN PAR and Akshay Kumar starrer WELCOME, directed by Anees Bazmee, had hit the screens (during the Christmas occasion) on the same day, huge speculations were made as to who would come out with flying colours since both the superstars have equal star power. But nothing of that sort happened and both the movies belonging to their respective genres did exceedingly well at the box–office. Both the films were among the top grossers of the year.
Now the two superstars might once again clash at the Box–office during the same time i.e. Christmas & again in different genres with Aamir Khan starrer action–packed GHAJINI and animation movie JUMBO in Akshay Kumar’s voice. While Aamir Khan’s much hyped GHAJINI is already confirmed for 26th December than Akshay Kumar’s JUMBO has kept a tentative release date of 18th December which is a week before Aamir Khan’s GHAJINI. However it is yet to be confirmed whether JUMBO would release on the same date when GHAJINI hits the screens or on the said date.

Even if the two hit the same day we hope both turn out to be super duper hits like their earlier counterparts – TZP and WELCOME.

Akki, Twinkle's big Diwali plan

The festival of lights is round the corner and everyone is in great festive mood. Bollywood stars are in high spirits and making plans to celebrate the occasion in a grand manner. One couple who is really excited about celebrating with family and industry friends is action hero Akshay Kumar and his wife Twinkle Khanna. The duo is going to host a grand Diwali bash on October 28 at their Juhu residence. All the bigwigs of Bollywood are invited and Twinkle is making all the arrangements as Akki is out of station and he will be flying down a day before the festival.

They have got a long list of guests that includes, Vipul Shah, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Sajid Nadiadwala, Sajid Khan, Rani Mukerjee and Katrina Kaif, the Bachchans and the other Khans are also being invited. The Chopras, Pamela and Aditya Chopra have also been invited along with Karan and Hiroo Johar and Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder. David Dhawan, Anil Kapoor, Anees Bazmee are in the guest list.

The Bachchans will surely make a presence as Twinkle's sister Rinke and Shweta Nanda share a good relationship. Aishwarya and Abhishek are expected to attend. Shahrukh won't be attending as he will be off to Delhi with Gauri's parents. Salman is expected to attend with family.

This is the first time Akshay Kumar is throwing such a grand bash to his friends. He is in celebration mood as this year has been very favorable for him with so many box-office hits.

When Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar met

There was no visible friction when the two superstars of Bollywood met up recently.

It was quite a sight to see Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar engrossed in an amicable chat at designer Shabina Khan’s birthday bash recently at Olive, in Bandra. According to those present at the party, as soon as SRK and Akki got to know of each other’s presence at the party they decided to sit together and talk things over rather than turning a cold shoulder.

It’s no secret that Akshay is the only actor in Bollywood who is in a formidable position to not just challenge SRK’s numero uno position but also dethrone the King Khan from the topmost pedestal.

In fact, stories of a brewing cold war between SRK and Akki have been rife ever since Akshay publicly snubbed SRK by asserting that there is only one ‘King’ in Bollywood – and that is Amitabh Bachchan .

But at Shabina Khan’s birthday party, SRK and Akki bonded together more like buddies than competitors. The duo sat in a corner and chatted away for more than an hour. From the look of it, their conversation was friendly and there were times when they were seen laughing together.

We wonder if they were discussing the possibility of doing a movie together. They were last seen grooving to “Mast Kalandar” in Heyy Babyy , and it would be nothing short of a supernova if they come together on the silver screen again.

How we wish it happens!!

Akshay extends his hearth, buys 8.5 crore property in Bandra

Akshay Khiladi Kumar seems to be playing his moves deftly in his career as well as his personal life, as the superstar will reportedly be shifting to his new plush 4k square feet duplex in Bandra. The wonderful hearth will cost Akki a whopping Rs 8.5 crore, as claimed by the builder.

"Akshay and we are working out on the details of his new residence. We are on the verge of sealing the deal, which will fix around Rs 8.5 crore," builder Neeraj Gorwani confirmed.

The Bollywood Khiladi is bent on growing his property, as he already owns property in Likhandwala and a beach house in Goa. He is also reported to own property in Mauritius, where he often visits for holidaying.

This new addition to his assets is located near Turner Road, overlooking the Guru Nanak Park. Akki had long wanted a house in Bandra and this would sure beat all dreams of a ‘homely hearth’!

I follow Akshay into projects: Katrina Kaif

Britain-born Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif, who has given many hits with Akshay Kumar, says she trusts the star's script sense and often follows him into projects.

Katrina's last hit with Akshay was "Singh is Kinng".

"He has a fantastic script sense. And you know, when he's doing it, it will work. Not that I go blindly into films that feature him. But, yes, he does have a fantastic knowledge of what works at the box office. That explains our success ratio together," Katrina told IANS.

Interestingly, in Vipul Shah's "Namastey London", Katrina had the main role while Akshay played the supporting part. The tables were turned in "Singh Is Kinng". But Katrina says she wasn't allowed to complain.

"Every time I'd start complaining about the size of my role, Akshay would order me to go and stand in a corner and repeat 'Namastey London' five times and be quiet. He's right. He needn't have done 'Namastey London', which was the girl's story," said Katrina who teamed up with Akshay in "Welcome" as well.

After doing out and out commercial roles, Katrina changes gear with Prakash Jha's "Rajneeti" in which she'll go from a young student to a married woman, and beyond.

"I didn't think I was ready to do something like this. But then I heard the script and I couldn't resist it. Maybe because Prakashji is such a good narrator, I fell in love with my character," she said.

She feels if "Rajneeti" works, it will bring an interesting turn to her career.

"I'm doing enough hardcore commercial films. At this juncture of my career I can afford to do something that challenges me. As long as the script is entertaining, I'm all for it.

Akshay gets superman's company

"The Bollywood movie with most number of Hollywood stars" – this can be added to the posters of 'Kambakkth Ishq', the forthcoming movie of Akshay Kumar.

After roping in Sylvester Stallone and the beautiful Denise Richards for small roles in the movie, producer of the film has managed to get one of the best Hollywood hunks for a brief appearance.

The extremely handsome Brandon Routh famous for doing the title role of 'Superman Returns' is the man who will be seen along with our own Akki in 'Kambakkth Ishq'.

It was known that getting Brandon will not be an easy task as the actor is very selective when it comes to characters.

But after two months of chasing, Brandon finally said yes and then shot for five days in Los Angeles.

Akshay Kumar plays a stunt man who acts as body double for the famous stars of Hollywood in 'Kambakkth Ishq'.

Singh Is Kinng Shah to work with Hollywood biggies

Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the producer of the Bollywood smash hit Singh is Kinng, is to make a romantic comedy for Hollywood studio Twentieth Century Fox.

Shah has been signed by Fox Star, a pan-Asian joint venture between Twentieth Century Fox and Star, in a multiple film deal, both sides announced in London on Friday.

Shah's Singh is Kinng grossed over Rs 1.5 billion and the deal marks the first move into Bollywood by Twentieth Century Fox.

Under the deal, Shah will produce a fantasy action movie and a contemporary romantic comedy and Fox Star will have a first-look right on his future projects.

Sanford Panitch, president of Fox International Productions, said the deal would bring in the latest film technologies to Bollywood.

“We are excited about this first step in our growth and are committed to building relationships in Bollywood with like minded producers and we hope to add value to the creative production process - by bringing the latest VFX and animation technology to Bollywood productions,” Panitch said.

Shah said the deal signalled “the future of Indian cinema".

"I have always believed in growing and surprising my audiences with every film I work on. The deal with Fox Star Studios gives me the opportunity to develop innovative concepts and work with the best talent to create films that will appeal to audiences around the globe,” Shah said.

“This is the future for Indian cinema - we have to partner with the best technical and creative talent from around the world while yet keeping the Indian soul in our films intact,” he added.

Akshay plays Tipu Sultan

He’s played all kinds of characters on screen, now Akshay Kumar is ready to appear as a freedom fighter, and not just any freedom fighter... but the legendary Tipu Sultan. He’s likely to produce this film himself, sources say, because he finds the subject very intriguing. Aware of how huge the subject is, and eager to chronicle Tipu Sultan’s freedom struggle accurately, Akshay is looking into research on this historical figure and planning a grand portrayal of the man on screen. He may tie up with a big production house, because it will be a mega budget film with himself in the lead, added the sources. Tipu Sultan was the subject of a tele serial made by Sanjay Khan years ago. The sets had got gutted in a fire that injured many, including Sanjay Khan. But Akshay is undaunted by the memory of this ill luck. If anything, he is backing his newfound success at the box office to be his good omen in this venture.

Mere naam!

After rapping for a song in Singh Is Kinng, Akshay Kumar is all set to sing a entire song for his upcoming film, Chandni Chowk to China. In the film, which is based on Akshay’s life, the actor has worked on the song’s tune with famous pop group Rhythm Dhol Bass, popularly known as RDB.

The lyrics of the song are:
• Chandni Chowk to China…
• Chandni Chowk se aayaa yeh ladka
• Lagaye tadke pe tadka…
• Chandni Chowk to China…

A source said, “Akshay is quite excited about the film. Chandni Chowk to China traces Akshay’s journey right from his early days in Chandni Chowk in Delhi to Bangkok, where he worked as a chef. The song captures the actor’s journey and goes on to show how he came to Bollywood and is now a superstar.”

A poster of Chandni Chowk to China
While Akshay was in Los Angeles shooting for his film Kambakth Ishq, he would personally call up the RDB members and work on the song after pack-up.

“He has painstakingly worked on the song. The song will be recorded in Mumbai sometime in October,” added the source.

Commenting on the song’s specialty, the source said, “Akshay Kumar’s name is an integral part of the song.”

'Blue's' Cast To Shoot Bollywood's First Underwater Song

Zayed Khan, Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Katrina Kaif and Lara Dutta will soon be diving underwater to shoot a dance sequence for the new movie 'Blue'. Zayed Khan has been living it up on the film shoot in Bangkok and Phuket for the past month, as he preps for the mind-boggling act. So how is the cast going to mouth the words to the song while underwater...? I guess we'll have to wait and watch!

Who is the sexiest of them all?

In the war of Khans, young Imran has a long way to go. Not in terms of theatrics or box office hits, but in terms of pure sex appeal. Be it the virtue of his sardonic wit or newly developed six pack, 45 per cent of our nation's population thinks Shah Rukh is the hottest Khan, according to a survey conducted by Filmfare magazine recently. Close on his toned heels is long-pumping bad boy Salman Khan, with 33 per cent of the population rooting for him.

Aamir will have to resign to being a thinking actor with only 11 per cent; while nephew Imran has Saif for company - both got only four per cent of the votes.

The opinion would differ drastically if one of these was to make foray into Hollywood. Only 15 per cent of the junta thinks SRK has what it takes to break into Hollywood, while only 8 per cent think Aamir will make it.

Hrithik, with his Greek God looks and green eyes, is touted by 39 per cent of the people to be the best bet as our man in the West. Curiously, man of the moment Akshay Kumar is the second most favoured, with 18 per cent votes; John Abraham's tanned Caucasian looks place him very close at 17 per cent. So while SRK's charm holds the desi audience in sway, Duggu (Hrithik) and Akki are clearly export quality heroic material.

Interestingly, when it comes to rating the sexiest among the women, Bipasha and Mallika have to take a back seat, with Katrina Kaif filling that spot, with 26 per cent votes. If Kareena needed any more incentive to put back her weight, her poor ranking - only nine per cent of the populace thinks she's pin-up material (and one of them must be Saif) - should drive her to the nearest buffet.

A mere 15 per cent of the people think Bipasha is pin-up material and even less, 12 per cent, would put a poster of madame Mallika on their walls.

But the table turns again if we were to export these beauties. A reverberating 30 per cent think Mallika would make a great Bond girl, while 24 per cent think Bipasha would do a good job of it. Only 15 per cent think of Kareena as a femme fatale, while Katrina doesn't even figure on the list.

Bollywood Brand Ambassadors: Akshay Kumar, Karishma Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt

Big names in Bollywood are now promoting everything from biscuits to boxing. Karishma Kapoor was named the brand ambassador for Priyagold biscuits. And buffed-up Dutt is championing boxing for the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation. By far, Akshay Kumar snags the snazziest brand of the lot. As the ambassador of Levis Jeans, he's refusing to peel the denim off!