IPL Showtime!

By Hindustan Times

New Delhi, April 16 -- AR Rahman, Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Bipasha Basu, Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif - the who's who of Bollywood are getting ready to shake a leg for the Indian Premier League.

While Hrithik and Bipasha will perform at the IPL Grand Finale on April 25, a bevy of stars will add glamour to the first ever IPL Awards Night, to be held on April 23, in Mumbai. While the organisers tried to keep the line-up a closely guarded secret, HT City learnt that Hrithik will be dancing to songs from his upcoming film Kites, and will also do a choreographed number with Bipasha Basu. "Hrithik's performance will be really special and will include some of his past hits," says a source from Cineyug, one of the event management companies organising the event. Rahman, apart from performing the Oscar-winning hit Jai Ho, will also be seen performing with British pop group Sugababes.

Talking about the international stars, besides Sugababes, that are expected at the Grand Finale, an organiser revealed, "Our first choice was the American rapper PitBull, but he refused. The next choice was Black Eyed Peas, who also said no. We also approached Usher, but he asked for too much money."

The IPL Awards Night will be hosted by SRK and Johar, while Shilpa Shetty, Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra will perform. "The IPL Awards is the crowning jewel to recognise the best of this season," said IPL chairman Lalit Modi.

Hrithik Roshan makes his singing debut with ‘Kites’

Hrithik Roshan’s fans have yet another reason to wait his mega project ‘Kites’ as the actor makes his singing debut with the film. As such, the music of the film is being launched on 40 television channels by airing Hrithik’s debut song ‘Kites in the sky’, in English, along with some behind-the-scenes footage on 29th March at 9.30 p.m.

Talking about his feelings as a debutant singer, Hrithik said, “I was nervous to make my debut as a singer, considering I come from a family that is well known in the world of music, but for this very reason my chacha [Rajesh Roshan] and director Anurag Basu were most certain that I could sing. I have given this song my best and honest shot, but I still don’t consider myself a professional singer.”

“Early in the morning, I would start with my sa re ga ma… right from the time I would wake up to brushing my teeth to taking the shower, all the time I sang with hand movements trying to reach the highest scale and the lowest note,” he added.

Talking about his experience of recording the song he said, “I had fallen in love with the art of shutting your eyes from the world and going in meditative state where you just sing. But when I went to the studio, it was a totally different story.

They put you in this little compartment and you are not allowed to move because the mike is fixed. While practicing I had been so mobile. And now I was locked up in one place where I couldn’t even move my legs because the breath shifts in different direction.

Finally, I told them to just switch off all the lights of the studio because I wasn’t being able to get my best out. So they just blacked out the entire studio. I could not even see my mike because it was so dark. This blackout worked and helped me to come out of the inhibitions in the mind. That’s how I finally worked.”

Rakesh Roshan Talks about Hrithik’s Kites

One film that certainly has tons of buzz surrounding it is Hrithik Roshan’s next film Kites. The film is unique not only because of the story line, but also the fact that the main love interest in the film is not an Indian beauty but a Spanish one and the fact that Hrithik kisses her has created quite the stir. However, Producer Rakesh Roshan says that the main message of the film is “that love is a universal language.”

In an interview with IANS Roshan says that any of the sensuality in the film, including the kiss, is there because it is a love story not to draw audiences in to see the film, “The sensuality is not worked into the film to unnecessarily titillate or cater to any specific audiences. Kites is a love story, so the sensuality depicted in the film goes well with it. I'm not catering to any particular audience. I'm making a universal film for a global audience of all age groups.” Adding that he thinks the film will clear the censor board, “In my opinion the censor board should not have any objection because the scenes are well integrated into the screenplay with conviction, purity and honesty.”

He says that the main message of the film is that true love is not constrained by anything, “Kites is not a preachy film, but, yes, it has a message ... that love is a universal language; it crosses all boundaries and is not bound by any constraints.” In the film Hrithik’s J and Barbara Mori’s Natasha speak different languages but still they manage to fall in love.

The producer went on to talk about why he chose Anurag Basu as director for this project, “As I have produced and directed many films I could see immediately that Kites as a film needed a very seasoned and dedicated producer because of the sheer scale of the film. It was then that I decided to take on another director and as I have liked Anurag's work in the past and could see that he and I shared similar sensibilities and vision, I signed him for Kites.”

Papa Roshan had nothing but praise for his beta saying, “I will always try to have him in all my future projects because he is a complete actor. If you give him any kind of role, he will rise to the challenge and shoulder the responsibility to the T.” Adding that he and Hrithik will continue “with the FilmKraft tradition of delivering well-made hit films.”

Though audiences cannot wait to see Kites another film that fans are dying to hear about is the highly anticipated Krrish 2. However, once again we will all have to wait and watch, “Kites needed single-minded dedication from me as a producer; so I can start thinking of my other projects only after the release of Kites.”

Kites starring Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, and Kangana Ranaut will be in theaters this Diwali!

Big B felicitated at FICCI-IIFA awards ceremony

Mumbai, Feb 19 (PTI) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was among the top ten bollywood personalities to be felicitated with the first FICCI-IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Awards for the 'Most Powerful Entertainers of the decade'.

The awards function which was held here last night to commemorate the 10th anniversary of FICCI-FRAMES and IIFA saw Bachchan and actresses - Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty - collecting their trophies while the other winners - Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan - did not make it.

The evening also witnessed the presentation of the FICCI-USIBC (US-India Business Council) Award to hollywood actor and leading social activist Danny Glover and to Congressman John Lewis.

Speaking on the occasion, Bachchan recalled that he had completed 40 years in the showbiz on February 5.

"I am happy at being a part of the film industry which is a symbol of national integration," he said.

When Danny referred to Bachchan as the greatest actor in the world, an apparently embarrassed Big B thanked him for the compliment.

Later in his blog, Bachchan wrote if there was space beneath his chair, he would have disappeared in there. PTI