Bipasha Basu walks off Lamha set in Kashmir over lack of security

# Just as the Screen awards were becoming routine, there were two developments at last week’s ceremony to spice things up.

Akshay Kumar refused the most popular star award, saying Aamir Khan was more deserving as Ghajini had outshone Singh is Kinng! Then sparks flew between host Sajid Khan and best-director recipient Ashutosh Gowariker after the latter told Khan to “shut up” around comments regarding Harman Baweja who stars in Gowarikar’s What’s Your Rashee to which Khan snapped “kisika baap bhi mujhe shut up nahi bol sakta!” (Nobody’s father is going to shut me up!). The tension was so severe that it could have been cut with a plastic knife.

# AR Rahman can only chuckle at the treatment meted out to him by the Ameri-can media . When he received the Critics Award for the music of Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman says they weren’t really interested in him — asking him to pose alongside director Danny Boyle. But when the Golden Globe Award came along, they were insisting on solo photographs!

# Shahrukh Khan is bearing the cost of treatment for two child victims of a gren-ade attack in Srinagar. He heard of the orphan’s, Muddassar, 5, and Amina, 3, plight from a senior doctor at Mumbai’s Lee-lavati hospital and decided to pay for their rehabilitation.

# Aamir Khan is eyeing the Indian epic the Mahabharat as the story is very close to his heart. But, he now says, it is not the time as it would need absolute attention (when has that ever been a problem for the perfectionist, I wonder?) Speaking at a party to celebrate Ghajini’s success, Khan said “ It is a film you cannot afford to make mistakes with.” When asked which character he fancied playing, he replied “Karan, but, unfortunately, I cannot because of my height. I would also love to do Arjun, but, I don’t look like a warrior. So it would have to be Lord Krishna.”

# Salman Khan’s taking lessons from Aamir Khan about marketing his films. He has approached Aamir for help ahead of the release of Wanted: Dead or Alive. Previously Sallu rarely cared how his films fared but, having observed Aamir’s input, he now feels filmmaking is a team responsibility.

# Sushmita Sen has come out of hiding after the calamitous Sholay remake Aag. She now has three releases lined up Do Knot Disturb with the comedy dream team of David Dhawan and Govinda, Dulha Mil Gaya opposite Fardeen Khan and her first Hollywood film, Karma and Holi, alongside Naomi Campbell.

# Shahid Kapoor’s the proud owner of a new Yamaha MT-01 superbike. But he bought it only after his parents approved. Pankaj Kapoor and Neelima Azeem, were against him owning a bike as they feared for his safety but relented after he assured them he would exercise extreme caution.

# Mallika Sherawat was a guest of the former Kashmir chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah in Mumbai last week. The National Conference leader invited the buxom babe to savour Kashmiri cuisine.

Others who attended were filmmakers Yash Chopra and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, music maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and ghazal singer Talat Aziz.

# Still with Kashmir Bipasha Basu walked off the sets of Lamha being shot in the troubled region as the producer and director had not arranged the promised security. “The first seven days were abso-lute chaos — nothing was organised and there was a lack of security. Yes, my work is my life but I’ve a life beyond work. I’m not going to risk my life for any film,” said the star who is hopeful that things are being sorted out as she is very keen to play the role of a Kashmiri girl.

# Nayanthara has raised the ire of many fans after she broke a camera belonging to one of them. Nayanthara and her co-star, Dileep, had been housed in a top hotel by the producers of a Malayalam film titled Bodyguard. Fans thronged the hotel foyer and Nayanthara asked that no photographs be taken. When one fan took a shot, she grabbed the camera and broke it. The fan was incensed and said he was disappointed with her attitude. Nayanthara was unrepentant and said fans needed to keep their distance. It was, therefore, a surprise when she decided to watch the screening of her latest film, Villu. She went in soon after the film started, but chaos broke out when fans recognised her and security had to keep them at bay.

# Director Venkat Prabhu is determined to make his third film — his first for Warner Brothers — a film with an international flavour. He has approached several parties to secure the dates of a Hollywood actress. One Chennai weekly reported that Venkat Prabhu’s casting director has even approached Jessica Alba. In the same vein, director Vijay, who is currently working on Madrasapattinam, wants three British actresses to play key roles, and he is determined that at least one of them must be an international-ly-recognised actress. Yet another director who wants an international flavour for his film is AR Gandhi Krishna, who is currently working on Anandha Thaandavam. Only lead stars Sidhharth and Tamanna and one character artist are from India. All other roles are played by Americans or people living there, most of them Indian.

# Is Arjun’s latest film, Adhey Kanngall, a remake of AVM’s classic 1966 suspense thriller of the same title? The cast and crew are tight-lipped about this. Director Major Ravi would only say that it is a taut suspense thriller which will be filmed in China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The 1966 Adhey Kanngall was a hit movie that had an ending that few could predict.

# Audience tastes have matured rapidly over the last decade but lead actors remain sceptical about the viability of untried formulas. Directors Ameer and Myshkin have recently decided to act be-cause they could not find actors willing to play the role demanded by the script with-out major changes. While actors like Surya and Vikram are willing to experiment, there are others, like Vijay, whose image has now hampered their acting progress.

# Music director Deva is returning to films in Suresh Krishna’s next venture, Aarumugam, a film with Bha-rath, Priyamani and Ramya Krishnan heading the cast. Krishna is confident that the unusual theme and strong commercial elements in Aarumugam would ensure that it becomes the most successful of his career thus far.