Mumbai, Jan 27 (IANS) Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor, who are shooting for "Anjaana Anjaani", are set to meet Rocky-Rambo superstar Sylvester Stallone.

In fact, one of the temptations for them to do Sajid Nadiadwala's "Anjaana Anjaani" was that the producer was a friend of Stallone who featured in his last film "Kambakkht Ishq".

"Ranbir and Priyanka definitely want to meet him. I'm flying down to Las Vegas to join them on January 27. We'll be meeting Stallone on the 4th or 5th of February," Nadiadwala told IANS.

Earlier, Nadiadwala had taken Saif Ali Khan to meet Stallone in Los Angeles.

Sajid and his son Subhaan were supposed to meet Stallone during the New Year. But the actor injured his neck and the appointment was cancelled. Now a new date is being worked out.

And Priyanka and Ranbir insist on accompanying their producer for the meeting.

"I think Ranbir and Priyanka will kill me if I go without them to see Sly. We'll all be driving down from Las Vegas, where Ranbir and Priyanka are shooting, to Los Angeles to meet Stallone. It's a two-three hour drive," said Sajid.

Ranbir, a big Stallone fan, owns a series of Rocky teeshirts. He intends to get a couple of them signed by the star.

Labels: Priyanka-Chopra, Ranbir-Kapoor

New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS) Three-time National Basketball Association (NBA) star Kobe Bryant gifted one of his favourite pair of sneakers to Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor.

"I heard of stories about Madison Square Garden, but actually being in this place... it was just amazing... I'm still shaking with excitement," said Ranbir on his recent visit to New York's Madison Square Garden.

The Bollywood heart-throb received a warm welcome from Bryant, who gifted his sneakers to the actor after a game against the New York Knicks Jan 22, said a press release.

Even Nate Robinson, the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk contest winner, gifted Ranbir his autographed jersey.

Ranbir's experience of his visit will be aired on Ten Sports Feb 1 and on Zee Sports Feb 2.

Labels: Ranbir-Kapoor

Mumbai, Jan 26 (IANS) Director Prakash Jha is confident that his film "Raajneeti" will fetch the prestigious National Awards for Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.

"This film will take Ranbir to another level," said Jha. He has cast the actor as US-educated scion of a political dynasty who has to reluctantly return home to shoulder his family's duties.

"I hope, no, I'm in fact pretty certain, he'll win the National Award for his performance," Jha told IANS.

"Katrina has breathed fire and passion into her role. From the way she metamorphoses from a young vivacious girl to the way she walks to give her public speeches as a politician. Audiences won't be able to believe the transformation of Katrina. I won't be surprised if both Ranbir and Katrina win National Awards," he added.

He can't stop preening over the fact that his "Raajneeti" features the maximum number of National Award winners in its cast, Arjun Rampal being the latest.

"Everyone is outstanding in the film. And why not? I've a line-up of National Award winners in the cast - from Naseeruddin Shah and Nana Patekar to Manoj Bajpai and Ajay Devgn.

"When I heard Arjun had won the National Award for 'Rock On!', I was ecstatic. He is fantastic in my film."

Jha claims "Raajneeti" is the biggest multi-starrer. "I think it'd be impossible to get so many stars under one roof for any other director."

Labels: Katrina-Kaif, Rajneeti, Ranbir-Kapoor

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) Ranbir Kapoor's attempts to highlight a salesman's life through his latest outing "Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year" have gone awry, as the film has fallen flat at the box office.

Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films (YRF), the film has been directed by Shimit Amin and written by Jaideep Sahni of "Chak De! India" fame.

Made at a shoe-string budget of around Rs.5 crore, "Rocket Singh...", however, couldn't bring in anticipated footfalls, say experts.

"'Rocket Singh' has not at all been satisfactory and done very bad business. The occupancy has fallen to 25 percent Monday from an average of just 68 percent over the weekend," Amit Awasthi, manager (programming and operations) of Spice Cinemas at Noida, told IANS.

"The content is not being appreciated, as the second half is being called very slow and dull and the climax is being considered to be not at all satisfactory," he added.

Yogesh Raizada, corporate head, Wave Cinemas echoed the same view.

"The movie lacks mass appeal - audiences could not associate with it considering its content on sales guys, etc. So, the weekend was only average but not up to expectations," said Raizada.

"The weekend was only close to 70 percent while Monday it has fallen close to 40 percent," he added.

The movie is the debut vehicle of Shazahn Padamsee, daughter of ad man Alyque Padamsee and singer Sharon Prabhakar. Gauhar Khan and Sharon also play pivotal roles in the movie.

"The film has been a disappointment for the industry," said Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan.

The movie also killed Ranbir's chances of a hit hattrick after delivering two back to back hits with "Wake Up Sid" and "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani".

Labels: Ranbir-Kapoor, Rocket-Singh

New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) Bollywood's latest heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor can go on and on about his "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" co-star Katrina Kaif. He finds her drive and passion for work inspiring and says she is "the nicest person in the industry".

"The drive that Katrina has is inspiring. She is there and she just doesn't stop. She has come a long way from where she started and where she is today," Ranbir told IANS in an interview here.

"She is India's biggest actress and there is a lot of hard work, sacrifice and passion she has put behind that and I totally respect that. And the best part is that she doesn't take that for granted," the 28-year-old actor said.

Ranbir, who will be seen again with Katrina in Prakash Jha's political thriller "Rajneeti", describes Katrina as the "nicest person in the industry".

"There is an amazing positive energy about her. She is hardworking and everything she does is for the betterment of the movie. She is fun loving, passionate about cinema and passionate about her work. I share a great rapport with her," he said.

His "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" is slated for release Nov 6 and shows the story of a happy-go-lucky boy, who falls in love with a girl. But the girl is in love with someone else. The film also has a special appearance by Salman Khan.

Asked about his on-screen chemistry with Katrina, Ranbir said: "As far as chemistry is concerned, I always believe that chemistry never happens between two actors, it happens between two characters in the movie. It depends how the characters are written in the script and the moments and the scenes between them. That's when chemistry happens.

"Katrina and I are working for the first time, so people are finding this pairing new and fresh, but unless the film releases and unless it becomes a hit, you never know whether the chemistry has worked out or not," he said.

Ranbir, son of actors Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, made his acting debut in 2007 with Sanjay Leela's Bhansali's "Saawariya" opposite newcomer Sonam Kapoor. The film failed at the box office, but it didn't deter his growth as he received positive reviews for his performance and got good offers.

Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy "Bachna Ae Haseeno" was his second film and it hit the jackpot at the box office. And now everyone - from critics to audiences - are going ga ga over his performance in "Wake Up Sid", in which he was paired opposite Konkana Sen Sharma.

After "Ajab Prem...", Ranbir will be seen in Shimit Amin's "Rocket Singh: Salesman of The Year", "Rajneeti" and Siddharth Anand's "Anjaana Anjaani".

Labels: Katrina-Kaif, Ranbir-Kapoor

Name of the Movie: Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
Directed by: Raj Kumar Santoshi
Produced by: Tips
Written by: Rajkumar Santoshi
Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Upen Patel
Music: Pritham
Genre: Romance
Expected Release: 2009
--MP

Labels: Katrina-Kaif, Ranbir-Kapoor

Wake up Sid is the project from Karan Johar's production. The film will be directed by Kajol's cousin brother Ayaan Mukherjee who will be making his directorial debut with the venture.

Said to be a romantic comedy, the film will feature Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen for the first time. The film is themed on love affair, where a young handsome boy falls for an older and not so good looking woman.

Dharma Productions will bring the film to theaters by next year.
--MP

Labels: Konkona-Sen-Sharma, Ranbir-Kapoor

Sawariya Film Gallery

Gen-Next of Bollywood's first family carries legacy forward Mumbai,

Oct 18 (ANI): Memories were stirred and nostalgia ran high when first Bollywood family got together to herald the entry of fourth generation heir Ranbir Kapoor to the celluloid world legacy. Ranbir is making his cinematic debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Saawariya', which is being touted as one of the most eagerly, awaited films of 2007. Ranbir said he was honoured to have debuted in 'Saawariya'.

"The honour and respect is awesome. I promise you that I will strive to work harder so that you can always say I was worthy of this debut," he said. Speaking about his son's debut, Rishi Kapoor said, "I am very happy that I am associated with a family that has stayed connected to the Indian film industry for the past 80 years. I am very grateful to the fans for their sustained support and would like to introduce the newest member of the family. It is my son Ranbir. I hope he makes a mark with his debut appearance on the silver screen.""I am very happy and proud that another member of our family is making his mark in the film industry. I pray to God and also appeal to the audience that they accept him and give him their love and support. I hope he carves a niche through hard work and dedication," said his uncle, Rajeev Kapoor.

Said to be inspired from Dostoevsky's short story 'White Nights', 'Saawariya' is an intense tale of two young star-crossed lovers from different religions.Bhansali has raised expectations by saying that the film has a special allure.It was in 1931, that Kapoor family patriarch, Prithviraj Kapoor donned the grease paint for a supporting role in the first talkie 'Alam Ara', and then moved on to perform in some of the most memorable films of his times.

A pioneer of Indian theatre, he also founded Prithvi Theatres which is active even today.After Prithviraj Kapoor, his three sons, Raj, Shammi and Shashi Kapoor went onto create waves in Indian cinema with Raj Kapoor established himself as a legendary actor, producer, director in Bollywood. He is still remembered for providing the film industry with some of the most entertaining blockbusters.Raj Kapoor's legacy was carried forward by his three sons Randhir, Rajeev and Rishi Kapoor, with Rishi Kapoor becoming a rage amongst cine buffs. He continues to entertain audiences with his superb performances.'Saawariya' will be an acid test for newcomer Ranbir, who will be compared with his illustrious Bollywood lineage. (ANI)

Labels: Film-Gallery, Previews, Ranbir-Kapoor, Reviews, Saawariya, Sonam