Jiah kuch bol do

Why is the Ram Gopal Varma camp promoting Jiah Khan (right) as if she is the biggest sensation? Ramu has been pushing the girl to promote Nishabd among the youth as he feels Bachchan is too old to attract the younger generation on his own. Jiah Khan’s PR person has been trying to aggressively market her as well. A release from Jiah’s PR machinery says that a trade analyst who saw the film loved her performance. Now, now, no one gets to see Ram Gopal Varma’s films till they are released!

The battle of the Mahabharata

nIt’s a battle for filming the biggest battle in Indian mythology. Rajkumar Santoshi was one of the first people to announce that he was making a two part series on Mahabharata; Bobby Bedi was the next one to say he wants to make a film on it; and now Ravi Chopra has said that he is busy turning the epic into a film script. Most people think that Chopra’s film on the Mahabharata will be the only one to see the light of day. Chopra is planning to end the first episode of the film with Draupadi’s cheerharan and wants to release the next episode in the subsequent week. The Chopras had earlier made the Mahabharata as a TV serial and Ravi Chopra is now editing it into a six-hour version to serve as a guide to his film.

Krishna capers

After the animation film Krishna, another film on the life of Krishna will go on the floors soon. With a budget of Rs 15 crore, Bhagwan Shri Krishna is supposed to be made in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telegu. Producer Aushim Khetrapal is busy screen-testing young talents for the lead roles. The final selection will be made at Brindavan, the place where Krishna is said to have grown up.

Jodha Akbar fracas

Jodha Akbar is in trouble now. Only a few days of shooting have been completed and already a certain seg-ment of the Rajputs is claiming that history is being distorted. They allege that Jodhabai was not married to Akbar but to his son Salim and if Ashutosh Gowariker does not make those changes in his film, he would not be allowed to complete it. Rajputs, known for their bravery, are certainly on the warpath and Ashutosh will have to get his research in place before he takes these guys on.

Ganga washes the marquee

The Bhojpuri film, Ganga, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Ravi Kissen, Manoj Tiwari and Nagma, is running to full houses everywhere in the northern as well as all the other belts. The film is the biggest hit in the Hindi belt. The film, which is the most expensive Bhojpuri film ever made, cost Rs 17.5 million and has coll-ected Rs 25 million already. It is also the first Bhojpuri film to get a multiplex release. Ganga has been produced by Amitabh Bachchan’s make-up man, Deepak Sawant.