Amitabh Bachchan greenlights 'Natsamrat'

Amitabh Bachchan has greenlighted his career’s first screen adaptation of Marathi literature. He is all set to play the role of an aging Shakespearean actor in the big-screen adaptation of V V Shirwadkar’s Marathi literary masterpiece Natsamrat.

The role has been done on Marathi stage by such stalwarts as Dr Shreeram Lagoo. Director Mahesh Manjrekar who had been scripting the screen version of the celebrated play for more than a year, finally took the screenplay to the Big B for approval last week. The project is all set to roll in the next couple of months, ahead of Sudhir Mishra’s Mehrunissa, the only other project that the Big B has greenlighted. According to a source close to the Big B he plunges into Natsamrat as soon he returns from his medical checkup from abroad.

Manjrekar who is understandably charged by the thought of merging the Bachchan with Marathi literature says it’s dream role for the actor. “Mr Bachchan has done it all. When he read Natsamrat the protagonist just grabbed him. This is the kind of challenge he’s looking for at this stage of his career.”

The Big B’s only fear was the role would have shades of Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear where the Big B played an aging Shakespearean actor. Says Manjrekar, “I saw Rituparno Ghosh’s film to make sure there’re no similarities between his film and mine. Mr Bachchan’s role in Natsamrat is completely different from The Last Lear.He plays a fading stage actor who forgets the difference between real life and the Shakespearean characters he plays.I feel at this stage in his career this is the kind of challenge Mr Bachchan needs. And he agrees.”

In the next few months the Big B will undertake extensive preparation for his role in Natsamrat .Since he has never acted in a movie version of a stage adaptation the actor needs to merge the stage and screen performance in the same line of vision.

Source:http://www.businessofcinema.com/news.php?newsid=20883

Amitabh Bachchan’s item number from ‘Bol Bachchan’

From the start to the very end, the video of the song Bol Bachchan from the namesake movie is predominantly Amitabh Bachchan’s show!

The much-awaited number features Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek Bachchan, and Ajay Devgan. Amitabh Bachchan takes you down memory lane by repeating his popping-out-of-the-egg act from Amar Akbar Anthony for this song!

The sets of the song Bol Bachchan are grand! Hundreds of dancers and some amazing lighting and props are notable in the video! Rohit Shetty, without a doubt, has tried to make sure that the video does not fall short of people’s expectation!

The sad news, however, is that we didn’t really love the audio of this one! The song is not catchy and you’ll easily skip it, if being played on radio! Nevertheless, when it will be telecast on TV, you surely won’t want to miss watching Amitabh, Ajay and Abhishek grooving together!

Interestingly, the song has been sung by the actors themselves! While you have heard Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan sing in the past, Ajay Devgan is not really an actor you would have expected to sing! And to be honest, Ajay is just mouthing dialogues in the video in a somewhat rhythmic manner; don’t really think we can call that proper singing!

Source:http://www.apunkachoice.com/content/slide_show/sid100009702-watch_amitabh_bachchans_item_number_from_bol_bachchan/

Amitabh Bachchan talks about Shahrukh, Akshay and Rajinikanth

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is amused by Bollywood's current obsession with marketing films and the crores spent to draw attention of the audience. On his blog, Amitabh Bachchan talked about how actors like Akshay Kumar and Shahrukh Khan leave no stone unturned to promote their films.

Amitabh wrote, "Gosh I fail to even imagine the various 'technologies' that are put into use for attention to be drawn towards a particular film. Spend tons of money, almost the entire budget of the film at times, to get in the audience for that crucial first week and rest.”

Big B further added, "During the time I was hosting Bigg Boss, Akshay had come along to be a part of the programme to promote one of his films. After finishing his stint he needed to rush back to Mumbai to attend another programme on TV for the same promotion. I asked him why he was rushing around like this. He said, almost apologetically –what to do sir ji, one has to do this!!"

"On a casual conversation with Shahrukh once, he told Abhishek I think 'I am very good at marketing, if you ever need any help on that, let me know'," the veteran actor said.

Amitabh said he is not capable of such marketing, but has to succumb to it unwillingly due to the demands of the times. "I am not a salesman and to expect this talent from me would be wishful thinking. But the region and area of work that we function in, has made it mandatory for all of us to succumb unwillingly into the depths of its operations."

"I asked Rajinikanth once what he thought of all this... He gave me a simple answer. 'I am an actor Amit ji, not a salesman. What is the need to go and sell myself. If a film is good it will be patronised, if not it shall not. No amount of selling shall drive a paying audience into the theatre, if basic factors are not in place.' End of argument!" Bachchan said.

Source:http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2012/amitabh-bachchan-shahrukh-akshay-rajinikanth-096131.html