Saif, Akshay play double roles in forthcoming films

What is common between Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan? The two are playing double roles, their characters belong to two different time zones in their forthcoming films, and the two have to spend hours preparing for their double makeover.

For Vipul Shah's "Action Replay", Akshay spends at least an hour every morning getting into a 1970s' sporty look without the help of prosthetics.

"It's the toughest role I've played. The preparation takes a lot of time. I've Paul Pattison - who did Mel Gibson's look in 'Braveheart' - doing my look. But the effort is worth it. When I look in the mirror after Paul is done, I can't recognise myself," Akshay told IANS.

If Akshay promises to look unrecognisable in "Action Replay", Saif's look in his production venture "Love Aaj Kal" (pictured above) shocked his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor.

"She couldn't recognise me at first when she saw me as a Sardarji," said Saif.

Imtiaz Ali is wielding the megaphone for Saif's production debut.

So far we've known only the fact that Saif gets into a Sardarji's get-up in the course of the narration in "Love Aaj Kal". But it's not known that the Sikh character is separate from the protagonist.

"The Sardar comes in a story within the story. Yes, I've a double role. The two characters belong to two different time zones," said Saif.

"I grew the beard fully. It had to be faked only for one day's patchwork. I give the full credit for the Sardar's look to Dolly Ahluwalia. She had earlier done a great job dressing me up as Langda Tyagi in 'Omkara'. She styled my Sardar's look in 'Love Aaj Kal," he added.

Saif hasn't done too many disguises.

"But after 'Omkara' I transform physically in 'Love Aaj Kal'. Otherwise I'm not too much into physical makeovers."

Love Aaj Kal Photos - Movie Stills

Saif Ali Khan: I have a lot of love in my life

Saif Ali Khan is easily one of the most charming and intelligent actors of our times. He is also very polite as he patiently answers all the questions you put forth.

We spoke to the good-looking and well-spoken producer and actor of the highly anticipated Love Aaj Kal, talks about his first baby, chemistry with co-star Deepika Padukone and the meaning of love, working with Imtiaz Ali, playing a sardar, among many other things.

How difficult was the job of producing a film?
It is difficult because you are never a 100% satisfied. You always want to make a few changes. If you want a glass of water, someone has to get it. That way, every detail has to be organized. I have had a fantastic team. My partner Dinesh Vijan has been amazing. I didn’t shoulder the responsibility of everything. Imtiaz Ali told me at the beginning of the film that he wanted me to be only an actor and not look into the nitty-gritties of production. I have been involved creatively, in terms of promos and posters as I am most interested in that. Dinesh has handled the other aspects.

This is your first baby as a producer. How do you feel?
I think when a film releases, you are always nervous. As a producer, you feel different because it is your product. Everything you have designed is a result of your decision, so that is frightening and exciting at the same time. I am feeling very positive though.

A lot of your colleagues are well-established producers. Have you sought or do you plan to seek advice from them?
I think I have been fortunate enough to work with big banners and my successful films have been with big banners. I think more than the banner and the director, success also has to do with the star cast. We always learn from people around us. I have friends in the industry: not just colleagues who are producers but also producers who are my friends. Farhan Akhtar and Karan Johar would be more than happy to help me. I haven’t called anyone to ask for help as yet. We tried our best with the team we had. We have managed to make a film somehow and it has been a learning process.

Why did it take you so long to turn producer?
My interest isn't in production. After working for eighteen years, one feels it would be nice to own a little bit of what you are working for, to be a little more involved creatively and work a little more for yourself. It is okay to have opinions as actors. Everyone has feelings and opinions for their films but when your own money is involved, those inputs mean something else. That level of involvement in the business that has given me so much is something I wanted to try. Also, right now the market is very different. I was not ready earlier, today I feel ready. Now, we have so many studios and very few independent producers. I want to be an independent producer.

You have worked with many producers. Have you learnt any do's or don'ts from them?
I thought that the food should be good and people should get paid on time. (Laughs)

Your son Ibrahim had a cameo in Tashan. Now that you are a producer, will he be part of your films?
He is still depressed that Tashan flopped at the box office. (Laughs)

Why did you decide to work with Imtiaz Ali?
One always gets a vibe when you hear a script and meet somebody. A great actor once said that the clever thing an actor does is not acting but the listening and choosing of the right script in the drawing room. I loved the script when Imtiaz Ali narrated it to me and that is how we began working together.

The story of the films looks like it is based in two different eras: the present era and the 60's. So does it show how love has changed over time?
It is very difficult to compare love stories because the experience of love is the same. A lot of cinematic and real life love stories have certain obstacles that can change. In today’s times, it is career, distance, etc but in our parents time it was something else. So the process of falling in love can change with the times but the feeling is the same. That is what the film is about. The 60's portion is a part of the story. It isn’t really a comparison. It isn’t a double role as such.
The story is primarily about a guy called Jai who doesn’t believe in love. He thinks Romeo and Juliet, Heer-Ranjha are romantic stories that have ruined our lives because they tell people how love should be. He feels people should be more practical in today’s times. If you are working in India and your girl is in India, they should break up and just be friends and not have a relationship. He wants to follow his head, not heart and see what happens in life. He comes across a person who tells him a love story that has an impact on him. The story seems confusing but isn’t when you see the film.

Are you practical or a romantic? What does love mean to you?
I think I am a mixture of all these things. I am not lovey-dovey to the point of only doing that. I am practical also. I take a lot of decisions from my heart.
I think everyone has the same definition of love. I have a lot of love in my life and it feels nice.

How has your perception of love changed as you have grown older?
First of all, I am not that old. The feeling is the same. I could write a small book on that. You live, learn and grow as every decade passes. I think the expression changes in some ways. The essence of love is to feel good and happy.

What do you think of your pairing with Deepika?
I think Deepika and I look very nice and refreshing together. She is a new face and we haven’t worked together before. She has a very Indian, grounded and mature quality. Her personality grounds my personality on screen, like Rani Mukerji did in Hum Tum, Ta Ra Rum Pum and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. I have a more western appeal and Deepika is earthy and Indian. That mixture translates into an interesting chemistry on screen.

Was it difficult to play a sardar?
It wasn’t difficult but it also carried a certain amount of responsibility. We met members of Sikh organizations and they were all very happy. Dolly aunty has done my Sardar clothes. The sardars were proud of the honourable representation that the character has been given. I worked on my accent too. My character speaks Punjabi. It is all genuine: the hair, the turban and the clothes.

How did you’ll decide on the title?
Imtiaz Ali came up with it. It is a love story about the difference between people in love today and people in love in earlier times. It means love, these days and also means love, today and yesterday.

Why aren’t you promoting the film at IIFA?
IIFA is a great platform as long as it suits everybody. The main performance slot is the opening slot and the last performance slot and they have already been booked. The Bachchans are doing the finale. We didn’t want to dissolve our film in the middle slots. We are tied up with T20 and have to be at Lords in London in a couple of days to promote the film.

Are there any intimate scenes in the movie? What does Kareena think about the film?
Intimate scenes need to be handled with a little care, whether it is seeing one or doing one because they make Indian family audiences uncomfortable.
Kareena has seen the film and she liked it.

Why did you choose to call your production house Illuminati Films?
I have been fascinated with secret societies since I was a boy. I knew of the Illuminati before Angels and Demons, the book came out which made it famous. I was going to call it Lucifer Productions, which means ‘giver of life’ but we chose Illuminati. It means enlightened.

And now, it begins...

After the producers and multiplex owners came to a common ground over the weekend, filmmakers have been racking their brains to find a clear way to release their flicks without coming in each other's way.

In a meeting held late on Saturday night, all the biggie producers have decided the flow of films. Here's a look at some of the releases...

June 12 Kal Kissne Dekha
June 19 Paying Guests
June 26 New York
July 3 Kambakkth Ishq
July 10 Shortkut
July 17 Jashn, Fast Forward
July 31 Luck, Love Aaj Kal
August 7 Wanted, Phhir
August 14 Aladin, Kaminey and Life Partner

Love Aaj Kal - First Look

Love Aaj Kal - First Look

Saif & Deepika's 'Love Aaj Kal'

Here's a dekho of Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone in Imtiaz Ali's Love Aaj Kal. A tale of relationships, the film also stars Rishi Kapoor and Rahul Khanna. It is the first venture of Saif and Dinesh Vijan's production house Illuminati Films in association with Eros.

May 29 onwards, flims to releases at single screens

The United Producer and Distributor Forum (UPDF) have finally decided that they won't wait for the multiplexes to meet them mid-way on the revenue-sharing issue. The UPDF has now released a series of notifications through a trade magazine in the past week telling the producers that the new movies will be all set to release as early as this month-end.

A trade source reveals, "The UPDF and multiplexes have been at loggerheads for a while now. Last week, it had seemed that the deadlock between the two parties would be called off. But after both parties couldn't get to an agreement on the profit-sharing issue, the meeting was called off abruptly. After the meet, the producers had an informal get-together and decided that they would be releasing films May 29 onwards."

The source further adds, "All the films will be released in single screens and the promotions of the film which had come to a standstill will start once again soon. Another major thing the producers have decided is that there will be only solo releases and every film will have a two-week breathing time and no new film can release two weeks after a film has released. This will allow all the films to grow on the audiences and will showcase the unity of the producers."

The first film, which will release after the suspension is Vashu Bhagnani's Kal Kissne Dekha and from then on, films like New York, Hadippa, Shortkut, Luck, Jashn, Love Aaj Kal, Kambakkht Ishq, Kaminey, Agyaat and Main Aur Mrs Khanna and finally, Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani will make their way to the single screens till the UPDF doesn't reach an agreement with multiplexes.

First look at Love Aaj Kal

Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan’s production house Illuminati Films is set to release its maiden venture “Love Aaj Kal” (pictured above), in association with Eros International.

“Love Aaj Kal” is director Imtiaz Ali’s much awaited release after his hugely successful “Jab We Met”. It has been shot in London, San Francisco and New Delhi.

The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukoue, Rishi Kapoor and Rahul Khanna.
The film also features British model and actress Florence Brudenell-Bruce who makes her debut opposite Saif. Neetu Singh too has a small role.

Saif and Deepika are paired together for the very first time.

Says a source, “Saif and Deepika are looking fabulous together… the chemistry they share is unbelievable.”

Though producers have tired their best to keep the film under wraps, the movie has already generated a strong buzz.

“Love Aaj Kal” has a fresh take on relationships that will appeal to everyone. It is a love story spanning two generations; Rishi and Neetu play the older couple with Saif and Deepika represent the new generation.

Deepika says her character in the film comes eerily close to her real self.

“It's scary the kind of stuff Imtiaz has envisaged for my character in the film it's so close and similar to me. It's almost as if he had written the film with me in mind."

Deepika Padukone talks about her new flim Love Aaj Kal

Deepika Padukone is apparently hurt that her co-star and the producer of Love Aaj Kal, Saif Ali Khan, has been stating in his interviews saying he wishes his lady-love Kareena Kapoor was in the film instead of Deepika, sending wrong signals about his leading lady, and about his home production.

But the actress puts up a brave front, "I wouldn't like to comment on it as he's my producer. He's a great producer and a great co-star and I am happy that my director Imtiaz Ali wanted me to be there. I have gone according to his dictates. It's scary the kind of stuff Imtiaz has envisaged for my character in the film it's so close and similar to me. It's almost as if he had written the film with me in mind."

About Saif wanting Bebo in the film in stead of her, he said "He's in love and that's a good thing. I don't feel bad because I am confident about what I have done and I know he won't repent taking me in his film." Deepika is also involved with an actor and cannot ever consider asking a director to cast them together. However she understands that each couple is different and react to situations differently. The actress, who was last seen in Billu has returned from the land of the Incas (Peru) where she had gone on a photoshoot.

Deepika came back to India with a bad bout of flu. Though after some anxious moments, swine flu was ruled out. The actress skipped Shah Rukh's party for Gerard Butler due to the illness but has been reporting for shooting for Farhan Akhtar's Karthik Calling Karthik every day in spite of the flu."

Deepika says, "Yes, I was a bit unwell but I didn't want to cancel the shoots. I missed Shah Rukh's party because I was unwell and exhausted. I was shooting till 11 pm that night and had to report for shooting again the next day from 9 am again."

She says although people around her were concerned, she knew she hadn't caught the dreaded flu, "It started only after we had left Lima (in Peru)." Deepika is more disappointed that she couldn't visit Cuzco, the old capital of the Incas and other places as there was too little time. "I have never been to South America before and was hoping to see the Land of the Inca and Machu Picchu but there was too little time. I was in Lima for less than 48 hours."