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?t? an interesting drama,? says Dino Morea
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, December 19, 2006]  



?'m so glad to be a part of ?hram?. It's a dream debut for me, wherein I play a character of substance for my debut film. It couldn't have been better than this,? says debutante Sheetal Menon. She plays the role of a supermodel who hates men due to a past trauma, and finds that Dino is different from other men. Dino loves Sheetal and organizes an exclusive surprise Birthday party. Dino celebrates an intimate moment with her and professes his love for her.

Says Dino, ?hram is an illusion. It's an interesting drama about relationship, with suspense. And when Mr. Hira, who is such a pioneer in the publishing front asked me do this film, I readily agreed to do it. It's such a fantastic script.?

?hram? starring Dino Morea & Milind Soman together for the first time opposite supermodel Sheetal Menon is the next venture of Magna films.

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KBC Entry Question for 1st Episode on Dec 22
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, December 19, 2006]  



Starting December 22nd '06, 8.00 p.m. onwards the Entry Question for the 1st episode will premiere on Star Pluz. The Phone lines will be open from 8 p.m. onwards and will remain open till 7 p.m. the next day, for the viewers to send in their answers.

After 22nd Dec 06, there will be one new entry question every day till December 31st '06, for each subsequent episode. With Shahrukh Khan getting into Big B? shoes as the new anchor for the new season of ?aun Banega Crorepati? the excitement is building up. Will he live up to the expectations? Or will he not?.The debate rages on?ut for as of now?et ready to answer your questions now?.

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Pritam composes fourth album with PNC
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, December 19, 2006]  



Production house PNC [Pritish Nandy Communications] has been known for repeating the cast and crew for number of their films on a regular basis. While on the movies front they have continuously worked with Rahul Bose, on the music front it seems to be Pritam who is turning out to be their favorite.

After EK KHILADI EK HASEEENA, ANKAHEE and PYAAR KE SIDE EFFECTS, Pritam has composed for PNC once again for their upcoming film JUST MARRIED. Starring Fardeen Khan and Esha Deol, JUST MARRIED is a light hearted entertainer that takes a viewer through the journey of a newly wed couple who realize the after effects of marriage after taking the 'saat-pheras'! Though the music of each of the above mentioned films was quite good, only PYAAR KE SIDE EFFECTS saw the kind of success that the music of such stature deserves.

Now one eagerly awaits the music of JUST MARRIED to arrive on stands as this Meghna Gulzar film aims for a February release.

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?ivah? girl learns dancing
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, December 20, 2006]  



Dancing seems to be flavour this season. With shows like Nach Baliye and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, almost half the television industry are on a dancing spree. News is that even 18 year old Amrita Prakash (she played Amrita Rao? cute younger sister in Sooraj Barjatya? ?ivah? recently) also joined dancing classes to learn the stimulating Cha Cha Cha.

Amrita who hates to work out in a gym thought this is one way to keep her body in check. And it's been just 10 days but she already hooked on to it. ? love dancing, and Cha Cha Cha is just really exciting. I'm glad I joined these classes, now that am free and have some time on me,? she says.

Amrita has earlier hosted shows like Fox Kids and Kya Masti Kya Dhoom. And she would like to host a dance show next.

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Arjun Rampal, a superstar?
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, December 20, 2006]  



Arjun Rampal is a fine actor who hasn? got his due. Having started off with ?yaar Iishq Aur Mohabbat? this hot body went on to do several films that laid eggs at the box office. ?oksha?, ?il Ka Rishta?, ?il Hai Tumhara?, ?laan?, ?aada?, ?ehzeeb?, ?akeen? etc etc. The only films that did decent business have been ?ankhen? (But then it also had Big B, Akshay Kumar, Suhmita Sen and Paresh Rawal too) and ?jnabee? (Big B once again). If you include bit parts in ?abhi Alvida Na Kehna? and somewhat biggie in ?on? then yes Arjun Rampal has been a part of successful films. But yes, the fact remains he hasn? had a solo hit. And he has been around for almost a decade now.

The question remains then what makes Arjun feel-n-behave like a superstar? He doesn? keep his promises as far as interviews are concerned. Moreover except for Karan Johar, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and the likes, rest of the world doesn? merit respect in Rampal? books. He has been selectively promoting his first home production ? See You? by giving bytes to a few elite news channels. Rest of the mere mortals have to stand in a long queue before King Rampal obliges. Wife Meher Jessia answers his calls and informs that the ?uper cool hot dude? (whatever that means) is busy in a meeting. And she too fails to honour her commitement of a curt: ?all after an hour?. The phone is conveniently switched off there after. SMSs are never answered (even the biggest of stars promptly reply to an SMS when they?e busy).

What one makes from Arjun Rampal? production plans, is that either he is super confident that ? See You? will work anyway. Or he is sure it? not gonna work?o why tom tom about it anyway. The film? stills are dominated by debutante Vipasha Agarwal and to be fair to Arjun, he is looking a hunky dude as well. But the vibes from the promos of the film are absolutely thanda. Let? see if the film has a few surprises in store.

The final verdict is that Arjun Rampal is a talented actor who needs a crash course in harnessing his PR skills. It? good to be nice sometimes. After all a warm smile and a confident handshake is always more precious than a smirk sitting in an ivory tower.

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Fardeen wants Drug rehab
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, December 20, 2006]  



Fardeen Khan on Tuesday expressed his willingness to go in for rehabilitation for drug addiction. The offer has been made by his lawyer advocate K T Tulsi at the end of the arguments before the Bombay High Court which is hearing the actor? plea that the drug charges against him be dropped. Fardeen was arrested on May 5, 2001, outside an ATM at Juhu while allegedly attempting to buy a gram of cocaine from a drug trafficker.

He subsequently spent a few days in police custody. And when he had come out if, he unexpectedly met with a high as his then released film ?yaar Tune Kya Kiya? opposite Urmila Matondkar attained decent recognition and the song ?shq Kambaqt? went on to become a raging hit. Fardeen has moved on since then. His playboy image came in for a total turnaround when he married yesteryear actress Mumtaz? daughter Natasha Madhwani a year ago. The regular in parties and Page 3 events, Khan is a totally family man today and he is even being taken more seriously as an actor.

His forthcoming films include ?ust Married?, ?ankh Micholi?, ?arling?, ?ubway?, ?ey Baby? and ?urbani?.

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Aditya Chopra to direct Dhoom III?
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, December 20, 2006]  



It? been a long time since Aditya Chopra got into the director? hot seat. His last release was ?ohabbatein? way back in 2000. If sources are to be believed then Chopra shall be making a grand comeback with ?hoom III?. Two of the biggest Khans Shahrukh and Saif shall be starring in it.

There has been a speculation doing the rounds that SRK will be essaying a negative character in the film. And in spite of a stellar performance in ?hoom II? Hrithik Roshan won? be a part of it. But his muse Aishwarya Rai in all probability will be a part of this venture. With Aditya Chopra getting into the hot seat the stakes have risen by manifolds. His debut venture ?ilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge? is one of the all time big hits of Indian film industry. And unarguably he is one of the most powerful men in Bollywood today. Gear up for big announcements soon.

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Xenia Ali back to show her adas
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, December 20, 2006]  



More than 3 years back, Xenia Ali, a pop artist from the valley of Kashmir, made her debut with the album 'Meri Ada'. The album was a decent success as it had variety galore with songs ranging from romantic ballads, dance numbers to being Arabic in flavor.

During all these years, she was not seen much but now she is back with a remix album that has been aptly titled 'Xenia remix'. The opening track of the album is a sadly-ignored-but-extremely-melodious 'Samaa Yeh Suhaana' from the film 'Goonj' which never got its due. After 'Bin Tere Sanam', this is second such song from the late 80s-early 90s that was lost over the years but now has been revived in its remix avtar.

The music video of the song is currently on air and stars Xenia along with 'Tajmahal' hero Zulfi Syed!

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Can we have more of Salman Shahid and Hanif Humghum?
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, December 20, 2006]  



Recently released 'Kabul Express' is notable for a dozen odd reasons and many more but what strikes most is the arrival of two new actors on Indian silver screen - Salman Shahid and Hanif Hum Ghum.

The two actors play a pivotal role in the film. Belonging to Pakistani and Afghani nationality respectively, Salman Shahid and Hanif Humghum are simply superb in the film and deserve a 10/10 for their performances. Getting completely immersed in their characters, the two evoke a range of emotions in the narrative of the film and makes one sit tight and take notice of their talent.

In their middle age, both Salman and Hanif could well be termed as assets when it comes to making films and it would only benefit a project, regardless of its origin being India or elsewhere, to have them play many more interesting characters in future.

Are film makers listening?

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Roger Nair Productions acquires ?uru? rights for Canada
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, December 20, 2006]  



Roger Nair Productions has acquired the Canadian rights of writer/director Mani Ratnam's ?uru? from Kaleidoscope Entertainment/ Mr. Bobby Bedi. A Star studded World Premiere of Mani Ratnam's much anticipated ?uru? will premiere in Toronto, Canada on January 11th 2007 at the prestigious Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre Centre, where most of Hollywood films are premiered.

This has been path breaking and a landmark deal between Canada and India, in the process making Canada an official territory for  Bollywood films. ROGER NAIR PRODUCTIONS and its directors ROGER NAIR (CEO-TORONTO) and PADAMM KUMAR (COO-INDIA) have entered the distribution market in a big way for CANADA territory and will be buying films for NORTH AMERICA and EUROPE as well. Roger Nair productions will hold a world premiere in Toronto with most of the cast and crew attending on January 11th 2007 including Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, R Madhavan, AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam.

The film opens in theaters Canadawide Cineplex, AMC and Empire January 12th, 2007

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Jaideep Sahni of K2G fame writes 'Chak De India'
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, December 20, 2006]  



It's a known fact by now that Jaideep Sahni is the story and screenplay writer for this year's sweet'n'little hit 'Khosla Ka Ghosla'.

Since the film's release, the film has won accolades all over for its original content. Recently, the film also got the award for 'Best script and screenplay' at Kara International Film Festival. Jaideep Sahni juggernaut has started rolling in a big way and his work would be seen once again towards the middle of next year when Yash Raj Films' 'Chak De India' releases.

Starring Shahrukh Khan in lead along with Vidya Malvade, the film has 'Ab Tak Chappan' fame Shimit Amin at the helm of direction with music by Salim Sulaiman. Known for his original work in each of the projects Jaideep has been associated with, one anticipates the release of 'Chak De India' in a big way to see what the young man has in the offering this time around.

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Happy Birthday Chi Chi
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGltiz [Thursday, December 21, 2006]  



Govinda is celebrating his birthday today in the best way an actor can, with the release of his film ?hagamBhag?. Gauging the buzz surrounding the film, it is all set to come as a sweet gift to the talented actor who after a career in politics has once again returned to hallowed halls of bollywood doing what he does best: Comedy.

Directed by Priyadarshan and produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd and Popcorn motion Pictures Pvt Ld, in ?hagamBhag?, Govinda will be seen for the first time in an exciting combination with Akshay Kumar along with Lara Dutta, Tanushree Dutta, Rajpal Yadav, Paresh Rawal, Jackie Shroff and Arbaaz Khan.

The actor will have a special screening for friends and family and party afterwards once he returns to Mumbai after a shooting schedule in Pune.

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? like the word sizzle,? says Neha Dhupia
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Thursday, December 21, 2006]  



? like the word sizzle,? said Neha Dhupia at a press conference to announce her arrival as a dance performer at the New Year? bash at Country Club, Mumbai. Looking resplendent in a red number and a ready smile Neha was the star attraction as she posed-n-preened for the waiting cameras.

Replying to queries about a rather thanda 2006, Neha replied that she had been working on her future projects. ?2007 will be a rocking year for me as I have films like Shootout at Lokhandwala, Mithiya, Ek Chalees Ki Last Local, Dus Kahaniyan etc,? she said. Talking about her performance, Neha clarified that she will be the only star attraction at the New Year? bash and would be ?izzling? to tracks from her own films like ?hup Chup Ke? and ?aram Masala? while scorching under the ?razy Kiya? beats of ?hoom 2?. Asked if ?ajra Re? will be on the wishlist too? ?ith all due respect Kajra Re was two years ago?ut if the demand is there then why not?

The smart girl that she is, Neha was coy about her love life?No I am not in love.? But then babes only recently you admitted to a newspaper about fleeing to Goa with ?ood friend? Ritwik, the squash player for Christmas. The press conference came to an abrupt end, even before I could ask her the question if she still endorsed her famous one liner: ?nly sex and Shahrukh Khan sell.? Never mind?.Maybe some other time

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Munnabhai? bail extended till January 18th
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Thursday, December 21, 2006]  



Destiny? child Sanjay Dutt has got a brief reprieve from a Terrorism and Disruptive Activities Acts Court today as it extended his bail till January 18th, 2007. As is well known Sanjay had been found guilty under Arms Act for possession of an AK 56 rifle and a 9 mm pistol in the 1993 Bomb blast case.

He had been granted bail to surrender till December 19th. He had made an application on December 18th asking for time to surrender till the case ends or the final verdict is announced. He had cited several reasons why he should be showed leniency. Top most being the arrival of his daughter Trishala on December 23rd.

Dutt? lawyers are making all efforts to ensure that the actor gets little or no punishment when the final verdict is announced. Sanjay on his part has been making all the right moves. Getting clicked with underprivileged children or performing hawan at Siddhivinayak Temple, he seems to be determined to put the ghost of 1993 bomb blast case firmly behind him. For now, he must be looking forward to a relaxed new year.

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?ake the global rock star home?
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Thursday, December 21, 2006]  



The man-with-the-cap wants to remain in news one way or the other. Alright he has had a great first half of 2006 when he had several hits to his name (before he holds my neck?.Lemme make it 36 hits), a successful trip to US and UK with his dance troupe and a ?lap on the face in print? from Asha Bhosle for comparing his nasal disaster with the legend of RD Burman. Well, the irrepressible self-anointed-genius is back. A half page advertisement in one of the leading newspapers today claims that Himesh will be performing live ?ap Ka Suroor-Live in concert? at a city hotel this New Year?. Now, what caught my eye was this line: ?uy tickets to the concert and you can be one of the lucky three to take the global rock star home.?

Now, Reshamiyya is pushing his luck a bit too much. For he doesn? know what a ?lobal rock star? means. Is he in the same league as Pink Floyd, Metallica, Aerosmith, Scorpion, Eagles, Deep Purple? The kind of hard work these guys have put in for years together is unprecedented. And their fan following cuts across the spectrum. Regaling an expatriate audience abroad in a few shows doesn? make Himesh Reshamiya a global rock star by any standards.  

There have been reports about Himesh saying that his debut as an actor in ?ap Ka Suroor? will result in an appeal far more captivating than all the three Khans put together. This narcissistic streak is getting a wee bit too much. He should decide first of all what and who he is? A global rock star or an actor better than anybody else? Don? be surprised if you hear from him next that he is on top of Hollywood and Tom Cruise is his disciple. The suroor of success is getting nauseating now?. I guess Cruise must be laughing by now

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Hanuman 2 to clash with Saawariya
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Thursday, December 21, 2006]  



Business of movies has hit a ceiling in 2006 and all big players are looking at their share of pie in the year 2007!

Diwali has traditionally being considered to be most auspicious for biggies to arrive at the box office and though clash of DON v/s JAAN-E-MANN this year wasn't quite productive for the latter, the race has already begun for booking the berths for 2007 festive season.

While Sanjay Leela Bhansali's has already announced the date of release of 'Saawariya' as 9th November [Diwali falls on this day], there is a possibility of a clash with animation film 'Hanuman 2'. The film is a sequel to 'Hanuman' which released last year and turned out to be a surprise success at the box office. It is expected to arrive on the same date or around the same time as 'Saawariya'.

'Hanuman 2' will be produced by Percept Picture Company who had also co-produced 'Hanuman'.

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Langda Tyagi's best friend Rajju returns
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Thursday, December 21, 2006]  



'Omkara' was a Langda Tyagi [Saif Ali Khan] film all the way. Period. But the man who played his alter ego was also remarkable in his superlative performance in the film. He was the character that went by the name of Rajju and was enacted by first timer Deepak Dobriyal.

Deepak was simply fantastic in the role of a man who could never let his angst cool down after his marriage with Kareena Kapoor was called off forcefully in the film. Now this fine actor would be seen again in a patriotic film titled '1971'.

Produced by Moti Sagar and directed by Amrit Sagar, the film is ready for release and stars other talented actors like Manoj Bajpai, Ravi Kissen and Piyush Mishra.

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SRK and Hrithik in 'I See U'
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Thursday, December 21, 2006]  



If grapevine is to be believed, Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan would be making special appearances in Arjun Rampal's first home production 'I See You'.

To be released on December 29th, the film is going to be the sole notable release of the last Friday before an immensely successful 2006 ends. Apart from Arjun Rampal and Chunky Pandey as the lead and supporting men in the film, arrival of King Khan and Roshan junior only make the project bigger.

Insiders also indicate that SRK appears towards the climax of the film as a cop belonging to Indian origin who works for London police.

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Box Office Analysis
Exclusive by Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Thursday, December 21, 2006]  



First weekend performance of latest release

Three distinct films released on Friday - 'Kabul Express', 'Aryan' and 'Dil Se Pooch Kidhar Jaana Hai'. We had mentioned in last week's column (quoted verbatim here) that "It will be fool hardly to even imagine the film beginning on a record breaking spree a la a 'Fanaa' or a 'Dhoom 2'. A decent beginning (50-60%) followed by a good word of mouth should be good enough for it to sail through." The prediction based on trends, audience expectations and promos worked to the T as the actual collections were on similar lines too! The film did open decent and continues to be so which is quite fine for a movie like 'Kabul Express'. In the end, the movie should end up being profitable which is nothing but a success for the cast and crew of the film due to its theme and overall reach to the audience. One looks forward to such topical movies being made even further on so that Bollywood is strictly and firmly on international map soon. 2 Thumbs up to the team of 'Kabul Express' to make it happen. And yes, Kabir Khan is a director that one would want to watch more in coming years!



Second release of the week was 'Aryan' and suffered due to the reasons mentioned last week [delayed release, not enough buzz, other complexities etc.]. The film was never a blockbuster in the making even sans these reasons but at least could have taken a decent start a la 'Kabul Express' if not for them. Poor reviews didn't help it's case either in spite of 2-3 instances of a positive word for the film. A non-starter which is a disappointing outing for Sohail and Sneha.

'Dil Se Pooch...' didn't even get a decent release across India, let alone an opening and is a washout from show one.

Last week's movies



The writing was on the wall for 'Baabul' when it opened to a mere average response across the country. There were (some) hopes that sole release factor may just about work in its favor but that didn't happen. It turned out to be a lukewarm first week for this biggie that starred heavy weights like Big B, Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee along with John Abraham and Hema Malini and in the end only 11 crores came in after week 1. In an age of such starcast fetching at least a 20 crore opening, one could still allow some leniency due to the film's subject. But 11 crores was still way below with Mumbai being the highest contributor at 2 crores [average] followed by Delhi at 1 crores [below average]. With not much buzz left the film in second week and 'Bhagam Bhag' coming next, the film is set to go down as a disappointment for the team.

From the past



After 2 excellent weeks at the box office, D2 did see a fall [50%], though of a kind that is on par with industry standards. With 11 crores coming in the third week, the film now stands at 68 crores and would already be the highest grosser ever by the time your read this report. Cynics may say that D2 has finally shown a fall in the 3rd week but the fact needs to be realized that 68 crores in hands means that an extremely large number of people have actually watched the film by now [with many giving it a repeat viewing] and you don't expect dozens of crores coming in every week. In current movie viewing scenario, a total like this coming in 3 weeks shows that the film has been accepted as a blockbuster both within and outside the trade.

A study in contrast to D2 is 'Vivah' which chose to come at limited prints and ever since then has been playing around the same print count. Though the drop [30%] was somewhat above its last week drop of 10%, it was still commendable with 'Babul' and 'Dhoom 2' collectively making around 22 crores. Rather than its epicenter of print count being in big cities [as like most of the films in their first stage of theatrical run], 'Vivah' is evenly spread out across the country that is helping it boast of decent collections from all nook and corners. Also, such a wide spread is ensuring that piracy is restricted too and theatres are the first choice for family audiences to watch the film. After getting another 2 crores in its kitty, the film has now crossed 20 crores and is on its way to be called a superhit.

'Apna Sapna Money Money' has one more week for itself before next comedy film 'Bhagam Bhag' arrives this Friday. The film got in another 15 lakhs in its 5th week and has been left way behind by 'Vivah' which started off slowly when compared to ASMM that made most of the money in its 1st week. The film is exiting at around 13.5 crores. Ditto for 'Don' which should be wrapped up after it completes 50 crores at the box office [which should be this week since it is just 3 lakhs shy of doing that!]. 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' needs another 6 lakhs to touch the 70 crore mark and it has become like a slow moving yet exciting cricket test match to see if that actually happens.

In the future

It will be a surprise of 'Bhagam Bhag' opens anything less than 18-20 crores at the box office. The film has been hyped beyond expectations and the only film that is being talked about today is 'Bhagam Bhag'. None of Priyadarshan movies in the past [not even his biggest success 'Garam Masala'] has created such a pre-release buzz in the past and one pines a lot of hopes on this Akshay/Govinda/Paresh starrer. It would be a disappointment if the film doesn't take a flier of a start [which it should in all probability]. The sole release factor only helps!

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Shiney Ahuja: Replacement Theory
Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Friday, December 22, 2006]  



Shiney Ahuja is fast becoming the king of replacements. After being the replacement for Shoaib Akhtar in Anurag Basu? ?angster? and then Emran Hashmi in Mohit Suri? ?oh Lamhe? Ahuja is all set to get into the shoes of Saif Ali Khan in Mira Nair? film on Aids as Saif didn? want to play an Aids patient.

Shiney Ahuja is an extremely talented actor but he is getting notoriously famous for being arrogant and aloof on his film sets. After differences with Mohit Suri and actress Kangana Ranaut during the making of ?oh Lamhe?, recently there have been reports about Shiney throwing tantrums at an Awards function where he refused to be the first performer and instead Koina Mitra had to make the entry.

Well, so far he has been replacing others but with such kind of high handed attitude it won? be long before Shiney is replaced by others. After all the saying goes: ?o one is indispensable?. Right Shiney