Aamir to be superhero Hanuman but there's a catch!

Producer Uru Patel has now zeroed in on Aamir Khan to play Hanuman, though God forbid, not as a monkey God but as a super-hero who can fly over mountains and skyscrapers and rescue the modern-day Rama from the ravenous Ravans of today’s world.Rama and Ravan will be played by Hollywood stars Keanu Reeves and Gary Oldman, respectively. Sita was to be played by Shilpa Shetty. But she has opted out since then. The hunt is on for a new international face to play Sita. Aamir has been keen to do super-hero film specially after Hrithik Roshan’s Krissh and Shah Rukh Khan’s forthcoming Ra.1 (where he plays a desi Spiderman). Hanuman will now be played as a super-hero with the best action directors and special-effects experts ensuring Aamir’s safe passage into super-heroism.The whole project now depends on Aamir’s nod which he’ll give only after he approves of the script.The catch is, Aamir’s signature will have to be on every page of the script.Says a source, “Aamir wants to sign every page of the script to ensure no changes happen during shooting. Only then will he agree to play Hanuman.”Apparently this is the method of working –signature on every page of the script-- that Aamir will adopt in all his future projects, whenever he signs more films. For now it looks like Hanuman will be his first assignment after the blockbuster Ghajini. Earlier Hanuman was to be directed by Luis Mandoki (of Message In A Bottle fame). Mandoki wrote the first few drafts of the project. But now the chosen director is Chuck Russell whose familiarity with the language of fantasy (Eraser, The Mask, The Scorpion King, Mandrake) qualified him for the job of directing Hanuman. A hush-hush meeting happened in Los Angeles three months ago at producer Uru Patel’s residence where director Chuck Russell met up with the project’s executive producer Pradeep Guha. The project has now passed into Aamir’s hand and his approval is awaited.Says Pradeep Guha, “He has been approached. But Aamir will decide after he reads the script.” Other sources insist that the makers of Hanuman are keen have Aamir on board and ready to comply with all his preconditions.Once Aamir signs the film formally, the first schedule of Hanuman is expected to be held in Rajasthan at the end of the year. The rest of the film will be shot at Hollywood studios.

Meera's dark past catches up with her

Just two days ago, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was going all out to help Pakistani actress Meera who had apparently received death threats from a man in Lahore claiming to be her husband. But now it appears to him a case of Meera's past catching up with her."Yes, Meera did call from Lahore. Some guy claiming to be her husband tried to break into her home and kill her! At that time she seemed quite genuine in her call for help. Meanwhile Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, was very prompt in taking action, but Meera was still inconsolable, " Bhatt told.However, the situation turned out to be quite different. Reports started making the rounds that the man in question was indeed Meera's husband and had papers and photographs to back his statement. Apparently, he tried to reach Meera, but her guards prevented him from entering her house."While I was trying to call people in Pakistan and take stock of the issue, I was informed by Sohail Khan, filmmaker from Pakistan, that news channels all over the country were beaming photographs of the couple as well as their 'nikaahnama' (marriage contract). This seemed to be substantial evidence that made me call up Meera again, " said Bhatt. Through the conversation that followed, "I realised that the situation wasn't as clean as it sounded earlier", Bhatt said. "Also, I could sense that Meera too wasn't as truthful as she wanted me to believe. "She, in fact, did admit that the two of them were in a relationship, but denied her marriage to him. She said that she would get back to me later, but that never happened." It was Mahesh Bhatt, who along with Mukesh Bhatt had launched Meera as an actor in Bollywood with "Nazar" (2005), which was directed by Soni Razdan. Meera was paired opposite Ashmit Patel in the film that had failed at the box office. This is not the first time that Meera has reached out to Bhatt for help. Last year she had landed up at Bhatt's house at around 2 a.m. after being troubled by a guy. At that time she was living in Mumbai and didn't have anyone else to help her. Bhatt had then asked Sevy Ali, who had produced "Nazar", to help out Meera. But she was miffed with him because he refused to shelter her.So what was it about Bhatt that made Meera call him again in her moment of distress? "Well, I do have contacts in Pakistan and know people in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. She felt that I could make a few calls and get help coming her way. I was in fact in the process of doing so as well. I know the Human Rights Commission and other organisations there and could have done all in my capacity."However, as things stand today, both Meera as well as the man in question has filed a case against each other. It's all boiling down to some property dispute between the two of them. I had warned Meera that her past would one day catch up with her. She is now bearing the brunt of it."

I'll play Benazir Bhutto

Beauty queen-turned-actress Sushmita Sen has long dreamt of playing legendary freedom fighter Rani Laxmi Bai on the silver screen, but she will have to wait. Her pet project is "indefinitely on hold" due to cash constraints, Sushmita admits."'Rani Laxmi Bai', my home production, is indefinitely on hold till I have the funds to make the film the way I want to, " Sushmita told on phone from Mumbai. " 'Laxmi Bai' to me is a dream, it's not just a film. So I can't compromise with it at all."The script, the storyboard, everything is ready...it's just a matter of putting in the money now and making the film." The actress admits she is disappointed with the deferment of the endeavour. "When I open my production house, it'll definitely be for producing films but I hoped 'Rani Laxmi Bai' will be the first one, which as of now, it won't be, " she said.Another project of the actress that has gathered much buzz but is also on hold is a biopic of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto - tentatively titled "Benazir Bhutto: The Movie". " 'Benajir Bhutto...' is also on hold, " Sushmita said. "We require the Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) permission to make the film and they have issues because it is a controversial subject. But whenever we get the clearance, I'll play Benazir Bhutto."Last seen in English film "Karma, Confessions and Holi", Sushmita is at present geared up with the release of "Do Knot Disturb". Produced by Big Pictures and Vashu Bhagnani, the film has been directed by David Dhawan. Releasing Oct 2, it is a comedy on marriage. It also stars Govinda, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh. This is Sushmita's fourth film with Dhawan after "Biwi No.1" (1999), "Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta" (2001) and "Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya" (2005). Asked if the Bengali beauty was drifting away to comedies with her repeated teaming-up with the director, Sushmita said: "After the kind of films I have done in the past, the last thing that can be done is brand me in any particular genre. "I have done very different kind of films from experimental, non-experimental to commercial. If I look at commercial films then I either look at a love story or a comedy."Having said that, there is also 'Dulha Mil Gaya' and Aness Bazmee's 'No Problem' and all of them have a touch of comedy, but I just hope that I don't get branded into doing just that. It's just that I enjoy doing comedies a lot, " she said. In "Do Knot Disturb", Sushmita will be teaming up with another former Miss Universe, Lara Dutta. Asked if the combo would add to the oomph factor of the movie, she said: "Why not? Anything that adds to a film is a good thing. It's ironic that after all this time we finally come together and Chichi (as Govinda is fondly called) gets to be the lucky guy to have a Miss Universe on both sides."