Jimmy plays a prank on Soha and Anjana with his haunted tales

Jimmy Shergill's haunted tales kept the unit of 'Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster' sequel on tenterhooks during the shoot

The cast and crew of Tigmanshu Dhulia’s upcoming sequel which was being shot in Gujarat are now back in Mumbai. Just before the wrap-up, Jimmy Sheirgill decided to play a prank with his co-stars Soha Ali Khan and Anjana Sukhani.

As they were holed up in a palace at Baria, near Vadodara, for a long schedule, Jimmy told the unit members that the surrounding areas were haunted and the presence of wildlife there further added to the eerie feeling. The unit members were used to the unusual sounds in the night of animals so they believed Jimmy’s haunted tales.

Says a unit source, “The whole unit who had the habit of taking walks in the surrounding area after the shoot. But after hearing him they stayed indoors out of fear. Says producer Rahul Mittra, “It was fun when the prank was being played as the entire unit was so scared. Later Jimmy told them the truth.”

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Small films make it to big screen this weekend

Nowadays, small is big at the box office. After san stars medium budget "Gangs Of Wasseypur" set the cash registers ringing last week, the ticket window is gearing up for a string of small budget movies - "Maximum", "Dal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai" and "3 Bachelors" - coming out Friday to woo movie buffs.

"Gangs Of Wasseypur", inspired by a real life story, is a crime thriller. Director Kabeer Kaushik's "Maximum", featuring actors Sonu Sood, Naseeruddin Shah, Neha Dhupia, Amit Sadh, Arya Babbar, Anjana Sukhani and Vinay Pathak is also from the same genre.

The story of the film goes back to 2003 in Mumbai where a war against the underworld had been declared. And the responsibility was on two chosen officers - Pratap Pandit (Sonu) and Arun Inaamdar (Naseer), the shoot-out specialists.

Both are equally ruthless. Their motive is maximum control. But they are not alone in this game. There are other players. Moving at every level, they take the drama through a complex interplay of politics, land deals, fake shootouts and dirty money.

The story moves through five long years and ends on a railway platform.

The item number "Aa ante amalapuram" is already popular.

The other two films will - "3 Bacheors" and "Dal Me Kuch Kala Hai" - will lighten up the mood as they are comedies.

"Daal Mein...", Pakistani actress Veena Malik's Bollywood debut movie, will seen her in a double role.

The story is a tale of a budding actress, played by Veena, who is over motivated to become successful in Bollywood.

Dabu, a man in his forties, a total looser, has a weak point which is luxurious life and women. He is obsessed with this budding actress. At some point all of a sudden he gets rich after hitting a roll-over prize of birthright. Dabu decides to share his destiny and his future with her.

Directed by actor Anand Balraj, the film also features Jackie Shroff and Vijay Raaz.

On the other hand "3 Bachelors" is a humorous take young men's love life. The story is about two young bachelors and one young at heart bachelor.

With actors Sharman Joshi, Manish Nagpal, Raima Sen and Ria Sen in lead characters, the film went on floors a decade back and is seeing an abrupt release now.

The story is a mix of comedy, romance and confusion. TV show "Astitva" fame Ajai Sinha has directed it.

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Anjana's 'Maximum' role modelled on top actress of the 2000s

Though there have been whispers galore of encounter-cop Pradeep Sharma being the hero of the new cops film Maximum we now have it from a source extremely close to the film that Sonu Sood’s character is based completely on Sharma and that in fact Sood and the Maximum director Kabir Kaushik have taken Sharma fully into confidence to get the details from the real-life ‘encounter’ cop’s story right. 

But what’s really a whammy of a revelation is that there’s a character in Maximum based on a very hot and sizzling actress who shot to superstardom in the 1990s with a Ram Gopal Varma musical. 

Says our source, “Yes, there is definitely a lot about the film industry in the film. Anjana Sukhani plays Urvashi a hot sizzling actress of the 1990s and 2000s based very obviously on a leading heroine of the 1990 and 2000s. The likeness is unmistakable. 

Anjana is shown to be this enormously classy dancer-actress who has a seductive and sensuous image on screen but is a very simple homely Maharshtrian girl when the makeup is off. . ”

When asked about her character in Maximum Anjana Sukhani said, “I don’t know who my character is based on. But yes. I play an actress named Urvashi. ”

Continues our source, “It’s all very classily done. But the film’s makers are shy of any mention of the Matondkar factor regarding their film. 

They want to avoid talking about all the real-life characters from Bollywood, the law enforcement agencies and politics who show up in Maximum, although it’s obvious who the real-life parallels are. To take another example, Vinay Pathak plays a politician based on Kripa Shankar Singh. Naseeruddin Shah plays Vijay Salaskar the encounter cop who was killed in the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai. ” 

As for the overt and unmistakable Pradeep Sharma factor, Sonu Sood secretly spent substantial chunks of time getting to understand the mind behind Mumbai’s 112 ‘encounter’ killings. 

Says our source, “Pradeep Sharma is a very integral part of the film. But so many real-life encounter-cops have been put on screen in the past few years, Mr Sharma opted to remain behind the scenes supervising the factual detailing without coming out in the open. ”

When asked about the real-life parallels in Maximum both Sonu Sood and director Kabir Kaushik refrained from comment.

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Anjana Sukhani's dream is working out

Anjana Sukhani is in an elated mood these days. Her superhit debut film down South with actor Ravi Teja has not only won her appreciation, but also awards.

But what Anjana is really excited about, are the talks of the film (Don Seenu) being remade in Bollywood with Salman Khan playing the lead. And Anjana, who is expected to be cast in the same role as in the original, is hoping that things work out as planned. “Although I was in Salam-e-Ishq, which also starred Salman, we did not share any screen space. Working with him will be like a dream come true, so I am keeping my fingers crossed,” she smiles.

Admitting that it hasn’t exactly been a joy-ride for her in Bollywood, Anjana reveals that she’s not disappointed. “Things are looking up and I am glad that irrespective of the fate of my films at the box-office, people have appreciated my work,” adds the actor, who now has plenty to look forward to, including an upcoming film opposite Sharman Joshi.

Anjana’s also busy working out these days. Is she gearing up to wear bikinis on screen? “Well, I’m working towards getting fitter. As for bikinis, I’m all for wearing a bikini on-screen as long as I know that I can trust the film-maker and it justifies the role. I don’t think it’s really a big deal anymore,” she says. The actress also happened to take to the ramp for not one, but four designers recently. Talking about her experience, she says, “I was always considered short for the ramp. So, it was a nice feeling,” she laughs.

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Anjana Sukhani arrives in Tollywood

Anjana Sukhani is a popular name in Bollywood. She is all set to make her debut in Tollywood.

Speaking about the movie, she says that this film will be like a litmus test for her. She revealed that.

She had been looking for a Telugu offer when this offer came up. She added that this was the most lucrative offer that she has ever received.

She claimed that she was not aware of Ravi Teja. Before this movie and only after googling his name, she realized that he was.

A popular star. She added that this character will be different from what she has done in Bollywood so far.

She has done mostly glam and sweet girl roles so far. She added that since both industries are different, doing both will satisfy her creatively.

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Gauhar refused to make an entry with Anjana!

Gauhar Khan has just entered Bollywood, but, apparently, after the acclaim she has received for Rocket Singh, she is already throwing her weight around.

Recently the actress was in Phuket to perform at a stage show with Anjana Sukhani.

Gauhar threw a fit as she wanted a solo entry. She refused to make an entry with Anjana.

A source at the event reveals, “Anjana and Gauhar were supposed to make an entry together for the opening.

But a few hours before the show, Gauhar spoke to the organisers and the choreographer and demanded that she make a solo entry.

Just a few minutes before the show, Anjana was informed about the change and so she made her entry after Gauhar’s act.”

Anjana claims ignorance, which can always be construed as bliss. She says, “I am not aware of this.

I did what I was told to do. The organisers wanted a joint entry and we were following the choreographer.” However, Gauhar says she had her reasons for putting her foot down. She says, “There were some last minute changes in the act and I wasn’t informed, which was quite unprofessional on their part. I kept my commitment and finished the show.”

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