Kunal Deshmukh's next to star Emraan Hashmi and Soha Ali Khan

Post Jannat, director Kunal Deshmukh is on a high. And why not, after all, Jannat was one of the few films which managed to hit the bull's eye and that too bang in the middle of the IPL frenzy.

Kunal is now abroad taking a much needed break. However, he would be starting his next film after he returns. This film is a part of the 3 film deal that Kunal has signed with the Bhatts. The buzz is that this untitled film would star a rather unusual combination of Emraan Hashmi and Soha Ali Khan. Bollywood Hungama got in touch with Kunal who confirmed the news. "Yes, my next film for Vishesh Films would star Emraan and Soha. We are still working on the story but the premise is centered on a couple that gets stranded in the Mumbai floods," says the young and dynamic director.

With such an unusual pairing and an interesting premise one can only hope for yet another good film from Kunal Deshmukh.


copyright: indiafm.com

'Raftaar'

Percept Picture Company is all set to start work on the first of the three-film deal they have recently signed with Emraan Hashmi. The film, to be directed by Shamim Desai, has been tentatively titled RAFTAAR and co-stars Aditya Pancholi, Esha Deol and Neha Dhupia. The film is budgeted at Rs. 25 crores.

Percept is all set to start a new trend in film-making. They will be taking the entire crew, barring the leading ladies, of the film to Maldives for a trial shoot. Another reason for this week-long trip is to get the cast and the crew familiar with each other. This trial shoot will help PPC to know if everything will fall in place when they actually start shooting the film in Maldives in September. This trip will cost Percept Rs. 1.5 crores.

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Money on Emraan's mind

Cricket, a religion in India, benefited with Bollywood's keen interest and association with the game. From Shahrukh Khan to Preity Zinta, everybody was hooked on to the IPL thus making the game even bigger. One actor who struck gold with the Bollywood – Cricket union is Emraan Hashmi.

His film Jannat , released at a time when the entertainment crazy audience was hooked to IPL matches. Where Bollywood movies failed to get the audience look up and notice, the 'match fixing in cricket' theme in Jannat lured the audience to the theatres and got the cash registers ringing loud at the Box Office.

Jannat did for Emraan, what Tashan couldn't do for Saif, Kareena and Akshay. Post the success of Jannat, the film's leading man wasted no time in hiking his price from Rs 1.5 crores to Rs 5 crores. Emraan has even backed out of a film that Warner Brothers was to produce in association with Tandav Films, apparently because of money issues.

Producers are willing to invest in Emraan Hashmi as well. Percept Picture Company has signed Emraan Hashmi for a multiple film deal for Rs. 15 cr. They have understood the potential that Emraan Hashmi possesses after distributing Jannat .

Emraan has been the blue eyed boy of the Bhatt camp since the tome he entered Bollywood. The Bhatts are known to make low budget films and not work with big stars, but for Emraan, they hiked the budget of Awarapan to a monstrous Rs 18 crores. The film had a mixed fate at the box office. The Bhatts have found their true star in Emraan Hashmi.

Emraan's Jannat acquired and released by Percept Picture Company (PPC) smashed the lull at the box office. The company has been very happy with the way Jannat has pulled through and hence look forward to collaborating with Emraan further. Emraan Hashmi whose steady performance has been praised by the critics and audiences has finally found a place in the industry's A-league that includes Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar.

Emraan Hashmi who has proved his mettle through movies like Murder, Gangster, Awarapan, Zeher, Aashiq Banaya Apne, Kalyug and now Jannat truly seems to be giving the established box office stars a run for their money. The soundtracks in these respective films have won him a huge fan following. Amusingly, all the songs from his movies have become instant hits. Noticing Emraan's acting prowess and subsequent rise with Jannat , David Dhawan is looking to cast him in a future PPC project.

PPC, JT. MD, Mr. Shailendra Singh says, "We are very happy to have Emraan Hashmi on board. We believe his performances are consistently improving and he has the potential to make a difference to our future lineup with leading directors"

copyright: indiatimes.com

JANNAT all set to outperform TASHAN

Unbelievable but now pretty much the truth.

Single handedly Emraan Hashmi has managed to knock off the combined strength of Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Anil Kapoor. So much so that after 3 weeks of its release, it is quite obvious that the box office performance of JANNAT would outshine that of TASHAN which is now living it's dying moments.

Picture this. While TASHAN has made close to 31 crores in 5 weeks and is now breathing it's last at the box office (it's VCDs are already out on stands at a dirt cheap price while the DVDs are expected to follow soon too), JANNAT has made 29 crores in 3 weeks flat and is still counting.

With the kind of graph that this Mukesh Bhatt production is showing, gathering 2 crores in next couple of weeks is pretty much on the cards and the long term trending indicates that TASHAN's final total would be certainly left behind by JANNAT.

Now that's what one may term as the 'final nail in the coffin'!

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‘I am not doing a film with Emraan’

Anoushka Shankar is known for her eclectic choice in music and fashion.

So, when it was recently reported that she will be making her Bollywood debut in a bilingual film with serial kisser Emraan Hashmi, a few eyebrows were raised.

However, the classical musician wants to clear the air from the US where she is performing a series of concerts. “I am not doing the film with Emraan,” she says. “It is true that I met Ahsaan Hyder about his film Breaking Free.

I found the film interesting but after reading the script and going through the initial process, I decided that it was not the right film for me to do.” Apparently, Hyder met Anoushka in Delhi during her last trip to India. She was here with her parents – father Pt Ravi Shankar and mother Sukanya Shankar.
The film, a bilingual, has Emraan playing the hero and Hyder chose Anoushka because of her musical background and accent. Hyder had confirmed that Anoushka had agreed to be a part of the film principally and he needed to travel to New York for her to sign the deal and complete necessary formalities, et al.

Anoushka, however, says that she is not looking at that film as her debut vehicle in Bollywood. She, meanwhile, doesn’t deny that she is thinking of working in Hindi films. She adds, “It is true that I decided not to do Breaking Free but I’m looking at several other scripts.” All of them from Bollywood? “Some of the scripts that I am reading are from Bollywood. However, I plan to carefully choose something that feels right for me. That is when I shall take the plunge,” she said.

And what is happening in her life currently? “I’m touring. I have a packed diary. In fact, I’m mid travel and tour right now. And there’s a lot of stuff to talk about my current tour. I have been busy since I got back from India in March 2008. I finished the USA leg of my tour in April and they were 11 wonderful shows. Then I was at home in California for two weeks. Since then I have also toured Turkey, Hungary, Germany, France, UK, Portugal, Japan and I have shows lined up in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Singapore,” she says.

copyright: timesofindia

PPC signs Emraan for a multiple film deal for Rs. 15 crore

Percept Picture Company signs Emraan Hashmi for a multiple film deal for Rs. 15 cr. Emraan's Jannat acquired and released by Percept Picture Company (PPC) smashed the lull in the Box Office. The company has been very happy with the way Jannat has pulled through and hence look forward to collaborating with Emraan further.

Emraan Hashmi whose steady performance has been praised by the critics and audiences alike seems to be in the league of the Khans now. PPC, JT. MD, Mr. Shailendra Singh says, "We are very happy to have Emraan Hashmi on board. We believe his performances are consistently improving and he has the potential to make a difference to our future line up with leading directors" Jannat - A Percept Picture Company release in association with Zee Motion Picture

PPC has a varied slate of successful directors like Priyadarshan, David Dhawan, Nagesh Kukunoor amongst others, churning out different genres of cinema be it comedy, supernatural thrillers, dramas, romance, action etc. The studio has the ability to take talent like Emraan Hashmi to its next level.

Emraan Hashmi who has proved his mettle through movies like Murder, Gangster, Awarapan and now Jannat truly seems to be giving the traditional box office stars a run for their money. Noticing Emraan's acting prowess and subsequent rise with Jannat, David Dhawan is looking to cast him in a future PPC project.

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Emraan ups his price to 5 crores, opts out of Warner Bros project

The success of the Bhatts' Jannat released right in the middle of stiff competition from the IPL matches has shocked one and all, including the film's leading man Emraan Khan who has wasted no time in hiking his price from an estimate1.5 crore rupees to 5 crores. "And why not?" Emraan argues happily. "Equations change every Friday. The sun has started shining for me. I seem to have had a solo hit at a time when only Akshay Kumar and the Khans seem to be getting the audiences in," he.

"Ya, my price has gone up. I won't say drastically. Right now I can quote a higher price with some justification." There's celebration in Emraan's house. "I've cut about fifteen cakes in the last one week. And I've just bought a new BMW. I was so confident about Jannat that I had it delivered to my home on the day of its release."

Emraan has even backed out of a film that Warner Brothers was to produce in association with Tandav Films (of Khosla Ka Ghosla). Here Emraan gets evasive. "I wouldn't like to comment on which project I backed out. But yes, we were in serious negotiation. I only had to sign the contract. But as is the rule in the entertainment industry, they were waiting to see how Jannat would perform. But now the ball is in my court. Since I'm in a negotiable position now, why should I sign the film at a price I was supposed to? They were playing the wait-and-watch game. Now that they've watched it's my turn."

Emraan says his price also goes up for his mentors the Bhatts. "I haven't spoken to them about my price now that Jannat has done so well. But they've always been very fair as far as the price goes. We share a professional relationship first, we're relatives later. Eventually, the film stands on its own, no matter who makes it. I only sign Bhatt Saab's films when I'm convinced about them. It isn't as if I've said yes to all his offers. I was picky earlier. I'm being more picky now."

Emraan says he was always getting offers outside the Bhatt camp. "But yes after Jannat the offers from outside are better. This is probably the best time as an actor for me." His next release is Raaz 2. "Like Jannat and the earlier films that I've done with Bhatt Saab, it tries something different. No one wants to touch the horror genre. It hasn't been explored sufficiently except in the first part of Raaz which came five years ago. I've again done the unexpected in Raaz 2. I feel the different will always work. I guess the same applies to me as an actor. I always go for the unconventional roles."

Strangely, Emraan has always been working with new leading ladies. "I don't see that as a burden. I think the audience wants to see me with new heroines and yes, I did kiss my heroine in Jannat too, though this time it was more furtive than torrid. If the director feels the kiss has to be shown, I won't object to a kiss in future too."

Emraan's wife loved Jannat. "She's zapped by its success. Suddenly to have your spouse blossom into a star…it completes our circle of happiness. The prolonged period of failure has been good for me. It made me realize I wasn't invincible. If people don't earn money out of you in the entertainment industry they don't want you. As simple as that."

Says Emraan, "We were warned not to release Jannat with the IPL. Biggies like Tashan and Paachvi Paas on TV had failed. I was very confident about Jannat. We got a phenomenal opening. The collections have only been going up. Eventually, a film stands on its own, and the promos helped. The past one year was really tough on me. If Jannat didn't work I'd been really frustrating. I was bitter and angry. So Jannat was a do or die project for me. If it failed I had told myself nothing else will work."

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