Sara Khan who will be seen in comedy films Aman Ki Asha and Maaya, Vanilla and Strawberries, says while she enjoys the genre, she would like to play a serious role as well. “Comedy is an interesting genre. I have finished two comedy films. I enjoyed it. But I want to take up something very challenging and play a very serious character,” said she.

Aman Ki Asha has been directed by Neeraj Pandey and stars Ali Zafar and Yami Gautam. Sara Khan said that she plays Yami’s sister in the film. “I was in Singapore and someone called me saying that that I am apt (for playing) Yami’s sister. I told them that I don’t play character artists. But they said I could call it a parallel lead. I found the character very interesting. It is a Neeraj Pandey story and I said that I would try it,” she said.

The film has been shot in London, which is the actor’s hometown. This made it more enjoyable for her. “I was brought up in London and the entire shoot was in London. We were there for a month. I loved the experience. We finished our schedule in 22 days. We faced a lot of challenges. But it was a very good experience,” she said.

She will also be seen in Maaya, Vanilla and Strawberries, which stars Fukrey actor Ali Fazal and has been directed by Ravi Rai.

Talking about the kind of roles she would want to play in her future films, Khan said she is looking for performance-oriented characters. “In movies, I would like to go for something like Devdas or Dor. That is something challenging. Everyone does glamorous roles. It is tough to get something which is completely acting-oriented. Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Shabana Azmi used to play these roles so beautifully,” she said.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali admits that his life may be ‘unfulfilled’, but it isn’t ‘unhappy’. “All the pain, suffering, love, passion and conflict have made me what I am. I make passionate love stories because I don’t have love in my life. My art completes my life. My life may be unfulfilled. But it isn’t unhappy,” said Bhansali who turned 50 this year.

The maker of hits like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas doesn’t miss anything in life and adds that he has chosen the life he leads. “I am basically a nomadic loner,” said the filmmaker and adds, “Salman Khan is one person I’d always consider very close to my heart.”

Excerpts:

Earlier you were apprehensive about apportioning responsibility in your production house?

I am more adventurous now. I am more fearless as an artiste. I want directors from the outside to bring in their aesthetics into my production house. For example, Prabhudheva made Rowdy Rathore and my sister Bela made Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi for me, which I couldn’t have directed and which I am very proud of. I directed an opera in Paris in 2008. Now I want to do more of the things that I can do if I have a team around me. Today, I am working far harder than I did five years ago. I put in nearly 20 hours every day. And I am enjoying every bit of it.

With Rowdy Rathore you have set a trend for cheesy C-grade titles like Revolver Rani and Bullet Raja and Rajkumar Rambo?

I’ve grown in Bhuleshwar (in Mumbai). I’d pass through the red-light area every day looking at those theatres with those eccentric names. I’ve grown up with the rowdies and the rajas all around me. I loved those movies of the early 1970s near Alfred Talkies. The humour in my life, even in my own family was filmy. It’s a wonderful thing to go back to these titles. I am very proud of Rowdy Rathore. The day I titled it Rowdy Rathore was the day the film’s fate changed. I love the sound of it. And I am glad other directors have started using these massy titles. Nothing cheesy about it. People erupt with ecstasy at such titles.

Do you miss having that someone special in your life?

No, I have chosen the life I lead. There were relationships that didn’t work out. I am basically a nomadic loner. And I am not capable of moving ahead with the baggage of a relationship. I’ve seen relationships traumatize people. As a child, I’d helplessly watch relationships crumble around me. Every individual is a sum-total of his past experiences. Maybe that’s why I am wary of relationships.

If you had to change anything in life what would it be?

Nothing. Nothing at all. All the pain, suffering, love passion and conflict have made me what I am. I make passionate love stories because I don’t have love in my life. My art completes my life. My life may be unfulfilled. But it isn’t unhappy.

Is it possible to make good friends in the film industry?

I think so. But as a filmmaker I often find actors feel betrayed when you don’t cast them repeatedly and the friendship ends. That is very limiting and hurtful for any filmmaker. Also, there’s a tendency among some actors to make fun of the people they call their friends. But then cruelty is part of all human beings. But yes, people in the industry do stand by one another. As long as it’s not work-based.

Are Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukerji your friends?

They are very dear to me. So are Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. And Salman Khan is one person I’d always consider very close to my heart. But to me friendship doesn’t mean sitting with people every day.

Madhuri Dixit-Nene is all set for a flamenco performance in the Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6 promo. The actor shared this pic on her Facebook and said, “wearing this RED flamenco style outfit design by Gavin Miguel in jhalak 6 promo”. Although she is looking a bit on the fatter side, we are looking forward to seeing her move on the Jhalak stage! And of course, Mads’ act is likely to be compared to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan‘s recent flamenco jig at the Miss India 2013 pageant. Reminds us of Devdas, where the two actors danced to Dola re in one frame. | ALSO SEE: Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan pose together at TOIFA!

Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the same frame? It’s rare to see that, especially after their tiff eons ago. But in a backstage pic we found at the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) held last weekend, the romantic pair of Devdas share frame space, albeit with their respective spouses! So there’s Abhishek Bachchan and Gauri Khan, and also director Karan Johar and designers Manish Malhotra and Shabina Khan. Quite an exclusive photo op wethinks! | Photo: UTV Stars | ALSO READ: Salman Khan meets navy pilots at INS Hansa

Christian Louboutin – known for using his funky mind when it comes to creating shoes – knows Hindi films like he does the back of his hand….well, almost. It seems that when he was younger the style guru was so mesmerised by the performances of veteran actors like Hema Malini and Dilip Kumar that he would talk about them non-stop in school – to the point that his friends avoided him. Louboutin isn’t just into hardcore Bollywood, but also cinema that has created an impact globally – hence Devi by Satyajit Ray, a Bengali film that remains his all time favourite. And CL is also a ‘Mother India’ admirer. He thinks the film is an absolute classic and for calls it ‘the Indian Gone With The Wind’.

And he adores Bollywood ke log as well. Malaika Arora Khan would be delighted to know that the designer thinks she looks like Goddess Parvati! There’s an enthusiastic Bollywood fan that resides in the designer, and that’s only because he has never liked anything that’s plain and run-of-the-mill. He has always preferred  characters that are larger than life, décor that’s extravagant and shoes that…well….you’ve seen his designs, right? That pretty much explains it all – why Mr L has a huge thing for B’town’s glitzy filmy world.

The fanboy confesses shocking Sridevi on one occasion, when he took her in his arms while the two were being photographed together. But the designer is not in the least bit apologetic – he is star struck and takes immense pride in that!

For his latest movie, Ramleela, Sanjay Leela Bhansali cast the leggy Deepika Padukone after a long while of deliberation. Now we won’t go back and talk about the tedious what-worked-and-what-didn’t episode of that casting process because, c’mon, we’ve talked enough, haven’t we?

But once the casting was done and Dippy made it onboard we guessed that SLB was at peace, finally. But now, having heard what we heard, we’re doubtful. Is Bhansali really happy with Dips? Well, she’s a good performer, has got great legs, shares a remarkable chemistry with co-star Ranveer Singh and has no qualms getting wildly intimate with the hero in front of the camera. Could SLB have asked for more? No, we say.

But a tiny part of Bhansali’s heart may answer with a meek ‘yes’. Maybe – and this is just a wild guess, okay – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan would have made a perfect Leela if it weren’t for the tangled web of motherhood that got her. And why not? After all, some of her best performances – Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Guzaarish – have to be credited to the SLB banner.

And so when we heard the buzz about Bhansali addressing Deepika as ‘Ash’ time and again – “Nice shot, Ash” or “Ash, let’s do the next scene like this” – during the filming of Ramleela, we couldn’t help worrying a li’l.

Of course, we could think that ‘Ash’ is sooo close to Bhansali’s heart and leave it at that. But a niggling doubt surfaces – could SLB be constantly comparing Deepika to Aishwarya here? And is Dippy in some way failing at her given task? The possibility can’t be ruled out. And it makes our heart go out to the leggy lady.

While DP – like a benevolent soul – refuses to take much notice of or comment on all this, we can’t help but ask aloud: Is Sanjay Leela Bhansali being fair to Deepika Padukone?

Tell us what you think about it, BollywoodLifers.

Saraswatichandra became the talk of the town from the moment that the meticulous filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali announced his big plans to make a television show that combined sensibilities of Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The two-week old show has garnered attention for its unique launch, interesting star cast and larger than life sets, but does it really pull in the audiences? Not so much, apparently! In the cut-throat game of TRPs, Saraswatichandra has managed to get a rating of 2.1. The serial has not managed to overthrow its competition, in spite of all that publicity and buzz around it. Unfortunately, the show –which we can now confidently say is indeed a takeoff from SLB’s Hum Dil… and Devdas, has nothing new to offer. While the chemistry between Jennifer Winget (Kumud) and Gautam Rode (Saraswatichandra) is sizzling, it’s still not converting into big numbers.

Daily soaps like Diya Aur Baati Hum (5.9 rating), Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (4.4) and Balika Vadhu (4.2) are still ruling the television roost by a huge margin. However, Saraswatichandra has managed to beat Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar’s serial Bade Acche Lagte Hain (1.9), which is a big step, especially considering how popular the portly Mr Kapoor and his biwi are!

Giving the makers the benefit of the doubt because it’s still a new show, we think the numbers could go up as soon as the romantic track between Saraswatichandra and Kumud starts moving along – right now it is all projected, slated for another day, coming soon. We hope the creative heads put their thinking caps on very soon to inject more spice into the soap. Or else Bhansali’s dream to run the show for seven or more years is going to remain just a dream, no?

In spite of the low rating of the show so far, the numbers somehow are still in favour of Star Plus (265) – the channel has received the highest ratings compared to other channels, thanks to weekend shows like Nach Baliye (2.2 – 3.6) , Arjun (1.4) and other Saturday-Sunday soaps. Zee TV (226) managed to bag second place followed by Colors (220), and Sony (170). Let’s see how the game changes next week!

After rumours that Vishal Bhardwaj’s Dedh Ishqiya starring Madhuri Dixit Nene-Naseruddin Shah-Arshad Warsi-Huma Qureshi will go on floors only next year in January, the air was cleared by Madhuri’s tweet which said, “Cheers guys. Totally excited. Am prepping for Dedh Ishqiya shoot. Looking forward to working with everyone on the team!”

Post that, Mads went on to tweet about the “phenomenal” and “dramatic” scenes that she was shooting for on the sets of this movie. But recently, the actor shared a news that made us squeal with delight. “So looking forward to work with Pt.Birju Maharajji again! Working on the song today. Super excited!,” she posted on her microblogging site. W-O-W!

Now if we remember right, Pandit Birju Maharaj had choreographed Madhuri and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s song Dola re dola from Devdas. And it turned out to be one magical sequence. Agreed?

So this news too makes us expect a dance sequence akin to the previous one. Yes, the bar has been placed very high. And will the Madhuri Dixit-Pt Birju Maharaj partnership be able to enthrall us once more? Time to wait and watch out for this number from Dedh Ishqiya, peeps!

For all Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan fans who really loved their favourite actors’ impeccable chemistry in Josh, Devdas and Mohabbatein, here’s some really big news! According to the industry’s latest grapevine, Farah Khan has approached Aishwarya to star opposite Baadshah Khan in her flick Happy New Year. And our khabroo says that the proud mother of Aaradhya Bachchan might accept the offer. Yay!!!

Remember SRK and Ash had a fall out during Chalte Chalte and Rani Mukerji had later replaced the former Miss World. Of course, over the years the two actors would have sorted out their differences. A source close to Farah’s camp believes that the chances of Ash doing the film are high considering that her dearest hubby Abhishek Bachchan also stars in it. So she’ll get to spend some valuable time with her pati on the sets.

Farah has already signed Shahrukh, Abhishek and Boman Irani for the film which is basically about a group of friends. We hear that South sensation Prithviraj will also be a part of the movie.

Last heard, Farah was also considering Katrina Kaif to play SRK’s love interest. So, does that mean Ash beats Kat to bag a plum role in the film? Do you think Shahrukh and Aishwarya will come together for Farah’s film? We’re keeping our fingers crossed.

Saraswatichandra - Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first TV show was launched on February 25, replacing Mujhse Kuchh Kehti…Yeh Khamoshiyaan in the 7:30 pm time slot on Star Plus. It stars Jennifer Winget, Gautam Rode, Monica Bedi and others. About the serial the producer-director SLB says, “I just have one wish that we make a good serial, the actors do a good job and it runs for 2,000 episodes…and may it become the biggest and most memorable serial!”

We are sure the soap opera will have great production values, the actors will do a decent job too and it will indeed go a long way. But will Saraswatichandra run for seven years, which is how long it would take to last as long as Bhansali wants – now that is a debatable topic, don’t you think?

Imagine watching a show that is essentially a blend of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas for seven long years! Frankly, we can’t even picture it in our heads…in a manner of speaking, that is. Then again, if Ekta Kapoor’s Kyunki… Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi can beam into living rooms for eight years, why can’t Saraswatichandra last at least that long, no?

We shudder to think about the fate of the show seven years from now. For all you know, just two years down the line, SLB may find inspirational dope pouring in from his films Guzaarish and Black to support the oh-so-long storyline of the tele-serial. Wait and watch…