Saif Ali Khan not refused visa, say festival organisers
Organisers of the ongoing Sixth Kara Film Festival Tuesday denied suggestions that Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan was denied visa by the Pakistan government.
Khan was not coming because of the clash with his shooting schedule, a spokesman of the festival was quoted as saying, rejecting the "notion" that the visa had been denied to him.
Khan, along with many of the artists of "Omkara", were expected to be present at next Saturday's screening of the film that is based on Shakespeare's "Othello."
Media reports here did not mention why Khan's non-arrival had been attributed to denial of visa, a frequent occurrence in India and Pakistan when non-official visits are exchanged.
This would have been Saif's second visit to Pakistan, the first one being a charitable event last year for which he had accompanied Malaika Arora and Sushmita Sen.
The arrival of Ajay Devgun and other star cast would be known only 48 hours before the special screening, the organizers said.
Vishal Bhardwaj, the director of Omkara, is expected to make an appearance along with the stars.
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who is the festival's ambassador and a regular, his brother Mukesh and some other Bollywood film personalities have attended the festival that has had many Indian films screened this year.
source:nowrunning
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Saif Ali Khan not refused visa, say festival organisers
Chandrabau Naidu who made a personal appearance at the US embassy in Chennai has been granted visa to visit the US. Babu spent about five minutes at the embassy. He has been given a visa for 10 years. His visa has expired and he applied for a fresh visa. Babu is visiting the US for about 10 days. He will leave Hyderabad on June 26. He is expected to take part in the TANA conference during his visit.
2006/11/26 2:26:51 Expressing concern over the increasing influence of Bollywood in India's most prestigious film festival, the ongoing IFFI at Goa, a top South Indian filmstar on Saturday said the organisers failed to acknowledge regional films.
"There is Bollywood invasion in the film festival. The organisers have not acknowledged Malayalam cinema and the vibrant film industry in Kerala," well known actor Mammootty told reporters here.
Just like in the Cannes and Berlin film festivals, where there is invasion of Hollywood films, in IFFI, a lot of prominence is given to the Hindi films, he alleged.
Termed as India's Cannes, the 10-day festival which began on November 23, had failed to send invitations to Amitabh Bachchan for the inaugural and closing ceremonies, Mammootty said.
Asked if he had been invited for the festival, Mammootty ducked the question with a smile.
The actor, was in Kochi to attend a press meet, when his opinion was sought on the film festival.
Saif Ali Khan performed with Parikarama in Mumbai on Sunday at the Andheri Sports Complex. The star who is known for his love for the guitar and rock band ACDC performed to a packed gallery.
The performance was opened by the Pakistani band Strings.
This is not the first time that the actor has performed with Parikrama. The first time he did so was in 2006. This time though the organisers took the Saif-Parikrama combination forward by taking the tour to four major cities of the country.
The first performance was on January 18 in Bangalore and Kolkata will see Saif rock Nicco Park on January 25. This performance will be followed by the rock concert at the NSIC Grounds, Okhla in New Dellhi on January 27.
Eariler in the day, Saif rehearsed at the Andheri Sports complex and was accompanied by his son Ibrahim.
But its not just the voice and passion that Saif possesses, he's got all the accesoories to match it. He now sports a tattoo on his left arm, which has Kareena's name in devnagari. Love makes you do crazy things!
Though he already doesn’t have a bad physique, actor Saif Ali Khan wants to better it further.
Saif seems to be reinventing himself after his split with Rosa. The actor, back into his bachelor days, has also quit smoking after the chest pain that got him admitted to hospital for a week.
Now, Saif says he wants to concentrate on his acting career. He also wants to rediscover his onscreen image.
The actor has said in an interview that he wants to “look like a sexy moviestar”.
Although we believe he already does, but Saif is planning to devote more time to workout. He wants to build his body further.
However, Saif says he is not competing with any other actor in this respect. He is bodybuilding for his own sake.
Ever since Saif Ali Khan broke up with girlfriend Rozza Katalano he has been seen in the company of PYTs. Close friends of the actor tell us that he is single and ready to mingle. Last month, at Karan Johar's birthday bash he was seen flirting with a socialite, after which she and the actor left the party early. (He announced, to anyone who would listen, that he was dropping her home.)
Also, if sources are to be a believed, Saif's bonding with Yana Gupta didn't go down well with her now former boyfriend Aftab Shivdasani.
Reportedly, Yana and Saif met each other at an awards ceremony in Malaysia early this year. Yana pulled out of her act after differences with the organisers over the length of her performance. A true gentleman, Saif volunteered to sort out the matter at that time. However, a stubborn Yana left the venue and headed to Kuala Lumpur on the D-day.
She later met Saif at a private party in the city. They got talking about their common interests. When Aftab got a whiff of this brewing friendship, he asked Yana to be more careful as a section of the industry was already badmouthing them. Eventually, Aftab and Yana started having fights and this is when they decided to part ways.
Saif and Bebo's affair has admittedly brought out a new person in the Chote Nawab
We don’t know whether Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s love story will have a happy ending but, from what we hear, Saif has taken up drinking again though occasionally.
For all those late comers, Saif had called it quits to smoking and drinking after he was admitted to Lilavati hospital. We hope that with teetotaller Kareena for company Saif has become a safe drinker!
2006/11/8 10:19:31 Bollywood megastar, Amitabh Bachchan, has been ignored yet again by the organisers of India's most prestigious film extravaganza 'International Film Festival of India 2006' at Goa, who have not invited him to attend either the inaugural or closing ceremonies.
"As far as the invitations go, it is the Central Government which decides who has to be invited or not, General Manager of Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG)," Nikhil Desai, told a press meet here.
"There are thousands of accomplished actors, why single out a person," he said, adding that the festival was open to all and anyone could attend it. The organisers' endeavour is to ensure maximum participation of the industry, he said.
While yesteryear actor, Shashi Kapoor, will be inaugurating the festival on November 23, the closing ceremony honours would be done by director, Aparna Sen.
The unveiling of the IFFI Goa 2006 poster and launch of the official IFFI website - www.iffigoa.org - was held here today.
A gala film extravaganza will mark the opening ceremony with performances by Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Prabhu Deva and Ritesh Deshmukh, Desai said.
This year the festival will feature a special retrospective of Prithviraj Kapoor's films. A special screening of Richard Attenborough's 'Gandhi' will be held to mark the centenary of the Satyagraha movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi, he said.
A retrospective of renowned Director late G Aravindan featuring 'Kanchana seetha,' 'Thampu,' 'Chidambaaram,' 'Esthappan', among others, would also be held.
Former chief minister and TDP chief Chandra Babu Naidu will wait for his turn like ordinary mortals for a visa at the US embassy in Chennai. Chandra Babu’s visa has expired and he needs a fresh visa to go to the US in the last week of June. Chandra Babu Naidu was exempted from physical appearance at the US Embassy all theses years in his capacity as the Chief Minister.
The US embassy normally waives the rule of personal appearance for certain categories of people like chief ministers. It would be a new experience for Babu, who is attending an interview for visa. Babu has rubbed shoulders with non other than the then US president Bill Clinton when he came to Hyderabad. Babu as the chief minister had issued recommendation letters to the US Embassy requesting visas for many people including party legislators. He even saw to it that his personal staff was not required to go to Chennai for a visa while he was in power.
However, it is learnt that Chandra Babu did not seek an exemption to make a personal appearance at the embassy for the visa. If he had sought permission, he would surely have been granted the privilege.
Actor Saif Ali Khan has been sporting a paunch for a while now. In fact, ever since he was beset with health problems, the actor has been carrying the paunch. It seemed to have become an intrinsic part of him, almost like his flamboyant style. But it seems that the actor is now bent on doing something about that paunch.
The actor has hit the gym with a vengeance and is working out everyday. On the days that he has a shoot, Saif ensures that he manages to squeeze in an hour at least for cardio exercises.
With his close friends, the other two Khans, Salman and Shah Rukh having hit the gym with a vengeance, it is only natural to expect that Saif will do the same. Of course, it may also have something to do with a certain Bipasha Basu.
It is believed that Saif now frequents the same gym as hers in Bandra. A while ago, they had also been spotted working out together. So we wonder if this new-found zest for exercise is only motivated by the sight of his paunch or is it something else. Whatever be the reason, Saif will soon be rid of the paunch and will be back to sporting the lean mean look.
Post his break up from ex-girlfriend Rosa, Saif Ali Khan has been experiencing the quietude of being single again.
Saif made no bones about admitting in an interview recently that he sometimes feels lonely and longs for a partner again in his life. However, the actor also said that he is enjoying his single status and he plans to stay so for some time.
To help Saif do something creative during his reflective days, Salman Khan , who is a friend to him, has been encouraging Saif to take up painting and sketching.
Salman has given Saif some basic tips about sketching (form, proportion and perspective etc.). Saif has shown interest in the art and is pretty impressed by Salman’s skills.
Inspired by Sallu, Saif has made one or two sketches so far. Saif now looks forward to hone his skills with pencil and paintbrush further in the coming months.
By the way, Saif already has a very good sense for music. He is quite a deft guitar player.
As for Bollywood, Saif is ready to immerse himself in work. He will soon begin shooting for Abbas Mastan movie Race . Saif has also given his nod to director Kunal Kohli’s next movie and a Yashraj production that will star Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor .
For the time being, Saif is looking forward to the release of his movie Tara Rum Pum on April 27.
2011/11/29 16:36:30 Panaji, Nov 29 (IANS) A film documentary by late painter M.F. Husain will finally be screened at the ongoing 42nd International Film Festival of India despite right wing protests, said organisers Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, festival director Shankar Mohan said Husain's documentary "Through the eyes of a painter" would "definitely be screened" Wednesday, but a slot had not been finalised yet.
"We are looking for a slot. It will definitely be screened," Mohan said.
Mohan had said Saturday that the screening of the documentary, which is part of a homage by the film fraternity to the artist who died this year, had been 'deferred' after protests from right wing organisation Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), which had claimed that screening of the documentary would amount to contempt of court as a case regarding the screening of the film was 'sub judice'.
Rajshree Gadekar, chief of the women's wing of HJS said the 1967 film shot by Husain and produced by the Films Division of India (FDI) should not be screened at the festival because the painter had insulted India.
Mohan said the IFFI organisers had sought advice "in our own way and arrived at clarity on the matter".
The fake visa scam and the issue of actress Asha Saini being arrested for trying to smuggling out a girl by claiming her to be her make up artist has sent shockwaves in Tollywood. Many top producers and director are also said to be involved in this. Mallikarjuna Rao said to the media that some time back a delegation of about 20 artists went to the US to take part in TANA conference.
AVS tried to include his brother in the delegation as an astrologer. The US consulate did not issue a visa to him stating that the services of an astrologer were not needed in a cultural team. AVS now wants to know what this has to do with the visa scam.
With his first film as a producer, Love Aaj Kal, Saif Ali Khan introduced Giselli Monteiro to Bollywood. However she wasn't revealed until the movie released. Saif is all set to repeat this technique in his next venture Cocktail.
Our source said, "Cocktail is directed by Homi Adjania and apart from Deepika, there is another actress in the film.
While there were rumours that Kareena would be playing the part, the fact is that there is a new actress from London, who will be making her debut in the film. Saif wants to keep the actress under wraps until the film releases."
Confirming the news Saif said, "Yes it is true. But we are only 70% done with Cocktail and after that we have Agent Vinod. Right now, I am concentrating on Aarakshan. We will speak about it when the film is ready.
Saif Ali Khan is already laughing his way to the bank. The actor, who is known for playing cards neatly, has earned himself a handsome amount even before the Diwali night. With the festival season on, Saif has been indulging in card games with friends and relatives. Saif, who rarely loses to his opponents, made Rs 40,000 on Sunday night. A source close to the actor informs, “On Sunday evening, Saif won Rs 40, 000. We are quite intimidated by his winning streak this season.”
Close friends indicate that Saif usually settles for a game of flash and rummy. He hardly loses any money on a table. A source close to Saif informs that Saif indeed was lucky that day. “Actually, he rarely loses when he plays cards. That day he won a good amount, but then he is mostly on the winning side.”
Saif, who is a master card player doesn't confine himself to any particular group. He freely mingles between filmy and socialite circles. “He likes to play cards, but he has no select group. He socialises with everybody when he is in a good mood. He has these phases. Like few days he will go out and meet everybody, but on the remaining days of every month he will keep to himself and shut off from the world,” explains our source.
Saif has passed on his penchant for cards to his daughter Sara too. The story goes that as a child Sara would often play cards. Later Saif coached her and now she is well-versed in the rules of the game.
The source adds, “Being lucky with cards runs in Saif's family. His daughter Sara is very lucky too. She plays for fun with her cousins and she rarely loses.”
Saif Ali Khan to produce ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ sequel!
2011/4/30 2:52:50
Remember the 90s super hit film ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ starring the fab jodi of flamboyant actor Saif Ali Khan and tough guy Akshay Kumar? Buzz has it that Saif is planning a sequel to the Box Office money spinner after seventeen years it first saw the light of the day.
Apparently, Saif will be reuniting with Akshay Kumar for Illuminati Films, his own production house.
Talking to a daily about the sequel, a jubilant Saif said, “You know the funny part is that I wanted to make a sequel to ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ with Akshay when it had released but people asked me not to be silly since sequels don’t work in India. I however, kept saying that they do. Sequels work all the time in America. Making a sequel to the film is a pretty good idea and I might do it now.”
Although Saif has many films in his kitty, ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ sequel is definitely on the cards.
After wrapping off with ‘Agent Vinod’, Saif will be busy with numerous projects under Illuminati Films.
Well, one thing is for sure that Saif and Akshay fans would love to see the ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ sequel!
The hospitalization of Saif Ali Khan has shaken the film industry. Saif who is just 36 has been hospitalized with complaint of chest pain. He is however now out of danger.
Saif’s mother Sharmila Tagore says that Saif’s busy lifestyle and heavy smoking are the main culprits for his present condition. Sharmila and Soha are beside him at the hospital. There were a string of visitors yesterday. Among them were Saif’s current girlfriend Rosa and his former wife Amrita Singh.
Amrita came to the hospital along with her kids. She later said that she was naturally concerned about his health and was praying for his speedy recovery.
Saif Ali Khan spent a quality time with Kareena at the set of SRK’s home production film Billoo Barber. He was the regular visitor on the set and made himself quite helpful on the sets.
He occationally monitored the screen, checked their shots and chatted with the cast.
When one of the assistant directors came up with a humorous suggestion that as Saif was coming to the sets everyday he is not having date problem. That he be also included in the film as his dates are readily available. This made everybody laugh over it.
Lol Saif! The hunk has finally found a way to say ’Love ke liye saala kuchh bhi karega’!
After his rather amicable parting from Italian girlfriend Rosa, actor Saif Ali Khan is going through the joys and pangs of being single again.
Living alone in his Andheri residence, Saif says he is missing the presence of love in his life. But at the same time he is relishing the quietude of being single again. The actor believes there are many things that a man can appreciate while being single.
“I think I miss being in love…At times it's very, very quiet in the house. Sometimes I feel sad about the silence. But I also feel something creative will emerge from this quietude,” Saif is quoted as saying by a Mumbai-based tabloid.
Saif said he hopes to fall in love again, but he is in no hurry.
“I guess I'm a romantic at heart. My life even in this state of supremely peaceful solitude is a preparation to share my life with someone,” Saif is quoted as saying.
In one such preparation for his future life, Saif is putting up his new residence in Bandra. But the new house will not be a bachelor’s pad. It has been designed in a female-friendly way, keeping in mind the possibility that Saif will find a companion when he feels like falling in love again.
For the time being, the actor is looking forward to the release of his forthcoming film Tara Rum Pum which is slated to hit the theatres on April 27.
2008/3/14 12:58:37 The issue of fake visa and the smuggling of people, in the name of artists and technicians has taken a big twist. The US consulate officials state that there are some very big names in the list of 200 people who have been banned from entering into the US forever.
A bit producer, a leading hero and also a leading comedian are said to be in the list that is in the possession of the investigating agencies in Chennai. The gossip in film nagar is now about the identity of these three people. Many names are coming out but no one is yet to come out on record. Till then, the suspense over the names of the big fish involved in the fake visa racket will remain under wraps.
2008/3/14 8:11:11 The issue of fake visa and the smuggling of people, in the name of artists and technicians has taken a big twist. The US consulate officials state that there are some very big names in the list of 200 people who have been banned from entering into the US forever.
A big producer, a leading hero and also a leading comedian are said to be in the list that is in the possession of the investigating agencies in Chennai. The gossip in film nagar is now about the identity of these three people. Many names are coming out but no one is yet to come out on record. Till then, the suspense over the names of the big fish involved in the fake visa racket will remain under wraps.
