CELEB SPEAK: AMAR SINGH
Amar Singh finally comes out of his shell and talks all about his fascination for the world of glamour and glitter.
{Amitabh Wallpapers}

He's said to be one of the most powerful men in the country right now. But that's not his only definition. Amar Singh is as proficient with politics as he is with his mega-business ventures. With a self-professed passion for movies, the man sure has varied interests as well. His best friends happen to be the likes of Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Ambani. Well, that itself is an indication of his tremendous magnetism beyond all quarters. In this month's 'Celeb Speak', Amar Singh finally comes out of his shell and talks all about his fascination for the world of glamour and glitter.

"The film industry. For me, is not an alien land. But I often keep getting amazed with the kind of people I meet out here. It's a strange place and if one cannot handle oneself, one's bound to go out of control. Still, I am proud to say that one of the persons I am closest to, happens to be from within the movie business. Amitabh Bachchan.

"Amitabh Bachchan is my elder brother. We are not just close to each other, but it's as if we are one family. When you know someone like Amitji who is not just No.1 but No.1 to No.20 in Bollywood, then becoming acquainted with most of the film industry is a natural corollary. I don't know many film stars, but knowing Amitabh Bachchan alone gives the impression that I am close to everyone from this industry.

"I had a one film stand with Bollywood, when I did a guest appearance for Boney Kapoor's 'Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai' where I played myself. At that time, everyone asked me if I was serious about making a career in movies. Well, I don't have any intentions of becoming a full-time cinema artiste even though my director Satish Kaushik told me that I was a one take artiste. I have always been an avid film buff and despite my hectic political schedule, I continue to be one even today.

"Movies were a passion with me when I was a school student. I was never interested in sports, so I spent all my time watching movies. Every weekend, from Friday to Sunday, I used to see all the movies without any discrimination. Most movies, especially those of Shammi Kapoor, I saw several times. When a movie becomes a major box-office hit, it is not because of discerning filmgoers, but because of crazed fans like me. I was crazy about Shammi Kapoor and irrespective of the story, heroine or music, I saw his films many times over. Apart from Shammiji's , my three all-time favourite films are 'Sangam', 'Phool Aur Patthar' and 'Waqt'. I think these films were far superior to 'Mughal-e-Azam' or any of Amitji's films, for that matter.

Among the heroines, I loved Madhubala, Sadhana and Mumtaz and I genuinely believe that they were complete actresses. I also liked Sharmila but only for her sophisticated style.

In my early days, film stars belonged to another world. Today, thanks to my relationship with Amitji, I have met and even played host to many of them. As I grew in my public life, many of those with whom I became acquainted with through Amitji, kept in touch and consequently became good friends with me. But none of them is as close to me as Amitabh and his family.

"One person who has become quite friendly with me is Boney Kapoor. I met him during a foreign tour along with Amitji. Boney has since then kept in touch and we have become good friends. But I must say that inspite of my fondness for films and film stars, I have never chased any star. Of course, I enjoy it if I meet them and if they are attentive towards me. Today, however, politics keeps me so busy that I hardly get enough time to see films. The only films I see are those which I get invited to, because the producers are my friends. Recently, I have seen 'Refugee', 'Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hain' and 'Dhai Akshar Prem Ke'. I am eager to see 'Satya', 'Shool' and 'Schindler's List' but I just cannot seem to find the time.

"When I go to Mumbai, I stay only with Amitji. I've known him for a decade now and I find him to be a totally non-filmi person. He goes to his work as if he is a salaried professional. He is a shy, introverted person and quite unpretentious about his persona. Once, when I told him about my great admiration for Shammi Kapoor, Amitji said, "Even I happen to be one of his big fans." And the next thing I knew was that he had called up Shammiji and fixed up a meeting with him, for me. Finally, when I was face-to-face with Shammi, at his residence in South Mumbai, I found him to be a totally different person. I couldn't discover any of the streaks I expected to find. Then much later, I met him at Shweta and Nikhil's wedding. He remembered me quite fondly because of that earlier meeting.

"Amongst the younger lot of actors, I know Ajay Devgan, Govinda and Urmila. Govinda always greets me saying, "Bhaiyya pranaam karta hoon". And Ajay, though an introvert, is a very intense guy. I don't know Kajol, but I think she is the best actress among the newer lot. I am also very fond of Sonu Nigam. He is a really nice person and he sings very well. I also know Dimple and Jeetendra, but I don't know any of the Khans as yet.

"I have also loved Jayaji's acting. I think she acted very well in 'Fiza'. I cried after seeing her performance and I will appeal to Amitji to allow her to return to acting full-fledgedly. As for Abhishek, I think the comparison between him and his father is cruel. After all, it took Amitji quite a few films before he established himself, and I think Abhishek in 'Refugee' is far better than Amitabh in 'Ek Nazar'. Abhishek is a very sweet kid and he is really humble, considering his lineage. He fully realizes the responsibility of being Amitabh's and Jaya's son. You must wait and watch. Abhishek is a lambi race ka ghoda.

"I have realised how difficult acting is, after doing my guest appearance role. For a one-minute role, I had to shoot for 8-9 hours and spend another hour or two for dubbing. It's not an easy job. And once the film is released, the audience passes its judgement in three minutes, which I think is not fair.

"The audience is very difficult to please. Every film star has his ups and downs, but what is special about Amitji is that you can never write him off. He has a tremendous capacity to absorb pain and everything in his life is mega. He always bounces back from his lows. See him in 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?'. Tell me, which other actor can become the darling of the nation at this age? Amitji is a fighter and has an incredible amount of internal strenght. When 'KBC' was first telecast, Shobha De made a dig at it in her column. Recently, I met her at a party and I asked her what she had to say, now that 'KBC' had become such a huge hit across the nation. She had no reply. But her husband Dilip was gracious enough to say that when the masses accept you, the critic's evaluation ceases to be of any importance.

"Finally, I'd like to say that politics and acting are quite inter-related. Because politicians, in a way, are also actors. Though no politician has become an actor, lots of actors have taken to politics. After all, politicians are constantly facing the camera, even if it's for TV. But then, on TV, usually there are no retakes, no dialogues, no scripts and we have no idea what the anchor will ask us. The questions may come from any field, yet we have to perform and win the hearts of the masses if we have to survive. So I would say we are better actors than actors themselves!"

Hrithik Roshan denies the allegation of having made the controversial statement
Popular actor Hrithik Roshan shrugged off reports that he had made derogatory remarks against the people of Nepal, which triggered protests in Kathmandu on Sunday against the new superstar of Hindi cinema

.{Hrithik Wallpapers}

"I have never given a TV interview to any channel stating that I dislike Nepal and its people. It is a figment of imagination of some vested interests. It is really astonishing that people can stoop down to such mischievous deeds to tarnish my image," said Hrithik

In an emotional appeal to the people of Nepal, the actor said, "Please do not pay heed to such concocted reports. The fact is I love Nepal as much as I love India and have tremendous respect for the Nepalese people."

Hrithik, who married Suzanne Khan, his girlfriend of five years in Bangalore last week, is leaving for a foreign destination tomorrow night to shoot for a film produced by veteran filmmaker Mohan Kumar. Meanwhile, the Government of Nepal has insisted that Hrithik tender a public apology for his alleged derogatory remarks. IANS quoted a Nepal home ministry official as saying that if the tense situation continued for another couple of hours, they will have to impose a curfew. The government's demand for Hrithik's public apology came hours after the clashes forced Nepal's information and communication ministry to order all the cinema halls not to show any movie featuring Hrithik. Space Time Network, Nepal's only cable television channel was forced to close all the Indian channels after receiving threats from the agitating students.

Urmila signed to play the female lead in Om Jai Jagdish
Anupam Khers Om Jai Jagdish stars Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan among the main actor leads. The female leads will be played by Tabu and Urmila Matondkar. {Urmila Wallpapers} was just signed in yesterday. The movie goes on floors on January 29. Anu Malik is giving the music. The movie intends to be completed within six months. Om Jai Jagdish is produced by Vashu Bhagnani.

Kajol: Raising eyebrows!
After what seemed to be bushels of bushy eyebrows until you thought they were gonna cover her eyes too. {Kajol Wallpapers}has finally decided to have her famous eyebrows shaped for the promos of her latest film, "Kuch Khhatti Kuch Meethi". Looking smart in her bright green and yellow threads, one would've probably missed the shaped eyebrows, had it not been for the close-ups of her on the press kits.

Government says Chori Chori Chupke Chupke will not release till the probe is complete
The Maharashtra Government has decided to stall the release of Chori Chori Chupke Chupke until all the investigations into the case are complete. At a press meet at Mantralaya on Wednesday, Chaggan Bhujbal, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra said that the print 

{Salman Wallpapers}       negatives of the movie are in the possession of the government and they would not allow the movie to release till the probe is complete.

With this decision, Bharat Shah's hope of early release is ruled out.

Jugal Hansraj: Take Two
Nice guys finish last. In the cutthroat world that is the film industry, this adage is more often true than not. Another thing that is very profoundly true here is that opportunity knocks only once. In today's scenario, with a new star-kid cropping up every Friday, eager to make his or her mark, it is rare to see a guy given a second chance to prove himself. Tell Jugal Hansraj that and he disagrees. "See, I don't see myself as being relaunched in Mohabbatein. Just because a film of mine has come out after three years, it doesn't mean that I am being relaunched or something," he hotly contends.

You can't make out the pain and suffering that he has gone through in the two-and-a-half empty years before Mohabbatein's release. Ask him about that low phase of his life and he stoical-ly answers, "It happens with everybody yaar. Even Bachchansaab had to wait for so long to hit pay dirt. It is not that I did not get any offers after Papa Kehte Hain or that I did not make any studio rounds and all that. I was not wholly satisfied by the kind of offers that I was getting, so I just decided to wait and watch. And now I can say that my wait has indeed borne fruit."

The guy's enthusiasm knows no bounds. Though suffering from a bad cold and hardly in an upbeat mood because of it, Jugal's face beams as he speaks about his latest film. "I'm very happy that Mohabbatein is doing very well everywhere, especially overseas. I am so happy to be a part of this wonderful set-up, I thank God again and again that I took up this offer." So how did this offer come his way? According to industry sources, Jugal got the role just because he was a good friend of both Uday and Aditya Chopra."Yes, it is partly true," he agrees honestly. "Once all three of us were just sitting and chatting, and Aditya started telling us about the new story he had written and how Uday was going to make his debut in that film. As I was congratulating Uday, Aditya casually asked me whether I too would like to act in it as it was a story about three college friends. For a while I was too flabbergasted to answer. But then I gathered my wits together and said yes. I tell you, it is the best career decision that I have taken till now."

The smile of satisfaction on his boyish face is heartwarming to say the least, but it does nothing to hide the naivete of the statement, or of the speaker. The fact is that Mohabbatein as a film revolves around the clash between two acting Titans, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. They have the cream of the dia-logues, story and scenes, while the others are just a part of the backdrop. Again Jugal hotly contests the observation, "I don't agree. We were all given equally important parts. I agree that Shah Rukh's and Bachchansaab's roles are central to the film, but you have to agree that the film is made in such a way that all the characters get a fair amount of limelight to show-case their talents." He pauses, then continues, "I wouldn't have done the film if it was otherwise. My first reaction may have been emotional, but when I got the bound script and read my part, then I got to know what a wise decision I had taken. I am not a kid. I may look younger than my age but that doesn't mean that I'm immature. I went into the venture willingly, with open eyes. Nobody forced me to do the role," he emphatically adds. Point taken.

So what was his experience while doing the film? Being buddy-buddy with the director must certainly have helped? "Oh no, not at all. Once we were on the sets, we stopped being friends. There Aditya was the director and I was just another cast-member. There was no question of his going easy on me or on Uday for that matter. He was unbiased and a hard task-master and did not give any of us a moment's peace till he was totally satisfied by our performance."

It is understandable that Jugal is so charmed by Aditya's mastery over the narrative, but the fact remains that Aditya is, after all, Uday's brother, and a little bias towards a younger sibling is not uncommon.Again, Jugal disagrees. According to him Mohabba-tein may be Uday's debut film, but it is not Uday's launch vehi-cle ! "Mohabbatein is just a beautiful subject that Aditya has chosen to make after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. If they wanted, they could have made a big-budget film with Uday as the main lead. But since Mohabbatein required three couples, and as Uday professed a desire to act, they took him in the film. See, it is like this; Mohabbatein has three love stories. One is mine, and I play an introvert. One is of Jimmy Shergill, who plays the mature role and one is Uday's. Now Uday's character is different from mine and Jimmy's; it is a more extrovert kind of character. Uday's looks, physique, demeanour were all akin to that charac-ter. So instead of looking for talent elsewhere, they decided to use him instead. Lengthwise all our roles are the same." Yes. But isn't it also true that Uday was deliberately cast in the Salman Khan mould in Mohabbatein? The same bare torso tactic, display of rippling muscles, funny-frothy character...Uday reeked so much of Salman on screen. Finally, it backfired! The audience was not the least bit impressed. Why go for a copy when you have the origi-nal. Jugal doesn't agree,"People are saying that only because of Uday's pumped-up physique. There is no question of anything backfiring as nothing was done deliberately."

Indeed, Jugal seemed to have enjoyed working with all his co-stars,for he adds, "We had such a lot of fun during the making of the film, I'm at a loss of words to describe it. The last one-and-a-half years have been so much fun'n'games that just for that experience alone I'm glad I did the film. During the shoot-ing breaks we would all freak out, pull each other's leg, indulge in every kind of silliness. But as soon as Aditya would say "action", we would all turn dead serious. If someone executed a dance-step well, we would all gather around to congratulate him, if someone got something wrong, we would all gather around to cheer him up. It was just like college, really."

Somehow, you recollect reading these words before, like in his post Aa Gale Lag Jaa interviews, where he said the same thing about working with producer Salim, and childhood co-star Urmila Matondkar. So how come he never got a chance to work with both these people again? Jugal reveals,"I have worked with Salim again, in a film called The Don. I was paired with Sonali Bendre in the film. The hero was Mithun and we provided the romantic angle. As for Urmila, well, she will always remain a special person for me. She was my first co-star both as a child and as an adult. It is not that she has become a high and mighty actress now and so won't work with me or something like that. It is just that somehow or the other we haven't been able to work again. Destiny, perhaps?"

In fact, Jugal even gives destiny the credit for giving him a chance to work with Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in Mohab-batein. In the film Shah Rukh plays a music teacher, while Ami-tabh Bachchan plays a college principal. In real life too, a budding actor can learn a lot from both these masters. Did Jugal pick up some pointers from both these greats? "Definitely," Jugal enthusiastically begins. "Shah Rukh was great fun to work with. Whenever we made a mistake, he would come over and explain to us the correct way of doing things. I also liked the way he did his scenes. He would just give a glance over to the director's in-structions and give the shot as was required - to a T.

"Unfortunately, I did not have as much of direct shots with Mr. Bachchan as I would have liked. But still, whenever I was free, I used to go over and watch him act. He has this great quality of putting you at ease within five minutes of meeting you. You don't feel belittled in his presence. He becomes your friend and not the great Amitabh Bachchan."

In fact, Jugal is very gung-ho about every aspect of the Mohhab-tein. Tell him that the film is too long and his justification is that equal justice had to be done to all the characters. Tell him it is a rehash of Dead Poet's Society and he shoots back that people should stop making silly comparisons. Tell him it is an admixture of Betaab and Prem Rog and Bobby and he says such comparisons are inevitable.

Having invested so much of himself in the film, Jugal must now expect high returns in terms of film offers as well."Oh yes," his eyes light up."I have been getting offers. A lot of people have come up to me and said that they have appreciated my performance. But I'm waiting and watching, and if something good turns up, I will definitely take it on."

This lad definitely has a lot riding on Mohabbatein. Considering that he already has two young heroes as competition in this film, not to mention other superstar-sons like Abhishek, Hrithik and Fardeen. What is going to be his USP to survive in today's scenario ? "My USP is my work and nothing else," Jugal confident-ly asserts, "If people like my work, they will come to me, they won't otherwise. I know that this industry is very manipulative. People resort to all kinds of tactics to get an offer. Manipula-tion may get you the role, but it won't help you in front of the camera. Then, if you do not perform well enough, all your manipu-lation will be of no use. I think that this industry is open to 'n' number of talented people. All my young co-stars in this film are very talented. Kim, Preety, Shamita. Uday, Jimmy and I; all of us have worked very hard, given our best to this film. I would very much like that all of us should realise our potential and succeed. Likewise Hrithik, Abhishek and Fardeen are also very talented. It is just the question of your luck holding out. If I am lucky enough, then I will survive. And as far as the talent part is concerned, I know that I have the required talent."

Yes, but didn't he say things like that around the time of Papa Kehte Hain as well? A touch of seriousness comes to Jugal's face as he answers,"See, I have no regrets. I know that I have given my best to all the films that I have done till now. Perhaps, it was my misfortune that they did not do well at the box-office. But I know people liked my work and for me that is reward enough."

Yes, it may be reward enough, but working within the Mahesh Bhatt camp has its own rewards too. So does he hope to get a welcome back in the Bhatt fold now that Mohabbatein has been declared a hit? "I will be very happy working with Bhattsaab again. But I don't think it will be possible because he has given up direc-tion," is Jugal's bemused reply. Were there any difference of opinion between them earlier, because even Mukesh Bhatt hasn't signed-up Jugal for any of his films post-Papa Kehte Hain? Jugal shrugs his shoulders as he answers this question. "I really don't know. Not from my side anyway." He may be smiling as he answers the question, but even he knows that to belong to a big camp, a big banner, is a great thing in this industry. Jugal doesn't deny this. "I'm very lucky to have worked under the Yash Raj banner. Who wouldn't be? I know people would give their right arm and a leg to be in my place today. I would be very happy in fact if they repeat me, like they have repeated Shah Rukh Khan, or they used to repeat Bachchansaab earlier."

Only time will tell whether Jugal's wishes come true, whether he will get second time lucky. But certainly a little more socializ-ing could help? "See, it is a matter of give and take, of mutual profitability. If a producer or a director thinks he will profit by casting me in his next film, then he is definitely going to cast me. If he is not convinced, no amount of socialising is going to work for me." Hearing these answers, somehow you wish that Jugal should stop being so nice and charming and put on some starry airs, show some starry nakhras. But, as he himself mis-chievously says,"Why worry so much about life yaar. What is going to happen, will happen. Don't worry, be happy."