Kareena and I hardly meet at all

Kareena and I hardly meet at all
Monday, September 18, 2006 18:39 IST
By Subhash K Jha, Santa Banta News Network
/> For those members of illustrious Bollywood families who don't have time for each other in Mumbai, London could be a viable alternative.

A few years ago Asia's Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar was on her annual holiday in London when.... guess whom she bumped into?

"It was my sister Asha. I was out shopping when I met her." Recalls Lataji.

....Cut to Sammir Dattani. Strolling on Oxford Street earlier this week he bumped into producer J. Murli Manohar. The Provoked producer liked what he saw and immediately offered Sammir the lead in his next project.

Has London become the hotbed of Bollywood activities?

Recently Amrita Arora flew down to London to spend time with her buddy Kareena Kapoor who was in that part of the world for her concerts.

"It was a good way to meet up. Here in Mumbai we hardly get time to meet at all. Bebo is busy with her films. I'm busy with mine. Yeah, London is a great spot to be in," says Amrita whose boyfriend is London-based.

Flying down to London is a hop and skip away. No wonder so many film units find it convenient to be there. Recently Akshay Kumar shot for two films –Vipul Shah's Namaste London and Priyadarshan's Bhaagam-Bhag simultaneously in London.

"It's a great spot to work and play," chuckles Madhavan who shot producer J. Murli Manohar's Ramji Londonwale in London and also returned to England recently to lose weight.

London-based produced J. Murli Manohar of Provoked thinks England is where a lot of Bollywood action is going to be in coming months.

"It's convenient because you get the entire unit together without distractions. Currently I'm shooting Sajni in Kent, the first Kannada film to be shot in England. It introduces my niece Sharmila with Kannada's hottest pinup boy Dhyaan. We're sparing no expenses to make sure the Kannadna film will be on a par with any Hindi film."

The Provoked producer intends to invite many top Bollywood stars and filmmakers for films to be shot in and around London.

On the eve of the release of his latest film Naqsha Sunny Deol, who had once launched an ill-fated London-based film with Gurinder Chaddha named London, quietly flew to his favourite vacationing spot.

"Mumbai kills me, London chills me," Sunny says with his new-found way with words. "In Mumbai there's no space to slacken the working pace. I make sure I come to London as often as I can, though not often enough!"

This time Sunny has more reason to feel relaxed. His kid-brother Bobby is also in London. "Bobby is here. But he's working for Shaad Ali's Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom. I'm holidaying," jokes Sunny. "We're staying in different hotels. But we of course meet up. I think this is the first time we're in a foreign city for different purposes," laughs Sunny.

It seems almost the entire film industry-- well almost!—is in London shooting for various films. The units of Shaad Ali's Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom and Balakrishnan's Cheeni Kam are all stacked up at the St James Court at Buckingham turning the posh hotel into a miniature Bollywood.

Says Abhishek, "Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom is turning into a party. Shaad, Preity, Bobby, Lara and I are having a ball. Karan (Johar) was also here recently."

Says Karan, "I love London. We shot K3G here and I'm very sentimental about the city. Nowadays you can't step out on the street in London without bumping into a film unit from Mumbai."
Small shift- Big thrill- Special Ops 2 will now premiere on this date!

The wait just got a little longer, but the stakes are higher than ever. Special Ops Season 2 will now

Wednesday, July 09, 2025
Saiyaara Trailer: Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda Shine in Mohit Suri's Soulful Romantic Drama!

The official trailer of ‘Saiyaara’, a heart-wrenching romantic musical directed by Mohit Suri, has finally

Tuesday, July 08, 2025
Ranveer Singh Unleashes Fiery Avatar in First Look of 'Dhurandhar' - A High-Octane Spy Thriller!

On his 40th birthday, Bollywood powerhouse Ranveer Singh gave fans a thrilling gift — the first official look

Monday, July 07, 2025
Maalik Trailer: Rajkummar Rao's Grittiest Avatar Yet in a High-Octane Action Drama!

Tips Films and Northern Lights Films have officially unveiled the powerful trailer of Maalik, an explosive

Tuesday, July 01, 2025
Sarzameen First Look: Kajol, Prithviraj And Ibrahim Ali Khan Shine in Kayoze Irani's Patriotic Drama!

JioHotstar has unveiled the first look of its much-anticipated patriotic drama ‘Sarzameen’, and it’s already

Monday, June 30, 2025