The hi line

Karan Johar will be heard speaking a one-line hello to Priyanka Chopra in Salaam-E-Ishq

For Nikhil Advani Salaam-E-Ishq has been pretty much an uphill task, from battling unsavoury stories about disgruntled co-stars to getting his former colleague Karan Johar to dub a line where director introduces himself to Priyanka Chopra who plays a Johar fan.

Nikhil earlier wanted Karan to make an Karan Joharappearance in the ensemble film. The dates just couldn't be worked out.  Finally, he had to be content with Karan's voice.

Nikhil sighs, "In spite of the hurdles it has been a dream run to the release. Some power has been looking after me. The experience has been exhausting. We shot for 131 days. Since there're six couples and six romances in Salaam-E-Ishq it was virtually like shooting six different films." 

'I'm constantly playing love guru!'

By: Sandipan Dalal
   January 16, 2007

A commitment phobic man is what Akshaye Khanna plays in an upcoming film.

So we cornered the actor to chat about relationships and he wasn't happy to disclose his dark secrets. Here, he talks about ‘single’dom, marriage and playing love guru to his buddies.

Are you in love presently?
No. I’m single and thoroughly enjoying my status.  

If love’s not happening, how about settling for arranged marriage?
Trust me, I have no plans to get married as of now!

So we can safely conclude that you’re suffering from commitment phobia?
Who told you that? Firstly, I have never been on the verge of getting married. Secondly, I don’t have a problem committing to a woman.

Have you dealt with commitment phobic men?
I’m constantly playing love guru to a couple of friends!

You almost locked horns with your Salaam-E-Ishq director over the role he offered you.
When the director approached me, he had a particular role in mind. After hearing out the entire script, I decided otherwise. I was very keen on playing this particular character of a commitment phobic man. Initially, Nikhil was reluctant but sensing my enthusiasm he gave in. After Salman (Khan), I was the second actor to sign the film so there were no problems.

Tell us about your character.
I play this regular Delhi guy who is madly in love with this girl. He gets engaged to her in a lavish ceremony. However, he suffers from indecision and out of sheer anxiety flips out a few days before the wedding day. My character is a little skewed but in a lovable way.

Can a film address particular problems vis-à-vis love?
You can’t deny the fact that the film has a strong degree of realism. The director isn't being an escapist and has explored almost all problems that couples face. Also, he has used casting as a very effective tool in the film. All my co-stars have not only done a wonderful job but they have added value to the film with their personalities.

Akshaye Khanna- Anil Kapoor Karmic Connection!

Bollywood Trade News Network

When Nikhil Advani narrated the script of SALAAM-E-ISHQ to Akshaye Khanna, he told Akshaye that for another track in the film, he would love to cast someone like Anil Kapoor, who would handle the role with maturity. Akshaye quickly called up Anil Kapoor and told him that he had to do the role for SALAAM-E-ISHQ.
 
Both Akshaye Khanna and Anil Kapoor are quite close. Says Akshaye, 'Anil is such a bundle of positive energy, Infact I look up to him for guidance. At any given time, if I have a problem, I just pick up the phone or drive down to meet him. He spells positive energy.'
 
Akshaye is eagerly looking forward to 2007. He has got quite a few films to be released which are very promising, starting with SALAAM-E-ISHQ, GANDHI- My Father in addition to two more films by Abbas Mastan.
 
Says Anil Kapoor, 'Akshaye is just an amazing talent. If Akshaye is superlative in SALAAM-E-ISHQ, then GANDHI-My Father (Anil Kapoor’s Home Production) is Akshaye's performance of a life time!”

Nikhil, Priyanka seek blessings at Ajmer Dargah

Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, January 16, 2007] 
 
Nikhil Advani, director of much awaited multi starrer ‘Salaam-e-ishq’ and leading lady Priyanka Chopra (who stars opposite Salman Khan in the film) visited Jaipur on Sunday 14th January to address the local media.

All hell broke loose when Priyanka and Nikhil arrived at Jaipur’s INOX multiplex. A frenzied crowd attempted to get a glimpse of them, as they walked into the multiplex to get on with the press confrence. Nikhil and Priyanka floored entire media with their witty and crisp answers and at the end of it people were asking for more!

After the press meet Nikhil and Priyanka went to Dargah Sharif, Ajmer, to offer their prayers. ‘Salaam-e-ishq’ is slated for release on 25th January 2007 all over. Apart from Priyanka & Salman it co-stars Anil Kapoor, Govinda, Akshaye Khanna, Sohail Khan, John Abraham, Juhi Chawla, Vidya Balan, Ayesha Takia, Isha Koppikar, Shanon Esra and Anjana Sukhani in the main lead

Nikhil's vaada to Salman

By Taran Adarsh, January 16, 2007 - 03:30 IST

At a time when most film-makers want to play safe by making short films [two hours or less than two hours duration], Nikhil Advani’s SALAAM-E-ISHQ has a running time of 3.30 hours. Whew! “I look at it this way. Had there been one or two pairs/tracks in the film, this length would’ve been unjustified then. But SALAAM-E-ISHQ has six different tracks which merge into one story. The length, therefore, is just right,” Nikhil informs me.

Please continue. “Four out of six stories meet at one place in the pre-climax. In fact, John-Vidya’s track triggers off the climax. The penultimate twenty minutes are the highpoint of my film. And I couldn’t have made the version shorter by any chance,” Nikhil enlightens.

A few days ago, Nikhil screened the rough cut of the film for his friends in the industry, directors all. “I was apprehensive that they might raise the same issue [length]. But they were unanimous that SALAAM-E-ISHQ moves at a blistering pace. Not once does the pacing get lethargic, they felt. In fact, I have decided to add a few songs and scenes to the film if it works with the audiences. The length would almost touch 4 hours then,” Nikhil says.

Nikhil had also promised actor Salman Khan that he would first screen the film to his father, veteran writer Salim Khan, before anyone else and take his invaluable opinion on the film. “Salim-saab loved SALAAM-E-ISHQ. I asked him if anything needs to be cut or trimmed and he replied instantly, ‘It’s a brilliant film. Don’t cut even one frame’. That gave me the confidence to go ahead with the length,” Nikhil states.

Nikhil also makes a valid observation as far as the length is concerned. “A bad film with a shorter duration of 1.30 hours won’t work. Conversely, a good film that holds viewers’ interest with a running time of even 4 hours might still work,” he opines. I agree!

Meanwhile, Nikhil and Priyanka Chopra [paired opposite Salman] visited Jaipur on Sunday, 14th January to address the local media. All hell broke loose when they arrived at Jaipur’s INOX multiplex. A frenzied crowd attempted to get a glimpse of them, as they walked into the multiplex.

Nikhil and Priyanka floored the media with their witty and crisp answers. Later, Nikhil and Priyanka went to Dargah Sharif, Ajmer to offer prayers.

"When we started we struggled to get recognition. But once you do a Nach Baliye you get instant recognition, you are all over the place" - Bosco

By IndiaFM News Bureau, January 16, 2007 - 11:07 IST

Two left feet? Our man has the cure to it! Bosco of the Bosco Caesar fame is undoubtedly one of the country’s finest choreographers ever. Involved with shows such as MTV Asia Awards, Filmfare Awards, The Big V Concert and movies including Bluffmaster, Kuch Naa Kaho, Family, Lakshya, Ek Ajnabee, Holiday, Dus, Mission Kashmir, Bosco is the guy the industry swears by.

Nominated as the best choreographer for hugely popular tracks including ‘Dus Bahane’ from the movie Dus, ‘Seekh Le’ from Munnabhai M.B.B.S, ‘Saaki’ from Musafir, he recently choreographed for the film Salaam-e-Ishq which is already making raves for its song-n-dance. Bosco in his candid interview with IndiaFM speaks about Salaam-e-Ishq and the song and dance routine in Bollywood, something for which Indian films are known across the world.

How does it feel to be one of the most sought after choreographers in the industry today?
It feels fantastic; speaking in regard of Salaam-E-Ishq it was a big for us. It gave us great high to be a part of such a big film. Not everybody is lucky to get this kind of an opportunity and to have a team like this feels great

How was it to work with Nikhil Advani for Salaam-E-Ishq?
Working with Nikhil was fabulous. I got this film through Rohan Sippy with whom we did Bluffmaster. Rohan put in a word for me, he told Nikhil he should try Bosco. I did not know Nikhil before this. We shared the same wavelength which made it very easy for us to connect. He is very youthful in the way he has handled the film, we shared a great work relationship on the sets, we also fought at times but eventually the end result was great”.

What is your basic approach while choreographing any track? How do you go about it? Do you set the steps beforehand or just go by the flow on the sets?
For Salaam-E-Ishq I had 3-4 hours of sessions with Nikhil, he gave me a complete narration of the film, it wasn’t something like a regular song and dance and you come out of it, we had to follow the character and how a character would perform or behave. It was 100% involvement between choreographer and director.

Does choreographing in a team (with Cesar) make things easier for you or is it difficult to co-ordinate at times?
What happens is that we revert to individual projects like Salaam-E-Ishq was handled by me. We brainstorm on a project and then move ahead. Otherwise it’s fantastic, we discuss things, it’s like a bouncing board, you have another opinion and then we individually take a call on how to rectify and make it look good.

How did it feel to make so many stars dance to your tune in Salaam-E-Ishq?
It was fantastic; after you see the song in totality it is unbelievable. Not only are you going from one story to another but also you are moving from place to place, from London to Hyderabad to Delhi. But eventually when you see the entire song it looks like one body. It took us a lot of commitment and planning to capture every story.

Choreographing such a huge star cast each with a different story – any particulars that you kept in mind?
Before going in for the shoot both me and Nikhil were very clear of what we wanted. We would sit and brainstorm and decide on what would look nice and what wouldn’t. Eventually everything worked out for the betterment of the film”.

Which is your favourite track that you choreographed in Salaam-E-Ishq?
I can’t be biased; all the tracks are rocking, all are very good and special to me, I can’t really choose one.

Who according to you was the best dancer in Salaam-E-Ishq?
According to me Salman and Priyanka rocked, they had this song called Tenu Leke which was shot in London with 80 dancers. We also performed it for the Screen Awards and it got a great response.

Who according to you is the best dancer in the industry (male/female)?
Technically speaking I think Hrithik Roshan is the best dancer, and attitude wise I guess its Salmaan and Abhishiek, these two have a different body language. Amongst actress I think it’s Aishwarya, Priyanka and Sameera Reddy – they all are fabulous.

Which choreographers from the industry have inspired you?
I have been inspired by myself. Nobody inspires me.

Which choreographers from the current lot do you think are doing good work?
I think everyone’s doing a great job, Bollywood has become such a big industry its good to see that everyone’s work is highlighted.

Has choreography in Bollywood evolved over the years?
I think choreography has evolved big time, the sound the dance – everything has evolved.

With dance based shows like Nach Baliye and Jhalak Dikhlaja on TV off late, do you think choreography and choreographers are getting more recognition?
Shows like these are a great platform for choreographers today. When we started we struggled to get recognition. But once you do a Nach Baliye you get instant recognition, you are all over the place.

What are your forthcoming films that you are choreographing?
Apart from Salaam-E-Ishq I am doing Cheeni Kum, Shakalaka Boom Boom, Partner and a couple of films which haven’t been named as yet.

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