Mallika Sherawat out of Sachiin Joshi's next

Mallika Sherwat has been shown the door by Sachiin Joshi who's all set to star in his second film directed by Ankush Bhatt.

Aazaan's leading man Sachiin Joshi has discovered that Mallika Sherawat who agreed to play the lead opposite him in the edgy Mumbai underworld thriller Mumbai Mirror, doesn't come cheap. Or easy. 

Having paid the self styled international star a whopping signing fee (approximately Rs 50 lakhs) to be part of the film, Joshi found out that Mallika had a number of reservations about the film, and that included the director. In a panic Joshi and his crew have spent a large part of the last month trying to convince the actress that the project is worthy of her august presence. But to no avail. 

The deal has fallen through. And now we hear Mallika has walked out of the project. Since the shooting in far-off exotic places was to begin in May Joshi and his crew are stuck for a leading lady. He is now looking at a last-minute replacement and asking for his money back from Sherawat. 

A source close to the project told us all the details. "She is not willing to return the money and Sachin is being advised to adjust the amount with a later project. Sachiin Joshi is a producer who can afford to buy himself the co-star he wants. He wanted Mallika in this earthy edgy take on Mumbai's underworld. He had agreed to pay her a reported Rs 2 crores for 15 days work. After getting get her to sign on the dotted line, the clothes, dates, etc. were worked out." 

That's where the fastidious Ms Sherawat stuck. 

Says the source, "Mallika had reservations about the director Ankush Bhatt. She felt he hadn't proved himself yet. Joshi felt otherwise. He offered to show Mallika the director's first film Bhendi Bazaar Inc. But she was unconvinced. Then she had reservations about her role. So far Mallika has only played urban glamorous characters. In Mumbai Mirror, she was cast as an earthy gritty woman of the street. It's a character and a world that she wasn't familiar with. Mallika wondered aloud if she would be able to pull it off." 

Sachiin Joshi tried to play down the stress level . "Yes, Mallika does have reservations regarding her role and the director. She wasn't sure if Ankush would be able to deliver. I showed her Ankush's first film Bhendi Bazaar Inc. You see, Mumbai Mirror goes into an action space completely different from the stylized action that I did in Aazaan. It's like Ram Gopal Varma's Satya meets Anees Bazmee's Ready. And I knew Ankush was perfect to direct it." 

Sachiin laughs, "The whole film is set in Mumbai. It's called Mumbai Mirror because it reflects the harsh reality of the city under the polished surface. We were hunting for a title when my eyes fell on the popular tabloid in my hands. Mumbai Mirror was perfect."

Sachiin Joshi goes Aamir Khan way

Gone are the days when Shah Rukh Khan would sport the same look, irrespective of whether he was playing the romantic Raj in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge or the depressed Devdas.
Experimenting with looks is the in-thing and Bollywood actors have begun going to great lengths to get the skin of their characters. Salman Khan toned his body further and added a moustache for 'Dabangg'. Akshay Kumar will follow suit playing a policeman in 'Rowdy Rathore'. Aamir Khan actually grew a moustache to fit into the cop's role in 'Talaash'. And as if these are not enough, Bollywood has a new chameleon now.
Sachiin Joshi, whose debut film 'Aazaan' stunned the industry with its amazing action and production values last year and even bagged a Stardust Award for it, is pulling all stops to play a quirky cop in his next film 'Mumbai Mirror'.
To begin with, just like Aamir, the actor is growing a stylish moustache for it, instead of going for a fake one. "Having the perfect look goes a long way in making the character look authentic. Its amazing, the way Aamir manages to change his look to suit his character in almost every movie he does," remarks Sachiin.
But the newbie is not just stopping at a facial change! Just as Aamir did for his other film 'Ghajini', Sachiin is undergoing rigorous physical training, with his trainer having put him on a strict diet regimen too. Having lost a lot of kilos and toned up his body, the 'Aazaan' star aspires to look every bit of the tough but whimsical cop he portrays in 'Mumbai Mirror'.
Directed by Ankush Bhatt, of 'Bhindi Bazaar Inc.' fame, the movie mirrors the Mumbai underbelly and revolves around the nexus between powerful corrupt dance bar lords and the Mumbai Police.

Sachiin Joshi to Root for the Mumbai Indians!

The city of Pune might have played a big part in the upbringing of Sachiin Joshi but when it comes to choosing, the entrepreneur turned actor is Aamchi Mumbai through and through!

We got confirmation of this fact when we asked the Bollywood newbie that for the fifth edition of the IPL, which team he would be supporting. The response was loud and clear –
“The Mumbai Indians!” The Pune Warriors were never in the race. “I don’t want to seem biased, but I’m a thoroughbred Mumbai man. I’m a huge fan of Sachin Tendulkar and the team looks better than ever this season. We’ve been unlucky in the past but I’ve got a really good feeling about this season,” says Sachiin.
Sachiin has been in love with India’s favorite sport since he was a kid. He participated in the Celebrity Cricket League as a member of Sohail Khan’s Mumbai Heroes. He has also helped set up a cricket academy which funds and trains upcoming athletes. The IPL presents the perfect concoction of sports and entertainment. 

Bollywood celebrities are sure to be out in full voice, supporting their teams and Mr. Joshi is sure to be in the Mumbai Indians corner when it matters!

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Sachiin Joshi's Viiking Quest!

Those of you who have heard the name 'Viking Quest', would immediately associate it with the hit television series Entourage. But don't be left confused, because Sachiin's 'Viiking' Quest, is a bit different. Sachiin Joshi has launched a new company called Viiking Ventures which will lays it claws into a variety of fields. These fields include health spas, energy drinks, travel, infrastructure and entertainment. While Sachiin has already enjoyed success with all of these under the JMJ banner, the man himself is keen to establish a new entity. "This decision has been taken with the idea of establishing Viiking Ventures as a separate organization. It is an ambitious project and i have envisioned a bright future for it. Undoubtedly there is a risk involved. But without taking risks, it is difficult to succeed," says Sachiin. The entrepreneur turned actor has already made quite a few bold moves in the business world which have resulted in more success than failure. He undoubtedly faces his biggest challenge in the corporate world as he hopes to establish Viiking Ventures as a big market player over the course of the next few years. From our side, we wish the dynamic entrepreneur all the best with his new venture!

Agent Vinod loses out to Aazaan and Singham

While Agent Vinod is garnering mixed response from its audiences, an internet poll has voted the movie much behind last year’s action releases like Singham and Aazaan, with Players and Don 2 also being part of the poll.

In an audience poll on a leading social networking site this week, the Saif Ali Khan starrer ranked behind Ajay Devgn's Singham and Sachiin Joshi's Aazaan in the race for the best action movies of the year. Luckily, going by its current hype, the film managed to beat Don 2 and Players by a small margin.

"While Aazaan had riveting action and breathtaking locales matching Hollywood production values, Singham made sure it stunned everyone with its car stunts and South Indian cinema style larger-than-life action," says a trade analyst. "Though Agent Vinod moves from one country to another, exploring different locations at a rapid pace, its script leaves a lot to be desired," he adds.

Going by the latest trends, it seems Bollywood still has to learn a few lessons before it can match up to Hollywood finesse the way Aazaan or Players did.

Sachiin Joshi is all set to return to the big screen

Sachiin Joshi is all set to return to the big screen post his Bollywood debut in the highly visible film Aazaan. The tentatively titled film 'Mumbai Mirror' is to be directed by Ankush Bhatt who had  previously gained positive reviews for his critically acclaimed film Bhindi Bazaar which had left quite a mark on B-Town last year.  The film sees Sachiin play a cop and revolves around the sensitive issue of dance bars. 

The film is also expected to cast Mallika Sherawat as the leading lady. The names of various cast members is yet to finalized. However there's an interesting aspect surrounding the film which revolves around the presence of another actress who is set to play a role of equal importance as Mallika Sherawat. Fans and critics alike are waiting on this closely guarded name. The film will be produced under the Viiking Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. banner.

When asked about the interesting name of the movie, Sachiin said, "Mumbai Mirror is catchy to say the least. But the movie will be a symbolic reflection of the hardships faced by a class of people we tend to ignore in the hustle bustle of daily life. Everyone in this brilliant city has a story to tell. Our aim is to bring that story to the audience."

Vodka with fresh lime soda for me

I love vodka, it’s my all-time favourite drink. A nice tall glass of Grey Goose vodka with fresh lime soda is my idea of the perfect sundowner. I like fresh lime soda because it’s refreshing and, at the same time, not very strong in its flavour. I also find the quality and smoothness of Grey Goose very good, far superior to other brands of vodka.

I know many people like to use fruit juices or cola as their preferred choice of mixers, but for me, it has to be soda. I don’t like any artificial flavours marring the essence of my drink. I want to enjoy and appreciate the smoothness of the drink, which is why I like using just soda as the mixer.

I like being with my gang of boys. We are guaranteed a rollicking good time when we get together and drink it up. We like going to Hakkasan and this is the scene for most of our outings. I am a total Hakkasan loyalist, be it their outlets in London, Dubai or now Mumbai.