To check Oneindia News on your Mobile
go to:   http://m.oneindia.in/news/
  •  

Brad Pitt plans to shoot in Varanasi by 2008

Varanasi, Feb 21 (UNI) Hollywood star Brad Pitt chewing a 'Banarasi Paan,' relishing a frothing 'Lassi' or even a bout of chess on the majestic Ganga ghats here may no longer be a one-day spectacle.

The 43-year-old actor has serious plans of shooting a full-length Hollywood movie here by 2008, sources, who hosted the 'Troy' star in Varanasi during November last said.

''Brad did not come here along with his companion Angelina Jolie, only to relish the unrivalled mystical charm of Varanasi but it was a well-planned trip by the Hollywood actor to study the various locations of the picture-perfect city for a future movie,'' a leading theatre personality of the city who hosted the Hollywood star in the city told UNI here today.

''Brad not only enjoyed boat ride on the Ganga river, besides relishing the Lassi and Paan, but also videographed many locations on the imposing riverfront, including Darbhanga ghat, Lal Ghat, Rana Mahal Ghat, Ahilyabai Ghat, Daswashamedh Ghat and the Rajendra Prasad Ghat,'' sources added.

''Brad told me that by 2008, he may produce a full length movie to be shot prominently in Varanasi. The prospective venture would have Brad, both behind the camera and in front of the roving eye.'' ''We are now eagerly awaiting his next trip to the city,'' sources said.

The star who made his film debut with 'Cutting Class' in 1989 and has under his belt movies like 'Seven,' 'Mr and Mrs Smith' and 'True Romance', took time out to visit Varanasi while 'Tomb Raider' star Angelina Jolie was busy shooting in Mumbai and Pune for 'Mighty Heart' -- a movie based on Wall Street Journal scribe Daniel Pearl.

Before this only one mainstream Hollywood movie has been shot in the city which has been a heaven for documentary film makers, besides being presently a hit with Bollywood film-makers.

Reknowned filmmaker Ismail Merchant had shot some sequences of the Merchant-Ivory creation 'The Guru' in the bylanes of Varanasi in late 1960s and in 2004 trouped to the city again with pop diva Tina Turner for studying the locations of the ancient city for his next venture 'The Goddess' where the 'What a Feeling' singer was slated to play the role of Goddess Kali.

But, with a shock to Varanasi's readiness to welcome the celebrity crew for shooting of the film, Ismail Merchant passed away in May 2005.

UNI

UTV to launch 'Bindass', a youth broadcasting venture

New Delhi, Feb 22 (UNI) After catering to entertainment needs of children through ventures like Hungama TV and announcing launch of two kid's channels in Malaysia and Indonesia, UTV is now striving to meet the entertainment needs of the youth of the country through a new youth broadcast venture. Ready for launch in mid 2007 is 'BINDASS', the youth broadcast venture of UTV, to be launched in association with Malaysia-based media company Astro Measat. A 360 degree entertainment brand, 'Bindaas' includes.....

Hrithik, Kajol and 'Rang De Basanti' win laurels at Filmfare awards

Mumbai, Feb 25 (UNI) Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan and Kajol won the 'Best Actor' and 'Best Actress' awards for their performance in 'Dhoom II' and 'Fanaa' respectively, at the prestigious Filmfare awards ceremony held at Yashraj Studios here late last night. Rakyesh Mehra won the award for 'Best Director' for the film 'Rang De Basanti'. Abhishek Bachchan won the 'Best Supporting Actor' award for 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (KANK)' while Jaya Bachchan was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was a.....

'Water' has whetted my appetite for doing meaningful cinema: John

New Delhi, Feb 25 (UNI) It has been a year of international accolades for Bollywood hunk John Abraham - first the screening of and critical acclaim for 'Kabul Express' at the Toronto Film Festival and, now, the Oscar nomination for Deepa Mehta's 'Water'. With 'Water', nominated by the Oscar Academy for the Best Foreign language Film category, becoming only the fourth film by an Indian filmmaker to make it to the final five nominations, the spotlight is suddenly on John, who.....
User Comments
[ Post Comments ]
Be the first to comment on this article.
Oneindia  Oneindia Login