I go to sleep, and twitter blows up with news!  Being in the exactly opposite time zone as India is not good!

I will build to the biggest news.  First, Interesting!  Ittafaq is being remade.  Ittafaq was one of Yashji’s early movies, based on his older brother BR Chopra’s idea and produced by his brother’s company.  BR Chopra, of course, was also a brilliant director.  He tended more for social dramas, lots of realistic acting and brilliant directing.  Yashji, of course, went a different way.  But before he took off on his own entirely, he made this one movie in his brother’s style.  No songs, tiny cast, tense plot, very different from Waqt, Daag, Silsila, and all the other Yashji classics.

Now, what’s interesting is the behind the scenes production of this remake.  Just like the behind the scenes of the original is so interesting (BR forcing Yashji to make a movie based on his idea and in his style for his production house, and shortly after Yash leaving his production house and forming his own, starting a family break that continues to this day).  This movie is going to be a co-production between BR Chopra Films, Dharma (Karan’s film house), and Red Chillies (Shahrukh’s film house).  And it will be directed by BR’s grandson (Ranbir Kapoor’s best friend from elementary school, according to my sources.  Also, I think I know someone who was at his wedding.  I am totally connected enough to get a part in this movie!).  It’s his first movie.  But it is notably NOT being supported in any way by Yash Raj Films, or the head of Yash Raj films (and the director’s cousin), Aditya Chopra.

BR Films, after Yashji left, kind of fell off.  While of course Yash Raj has just grown and grown.  BR went on to be run by BR Chopra’s son, Ravi Chopra, who had a big hit with The Burning Train in the 80s (which is, indeed, amazing).  And the Mahabharata TV show.  And Baabul.  And Baghban.  But nothing else.  And a few years ago, the company almost went bankrupt, and the family almost lost their house.  Until, at the very very last minute, Yash Raj films and Aditya finally stepped up and gave them a very very restricted loan.  Ravi Chopra died soon after that.

(I think the end bit might be a little unrealistic, but doesn’t Rani look pretty?)

And now I guess Ravi’s son is officially taking over the business and trying to drive it forward?  But with no Yash Raj assistance.  Because Adi is either just sick and tired of carrying his deadbeat relatives, or is controlling everything behind the scenes like a puppet master.  It is a little odd that Adi’s two best friends are the ones co-producing the movie.  And that the first film made by the new BR Chopra film house is the last film Adi’s father was forced to make for them before he left.  It’s got a bit of a “revenge is a dish best served cold” feel to it.  Oh, and Siddharth and Sonakshi are going to star, and there is supposed to be a new “twist” at the end, even better than the original twist (SPOILERS: In the original, Rajesh Khanna is on the run from the law and breaks into Nanda’s house, but eventually discovers that innocent young wife Nanda just killed her husband moments before he broke in!)

So, that’s the interesting news.  The exciting news is a song trailer for Udta Punjab!  It looks like Shahid’s character is going to be a singer in the Yo Yo style?  His outfit even looks a little similar to Yo Yo’s from “Love Dose” (which I have watched a completely normal number of times, and therefore have the whole thing memorized down to the outfits).

But in this, Shahid is not only a rockstar, he also appears to be a drug addict?  I am assuming we will get a Traffic style plot (the American, not Malayalam, movie), where we see how drugs connect rockstar Shahid with struggling immigrant Alia and doctor Kareena and cop Dilip.

That’s the exciting news, and then I friend just alerted me to the tempting news!  Bollywood Parks Dubai is about to open!  I remember like almost 5 years ago when it was first announced, and now it is really happening!  Roller coaster based on Don, “Small World” style ride based on Sholay, multiple performance spaces, epic Mughal-E-Azam themed restaurant, and a complete recreation of Victoria station!  I find that last really interesting, because that’s the bit where it starts to veer off from “Bollywood” and into “I am a guest worker in Dubai and I am super homesick and just want to pretend I am back in Bombay.”  Anyway, I MUST go there!  Someday, if it is every finally finished, I will go to Dubai and stay in the Happy New Year hotel and ice skate in that huge mall, and visit the Bollywood theme park.  But during one of the cooler months, because it looks like you have to walk around outside between attractions, and I do not do well in heat.

Okay, we’ve done the interesting news, and the exciting news, and the tempting news, you ready for the NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO news?  Raees is delayed!  After playing chicken with Sultan for months and months, they finally announced they decided to bump the release to Republic Day, so January 16, 2017.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  I need my new Shahrukh film!  How fast can he finish that extended cameo for Gauri Shinde’s next?  Any chance that could be a Diwale release?  Just to tide us over?