Not as much news as their could be today, but I will still pick out the stories I find most interesting to talk about and share them with you all. Mostly they are on the “isn’t it interesting how this news item is being spun?” level, rather than talking about the news item itself.
Abhishek Spotted!
Well, he’s out in the world in the sunshine. Still not giving interviews or press conferences, but alive. And this whole thing continues to feel odd to me.
He went to a kids football event, as part of his brand ambassador thing for the Indian football league. So he is projecting an image of competence and reliability (doing his brand thing), and generally being a good person (teaching children). And just coincidentally, a bunch of news photographers were there to capture the moment.
So clearly a coordinated event to make him look good. But you know what would make him look really good? A PRESS CONFERENCE!!!! Supposedly he signed a bunch of movies, why isn’t he out there talking about them? Or having a press conference for the football league instead of this staged event?
Maybe he is worried about reporters’ questions, but surely if it is a focused controlled press conference with a topic like a new movie or a new sports season, that isn’t a huge concern. So maybe it is Abhishek himself? Something is going on that makes him not ready for anything more demanding than a few staged photos with kids? It’s still a puzzle for me, this photo doesn’t really resolve anything.
Katrina and Aamir’s Party
I just don’t get this. There were rumors about Jagga Jasoos and Kat being desperate for a hit, which didn’t make sense to me since surely it was more Ranbir’s film than hers, why would she worry? And now there are similar rumors about her being territorial and jealous over her part in Thugs of Hindostan. Which also don’t make sense, because she’s still got Tiger Zinda Hai coming out, plus a part in the Aanand L Rai Shahrukh film.
Anyway, the current rumors are that she skipped Aamir’s Diwale party because she was angry with the way he is promoting Fatima Sana Shaikh as the lead of Thugs, not her. Because she is worried and territorial and so on. And then the “real” reason came out, she had the flu.
(Fatima does look good in the character images, but she still isn’t as famous as Kat)
Small side note, remember in my discussion of the Kangana-Hrithik thing I talked about how all those “social” events where they were together that Kangana pointed to as proof of a relationship, and Hrithik says were actually work events masquerading as social. SEE???? This is what I/Hrithik am talking about!!!! No one thinks Kat and Aamir are having an affair (I don’t think) or anything like that, but as his co-star in an upcoming film, it is expected that she will be invited to and attend his big party. And it is noticed when she doesn’t because it is so expected.
Anyway, in terms of this “story”, it really isn’t a story, I don’t care that Kat didn’t go to Aamir’s party, maybe she just didn’t feel like going out that night. But I am interested in this trend of Kat being called out as “desperate” and like she thinks her career is slipping. What is behind that? Is it malicious gossip from somewhere? Is it just because she is nearing the age where actresses marry and retire? Because I am just not seeing the facts to back it up, she will almost certainly be part of the biggest hit of the year (Tiger Zinda Hai), and she is still being offered top parts.
And the other thing I find interesting is considering the “real” reason that Aamir might be pushing Fatima as the lead of the film. First, obviously, she is his protege so he would naturally want to put her front and center. But second, he has done well lately by pushing the “I discover and promote unknown young talent” narrative. Positioning himself as the “professional” type who hires on merit, not nepotism (so Fatima not Kat). And third, if he makes Fatima’s character central, he can get the benefit of the female empowerment narrative, instead of the “old men are ruling the industry” narrative. Which, let us remember, is how this film was first announced, “Aamir and Amitabh together”. And now he is trying to shove that story to the side a little and focus on the young woman.
Oh and finally, a little treat for us all, the Ittefaq song trailer came out. And as I was hoping, it is just a mood song, all of them in character with cool effects and stuff. And it’s an okay song too I guess,
It’s a remix from a classic twisty Amitabh movie, Namak Haalal, so that’s thematic for the sort of throwback mysterious feel.
dontcallitbollywood 
Is Fatima the one he’s supposed to be having an affair with?
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I have no idea! I hope not, because from public appearances and so on that I have seen, they have a very father-daughter vibe. And she is the same age as his daughter, maybe even a couple years younger.
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You, the gossip devotee, have no idea about the Aamir-Fatima rumors? Come on! There have been a steady stream of them, for the last several months. Some people even speculated at the beginning that it was a deliberate plant by YRF to make the audience think about the pair in a romantic way, and not as father -daughter, as they were in Dangal. But that has now been discarded. There are barely disguised blinds about them coming every week, if not oftener.
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I’m really not good at gossip, at least not modern gossip. Stuff like Rekha-Amitabh where there are a million books and websites and stuff covering it, no problem. But up to the minute stuff, not so much. Not the right kind of sources for one thing. So thank you for keeping me up to date!
On Tue, Oct 24, 2017 at 12:07 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I totally hate celebrities doing interactions with shades on! Especially around kids. Look the kids in the eye man! I always think the celeb’s done weed or something when they have their shades on while interacting with people at an event where the interaction is the point of the outing.
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Well, that just plays into my Abhishek conspiracies even more! Not only is he not interacting with the press in any way, he’s got a barrier between himself and the kids. Something is going on there.
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Kat was nearly written off after Baar Baar Dekho. Thankfully she had the good sense to get back into Salman’s good graces.Salman apparently campaigned hard for her for with Aamir for Thugs.That’s when those rumours about her getting between Salman and Iulia started.Kat is wise to stick with the Khans for the time being.She has her limitations as an actor.Let someone else with more draw/talent do the heavy work.Like Sid is doing with Akshay and Sonakshi in Ittefaq.The Aamir-Fatima rumors have been going around for a while now.Which takes away quite a bit from his female empowerment/bringing outsiders to Bollywood propaganda.His track record is certainly not good.I wouldn’t be surprised if him or Saif turns out to be a cheater.
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Baar Baar Dekho was just a bad idea all around. Sid and Kat was terrible casting, their energy is way too similar onscreen, there’s no contrast to appeal to people. The the plot idea was too complicated and wasn’t executed well enough. The songs and promotional campaign was great (I sense Karan’s hand there), but the movie itself, there was no way it was going to work. I, surprisingly, found Kat one of the best parts of the film. She was trying as hard as she could to sell it, and dragging Sid along behind her, but it just wasn’t enough.
On Tue, Oct 24, 2017 at 8:26 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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What is up with Abhishek? You’d think an insider like him knows how to work the PR. That’s the thing – I don’t think he was as hardworking as his contemporaries were like Hrithik – who really struggled to overcome his limitations. Even Varun Dhawan or Ranveer Singh are so driven and constantly working on themselves. I really think Abhishek has addiction issues, he’s let himself go out of shape really bad. He needs to hit the gym and to start looking normal.
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Exactly! If it was someone else, I would say “oh maybe there is no story, it was just poorly handled PR”. But with Abhishek, this must be the best possible spin that money can buy, and it’s still not great. He needs to get out there on camera charming people and talking up his other products and generally changing the story, and the fact that he isn’t doing that makes me think there is some reason he can’t do that.
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I imagine that being both the son of India’s most famous man and the husband of India’s most famous woman must wreak havoc on your self esteem. No way one can measure up to all that
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Agree with the first part, might take issue with the second 🙂 But yes, being Amitabh Bachchan’s son has got to be a lot to live up to.
On Tue, Oct 24, 2017 at 5:29 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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