The controversies surrounding Peepli Live cease to die even as the film continues to enjoy a dream run at the B.O. The latest jolt to the makers of the film has come from a villager Kunjilal Malviya who seems to want a share in the profits of the film as he feels that it’s based on his life story.

Apparently, Kunjilal had predicted his death in the year 2005 and soon after an army of news channels came to cover his story. He feels that Natha’s character in Peepli Live, who announces his death only to be attacked by a swarm of media, is similar to his real life story and hence is demanding a share in the pie.

While Kunjilal along with his lawyers plan to file a case regarding the same, the spokesperson at Aamir Khan Productions denies any such controversy. Will this controversy also die its own slow death is something that will be interesting to watch.

After the trauma that Karan Johar has gone through in filming Elvis Presley’s track ‘Jailhouse Rock’ in his production We Are Family, the producer has vowed to never again touch an international number or film.

Earlier Karan had obtained the rights of the song ‘Pretty Woman’ for Kal Ha No Ho fairly easily. This time too getting the original copyright holders of ‘Jailhouse Rock’ to say yes was easy enough. The nightmare began later.

Apparently, just days before filming the official contract arrived from the US. To their horror, producer Karan Johar and director Siddharth Malhotra discovered that they were not allowed to use any image, visual, dance step or even the words associated with the original Elvis song!

At that late juncture everything from the dance steps, to the set to the lyrics had to be changed.

Says Siddharth with a shudder, “The contract arrived just days before shooting. We got to know that we couldn’t use anything to do with Elvis. We had everything ready, the set, the costumes, the songs and words…Most importantly we had images of Elvis splashed all over and we had incorporated the words from ‘Jailhouse Rock’ into the track. All that had to be scrapped.”

For a while Karan and his director contemplated scrapping the song altogether. Says Siddharth, “What is the point of a tribute to Elvis when we couldn’t use his face, his dance steps, even his images as props on the sets? We couldn’t even replicate any of the lyrics from the original and had rewrite the words on the spot. So what could we use? It was the most devastating moment of the shooting. First Kajol was three months pregnant and we had to change all her steps. Then we had to change EVERYTHING because we hadn’t read the contract.”

Matters got worse when the little girl playing Kajol’s younger daughter suddenly fell sick with chickenpox.

Shudders Siddharth Malhotra, “We had to rewrite the scene explaining her absence in the song. It was a nightmare. And one we’d never like to go through again.”

Karan has now decided to swear off all foreign copyright-controlled material. In all probability We Are Family will be his first and last Hollywood remake.

As for Elvis Presley, all of the rock legend’s songs are henceforth banned at Dharma Productions.

It’s hard to decide whether he is a better dancer or a better comedian, it’s a tough call. Javed Jaffrey, the one and only who introduced India to the concept of Break Dancing has literally grown up in Bollywood. He was one who spiced up the movies with his unique character acts and unbeatable comic timing. Remember the Indian cowboy in Salaam Namaste and the Blind Goon in Singh is Kinng. And now, the man is all set to appear on the big screen with his latest film Hello Darling.

Bollywood Hungama brings to you exclusively a chat session with Javed Jaffrey. Javed will be with you all on Tuesday, Aug 24, at 1430hrs IST on Bollywood Hungama’s Celebrity Video Chat. Be there!

Sanjay Gupta may be busy casting for his remake of the Spanish film Ladron Que Roba Ladron but before that film goes on floors, Gupta will be producing another film Milte Hain to be directed by Meghna Gulzar.

Vidya Balan has been signed for the lead role while the hunt for the male actor is still on. Vishal Bhardwaj would be composing music for this flick while Gulzar saab would be penning the lyrics. Milte Hain is apparently based on an Australian play Double Act and Gupta has gone ahead and legally acquired the rights to remake.

The Walt Disney Company India announced the release of their first live action Hindi feature Do Dooni Chaar, a film that brings together real-life sweethearts Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor. This middle class family drama film is produced by Planman Motion Pictures and is to be directed by Habib Faisal. This film is slated for October 8, 2010 release. The USP of the film stands in the form of the return of the eternal sweethearts Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, who return to the silver screen after a gap of a whopping 30 years!

Speaking about this film, Swati Shetty, executive director - Theatrical Productions and Acquisitions, Walt Disney Studios International Production (India), said “Storytelling is at the heart of Disney’s creative heritage and Do Dooni Chaar is the best representation of this with its delightful and touching narrative that will resonate with every Indian family and features characters to fall in love with”.

Adding to this, Bhattacharjee, CEO & Creative Director, Planman Motion Pictures, said “Do Dooni Chaar has been an incredible experience for us and we are thrilled to be working with Disney to enable more Indian movie lovers the opportunity to see this film that we are extremely proud of. The story of the Duggal family (played by Rishi and Neetu) is one that will resonate strongly with Indian audiences and is one of universal heartache and triumph that represents the very best of the coming together of family.”

With all of this, Do Dooni Chaar looks like a film to watch out for!

That Anees Bazmee has an impeccable track record as a writer/director is known to all and sundry. No wonder his films are eagerly awaited. The King of Comedies, who has three solid Hits behind him [NO ENTRY, WELCOME and SINGH IS KINNG], is all set to unleash his new laughathon NO PROBLEM, which, like his previous films, also boasts of an impressive star cast and is aimed at tickling your funny bone.

The expectations from NO PROBLEM are humungous and if one goes by the promos of the film, Anees seems to have pulled it off yet again. This writer had the privilege of watching the promos [rough cut] and also an entire song ['Mast Punjabi'] from this keenly anticipated film and I have to confess, the goings-on are truly funny. The song, filmed on the entire cast, is sure to be a rage with not just Punjabis, but also non-Punjabis.

Looks like Anees and Anil Kapoor [who produces the film] have a sure-shot winner on hand. NO PROBLEM is in post-production stages and is slated for release in December this year.

Another movie that’s sure to catch your attention when it releases is ALLAH KE BANDAY. The film, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and Faruk Kabir [who directs the film], tackles the hitherto untouched subject of young kids taking to crime and if the theatrical trailer is an indicator of what to expect from this film, be rest assured, an explosive story is about to unleash on celluloid this October.

Unlike most promos where the viewer remains clueless about the content of the film, the theatrical promo of ALLAH KE BANDAY gives you an insight of what to expect from the film, making the viewer aware of the content. Besides the promo, the writer also watched a music video, filmed on Kailash Kher, which has been collaborated with UNICEF. One is confident, people will hear more about ALLAH KE BANDAY in times to come!

She’s hardly the dost-host in Rio de Janeiro where the stunts for Khatron Ke Khiladi (Fear Factor) are being shot.

According to news filtering out of the beaches of Copacabana where the first batch of stunts were shot last week with the 13 contestants, hostess Priyanka Chopra was not kidding when she had said she would make the contestants hate her with her instructions.

According to at least 2 contestants who spoke from the location, Priyanka has transformed into quite a whip-wielding dictator in the sizzling climes of Brazil. She makes the contestants work relentlessly and hardly provides them with a moment of breather to replenish their energy.

Says one of the exhausted contestants, “She carries not a whip, but a whistle which is as good as whip. The whistle is with her throughout from 7.30 am in the morning till late evening when we pack up. And she uses the whistle to intimidate us like no other woman in our lives has ever intimidated us.”

In fact the contestants are so fed up of the whistle that they plan to steal it and throw it into the ocean.

But Priyanka is relentless in her adherence to the regime. Says a source from Rio, “Priyanka is determined to prove she can orchestrate the contestant’s stunts as effectively as Akshay Kumar in the first two seasons of Fear Factor. She is up at dawn and ready to play hard ball with the contestants by 7.30 am every morning. The stunts start by 8.30 am but not before a very close and careful briefing by the stunt director to make sure no one breaks any bones on location.”

Throughout these stunts, Priyanka is as detached dispassionate and ruthlessly professional as a doctor performing an intricate surgery. She does not fraternize with any of the contestants, not even Dino Morea whom she knows well.

Says the source, “The only time she loosens up is towards the evening when she seems more relaxed. Otherwise she is so professional, it’s scary.”

Priyanka says she’s doing her job exactly the way she is supposed to. “We are not here for a picnic. It’s a tough regimen,” she says.

This is the 21st century and yet there are claims of racial prejudice and discrimination that keep cropping up the world over, even films for that matter are not left unscathed by this vicious stigma. However, the soon to be released Karan Johar produced film We Are Family has taken up the cause by deleting certain racially offensive scenes from the film.

If what is said is anything to go by then, Karan Johar and director Siddharth Malhotra have apparently chopped off nine minutes of footage containing references to the multiple racist attacks on Indians in Australia.

The said scenes in the film apparently show children being subjected to racial abuse in school. The buzz is that a total of nine minutes have been chopped from the film as KJo strongly felt that the scenes should be removed. Since most of his recent releases have been subject to controversies, Karan seems to be playing safe this time.

Director Siddharth Malhotra however states that deletion of those scenes does not affect the flow of the film.

Vidya’s cameo: Vidya Balan as most are well aware is the front line heroine of Bollywood. Last week the news regarding her was her usual repetitive denial to act in Tamil films. However, this Kerala born actress seems to be concerned to be featured her in Mollywood films. This might sound a little strange, but it is completely real.

She already has announced to be a part of ‘Mathilukalkkappuram’. The flick Mathilukalkkappuram features Mammootty among others. This talented actress has also given an optimistic nod to show up in a cameo role in the new movie ‘Urumi’. The movie is about the plot to assassinate Vaso Da Gama.