Hrithik beats SRK

By Bollywood Hungama -

June 11, 2005 - 12:00 AM IST

Day 2: Thursday, June 10, 2005. The I.I.F.A. weekend is packed with exciting activities and Day 2 was no exception. I.I.F.A. has always believed in infotainment and the day witnessed diverse events such as the F.I.C.C.I seminar, a cricket match between SRK and Hrithik Roshan as also the coming together of A.B. Corp. Ltd. and UTV. 'DUS' LOOKS INTERESTING After a late night thanks to the 3 Ps [PARINEETA premiere, press meet and post-screening party], it was back to catching up with the new events on Day 2. The curtain raiser of CHOCOLATE, scheduled for Day 1, has now been shifted to Day 3, but a peek into DUS, produced by Nitin Manmohan and directed by Anubhav Sinha, blew everyone's mind. A number of promos of DUS were screened for the hand-picked mediapersons and the thought that crossed your mind is, if the promos are an indicator of things to follow, DUS is sure to fetch a terrific start when it opens in July. The job of a promo is to create excitement for the film in question and the promos of DUS were successful in doing so. That reminds me! The month of July belongs to the Bachchans. There's SARKAR on July 1, DUS on July 8, VIRRUDH on July 22 and DIL JO BHI KAHEY on July 29. Whew! The Bachchans have so much to look forward to this month also, so much seems to be at stake! Back to DUS. Anubhav Sinha tells me that he isn't inspired by any Hollywood film. Yes, there have been inspirations, but not from any particular film as such, he states, subsequently admitting the fact that he has been a big fan of John Woo's films. Not many are aware that DUS was originally planned as a film with four newcomers. But when Sinha narrated the plot to Sanju, the cast fell into place. Within minutes of meeting Sanju, we were discussing budgets, dates, cast et al, Sinha adds. A big film deserves an equally big promotion and the makers of the film have come out with an A4-size thick book that gives an insight into the film, besides some fantabulous pics of the impressive cast. HRITHIK BEATS SRK Hrithik Roshan would be rejoicing today! He can gloat that he beat SRK in the game of cricket. When it started drizzling this afternoon, everyone felt that the grand clash between SRK and Hrithik, on the cricket field, would be called off. But the chilly wind didn't deter the Amsterdam junta from thronging the stadium to watch their fav stars in action. I've never been a cricket fanatic, like some of my friends in the media who swear by statistics all the while, but I couldn't wait for the match to begin. The Hrithik team comprising Saif, Fardeen, Aftab, scored an impressive 200 + runs, while the SRK team, comprising Zayed, Ritesh, Azharuddin, didn't quite live up to the score. The man of the match was not SRK, not Hrithik either, but Aftab, while SRK took four wickets and was adjudged best bowler. While beta Hrithik slogged it out on the field, papa Rakesh Roshan with his daughter Sunaina and grand-daughter went for a stroll to Dam Square. Randhir Kapoor accompanied them. Also spotted was Rakesh's brother Rajesh Roshan enjoying a leisurely walk with his family. In Rome do as the Romans do and in Europe, the noon and evenings are reserved for caf?nd beer. That's what Kunal [HUM TUM] Kohli did, who decided to spend time in a cafeteria. Salman's brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri with wife Alvira and Amrita Arora decided to explore the city and went for a drive, while Shahid and Kareena decided to take it easy. The Bachchans decided to go for a drive in the night, while David Dhawan decided to relax for a day or two before he embarks on the penultimate schedule of SHAADI NO. 1 in Italy from June 13. UTV - WATCH OUT FOR THEM Ronnie Screwvala seems to be going from strength to strength. A section of the conservative media isn't too optimistic about the corporates making a place for themselves in the industry, but I strongly feel that the future belongs to them. The corporates are here to stay the fly by night operators are going to find the going tough in days to come. So when UTV and A.B. Corp. Ltd. decided to join hands, it didn't really come as a surprise to me. Holding hands and making projects together makes wise business sense, the Big B thundered. I agree! Bachchan is now co-producing VIRRUDH [with Mahesh Manjrekar], FAMILY [with Keshu Ramsay] and now this venture, which is still in the infancy stages. UTV also announced a project with David Dhawan [Sanjay Dutt], Priyadarshan [Shahid, Kareena] and Vishal Bhardwaj [Aamir Khan]. The last one is titled MR. MEHTA AUR MRS. SINGH.