I would love to do Rock On 2: Farhan Akhtar

He rocked through the hearts of the youth with his memorable act in Rock On!! and Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar hopes that he will get a chance to reprise his role in future.

"I would love to do another Rock On!! if given a chance," Farhan told PTI.

Farhan, who made his directorial debut with Dil Chahta Hai in 2001 has come up a long way in Bollywood and has tried out his hands at everything coming his way being a script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer, and a television host.

"Rock matches my identity, and I have over 18, 000 songs on my iPod. I listen to classics like Pearl Jam and Guns N' Roses for inspiration.

"My mind is open to everything and I do everything with equal amount of passion. I have tried acting and singing, maybe after one or two years you will see another asset of mine," Farhan said on the sidelines of his rock performance as the brand ambassador for Maruti A-Star on its first anniversary.

However, Farhan who followed up Dil Chahta Hai with Lakshya and Don is perturbed by reports that he is not interested in making films any more as his last movie Positive, a short film on AIDS starring Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani came way back in 2007.

"I feel bad about such reports; I was ready to direct Don 2 this year but Shah Rukh had to undergo a surgery so we had to postpone it. I am also also working on a movie called Sid but it is in a very initial stage and we are still putting it together," says the 35-year-old director.

The son of scriptwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, Farhan will next be seen in Karthik Calling Karthik opposite Deepika Padukone.

"It was an extremely enjoyable experience working with Deepika. My character in the movie plays with the Rubik's cube and now I am mastering it to solve it in minimum time," says Farhan who also learnt how to ride a bike for the film.

"As a kid, I was told by my mom that she will disown me if I ride a bike. So I was always into cars and I once covered my whole room with cuttings of sports cars," he adds.

Farhan, who also starred in his sister Zoya Akhtar's directorial debut Luck By Chance this year dismissed reports that she is making a film Gulel this year starring Hrithik Roshan and Abhay Deol alongside him.

"I have heard this name very often now but I have no idea what this is about. As far as I know there is no movie like this," he says.

Farhan is awaiting the release of his first movie as an actor The Fakir of Venice (2007) directed by Anand Surapur's which has not hit the silver screen yet.

"It is the first thing I worked in as an actor, but I am not the producer of the film. I hope it releases soon," he says.

Farhan feels there is no need to draw a line between realistic and commercial cinema.

"Look at Taare Zameen Par and Rang De Basanti; they are intelligent movies and yet they entertained the audience. You should not mix comedy and entertainment," he says.

I was a little immature: Chitrangada Singh

She'd surprised everyone by suddenly disappearing to Delhi after a critically acclaimed debut in Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi amidst reports that her hubby, golfer Jyoti Randhawa, didn't quite like the intrusive trappings of Bollywood. And now, just as suddenly, she's back, looking for a house with the intention of settling in Mumbai.

"Since I will be working here, it's logical to buy a place here," Chitrangada told . She's been shuttling between Delhi and Mumbai for some time now to balance her work and family life. "I have two sisters here, one lives in Yari Road and the other at Powai. Whenever I am in Mumbai, I stay with them. But this time I am quite serious about buying a place here, so I am checking out flats one after another." Her preferences are clear too. "I'd prefer a house either in Versova or Juhu."

She's gung-ho about her projects, which include the sequel to Is Raat Ki Subah Nahi opposite Irrfan Khan and Dhruv opposite Farhan Akhtar.

"Dhruv is an interesting film as I am playing a seductress in the movie. The character is quite sensuous and has a unique charm." But since the film also stars Kareena Kapoor, does it mean she's playing second fiddle? "I don't think it's a supporting role, I'd say it's a parallel character," she counters.

Her sudden exit was assumed to be because of her husband, but Chitrangada says she herself made the move -- which she regrets now. "I think I was a little immature to take that sudden decision. I guess a lot of things were circulated in the industry and I didn't know how to deal with them. Moreover, my family is not a part of this industry and they don't know how the industry functions. But I guess things are better now."

Is she ready for link-ups and assorted gossip? "I guess Jyoti and I are rock solid now. I am here to work and I want to concentrate on that. But in the end, I don't want to blame the media because in the stories, there is some truth most of the time, except a few occasions when completely bizarre things are written," she ends.

Subdued Eid celebrations in Bollywood

Id-ul-Zuha (Bakri Eid) celebrations were a low-key affair in Bollywood with biggies like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan preferring to stay away from festivities.

Many actors including Aamir, Zayed, Farhan Akhtar, Sajid Khan, Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar wore black bands to protest against the terror attack on Mumbai.

Salman immersed himself in shooting for 'Veer', a film he has scripted, at Film City and exchanged Eid greetings with the cast and crew of the film.

His family is known to celebrate all festivals with family and friends in a big way but they have refrained from doing so this time.

Shah Rukh and Aamir are preparing for the release of their eagerly-awaited films 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' and 'Ghajini' respectively, but are not promoting them in a very lavish manner.

Aamir wore a black band to protest against the "life of terror which people have been forced to lead", while greeting people on the occasion.

Saif Ali Khan is out of the country shooting for his upcoming film and Katrina Kaif is away from Mumbai shooting for Rajkumar Santoshi's 'Aajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani' with Ranbir Kapoor.

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah wondered why Muslims felt obliged to take up token gestures to distance themselves from the 26/11 terror attack.

"Why are Indian Muslims perpetually required to prove their patriotism?," he asked.

Actor Irrfan Khan said the need of the hour was to prevent misuse of religion in the name of terror. He felt the need for all Muslims to come together to fight terrorism.

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar said Indians must fight for their own safety.

Shabana Azmi was of the view that the Mumbai attack had brought the nation closer.

Actress Dia Mirza said that sporting black bands would give out signals against polarisation while Sajid Khan said people could not be terrorised in the name of God.

Bollywood reactions on Mumbai terror attack

The Mumbai terror attacks has left Bollywood angry, shocked and in despair. There few industry men who were busy attending the IFFI (International Film Festival) in Goa there were others who are saddened by the sudden attacks. Here are a few reactions to the nightmare Mumbai experienced two nights in a row.
Dibakar Bannerjee whose Oye Lucky Lucky Oye released this Friday was in Goa when it all happened. He said, "It is so depressing and ghastly. My heartfelt condolences will not reach them but I am going to pray for all of them. We just hope the hostages are release. It is more serious than it looks so. We should as people of Mumbai stand up and fight for our freedom now. I think the politicians should attend to such matter rather than think of elections. I salute the police officers who lost their lives fighting for us at the same time I sympathise with their families. I am sure they must have hidden those bombs earlier inside. They also had such sophisticated guns and yet our officers were fighting them. One of my friend from Jaipur who works for Taj escaped but his wife and daughter were inside. I have not yet heard from them."
Anees Bazmee (No Entry, Welcome) - It’s shocking! It’s really terrible that innocent people have been killed. I was in the process of writing, but since last night I have not been in writing mood. I have been glued to my television. It’s really shocking to know that the perpetrators have been planning this for the past two months and even intelligence did not know who is behind this. Bollywood has always gone out of its way to help and everyone will definitely help. It’s so strange because I went to the Oberoi Hotel for coffee just two days ago.
Filmmaker, Anil sharma - I have not yet started shooting for my film. But it is a very shocking incident. Wish people could think more rationally than taking up arms and fighting like this. They are not going to achieve anything out of this. Why kill innocent people to achieve your means. It is unfortunate that so many able officers have also been killed in the attack. We all stand up to condemn this attack.
Actor Sonu Sood - It’s horrible. I could not get a wink of sleep last nite. What is the world coming to? What a cowardly act it is. Killing the innocent will get them nowhere. It has been shocking. Last nite I was attending an event at the Marriot when I heard the news. We left early. It’s a shame that a few of them are killing people randomly for their own needs. What will they achieve by doing all this? I pray for all the people who have been held hostages. I hope they will be out soon.
Farhan Akhtar sounded very disturbed and condemning the attacks stated - I am in total disbelief and shock! It is high time the govt stops appealling to us to remain calm after such things happen. It is no point remaining calm. It is now time to react! I have been glued my television set all night watching it all unfold. I think it is a failure of our Intelligence department."
Prachi Desai - It’s been a terrible night. I have not slept the whole night. One of my good friends was stuck in Oberoi when it all began. She gave me a call at 2 am and sounded very scared. But luckily she managed to escape out after that. With all this things happening around at regular intervals, the world no longer seems a safe place. This disaster has literally brought our Mumbai to a grinding halt"
Director Apoorva Lakhia of Shootout at Lokhandwala: Film shoots have been cancelled today and that is all I know. It’s too early to say anything about the firing and hostage situation because it’s still going on. I am at home watching television. It’s too early to come to a conclusion.

Farhan Akhtar to dabble in tv production

Four years after being a judge on dance reality show "Nach Baliye", filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar is returning to TV as the host of "Oye! It's Friday!". And there are all chances of him turning producer for the small screen in the near future.
"Production for television is a strong possibility I have in mind for future. We have been thinking over it and I do have a team that has been brainstorming over the idea for some time now. But my hands are so full right now, it's tough to take a call on it," Farhan said.
"As of now, I am dedicating my time entirely to my films. Devoting time to decide the creative aspect of a show we want to produce is not something I feel is possible. But it will happen sometimes," he added.
Farhan is really excited about "Oye! It's Friday!", which will go on air Dec 12.
"'Oye! It's Friday!' seemed like just the concept I wanted to do. After I did 'Nach Baliye', I wasn't averse to the small screen, but everyone was offering me similar reality shows. But when I was approached for this show, I was quite excited.
"They are trying to do something different with TV content and the concept is something new for Indian production," he said.
The show is all about entertainment sans any specific format. It has humour, music, dance performances, and celebrity guests all rolled into a one-hour show.
Farhan will host the first few episodes of the weekly show and then another celebrity will take over the task from him.