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Why Amrita Singh and Jackie Shroff turned down Tiger and Sara.
All this and more in Subhash K Jha's Bollywood buzz.
The censor board says Varun Dhawan can't talk about Alia Bhatt without an NOC (No Objection Certificate) from her. Not on screen anyway.
That's what director David Dhawan and producer Sajid Nadiadwala discovered when Varun makes a passing reference to Alia in Judwaa 2.
The censor board's request has foxed David and Sajid.
"They want an NOC from Alia Bhatt before she can be mentioned in Judwaa 2. Sajid and David argued that Alia is Varun's buddy and therefore, quite cool with being mentioned in Judwaa 2. But the censor board is adamant," says a source close to the development.
"Friend or foe, you have to get an NOC from all living persons mentioned in a film," the source added.
Mahesh Bhatt, Alia's dad, is also mentioned in Judwaa 2, and the filmmakers need to get an NOC from Bhattsaab too.
We aren't done yet.
The Judwaa 2 team must also get an NOC from Poonam Dhillon as she is mentioned in the film too.
"Now you you know why I changed the don's name to Maqsood in Daddy," chuckles Arjun Rampal.
Imagine if Arjun had to get an NOC from Dawood Ibrahim.
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Star parents say no to movies with their kids
It's difficult for children to live up to their superstar parents' reputations and meet audience expectations.
Perhaps the one career mistake Abhishek Bachchan made was to star in films with his towering father in his career.
But Abhishek has no regrets.
"If I had to do it again, I'd still do all those films with Pa. I learnt so much during Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar and Paa. Just standing in the same frame with him is a privilege," he says.
Other star parents and their kids don't think this way.
Jackie Shroff has turned down all offers with son Tiger.
"Let him be, yaar. Let him establish his own image and reputation. If we work together, the janta will love it, but the critics will roast him alive," says Jackie.
Tiger agrees, saying, "I'd rather wait before working with my father. I am in awe of him. Who will look at me when my dad is in the frame?"
This was more or less what Dimple Kapadia told Sanjay Leela Bhansali when he offered the mother-daughter roles in his debut film Khamoshi: The Musical to Dimple and Twinkle.
Dimple suggested that Bhansali cast Twinkle and another actress as the mother. Bhansali preferred to cast Seema Biswas and Manisha Koirala.
We hear Amrita Singh turned down the role of her daughter's elitist mum in Abhishek Kapoor's Kedarnath, the film which marks her daughter Sara Ali Khan's movie debut.
Hema Malini, who refused offers with elder daughter Esha, says, "I can completely understand the reluctance to work with one's child. There will be comparisons that will hurt your child."
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Anil Kapoor turns gayak
Anil Kapoor will sing his own songs in Fanney Khan where he plays an aspiring singer.
"It was earlier decided that Anil would get someone to do his singing, but then Anil plays an aspiring singer. The character has to be shown going from totally off key to tolerably in tune and this transition can't be achieved by a trained singer," says a source.
"So it was decided that Anil would do all the singing himself."
Anil -- who played a composer in Who Saat Din -- has hired a singing coach to understand the nuances of song.
Anil has sung before -- with Salma Agha no less for Bappi Lahiri's 1989 album Welcome. It was what was known those days as a 'private' album.
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Kapil: I will return stronger than ever
The Kapil Sharma Show, currently on a break, will be back on air in a few months after host Kapil Sharma recovers from exhaustion.
Says a puzzled Kapil, "Mujhe samajh main nahin aata yeh sab kaise hua (I don't understand how all this happened). It happened too quickly."
"My show became a source of happiness and laughter for the entire country. I felt blessed. Us ke baad lagta hai kissi ki nazar lag gayi (Then it appears someone's black eye jinxed me). My health suffered. All kinds of nasty rumours were spread about me."
"I never bothered to clarify or correct the misreports about me. I guess some people took advantage of my silence."
Kapil is now healing at an Ayurvedic centre in Bengaluru.
"It is so lovely and quiet here," the television comic star says. "I needed to get away. The noise and stress got the better of me. I feel much better already."
Will Sunil Grover and Ali Asgar return to the show?
"Why not?" asks Kapil.
"It is their show as much as mine. Ghar waapas aane ke liye kisi ki ijaazat ki zaroorat nahin hoti (they don't need anyone's permission to come home)."