Father Geek here posting our 11th Thursday morning column from Darius25 and the rest of the hardworking Asia-AICN crew. Great stuff this week, lots of interesting info, plus some really fun photos of the Big Guy himself. You know we are getting real nice reports on Bollywood, China, and Japan, plus an occasional story out of Korea and Southeast Asia, but a major film producing area has yet to be heard from. That is the Middle East, absolutely no word has crossed Father Geek's desk from Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and so forth. Now I KNOW they have an active industry over there. I see their films in festivals and art houses quite often and they show on the college campus circut repeatedly. So someone get hold of our editor Darius25 and start filling him in on what is happening in Persian cinema. The world wants to know!

On another point, if you have missed out on one of Asia-AICN's many stories, or if you want to go back and re-read something now all you have to do is click on that "More AICN" box over on the left side of the page, select the international column you wish to visit, and then begin scanning thru the story titles in our archives. When you find one that interests you just click on it and it will appear for your enjoyment. There's a wealth of knowledge hidden away in AICN's deep dark vaults.

Asia-AICN #11

Hey all, I hope your week's going well. We have TONNES of new info this week. I just want to remind all of you to keep sending us any scoops you may have, especially on the many other countries in Asia that we do not yet cover, like Iran, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, or Turkey. Of course, any info on China, India, and Japan, is welcome too. Now here's the latest news from Asia.

INDIA

- Actress Karisma Kapoor has joined the cast of Santosh Sivan's Ashoka The Great (Ashoka the Great was a very famous Emperor). It will star Shahrukh Khan as the title character, along with Arwind Swamy and Kapoor's sister Kareena Kapoor.

- Actress Kareena Kapoor has left the production of director Bunty Lutharia's latest film, which stars Ajay Devgan. The film has yet to be titled.

- Kareena Kapoor has also rejected one of director David Dhawan's upcoming films which is to star Salman Khan and Sharad Kapoor. The rumour is that actress Rinke Khanna has accepted to replace her in the film. The film has yet to be titled.

- Actor Anil Kapoor was thrown off producer Mukesh Bhatt's Tumko Meri Kasam (I Promise). The producers blame Kapoor for production delays, due to his constant absenteeism.

- Actress Pooja Batra has walked off the sets of the film Midnight Princess.

- One of Tabu's next films will be Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar (Don't Take It To The Heart). She'll be paired opposite Manoj Bajpai.

- This seems to be a week where a lot of people are leaving many films. It seems that Nandita Das is leaving the production of Deepa Mehta's Water. This is quite surprising since Das starred in both previous parts of Mehta's elemental trilogy - Fire, and Earth. Mehta even picked Das (who's still relatively unknown) over popular actress Manisha Koirala for this film. There's even bigger news that the actress getting ready to replace Das will be none other than Aishwarya Rai. If this turns out to be true, then Rai will star along with Akshay Kumar and Shabana Aazmi in the film.

- For you South Indian fans, Actor Vijaykanth will have three roles in the film Simhasanam (Sorry, I don't know the meaning of this). He will play a father and his two sons. Vijaykanth will star along Khushboo, Ambika, Viji, Manthra, and Radhika Chowdhury in the film.

- South Indian actor Prashant will sing a song in his latest film, Parthein Rasithein (Again, sorry, I don't know the meaning of this), to be directed by Saran. Actresses Simran and Laila will also co-star in the film.

- Ok, I think this is the last of this week's walk-outs. It seems that actress Karishma Kapoor is following her younger sister's lead and has walked out of producer Bunty Soorma's latest project which is to star Bobby Deol and Hrithik Roshan. Kapoor gave the common used reason of date problems. The film has yet to be titled.

- Indian MTV VJ Malaika Arora wowed many with her special appearance in a song for the film Dil Se (From the Heart). Well, she's set to do another song number in the movie Bichchoo (Scorpion). The movie stars Bobby Deol and Rani Mukherjee.

- Speaking of Bichchoo (Scorpion), director Guddu Dhanoa has backed out of a war and postponed its release by another week. As I mentioned in Asia-AICN #9, Dhanoa was worried about the film because potential blockbuster Refugee had changed its release date to June 30, the same day as Bichchoo's release. As a result, Bichchoo will release now on July 7, 2000.

Now here's Runciter99 with additional info on Bollywood:

- The International Indian Film Awards (IIFA) were held at the London Millenium Dome a couple of days back on June 24, 2000. They awards were watched by over 1 billion people. Stars like Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie, Kylie Minouge, as well as the obvious big name stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan, among tons of others, were in attendance. Akshay Kumar demonstrated a neatly choreographed array of martial arts on stage and said his inspiration was Jackie Chan. Chan accepted the IIFA awards for International Cinema. Other winners include a best actor win for Sanjay Dutt for Vaastav (Reality), a best actress win for Aishwarya Rai for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (I Have Given My Heart To You), best contribution to Indian cinema in the last 5 years went to Shahrukh Khan, lifetime achievement awards went to Sunil Dutt and Lata Mangeshkar, Best film and director went to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (I Have Given My Heart To You). Anil Kapoor won for Taal (Beat) in the best supporting actor category, and the biggest achievement was Amitabh Bachchan's victory in the poll of Madame Tussaude's Who is to be waxed at the museum. His speech was an amazing one and made the rest of the speeches look like hogwash.

- On other fronts, Karan Johar's mega movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad) starring Amitabh Bachchan, SRK, Hrithik Roshan, Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, and Kareena Kapoor; is all set to shoot in London with an estimated 5 million pound production cost making it the most expensive film in Indian history.

- Abhishek Bachchan is all set to rock in Refugee releasing this upcoming weekend (June 30). In a very anti-traditional launchpad, pre-release reports say that Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek are the stars of tomorrow and that Hrithik is definitely going to get a run for his money (I don't think so ? - D25)

- Shahrukh Khan has just been going to the gym recently to work out for his role as Ashoka the Emperor in the film Ashoka the Great. The movie will be shot in one straight schedule with SRK giving bulk dates (usually rare for him to do so since he works usually in shifts on a film). However, he's hoping this film will bring him international acclaim as the film is being directed by none other than Santosh Sivan who is India's finest cinematographer (there was a recent article about him in the American Cinematographer) and he's a brilliant director who has done The Terrorist, Halo, and Malli (all of which have been critically acclaimed).

- Several major budget films are releasing this Deewali (It's an Indian holiday and a festival of lights. It usually falls somewhere in early November) and definitely some major trouble will occur if all these films do actually release at the same time. First off is the mega box-office juggernaut, Mohabbatein (Love Affairs) starring Amitabh Bachchan and SRK, and directed by Aditya Chopra, the man who brought us the remarkable Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (Lovers Will Take Their Brides Away). Also, there is Mission Kashmir starring Sanjay Dutt, Jackie shroff, and Hrithik Roshan. This is directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra who did Parinda (Dove) and 1942: A love Story. The film is said to be mind-blowing. Other films include Lagaan (Tax) starring Aamir Khan. Aamir for the first time turns producer with this film as well. The film has a mega international cast as it is set in 1850s rural India specifically at a village in Bhuj during British rule. Then there is Raju Chacha (Uncle Raju) starring Ajay Devgun, Kajol and Rishi Kapoor. The film is said to be a remake of the Sound of Music, however, Ajay Devgan (he's producing the film) plans to delay the film because it most probably will get crushed by the films mentioned above. Then Raj Kanwar's mega budget action flick Farz (Duty) starring action-king Sunny Deol and Jackie Shroff as the villain. The film has taken long to make due to its stunning action sequences but it is now complete and ready to be released. However, Raj Kanwar wants to release it earlier to increase box office success. Finally, there's also director Raj Kumar Santoshi's Lajja (Ashamed) with Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Ajay Devgan, Rekha, Manisha Koirala, Mahima Chaudhary, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai.

- The soundtrack of director Harry Baweja's film Deewane was recently released and it is selling like hot cakes. The film's music is done by Sanjeev-Darshan who did the immensely successful music album for the film Mann (Feeling). The film stars Ajay Devgun in a double role, Urmila, and Mahima Chaudhary in a very special appearance.

Ok, I Darius25 am back again with this week's new release and recommendation.

- The movie released last Friday (June 23) was Tarkieb (Idea), directed by Esmayeel Shroff. It is a murder mystery starring Nana Patekar, Tabu, Shilpa Shetty , Ashutosh Rana, and newcomer Milind Soman. Patekar plays a detective investigating the murder of a nurse (Tabu) in which there are seven suspects. The primary suspects are her fiancee (Milind Soman), a fellow nurse (Shilpa Shetty) and a doctor in the hospital that she worked at (Ashutosh Rana). There hasn't been a good murder mystery in Bollywood since 1997's Gupt (Secret) so this movie sounds pretty good. But as with most Indian thrillers, expect the songs to interfere with the suspense and as with almost ALL murder mysteries, expect a disappointing killer with an even more disappointing motive.

- Now, because a mystery movie released last week, allow me to recommend one of the best mysteries I have ever seen, at least in Bollywood anyway. The movie is Gupt (Secret) and it is directed by Rajiv Rai. It stars Bobby Deol as a fugitive on the lam and all bets are off on who the killer is because virtually everyone in the movie are villains in other movies. Every mystery movie has one obvious suspect that seems bad, but this one has at least seven or eight characters who have some motivation of killing the victim. The movie is taut, suspenseful, and I almost guarantee that it will keep you guessing till the end, and not in that General's Daughter way either. Yes there are some twists, but nobody's a ghost or Keyzer Soze here ? Other than the story (admittedly it's pure action/mystery formula - just like The Fugitive), there are other good things about the movie. First, the movie is surprisingly hillarious for an action movie. Om Puri completely RULES as the hotshot cop chasing Deol throughout the film. Just the way he parodies Tommy Lee Jones' role in The Fugitive is worth alone the cost of this movie's rental. Also, the production design is very good and the songs are pure AWESOME. Music director Viju Shah has constantly provided good music and this one is no exception. He very casually mixes classical Indian music with more contemporary dance music and its' a complete blast to hear, especially in Dolby Digital 5.1!! The direction again is very good and the movie always retains its suspense throughout its over two and a half hours' running time. In summary, if you dig action thrillers, and are just looking to be entertained, you will not be bored with Gupt. If you're interested in buying Gupt (Secret) on DVD or Video, here's a link: By Clicking Here

CHINA

The following was reported by "The Accidental Spy":

- Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and director Ang Lee all attented the premiere of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in HK last week. Chow Yun-fat told the press that there are four projects that he has confirmed to do in 2001, and he would have a major talk with John Woo about "King's Ransom" this August. Chow's wife added that John Woo has promised to save the best of his Hollywood career for Chow. The script of "King's Ransom" is in working.

- HK actor Leon Lai(Fallen Angels, Sausalito) would join a North Korean production titled "Dreams of Angels". Lai plays a private detective in this film which is also starring Korean Actor and Actress like Kim Jiryu and Lee Nayoung and directed by Bob Heijin.

- Chinastar Studio announced some projects which would start shooting later this year, including:

- "Beastic Pupils", starring Daniel Wu (Purple Storm) and Louis Koo (Zu Warrior 2), a boxing action thriller directed by Patrick Leung ("Somebody up There like Me", "Task Force"), who was the second-unit director of John Woo classics like "Once a Thief" and "Hard-boiled". Patrick Leung is a real talent, check out his "Somebody up There like Me", a truly impressive boxing and romantic film starring Aaron Kwok and Sammo Hung. "Beastic Pupils" is probably a promising follow-up to that.

- "Emergency! Mob World on Fire", a light-weighted comedy directed by Dante Lam ("When I Look Upon the Stars" and co-director of "Beast Cops") and starring Tony Leung Ka-Fei ("The Victim", Prison on Fire"), Sandra Ng ("Portland Street Blues", "Juliet in Love"), Eason Chan ("Twelve Nights", "City of Glass") and Josie Ho ("Purple Storm").

- "Black Mask 2", directed by Tsui Hark, starring Louis Koo.

- "P.T.U.", directed by Johnny To and starring Simon Yam ("Naked Killer", "The Mission") and Maggie Siu("The Longest Night").

- "Saving Job", also directed by Johnny To and starring Ekin Cheng ("The Stormriders" and "Young & Dangerous series"), Jordan Chan ("Y&D series") and Gigi Lai ("Young & Dangerous 1-3").

- A not-yet-titled kung fu movie directed by Derek Yee ("Viva Erotica" and "Full Throttle") and starring Zhao Wen-Zhou, who had once replaced Jet Li as Master Wong in "Once upon a Time in China 4 and 5". Derek Yee directing a kung fu movie sounds REAL interesting!

- "Gen-Y Cops" is now increasing its budget with the money from Hollywood's Urgent Studios, a company most famous for releasing the Oscar-winning "Gods and Monsters". The movie's official website Right Here is up and includes an English version.

JAPAN

A new correspondent called STONE sent in a group of very interesting photos of the World's Biggest Motion Picture Star working on his 29th screen appearance. Here is one of them for your enjoyment, We may share more of them with you next week... if you want to see more like these just ask in talkback...

The following was reported by "Pigmon":

- Takeshi Kitano will be appearing in Shinji Hukasaku's "Battle Royal". Takeshi will play an ex-school teacher who supervises a large students' riot, in which 42 students participate. All of the students have to kill each other until one survives !? Shooting should start early next month and it will be releasing on November 25 in Japan through Toei.Takeshi's samurai project(still rumor) will go forward after "Battle Royal".

- "Heaven's Burning" will finally be showing in the land of rising sun. A co-Japanese financed Aussie film, "Heaven's Burning", which stars Russell Crowe and Yuuki Kudo ("Snow Falling On Cedears"), will be showing in Japan in October after 3 years of completion. This is one of worst movie in the last 2 decades. Russell Crowe should delete this film from his resume. It has really bad acting , direction, story, etc. I saw this movie 3 years ago in Brisbane,Australia on opening day. There were just 3 people in the audience (including me) on a 7 PM showing. All the news papers did recommended to not see it. Because of the big success of "Gladiator" in Japan, all the Japanese girls are just hungry to see any Russell Crowe film. "Gladiator " is number one in Japan for three weeks in a row and counting.

- A Godzilla stamp has been issued on June 23rd. Not only stamp collectors, but Godzilla and movie fans have rushed to the local post office to get them. The design is of 1954's original Godzilla, but colourized. In the near future, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai stamps will be issued. Here's a picture of the Godzilla stamp:

- Keanu Reeves' Dog Star is touring in Japan now. Keanue did an interview at Tower Records in Tokyo on June 24th..He did not answer any questions of films,just talking about music. He said that he wanted to play with Bono of U2 someday.

- An Osaka-based director, Junji Sakamoto will direct the remake of "Jinginaki Tatakai", a famous Yakuza movie. Shooting will start soon. Junji Sakamoto's new film, "Kao(Face)" will be showing at the night only because of its mature subject matter. Based on a true story about a female serial killer's journey. She changes her personality and looks every time she moves to another city. "Kao" is a spooky and funny film.

- "Gundam", a first full CG simulation movie, will be opening July 20 (originally August) at Fujikyo High Land. There will be the world's largest Gundam toy store in the film theater.

The column is now coming to an end for another week. Don't forget to keep sending the scoops on any news from all of Asia at our offices. See you all next week.

- Darius25