Mulling Dhoom 3

Dhoom 2, the Yash Raj Films’ sequel to Dhoom, is yet to be released but talks are already on to launch Dhoom 3. The buzz is that Yash Raj is keen to sign Shah Rukh Khan in the role of the villain in its third Dhoom film. The film industry’s grapevine has it that scripting and pre-production work on the movie is currently on and the star cast is being debated. The Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra duo present in the first film and its sequel is expected to feature in the third version as well. Dhoom 3 is slated to be much bigger and hence stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, and Kareena Kapoor are also being discussed. Another significant addition will be that of Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranbir who would have, by then, made his debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Saanwariya.

The most significant change, one hears, will be the absence of film maker Sanjay Gadhvi who was at the helm of the original Dhoom and its sequel.

East to tune in

Come January, Calcutta will no longer be the only city in the east to boast of private radio. Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, will get its first private FM radio station in two months’ time. Behind the venture is a young Siliguri-based entrepreneur — Poonam Agrawal — who set up Chinar Circuits to dabble in radio. Agrawal, a management graduate from the US, will also launch a radio station in her hometown Siliguri where her company won a frequency in the FM bidding process earlier this year.

Rumi ropes in Sanjay

Writer Rumi Jaffrey whose film God Tussi Great Ho, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Anupam Kher, will be his directorial debut, is already planning another film. Jaffrey hopes that Sanjay Dutt would be let off soon in the bomb blast case and met him recently to discuss a film to be produced by K Sera Sera. The film will apparently also star John Abraham in the lead role. If all goes well for Dutt, shooting for the film will start in December.

Priyanka’s hands are full

Rumi Jaffery reminds one of Priyanka Chopra who stars in God Tussi Great Ho. Look how busy Ms Chopra is: she features in Don. She has signed on Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam with Pritish Nandy Communications, Deodhar Gandhi opposite Sunny Deol and Shyam Benegal’s Chamki Chameli with Sanjay Dutt. Her film with Govinda — Ek Haseena Ek Deewana — has now been renamed Bekasoor. Also on the list are Nikhil Advani’s Salaam-e-Ishq and Feroz Khan’s remake of Qurbani. The girl is moving up and fast.

INS’ Mumbai plans

It will be a Rs 120 crore to Rs 140 crore venture for the Indian Newspaper Society. The newspaper association, which has over 990 newspaper and magazine owners as its members, plans to build an office in Mumbai on land given to it at a concessional rate by the Maharashtra government. Of course, the plan to build the INS office is already courting controversy as one camp within the body attempted to rope in a private builder to construct the building in lieu of 40 per cent space being allotted to him. Obviously some members of the INS objected.

A senior office bearer says that attempts are being made to resolve the crisis. “We would like to raise loans to make the building. Other than creating office space for all the members and earning a rent, a substantial part of the building could also be leased to advertising agencies,” he says.