★ Sohail Khan's "JAIHO" next starring Salman Khan !

Subhash K. Jha, April 29, 2013



Rubbishing reports that the new Salman Khan filmMental is releasing on November 22, Sohail Khan says, “That I am releasing the film on November 22 is news to me also. Now people are deciding for me when I’ll release my film without my knowledge.”

Laughing off the rumours Sohail says he’s aiming for a year-end release for Mental. “The way the shooting is going I might make it by the end of the year, Inshallah. But I haven’t locked in on a date yet.”

Sources close to the film say Salman and his brother Sohail aim to release in the middle of December, weeks ahead of Dhoom 3.

Says the source, “Salman wants Mental to make it by December. But he won’t let it clash with Dhoom 3. It stars two people who are very precious to him Aamir Khan and Katrina. He knows the Salman juggernaut would mow down every other film in sight. He won’t do that to Dhoom 3.”

bollywood hungama

Sohail denies quoting Rs 130 crore for Mental's theatrical rights

Nupur Chaudhuri, TNN | May 12, 2013



Recently, several media reports stated that actor-director Sohail Khan is quoting an astronomical price of 130 crore for the all-India theatrical rights of his next film 'Mental', starring big brother Salman Khan. However, Sohail completely denies this and says the reports are absolutely false.

"I have never quoted this price. The film is growing at every stage and thus these things keep changing," he said. The price, he added, will be quoted close to the release of Mental and it will be a transparent figure.

Going by Salman's great run at the BO with his last few films - Ek Tha Tiger (approx 198 crore) and the Dabangg franchise ( Dabangg: approx 145 crore; Dabanng 2: crossed 150 crore mark), Sohail hopes that he would get a high figure from distributors.

"This 130 crore figure must be coming from the trade pundits, I don't know. But closer to the release, I'm hoping that I myself might be pleasantly surprised with the price I get," he added.

Sohail will also be working with Salman on Sher Khan. The film was apparently delayed because Salman wanted the tiger in the film to be as impressive as Richard Parker, the tiger in Ang Lee's Life of Pi (LOP).

"We have the storyboard ready and Sher Khan is in its pre-production stage. An international special effects team is working on this. The tiger in LOP was beautifully shot. The whole world knows what a tiger looks like so we can't cheat the audience on that front," he said.

TOI

Salman Khan trains Santosh Shukla

Akash Wadhwa, TNN | May 17, 2013



Santosh's is back in town in a lean avatar - all thanks to Salman Khan

Actor Santosh Shukla, who was last seen in Bigg Boss, is on cloud nine these days. "Aur hoon bhi kyun na, I am getting training for my next film directly under the Khan of all Khans - Salman Khan for Sohail Khan's Mental," he gushes.

Adding further, he says, "I trained for the action sequences with a special trainer but Salman bhai was not happy with my training and looks. So, he decided to train me with the help of his personal trainer Rakesh. All three of us go to Bhai's farmhouse in Mumbai and then he runs with me for 10 kms. Once we are done with that, he makes me do 400 push-ups of 25 sets each and 300 crunches. He has made me lose 15 kgs! And finally, after so much training, he is happy with my new lean avatar."

And Santosh seems to be reaping the benefits of his newfound friendship with Salman Khan. "After Mental, I have signed another movie with Bhai, Kick, to be directed by Sajid Nadiadwala. Salman bhai's company has proved really lucky for me," he smiles.

Talking of TV, we ask if Santosh has bid goodbye to the medium. "I was offered Jhalak Dikhlaja and Maharana Pratap on TV, which I refused. As of now, I am not interested in doing anything on TV. My focus is to make a place for myself in Bollywood," he says.

Back to his hometown, Lucknow, Santosh is happy to be with his friends and family. "Sohail bhai (Khan) gave us a 10-day break from shooting and I immediately came down to Lucknow to be with my family and friends. I am the kind of a person who gets homesick very soon," he says.

And he sure is having fun back home. "I am spending time partying with friends every night. They keep asking me to tell them stories about Bollywood and my movie. More than me, they are excited about the release of Mental. On Wednesday, I rode around in Hazratganj on my bike and it was an awesome experience. It was fun with everyone staring at me and trying to place who I am."

TOI

Tuesday, May 21, 2013



Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s next movie ‘Mental’, directed by brother Sohail Khan has been in news for all sorts of reason.

First the confusion about the leading lady until they settled for Tabu, Daisy Shah and Sana Khan.

The title was an issue and then the release date. There were reports that Sohail and Salman Khan were not happy with the title ‘Mental’.

Sohail rubbished all such rumours and told Emirates24|7, “It is a satire and we perfectly believe that it is the right title (‘Mental’) and is complementary to the script”.

Speculations on the release date during Eid festival have been doing the rounds but Sohail is a cool customer. He believes in completing his task and wants to focus on the creative side rather than getting bogged down with such issues.

Speaking exclusively to Emirates24|7 in Dubai, where he was shooting for a property promo, Sohail Khan killed speculation about an Eid release.

‘Mental’ has completed four schedules and Sohail gave us a tentative date, “The movie will be released in January 2014”.

Sohail was inspired by the Telugu hit ‘Stalin’ and decided to make ‘Mental’ starring his brother Salman Khan in the lead along with Tabu, newcomer Daisy Shah and Sana Khan.

For the past three years Salman has been delivering consecutive hits at the box office, creating a new benchmark in the industry.

His movies have also been fetching record breaking revenue for the makers.

Their younger brother Arbaaz Khan has been lucky to cross the 100 crore (INR) mark when he directed Salman in his last two movies ‘Dabangg’ and ‘Dabangg 2’.

Talking about the pressure of delivering similar results, Sohail said, “Whenever Salman is there (in a movie) and if you don’t deliver Rs100 crore then it is a matter of concern.

“But now I am not chasing any figure. I am enjoying my role as a director and I want my brother to be proud of me.”
Emirates 24/7

VICKY LALWANI, Mumbai Mirror | May 22, 2013



Shooting had come to a halt, courtesy the impasse between them and their Mumbai counterparts.

The Lavasa shoot of Salman Khan starrer Mental, which had come to a grinding halt last month, will finally resume next week, all thanks to Salman.

Filming at the hill city had come to a standstill because of the impasse between action artistes from Mumbai and those from Chennai and Hyderabad over what the southern fighters perceived as inadequate representation and pay vis-a-vis their Bollywood counterparts.

The disgruntled artistes had approached FEFSI (Film Employees' Federation of South India) but even that hadn't helped, and they had returned to Chennai, abandoning the action schedule mid-way.

While Salman and producer, brother Sohail, lost around 12 days of shooting and incurred losses to the tune of Rs 25 crore in the interim, Salman has now decided not to work with the southern fighters at all.

A friend of the actor told Mirror: "Salman has decided to cancel their contracts. It is doubtful they will be given credits as they have hardly done any work on the film."

The gripe of the south-based fighters had been that there were only three of them for every seven from Mumbai, and that they were being paid 50 per cent less than their Bollywood peers.

However, FWICE (Federation of Western India Cine Employees) President, Dharmesh Tiwari came out in support of Salman's decision saying: "As per the All India Film Employees Confederation (AIFEC), 70 per cent of the fighters have to be local (in this case from the Hindi film industry) and 30 per cent from the region of the fight master (the south in this case). The demand by the southern fighters for 50 per cent representation is unreasonable and just not acceptable. They have to adhere to the rules. I had a meeting with Sohail sometime ago, and I don't think Salman's decision is wrong."

Mumbai Mirror

Guess Who?

(May 25, 2013)

Ever since this film went on the floors, everyone has been wondering when it would hit the marquee. The reason: it is expected to make and break records, which is why everyone is looking forward to its release.

Last we heard was that the movie would release at the end of 2013, a week before another big film is set to release. In fact, after this rumour, every director has been trying to shift and change their release dates.

Now, news is the film will not release this year and will hit the cinemas early next year. Let’s wait-n-watch!

BOI

Danny's back with a bang

Dibyojyoti Baksi | June 06, 2013



Actor Danny Denzongpa, who has been missing in action for quite some time now, seems to be making a comeback with some big-budget projects like Salman Khan’s Mental and, reportedly, Akshay Kumar-starrer, Boss. There were rumours about the actor doing Karan Malhotra’s Shuddhi with Hrithik Roshan as well, but recent developments suggest that he will be working on Siddharth Anand’s Bang Bang instead.

“The media was confused as Hrithik is acting in both Shuddhi and Bang Bang. Danny was never approached for Shuddhi, but he is playing a very important role in Bang Bang,” says the actor’s spokesperson.

A spokesperson from Fox Star Studios which is producing Bang Bang also confirms the news, saying, “Danny is one of those iconic actors who bring a whole new interpretation to every role they take on. He plays the villain in Bang Bang. It’s a gripping, intense character, and the film has exciting action sequences.” The cast and crew of the film went to Greece, but Danny did not accompany them as his portion is not being shot there.

The actor is also going to start shooting for Sohail Khan’s Mental. “Danny will start shooting with Salman from today (Thursday),” says his spokesperson. The next schedule is in Pune.

Hindustan Times

June 15, 2013






He’s not signed a film that will be shot in 3D but Salman Khan is toying with converting a film into 3D. The movie in question is Sohail Khan’s Mental, which Khan is currently shooting.
We’re told that Khan recently watched the footage of the film and a 3D version would be like sone pe suhaga. Wasting no time, he asked his production team to get in touch with Prime Focus Studios.
We’re told that the Prime Focus team told Khan that converting the film into 3D would enhance its entertainment value. We’re also told that there is a long fight sequence at the end of the film, where Khan takes on more than a hundred people. Imagine what 3D would do for this climax scene!
BOI

Nadira Babbar plays Salman's mother in 'Mental'

Priya Gupta, TNN | Jul 7, 2013



Salman Khan shares a very good equation with the Babbars. The actor had campaigned for Raj Babbar during the last Lok Sabha elections in his constituency, Firozabad (Uttar Pradesh). This had even helped Raj win the seat.

Salman has also acted with Arya Babbar inReady (2011). And when Shatrughan Sinha dropped out of Bodyguard (2011) where he was to play Kareena Kapoor's father, Salman had requested Raj to step in. Raj did so graciously and didn't charge a single penny for it. But Salman had gifted him a luxury car as a token of appreciation.

Now, we hear, Nadira Babbar, a powerhouse theatre performer and director, who has restricted her film appearances to the minimum — she was last seen in Bride and Prejudice (2004) — is playing Salman's mother in Mental.

The schedule is currently on in Hyderabad. Nadira was overheard telling a friend, "Working with Salman has been such fun that it makes me wonder why I stayed away from films all my life!"

TOI

Salman's 'Mental' likely to be called 'Jai Ho'

Jul 13, 2013



Salman Khan's next that is scheduled to come on January 24, 2014 and is tipped off as the big-ticket Republic Day Bollywood release has shades of patriotism in it.

It is the remake of Andhra superstar Chiranjeevi's Stalin (2006) where the hero was a Major in the Indian Army. And the hero's sole aspiration in the film was to make the world a better place for civilians.

Keeping the subject matter and the release period (Republic Day) in mind, Salman and his team of advisors are contemplating calling the film Jai Ho instead of Mental.

TOI

July 27, 2013

The VFX of Sohail Khan Productions’ Mental is underway at Prime Focus Studios. Produced and directed by Sohail Khan, the film features Salman Khan in the lead.

BOI

We Want Mental Poster, urge Salman Khan’s fans, trends on Twitter

Shobhit Kalra | Fri, 16 Aug 2013

Mumbai: Everyone is aware of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s fondness. But this apparently would be the first instance when fans are appealing producers to release the poster of any film. Yes, Dabangg Khan’s fans are urging to bring out the poster of his upcoming film ‘Mental’.

Millions of fans of the superstar Khan took to micro-blogging website Twitter to urge their favorite star to bring out the first look of his upcoming film Mental. And soon #WeWantMentalPoster became a trend on Twitter.

Directed and produced by Sohail Khan, Mental stars Salman Khan, Sana Khan, Daisy Shah and Tabu. Film’s music has been given by composer duo Sajid-Wajid.

Meanwhile, seeing the keenness of fans, it seems as Salman Khan’s yet another flick is set to break records at the Bollywood box office.

The film is slated for January 2014 release.

PardaPhash

Sallu’s Ganpati changes abode

Meanwhile...

Mental may soon get a new moniker

Salman's next film Mental may release as Jai Ho instead.

But the change will not be an easy one as the producer of the film, Sohail Khan, needs no objection letters, from Ramesh Taurani, Nikhil Advani and Madhur Bhandarkar, as the three had registered the same title a couple of years ago.

At the time of going to press, we learnt that Nikhil has already cleared the decks for Sohail while Ramesh will deliberate on the issue after getting back from his Bangkok holiday.

"Nobody has called me for the title yet. I will come back and check on this," Ramesh told us.

Bhandarkar, who parted with the title Gutka for Karan Johar some months back, too is yet to issue the letter.

Mirror has it that Sohail is also toying with the idea of naming the film Aazad.

Mumbai Mirror

August 24, 2013

The VFX of Sohail Khan Productions’ Mental is in progress at Prime Focus Studios. Produced and directed by Sohail Khan, the film features Salman Khan in the lead.

BOI

It’s NOT Mental Or Jai Ho, It’s Azaad

harshita | August 24, 2013



Ever since Sohail Khan started shooting his next directorial with Salman Khan in the lead, there’s been massive speculation around the title of the film. The first title that hit the grapevine was ‘Mental’ but there was no confirmation from Sohail Khan or his production team. Later, when it was announced that the film would release on Republic day 2014, a new title surfaced. This time, the grapevine said ‘Jai Ho’. Again, there was no confirmation from Sohail Khan and his team.

Now we’re told the film, a mammoth venture, finally has a title –Azaad. In all probability, the poster of the film will read ‘Salman Khan in and as Azaad’. Well, we think it’s apt.

BOI

Vikas Bhalla bags Salman Khan’s 'Mental'

Tejashree Bhopatkar, TNN | Sep 23, 2013



The voice behind the super-duper hit song, 'Po..Po...' from the movie Son Of Sardar is now all set to feature in Salman Khan's awaited movie 'Mental'. Yes, we are talking about actor-singer, Vikas Bhalla.

A few days back, TOI wrote about Vikas Bhallareturning to the small screen with Star Plus's crime thriller Arjun, wherein the actor will essay the role of a psycho killer. However, as per the latest information, there is something more interesting for Vikas Bhalla fans.

A source said, "Vikas Bhalla has bagged a cameo role in the Salman Khan starrer Mental which is produced and directed by Sohail Khan."

When questioned, Vikas Bhalla confirms the news, "Yes, it's a cameo yet a very strong role. I have shot scenes with Salman Khan and I should not miss this chance to say that it was excellent working with him."

Way to go Vikas!!!

TOI

Salman Khan's father prefers 'Jai Ho' over 'Mental'

Oct 8, 2013



Heard that the Khan khandaan was divided on the title of Salman Khan's next film.

While many preferred the original title, 'Mental',the patriarch of the family, Salim Khan, preferred 'Jai Ho'.

Salman loves and respects his father tremendously and so, his January 2014 release will be called Jai Ho.

Also, heard that the suggestion to call the film'Azaad' — yet another name that did the rounds for a short while — was shot down.

TOI

Sohail-Salman film bags Rs 110-cr deal

Bharati Dubey | Nov 1, 2013



Eros International has acquired the distribution rights of Salman Khan's Jai Ho.

The industry grapevine is that the deal was signed for Rs 110 crore.

Some of the other players in the race were Disney UTV and Fox Star Studio and buzz is that with the winning bid, Eros has netted distribution right for both India and overseas.

Sohail was in talks to sell the distribution rights since almost two months.

Eros and Salman go back a long way. The production house had earlier distributed Wantedand Ready, bought the overseas rights of Dabanggand Dabangg 2 and even produced Veer.

Jai Ho, which is slated for a January 2014 release, is being directed and produced by Salman's brother Sohail Khan.

The film also stars Sana Khan, Daisy Shah and Tabu in main roles.

Mumbai Mirror

“For any cinematographer, location plays a very important part”

Soumita Sengupta (November 9, 2013)
Cinematographer Santosh Thundiyil talks about his journey and upcoming film Jai Ho

Background

I did my higher studies from FTII and graduated in 1994. I was always interested in photography and knew I wanted to do films. I like the cinematic creativity of films.

First Project

My first project was Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (KKHH). I had earlier shot a film with a friend but it never got released. Karan Johar had seen the rushes of that film and signed me for KKHH. To be honest, I didn’t have any experience and I had no idea how the industry worked. But Karan wanted a young cameraman whose vision would match his own.

Shooting A Horror Film

One of my more interesting projects was Kaal, a horror film. We finished the film in 53 days! During that time, films were three hours long but this one was just two hours and 30 minutes. After watching Kaal, Rakesh Roshan offered me Krrish. Post that there was no looking back for me.

On Jai Ho

I had worked with Sohail Khan around ten years ago. Recently, I got a call from his production house for Jai Ho. Sohail was very clear about what he wanted and said he wanted to shoot the film in a very cinematic way. We have covered different parts of Mumbai and Maharashtra in our film. For any cinematographer, location plays a very important part. Jai Ho is not your typical South remake. The action in the film has been shot very differently and it has a lot of emotion.

On Salman Khan

He is one of the most cooperative actors I have ever worked with. After giving a shot, he would ask me if I wanted to improvise or do it differently. He understands the frame perfectly.

BOI

Now Something About Jai Ho

Soumita Sengupta (November 9, 2013)



Salman Khan is busy shooting for Jai Ho. According to a source close to the unit, “It’s the last shooting schedule of Jai Ho in Mumbai. After this, the team will head for Romania for a song shoot. It’s a romantic song which will be shot with Salman Khan and leading lady of the film Daisy Shah.”

Speaking of romance in the film, the source reveals, “There is a romantic angle but more than that, Jai Ho focuses on the brother-sister bonding played by Salman Khan and Tabu.”

Jai Ho’s last schedule will come to a wrap on November 26 and the team will head for post-production. It is scheduled to release on January 24, 2014.

BOI

Jai Ho for Genelia!



Vickey Lalwani, Mumbai Mirror | Nov 22, 2013

While speculation is rife about Genelia D'Souza doing a cameo in Sohail Khan's Jai Ho, Mirror has it that Genelia has almost finished shooting her portion which is not a special appearance but a well-developed role that will extend beyond the interval.

The film co-stars Salman Khan, Daisy Shah and Sanaa Khan. Genelia was spotted on the set in a wheelchair.

Says a source close to the unit, "It's a challenging role and Genelia surprised everyone by canning her shots in one or two takes."

Mumbai Mirror

Eros Intl co-produces Salman Khan's Jai Ho

Nov 27, 2013



Eros International Media Ltd. (Eros International) has announced that it will co-produce Sohail Khan Productionz’s forthcoming film Jai Ho which has Salman Khan in its lead.

Presented by Eros International, produced by Sohail Khan and Sunil Lulla, Jai Ho is scheduled to release on January 24, 2014. The highly anticipated film will be the superstar’s next release after the blockbuster Dabangg 2. Jai Ho is slated to be an out and out entertainer and showcases Salman as a hero of the masses in a socially relevant theme.

Commenting on the announcement, Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd said, “With Eros associated with most of Salman’s recent releases, we are very happy to extend this relationship with Jai Ho. Once again, audiences are in for a treat with their favourite star springing a surprise with this unusually themed film. We are excited about this collaboration with Sohail for Jai Ho which promises to be high on entertainment.”

Sohail Khan added, “We have worked closely with Eros in the past on the film Partner and I’m looking forward to extending this successful partnership with Jai Ho.”

bollywood hungama

Salman Khan's Jai Ho tattooed on Santosh Shukla

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Report by Faisal Saif, Mumbai: Santosh Shukla, who entertained his fans on small screen, is all set to enter Bollywood with Salman Khan’s Jai Ho. Santosh Shukla is all praises for Salman and has started considering him his mentor. He has also got himself tattooed with their upcoming film Jai Ho.

Santosh plays a negative character in the film and according to the sources, he plays one of the biggest villians roles of the industry. The film is produced by none other than Sohail Khan and on being asked about the film, Santosh said, “I am very excited. I am looking forward to the film and audience in Bollywood with get to see a different avatar of Santosh.”

“I am happy to work with my favorite superstar Salman Khan as he is my dear friend and elder brother and now he has become my mentor in the industry,” signed off Santosh.

India Education Diary

★ Salman Khan bonds with his Jai Ho mom !

Subhash K. Jha, Nov 28, 2013

Salman Khan insisted on the movie-shy theatre stalwart Nadira Babbar for his mom's role in Jai Ho. And the bonding is there for everyone to see.

In the past it was Reema Lagoo who constantly played Salman's mother in film after film since Main Pyar Kiya. In his recent films barring Dabangg, where Dimple Kapadia played his mother, Salman's character has not had a mother-figure in his reel life. In the Dabanggsequel, the mother was no more.

And that isn't a coincidence.

Says a source very close to Salman, "Bhai takes the mother's role in all his films very seriously. There was a time after Maine Pyar Kiya when Reemaji (Reema Lagoo) was Salman's favourite screen-mom and he insisted on having her play his mom. After Reemaji the one screen-mom whom he really warmed up to was Hemaji."

Apparently, when a screen-mom was required in Sohail Khan's Jai Ho, Salman insisted on Nadira Babbar.

Says the source, "Salman is really close to the Babbar family. Raj Babbar Saab stepped in to play Kareena Kapoor's father in Bodyguard on Salman's insistence. And now Nadiraji who doesn't care to act in films has agreed to play his mom in Jai Ho only because he was very keen."

The last time Nadiraji was seen on screen was as Aishwarya Rai's mom in Gurinder Chadha's Bride & Prejudice9 years ago.

Confirming his wife's return to screen Raj Babbar says, "Nadira did this film with Salman because she is very fond of him. We all are. We can never say no to him."

bollywood hungama

Salman Khan To Introduce Amal Malik

Soumita Sengupta (November 30, 2013)



He’s known for his big heart and for launching many actors and supporting good technicians. Now he’s done it again, and, at the receiving end of Salman Khan’s generosity is Amal Malik, son of music director Daboo Malik.

With his upcoming film Jai Ho being directed by Sohail Khan, Salman has given his old friend’s son a break as a music composer. A source close to the actor reveals, “When Daboo spoke to Salman about his son, he asked him to make him hear some of his work. The next day, Daboo along with Amal made Salman hear some of the latter’s compositions and Salman instantly liked his work and asked him to compose two songs for his upcoming film Jai Ho.”

Confirming this news, Daboo asked us to wait till the first week of December, when the music of Jai Ho will be released. Here’s wishing this new talent tons of luck!

BOI