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By Vickey Lalwani Š2003 Bollyvista.com |
Akbar Khan has not left any stone unturned for his magnum opus 'Taj Mahal- An Eternal Love Story'. Reports have it that money has been spent on the sets like water. When told that there were four producers who were making film on the same lines, not so long ago, he had said, "There have been three versions of Titanic and four versions of Cleopatra. Did it affect them? Let them make their version, I will make mine."
But today, the actor-turned-director, younger brother of Feroz Khan and Sanjay Khan, is a ruffled man. And why not? Somebody has tried to pull the carpet beneath his feet. But who has done it? And why?
Yesterday evening, December 27, Akbar Khan called for a press conference at Sun-n-Sand Hotel in Mumbai. He fears that someone is sabotaging his labour of love.
In a heart-to-heart conversation with Vickey Lalwani, he spells his fears, their inculcation, their consequences... and lots more...
What is the sabotage he is referring to? He explains, "Someone is out to prove that my film has come and gone. DVDs depicting my film's lead pair on the cover have come out in the market. Inside the jackets, the film is not my film! The content inside these DVDs is Robin Khosla scripted-directed 'Taj Mahal- A Monument Of Love' (starring Raghu Raj, Purnima, Moon Moon Sen, Khulbushan Kharbanda). The jackets have been made with absolute precision and perfection. Someone has downloaded the pictures and even the type of font we have used to write the title, from my website. This is extremely dangerous."
Uh, huh? He continues, "This is tantamount to 'fraud' (robbery). I was in Teheran when I learnt about it. I have come rushing back, cutting my trip short. I called up the police and crime branch authorities and they swung in action immediately. Two people have been arrested in this regard. Raids were conducted and 5000 jackets have been seized. The shops where the jackets were found have been sealed. I want each and every soul to sit up and understand that though the jackets look as if those belong to my film, the cassettes inside are not. It is clear that someone wants people to see 'Taj Mahal- A Monument Of Love' on DVDs which have Akbar Khan written on their jackets and feel that it is Akbar Khan's film. Since 'Taj Mahal- A Monument Of Love' fell flat at the turnstiles, the crooks know that nobody would like what he sees on these DVDs. Soon, there would be a negative buzz about my film which in turn could affect the marketing and distribution of the film in an adverse manner."
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