We have another blind item for you this week and this time, it’s from Rajeev Masand. It’s a not so nasty blind item and if you know your Bollywood news, this one shouldn’t be hard for you to guess. Read on to find out who Rajeev Masand is talking about.
Honourable in Debt
An actress who produced a starring vehicle for herself recently is left with substantial debts to clear, according to the Bollywood grapevine. The film bombed miserably at the box-office, failing to revive any interest in the once popular star.
While a comeback looks unlikely, what the leading lady does appear to have in abundance is the goodwill of her unit. Even below-the-line staff and technicians have revealed that their fees were paid in full and that the actress never scrounged on their dues like many producers in the industry often do. During overseas shooting schedules, the unit was housed in more than decent hotels and their daily allowances fairly paid.
If anything, insiders say the actress spent lavishly on the film’s making, even unwisely so. Among other indulgences, the core team reportedly travelled three or four times to an expensive European city where the film was shot—for a recce initially, then for blocking locations, subsequently for what turned out to be a badly planned shooting schedule, and finally for another schedule once the filming was finally completed.
Admirably, the actress has maintained a dignified silence on the complete failure of her production team, which clearly couldn’t keep the budget in check and because of whom she now owes a sizeable sum of money to creditors. Bitchy colleagues insist she shouldn’t have jumped into film production if she didn’t know enough about the job in the first place.
OSOP GUESS
Actress: Preity Zinta
