Aamir Khan Sahab handy work for Delhi Belly

Ramesh Deo’s son Abhinav’s directorial debut Delhi Belly, produced by Aamir Khan Productions, is not going to see the light of day till October 2010 because Aamir and Abhinav were having too many creative differences with each other over the film.

And sure enough, Delhi Belly has still not hit the theatres.

But Aamir has now taken it upon himself to finish the pending work. The latest on the film is that Aamir is now editing the film all by himself. Visit his Khar office and you will see the actor, wth a bandana wrapped around his head, pacing up and down, while taking breaks from editing the film. And apparently, Aamir has decided to finish the edit singlehandedly.

Says a source close to the film, “Abhinav will be brought into the picture but only after Aamir completes the entire editing. Abhinav will then be asked for his inputs. Alternatively, if Abhinav chooses to re-edit the film, he will be allowed to do so at that stage.”

Looking back, this is not the first time that Aamir has a view on a film that its director is opposed to. Amol Gupte’s differences with him during the making of Taare Zameen Par are well-known.

Adds the source, “Almost everyone associated with Delhi Belly is certain that there is nobody better than Aamir to edit this film.

A little-known fact is that Aamir sat through the edit of Lagaan and Rang De Basanti too; however, in these cases Ashutosh Gowariker and Rakeysh Mehra were present with him.”

Aamir Khan Sahab-Anusha Rizvi face off continues

The Anusha-Aamir face-off is from over. As Aamir Khan prepares to take on Los Angeles for Peepli (Live) to get an Oscar nomination, the film’s director, Anusha Rizvi, has made it very clear (through co-producers UTV) that she doesn’t want any lobbying at the Oscar level for her film.

UTV is in a fix since they cannot bypass Aamir’s plans. At the same time Anusha Rizvi’s go-ahead regarding any promotion of Peepli (Live) cannot be circumvented either.

Says a source, “Aamir has been to the Oscars with two of his films, Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par. He knows how vital the whole process of lobbying prior to an Oscar nomination is.

He obviously wants to give Peepli (Live) his best shot. Anusha Rizvi, on the other hand, is strictly against any kind of lobbying at the Oscars and has conveyed her opinion categorically to UTV.”

When contacted, Anusha said, “Right now, the Oscars are far from my mind. My husband and I have just shifted to our new house in Delhi. We are busy enjoying the smell and feel of relocating. Oscars? I will only say this. Peepli (Live) has already made its point.

Audiences all over the world have been told what it is about and why they should watch it. Saying anything more on any international platform, whether it is the Oscars or the Berlin Film Festival would not just be redundant but embarrassing.”

UTV chose to stay mum through this impasse, sandwiched between the two. CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur, said “We’d choose not to comment on this.” Wake up, Sid!