Why John lost Rockstar to Ranbir

It was previously established that John Abraham was to play the lead in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar, which was being produced by UTV Motion Pictures at that time. However, the real reason behind the exit of John and UTV, and the entry of Ranbir Kapoor and Ashtavinayak was always unknown.

A reliable source reveals, "Imtiaz was a struggling newcomer (just one film old, Socha Na Tha) and not a big director that he is today when he met John for Rockstar.

Anurag who was shooting No Smoking with John, suggested Imtiaz to meet the actor. He met him and narrated the script of Rockstar. John loved it and together they went to UTV to produce their film."

The source adds, "The production house agreed but they had a condition. They also signed John for three films. They thought it was risky to make a film with a new director. So they advised John to do another project before Imtiaz's movie. John agreed to shoot Goal first. And this meant another two years of wait for Imtiaz."

This apparently, really disappointed the young director. "Imtiaz was upset with John for not standing by him. If John really believed in Imtiaz's script and had put his foot down, UTV would have given in as well. So instead of waiting for John he decided to look for other actor," our source further informs.

Hit and flop
In the meantime, Imtiaz got Jab We Met and it went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. On the other hand, Goal flopped. Both John and UTV didn't trust Imtiaz when he was a nobody and apparently, that is also one of the reasons why the director has not worked with either of them.

Ranbir gives Nargis Hindi lessons

Ranbir Kapoor and his ‘Rockstar’ co-star Nargis Fakhri have been making headlines ever since the two allegedly started spending great time together on the sets of the film. But Ranbir kept insisting that his closeness to the actress was only on professional level. And now the Kapoor lad is making desperate attempts to help Nargis improve her diction in Hindi, hence the proximity.

Buzz has it that the Kapoor kid and filmmaker Imtiaz Ali have instructed the crew members of the film to converse with the model turned actress in Hindi. They want her accent to be typically Hindi. Nargis, who happens to be half-Pakistani and half-Czechoslovakian, was born in the US.

The actor-director duo is relentlessly working at brushing up Fakhri’s language skills before the release of their film.

Talking to a tabloid, a source revealed, "Nargis` screen presence and her acting abilities are topnotch. Everyone from the unit is raving about her. But the matter of her lines still needs to be sorted out."

Well, we do understand Imtiaz’s concern over the debutant hottie’s edgy Hindi accent but what makes Ranbir so interested in correcting her diction? Does the hunk feel Imtiaz isn’t good enough to do the needful or there is some other reason?

Any guesses people?

Nargis on Ranbir's speed dialing list

Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor has dated many from Deepika Padukone to Katrina Kaif and then Nargis Fakhri but who is No-1 in Ranbir's speed list?

“The No-1 is my mother. I speak to her 2-3 times a day. I don’t do anything without letting her know, without actually talking to her,” Ranbir said.

So, the star actor is a momma’s boy and lady love always comes next to his mother.

My mom is very caring, she is always calling me asking me if I have eaten my lunch, my dinner, if I am doing ok," he added.

These days the actor is busy shooting for ‘Rockstar’ directed by Imtiaz Ali, ‘Azan’ directed by Prashant Chadha and ‘Barfee’ directed by Anurag Basu.

Ranbir will also be shooting behind-the-scenes feature of The Making of Barfee that will appear on the film's DVD.

Imitiaz takes a toll outta me

In a bid to get rave reviews, Ranbir Kapoor seems to have taken his latest character a tad bit too seriously, literally speaking. Buzz is that the otherwise easygoing actor suffered severe depression and turned morose in an effort to get the acting right. Ranbir's upcoming film has been directed by Imtiaz Ali and also stars the sizzling model Nargis Fakhri.

The actor admitted to a daily, "Yes, Imtiaz`s film took a lot out of me and shook me up," reports Spicezee Bureau.

According to sources, "The emotional scenes that he shot for, took its toll. He went into a shell and didn't meet anyone during this time. It took a lot of coaxing from friends and family to finally draw him out," reports the tabloid.

Whether it was actually the character or the ups and down in his love life, which put him down in the dumps, only he can tell.