SHOOTING STARS: Bollywood does Vegas with ‘Anjaana Anjaani’
This week, however, Las Vegas becomes Bollywood West, as the Indian feature “Anjaana Anjaani” hits town for several days of production.
The movie’s title features the masculine and feminine forms of unknown, or stranger, in Hindi — which makes perfect sense, considering the movie focuses on strangers who meet and fall in love.
Bollywood heartthrobs (both pictured) Rambir Kapoor (part of a legendary Bollywood acting dynasty) and Priyanka Chopra (a former Miss World) star for director Siddharth Anand (who also directed the hit “Salaam Namaste,” which was set in Australia.) Zayed Khan rounds out the starring cast. And, because it’s a Bollywood production, it must have production numbers; they’re provided by the music director duo of Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani.
“Anjaana Anjaani” filmed in New York before coming west to Las Vegas, according to Internet reports.
Still truckin’: Local towing companies continue in the truTV spotlight for a second season of the reality series “All Worked Up.”
Silver State Towing and Southwest Auto Towing are among the local firms participating in the shoot, which is expected to continue through the winter.
“We love shooting in Vegas because of all the colorful characters you encounter,” according to show officials. “The great weather helps, too.”
It’s hardly truTV’s first foray into the Las Vegas reality TV swim: In addition to “Las Vegas Jailhouse,” which debuted Sunday, preparations are under way for the seventh season of the “Rehab” pool party series at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Two other hit reality series also continue production: History’s “Pawn Stars” and Spike’s “The Ultimate Fighter.”
What’s up, docs: A pair of documentaries join the week’s shooting schedule.
The Cultimate college ultimate Frisbee tournament, which begins a four-day stay Thursday at Sam Boyd Stadium, will draw 200 to 300 teams — and a documentary crew following the University of Miami (Fla.) squad, explains producer Jay Hirschfeld of Cineflock.
The documentary, “The Callahan Kids,” takes its title from the Callahan — which, Hirschfeld explains, is regarded as one of the most difficult (and, therefore, rarest) moves in ultimate frisbee competition.
Speaking of competition, Hirschfeld expects “The Callahan Kids” to hit the film festival circuit upon completion.
And speaking of college, students from Britain’s North Warwickshire & Hinckley College are expected in Las Vegas for a two-week shoot for “Home Means Nevada,” which will focus on the folks who live and work here.
The advertising racket: From tennis to pizza, Southern Nevada provides the backdrop for two TV commercials.
Las Vegas’ Darling Tennis Center is the location for videos promoting Head’s latest racket innovations, featuring tennis stars hitting on center court. (Head declined to discuss which stars were involved — but one of their net legends is none other than local favorite Andre Agassi.)
And CiCi’s Pizza in North Las Vegas is the location for an upcoming commercial touting the buffet restaurant.
Also in the promotional vein, Las Vegas-based Goodwyn Production Group is shooting a nonbroadcast health product video; locations range from a local park, golf course and residential swimming pool to Red Rock Canyon, reports Norm Nusbaum, Goodwyn’s director of production.
Coming attractions: Development is under way for a future Las Vegas feature based on Jon Land’s best-seller “The Seven Sins: The Tyrant Ascending.”
Las Vegas-based investor and producer Fabrizio Boccardi of King Midas World Entertainment has signed screenwriter Christopher Kyle (“K-19: The Widowmaker,” “Alexander”) to adapt Land’s book, an action thriller about the adopted son of an Italian crime lord who must defend Las Vegas from terrorist attacks.
Producer Moritz Borman and executive producer Peter D. Graves (“Terminator Salvation”) have licensed film rights to the novel from Boccardi, who’s reportedly an inspiration for “Seven Sins’ ” central character, Michael “The Tyrant” Tiranno. Borman and Kyle worked together on both “K-19” and “Alexander.”
