What a Prize? Grocer wins Aishwarya Rai

A GROCER from the central Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Sanjay Kumar, has won a contest -- allowing him to become Hindi filmstar Aishwarya Rai`s latest date. Kumar, 24, runs a grocery store in a town in Uttar Pradesh.

The date will be held in Mumbai, where Kumar will spend an entire evening with Aishwarya, at the premiere of her forthcoming movie.

Kumar, who has idolised Aishwarya for years, reacted in disbelief.

“I just cannot believe my luck,” he said.

And what`s more, Kumar could well end up travelling with Aishwarya to a foreign location, for the international premiere of the movie.

But, for that, he will have to participate in a lucky draw and win. So, why does he get the chance to date the former Miss World? Well, because he was thirsty.

When Kumar bought a bottle of Coke, he ended up becoming the regional winner for Coca-Cola`s latest contest – and the date with Aishwarya is his prize!

Ash says No to H'wood

And, Andy Tennant, whose film Hitch , starring Will Smith is opening here this Friday, says Aishwarya Rai had been one of the initial choices for the film.

"I want to see Aishwarya Rai because she was almost in my film. We were all keen that she do it. But we had a demanding schedule, which she couldn't work out," the man behind romantic comedies like Sweet Home Albama and Ever After said while holidaying in the metropolis.

He described Hitch as a romantic comedy from a guy's point of view.

"Will and I are talking about a sequel," he says, adding that he next wants to attempt a comedy with Nicole Kidman in the lead.

His impression about India: "Wonderful! My wife and I are having a blast," he said.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Sweet Home Albama , Ever After , Hitch - You seem to specialise in romantic comedies?

A: Yes. But my favourite film Anna And The King wasn't a comedy. We didn't just remake the old Yul Brynner-Deborah Kerr musical The King And I . We thought the idea of a white woman taming the noble savage in The King And I was a little outdated.

Q: Are you against musical films?

A: Oh no! I love musicals. In fact, I might be making a musical soon. I believe much of Bollywood cinema is in the musical format. I want to see...

... Bride and Prejudice . I want to see Aishwarya Rai because she was almost in my film.

Q: In Hitch ?

A: That's right. There was a time when she was going to play the college girlfriend, which was originally a much bigger part. I think we were all keen she do it. But we had a demanding schedule, which she couldn't work out. That was the hitch in Hitch .

Q: Hitch is about a 'date doctor'. Is that the film's USP?

A: One of them. The other was, we wanted to make a romantic comedy from a guy's point of view. Most of the time, men don't want to go and see a romantic comedy.

Q: Why?

A: I think most of them put a woman up as the protagonist. Romantic comedies like the story to be more emotional. With a male as the protagonist, audiences don't want to see much emotion. The way to get the men into a romantic comedy is to let them enjoy the comic aspect. Let the women weep and enjoy the comedy.

Q: Is that the ploy you used in Hitch ?

A: I think we made a...

... romantic comedy masquerading as a buddy comedy. The chemistry between Will Smith and his screen-buddy Kevin James is as strong as the chemistry between Will and his romantic lead Eva Mendes.

Q: Do you think there's a writing crisis in Hollywood?

A: Oh yeah! During Hitch we had many, many writers coming in. It's difficult to find a coherent voice with so many around. I myself collaborated on the writing. Often the films find themselves a good concept but no good script.

Q: How was it working with Will Smith?

A: Part of the reason I wanted to do Hitch was because my other films had female protagonists. I wanted to do something with a male protagonist. To have a guy of his stature is a whole different ballgame. It was like a good time around a pool table. With female stars, it was more like a nice candle-lit dinner. With Will, there were lots of laughs.

Q: Would you like to do a film in India?

A: I've come to know that Hollywood films make up only five percent of the movie-going public in India. Maybe I can do an Anna And The King as a musical in India. One of the things Will Smith has taught me is to open new markets with every movie. When I came to India, I didn't know Hitch hadn't opened. I took the initiative to promote the film here.●