Father Geek here with another timely report from our Asia staff for all of you geeks interested in that half of the world. Yes, Darius25 is reporting in on the latest cine news in Bollywood, while AccSpy has some interesting info from Hong Kong, and pigmon chimes in from Japan. Also this week we have Usumkasane giving us some coolness from Korea. They're a lot of nice pics too, soooo on with the show and the...

Asia-AICN

Hey all, we’re back with another round of news and gossip from eastern side of the world.

We have some interesting news for you this week, including news on Mani Shankhar’s new film, “The Bachelor”, “Love at Times Square”, “Step Past” TV show, “Warau Kaeru”, “Saru”, and a new DVD release of the Korean film “The Quiet Family”. We also have pics from “Aitbaar (Decision)”, and “Kya Dil Ne Kahaa (What the Heart Said)”.

Now here’s the latest from Asia.

INDIA

- Akshay Kumar is in talks with director Mani Shankar (“16th December”) to star in an upcoming film. The director has won quite a bit of critical praised for his recent thriller, and now wants to make a stylish action film on a much larger scale. With his improved acting abilities and excellent action work, Akshay seems to be the right choice for the role. The director is also in talks with Aishwarya Rai for the female leading role in the film. If everything works out, this will be the first time pairing of Akshay and Ash.

- Director Dev Anand has decided to expand Salman Khan’s cameo appearance for his next release, “Love at Times Square”. The actor was originally supposed to be in a one-song special appearance, but will now appear in quite a few scenes and have some dialogue aswell. Anand has also said that he’s considering to cast a few more bigger names for bit parts in the movie (which features newcomers, along with Anand of course, in the leading roles). The film is expected to release at the end of this year.

- Producer Mahendra Dhariwal (“Maa Tujhe Salaam – A Salute to Mother”) has announced his next film will be a low budget comedy flick very similar to “Style”. The new comedy will be titled “The Bachelor” and will star Sharman Joshi (one of the leads of “Style”), along with Raima and Reema Sen. Principal photography is expected to start next month.

- The website for the indie film “True Love” has been updated with some new info on the cast and crew. Our reported Dilwale has said that there will be an impressive “Karate Kid”-like martial arts tournament in the film, which could spark interest for some of you out there. You can check out the website at: This Location

- Some new on-set stills were released from director Vikram Bhatt’s upcoming release, “Aitbaar (Decision)”. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, and model-turned-actor John Abraham. Here’s the pics.

John and Bipasha: Click Now

Another pic of John and Bipasha: Just Click To See

John, Bipasha, producer Jatin Kumar, and Vikram Bhatt: All Right Here

- Some new on-set pics were also released from the film “Kya Dil Ne Kahaa (What the Heart Said)”, starring Tusshar Kapoor and Esha Deol. The romantic drama is set to release this June.

Tusshar and Esha: They Are Here

Another pic of Esha (looking very fine): Toooo Cooool

HK / CHINA

There isn’t much HK news this week, but AccSpy has asked me to let you know that the website for Louis Koo’s new tv series, Step Past, is now up. It’s a comedy/fantasy show about a modern cop who time travels back to an ancient period and helps the first Emperor in ruling China. Here’s the website for this show (which also stars hotties Miss HK 2000 Sonija Kwok, Michelle Saram, and Jessica Hester Hsuan.): They're All Right Here

Here’s some pictures from the show.

Sonija Kwok looking EXTREMELY gorgeous: Just Outstanding

Louis Koo along with another fine lady (sorry don’t know who she is): Thet're Here

A better warrior princess than Xena: Check Her Out Now!

Epic battle scene 1: Get Into It Here

Epic battle scene 2: Experience It Here

Also, a gorgeous new website for “Shaolin Soccer” has opened up from Japan, just in time for its Japanese release on June 1st. Click here to visit the site: That's Right Click Right Here

JAPAN

Here’s the latest report from Pigmon:

- Director Jun Ichikawa’s next film is “Rhyoma’s Wife, and His Husband, and His Lover”, based on the popular stage drama from Kouki Mitani (“Everybody’s House”). The film will star Kiyoka Suzuki,Yosuke Eguchi and Kiich Nakai, and is expected to release this fall.

- Well-known anime writer Yoichiro Hayama (“Chibimarukocha”) will make his directorial debut with “Saru”, about young boys who undergo experimentation with new forms of medicine. The film, made in a documentary-style format, will be released by the end of this year.

- Director Hideyuki Hirayama, whose last film (“Turn”) was well received from critics and moviegoers, returns to the screen with “Warau Kaeru”. The film focuses on the relationships between a criminal, his wife, and her lover. Actor Kyozo Nakatuka has been signed for the lead role. The film is almost complete and will be released within a couple of months, before Hirayama moves on to another picture (“Out”), which is due this fall.

- Director Tetsu Maeda’s next release is “Pakodate Jin”. This is a fantastic funny comedy set in northern Japanese town named Hakodate. The film’s lead character is a high school girl named Hikaru, who’s born with a tail on her backside. The film tells us the story of what happens when Hikaru’s secret is revealed, causing a media outburst in the community. The film will release without a press screening this week.

- Besides “Pakodate Jin”, the following films will also be released within the next 2 weeks: “The Choice of Hercules”, “Dogstar”, “O-Yo”, “Hiyatoi Deka”, “Gun Crazy”, “Born”, “Unloved”, “Bane Shiki”, “Ho Gi Ra Ra”, and “Kai-On”.

KOREA

Usumkasane has sent this info on a new DVD release of the Korean horror hit “The Quiet Family.

The Korean film Quiet Family has just been released on DVD without fanfare... I thought I'd drop you a line because fans of dark comedy/horror should definitely check this one out. I saw Quiet Family a couple of years ago at a film festival, and I've been raving about it ever since to whomever would listen. It's only now become available on DVD with English subs. The film is the wonderfully grim and claustrophobic story of a family that tries to open a hotel at the edge of a wilderness. Problem is, first nobody comes, and then people show up and start dying, or being killed, and one thing leads to another, as things will, and the whole thing builds to a black comic conclusion which needs to be seen to be believed. The action is largely filmed over the shoulder of the youngest daughter in the family (if memory serves; the copy of the DVD I ordered from pokerindustries.com hasn't arrived yet); she is kind of like a Korean Wednedsay, the ultimate straight woman to the violence and family pathologies around her.

Click here to buy this film from DDDhouse for roughly $8 US: Just Click Now

We have now reached the end of this week's column. Remember, if you have information regarding any film industry in Asia, please contact our Asia-AICN offices at atshrivas@rogers.com. See you all next week.

Darius25