For those not in the know, Ram won a bronze and a silver lion at Cannes in 2006 for a commercial. His debut feature film, ‘Lets Talk’, premiered at the Locarno Film Festival.

Ram is directing the theme song for the TV show though its still not clear as to who will be directing it. Says a source, “Shooting for the video of the theme song began in Srinagar.Then, the unit went to Delhi and subsequently, they went to Jodhpur. The next stop was Gangtok. On Thursday morning, Aamir is supposed to leave for Vadodara which is the last destination for the shoot. Ram will be returning to Mumbai on February 21.”

“On Tuesday morning, Aamir went to Gangtoks Rumtek. On Wednesday, Aamir visited various locations in and around Gangtok,” the source adds.

Music for this programme, which is being described as a bold non-fiction show that has never been attempted before on Indian television, has been composed by Ram Sampath who has previously worked with Aamir in ‘Delhi Belly’.

“Ram has composed the theme song that is now being shot. Shooting for the programme had begun on the sets in Mumbai. But a fire broke out. Thankfully, no one was injured.Things are back on track now and shooting is supposed to resume soon,” says the source.

Meanwhile, there was a buzz that Aamir had gone for a short visit to north Bengal as well during his Sikkim tour.

Says Dr Saumitra Mohan, the district magistrate and collector of Darjeeling, “I too have heard that Aamir Khan is supposed to come to Darjeeeling. But I dont have any official intimation on that. We are trying to promote Darjeeling as a shooting destination and would love to welcome him if he wants to shoot here. Incidentally, we have conceived a directors meet in Darjeeling. Filmmakers from Tollywood and Bollywood will be invited to come down for this event.The dates for this meet hasnt been finalized as yet.”

Late on Monday evening, actor Aamir Khan’s TV show set, that was erected at Vrindavan Studios, Madh Island, caught fire. According to eyewitnesses, an electrical spark, caused by a short circuit, was the reason for the fire that broke out in one corner of the studio and within minutes had spread. Not only the set but also shooting equipment worth crores was gutted.

Fortunately, the Bollywood star who is producing and anchoring the show, wasn’t on the sets at the time of the mishap.

Sources close to Aamir Khan Productions reveal that earlier in the evening, the show’s crew and a couple of production hands from the channel had been to the sets for a reiki.

There were only 20-30 people on the floor at the time, working on the lights and the final touch-up of the sets. Suddenly, one of the crew members spotted a spark but before anyone could react, it had turned into an uncontrollable blaze that spread through the place, charring wires and extension cables.

Fortunately, since there weren’t too many people around at the time, there were no casualties. In fact, no injuries were reported and everyone is safe. Six fire brigades were at the studio trying to bring the fire under control.

Towards the end of the week, another set of crewmembers will be visiting the sets to take stock of the situation. Once they have surveyed the damages, reconstruction work will start soon so the yet-to-be-titled show can start rolling.

The spokesperson from Aamir Khan Productions, in an email, states, “It’s an extremely unfortunate incident. We were really lucky that none of our unit members was hurt in the accident.”

The spokesperson from Star Plus, the show’s broadcaster, says, “We had taken ample safety precautions but the fire still occurred. Thankfully, it was brought under control immediately and no injuries were reported.”

Hi everyone, thank you for dropping by!

We are proud to announce you that Aamir has been nominated for the 2011 TIME 100 Poll, in the World’s Most Influential People category. If you think that he deserves such a title, then you can do the difference! Voting closes on April 14 so take a chance to support Aamir and cast your vote here! All you have to do is to click on “Yes”. As for now, Aamir is listed at the 66th place of the list on a total of 203 nominees. Lets gather and launch Aamir at the top of the list for all his achievements!

Congratulations, Aamir!
Our love and support, always.

After Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit the six that won India the World Cup after 28 years, the cricketers weren’t the only ones crying tears of joy. Says actor Aamir Khan, who was seen shouting and waving the tricolour throughout the match, “It brings tears to my eyes. Congratulations Team India, we are proud of you.” A superstitious Aamir had donned the same clothes he was wearing when India won the Mohali semi-final against Pakistan. Joined by wife Kiran Rao and south star RajInikanth in the stands for the final at Wankhede Stadium, he was seen biting his nails whenever a decision review was called for.

After the celebrations in the stadium concluded, the actor headed off to the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers in Colaba, where he partied with the Indian team till five in the morning. He adds, “Am so thrilled for Sachin that he got the one thing he desired, the World Cup. Dhoni really played a captain’s knock to take us to victory. (Gautam) Gambhir was one of the architects of the win. And so was Yuvraj (Singh), especially as a fielder, where he saved 18 to 20 odd runs.”

Cameras in the stadium kept focusing on a nervous Saif Ali Khan, who like fellow actor Shahid Kapoor, was biting his nails in trepidation whenever the match got too close to call. Saif’s sister, Soha, who was accompanied by beau Kunal Khemu, says, “It was as if I was playing the match myself. I was sick with anxiety until that last six. Hope it’s a new beginning.”

She shares her sentiment with stars like Preity Zinta and Lara Dutta, who were seen dancing with joy as the Indian side hit fours and sixes. Actor Suniel Shetty, who travelled to most of the matches in the tournament, says, “Winning the WC has instilled a lot of faith in all of us that we can make things happen in every sphere of life. It was the best time of my life to see the whole country unite for the first time after 26/11. That time we were bleeding, but this time, we united for joy.”

—With inputs from Hiren Kotwani

After having to turn down offers to be on the jury of the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival for three years in a row, actor Aamir Khan finally made it this year. But despite the long-awaited honour, the actor has been skipping the event’s social dos because he’s too busy training for his anti-hero role in Dhoom 3.

Known for his attention to detail, Khan is focused on perfecting the look of a con artiste in the movie, which begins shooting later this year. According to a member of the star’s entourage, Khan wakes up early and starts his day with a two-hour workout at the hotel gym.

“He rises early for his workout sessions and wants to be mentally and physically refreshed when he starts viewing the day’s movies. Since he wants to do complete justice to his role as a jury member, he’s not having any late nights,” explains our source, adding that Khan has stopped Aamirsmoking too.

As a jury member, Khan watches at least three movies a day, followed by an early dinner and interactions with filmmakers and actors from diverse countries and backgrounds. Conceding that watching films is his favourite past time, the actor calls his experience at the Berlin Film Fest “a treat.” He enthuses, “Sometimes, I even watch four films and I must admit that the talent is amazing. The experience of watching such different cinema from various parts of the world is truly enriching. We have some really excellent talent showcased here.”

Not surprisingly, Berlinale is also abuzz with the actor-filmmaker’s latest production Dhobi Ghat, directed by his wife Kiran Rao. A number of directors and admirers of Khan have been approaching the couple, requesting them for a copy or DVD of their much-acclaimed movie. Having fared very well overseas, the film is being called a modern classic from India.

Rao, who has found herself engaged in many creative discussions about her directorial debut, says, “It feels great when people come up saying how much they loved Dhobi Ghat and asking for a DVD or copy of the movie. More so because I was going through mixed emotions before the film’s release and now, to be lauded by the talented filmmakers and actors at a prestigious film festival like this, is just amazing.”

Seeing the enthusiasm for Dhobi Ghat, Khan called his office back in Mumbai to get special DVDs of the film dispatched to Berlin at the earliest. Though official DVDs of the movie are not out yet, the actor-producer couldn’t refuse special requests at Berlinale. “We started making Dhobi Ghat as an experimental movie. But seeing the response it has evoked, I couldn’t refuse special requests from people who were eager to see it. I’m very happy for Kiran,” he beamed.