Kareena Kapoor in a bikini in Tashan

Ditto for Kidnap: Minissha Lamba in a bikini underwater was the USP of the movie. No wonder it tanked.

Minissha Lamb in a bikini in Kidnap

Dil Bole Haddipa starred a green bikini filled by Rani Mukherjee. Dostana boasted of a gold bikini with Priyanka Chopra in it.

What’s with the frickin’ fuss about the bikini anyway? Bollywood heroines have strutted their stuff in bikinis for ages now.

Sharmila Tagore is famous for her bikini photo in An Evening in Paris, in 1967, with nary a coy look.

Dimple Kapadia has worn bikinis with aplomb and so has Zeenat Aman. Even Rakhee Gulzar has worn a bikini.

Rakhee Gulzar bikini photo

Now, Blue, which releases on October 13, 2009, boasts of Lara Dutta in a bikini; no three bikinis, white, orange, and candy pink. We like to be precise.

Photo: Lara Dutta in a bikini in Blue

The movie, that stars Sunjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Lara Dutta, Kylie Minogue and Zayed Khan, is directed by Anthony D’Souza. The screenplay of Blue has been written by Bryan Sullivan.

Lara Dutta bikini photo from the movie Blue

Blue is said to be the most expensive Bollywood movie ever made so far, with a budget of Rs 100 crores.

Kylie Minogue has sung two numbers in the movie, a solo for a promotional
video and a duet, Chiggy Wiggy, with Sonu Nigam.

Kylie Minogue will sing two songs and shoot a video with Akshay Kumar for Blue

Never mind that Slumdog Millionaire is a British production, it has been wrested from a bewildered British public, who have been able to make only a few weak noises about the gross appropriation of the movie. Now that Akshay Kumar will shake a leg with Kylie Minogue, that too on A.R. Rahman’s musical score, the media will again go berserk about the whole Bollywood-Hollywood shindig.

Kylie Minogue is said to have recorded two songs for Blue, a solo for the promotional video of the movie, and a duet with Sonu Nigam, to music set by A.R. Rahman. Interestingly, Kylie recorded her part of the duet in her London studio, while Sonu Nigam recorded his in Mumbai.

Sonu’s tracks was sent to London, using which Kylie completed her recordings. Unconfirmed reports say that Kylie Minogue is being paid $1 million to sing for Blue.

Akshay Kumar photo

Kylie will come to Mumbai to shoot the video with Akshay Kumar, on February 25, 2009. The video will be choreographed by Farah Khan and will be shot over eight days.

Blue, directed by Anthony D’Souza, and produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd, will be released on May 29, 2009. The screenplay of the movie has been written by Bryan Sullivan.

Blue stars Sanjay Dutt , Lara Dutta , Katrina Kaif and Zayed Khan. Made at a budget of Rs 100 crores, Blue will be shot in the Bahamas and Thailand. The action adventure flick about shipwrecks and lost treasure, has been shot underwater for a screen time of 25 minutes.

All the actors in Blue were trained in scuba diving. Cinematographer Pete Zuccarini, a specialist in underwater photography, was brought onboard for the underwater scenes.

Peter Zuccarini was the underwater director of photography for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), and Jumper (2008).

Special effects technician James Bomalick (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), Minority Report (2002)) was roped in to shoot the action scenes.

Blue is the directorial debut of ad filmmaker Anthony D’souza.

Akshay Kumar other releases in 2009 are Nagesh Kukunoor’s 8×10 and Kambakht Ishq.