Ramu's Rann runs into trouble again

There"re two films on newsroom activities being readied right now. But neither Ram Gopal Varma"s Rann nor Shamim Desai"s Raftaar 24x 7 can use the stand-alone title 24x7 because that"s a title patented by NDTV.

Although Sanjay Dutt has finally agreed to let the Big B have the title India for Rann, the title problem remains unsolved. Percept Pictures not only owns the title India 24 x 7 but also is going ahead full-throttle with the completion and release of their own media film Raftaar 24 x 7.

While Ram Gopal Varma is busy putting together his own film on a media war, there"s a war of another kind brewing on film from behind the scenes. Debutant director Shamim Desai"s Raftaar 24 x7 is ready for release. It stars Aditya Pancholi as a suave media baron while Emraan Hashmi plays his favourite protege

Rann features the Amitabh Bachchan as the media baron while Riteish Deshmukh plays his protege. Both the films are about the conflict between bona- fide news and sensationalism in contemporary times. And Percept Pictures seems determined to make the best of the interest generated by the media theme in Ramu"s Rann.

Interestingly Aditya Pancholi, who plays a pivotal role in Raftaar 24x7, was also meant to be part of Rann. Pancholi was replaced by Mohnish Behl in Rann. Could it because Ramu wanted to avoid any overlapping between the two media films?

Says Pancholi, “Yes I was part of Rann. But I"m not in it. Ramu"s film takes a panga with the media. Raftaar 24x7 is something else altogether."