American actor Tom Cruise has revealed that he plans to have a romantic Valentine`s Day with wife Katie Holmes this year.
American actor Tom Cruise has revealed that he plans to have a romantic Valentine`s Day with wife Katie Holmes this year. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 4:57 pm
The Supreme Court today issued notices on a plea of Hollywood actor Richard Gere, that sought stay on an arrest warrant against him for kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS awareness rally in New Delhi last year. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 4:57 pm
Kangana Ranaut has been firmed for Raaz 2, marking her return to the Bhatt camp after she ventured into corporate pastures like Metro and Fashion. Not many would know that director Mohit Suri had been chasing Amrita Rao for the sequel to the Bipasha Basu-Dino Morea hit. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 4:57 pm
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt refurbished his marital vows with his ladylove Manyata as per the Hindu rituals in Mumbai today. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 4:57 pm
Say Vipin Sharma and chances are that the name may not ring a bell instantly. However, if we tell you that Vipin is the talented actor who played the role of Ishaan's father, Nandkishore Awasthi, in Aamir Khan's directorial debut Taare Zameen Par, then you will immediately recall the character within few seconds.
Life has indeed not been the same for Vipin Sharma post the success of Taare Zameen Par. His realistic portrayal of a typical middle-class father who doesn't understand what his son is going through is something, which most people could relate to. Little wonder then that the talented actor is often recognized now-a-days on the streets thanks to the impact the film had.
However, the actor who was even nominated for the Best Supporting Actor in the recently held Star Screen Awards is not resting on the laurels of his first film and is already working on new projects. Vipin will next be seen in Ketan Mehta's Colors of Passion along with Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen and in Vikram Bhatt's 1920, along with newcomers Rajneesh Duggal and Adah.
We are sure the audiences would also be thrilled to see more of this talented actor. Source: Indiafm.com News | 11 Feb 2008 | 3:45 pm
Sonu Sood is hot and cool at the same time, something that very few men in Bollywood are! He may not be your quintessential hunk, but he is definitely the 'essential' hunk in Bollywood! His screen presence makes each and every cine-goer's heart, throb for him. Isn't that proof enough to the fact that he is the eternal heart-throb?
Well, here is a man who, with his sensitive acting, brings a smile on every face and make people say Zindagi Khoobsoorat Hai and whenever he is not on screen, the audiences scream Kahaan Ho Tum!
And guess what! Here is your chance to say much, much more than Aashiq Banaya Aapne to the Sonu boy of Bollywood as Bollywood Hungama brings to you the chance to chat live with the man himself tomorrow, Feb 12, at 1500 hrs IST. Source: Indiafm.com News | 11 Feb 2008 | 2:56 pm
Rank
Last week
Film
Plusses
Minuses
1
2
Race
Pritam has done it again! After a faux pas in the form of 'My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves', he has struck back with 'Race' that has seen three chartbuster songs in a row - 'Race Sanson Ki', 'Pehli Nazar Mein' and now 'Zara Zara'. Within 3 weeks of it's arrival, 'Race' now occupies the top slot!
Challenge now is to continue to be at the top. With the film still being around 50 days away, most of the strength of 'Race' has already been exposed
2
3
Taare Zameen Par
Moving up by a spot, 'Taare Zameen Par' is now t #2. Would it make it to the top slot? Looks difficult since 'Race' has seen an escalation in a big way. However, the project would continue to be in news for long since the DVDs are about to hit the stands.
None
3
1
Jab We Met
'Jab We Met' sees a surprise fall by a couple of spots but still remains in Top-3. It would be even more surprising if it falls any further though 'Jodhaa Akbar' is showing some serious move up into the charts.
None
4
7
Jodhaa Akbar
In a week before it release, 'Jodhaa Akbar' finally manages to at the least reach the Top-5 of the charts. 'Kehne Ko Jashne E Baharaa Hai' is the number that has caught on most when compared to the rest of the album.
With music not at the top even as the film is hardly a few days away, it's eventual success now is completely dependent upon the film's success
5
4
Welcome
When a number which sounds as 'Kola Laka Velari' goes on to be beamed across music channels, you know that the album has been accepted, and that too in a bug way, by the audience. With the film as well as the music being successful, watch out now for the DVDs which would be hitting the stands in the Indian market soon.
Even Anand Raaj Anand and Himesh Reshammiya may not have imagined that some of their most average songs would find a flavor amongst the audience
6
6
Om Shanti Om
Staying on at the brink of Top-5 of the charts, 'Om Shanti Om' does maintain decent sales even till date. No new notable albums releasing for a large part of the next couple of months would mean that the album would complete a six months successful run.
None
7
5
Sunday
Seeing a fall by a couple of spots, 'Sunday' has now started loosing flavor at the music stands. After an initial euphoria caused by the songs, 'Sunday' has best managed to be instant coffee.
The film hasn't worked to it's potential and that has adversely impacted the longevity of music too
8
8
Dus Kahaniyaan
Frankly there is not much happening at the music stands currently. Each of the three albums at the bottom of the charts is mainly by default since there is nothing new being offered to the audience. The sales too are mainly on the lower sides, though 'Dus Kahaniyaan' is still the best of the lot.
Gourov Dasgupta, composer of majority of songs, deserved to be better promoted
9
9
Superstar
'Superstar' has just not been able to show any escalation even with minimal competition around. With the film already released last weekend, next couple of weeks would decide the eventual fate of the album.
'Man Tu Talbat' could well have been the anchor number of the album. However, the song hasn't been churned to it's full potential.
10
10
Goal
Yet another album to stay on mainly by default, 'Goal' composed by Pritam manages to be alive into the charts.
For a soundtrack where title song 'Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal' could have gone an extra distance, the music company had to rely upon 'Billo Rani' to propel the sales
Source: Music Festival, MGF Mall Source: Indiafm.com Features | 11 Feb 2008 | 2:13 pm
When it comes to Bollywood related information, both the industrywallahs and the aam junta swear by his words. His Hindi film reviews are keenly awaited by thousands of film-buffs world over every Friday. What's more, when it comes to trade analysis and Box-Office performance, his words are nothing but Gospel truth. He also has the who's who of Bollywood in his hot seat on his famous talk show B-Biz.
We are talking about none other than noted film-critic, Taran Adarsh. The man whose opinion matters in Bollywood is live in person to answer all your questions. Ask him all that you want and more only on Bollywood Hungama's Celebrity Chat, as Taran, for a change, gets into the hot seat himself to interact with all you cine-goers. Don't miss this chance on Saturday, Feb 16, at 1400 hrs IST. Source: Indiafm.com News | 11 Feb 2008 | 1:59 pm
Writers turning directors is not a new phenomenon in Bollywood and the latest writer who seems to have been bitten by the direction bug is Kamlesh Pandey. The veteran writer of films like Rang De Basanti, Tezaab and Saudagar will be turning director with an animated film Krishna- The Prince of Love.
The film, presented by Percept Picture Company will present Krishna as a youth icon. Krishna- The Prince of Love is slated to release sometime next year. Source: Indiafm.com News | 11 Feb 2008 | 1:55 pm
Whether it's Karan Johar, Farah Khan or Vivek Vaswani, Shah Rukh Khan is known to go out of his way for his close and long-lasting friends. It
therefore comes as no surprise to know that SRK has done one more straight-from-the-heart deed for old friend Samar Khan.
Samar who made his directorial debut with the candy-floss episodic love story Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye three years ago, was at the receiving-end
of Shah Rukh's largesse in that film too.
"I consider Shah Rukh my good-luck charm. He had made an appearance as himself at the end of Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye," recalls Samar
emotionally. "Now for my new film Shourya, Shah Rukh will be doing something he has never done. He'll be reciting poetry."
Why poetry when other friends want him as item boy (Soham Shah's Kaal) and narrator (Khalid Mohamed's Silsilay)? Reveals Samar, "I
wanted my writer Jaideep Sarkar to write a theme poem that describes my film's mood. He came up with âShourya Kya Haiâ. The poem captures the
essence of my film. Namely, the biases and prejudices prevalent in our society which tends to isolate and persecute communities and individuals.
Jaideep's lines were extraordinarily lucid. I needed a voice and a presence that could make those lines weighty and still accessible to the man in the
remotest corner of the audience."
Samar flew down to Goa to speak to SRK about the poem. "Shah Rukh of course, being Shah Rukh agreed immediately. He wanted to record the
poem on his laptop then and there. But I wanted him to do it properly in a studio."
The poem by Shah Rukh will be part of the Shourya soundtrack. "Adnan Sami has done the music. And we'll be giving Shah Rukh's poem a
musical interpretation for the album," informs Samar, as he readies his film for an April release. "The theme of the poem is, we need to find the
courage within us to fight injustice and prejudice. Shourya is the film I wanted to make first. But didnât have the courage and the vision to
handle as my first film."
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The whole team has made the endeavour easier for Samar by backing him to the hilt. "When you've creative people like script writer Jaideep Sarkar,
dialogue writer Aparna Malhotra (actor Pavan Malhotra's wife) and a dream-cast like Rahul Bose, Deepak Dobriyal and Seema Biswas, you've nothing
to worry about."
Shourya goes into an army backdrop. "We've seen many films of Chetan Anand Saab and J.P Dutta Saab with an army backdrop. But they went
straight into the war zone. Since I had spent three years of my life in the National Defence Academy, I wanted to make a film about life in the
army without going into war."
The buzz is that Shourya is inspired by Rob Reiner's 1992 court-martial drama, A Few Good Men.
Samar shrugs off the charge. "Shaurya is about a court martial of a man accused of a terrible war crime. But it's not A Few Good Men. We
tend to bring that up in my movie's context because it's the only film in living memory about a court martial." Source: Indiafm.com News | 11 Feb 2008 | 1:45 pm
It was an event that was (eagerly) waiting to happen! We are indeed talking about the Sanjay Dutt-Manyata wedding. After days of speculation about their wedding, Dutt ultimately silenced everyone by tying the knot with Manyata, his girlfriend of two years, under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, in front of a few close friends as witnesses. The location chosen was The Taj Exotica Hotel in Goa. The marriage ceremony took place even as Dutt was shooting in Goa for EMI, which is being made under Sunil Shetty's Popcorn Entertainment productions.
Dharam Oberoi, the CEO of Sanjay Dutt Productions, has supposedly done the ritual of 'kanyadhaan'. Besides Oberoi, other witnesses included Oberoi's daughter, Neha Oberoi, and Sanjay's close friends Bunty Walia, Ajay and Prashant. Source: Indiafm.com Features | 11 Feb 2008 | 1:19 pm
The D-Day has come and how! Very much to the expected anticipation, the ace director cum choreographer, Farah Khan, gave birth to triplets today at Jaslok hospital in Mumbai, at 9.45 am IST.
Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, an excited Shirish Kunder said, âI am feeling on top of the world now.â The triplets include two girls and a boy. The delivery was done by Caesarian operation. At the time of delivery, Farah's husband, Shirish Kunder, and a few family members were present at the hospital. Life couldn't have got any better for the lady in the spotlight!
We at Bollywood Hungama would like to congratulate Farah and Shirish on this auspicious occasion.
You can post your Best Wishes for Farah and Shirish in the comments section below. Source: Indiafm.com News | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:32 pm
This girl made her debut opposite a Khan. She also made a special appearance in the 'Deewangi' song from Om Shanti Om. Born in 1978 to a Malayali mother and a Punjabi father, this actress has also acted in a film on lesbian relationship.
If you think you know the answer, post it right away in the comments section below.
To know the answer to last week's picture quiz, click here. Source: Indiafm.com Features | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:32 pm
The ongoing cat and mice fights between the two sisters of Maayka, Neha Bamb aka Mahi and Shilpa Shinde aka Soni has been the talk of the town ever since the Zee Rishton Ka Utsav awards, wherein Neha collected an award on behalf of her on screen sister and later, ... Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 11:30 am
Bollywood bad boy Salman Khan, rumourmongers' easiest prey, is in the news again for all the wrong reasons. It was reported that Salman slapped his long time girlfriend Katrina Kaif at a coffee bar recently. Now, Katrina has come out with her version of the story for all to know. ... Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 11:24 am
All you guys out there who always thought of Amisha Patel as the girl next door or 'Miss Goody Two Shoes' will get the surprise shock of your life as the Patel babe gets all 'hot n happening' as the cover girl in the February issue of Maxim (India). Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 11:16 am
A crazy fan can do the most amazing things that others would find rather surprising. That is what yet another Kishore Kumar fan did recently to pay his heartfelt tribute to the legendary singer. Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 11:11 am
Lucky are we, the famished cineastes, to get two films that merit more than a passing glance within one week. Alas, no luck for the poor and damned Bollywood struggler VK (Ranvir Shorey) in Rajat Kapoor's mellow minty mordant, modern mythic and mildly majestic, Mithya.
Ranvir Shorey, who specializes in playing urban losers, plays the kind of Kafkaesque hero whose shoes you'd never like to be in. Unless, you're a sucker for misery, pain and doom.
Moving away from the quirky comic satire of Bheja Fry, director Rajat Kapoor this time pieces together a melancholy deeply-metaphorical and yet strangely straightforward tale of moral redemption.
Like E Niwas's My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves and Rohit Jugraj's Superstar, Mithya plants its two feet in the outwardly- incompatible worlds of Bollywood and the underworld. These come together in Mithya in an unexpected synthesis of lyricism and brutality.
At heart, Mithya is an intriguing love story situated in the heart of darkness where light penetrates in sharp lancing leaps, through the simplicity and goodness that we believe exists at the heart of mankind. Goodness lives at the end, though the well-meaning protagonist doesn't survive.
The humanism that underlines the bristling barbarism of the cult of gangsterism is what supplants Rajat Kapoor's narrative with an enchanting integrity.
Not all of the material that goes into telling the junior artiste's journey from struggle to power to annihilation is equally meritorious. Some portions of the narrative (for example the longish boat-ride from Mumbai to Goa when Ranvir Shorey is taken captive by the gangsters) loses its grip and gives us a chance to lose our attention. The other spell of inclement weather in the capricious plot occurs when VK kidnaps his lookalike's kids and spends quality time with them at the good-hearted moll's benign aunt's place. Really, the baggy portions are much too self-indulgent to belong in a film that breaks the mould so freely and feelingly. The director quickly cottons on to the captivating tragedy that underlines the struggler's strange and madding adventures in gangland.
There's the aging wizened head honcho (Naseeruddin Shah) and his smouldering moll (Neha Dhupia) who play a vital part in VK's journey from anonymity to doom. These characters are almost cartoonish in their tell-tale characterizations. And yet Mithya has the audacity and the creative energy, the sense of wonderment at life's eccentric twists and turns, to make VK's journey an emblem of life's most lingering lessons learnt in ways that are terrifying in their finality.
Especially evocative are VK's scenes in his lookalike ganglord's home where the dead ganglord's mother (Suhasini Mulay) wife (Irawati Harshe) and two kids suddenly come into unexpected attention and affection from the father of the family.
The plot weaves in and out of these dislocated lives, not quite knitting the perfect pastiche of pain passion and perversity that we expected, but getting close to its intentions.
Mithya is one those remarkable films that are driven more passionately by intent and purpose than the actual rendering of the creator's vision. As in Superstar where Kunal Khemu's double role invested the plot with intimate energy, in Mithya Ranvir Shorey carries the show with blessed brilliance. His interpretation of the Common Man's uncommon adventures is so endearingly befuddled and motivated by an intuitive comprehension of the loser's language that you're left looking at an actor who completes assumes and owns his character's world.
The sequence where the producer Tinu Anand is dumbfounded by the ganglord(actually the struggling actor) turning a business meeting into an impromptu audition, is a splendid example of how far this film stretches the theme of illusion and reality without snapping the link between the two.
Shorey gets outstanding support from the supporting cast. Neha Dhupia and Irawati Harshe are portraits of sensuality and femininity done in colours that enrich the frames through understatement. But did Dhupia have to be so obviously dressed for her moll's part in a film where the clothes do not define the characters and their psychological design?
Another quietly- worthwhile performance comes from Harsh Chhaya as the murdered ganglord's brother. Watch him in the scene where he's baffled by the replacement-lookalike's enthusiasm at the ganglord's kids PTA meeting. And the always-watchable Vinay Pathak sportingly pitches in a supporting performance as a henchman. Hadn't Ranvir Shorey done a cameo in Rajat Kapoor's Bheja Fry which was out-and-out Vinay Pathak's show?
Mithya is a mellowed-down account of a fierce gangland rivalry. But none of the actors are seen fighting for a voice or a space. In a world gone awry and propelled by moral tensions, the characters fit in without pressure. Source: Indiafm.com Features | 11 Feb 2008 | 11:03 am
Bollywood has broken the cultural and linguistic barriers. Gone are those days when Indian cinema was considered just family drama coupled with song and dance sequence. Be it the placing of Salman's wax statue at the Madame Tussauds or Indian movies regularly figuring in top ten charts in US and UK, ... Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 10:56 am
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Arshad Warsi and Preity Zinta share an identical predicament. They've to play 'bad' actors in their latest films. While in Anil Kapoor's production, Shortcut, Arshad plays bad actor, in Rituparno Ghosh's Last Lear Preity is cast as a bad actress.
That isn't the only problem the actress had to face. Preity had a very real problem on the sets of Jahnu Barua's Harr Pal. Pritam Chakraborty has done the music score. Every time someone mentioned his name she thought they were calling out to her, because Pritam is the name given to her by Bobby Deol.
Harr Pal has been one of Preityâs toughest roles ever. But the role of the Punjabi NRI wife in Deepa Mehta's Heaven On Earth has been her toughest yet. She's still carrying the invisible wounds of the battered wives' character. The shooting was wrapped up on Sunday.
Doing Rituparno Ghosh's Last Lear posed its own problems for Preity. She had never worn a sari or a bindi in her life. "Suddenly Ritu-da asked me to stick on bindis that were almost as large as my face. Initially, I was most reluctant. But then I surrendered completely to his vision. I'm actually looking pretty in Last Lear." Even the international critics have noticed. The reviews make a special mention of Preity.
In its review, Variety mentions, "It's an interesting paradox to watch a star like Zinta deliver a good performance as a woman who's widely known as a bad thespian." Source: Indiafm.com News | 11 Feb 2008 | 10:30 am
Director Farah Khan gave birth to triplets at Mumbai's Jaslok's Hospital earlier today. Farah went through caesarian section and gave birth to one son and two daughters. Farah's husband Shiris Kunder, brother Sajid Khan and other family members were present at the hospital. The condition of all the three babies and ... Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 9:48 am
Here is news that would break many hearts. Hot and happening Kannada actor Ganesh is going to marry his girlfriend Shilpa on February 18 at Brahmavar in Udupi district. Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 9:34 am
After comedy riots like Friends and Engal Anna, ace Malayalam director Siddique come out with Sadhu Miranda, a poor cocktail of comedy, sentiment and action. Abbas and his brother rob a bank at Pondicherry on a sunny day. They steal Rs. 20 crores of Govt money come from the treasury. ... Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 9:32 am
Entertainment technology provider DQ Entertainment Ltd in association with Percept Picture Company will make three high quality animation films - two mythological movies and a Bollywood film - at a cost of $25 million, the companies said Monday. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 11 Feb 2008 | 9:30 am
The four-day French films festival was inaugurated by actor Suhasini Manirathnam today morning at the Sathyam Complex. Script writer cum cartoonist Madhan attended the function as the special invitee. All the films are going to be screened at Six Degrees, one of the sophisticated screens of the complex. Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 9:15 am
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, one of the country's leading entertainment groups, is all set to launch its Tamil channel again. Zee Tamizh, the new 24 hours entertainment channel, will be launched with in six months so said by the group's South CEO G Ramprasad yesterday. According to him, they will ... Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2008 | 9:07 am
Director Ashutosh Gowariker has revealed that the playing time for his much awaited historical romance 'Jodhaa Akbar' is three hours, 20 minutes. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 11 Feb 2008 | 9:01 am
Actor Sanjay Dutt Monday married Manyata according to Hindu rituals in the presence of family and friends here Monday. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 11 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
Controversy and Bollywood's versions of Indian history seem to go hand in hand. HIMANSHU BHAGAT talks to some historians to find out why
WHEN K ASIF made Mughal-e- Azam in 1960, he adhered to popular folklore and showed Jodha Bai as the Rajput queen of the Mughal emperor Akbar. There was no controversy. Asif's tale of forbidden love between Akbar's son Prince Salim and the courtesan Anarkali became a huge hit. Perhaps people were too busy humming âPyaar Kiya To Darna Kyaâ to notice any historical inaccuracies. Or they just didn't care. Almost fifty years later, as Ashutosh Gowariker is set to release
Jodhaa Akbar, a tale of love between Akbar and Jodha Bai, played by Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, a section of Rajputs in Rajasthan has protested that the film is historically inaccurate and threatened to block its screening in the state.
Factually at least, they are on solid ground. Akbar never married Jodha Bai. It was his son, Prince Salim who did. Salim became Emperor Jehangir. And his son from Jodha Bai, Prince Khurram, succeeded his father as Emperor Shah Jahan. âAll this goes to show that history is not settled business,â says Mahmood Farooqui, who is currently writing a book on 1857 but is better known as a dastango who has single-handedly revived dastangoi or the traditional art of oral storytelling in Delhi. âIt is almost as if each generation has its own myths about the past.â âThose protesting the movie have two specific objections,â says Dilbag Singh, professor of Mughal history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. âThat a different person was married to Akbar. And, that there was no love affair between the two.â Iqtidar Alam Khan, the noted historian and authority on Akbar who teaches at Aligarh Muslim University, points out that Akbar did marry a Rajput princess but she was Harka Bai, daughter of the Kachwaha ruler of Amber, Raja Bharmal. âThe erroneous tradition that Akbar was married to Jodha Bai can be traced back at least to the 18th century. That is when we find the first written reference to it,â he says.
Shah Nadeem, who teaches history at Zakir Husain College in Delhi University, also points out that one of the palaces at Fatehpur Sikri, the city built by Akbar near Agra, is called Jodha Mahal, and is one reason why Jodha Bai is popularly believed to have been Akbar's queen. But why should getting Akbar's Rajput wife's name wrong touch a raw nerve? Is there some latent sense of communal grievance behind the protest? Singh can't see why the Rajputs should harbour any grudge against the Mughals. As he points out, the tradition of intermarriage among ruling families as a means to achieve political stability and forge new ties is an old one. Rajput princesses were married to Muslim sultans in Delhi and Gujarat during the pre-Mughal era. âThe Mughals merely systematised this tradition. Akbar was the first Mughal emperor to marry a Rajput princess,â says Singh. âFrom the time of Shah Jahan, the practise of establishing matrimonial ties between the Mughals and the Rajputs declined. It is no coincidence that, around the same time, the Mughals had achieved a healthy degree of political stability.â And the Rajputs had no qualms about intermarriage with the Mughals. Khan feels people often forget that the medieval world was very different from ours, with different attitudes and outlook. âThe Rajputs wouldn't have seen the Mughals as 'outsiders', for the idea of India as a nation didn't exist at the time,â he says. âIn matters related to marriage, caste pride played a bigger role. The Rajputs, for instance, would never have married into communities they felt were lower in the caste hierarchy.â Whether it is a film based on the life of Mangal Pandey, or one on Bhagat Singh, or one that depicts the plight of widows a hundred years ago (Deepa Mehta's Water) - in India, films based on historical themes inevitably become controversial.
This also holds true for books on historical figures like Shivaji, Nehru or Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Questions about Shivaji's parentage incense some; others object to a close examination of Nehru's relationship with Edwina Mountbatten or of Netaji's links with Hitler. Perhaps the phenomenon is an indicator of the fact that India is âa land of million mutiniesâ where castes, community and regional groupings feel the need to assert their identity for a number of reasons. And history is the key to identity.
âIn England, there is the historical [Queen] Elizabeth [the First] and there is the popular Elizabeth. There is a consensus about her there,â says Mahmood Farooqui. âBut there is no consensus here. If you make a film on Ambedkar or on Bhagat Singh supporters of Gandhi are likely to object. And it can go the other way round.â Singh points out that in India, group identities play a larger role in the individual's psyche as compared to the West. âMughal court historians referred to Jats as plunderers and even today the Jat community resents that,â he says. âThey were actually farmers - peasant proprietors and zamindars - who resisted Mughal power.â Farooqui feels that an artist must be mindful of these realities. His current dastan (story) is set during the Partition and features a street poem from a time that is very critical of Nehru. âThere is no such thing as absolute freedom of speech,â he says. âYou can go to certain extent but not beyond that.â What bothers most historians is the cavalier fashion in which films and television in India treat history. They appreciate that a film is meant to entertain and not serve as a history lesson.
But there are ways of going about it. âThe television serial Prithviraj Chauhan, which is being aired currently is one hundred percent fiction,â says an indignant Singh. Shah can cite any number of instances where âBollywood's fetish for love affairsâ means that facts mean nothing. He points out that contrary to what the film Razia Sultana depicts, the real Razia - the only woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate - did not fall in love with the Abyssinian noble Yaqut. He also cites the SRKstarrer Asoka as a poorly researched film littered with factual inaccuracies. âIn case you don't already know, Ashoka didn't attack Kalinga because he was in love with a girl,â he says. There is a reason why he feels strongly about this. âSome accuracy and a basic adherence to facts are necessary because films and TV have a hold on the popular imagination and shape perceptions,â he says.
There are examples which filmmakers can learn from. âA good historical film is Satyajit Ray's adaptation of Premchand's novella Shatranj Ke Khiladi,â says Shah. âThe tale of two chess-playing noblemen during the last days of Awadh is completely fictional. But the setting is authentic and historically accurate. The film gave a true picture of Awadh during the tumult of 1856 and its last Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah.â The mix of history, folklore and outright fantasy can make for good entertainment but a more discerning viewership, as well as one that is quick to take offence, will ensure that film directors think twice before they decide to set their next love story in the 16th century. Source: Indiafm.com Features | 11 Feb 2008 | 7:32 am
MINTTY TEJPAL meets the self-contained and eminently bankable superstar Akshay Kumar on the sets of Nagesh Kukunoorâs next film, 8 x 10
Akshay Kumar looks focused and calm. Yet hungry. After many years of comedy he is getting back to action films. And the buzz around him is huge. Five of his films in 2007 were superhits; together his films this year have grossed more than Rs 500 crore. Akshay is a superstar but his spartan way of life - no smoking or drinking - is legendary. During a recent shoot in Australia he ran up and down 80 stories of a hotel . His personal trainer, the 6 ft 1 inch Jenny, travels with him to all shoots. Akshay is a real action star in a make believe world. Alongside Shah Rukh, 41-yearold Akshay is the only top star whose origins are from outside the film industry. Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia's journey from Delhi's Chandni Chowk to become Akshay Kumar is well known. Educated at Don Bosco and Khalsa College, off to Bangkok at 16, struggles as a waiter and travel agent before being spotted for Deedar. The rest, including Khiladi stardom and marriage to Twinkle Khanna is the stuff of movies. And that's exactly what he's doing next: converting his real life story to celluloid in From Chandni Chowk to China, directed by Nikhil Advani.
You look damn cool, Akshay. Are you feeling that way?
I think bald is in fashion! (laughs) I've just been maintaining myself, so that I can do some action movies this year and the next. Also, I've been learning a different
kind of art - parkour.
Is that what you are doing in your Thums Up ad?
Yes, but it's not about crossing obstacles. Parkour is about getting from point A to point B, as fast as you can using whatever is in your path as support. I'm very
impressed by parkour. I like the energy in it and the power, and the determination. I've made my own parkour gym to learn it.
Wow, can I see it?
No. I can't show it to anybody. It's basically an obstacle course. It's a gift to my son.
You seem very focused.
I don't want to be a director. I don't have any production companies. I have only one thing to work on and that's my acting. I listen to scripts. Anything you want to know about films, I know it. Any English film, I know it; any Hindi film, I know it. From Kanti Shah to Yash Chopra, I have seen them all. So, I have very little to focus on except my body and my work. If I was given a lot of things to think about, maybe I would lose it. I have been asked to become a producer many times. People have even approached me saying âYou don't have to put up the money, we will put the money. You just become the producer.â I said, âI don't know,â because I want to live happily.
You are a rare star: a popular action hero who successfully switched to comedy.
No, even Mr Bachchan used to do it. He used to love action. To be honest, when I watched his action films I literally felt the punch. I still remember in Deewar, or Naseeb, when he punched, it seemed it was not just for the sake of hitting, you felt that he was really angry. But I would still say those were not action movies. Action is what Jackie Chan does, what Jet Li does, what I do.
That's the zone you are into?
That's the zone I have been into every time. I introduced martial arts into this industry. I started everything. I changed the parameters when it came to action. The leg splits, the proper kicks, karate goju kicks - I also got cables introduced into this industry in Aawara Pagal Deewana. Now I am introducing parkour. I like action
because I belong there. Comedy is secondary. My first concern, my love, is action and I have always been an action star. My prayer is that in my films this year, I can manage to take action to the next level.
If your friends were to describe you in five words?
They know I am very reserved. I am a person who speaks very little, who enjoys his family company the most and I love watching comedy films.
Are you critical of your work?
To be honest, what happens is this. I sometimes feel that what I think is right is wrong, but the films have done very well. If I sit down and watch my films, I wonder
whether they would have been bigger hits if I had done things differently. But perhaps it wouldn't have worked at all. There are a lot of things the common man likes which are beyond your comprehension. This is because a lot of people, people like me, believe in buying DVDs. These people won't spend 100 bucks to watch your film. An autorickshaw guy, taxi drivers, other common people have sensibilities which you can't challenge. Today, to be honest, it is beyond my understanding how a
film like Phir Hera Pheri is running. Some bits, even I wasn't laughing, but it worked. Then I begin to feel that either my sense of humour has gone bad or that I have become very intelligent.
When you said that you don't miss any movie, you meant you watch them at the theatre?
Yes, I go to the theatre, to the multiplexes. Normally the last row is booked. I quietly watch the movie. The manager calls me up and tells me the seats are ready. This much advantage one should take from being a star. Just tell the manager to call you two minutes after the movie starts and we leave a couple of minutes before the movie ends.
Your next release, Tashan, is an action film right?
Yes, a little bit. It has entertainment, but real action would be Chandni Chowk to China.
The plot sounds like your life?
Yes, this is my story. It is my autobiography told in a very, very humorous way. It has got all the events of my life, my being a cook and a waiter, how believing in God and destiny changed my life⦠getting a chance to go to China and the whole thing. Maybe if the movie does well, I will get into the sequel - from China to Bollywood! (laughs).
Are you okay working with new directors?
I have only worked with new directors and my biggest hits have been with new directors. I like new directors because they are greedy. Greedy for good work and they are literally ready to starve to do good work.
And you like that energy ?
I like it because they have that hunger and once that hunger is gone, the fun is gone. Which happens a lot.
Has Akshay Kumar ever lost his hunger?
Not at all, I am forever hungry and constantly on the look to meet new and interesting people. That's why today I am working with Nagesh [Kukunoor], I wanted to see what it is like to work with him. His way of looking at things would be completely different from a David Dhawan film.
Does your life revolve around cinema, or is there a larger interest in politics, the country?
No, it's only cinema.
Do you read newspapers?
Yes, I do read newspapers everyday. I think everybody should try and think of the good they can do. I like to do things involving sports. I don't know if you read the newspapers today... you may have read that I have adopted five wrestlers. My father was a wrestler and wrestling is a dying sport in India.
Who are your favourite directors to work with?
Well, I like working with Mr Santoshi, Priyadarshan and Vipul Shah. One of my favourite writer, well, actually he is not even a writer... a friend of mine from whom I've learnt a lot is Neeraj Vora. He is the director of Phir Hera Pheri.
You've always been very selective about doing your ads.
I won't do ads for just anything though I get a lot of offers. I like to do ads I can identify with. That's important. I don't do any product just for the sake of earning money. When you endorse something it is serious business. People should take it very seriously because you are telling them to use that product.
I've heard you don't work on Sundays?
Yeah, I don't. Blanket ban. No chance. Unless the film gets permission to shoot at a specific location only on Sundays. Then the producer gives me the next day off. I take one day a week off. That's my son's day. We do whatever he wants. Sometimes he wants to go to the parkour gym, or eat pizza or watch a movie.
Have you been approached by Hollywood ever?
I have been approached a lot of times. Not for the kind of roles I want to do, though. It's great being a king here than being a pawn there. As I said, I like to work on my own terms. Like they say in Punjabi, Kedi kaali payin hain, araam naal chalo. [Whats the hurry, take your time.] I follow that policy. I am not averse to it but it has to be a good project. I am not going to let eighteen years of hard work go down the drain by doing a mediocre role or a small film.
If there was a genre you could pick in Hollywood would it be drama, comedy or action?
I don't think there is anything I can't do. From a negative role to romance to action, I can do anything. I have tried and I have been successful.
Was it a conscious shift from negative roles to comedy, ?
Yeah, I did it deliberately, because I got bored of people calling me an action hero. It's boring to keep on hearing that âOh, if it's an action film, take him or oh, it's a romantic film, don't take him.â I tried to see if I can do something else and it was a kind of an eyeopener. But it was a difficult job to change my image because the media and the audience doesn't allow it to happen so quickly. You have to really convince them.
You have incredible comic timing on screen. It's amazing.
Thank you very much. I get it from Delhi chay [six]. You should meet Chandni Chowk guys, they are amazing. They come from a completely different zone. Their comic abilities, the way they speak Hindi, it's all really funny.
Where do you find your inner energy? In God or in yourself?
Well, I never speak about things to anyone. Whatever difficulties I have is within me. It's quite strange but that's how it is. Source: Indiafm.com Features | 11 Feb 2008 | 7:25 am
In the entertainment world, everybody is a freelancer. There is no job security for the movie fraternity in Bollywood or anywhere in the world. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 11 Feb 2008 | 4:30 am
An experimental filmmaker at heart, Ashutosh Gowariker in his latest film 'Jodhaa Akbar' experiments with the romantic genre. Touching new levels of lavishness and grandeur, the magnum opus releasing Friday has a dream cast - Hrithik Roshan as Akbar and Aishwarya Rai as Jodha. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 11 Feb 2008 | 2:30 am
Katrina Kaif is extremely angry with some media reports that she was manhandled and slapped by boyfriend Salman Khan in public at a coffee shop in Mumbai. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 11 Feb 2008 | 2:30 am
'EMI', a film that will see Malaika Arora as the female lead for the first time, is almost 90 percent complete. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 11 Feb 2008 | 2:30 am
Smriti Irani and her mentor Ekta Kapoor have patched up and Ekta says she wants her most popular 'bahu' to come back to Balaji Telefilms. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 11 Feb 2008 | 2:30 am
When Madhur Bhandarkar first directed Page 3, he had roped in many page 3 celebrities to do a cameo in his film. Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
If you are wondering where talented actress Aarti Chabria has disappeared to after garnering acclaim for her fabulous performance as bar dancer Tarannum in ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’, well, she is back and how!! Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
Sirish Kunder and Farah Khan - the topnotch choreographer and director have been blessed with triplets! Farah delivered the children in a private hospital in Mumbai around 10 am today. Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
The month of April was supposed to set the stage on fire as the dates of the two most awaited movies of the year, Tashan and Love Story 2050 Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
After Madhuri essaying the role of Chandramukhi for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, it’s now Chitrangada’s turn to play the same role for Sudhir Mishra’s Aur Devdas. Chitrangada, who made her debut in Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi suddenly disappeared from the screen for quite a long time. Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
It is official at last! Sanjay Dutt tied the knot to his long-time girl friend Manyata. According to reports the couple was legally married at a ceremony that took place at Taj Exotica on February 7, 2008. Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
It is wedding bells at last for the Sanjay Manyata pair. Their love has borne fruit. The couple was married at a ceremony that took place at Taj Exotica on February 7, 2008.The Hindu rituals took place today at Verosva in Andheri. Manyata has always been spotted with Sanjay through all his happy as well as the difficult times.Here are some pictures of the happily married couple exclusively for you! Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
Valentine ’s Day is round the corner and valentine gifts and cards are popping up rapidly on the stands in gift shops all over the world. This time of the year is all about love, and the beaus and belles in Bollywood are no exception to this feel. Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 11 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Four decades after his death, Bimal Roy’s stature as one of India’s foremost filmmakers is on the decline, thanks to a new generation of cinema goers who have never watched his films.
After his two back-to-back performances with Haitian musician Wyclef Jean, Bollywood composer Aadesh Shrivastava is on cloud nine. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 10 Feb 2008 | 1:30 pm
Chennai-based producer Leena Manimekalai's documentary 'Goddesses' has won the Golden Conch for the Best Indian Documentary Film at the Mumbai International Film Festival-2008 (MIFF), which concluded here late Saturday night. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 10 Feb 2008 | 12:31 pm
