That John Abraham is director Deepa Mehta`s blue-eyed boy is an open secret. After `Water`, the Toronto-based director has now roped in John for a mainstream Hollywood film `Luna`. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 9 Mar 2008 | 12:18 pm
Cute and buck-toothed Darsheel Safary, who played a dyslexic kid with aplomb in `Taare Zameen Par`, has turned into an inspiration for youngsters who are now joining dance schools run by choreographers to make it big in the film world. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 9 Mar 2008 | 12:18 pm
It seems that the sultry Sonam Kapoor wants to retain her sweet and simple image. The grapevine has it that she recently spurned an offer by Rakesh Roshan to star opposite Hrithik Roshan as the role was too `hot` for her. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 9 Mar 2008 | 12:18 pm
Like Madonna, Jane Fonda and even Hillary Clinton, Sharon Stone is proving that in the modern era, strong and beautiful women can thrive in the public eye even past the traditional years of their prime. Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 9 Mar 2008 | 12:18 pm
Cinema mirrors life. As women in India redefine their status and role in society, so is it being reflected in Hindi cinema. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 9 Mar 2008 | 11:30 am
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Terrorism is set to be the flavour of Bollywood this year with as many as four films wooing audiences with stories exploring the psyche of terrorists.
That John Abraham is director Deepa Mehta's blue-eyed boy is an open secret. After 'Water', the Toronto-based director has now roped in John for a mainstream Hollywood film 'Luna'. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 9 Mar 2008 | 4:00 am
'Hanuman', 'Hanuman Returns' and now 'Bal Ganesh'... the string of successful animation movies is an indication of the fast growth that the Indian animation industry is poised for after the development of some very advanced software. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 9 Mar 2008 | 3:30 am
Young television actors are no longer needed to play older characters as was the norm till recently. With a host of new shows and channels being launched across the country, opportunities for young talent to play their age are increasing manifold. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 9 Mar 2008 | 2:30 am
Cute and buck-toothed Darsheel Safary, who played a dyslexic kid with aplomb in 'Taare Zameen Par', has turned into an inspiration for youngsters who are now joining dance schools run by choreographers to make it big in the film world. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 9 Mar 2008 | 2:30 am
It was an 'event' waiting (with bated breath) to happen! And it has happened and how and by whom! Well, we are talking about the first biography of none other than destiny's darling child: Rajnikant. The book is titled 'The Name Is Rajnikant'. It's been published by Om Books International and is priced at Rs 490. The interesting aspect of this book is that its author Dr Gayathri Srikanth is an ophthalmologist and has written the book without meeting the Superstar even once.
The book traces Rajnikant's journey from being a child belonging to a lower income group family to his success as an actor. The author candidly confessed that the reason why she chose Rajnikant as the subject was because she felt that his counterparts like SRK, Big B have their official biographies and it was only him without one. She also added that when she searched for Rajnikant on the internet, she found out that he grew up motherless as a child, and had a very bad childhood. Later on, he had to work as a coolie, then a bus conductor and lastly became the Superstar.
That's when she decided to meet up with Rajnikant's wife, then convinced her about the book and went ahead to write down all the possible information that she could gather from all over about Rajnikant, the eternal Superstar that India has ever produced!
With almost 20,000 copies of the book hitting the stands, the book's publisher said that the book will also be published in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi and Japanese. Do we hear you saying 'There's nothing that Rajni-Can't?' Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 8 Mar 2008 | 4:05 pm
Madhur Bhandarkar's trilogy of Mumbai based movies is joining the annals of films that have not just been appreciated in India but have also made an impression internationally. To ensure that his films make their presence felt across the globe, National Film Archive of India, Pune, has invited the trio of Page 3, Corporate and Traffic Signal for their archives. His other National award winning film Chandni Bar is already preserved in the archives.
What is notable is the fact that before Bhandarkar, it is films made by some great names such as Mani Ratnam, Satyajit Ray, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shyam Benegal, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen amongst others which have a found a place in the archives. With majority of his films becoming a part of the history in the making, this certainly is a step ahead in the right direction for Bhandarkar.
Says Bhandarkar from Pune, "It is a great honor to have one's films find recognition at such a level. In fact I want to extend thanks to Sahara and Percept, producers of these films, for sharing the prints with the National Film Archive of India. This is good recognition for not just me but the entire crew which has worked with such passion in bringing Page 3, Corporate and Traffic Signal to such a platform."
What does it mean for the films to be stored in archives? "The idea is to showcase these films to students and various institutes. Also, if there are any international film festivals being held, prints would be sent from National Film Archive of India. It works as a central repository of all films that are required to be screened at different events for years to come", informs Bhandarkar.
Bhandarkar's films being archived in National Film Archive of India is not a solitary instance of recognition of his accomplished work over the years. In the past, most of his films (which have been acclaimed at national and international level) have even formed a part of case studies or even course curriculums.
"I do work on my films with honesty and awards, rewards and recognitions which follow do come as added incentives. Of course, it feels good to see your films being taken seriously over the years. My name will always be associated with quality films and I hope that they continue to succeed in entertaining and enlightening the audience", concludes Bhandarkar. Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 8 Mar 2008 | 3:50 pm
Shreya Saran, the pretty actress who was seen in Awarapan and later in the blockbuster Tamil film Sivaji-The Boss has been signed by filmmaker Deepa Mehta for an international project. The film titled What's Cooking is jointly produced by Deepa Mehta along with B.R. Films. The film which also stars Seema Biswas and Lisa Ray is currently being shot in Delhi.
Incidentally, this will be Shreya's second Hollywood venture as she is already doing Ashok Amritraj's Other End of the Life. Nevertheless, she is extremely excited about working with Deepa Mehta, "When I got the offer, I was really thrilled. It will be a different style of film making and another new experience for me."
Shreya will also be seen in Sangeet Sivan's Ek alongside Bobby Deol and Nana Patekar and in Apoorva Lakhia's action adventure Mission Istanbul. Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 8 Mar 2008 | 3:47 pm
Actor Preity Zinta believes Indian cinema has changed for the better with Bollywood dream merchants becoming more experimental and films offering a higher quotient of reality to ring in box office collections. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 8 Mar 2008 | 3:33 pm
Today is International Woman's Day and what more apt it could be than to celebrate it with someone who not just epitomizes womanhood, but makes the womanhood a dream come alive! She is none other than Bollywood's very own girl Kajol, who besides proving her mettle as an actress donned the hat of Guest Editor for the popular tabloid: Mid Day for their Women's Day special issue.
The edition will be packed with information on women's issues, and regular sections of the afternooner will not only carry articles relevant to women but also feature women who do things differently in each field.
Kajol spent the afternoon meeting with the editorial teams from Mid Day Multimedia's various publications including Inqualaab, Gujarati Mid Day before sitting down with the editorial team of Mid Day. Her tasks as Guest Editor included picking a cover story from a number of stories short listed by the editorial team and providing her perspective on pictures that will be used as well as content for various sections of the newspaper. She also wrote an editorial for the cover page of the newspaper. It was an afternoon with many moments of laughter and humour as a celebrity who regularly features on the pages of the entertainment section, got to select which items to present to readers on this day. Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 8 Mar 2008 | 3:03 pm
With Women's Day being celebrated across the world today (March 8), we at Bollywood Hungama decided to honor our very own B-town leading ladies with some funny awards for their special feats and unique traits. After all it's the season of awards and for those actresses who missed getting the coveted trophy at the leading award ceremonies, all is not lost.
So read on and find out for yourself who made it and more importantly in which categoryâ¦
The Yummy Mummy award goes toâ¦
Malaika Arora Khan
The Bindaas Nautanki award goes toâ¦
Rakhi Sawant
The Busy-Ness savvy actress of the year award goes to
Preity Zinta
The Britain National Citizen award goes toâ¦
Shilpa Shetty
The Link-up- Break-up-Cover-up award goes toâ¦
Kareena Kapoor
The PETA (Public Exposure of Torso Anytime) award goes to
Sherlyn Chopra
Bollywood's most (s)talked bahu award goes toâ¦
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
The Har-Man ki Dreamgirl award goes toâ¦
Priyanka Chopra
The ultimate Meh-boob-a award goes toâ¦
Mallika Sherawat
The Complete Costume Catastrophe award goes toâ¦
Vidya Balan
The 'Kahinpe Nigahein, Kahinpe Nishana' award goes toâ¦
Deepika Padukone Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 8 Mar 2008 | 2:44 pm
What's the one thing that is common to both our cricketers and our very own Bollywood stars apart from the name, fame and adulation? It surely is the spate of controversies which both the tinsel town stars and cricketers keep getting engulfed in.
Check out the audio
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In fact, just as the Indian team returned home earlier this week after a victorious tour down under, out comes this shocking audio clip where one of Team India's leading cricketers reveals his heart-felt feelings for Bollywood hottie Priyanka Chopra on a phone call.
Bollywood Hungama brings you this sensational audio clip which you surely don't wanna miss hearing. Listen closely to find out, who is this cricketer who has the hots for Madame Chopra. The audio clip is also being aired on news channel India TV. Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 8 Mar 2008 | 1:55 pm
Didi Damodaran, daughter of famous Malayalam scriptwriter T. Damodaran, has completed her first script for a Malayalam film to be directed by award-winning director Jairaj. Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 8 Mar 2008 | 1:31 pm
She is soft and yet very strong inside. Her endurance is beyond imagination. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burden with
equal ease. She displays many emotions from joy to jealousy, from fear to fondness and from sadness to surprise. What's more
she is truly someone who wears many hats each day as a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter and a professional and yet excels in
all her roles. She is none other than the Woman.
Even in reel-life, no Bollywood potboiler is complete without a woman's presence. Her presence simply lights up the screens
thereby creating an unmatchable aura within the dark confines of the cinema hall. Hence, on this special occasion of Women's
Day Bollywood Hungama takes a trip down memory lane and brings you some of the top women oriented films to have hit
the silver screen.
Lajja
In a land where women are worshipped in the name of Laxmi and Durga, they are also tortured, abused, humiliated and sometimes
killed. Lajja showcases the journey of one such woman (Manisha Koirala) who is on the run, hiding from her husband.
Whilst on this expedition to seek safety, she comes across three strong-minded women (Mahima Chaudhary, Madhuri Dixit and
Rekha) who are bearing the punishment of being independent women. Drawing relevance to real life situations, the film makes one
aware that though our society has progressed, somewhere these malpractices still continue against women. Lajja is the
poignant story of those women who become prey to man's malevolence but still continue to fight.
Dor
Life has varied stages for women, but worst is if in the due course she loses her life partner forever. Dor is one such movie
wherein Ayesha Takia married at a young age is forced to renounce happiness and live a life of repentance when her husband
dies. When a family member dies, it sure is a moaning period but for how long will a woman moan. Doesn't she have the right to be
happy ever again? Somehow, a woman is expected to moan all her life. Ayesha Takia's character in Dor suffers everyday.
Gul Panag, who becomes Ayesha's friend, then makes her release that her life is not over and that she deserves to live happily like
any other human being. Ayesha takes her first step towards her new life and moves on.
Chak De India
Very often sports are considered as a male dominant activity. Chak De India discards this pre-conceived notion. The film
throws light on the forgotten game (which is also our national game), Hockey, and displays how the 'chakla belan chalane wali
ladkiyan' can also make their nation proud. Chak De India emphasizes that women may not be physically stronger than
men, but can put up a strong fight with undying energy and can match them even in the toughest of sport. Not just emphasizing on
the physical fitness, but the film through the characters of Vidya Sharma and Preeti Sabarwal, also shows that women are very
much capable of creating space for themselves in a so called 'male dominated' society.
Astitva
Is the identity of a woman always marked with that of her husband's? Does a woman have a separate identity within a marriage?
Astitva is the story of a woman (Tabu), who forgets herself and her desires to fulfill her duty as a devoted loyal wife. Where a
man, (Sachin Khedekar) can break the laws of marriage and gets forgiven, a woman is condemned for the same. Living in the 21st
century, when the so called 'broad-minded' son refuses to accept her, she decides that it is never too late to rediscover her lost
identity. The film very clearly indicates that women can stand with or without men. Just because she has immense patience and
endurance, one must not take her for granted. Her silence does not signify her ignorance.
Mother India
When we talk of women oriented films, it is impossible to not include Mother India. The film was a complete package of
social relevance. It narrates the story of a village woman (Nargis) who supports her husband in his work and also manages home.
After an accident when Rajkumar loses his hands, Nargis takes over as the earning member of the family. Even when her husband
runs away looking at his helplessness to get the family out of debt, she stands determined to fight the survival match. A disaster
strikes when the entire village is swept away by floods. She also loses her youngest child in it. But the woman remains strong
fending for her two sons for whom she is both the mother and the father. She fought for what she believed in and stood up against
injustice, even if that meant to sacrifice her own son, because she believed what he was doing was wrong. Such is the trait of a
woman. She can be humble and forgiving, but at the same time, if needed, she can also be merciless. Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 8 Mar 2008 | 12:58 pm
One More Thought Entertainment, a film banner, recently formed by Azam Khan and Parvez Damania, has signed London-based writer Farrukh Dhondy for a film which will be directed by Ketan Mehta.
When asked about the storyline of the film, Dhondy informs, "Storyline is not finally determined. On the whole, it's a Bollywood thriller set between England and India. And, it revolves around the contemporary forces such as Indian Nationalism, Mafia greed, business and globalized capitalism and the protagonist's love motive; and all these forces are actively running to get hold of an object."
Dhondy having all praises for Ketan Mehta with whom he has earlier worked in Mangal Pandey-The Rising says, "Ketan Mehta is an interesting and knowledgeable director who I think has a very good understanding of the western sensibility and is also extremely well acquainted with the Indian sensibility."
Apart from this, Farrukh also has three films which include Deepa Mehta's Carpet Boy and a French co-production to be shot in India titled, Coffin Maker, under the banner of Lucid Pictures.
One More Entertainment recently also signed 3 films deal with Ram Gopal Varma. Says Azam Khan, "I have had a long relationship with RGV and have been involved in his earlier productions like Sarkar, Darna Mana Hai, and Company etc. while at K Sera Sera. He is a brilliant director and I have always believed in his talent as a filmmaker. So when we launched One More thought Entertainment, it was only natural for us to think of RGV."
Talking about the film with RGV, he informs, "The first project with RGV is titled Phoonk which will be a horror film and will be made in five languages."
As far as the Ketan Mehta's thriller is concerned, the film will go on the floors as soon as the starcast is finalized. Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 8 Mar 2008 | 12:29 pm
