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Katrina upset with Salman, plans to go her separate wayRumours are rife that one of the hottest couples in Bollywood, Salman Khan and Katrin...Source: India News | 28 Jul 2008 | 6:38 pm Salman, Katrina headed for break up?
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 5:27 pm Miley Cyrus apologises over yet another internet video controversy !After being in news for her desire to pose nude for her forthcoming flick, teen sensation Miley cyrus has once again hit headlines.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Lindsay Lohan in scrape with motorbike -- report !American actress Lindsay Lohan was taken to a New York hospital early on Saturday after she was hit by a motorbike following a night out in New York, a local newspaper reported.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Brangelina pick Bono to be twins` godfather !Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have reportedly picked U2 frontman Bono to be their new twins` godfather.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Salman invites reel life couple `Akki-Kat` to grace `Dus Ka Dum` !After hitting a rough patch with King Khan, controversy`s favourite child Salman Khan is now all charged up and doing what it takes to add some top-notch superstars to his list of confidantes.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Richards accuses Sheen of posting `penis` pictures on net !Charlie Sheen is going to settle for nothing less than full custody of his two daughters with ex-wife Denise Richards, especially after she accused him of molesting the little girls.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Shahid is the new reigning `King of Bollywood`? !Bollywood heartthrob, Shahid Kapur is flying high these days, all thanks to the success of his latest flick `Kismat Konnection`, his third consecutive hit in a row. `Kismat`s…` promising outcome at the BO has shaken the top five czars of B-town with his solo triumphs!Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Bale is sick of people dubbing him sex symbol! !Christian Bale is pretty fed up of people dubbing him a sex symbol.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Sai Paranjape back with "Khoon Toh Hona Hi Tha" !She gave us films like the satirical "Chashme Buddoor" and "Katha" and the popular television soap "Ados Pados". And now, 11 years after making "Saaz", Sai Paranjape is back with "Khoon Toh Hona Hi Tha", a comedy-thriller.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Akki`s `Khiladi` avatar wins over ex girlfriends !Akshay Kumar`s daredevil persona in `Fear Factor: Khatron Ka Khiladi` has not only won the hearts of the thirteen oomphalicious babes who fight it out for a top spot in the reality show, but has also left the Khiladi`s ex girlfriends awe struck.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Did Madge `ghost-write` brother`s book?!New York, July 28: Madonna, it seems was more than an innocent bystander when it comes to her brother Christopher Ciccone`s new autobiography. In fact, reports say that she ghost-wrote parts of it.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:12 pm Rajnikant gets ready to shoot RobotTamil superstar Rajnikant is likely to leave for the US shortly to join the US-based...Source: India News | 28 Jul 2008 | 3:01 pm Big B bowled over by LA audience
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 2:56 pm Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots goes on floorsRajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Madhavan and Boman Irani has gone on floors. The film is a feel good family entertainer. It has the same warmth, simplicity and fun associated with Raju Hirani's films. Hirani doesn't want to give away the look of his protagonists right now, which is why the teaser doesn't have any of the actors in it. The shoot of the film with the supporting characters has already begun. Hirani and his team will be leaving in late August for the shoot with the principal cast. The film is scheduled to be shot in Ladakh, Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai as well. Aamir and rest of the cast will begin shooting in early September. Hirani plans to wrap 3 Idiots by December. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is producing the film. Abhijat Joshi and Raju Hirani have written the screenplay and the lyrics are by Swanand Kirkire. Shantanu Moitra is composing the music for the film.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 28 Jul 2008 | 2:52 pm Chamber assures Kuselan's release in Karnataka - Oneindia
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 2:15 pm Kuselan's delivers the punch - Exclusive First look! - IndiaGlitz
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 2:11 pm Film Chamber assures Kuselan's release in KarnatakaFinally, the Kannada Film Chamber decided to allow Superstar Rajinikanth's Kuselan for a smooth screening in the Tamil dominated City Bangalore and other parts of Karnataka with limited number of prints. Now the film is going to release in 13 theaters in Bangalore City with 10 prints. The film will ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 2:07 pm Tony Romo worked to restore Jessica's confidenceNew Delhi (ANI): Jessica Simpson's beau Tony Romo has helped the pop singer restore her self-confidence and get over her divorce from Nick Lachey. The American footballer helped the heartbroken singer get over her failed marriage and encouraged her to release a country album.Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:49 pm Will George Michael reunite with Andrew Ridgeley?London (ANI): British singer George Michael may reunite with Andrew Ridgeley, former band member during his tour. Michael has promised some surprises at his final two live concerts at Earls Court next month and if sources are to be believed that the 45-year-old singer may sing a track or two ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:43 pm Michelle Williams spent fortune on ex-lover - Sify
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:41 pm Ben Kingsley let the woman be on top during love scenes - Oneindia
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:22 pm Jolie wants her ex lesbian lover to be her twin's godmother - Oneindia
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:22 pm Tendulkar to make Bollywood debutMUMBAI (Reuters) - Sachin Tendulkar will make his Bollywood debut with a cameo role in a film about the miracles of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesh.Source: Reuters: Bollywood News | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:19 pm Jolie wants her ex lesbian lover to be her twin's godmotherAngelina Jolie plans to rope in her ex girlfriend bi-sexual Jenny Shimizu. The actress and Jenny were an on and off couple a long time back. But its seems that hubby Brad Pitt is not in favour of the decision to rope in Jenny to be the twins god mothers. ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:50 pm Bike rams in to LindsayActress Lindsay Lohan was hit by a motorbike while she was out partying with her best buddy and alleged girlfriend Samantha Ronson. The star was admitted to Beth Israel Medical Center and discharged at around 4 AM. Her father said that he was glad that she was fine and that ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:43 pm Subhash K Jha speaks about Money Hai Toh Honey HaiDon't groan. Give this a chance. It won't make you dance. But hey Money Hai Toh Honey Hai has a certain sincerity of purpose and a rather sturdy narrative mode that serves the comic purpose until interval. That's when the pace slackens, the interest-level droops and the chuckles drop drastically to make way for a touching simple and naïve climax that tells us, it's okay to be ordinary, that living is about letting your dreams run free. Choreographer Ganesh Acharya's earlier directorial effort Swami suffered from a well-intended narrative gone awry due to storytelling inertia. This time, Acharya is on surer ground. And it's got little to with the Mauritian outdoors and the sun kissed beaches that stroke against the characters' dreams without fanning them to a feverish pitch. Money Haiâ¦. soaks you in a warm sun without causing us a sun stroke. It's finally a failed comedy. But it's an honourable failure. The first thing that strikes you about this slim satire is the thehrao. Seldom have you seen a less noisy comedy in recent times. The background sounds are kept at a minimum. For once the characters don't scream inanities and double meanings at one another. The plot about six incorrigible losers who get a chance in life when a wacky millionaire (Prem Chopra, so over- the -top he topples into the abyss of the macabre) makes the Losers Inc. a chance they can't refuse. Some of the tracks in the plot are truly funny. Hansika Motwani as a TV icon who wants to break away from her weepy bahu image on a long-running soap (the spoof on Ekta Kapoor is in abject bad taste) is surprisingly in command over the rites of screen excesses. Hansika's hammy acting is so purposely pitched at an extravagant decibel you can't but laugh. Upen Patel's toy-boy act with the high-velocity Archana Puran Singh is also hilarious. The rest of the comic act swings from rib tickling to drab. But what the heck! No harm in trying to make a comedy that keeps a balance between burlesque and aesthetics. A remarkable aspect of Money Hai Toh Honey Hai is the choreography. Ganesh Acharya changes tracks as a choreographer. The music and dances in this film have a frisky flighty fruity but tightly-cordoned flavour. Very outdoors, very sexy and different. And it's not just Govinda who gets to swing to an original beat. Every actor swings into a freewheeling groove. Ironically, Govinda and Aftab Shivdasani, no stranger to the comic mood, are comparatively tame. Upen and Hansika pull out all stops. And Celina Jaitley playing a fashion designer who dreams of making clothes for the working-class tugs at heart instead of g-strings. The theme of dreamers coming together to assert their yearnings in ways that are sometimes-interesting, sometimes-listless. But you know what? Money Hai Toh Honey Hai is not half as bad as it could've been if the character's didn't impose a morality of restraint over the goings-on.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:41 pm Guess Who!We are sure that your weekend must have been really good (read 'best'). Well, after the lazy weekend, here comes your dose of mind-refresher, the quintessential something that you need to have a great week ahead! We are indeed talking about your favorite game of 'Guess Who', only on your favourite film website, Bollywood Hungama! The fact about this week's celebrity is that her life is just like the open page from the 'Diary of the Rich And Famous', that there's hardly anything about her that is not known! Still, we will try our best to quiz you by saying that this week's celebrity is surely a chic who is giving many a topnotch heroines a run for the Numero Uno position! There's a famous saying in Bollywood, that 'If you aim for the moon, you will surely get the stars'. Likewise, she aimed for the Universe, she got the World and how! This gorgeous lass who was born to doctor parents, first conquered the world of fashion and then entered Bollywood with a bang, but without any plan! After reading the clues, if you feel that you have cracked this one, then, simply post in your clues below and keep your fingers crossed as we reveal the answersâ¦next week! To know the answer to last week's picture quiz, click hereSource: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:38 pm Sienna finds her dream house near ex Jude Law?London (ANI): Actress Sienna Miller has reportedly found her dream house. The only problem - it's just five houses away from that of her ex Jude Law. The 26-year-old actress had been looking for a house to rent for the time she will be in London as she films 'Nottingham', ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:29 pm The Dark Knight breaks 300 million barrier in record timeThe Dark Knight was expected from the start to be a blockbuster owing to many reason including it being a Batman sequel and it being the Heath Ledger's posthumous release. The movie has grossed the most money ever by a film released internationally in making the most money ever in ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:21 pm Ben Kingsley let the woman be on top during love scenesWashington (ANI): When it comes to filming sex scenes in movies, Sir Ben Kingsley insists that his female co-stars take the lead - because he doesn't want them to feel awkward about the staged intimacy.Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:11 pm Watch the unseen portion of Taare Zameen Par - Oneindia
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 11:56 am Watch the unseen portion of Taare Zameen Par"Sometimes, you cut out 30 seconds and physically you may have lost only 30 seconds but in headspace as an audience you quicken the pace of the film much more than those 30 seconds," says Aamir Khan while giving explanations for the seven deleted scenes of Taare Zameen Par which ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 11:46 am Abhishek on The Unforgettable TourIt's amazing what a power of three can do to a film and the Tour. Yes, I am talking about the Bachchan family, Amitabh, Abhishek, and Aishwarya. First it was their film Sarkar Raj that grossed almost £400,000 in the U.K. and now it's their Unforgettable Tour which is selling ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 11:32 am Arjun as hero in Malayalam film - Oneindia
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 11:21 am Rajnikant gets ready to shoot 'Robot'Tamil superstar Rajnikant is likely to leave for the US shortly to join the US-based production team of his Rs.1.5 billion (approximately $35.5 million) venture 'Robot', said publicists.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 28 Jul 2008 | 11:14 am Shahid & Vidya—the next Shah Rukh & Juhi? - Sify
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 11:12 am Bharat, Tamanna to star in Tamil remake of 'Jab We Met'Entertainment major Moser Baer is remaking Bollywood hit 'Jab We Met' in Tamil and has cast Bharat and Tamanna to play lead roles.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 28 Jul 2008 | 11:10 am San Francisco Mayor weds Jennifer Siebel
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:57 am LaBeouf arrested for drunken driving
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:54 am Thrilled with marriage, but Masaba is priorityActress Neena Gupta is happy to have found marital bliss with her new husband Vivek M...Source: India News | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:51 am Harman Baweja plays cricket with Ranji players in JodhpurIf Harman has the pluck to play cricket with the champs, it's because national cricketer Praveen Amre has been taken on as the expert consultant in Victory to make sure Harman gets it right, each time. Making a cricket movie isn't easy. So, Harman Baweja has discovered while shooting for debutant director Ajit Pal's Victory. Usually, acting is about faking it. And when Aamir Khan played cricket so expertly in Lagaan, he didn't have face up to professional players on screen. In Victory, where Harman plays a professional cricketer he was pitched against professional real-life cricketers. After playing with pros of the field in Australia earlier this year, Harman on Thursday manoeuvred the bat with Rajasthan's seasoned Ranji Trophy players like Mohammed Ahmed and Abhijeet Sharma. Sunburnt and suffering from a serious sun- stroke, Harman says, "Earlier in Australia I played with Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Mike Hussey. I'd like to think I looked authentic enough playing with them. Now I play with Rajasthan's Ranji players since yesterday. And I'm having a ball. Because although I'm playing a cricketer, I'm playing for real. Man, you can't fake it with these guys. And considering Rajasthan has just won the IPL, you can imagine how good these guys are at the game. " To ensure complete authenticity in the cricket scenes, cricket expert Praveen Amre was deployed all through the shooting. "Praveen Amre was part of the Indian team in the mid-1990s. We didn't want to falter for even a bat of an eyelid, pun intended. Hence, the expert advice," says Harman. The cricket scenes being shot in Jodhpur show Harman's characters beginnings as a star-cricketer. "It's the story of a cricketer Vijay Shekhawat's rise from a small-town player to a national-level cricketer. My big moment came when these Ranji players said I played well. They told me there's a lot more to cricket than just the shot. They said I looked convincing in the way I wore my helmet, gloves, stood my ground, ran and connected with the field. I worked on all of that. As far as playing the game goes, I was a cricket player from school and college. So, I only needed to brush up the game. It was getting the other details about a cricketer's personality right that was tough." Since Thursday morning, Harman was playing cricket non-stop for 12 hours. "By the end, of it I was ready to collapse. Everyone else in the crew had breaks. They ran under trees, checked the monitor in the shade while I had to stand in the burning sun and play non-stop for 12 hours, rehearsing and doing final takesâ¦I'm so exhausted by the heat I can collapse right now," says Harman who suffers from a heat allergy.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:47 am Katrina upset with Salman, plans to go her separate way - Sify
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:40 am Akshay takes on 8 WWE wrestlers - Oneindia
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:32 am Katrina upset with Salman, plans to go her separate wayRumours are rife that one of the hottest couples in Bollywood, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, is heading for splitsville. The final blow to their relationship came in the form of the spat between Salman and Shah Rukh Khan on Katrina's birthday.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:31 am I'm turning green shooting for 'Toonpur ka Superhero': Ajay DevganBollywood actor Ajay Devgan, who is busy shooting for his animated venture 'Toonpur Ka Superhero', says his complexion might metamorphose into green because he is constantly shooting against a green backdrop.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:30 am "You don't add more shows in a flop tour," fumes Vishal Dadlani"People can write all the sh** they want but the fact of the matter is that it is the bottom-line which matters. It is the money which does the talking and ' Unforgettable ' tour is earning enough for everyone involved,â one catches Vishal in an angry mood when questioned about the success of the show. As has been evident by now, a section of press isn't been too kind on the global tour which is claimed to be the biggest ever considering the entire Bachchan family is leading the charge. There have been murmurs making rounds that attendance isn't quite what it is claimed to be and claims of 10-12-15000 people thronging the shows isn't quite true. "There would always be negative people out there who would always be looking at pulling things down for others. We have all along being suspecting that something like this would happen the moment 'Unforgettable' starts catching on heat. With the kind of success we are going through, there are bound to be some burning hearts. Let them be the way they want to and let people write what they want; we for sure know that this is a huge success and nothing as frivolous as this can make us loose our sleeps on it", says Vishal who is hardly making an attempt to hold his anger moments before getting prepared for the show in LA. Unwilling to hold on his thoughts, Vishal adds, "Tell me one thing, if at all a tour is not doing well, why would promoters and sponsors be looking at adding more shows? After all, you don't add more shows in a flop tour, right? So why are we moving from 12 shows (which were originally planned) to 13? In fact, they are looking at increasing the number further and we all are trying to figure out our dates. It appears that it would be in January 2009 that we would embark on the next leg of the tour." "We are aware that there have been instances when tour duration has been reduced to half. Shows have been cut left, right, and center," reasons Vishal, "On the other hand, vibes are only getting better with each passing day. The tour is running into a crazy event by itself. Inshallah, all of us out here are having a whale of the time and it is great to see people excited while we perform. Nothing succeeds like success and we are looking forward to many more beautiful remembrances as we move on to other cities,â concludes Vishal.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:27 am Top Ten albums of the weekRank Last week Film Plusses Minuses 1 1 Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa Even when 'Kismat Konnection' was it's peak in the week gone by, two news songs were introduced in 'Singh In Kinng' and Bipasha's sizzling appearance surfaced in 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', JTYJN continued to be hot favorite. This Rahman album continues to rule at #1! None 2 2 Singh Is Kinng For second straight week in succession, 'Singh Is Kinng' holds the #2 spot. However, it is now in breathing distance of 'Singh Is Kinng' and it is widely expected that Pritam would topple Rahman from the top spot by the time 'Singh Is Kinng' is ready to release. There is less than a fortnight to go and the music is yet to peak to highest scale 3 3 Bachna Ae Haseeno Bipasha's 'Lucky Boy' has caught attention as well, just like the title song and 'Khuda Jaane'. And to think of it, the promotional video of the title song is waiting to be unveiled. After the debacle of 'Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic', YRF can look forward to an assured success in the form of 'Bachna Ae Haseeno'. Due to disagreement between YRF and certain music channels, the songs aren't finding an all around satellite publicity 4 4 Kismat Konnection Promotion of 'Is This Love' has gathered heat in the week gone by which has now added on to the list of popular numbers from 'Kismat Konnection'. Hot favorites still stay on to be 'Aai Pappi' and 'Move Your Body Now' though! One of the best songs of the album, 'Move Your Body Now', has been pushed to the end credit title rolls! 5 6 Ugly Aur Pagli Moving up inch by inch, 'Ugly Aur Pagli' finally breaks into Top-5 just as the film is just a week away from release. The biggest musical success for Ranvir Shorey, it is also after ages that an Anu Malik soundtrack has made an impression in the charts. Just like 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects', prospects of 'Ugly Aur Pagli' to grow further also depends a lot on the film's theatrical run 6 5 Jannat After ruling the charts for months in succession, 'Jannat' moves out of Top-5 for the first time. The film's DVDs have however arrived around a fortnight back and keeping the film in circulation amongst the audience. One looks forward to the next project coming from Bhatts, Pritam and Hashmi. None 7 7 Race Solid as ever, 'Race' holds on so well for TIPS, UTV and Pritam that it is just a few notches behind their 'Kismat Konnection' which is relatively a newer release. None 8 10 Rock On Moving up by a couple of spots, 'Rock On' shows some improvement in the charts. Curiosity factor has contributed to the sales of this Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Javed Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar. The music sticks to the theme but in the process caters to very restricted segment of audience. 9 9 Ada Not willing to bow out of the charts in spite of newer albums like 'God Tussi Great Ho', 'Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam' and 'C Kkompany' arriving on the stands, 'Ada' sticks on at the bottom of the charts. Publicity, publicity and some more publicity is required for this album. Period. 10 8 Love Story 2050 At rock bottom, the music of 'Love Story 2050' should now be exiting in a week's time, just like the film has already done by now. By the time audiences started waking up to the song, the film's poor run curtailed whatever prospects this Anu Malik soundtrack had. This 'love story' didn't quite make hearts skip a beat Source: Music Festival, MGF MallSource: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:11 am Mammootty: I want to rule hearts
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 9:01 am Audiences now lack patience for leisurely narration: Director Aziz Mirza'It's the era of fast food,' says ace director Aziz Mirza, who has made his latest 'Kismet Konnection' shorter and crisper to cater to 'today's sensibilities'.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 28 Jul 2008 | 9:00 am Daughter is priority for newly married Neena Gupta
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 8:59 am Porcelain: Fusing three art forms through the language of danceWhat happens when three genres of art - visual, performing and audio - come together? A new language encompassing art in its totality is created.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 28 Jul 2008 | 8:31 am A tribute to Mehmood - the Comedy CzarMehmood, the Comedy Czar, was just what the doctor ordered for generations of movie buffs over three decades and more than 200 films. Screen pays a tribute From eccentric to comic Mehmood was the second child of actor-dancer Mumtaz Ali. Born September 29, 1932 when his father Mumtaz Ali resided in Mumbai's midtown Byculla.The family shifted to the suburb of Malad to be in close proximity to Bombay Talkies in 1940. Mehmood would love visiting the studios with his father but was never interested in acting. He reluctantly played a child actor in the all-time hit Kismat (1943) starring Ashok Kumar. The only other sibling who joined films was his sister Minoo Mumtaz. Incidentally, Mehmood was an ardent devotee, despite his religion, of Lord Shiva and had a photograph of the deity in his room. When Ashok Kumar, already a top star, noticed a mark like a trident (Lord Shiva's trishul) on Mehmood's forehead, Mehmood thought that it was all pre-ordained. This belief was consolidated when his character in L.V.Prasad's Chhoti Bahen (1959), in which Mehmood was named Mahesh (another name for the deity) became a big hit. Subsequently, Mahesh became for Mehmood what Vijay was to Amitabh Bachchan - his most frequent screen name, including in all the films he did with L.V.Prasad and Pramod Chakravorty. In one of his last interviews, Mehmood also recalled how precocious he was as a kid, which included driving a car at the age of eight and never being caught! Mehmood even followed multiple occupations - he would do odd jobs, sell poultry, teach table-tennis to Meena Kumari, get paid for his live mimicry and comic acts by Nutan and Pradeep Kumar and even was witer-filmmaker-lyricist Pyarelal Santoshi's driver. Falling in love with Meena's younger daughter Madhuri, he married her in 1953 and turned seriously to acting only after he became a father. Before this, filmlore has it that he turned down a B.R.Chopra film, Ek Hi Raasta, because sister-in-law Meena Kumari had suggested his name for the role! Mehmood's earliest bit roles as an adult include the cameo of a hired killer in Raj Khosla's bumper hit C.I.D. along with other small roles in Guru Dutt's Pyaasa and Kagaz Ke Phool as well as Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin, Satyen Bose's Jagriti and I.S.Johar's Nastik. It is said that Mehmood struck a close friendship with the eccentric Kishore Kumar and asked him for a role in his films at the singer's peak as an actor. And the actor replied, "How can I give a chance to someone who will compete with me?" And Mehmood told him, "One day I will become a big-name filmmaker and cast you in my films!" Mehmood kept his word with Padosan(1968) and also let Kishore sing for him in many home- as well as outside productions including Bhoot Bungla, Albela(1971), Main Sundar Hoon, Mastana, Kunwara Baap, Ginny Aur Johnny, Ek Baap Chhe Bete, Sabse Bada Rupaiya, Humjoli, Jawab, Lakhon Mein Ek and others. Finally, Kishore did cast Mehmood in Shabaash Daddy. Mehmood's first tryst with true fame came with Parvarish in 1958 and Chhoti Bahen in 1959. But it was Sasural (1961) that really began his meteoric rise to fame. "I had the looks of a villain but I was good at mimicry and observation and that made me a good comedian, I guess!" said the ace comedian once. Thunderous reign In the '60s he was the unparallelled Comedy King. An unending cavalcade of hits like Sanjog, Rakhi, Dil Tera Diwana, Aarti, Hamrahi, Grahasti, Ghar Basake Dekho, Dil Ek Mandir, Bharosa, Zindagi, Ziddi, Sanjh Aur Savera, Chitralekha, Beti Bete, Kaajal, Gumnaam, Arzoo, Pyar Kiye Jaa, Love In Tokyo, Daadi Maa, Patthar Ke Sanam, India's first 70mm film Around The World, Suhaag Raat, Neel Kamal, Do Kaliyan, Izzat, Ankhen, Waris (in a dual role) and Tumse Accha Kaun Hai followed. The '70s were also replete with hits like Humjoli, Paras, Naya Zamana, Jugnu, Dulhan, Qaid, Hatyara and Des Pardes. Mehmood as a character actor, continued to make a mark till much later when he did films like Khuddaar, Manpasand and Andaz Apna Apna. The last film was directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, whose father's chaffeur Mehmood had once been! Mehmood's last release was Barsaat Ki Raat in 1998. In his reign as a topnotch comic, Mehmood set and broke many trends. His powerful persona and spontaneous comedy gradually saw scriptwriters and filmmakers not just make him the comic relief in classic melodramas but also devise a complete sub-plot for his character. This led to Mehmood forming hit teams, first with Shubha Khote and later with Aroona Irani, whom he is said to be have both mentored and romanced. Top banners like AVM and Gemini in Chennai as well as Mumbai filmmakers like Ramanand Sagar, A.A.Nadiadwala and Kundan Kumar could never do without him. The second aspect was that he was given songs and these invariably proved chartbusters. While Mohammed Rafi and Manna Dey were his most frequent singers, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh and Mehmood himself also came in. In the later stages, Bappi Lahiri (Aflatoon/Dilsey Miley Dil), Amit Kumar (Nazar lage na saathiyon/Des Pardes) and Hariharan (Chand sitaron mein hai/Mohabbat Ki Arzoo) were among his rare singers. The fallout of his superstardom was his effortless overshadowing of major stars and soon this snowballed into an ego problem where many a top actor refused to work with him. Undeterred, Mehmood began to play leading roles either by himself or with cooperative heroes like Kishore Kumar and Shashi Kapoor (Pyar Kiye Jaa), Vinod Khanna (Mastana and fellow comedians like I.S.Johar (Johar Mehmood In Goa, Johar Mehmood In Hong Kong). In any case, Mehmood was never satisfied with just being an actor and a comic. He had launched his own production company as early as 1961 with Chhote Nawab, and he made films right till the end of his career, with himself as either a character artiste (Pati Patni, Janta Havaldar) or - more frequently - as a leading man (Chhote Nawab, Bhoot Bungla, Sadhu Aur Shaitan, Padosan, Garam Masala, Do Phool et al). For Mehmood, his later films also were the means of going beyond comedy and Kunwara Baap, Sabse Bada Rupaiya, Ginny Aur Johnny as well as outside films like Mastana and Main Sundar Hoon saw Mehmood's acting genius extend to making the audience weep with his emotions. For good measure, he also fulfilled his dream of playing a villian in that 5-minute memorable cameo of a politician in Gulzar's Mere Apne. Mehmood was not satisfied with being an actor. A creative genius, he ended up writing, producing and directing films and even singing for himself. In two unusual cases, he sang playback for a junior artiste in Do Aur Do Paanch under a composer whom he introduced, Rajesh Roshan, and choreographed, sang and enacted a song in his last directorial venture Dushmun Duniya Ka (1996) in which he whimsically made Anu Malik tune lyrics written by fellow composer Ravindra Jain instead of his fave lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri. The comic palette Mehmood's comic palette ranged from the truly witty to (later) the coarsely physical, and the latter part of his work began his downhill journey as he faced a barrage of criticism for his vulgar gestures, lewd or double-meaning dialogues and cheap characterisations. Subtle, situational, slapstick and sleazy and finally serio-comedy - Mehmood's humour traversed the spectrum of the genre through hit after hit. Typecast as a comic, Mehmood saw to it that albeit with uneven finesse, the actor exhibited an amazing range and variety: a special feature being his penchant for enacting characters of all communities and occupations! And so we had the Tamilian of Padosan, the Keralite of Do Phool, the Hyderabadi of Gumnaam, the Marwari of Sabse Bada Rupaiya, the Muslim from Arzoo (1965) and so on. As for his on-screen professions, probably no one else can match him in the variety - he was a barber in Do Kaliyan, a pandit in Pandit Aur Pathan, a drug-pedlar posing as a goat-herd in Dushmun Duniya Ka, an espionage agent in Ankhen and Shatranj, a film producer in Pyar Kiye Jaa, a kabadiwala in Neel Kamal, a cabbie in Sadhu Aur Shaitan and a mobile restaurant owner in Naya Zamana. Mehmood's other characters have included an assassin, a ear-cleaner, a garage owner, music teacher, pop singer, accountant, gate-keeper, waiter, chauffeur, rickshawwallah, actor, butler, wedding dancer, doctor, photographer, policeman, a qawwal, music director, bus conductor and even a prince! A good observer, Mehmood had the quirky trait of taking slices from real people. He was inspired by film distributor giant Tolaram Jain whose body language he incorporated in Sabse Bada Rupaiya. In Humjoli, his famous triple role was a tribute-cum-spoof on three generations of Kapoors - Prithviraj, Raj and Randhir. Humjoli was shot a good two years prior to Randhir Kapoor's acting debut, but uncannily projected the 'youngest' Mehmood as a prototype of the young star's future screen image, completely with his favourite voice-to-be Kishore Kumar as playback singer! The emotional mentor Mehmood mentored several talents apart from attempting to make his children star as child artistes. His son Lucky Ali turned singer with Dushmun Duniya Ka and his second wife, Tracy, an American, wrote an English song in Ek Baap Chhe Bete. More importantly, he mentored struggling heroes like Sanjeev Kumar (Pati Patni) and Amitabh Bachchan (Bombay To Goa) besides suggesting Vinod Khanna's name as his parallel hero in Mastana. Mehmood also introduced Bharati from the South in Sadhu Aur Shaitan, director S.Raamnathan in Bombay To Goa and of course promoted Aroona Irani. But Mehmood's main achievement is his contribution to music - he has been Columbus for two composers - R.D.Burman in Chhote Nawab and Rajesh Roshan in Kunwara Baap. It is under the former that he turned singer in Bhoot Bungla (the film that also marked RD's debut as a playback singer and an actor!) and it was under the latter that he sang the only song not lip-synched by himself! Among his lesser discoveries were Ramaprabha (Do Phool) and RD's assistants Basu-Manohari as music directors (Sabse Bada Rupaiya). For Mehmood, relationships mattered a lot. Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Jeetendra (who was one of the young heroes who always supported him) were regulars in his own films. Abrar Alvi, who wrote the Guru Dutt films in which Mehmood played small roles, was his regular writer after Guru Dutt passed away. Finally, he ensured that his father ended his career in a last burst of glory as he enacted the chartbuster Saj rahi gali meri maa in Rafi's voice for Kunwara Baap. The last act Mehmood saw his son Lucky (Maqsood) Ali turn singer and also hero with Sur (2002), the trial show of which witnesssed his last public appearance. In the '80s and '90s Mehmood spent most of his time in his farm in Bangalore. His health necessitated a long treatment in Pennsylvania in USA and it was there that he passed away on July 23, 2004. One dream of his remained unfulfilled - the setting up of a trust for Cine Comedians. But few comedians even worldwide have reached where Mehmood Ali did. Screen IndiaSource: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 28 Jul 2008 | 7:21 am Blog: SRK v/s Salman and the mediaMaybe its just me, but all of this seems way out of hand. First off, from what ive seen all the reporters were outside of the party, and i doubt at a party like that the press would be brought inside the party; so basically, im having trouble comprehending how the press could find out something like that. My guess is that shah rukh khan walked out a little early and they made a huge deal about it. But you know what, maybe they did fight, they were both drunk and what not, but still, the media is reporting that because of this fight, bollywood is splitting into 2. Their stating that all the directors and producers are siding with shah rukh khan, while many actors and actresses are supporting salman khan. The story goes that.. after the fight, the director and the actors called up srk and salman khan, and told them of their support. Theirs two problems with this, 1) how would they know their was a fight? 2.) WHY WOULD THEY? lol, i understand if salman and srk were 5 year olds, but why would 2 40 year olds need support in such a small and petty fight like this? The latest article i read is that both salman and srk went to sanjay dutt, who was somewhere else for shooting at that time, just so they could mediate their problem. Now how pathetic is that? lol, why would they travel to some other actors movie shoot, to mediate their fight? Either these 2 actors are really immature, or the media is taking way too much advantage of their power. I understand if Stardust magazine or filmfare magazine wrote this stuff because they are a gossip magazine, but media outlets such as times india and ndtv and all of them need to be more responsible with their journalism. Blog can be accessed at http://bollywoodhungama.com/userblogs/headphones/2008/7/23/srk-vs-salman-vs-media// If you have an interesting Bollywood blog to share, do email us Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein or statements made in the above column are solely those of the blogger, and do not necessarily reflect the views of IndiaFM. 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Ramachandran.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Jul 2008 | 2:31 pm Quality cinema doesnt mean intellectual films: Amol GupteScriptwriter-filmmaker Amol Gupte says that quality cinema need not necessarily be...Source: India News | 27 Jul 2008 | 2:09 pm
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