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Ritu Kumar to launch label in Pakistan
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Aug 2008 | 1:42 pm Shilpa says no to reality TV
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Aug 2008 | 1:19 pm I haven't been home in three years: Deepika PadukoneHer popularity and hectic schedule have kept Bollywood's current heartthrob Deepika Padukone away from home for three years.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:59 am Shah Rukh Khan to play Indiana Jones?!Ace director Santosh Sivan, who is known for his critically acclaimed flicks like - `Halo`, `Malli`, `The Terrorist` is all set to make a Hindi film based on the Hollywood adventure series `Indiana Jones` starring King Khan Shah Rukh.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am Jennifer Aniston will make a return visit to NBC !Jennifer Aniston will return home to NBC, the TV network where she became a breakout star on the hit sitcom "Friends."Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am Sajid Khan wishes Sridevi, Madhuri were younger!Actor-turned-director Sajid Khan is looking for a talented heroine for his second directorial venture "Housefull", and says he would have cast Sridevi or Madhuri Dixit if they were younger.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am Rani Mukerji comes smiling back into Aditya Chopra`s life! !The tinsel town witnessed a sweet reconciliation the other day, when Rani Mukerji and `very close friend` Aditya Chopra kissed and made up after their recent tiff. There were reports of their break-up, when Aditya Chopra confronted her over a matter that came in the press. Adi was distressed because Rani discussed her forthcoming Yash Raj film with her media friends and the information was leaked and published in the newspapers.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am I haven`t been home in three years: Deepika Padukone !Her popularity and hectic schedule have kept Bollwood`s current heartthrob Deepika Padukone away from home for three years. She`s finally looking forward to being in Bangalore with her family for Ganesh Chaturthi.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am Are `Chamku` and `Mukhbiir` thematically similar?!Those who have seen the newly released films "Chamku" and "Mukhbiir" say they are thematically similar, but Bobby Deol and Sammir Dattani, who play the respective lead roles in the films, don`t agree.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am Ranbir glad after winning hearts in `Bachna Ae Haseeno`!With "Bachna Ae Haseeno" getting off to a good start at the Bollywood box-office, Ranbir Kapoor is glad people are recognising his flair for comedy, a genre of acting he finds "really difficult".Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am Rashid, Meyer are Delhi`s fav authors!Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid`s "Descent Into Chaos" continues to attract non-fiction readers in the city though Amitav Ghosh has slipped to number two in the fiction list with Stephanie Meyer`s "Breaking Dawn" taking the top position.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am Rakhi Vijayan voted out of 'Bigg Boss'
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:47 am Sajin wants to work with Sridevi, Madhuri
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Aug 2008 | 11:23 am Iranian film explores transsexual world
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Aug 2008 | 10:50 am Deepika Padukone yearns to be at home
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Aug 2008 | 10:36 am C KKompany Movie Review - GlamSham
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:28 am Voices: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Sigourney Weaver - Screen Weekly
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 9:02 am Cast: Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan, Ninad Kamath - Screen Weekly
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 8:37 am Shilpa says no to reality TV - NDTV.com
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 8:35 am Next hearing of Warner Bros case on 'Hari Puttar' Sep 2The makers of children's comedy 'Hari Puttar - A Comedy of Terrors' continue to be in trouble. Though the release date has been fixed at Sep 19, it will depend on the next hearing of the case filed by Hollywood studio Warner Bros alleging infringement of their copyright of the 'Harry Potter' franchise.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Aug 2008 | 8:30 am Sallu's ‘Veer’ In Demand For Rs 150 Cr - TopNews
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 8:18 am Stars: Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kolhi, Luke Kenny ... - Screen Weekly
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 8:07 am Ee Sambashane to be shot in MadikeriMadikeri has been chosen as the shooting location for the newly launched film Ee Sambhashane. Newcomer Keshava and Haripriya play the lead role in the film which is being directed by Rajasekhar. The producers of the film are Major Srinivasa Poojar and Jyothi Basvaraj. The screenplay of the film is ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:28 am Shweta's new glamorous avatara in AMVContrary to her demure onscreen image, Shweta Tiwari dons a stunning skimpy black outfit in the upcoming episode of Reliance Mobile Aajaa Mahi Vay to be aired on Saturday, August 30, 8 pm only on STAR Plus. 'Wild Card entries' and comedians Irfan Malik and Ali Hasan continue to entertain ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:23 am Anupam Kher meets Mumbai top copsAnupam Kher met real police officers to bring authenticity to his character of a Police Commissioner in his forthcoming film, A Wednesday.Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:19 am Salman's Veer for Rs 150 crore?Salman Khan starrer Veer might break down all records if the price its being offered is agreed upon. It has been offered a mind boggling Rs. 150 crore for its complete world wide rights.Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:15 am Ritchie not renewing wedding vows with MadgeWashington (ANI): Guy Ritchie has rubbished reports that he and wife Madonna are set renew to their wedding vows. The star couple were rumoured to be planning to remarry in a Kabbalah ceremony later this month (Aug08).Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:11 am Madonna's love letters will not be shownWashington (ANI): Exhibition organisers have slammed claims that they plan to reveal a series of love letters that were sent by Madonna to her former lover. According to the grapevine, the bosses of the Simply Madonna show were said to be keen to make 17 letters the 'Material Girl' wrote ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:08 am Priyamani teams up with BalakrishnaAfter his not so impressive Pandurangudu, Nandamuri Balakrishna's latest film has been announced. It will be launched on October 9th (Vijayadasami). Sivalenka Krishna Prasad, who previously produced Balakrishna's starrers Aditya 369, Vamsanikokkade and Balevadivi Basu is producing this one as well. SS Rajamouli's understudy, Mahadev is debuting as director. Priyamani ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:05 am Jackman inspecting fashion designer's homeMelbourne (ANI): Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman is eyeing the 20 million dollar worth Australian home of fashion designer Lisa Ho and her entrepreneur husband Phillip Smouha. According to the grapevine, Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness have inspected the luxury home in order to buy it.Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 7:03 am Lindsay Lohan back on 'Ugly Betty'New York (ANI): Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan is back on Ugly Betty to reprise her role from last season as Betty's, played America Ferrera, high-school nemesis, Kimmie. Lohan, who played Betty's popular high school pal Kimberly, will don the old-school cheerleader outfit, complete with short, pleated polyester skirt as part ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 6:58 am Sneha now turns furious at mediaA couple of weeks ago, rumours were doing rounds in a section of media about the 'steady going' relationship between actress Sneha and actor Prasanna, the onscreen pair of movie Achamundu Achamundu! After going through the reports, Sneha, the media friendly actress, now turns very angry and says, "All were ...Source: Oneindia - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 6:51 am I Wanted To Announce That I’m Back, Says Rakhi Vijayan - TopNews
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 30 Aug 2008 | 5:04 am Upgrade, sell or close - fate of Delhi's single-screen theatresThere was a time when going for a film in India meant heading to the nearby single-screen hall, but with the arrival of multiplexes, many of the old theatres are in a pitiable condition, with tattered seats and cracked walls, waiting to be shut down or for a much-needed makeover.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:31 am Sajid Khan wishes Sridevi, Madhuri were youngerActor-turned-director Sajid Khan is looking for a talented heroine for his second directorial venture 'Housefull', and says he would have cast Sridevi or Madhuri Dixit if they were younger.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:30 am The identity crisis facing Tibetan refugeesWhat is the place of Tibetans in our society? Are they just refugees, or have they taken on an Indian identity after having lived the Indian way for over three decades? A documentary titled 'Tribute to Life - memoir of a lost land' answers all.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Aug 2008 | 4:30 am Are 'Chamku' and 'Mukhbiir' thematically similar?Those who have seen the newly released films 'Chamku' and 'Mukhbiir' say they are thematically similar, but Bobby Deol and Sammir Dattani, who play the respective lead roles in the films, don't agree.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Aug 2008 | 3:00 am I haven't been home in three years: Deepika PadukoneHer popularity and hectic schedule have kept Bollwood's current heartthrob Deepika Padukone away from home for three years. She's finally looking forward to being in Bangalore with her family for Ganesh Chaturthi.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 30 Aug 2008 | 3:00 am Mani Shankar's Mukhbir, a royal mess - IBNLive.com
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 29 Aug 2008 | 9:20 pm Akshay Kumar is the biggest metrosexual star: Rocky SDesigner Rocky S has clothed Bollywood star Akshay Kumar for eight long years and says that the actor is the most stylish and metrosexual man around.Source: Entertainment News | 29 Aug 2008 | 5:36 pm Special screening of A Wednesday arranged for Mumbai policeClick above for more stills Sometime last week, a special screening of UTV Motion Pictures' A Wednesday was held in Gujarat for CM Narendra Modi. Close on the heels of that screening, the makers have decided to hold yet another screening of the same film, this time for the Mumbai Police. Rakesh Maria, Javed Ahmed, A.N.Roy, and around 65 Senior police officers, who deal with terrorists and are part of the Anti Terrorist Squad are going to be watching the film on Monday,1st of September. Rakesh Maria and Javed Ahmed were part of the investigation team of 1993 Mumbai blasts. A Wednesday is a fast-paced thriller based on the aftermath of bomb blasts. Anupam Kher plays a police commissioner who gets a threat call and is on a mission to stop the terrorist. Aamir Bashir and Jimmy Shergill are part of Anti Terrorist Squad in the film while Naseeruddin Shah plays the antagonist. Speaking about the special screening director Neeraj Pandey said, "This is our way of saying thanks to the police force. The story of the film is majorly inspired by the way our police force tackle the situations. Through the film, we would like to salute all of them." "A Wednesday deals with urban terrorism and how the police force has to handle it uniquely. We are very happy to realize that veterans of our police force want to see this film. A film like this is very relevant in today's time. We are gladly arranging a screening where heroes of our police force like A.N.Roy, Rakesh Maria and Ahmed Javed would be seeing the film" said Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO-UTV Motion Pictures. Director Neeraj Pandey along with actors Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah are going to be present for the screening.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 29 Aug 2008 | 4:17 pm PHOONK has opened doors for film makers like me - Wilson Louis - GlamSham
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 29 Aug 2008 | 4:01 pm Shilpa on the cover of People"I can't go through it all over again" declares Shilpa Shetty, when she was asked if she would take part in this year's 'Big Boss'. For starters, Shilpa happens to be the 'Celebrity Big Brother' winner cum actress cum entrepreneur cum many other avatars bundled into one! She exclaims the above mentioned famous words in the latest issue of 'People', the niche magazine, of which she also happens to be the cover-girl. Not just this, she also has made many other confessions, which includes her relationship with her boyfriend- the London based entrepreneur Raj Kundra. Not many know the fact that Raj was also a part of the Akshay-Karisma flick Mere Jeevan Saathi (as a producer), and the recently released Strangers that starred Jimmy Sheirgill with Sonali Kulkarni and Nandana Sen. The good news is that Raj is also a part of a film venture that Shilpa is producing! That doesn't mean that Shilpa will be saying adieu to heroine roles. Testimony of this is the fact that she is having her next venture The Man coming up with Sunny Deol. When asked about the difference between being an actress and a producer, she simply blushes in her trademark style to say that "You don't get as pampered as an actress". Well, looking at Raj's deep and dedicatedly committed eyes, he truly looks like the 'Pampering Personified' types! If that's the case, where's the point to complain, Shilpa?Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 29 Aug 2008 | 3:39 pm DVD Review: AmuMOVIE DETAILS Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Brinda Karat, Ankur Khanna, Yashpal Sharma Director: Shonali Bose Producer: Shonali Bose Music: Nandlal Nayak. THE FILM 'What's my fault' - cries a Sikh man, a loving husband and a father of two, who has been forced out of his lower middle class slum dwelling by a group of miscreants and burnt alive. It is this cry, which resonates long after you are through watching a stunning 100 minutes odd dramatic tale by Shonali Bose. For the uninitiated, this film was completed way back in 2004 when Konkona Sen Sharma was still finding her feet in cine world. However, it is quite apparent that her current crop of movies isn't really the isolated cases of inherent brilliance which the young woman has been carrying with her ever since she decided to face the camera. What also amazes is the fact that the film is helmed by a first time director Shonali Bose, a lady in her 40's, who claims to have been a witness to the 1984 Delhi riots when she was a college student in Delhi University. It is these very riots that form a wallpaper of 'Amu', which travels much beyond the carnage that destroyed the very virtue of humanity. Of course many of us who are reading this piece have been brought up in an era post the riots and hence aren't quite cued into what really transpired more than two decades back. With most part of our knowledge about the massacre being relegated to what we have read in newspapers or magazines, Amu does manage to do well in recapturing the horrific time period. However, Amu goes beyond the riots. In fact, the sequences which demonstrated the ugly face of mankind (captured in a heart rendering manner by Bose; something which would churn the stomach of the most strong hearted of all) do not last more than 15 minutes in the entire duration of the film. Nonetheless, it is the built up to the sequence of events (which come as an absolute shocker) that creates a paramount tension even as one follows the journey of Konkona, who is out there to find her real identity. There is no beating around the bush by Shonali Bose as she sets context within few minutes of the beginning of Amu that Konkona is a woman with a past. A past about which even she was hitherto unaware about and aims at exploring it further only after visiting the by lanes of Delhi slums. An NRI who is on a trip to India for the first time to visit her maternal family, she has a chance encounter with a young man (Ankur Khanna) along with whom she sets on a journey to explore the city of Delhi. It is during one of her visits to the household of a tea stall owner (Yashpal Sharma) that memories from the past (when she was barely a 3-year-old girl) haunt her and she questions her single mother (Brinda Karat) about her real identity. An emotional tale about a mother (Brinda), a boyfriend (Ankur), his family (headed by a bureaucrat father), a tea stall owner with a past, an auto rickshaw driver haunted by the crimes he committed more than two decades back and last but not the least. Countless families which are still left wondering about the ordeal they had to face for no crime of their own, Amu grips a viewer entirely for those 100 minutes. And it does so without resorting to jingoism or setting a depressing tone! Last but not the least, it just falls short of naming the politicians who only pushed away the hapless victims, who ran from pillar to post while their kin were being murdered in broad daylight. With references like 'Woh Kaale Chashme Waala Neta.....', the narrative doesn't quite leave much to the imagination of the viewers to figure out the men who are being pointed out as being responsible for the mass murder that shocked the world in 1984. No wonder, the film was severely censored when it was released for a brief period in India a few years back! PACKAGING The film comes in an impressive plastic case 'Special Collector's Edition' DURATION The film comes in a single DVD pack with the film's duration being 98 minutes. SPECIAL FEATURES - Film Maker Commentary - Making of Amu - Deleted Scenes - Festival Q and A - Reactions: Indian Cinema - Making of the Film Maker For those who love their DVDs to be heavily loaded, Amu has quite a lot to offer. In her commentary, Shonali Bose takes a viewer through scene by scene and explains her reasoning behind what prompted her to make Amu even though history had made sure that the riots of 1984 were supposed to be dead and buried. However, unlike a mainstream commercial film where filmmakers are heard talking about their shot taking and method behind writing a scene, Amu sees Shonali provide a logical reasoning behind the presence of a particular scene or sequence. However, for those who are looking forward to something far more entertaining, there isn't much in store from these special features since segments like 'Festival Q and A' and 'Making of the Filmmaker' are really lengthy which take the sheen away from the proceedings. It starts becoming a little too heavy on the head as quite a lot of emphasis in paid on what prompted the making of the film and how Shonali went ahead and realized her dream of getting Amu in celluloid. Ditto for the segment on reactions by Indian cinema where people associated with the industry appreciate Bose's effort. What must be highlighted though is that it is an impressive list of names with people like Aamir Khan, Meera Nair, Deepa Mehta, Naseeruddin Shah, Hema Malini, Gulzar, Jaya Bachchan, Vishal Bhardwaj and many more coming forward in support of the film. 'Making of Amu' is an interesting segment though as it has been shot quite differently in a docu-drama format. Showing some real behind the scenes footage, it would be quite an interesting exercise to see this segment before watching the film as it makes one really interested in what Amu has in store for the audience. There are quite a few deleted scenes to be served as well and one must commend the film's editor (Bob Brooks) for having done a commendable job by bringing a 180 minutes film down to 100 minutes. Though it isn't as if the entire 80 minutes footage makes it to the deleted scenes but what is shown does showcase how well Brooks applied his editing scissors to make Amu a tout affair! TECHNICAL DETAILS - 4X3 Full Screen Presentation - Subtitles in English - Languages: English and Hindi - Dolby Digital 5.1 PRICE Rs. 399/= CONCLUSION The strength of Amu lies in the fact that it neither aims to sensationalize the tragedy of 1984 nor does it try to make a forced statement. It reveals facts as they were and leaves it at that while telling an emotional tale about a girl who has always been shielded lest she faces the bitter facts about the life she has left behind her. The reels that unfold are akin to that of turning over pages of a novel as one thread leads to another and in the end culminating into a horrific truth that was buried deep for good. Rating: ***1/2Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 29 Aug 2008 | 2:11 pm Priyadarshan builds sound studio in SingaporeDirector Priyadarshan, who is busy completing 'Billo Barber' with Shah Rukh Khan and Irrfan Khan, has built a sound studio in Singapore and hopes that it will help Indian ad-filmmakers.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 29 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Review: Wanted - NDTV.com
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 29 Aug 2008 | 1:52 pm Nandita Das' 'Firaaq' at Telluride film festNandita Das' directorial debut 'Firaaq' is going places even before its commercial release. Prior to its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Sep 5, the film will be screened at the Telluride Film Festival (TFF) in North America.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 29 Aug 2008 | 1:33 pm Sarath Kumar signed for trilingual movie to be shot in AfghanistanActor-turned-politician Sarath Kumar has been signed by director Om Prakash to play the lead in a trilingual movie - the first south Indian venture to be shot in Afghanistan, publicists told IANS Friday.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 29 Aug 2008 | 1:32 pm Bobby Deol-Sammir Dattani's strange bondingThere're more similarities to the two releases this Friday than what meets the eye. Kabeer Kaushik's Chamku and Mani Shankar's Mukhbiir are thematically similar. Both trace the ups and downs in the life of the orphaned protagonist who works for various terrorist and government organizations and come to a stage in life when he no longer knows who he is, or cares. Says Bobby, "Is Mukbiir really similar to Chamku? I don't know. In my film, I go from a boy in Bihar to a migrant in Mumbai. I don't know what the story of Mukhbiir is." However, the similarities between the two films are more than skin-deep. Both explore the genesis and psychology of terrorism and how closely it is linked to the Establishment's official network. Interestingly, the two film's leading men Bobby Deol and Sammir Dattani share more than just similar films on the same Friday. They also share the same birth date. Says Sammir, "Bobby and I were born on January 27. I've met him. He seems to be as laidback, hassle-free, and positive in attitude as me. We've another factor in common. Director Vikram Bhatt who's very close to Bobby and whom I grew close to while doing Life Mein Kabhi Kabhi. Coincidentally Vikram too shares our birthday." About the similarities between Mukhbiir and Chamku, Sammir says, "There might be some resemblance in theme. And in both I think the protagonist is part of government-sponsored and illegal organizations. But finally every director has his own vision. I think the way Kabeer Kaushik will tell Bobby's story will be very different from the way Mani Shankar has told my character's story." "For that matter," adds Sammir. "Both Mumbai Meri Jaan and A Wednesday which are being released within two weeks, have the July 11 Mumbai train blasts as their backdrop. But they're very different films."Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 29 Aug 2008 | 12:37 pm "Naseer Saab asked me to watch the DVD of Rush Hour 3" - Aamir BashirAlthough he shares his name with the country's biggest superstar, it may not instantly ring a bell; but his face surely will. After all, Aamir Bashir has been seen in many ads, and even popular T.V. serials like Bhanwar, Alpviram and Time Bomb. Aamir was even seen in important roles in Armaan and later on Pyaar Ke Side Effects, where he played the role of Rahul Bose's brother-in-law with élan. Now Aamir is all set to cement further his place in Bollywood with his next release - A Wednesday. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, Aamir talks about his role in A Wednesday, his experience sharing screen space with veteran actors like Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah and his future plans. After Armaan in 2003 and then Pyaar Ke Side Effects in 2006, you will now be seen in A Wednesday. Why such a long gap? Well the only reason for that is that no good, interesting scripts came my way (smiles) A Wednesday is quite an interesting title, so what is the film all about? It's a very fast-paced, edge-of-the seat thriller set in Bombay. It's called A Wednesday because all the action and story unfolds within one Wednesday afternoon. The film is called A Wednesday because all the action and story unfolds within one Wednesday afternoon. What is your character in the film? I am playing a police officer. He goes by the book and is very dedicated. He is the commissioner's (played by Anupam Kher) right hand. My character is sort of a contrast to Jimmy Shergill's character (an Anti Terrorist Squad officer) who is far more flamboyant and is a maverick. He doesn't mind breaking the law and doesn't go by the rules whereas my character thinks, analyses, and then acts on any situation. A Wednesday has some really talented actors like Naseer Saab, Anupam Kher and Jimmy Shergill. How was it getting to share screen space with such actors? Well I have always looked up to Naseer Saab. I have even been lucky enough to do some acting workshops with him earlier. Unfortunately, we didn't get to be in the same scene in the film as Naseer saab is more or less on his own in this film. Naseer Saab is such a generous person. Whenever he gets the opportunity, he shares his knowledge on the craft. He is not only very passionate about acting but even teaching acting to anyone who is willing to learn. Even with Anupam Kher Saab, I had a smooth sailing. He kept a light atmosphere on the sets. Never ever did I get the feeling that he is intimidating his co-stars or anything like that. As for Jimmy, he is very dedicated and a thorough professional. He has always maintained a certain level of quality in his work in whatever films he has done. Naseer Saab is such a generous person. Whenever he gets the opportunity, he shares his knowledge on the craft. He is not only very passionate about acting but even teaching acting to anyone who is willing to learn How did you bag this role? Neeraj Pandey (the director) had tried to call me earlier also when I was doing television but due to some reason we couldn't work then. He again called me for this role in A Wednesday and when I asked him, Why Me?? He said, "Because you a decent enough actor and I wanted to work with you earlier" (smiles). A Wednesday is director Neeraj Pandey's debut film. How was the experience working with him? Neeraj Pandey is very confident. The way he has gone about things, it doesn't seem like this is his first film. From Day 1, he always knew what he wanted and how he wanted it. Even the script was a very sleek, tight 60 page script as compared to the 120 page scripts which we usually see. I don't think he overshot a lot. Whatever he shot is there in the film, none of it is unused which I think is quite exceptional for a first time filmmaker. Usually they are insecure and tend to overshoot but not Neeraj. Where all have you shot this film? We have completely shot in Mumbai as the film is set in Mumbai Could you share any memorable incidents which took place during the shoot? There was this funny incident which took place. Once we were shooting at CST station and it so happened that even Naseer Saab had some shots there. We were relaxing in the vanity van and just before going for the shot, Naseerji asked me to stay back and watch a DVD. I asked him "Which film?" He said "Rush Hour 3".I was very surprised and wondered if Naseer Saab is a Jackie Chan fan. He said "Noâ¦nothing like that⦠it's a very good film and just watch it. Chris Tucker is very good in the film". I was taken aback as we usually associate Naseer Saab as someone who may like only serious, hard hitting cinema and here he was asking me to watch Rush Hour 3. I took it as if it was an instruction from a teacher. Although half way through the film I almost slept (laughs). What kind of research did you do for your role? Did you meet and interact with any with real life cops? Not reallyâ¦Only someone who has never met or seen a cop ever would need to do research for this role. The character is someone who goes by the law and because of that he comes across as someone who is submissive. He is very obedient and would do whatever his seniors would tell. He sees himself as a commissioner 10 years down the line. He wants to climb the ladder. I have seen police officers all my life. My father retired as the Chief Justice of the High Court. I have seen how they behave in front of their seniors so I didn't really have to do any extra research. I have seen police officers all my life. My father retired as the Chief Justice of the High Court. I have seen how they behave in front of their seniors so I didn't really have to do any extra research. The film's posters put up across the city show Naseeruddin Shah with a WANTED tag on himâ¦Why so? Well â¦because he is the antagonist and it's him whom we are chasing throughout the film. One more film on the train blasts Mumbai Meri Jaan just released recently. Don't you think it will affect the prospects of your film? Let me make it clear. Our film is not on the train blasts. Our film is pure fiction. It is not based on any real life incident. The credit goes entirely to Neeraj Pandey for coming up with an original story. And from what I know, even Mumbai Meri Jaan is not on the train blasts as much as it is about what happened to the city post the blasts incident. So the two films aren't similar in that sense. Let me make it clear. Our film is not on the train blasts. Our film is pure fiction. It is not based on any real life incident. When there are already so much blasts, terrorism happening around us, do you think people would be interested to watch A Wednesday? Most of our films are totally disconnected with reality. Here is a film which doesn't have a huge budget but what is most important is that when people watch the film they will be able to relate and identify with the proceedings. If you don't identify with what you are watching, there is a disconnect. And terrorism has always been in the news in some form or the other. It's not something which has happened only now. You have been a successful model, a T.V. actor and now you are seen in films. What gives you the ultimate high and how do you manage your time? I have stopped doing Television altogether mainly because the writing and treatment is so bad in television these days that I don't see myself in front of the camera. Ultimate high is when say a colleague or an actor / director whom I respect sees my work and has something good to say about it. What are some of your future films? I have just written a script, just completed and got my screenplay registered. It's a story set in Kashmir and I hope to direct it too. Its a drama. The attempt is to tell a genuine Kashmiri story, about what has happened in the last 20 years. What people have gone through? What their dilemmas are? And what their choices are? It's called Kashmir Kashmir at this moment which is a working title. I have just written a script, just completed, and got my screenplay registered. It's a story set in Kashmir and I hope to direct it too. It's a drama and the working title is Kashmir Kashmir Who all star in it? I have only spoken to Naseer Saab about it and he has agreed to do it. Other than that, I will also look out for some fresh faces. What are the other films on your plate? I would be seen in Raat Gayi Baat Gayi. Saurabh Shukla asked me at the last minute to do a pivotal role but its not a big role. There is also The Great Indian Butterfly which is yet to be released. Even Frozen has done the rounds of the festivals. But at the moment, I only want to focus on my film which I would be soon begin directing. When do you plan to start shooting? We were planning to start in November but because of trouble in Kashmir, we have pushed it to maybe early next year. The film will be completely shot in Kashmir. So would you continue to act or direct? I don't know if I'll continue directing films. I am primarily an actor. This is one story which I wanted to tell hence am making it. The industry has seen many new and talented directors make their mark in the last few years. Any directors that you would like to work with? I would love to work with people like Vishal Bharadwaj and Anurag Kashyap Finally on a parting note, give us 3 good reasons to watch A Wednesday? Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher and a finally a good thriller with no song and dance.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 29 Aug 2008 | 12:24 pm Ameesha on the cover of VerveBollywood Hungama does it again! We have got hold of the September issue of Verve before anyone else! Man! This one promises to be a real scorcher of an issue with Ameesha on the cover! After bidding adieu to all the problems that were nagging her, life has finally started looking up for the Ameesha girl, both on a professional and personal level! With her latest release, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic Ameesha climbed the charts; both her looks and acting were praised to the hilt. Her snaps as a âRunaway Brideâ in this issue of Verve indeed anchors itself in the readersâ hearts, mind, body, and soul! Needless to say that Ameesha is a chic herself, but she adds a certain aura and glory to the already glorious range of Louis Vuitton, Prada, Falguni Shane, Suneet Varma, Hermes (to name a few) range by posing with them. She, in her own words, confesses, âI am still enjoying the limited edition Dior âJazzâ bag that Kanav gifted me on my birthday a couple of months ago.â Whereas, on a professional front, this pretty lass is looking forward to films like Run Bhola Run, Chatur Singh Two Star etc⦠On a parting note, one simply wonders if the âRunaway Brideâ looks as gorgeous as Ameesha, who wouldnât want to ârun awayâ with her! What say, Ameesha!Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 29 Aug 2008 | 12:13 pm Subhash K Jha speaks about MukhbiirThe biggest strength of this gritty espionage thriller is also its primary weakness. So real and bleak is the world of espionage created by writer-director Mani Shankar, so littered with carnage and catastrophe, that you wonder if the sheer sexiness of being a spy that we saw Dharmendra and Tom Cruise experience in Aankhen and Mission Impossible was a cinematic hoax created to hoodwink us into believing in the heroic hi-jinks of people who risk their lives for the sake of national security. Mukhbiir creates a universe of continual searching and annihilation, where heroes are made and unmade with the passage of one bullet from gun to temple, and God help the temple! The young protagonist Kailash (Sammir Dattani) in Mani Shankar's film is painfully young vulnerable and so brutally thrown from one ruthless organization to another (legitimate or otherwise) that at the end of his anguished journey in search of a self identity we want him to be liberated of the pain that seems to be his only constant companion. The characters come and go in episodic eruptions. Silence is Kailash's final ally. What Mukhbiir does to the spy genre is to turn it inside out. We aren't looking at James Bond's stirred-and-sexy world of the spy who loved the good life. Mukhbiir takes us into the murkiest depths of the espionage business where survival isn't a craving. It's a fugitive option offered to a few lucky ones. Luckily, for the gripping and gritty script, the protagonist is a boy-man constantly thrown into situations of severe uncertainty and terror. The tension never slackens. The reluctant young spy survives by sheer instinct and guts. The screen time is segregated into various episodes from Kailash's life as a government informer in action. Luckily, the shoot-outs, somewhat amateurish in their chaotic eruptions, do not define the protagonist's life as much the human contact. Every encounter written for Sammir Dattani's character creates a new level of existential summit in his doomed life until we come to the finale where on Kailash's life (and death) hinges the survival of a city. The play of the personal and inter-personal is not quite as 'epic' on screen as it would appear in the writing. The director fills up the awkward ill-defined spaces in the narrative with pockets of humor and bridled drama all signifying the dynamics of an individual life's relationship with a troubled and violent society. The final dialogue on Islam and violence between Rahul Dev (sinister and frightening in his stoic acceptance of violence as a way of life) lingers after the film. Mani Shankar's storytelling is highly original. There're no false moments in the discursive yet clenched drama of dissociation where Kailash becomes so distanced from his original identity that he eventually forgets who he is. The impressionable automaton's life is mapped out in ruthless detail. The powerful script lets us know there's no mercy for the weak in this grim and unsettled world of espionage and extremism. The two fatally- compatible worlds meet in strange eerie places where Kailash's masquerade as a man removed from his natural roots is so complete you wonder if he can ever go back to a 'normal' life. Though chronicling the protagonist's life in a macrocosmic world of intrigue secrecy and death , Mukhbiir cleverly and sensibly draws conclusions on the quality of protagonist's life through the people whom he meets and bonds with. Immense warmth and empathy are created in Kailash's interactions with people like his mentor Om Puri who first tutors Kailash into being a mean machine and then lets the poor boy loose in a world where death is the only certainty. Various other characters who come in and out of Kailash's life are played with wonderful warmth and/or wickedness by Alok Nath (outstanding as the benign retired gangster), Sunil Shetty (on a paternal mission to teach Kailash the ways of the underworld), Raj Zutsi (at-home doing the lovable anti-social rogue's part) and Sushant Singh (steel-edged and menacing as the evil gangster with heart of 'coal'). There's also a bit of diverting romance in Kailash's life when the pretty Raima Sen shows up for a while and departs, leaving the desolate protagonist to his own devices.But it's the mentor-turned-tormentor Om Puri's relationship with the boy-man-misinformed-informer that holds the plot together providing it with a sensitive center and a restless almost neurotic outer fringes that appear in jagged motions as speed breakers and spoilers in Kailash's life. The sequence where the Mukhbiir must watch his mentor being tortured and then kill him with his own hands without giving the game away is devastating in its intensity and impact. The writing sometimes outdistances the treatment. But what the heck! Who said cinema would have all the solutions on the platter? Mani Shankar's narration provides the hero's journey from disembodied salvation to abject doom and near-damnation with an energetic reined-in adrenaline that flows across the narrative's veins in restrained motions. There is no extravagance in the narration. The plot moves stealthily and surely through a sanguinary labyrinth creating a world of disharmony and strife. What you go away with is the protagonist's pain heartbreak vulnerability and an untraceable reserve of inner strength that he uses to survive in a constantly treacherous world. Sammir Dattani portrays the frail kingdom of the vulnerable and the vanquished with an instinctive confidence. He instinctively embraces his character's weaknesses and aligns them to his own strengths as an actor. The synthesis is potent and poignant. Whether Sammir holds his character's troubled world together or it's the ingrained law of justice in an environment of unnerving doom that keeps the character from falling apart, we finally cannot say. The doom and the doomed eventually merge into one, in Mukhbiir.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 29 Aug 2008 | 11:01 am Farouque Shaikh, script are the USP of 'Saas Bahu Aur Sensex'The highlight of the US-based film distribution company Warner Brothers's maiden venture 'Saas Bahu and Sensex' is its plotline and Farouque Shaikh, who is returning to the big screen after 10 years, says Raman Lamba.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 29 Aug 2008 | 8:03 am
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