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'Porki' pales in comparison to Telugu originalDarshan's new release "Porki" is the remake of Telugu hit "Pokiri" directed by Puri Jagannadh.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 8:42 am Paresh Rawal to stay away from comedies for nowHe has tickled the funny bone in all of us with his perfect comic timing in movies like "Hera Pheri", "Golmaal", and "Aankhen".Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 8:35 am Padma Lakshmi is carrying Adam Dell's child?
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:53 am No more controversies please, says Vivek OberoiVivek Oberoi is clearly not happy about being tagged as a "stalker" or a "gatecrasher" and says he is "genuinely sick" of all controversies.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:51 am Warsaw excitedly awaits 'My Name Is Khan' world premiereShah Rukh Khan posters are up and advance booking for tickets has begun.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:40 am Protests against Salman's Veer
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:36 am SRK's wax statue unveiled at Tussauds in US
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:31 am 'Harishchandrachi Factory' humanises Phalke beautifullyThis is the film that went all the way to Oscar-land and came back empty-handed.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:27 am Sandra Bullock hires detective to find missing pet
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:27 am No plans to direct films: Om Puri
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:19 am SRK and Kajol to ring NASDAQ opening bell on February 1
There is no denying the fact that the Shah Rukh Khan- Kajol pair has a huge fan following not just in India but even overseas. SRK and Kajol, who are all set to once again re-unite onscreen after 9 long years in Karan Johar's magnum-opus My Name Is Khan, have been invited by NASDAQ, the world's biggest stock exchange, to ring their opening bell in New York on Monday, February 1.
SRK and Kajol will thus become the first Indian actors to open the market, an honour usually reserved for CEOs of major corporations. This prestigious event will be broadcast live on many television networks across the globe. With over 3,700 companies listed, the NASDAQ has more trading volume than any other stock market in the world.
With their upcoming film My Name Is Khan releasing on February 12, their presence in the US of A at this grand event is sure to create hysteria among their NRI fans. Shot mainly across the United States of America, My Name Is Khan will have an extensive worldwide release and also have a star studded premiere at the 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival during the week of its release.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:09 am Shraddha Kapoor to star opposite Prateik in Bhansali's My Friend Pinto
By now it's well known to one and all that Shraddha Kapoor (daughter of Shakti Kapoor) will be making her debut in the Amitabh Bachchan- Madhavan starrer Teen Patti. But if you think that the release of the film will decide her fate in Bollywood, then you couldn't be further from the truth, because she has already been signed up for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's production My Friend Pinto opposite Prateik Babbar.
From what we heard, Bhansali and debutante director Raghav Dar were looking to cast a fresh new face and several girls were screen tested but it was finally Shraddha who with all her freshness bagged the plum role. With two new yet talented actors in its cast and a veteran filmmaker backing this project, My Friend Pinto surely looks like one promising film.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 30 Jan 2010 | 7:09 am "Ishqiya is a story which even Bhardwaj has never attempted" - Abhishek Chaubey
A man with a conviction and a story to tell can hardly be ignored. Having worked on the screenplays of films like Omkara and Kaminey, Abhishek Chaubey is one of those rare talents of our industry who do things not only differently but with a sense of aesthetics. Now when he captains the ship of Ishqiya, his directorial debut, a lot is expected out of him. With a bit of anxiety and yet oodles of humility, Abhishek Chaubey spoke to Bollywood Hungama about his first film as a director being a dream come true.
Can we call Ishqiya essentially a love story?
Yes! It is a story of love. It's a romantic tale...A love story of criminals so it does have crime in it.
Your first film as a director, did you have a game plan in mind?
Yeah! All filmmakers when they get into film production have a plan in mind. I had a story that I wanted to say and I had my conviction behind me that I believed in. I felt it was an interesting film to make and I knew it would catch people's attention. It's something where I can show my ability, if I have any, as a director.
What was the most challenging sequence in the film for you?
The climax of my film! It involved many characters and many locations and various events happening in various places. It was quite a challenge for me because we were also battling the weather which was rough. We had very little shooting time because we had to shoot day sequences and we were surrounded by hills and the sun wouldn't rise before 9:30am and would set by 4:30pm. So there was limited time and the entire cast was there on set, so managing all that was tough logistically.
Shooting the climax of the film was most challenging since it involved many characters and many locations and various events happening in various places
What was the chemistry like with your producer Vishal Bhardwaj?
A new relationship formed between us because earlier it was he who was the director and I used to work as an assistant or a co-writer. This time however things were different with him taking on the role of a producer and me handling the direction. This new relationship was challenging for both of us, but the good thing was that Vishalji and I share a personal rapport which goes beyond our professional commitment. That really helped in the making of the film. There were times when we were on different boats, but this new relationship helped us understand each other even better.
Would you say though that this film is similar to Tashan? Two guys loving the same girl who has her own agenda and the rustic setting?
Funny that you say that! Because by the time Tashan released, I had already written Ishqiya. I heard that Tashan was similar to Ishqiya so I went and saw the film and realised thankfully that it wasn't. Tashan was a much bigger and a commercial kind of an affair whereas my film, which is very engaging and a busy film, is much more rooted in reality and much more rooted in the atmosphere that it was set in. Even the characters are very different from those in Tashan. Definitely the plot is very different but also the pitching of both the films is completely different so even on the surface though you might say that it's about two men and one girl loving each other, there is no similarity between these two films.
How was it working with Naseeruddin Shah again?
It was an incredible experience for me and a great honour. I have known Naseer bhai for a few years now and I have worked with him in Maqbool and Omkara. So it wasn't a difficult task to get in touch with him and give him the script. I was happy that he liked his role and the story and then he was an asset on the sets. He is the kind of actor who makes a director's job very easy. He is an intelligent and evolved actor and you don't have to talk about the basics with him, you have to talk about the details and the nuances with him and that's really wonderful.
Naseer bhai is the kind of actor who makes a director's job very easy. He is an intelligent and evolved actor and you don't have to talk about the basics with him
How would you describe Vidya's role in the film?
She plays one of the most interesting female roles ever in our industry. She plays an ordinary village woman whose husband has passed away and there is a very sweet and innocent musical side to her and on the other hand, there is also an edgier, darker, rougher side to her. So it was a very complex role for Vidya but she pulled it off amazingly.
She was expected to be a brazen woman... how has she managed that?
What made matters easy for me was that when Vidya heard the script, she was very happy and excited about doing it. So it helps when the actor is enthusiastic about the role he/she is playing. In addition to that, Vidya is one of the most hard-working actors I have come across; she puts in a lot of effort. For almost a month and half before we went into the shoot, she came to office everyday and would work with me on the script and the details of the character and the costumes. When the set was getting ready, she came to the location, went to the kitchen and all the other rooms of the house and sat there, spent sometime, just getting to know the place and that is quite incredible for a director when he sees an actor giving so much for the character. Apart from being a beautiful girl and a very talented person, Vidya is also a very deeply committed actor.
Apart from being a beautiful girl and a very talented person, Vidya is also a very deeply committed actor. She has pulled off a very complex role amazingly
We believe, Arshad has a very exciting role, how has it been working with him?
The thing about Arshad is that he is an absolute natural. It was such a revelation for me. I was expecting a lot from Vidya, but with Arshad I didn't know what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised when I realised that he a fantastic actor. He has been known mostly for his comic roles till now but he is a fantastic dramatic actor as well. He has all the virtues to have a great name as a phenomenal actor. I have realised his spontaneity and his intuitiveness because he got the vibe and the mood of the film in the first ten minutes of our meeting and from then on there was no looking back because he knew exactly what kind of film we were making and he was totally in his character.
I have realised Arshad's spontaneity and his intuitiveness because he got the vibe and the mood of the film in the first ten minutes of our meeting and from then on there was no looking back
Interesting cast no doubt, but did you pin it down to these three from the word go?
To be honest with you, when I finished my script I was completely blank on whom to cast because I took a year to write it. So when the question of casting came up apart from Naseer bhai I was not very sure who to sign. Vidya was suggested by Vishal. It just took one meeting to realise that she is the right one. Earlier I had thought that Arshad's character Babban, should be played by someone who is very young, maybe twenty something but I wasn't happy with the choices in front of me. I always had Arshad at the back of my mind because I always wanted to work with him so he was the last one to be cast.
There seems to be Vishal's signature rawness in the film, how do you differentiate your work?
The thing is that I have worked with Vishal for almost six years of my life so obviously I have Vishal Bhardwaj's quality in my filmmaking. I can't deny that and it's good because it has helped me grow as a technician and as an artist. Having said that, the similarity between Omkara and Ishqiya is purely cosmetic. When you sit and watch it you would realise that besides the fact that they both are set in U.P. and is about criminals there is no other similarity. Infact Ishqiya is the kind of story that Vishal himself has never attempted in the past, so it's a fresh point of view, and the way it is treated is very different. So undeniably I have Vishal Bhardwaj's influence in my filmmaking but I do have an identity of my own and Ishqiya will prove that.
Ishqiya is the kind of story that Vishal himself has never attempted in the past, so it's a fresh point of view, and the way it is treated is very different
Songs of your film have become a rage. Did you plan to play them in a certain way in the film?
We had written the songs into the script so they tell a story rather than depict one particular emotion; of course the songs have the underlying emotions. But I didn't want the songs to take place of the story, like let's stop the story and play the song for five minutes and then get back to the story. I didn't want to do that. So I deliberately did that and incorporated the songs in the storytelling. There is a lip sync song in Ishqiya but when you watch it you will realise that it is part of the story. The story moves non stop as the song take place.
As a director which is your favourite song in the film?
I would say 'Dil To Bachha Hai'.
Overall how would you rate your first film?
I am just happy that I made a film. I had come to Mumbai many years ago to become a director. That desire of mine is fulfilled with Ishqiya. Now its up to the audience and critics to rate the film as good bad or ugly and I would take whatever comments come my way in all humility.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 30 Jan 2010 | 6:59 am Subhash K. Jha speaks about Ishqiya
This is a very strange film. Strange, not so much in terms of content (pretty weird, unless you really believe there are sleepy dusty towns in North India where boys learn to use a gun before they learn to wash their own bottoms) as, in terms of the way the three main characters are thrown against each other in combustions that suggests a brutal bonding between the libido and the landscape.
To the cinematographer Mohana Krishna's credit, he creates in the suburbs of Mumbai (masquerading as Gorakhpur) a kind of sweeping lazy ambience of leisurely self indulgence where you can smell the sweat and other bodily emissions.
Ishqiya is the kind of cinema which you can love or hate, but cannot be indifferent to. The dusty parched sexually and spiritually arid hinterland renders itself effectively to the character's unique dimensionality. The uncle-nephew pair of Naseruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi provides the kind of sweaty grimy male bonding that we last saw in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds where Brad Pitt's anti-Nazi soldiers urinated a toxic violence into the script. Ishqiya too breeds a blur of violence from the rough material of boredom.
The two protagonists in Ishqiya represent the acme of reprehensibility. Come to think of it, there isn't one character in the plot that you can begin to like, let alone admire. Like with the Naseer-Arshad-Vidya triangle the other characters are either hazy or horny, or both. There's a businessman who sells steel on the surface and supplies illegal arms underneath. He's supposed to represent the clan of the corrupt in the backwaters.
So pray tell, what happened to all the glorious heroes who once formed the core of our cinematic experience? And the heroine? Vidya Balan's Krishna is a conniving victim. And if that sounds like a contradiction in terms, it is purposefully projected into a plot that pulsates with a seedy tension and a freehwheeling virile humour.
Ishqiya is the aesthetic version of toilet graffiti. The writing on the wall is very clear. Hate these characters who live by the gun and yes, the gaana (Vidya Balan often hums Lata Mangeshkar's evergreens and Rekha Bhardawaj's fresh recordings under her warm sweaty breath). But we can't but look at them as a product of an ambience that breeds deception, duplicity and a desperate craving to survive the sufferings of a senselessly violent society.
How the film finds a central core of gentleness in this milieu of murky machinations and sleazy cerebrations, is another story. Or maybe it isn't.
Debutant director Abhishek Chaubey tries to create two different worlds, one of criminality and the other of compassion, within one range of vision. It's a tall order. And there's little time or no space for the characters to stop behaving as though auditioning for a reality show based on how to embrace crime in a lawless no man's land.
Some of the sex and power play among the Vidya, Arshad and Naseer characters, as played out in her manless home, is intriguing and arresting in its swift shifts of dramatic tension from one to the other of the three characters.
Towards the second overture of this untried symphony of antipathy the writer and director conspire to create a bizarre climactic spiral involving a shady business tycoon of the area whom our trio of protagonists decide to kidnap.
By the time the kidnapping plan goes horribly awry the narrative too loses its bearings and begins to quiver and mutate like a hovel on a stormy night.
If the film holds you until the end it's because of the principal performances.
Naseeruddin Shah confers a rock-solid tenderness to his aging criminal-lover's role.
Arshad Warsi, one of the most underrated actors of our cinema, gets a rare opportunity to sink his skills into a part of raunchy randy rogue, out to get the neighbourhood widow to hit the sack.
But the film belongs to Vidya Balan. With a face and eyes that convey a determination to make her way through a rough patriarchal order Vidya is tender brittle cunning and cool, all rolled into a bundle bewildering emotions that unfold more through her body language than the script. She rises above the self indulgent realism of the narrative.
A triumph for the actress. But what of the film? How do we evaluate Ishqiya beyond its politically-charged verbally-lurid lunge at realism? Is the film to be applauded for forging a new language of expression? Or should that language have been used with more restrain and tact?
Frankly there are no clear and simple value-judgements to be applied to Ishqiya. It's partly a homage to the rugged Westerns from Hollywood, and partly an attempt to penetrate the North Indian small-town hinterland where people don't just live with violence they even enjoy it.
But did this film have to follow them?Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 30 Jan 2010 | 6:56 am Genelia to endorse Garnier Light
Genelia D'Souza has finally joined the bandwagon of Bollywood ladies in endorsing fairness creams. She is already the face of Virgin mobiles, but now has gone on to sign a fairness cream brand. The bubbly actress, who stole everyone's heart with her performance in Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na, is now endorsing Garnier's new product, 'Garnier Light' which is a skin lightening lotion.
The fairness cream market already has a host of Bollywood beauties endorsing various brands. While Deepika Padukone is the brand ambassador of Johnson and Johnson's new fairness cream 'Neutrogena Fine Fairness', Sonam Kapoor is the face of 'L'Oreal White Perfect'. Even Katrina Kaif is the face of Olay skin whitening cream. Now with this endorsement, Genelia too seems has joined the race to decide, 'Who's the fairest of them all?'Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 30 Jan 2010 | 5:45 am Preity won't catwalk in Bangalore
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 5:42 am Preity won't catwalk in BangaloreRefuting rumours, Bollywood actress Preity Zinta clarified today that she is not walking the ramp at the ongoing Bangalore Fashion Week.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 5:38 am Subhash K. Jha speaks about Harishchandrachi Factory
This is the one that went all the way to Oscar-land and came back empty-handed. So whose loss is it anyway?
Writer-director Paresh Mokashi's tender-sweet film about the founding-father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb's Phalke's struggle to make the first feature film in this country is not short of a miracle. It alchemizes the pain hurt humiliation and compromises of a struggling artiste into something extraordinarily funny satirical and self-mocking.
While retaining the inherent warmth sensitivity and dignity of the protagonist's uphill task of proving to his family friends and neighbours that Phalke is no lunatic, the film chronicles the early years in the long and chequered history of cinema in India with a crisp and curvaceous comprehensiveness.
Making a life, so consumed by a new art- form interesting and compelling could not be an easy task. Mokashi's Phalke could easily have become a portrait of an obstinate and obsessive man who thought the moving images on screen could actually add up to make some collective sense.
Crafty director Paresh Mokashi spends a substantial amount of playing-time looking at Phalke's domestic life. The easy and affable atmosphere in the pioneering filmmaker's home explains why and how the audacious genius was able to do what he did. Phalke's relationship with his children is that of a progressive pally father at a time when the cane did all the talking with children. Only a man who treats his family as his allies could dare to venture into an unknown vocation like filmmaking.
It's the cine- man's relationship with his spunky wife Saraswati (played with uninhibited starkness and gusto by Vaibhavari Deshpande) that gives to the biopic the distinctive colour of a love story. Phalke's wife is shown to be supremely supportive of her husband's outrageous experimentation with moving pictures. She willingly if not gladly pawns her jewellery, furniture and finally home and sits on his editing when he makes his film while he attempts some seriously clumsy cooking.
Truly a feminist before the term was invented; Saraswati Phalke's boding with her husband is the fulcrum of the narrative.
The director recreates the era (1914) not through an extravagance of extraneous props and piles of in-your-face periodicity, but with understated nuances and gestures. Sights and sounds suggest an indelible link between Phalke's obsession for cinema with the progressive and liberal middleclass Marathi milieu.
Interestingly Phalke as portrayed by an amazingly accomplished theatre actor Nandu Madhav, is often captured in the mood that Charlie Chaplin patented. Director Mokashi lets Madhav be. The actor interprets Phalke in a spirit of freewheeling spontaneity. Madhav's Phalke is a driven and passionate soul consumed by the thought of making a feature film but able to see the amusing picture he portrays to those around him through his single-minded determination to make a film on Raja Harishchandra's journey from royalty to penury.
Phalke's own journey did not quite take him to the dog house. This film finds with enormous hope and inspiration in a life that defined Indian cinema. Paresh Mokashi scatters Phalke's journey from a wannabe dreamer to a trained London-returned filmmaker with dollops of comic-strip witticism and wisdom.
The well-known search for a heroine to play Harishchandra's wife is here detailed in savagely satirical sequences.
Eventually we see Phalke's whole house turned into a theatre of the absurd with wannabe actors rehearsing their lines in every nook and cranny.
Harishchandrachi Factory is in Marathi. It could be in any language or no spoken language at all and it would be just as warm funny and welcoming. This film does to the father of Indian cinema what Richard Attenborough's epic did to the father of the nation. The film humanizes the mythic figure without peeling away the layers of luminous inner life that always defines extraordinary lives.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 30 Jan 2010 | 5:05 am SRK, Kajol to ring NASDAQ opening bell
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 4:04 am Singer Zubeen Garg's ponytail cut off by fanFans are known to do crazy things.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 3:38 am Rajput group creates ruckus in Jaipur over Salman's Veer - IBNLive.com
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 30 Jan 2010 | 3:12 am Ishqiya - A tale of love, lust and lies'Ishiqiya' is the stuff cinema lovers wait for. Quirky, funny and very earthy it has an interesting plot, great characters and soulful music. Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan's roles seem tailor made for them. Not a family watch though!Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 30 Jan 2010 | 3:12 am Miss America 2010 - Watch Live on January 30, 2010Miss America 2010, will be held in Las Vegas on January 30, 2010. The 89th Miss America 2010 will be held at the Theater for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 30 Jan 2010 | 2:55 am Mayank Shekhar's Review: Rann - Hindustan Times
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 30 Jan 2010 | 2:49 am Shahrukh Khan, Kajol to ring NASDAQ opening bell - Oneindia
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 30 Jan 2010 | 2:38 am Sanjay Gupta signs Tabu; Nandita Das likely to direct
Tabu's Bollywood fans might have thought that we lost one of our finest actresses to Hyderabad, but that's far from true. Not only is Tabu busy promoting her upcoming film Toh Baat Pakki, in which she plays an incorrigible matchmaker, but she has also shown interest in Sanjay Gupta's next production, which might be directed by Nandita Das.
The project in question is a screen adaptation of Chitra Banerjee Divkaruni's book 'The Vine Of Desire'. After Astitva and Chandni Bar, Tabu will once again be seen in a women oriented film. The story is a mournful saga of two sisters and Tabu is extremely excited about this project. With Tabu being one of the sisters it undoubtedly calls for an equally stronger actress to play the role alongside. Talks are on with none other than Vidya Balan but nothing is confirmed yet.
Seems like Tabu is all set to take Bollywood by storm once again.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 30 Jan 2010 | 2:38 am Come for a dip in the Ganga - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:59 am Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol to ring NASDAQ opening bellBollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol have been invited by NASDAQ, the world's biggest stock exchange, to ring their opening bell here on Monday.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:59 am National Award winner finds few distributorsHer directorial debut "Land Gold Women" deals with the burning issue of honour killings and has just won a National Award, but 29-year-old Avantika Hari is finding it difficult to distribute the Britain-based drama for commercial release.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:43 am Mayank Shekhar's Review: Ishqiya - Hindustan Times
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:40 am Anurag Basu to cast Junior B for his biggest project ever'The movie will be Anurag's most ambitious project till date. It truly has a genius script,' sources said.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:38 am Michael Jackson’s doctor to be charged with deathMelbourne, (ANI): Michael Jackson’s personal doctor could be charged over the death of the King of Pop, it has emerged.Dr Conrad Murray, who has been at the centre of the probe since the star’s death on June 25 last year, maySource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:36 am Mel Gibson has no faith in Barack ObamaWashington, (ANI): Mel Gibson has confessed he has little faith in US President Barack Obama’s capabilities to fix United States.The controversial actor made the revelation at the Hollywood premiere of his latest drama thriller Edge of Darkness that is based onSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:34 am I can also do non-comic roles: Riteish DeshmukhRiteish Deshmukh, applauded for his performance in the just released film "Rann", says the rumour that he sulked on the sets was "gossip at its funniest" and says he should also be cast for non-comic roles.Source: Entertainment News | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:33 am Tired of doing comedies, Paresh Rawal takes up serious roles
Paresh Rawal has said goodbye to comedies, at least for now. You see him creating laughter in film after film, the most recent being De Dana Dan. But Paresh is in no mood to laugh anymore. His family life in recent months has been grim(to put it mildly). Plus the quality of comedies being offered is no more a laughing matter for Paresh.
"One often ends up doing films for friends or because one needs to work within the given limitations. But enough is enough now," sighs Paresh who lost his brother-in-law in November. "It all happened so suddenly, we didn't know what hit us."
Paresh would rather not spend his working hours creating mirth of no worth. It is no coincidence that his next two releases do not subscribe to the funny stuff. The mightily talented Paresh who was getting a tad tired of constantly doing comedy has now returned to villainy in Ram Gopal Varma's Rann twenty years after he switched to doing comic roles.
And frankly, Paresh is relieved.
Says the versatile actor, "When Rann was offered to me I wondered what it would be like to return to a negative role after so long. But it's a fantastic role of a wily politician who manipulates the media to his own advantage. I just couldn't resist it. I've worked with Ramu in Telugu cinema and in Satya. But it's good to return to another genre and to Ramu after so long."
The role according to the film's director Ram Gopal Varma is based on a real-life politician who recently figured in a scam scandal. The neta in the news shall go unnamed.
Interestingly, Paresh had another release, a very contrasting one, on the same day as Rann in which he again plays a real-life character.
Says Paresh, "In Road To Sangam, I am Hasmatullah the real-life motor mechanic in Allahabad who was entrusted the responsibility of belatedly repairing the car carrying Mahatma Gandhi's ashes to the Ganga. This incident really happened. And Hasmatullah really exists, though the latter part of the story where Muslim organizations protest against one of their ilk helping a Hindu cause, is made up."
Paresh says he has no fear of audiences seeing him in these two contrasting roles on the same Friday. "In one I am a dark and evil politician. In the other I'm completely driven by the sense of nobility. It's a wonderful contrast. And most importantly, these are not comic parts. I'm enjoying the challenge of moving into different moral zones. I'm sure the audience will enjoy it too.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:25 am Haiti charity album tops US Billboard chartLondon, (ANI): A charity album created to help Haiti earthquake victims has topped the Billboard chart. The album, featuring performances from the disaster relief telethon Hope For Haiti Now, sold 171,000 copies, according to music sales tracker Nielsen Soundscan.The telethon, whichSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:14 am Alex Reid wins Celebrity Big Brother 2010London, (ANI): Katie Price a.k.a. Jordan’s cage fighter beau Alex Reid has won Celebrity Big Brother.Reid emerged victorious with 65 per cent of the public vote with singer Dane Bowers getting the second place. Football hardman turned Hollywood actor Vinnie JonesSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:06 am Ramu with Chiranjeevi for his 29th ventureProducer Ramu, known for his action movies, is back with actor Chiranjeevi Sarja and the movie is titled as Gandedhe. Recently, Gandedhe went to the floors and this is Ramu's 29th movie under his banner. Speaking on the occasion Ramu saidSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 1:03 am Jaggubhai - ReviewK S Ravikumar directed Jaggubhai has been hitting the headlines for the past couple of weeks for its leakage online before the actual release. Due to this, it created some expectation among the viewers... but the way the director has createdSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 12:59 am Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil goes off airOne of Balaji’s most popular shows, ‘Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil’ is winding-up its story as the show goes off-air to be replaced by a different show on Star Plus.Even though the characters of Heer played by Additi Gupta andSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 12:20 am Twinkle Khanna travels economy class!How often we see celebrities, who are well behaved even when things go wrong? How often we read about celebrities travelling in a economy class? Here is a celebrity who travelled in economy class even after flight was delayed for twoSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 12:18 am Shahrukh Khan welcomes Amitabh to his homeThe growing proximity between the Bachchans and Shahrukh Khan just got thicker. On Thursday, Shahrukh called up the Bachchans and requested for a print of Rann to kick-start his newly-constructed home theatre at his residence.Says a source, "Shahrukh specifically wanted toSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 12:15 am Jaipur literature festival: Simply the very best - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 30 Jan 2010 | 12:15 am "No One Killed Jessica is a thriller" - Vidya BalanWith Paa, 2009 ended on a beautiful note for Vidya Balan, who is today being singled out for projects where top actresses are either pitching for or are in strong contention. While one such project is a reel life portrayal ofSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 30 Jan 2010 | 12:08 am No more on screen kissing, says Arshad WarsiHe might have done it like a pro but kissing other women doesn't come easy to married Arshad Warsi. His kissing scene in 'Ishqiya' has caused quite a controversy. The actor who found it 'terrifying' to kiss on reel may never repeat the performance.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 29 Jan 2010 | 10:40 pm Brittany Murphy's husband blames Warner Bros for deathSimon Monjack said the movie company's executives fired 32-year-old's Brittany which led to his death. He is now preparing for a death lawsuit against the company.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 29 Jan 2010 | 3:51 pm Rock and Roll fame singer Etta James hospitalisedEtta James, 72, who is renowned for songs like The Wallflower and At Last is battling a bloodstream infection among a host of other problems, for which she has been hospitalised since last week.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 29 Jan 2010 | 3:48 pm Willie Nelson tour cancelled - what is the real reason?The North Carolina performance of noted guitarist and singer, Willie Nelson had been cancelled due to pain in his hand. This announcement came an hour after six band and crew members had been nabbed for drug possession.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 29 Jan 2010 | 3:23 pm Victoria Beckham turns guest host at The ViewVictoria Beckham is now all set to make a guest appearance on the show The View on Feb 17. Beckham will be the guest co-host at the live week-day talk show.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 29 Jan 2010 | 3:18 pm Michael Lohan, Lindsay Lohan's father arrestedLindsay Lohan'a father Michael Lohan has been arrested for violating a restraining order by contacting her ex-girlfriend, Erin Muller. NY Police said he is due to appear in court on February 25.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 29 Jan 2010 | 3:02 pm 'Minor' hitch to Jr NTR's marriage - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 29 Jan 2010 | 12:50 pm Usher back with Chilli, set to perform at NFL, Winter OlympicsUsher and former TLC star Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas are seeing each other again after a long hiatus and a broken marriage. Reports said, Usher and Chilli have begun seeing each other romantically.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 29 Jan 2010 | 11:57 am Mayank Shekhar's Review: Road To Sangam - Hindustan Times
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 29 Jan 2010 | 11:32 am Abhi praises father on Twitter, draws flak
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 29 Jan 2010 | 11:31 am Mayank Shekhar's Review: IshqiyaFor a film set in a male-dominated, almost misogynist middles of India, you’re instantly struck by the leading lady, who comes across the most powerful character. Read on...Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 11:18 am Mayank Shekhar's Review: Road To SangamMost artistes had rather not touch upon the issue of Islamic fundamentalism. It’s the curse of our delicate times. The questions are still important. They shouldn’t be ignored. Neither should this film. Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 11:03 am Mayank Shekhar's Review: RannFor a film that’s determined to seek the truth behind the media, it’s unsettling how little they’ve cared to even enter a newsroom. Read on for the full review.Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 11:01 am Sharmila Tagore to play Deepika Padukone's mother in Break Ke Baad
Deepika Padukone sizzled on screen with Saif Ali Khan in last year's superhit Love Aaj Kal. Now the gorgeous beauty is all set to share screen space with Saif's mommy dearest- the eternally beautiful Sharmila Tagore- in Kunal Kohli Productions' Break Ke Baad.
Confirming this news, Kunal Kohli said, "Yes...Sharmilaji has been signed to play the role of Deepika's mother in Break Ke Baad. Her character is that of a person who used to be a very successful actress during her times but is now a full-time mom to her daughter. I could not think of anyone else to play this role."
Break Ke Baad, starring Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone and Sharmila Tagore, is being directed by Danish Aslam who has been an assistant director on films like Fanaa, Salaam Namaste, and Ta Ra Rum Pum. The film goes on floors in March this year.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 29 Jan 2010 | 10:36 am Striker to premiere on Youtube
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 29 Jan 2010 | 10:27 am Big B moved to tears at 'Rann's premiere
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 29 Jan 2010 | 10:14 am Junior Bachchan sets new TVR record with 'National Bingo Night'
First it was the legend Amitabh Bachchan with the game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' who set the cash registers ringing with unheard of TVR, and now proving his own is son Abhishek who broke all previous limits to emerge as the top contender when it comes to the TVR game.
We learnt that with the recently launched game show 'National Bingo Night' on Colors, Abhishek has become the new rage, setting the highest record in terms of TVR (Television Viewership Ratings) for an opening night as compared to most of the other shows hosted by Bollywood stars. The first episode of the show which was aired last Saturday (Jan 23rd) garnered a TVR of 5.1 which is much higher than the first episode of shows like 'Bigg Boss Season 3' (TVR- 4.6), 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?' (TVR- 4.6) and 'Fear Factor- Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 2' (TVR- 4.4)
Speaking about this, a visibly elated Abhishek said, "I have just been informed by the Colors team that the opening ratings of 'National Bingo Night' have broken all records. I am happy that through this show, I have got a fantastic opportunity to connect with people from all corners of India. And if the ratings are anything to go by then I am excited with the sheer outreach television as a medium has to offer - I am happy that people watched my debut episode with much anticipation and that we have got winning numbers in TVRs."
Well with such impressive ratings, all we can say is that Jr. Bachchan is here to stay.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 29 Jan 2010 | 10:01 am Sonam Kapoor shoots for L'Officiel in New Zealand
Sonam Kapoor 'hates love stories' but she definitely loves New Zealand.
Shooting for Dharma Productions next venture I Hate Luv Stories brought Sonam to Queenstown where she was greeted in the typical Maori tradition called Hongi that involves pressing of noses together thus sharing the breath of life. She managed to enjoy her stay longer in the country as she arrived earlier than the crew to do an exclusive photoshoot with the lifestyle magazine L'Officiel.
Talking about her love for the country, Sonam said, "Queenstown is one of the most beautiful places I have visited. The landscape is spectacular and very diverse. We drive short distances and the dramatic scenery changes from steep mountains and lakes to green fields and river canyons. The people are extremely warm and friendly. And I love the food!"
I Hate Luv Stories features Imran Khan opposite Sonam and is directed by Puneet Malhotra. The film is due for release on May 2010.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 29 Jan 2010 | 9:55 am Cast: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 29 Jan 2010 | 9:50 am Khan Shah Rukh on cover of GQ
With his film My Name Is Khan releasing on Feb 12, Shah Rukh Khan is all over the place. Be it at award functions or press conferences or on your favorite reality show, SRK is leaving no stone unturned to promote his big release. What's more, he also features on the cover page of leading men's magazine GQ in the February issue.
King Khan, as he is fondly known as, is seen sporting a disheveled, spiky look and holding a placard which states 'Where's The Love?' The actor talks about a wide variety of topics in this issue such as his equation with the Bachchans, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan to his oddest quirks. Speaking about quirks, SRK says, "I have a strange attachment to socks. They should feel right. I could be missing a flight, but if my socks are wrong, I have to take them off. I won't wear nylon socks with sneakers. The only time I get disturbed during shooting is over my socks. You can't give me brown socks. I hate different-coloured socks."
His mere presence may bring a smile on many faces and yet it's surprising to know that the one thing SRK finds difficulty in doing is to laugh on screen. "I can't laugh at will on screen. I have a big issue. It's been years since I had a big laughing scene. I can't laugh in real life either; I smile a lot. When I suddenly laugh with my kids or close friends, they stop and stare at me. I laugh maybe once in two years."
SRK also comes across as a clean person when he states, "I don't cheat. I've never had the desire to cheat anyone - financially, emotionally, or romantically. It doesn't mean I am the most morally upright person. I just think cheating is quite low. "
With such interesting tidbits from the actor's life, this February issue of GQ is a must have for any die-hard SRK fan.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 29 Jan 2010 | 9:27 am Gone way off trackThe Phir Mile Sur video is too heavy on Bollywood, say musicians.Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 9:13 am Divya’s balancing actHaving bagged her third Hollywood film and acquired a gully cricket team — Ludhiana gullies — actress Divya Dutta says that she is excited about the recent developments.Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 8:49 am Strike on siteStriker will be a simultaneous premiere in theatres and on YouTube.Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 8:42 am Rann for coverThe star-studded premiere of the film, Rann.Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 8:30 am I feel undeserving of Padma Shri: SaifHe is one of the youngest actors to have been honoured with Padma Shri and many may be wondering if it is too early for chhote nawab to receive the award.Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 8:29 am Ash pulls another item numberThe third item song of Aishwarya's career after Ishq Kamina and Kajrare will be Amitabh Bachchan's chartbuster Apni to jaise taise, thodi aise ya waise.Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 7:49 am Sam Worthington turns DraculaActor Sam Worthington,making his first deal since the success of Avatar, is in negotiations to star in Dracula Year Zero, a period vampire epic.Source: | 29 Jan 2010 | 7:44 am Shah Rukh asks for Big B starrer to inaugurate his home theatre
The growing proximity between the Bachchans and Shah Rukh Khan just got thicker. On Thursday, Shah Rukh called up the Bachchans and requested for a print of Rann to kick-start his newly-constructed home theatre at his residence.
Says a source, "Shah Rukh specifically wanted to inaugurate his home theatre with a Bachchan starrer. Luckily, Rann was on release this week. So he asked Karan Johar to quickly dial Mr. Bachchan who put him through the producers of Rann. The producers gladly arranged for a print of Rann to be delivered to SRK's place on Thursday evening."
After watching the film till very late on Thursday night, Shah Rukh Khan sent an appreciative sms to the film's producer which read, "Very kind of you to send the film across. Very intense very topical...good performances all round. The viewpoint is very current."
Apparently, Shah Rukh wanted to invite Mr Bachchan to view Rann in his home theatre. Alas! Mr Bachchan was in Delhi on Thursday night attending the premiere of Rann.
You would think with his sworn lack of empathy with politics, Big B would run as far away from politicians as possible. Surprisingly, politicians rather than stars dominated the Delhi premiere of Rann on Thursday night.
Those VIPs (very important politicians) who attended the premiere on Thursday night included Yashwant Sinha, L. K. Advani, Sheila Dixit, Sachin Pilot and the current Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi - Tajendra Khanna. Plus, of course, Amar Singh. This was Mr. Bachchan's first politician-dominated premiere in years.
The entire Bachchan parivar was in full attendance, though Jaya arrived separately from the rest of the family. An ever-enthusiastic Vivek Oberoi also saw the film though in a different screening from the Bachchans.
A perception that Rann indulges in serious bashing of the electronic media had the film's leading man Amitabh Bachchan stationed in the Capital for most of Thursday inviting the city's most influential journalists for the premiere.
Most of the who's who of Delhi's press corps melted under the great Bachchan charm. The man himself was baffled by the widespread belief that the film was against the electronic media.
Said Mr. Bachchan on Thursday afternoon, "I'm in Delhi meeting various members of the press trying to understand why Rann is being perceived as being against them. Or why I'm being seen to have issues with the press. Not at all! I've always respected the press."
Tell him the perception of Mr. Bachchan being anti-press goes back to those years in the 1980s when he had banned the press.
Says Mr. Bachchan, "I banned them because they had banned me. But now that's in the past. Writing my blog has made me understand the duties and exigencies of the media much better than before."Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 29 Jan 2010 | 6:47 am Time to strike - The Hindu
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 29 Jan 2010 | 4:50 am
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