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It's been a wonderful ride so far: Katrina KaifIt's a departure in every which way for this Bollywood actress on the ascendant.Source: Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 8:32 am "70% of Indian population still watches movies outdoors" - Dev Benegal
10 years after his second directorial venture Split Wide Open, internationally acclaimed filmmaker Dev Benegal is ready with his next film Road, Movie. The film starring Abhay Deol, Tanishtha Chatterjee and Satish Kaushik in lead roles talks about the concept of showing movies on the go, a tradition still very prevalent in the interiors and heartlands of India. Says Dev, "Shocking as it may sound, 70% of the Indian population still watches movie outdoors. The first time I went to a small village on the outskirts of Maharashtra, nearly 3000 people had gathered to watch a film. The next time somewhere in Rajasthan nearly 4.5 lakh people had come together to watch a film. These are places where there is none of the basic amenities of life like water, electricity and yet the enthusiasm of these folks to watch a film is something out of this world. It's like a carnival atmosphere. This is an extraordinary Indian phenomenon and when I saw the diaspora of people who had gathered together to watch the film, I was taken aback. There were small children, young couples, families and the elderly crowd all of them geared for their dose of entertainment at a meager price of just Rs.10 per ticket. I thought of it as a kind of social networking ala Facebook in flesh and blood and it increased my belief in the making of Road, Movie."
After casting Rahul Bose in his first two films, Dev Benegal has opted for yet another unconventional actor-Abhay Deol this time around. Commenting on his choice of actors, Dev says, "I was looking for somebody who was young and embodies the character of Vishnu. I didn't really have anybody in mind while writing the film. I happened to meet Abhay at a dinner in New York and the minute I met him it was like one of those 'Aaahaa' moments. I knew I had found my guy. He's extremely talented, has a tremendous on-screen presence and we got along really well. As for Tanishtha, I have known her for a while right from the time when she was part of a girl band called Teer. She maybe new in Bollywood but is a big star in international cinema and was perfect for the part. I have been wanting to work with Satish Kaushik since the last 20 years ever since I met him on the sets of Mandi where I was an assistant director. When I finished writing the script I immediately called him up from New York and told him that I would love to have him in the film. He read the script and agreed to be a part of Road, Movie."
After having made the rounds of various film festivals at Toronto, Doha, Tokyo and Berlin, the film finally opens in India this Friday and Dev is obviously excited to gauge the Indian audiences' response to the film. "We've got tremendous response wherever we have shown the film be it Toronto, Doha, Tokyo or Berlin. After the Toronto premiere all our actors were mobbed by eager fans and there was this whole street full of ladies who were screaming Abhay's name. The incredible part is that here is a film which is entirely in Hindi (there is not a word of English in it) and yet found a connect with people from different parts of the world. It reiterates the fact that if we make stories from the heart, audiences will discover them."Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 3 Mar 2010 | 5:48 am Rani Mukherji to shoot in MalaysiaBollywood actress Rani Mukerji will shoot a romantic film in Malaysia's Kuala Terengganu state in May.Source: Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 5:43 am Sharman Joshi endorses Airtel
He is the man who is ranked amongst one of the most talented actors in Bollywood today. He is none other than Sharman Joshi, the dude with supercool attitude, and who actually made everyone sit up and take notice of his deadly performance in the smash hit 3 Idiots.
After having displayed his talent in films and theatre, the man is now all set to step into an arena that he had been evading for sometime now: brand endorsement. Sharman has finally taken the plunge with his first ever endorsement for Airtel. Sources close to Bollywood say that the telecom major signed on the actor, on the immense popularity that Sharman got after the stupendous success of 3 Idiots. They also add that the actor has been paid a whopping amount for the endorsement. The TVC has Sharman and his pal sitting in a library, while Sharman is busy trying to woo his girl Nisha by typing out love poems and quotes, which he copies from a book. Impressed by the love quotes, the girl immediately replies back stating that she is interested. It's a simple yet engaging commercial.
Repeated attempts to contact Sharman Joshi proved unsuccessful.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 3 Mar 2010 | 5:38 am Vivek Oberoi's 'Prince' delayed, now to release April 9The release of actor Vivek Oberoi's much-hyped movie "Prince" has been delayed by post production work.Source: Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 5:32 am Amitabh feels drawn towards SikhismBollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, whose mother was a Sikh, says he feels drawn towards the religion and wants to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar with his children Abhishek and Shweta but can't because of time constraints.Source: Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 5:28 am I still love my action hero image: Ajay Devgn
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 4:54 am Teen Patti, a hit among online gamers
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 4:47 am US TV show launches Bollywood to Hollywood talent contestHot Chaat, an online American TV show produced by an Indian American team, has launched a Bollywood to Hollywood talent search contest.Source: Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 4:45 am Riteish won't do sex comedies any moreRiteish Deshmukh, is not interested in doing sex comedies any more and says he and director Milap Zaveri have settled for a 'mellow expression' in the forthcoming release Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai.Source: | 3 Mar 2010 | 4:17 am Ajay Devgn still loves the action hero imageBollywood star Ajay Devgn might not have featured in any full-fledged action film of late, but the actor says he still loves his action hero image he was known for.Source: | 3 Mar 2010 | 4:10 am Katie Holmes preparing for second baby
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 4:05 am Cameron treats troops in Bahrain with AvatarJames Cameron and actress Sigourney Weaver staged a special screening of thier 3D sci-fi epic hit Avatar for the US military in Bahrain and think it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.Source: | 3 Mar 2010 | 4:04 am Hoffman turns gambler for TV show
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 4:03 am Jaya Bachchan to be hounored at Asian film festJaya Bachchan will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the 12th London Asian Film Festival and son Abhishek Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai are set to attend the gala event.Source: | 3 Mar 2010 | 3:57 am MNIK highest B-town grosser in Middle EastThe film is to open in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Shah Rukh Khan starrer My Name Is Khan has become the highest Bollywood earner in the Middle East with $3.3. million collections.Source: | 3 Mar 2010 | 3:36 am Hurt Locker producer barred from Oscars
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 3:36 am Lara Dutta features on Vogue cover
If there is heaven on earth it is here, it is here, it is here. And if at all, there is any heavenly body, it is her, it is her, it is her! We are indeed talking about the 'beauty-licious' Lara Dutta, who is simply giving the models and actress and everyone alike, a mega marathon run for their money. And it is this very same chic who is all set to set the book stores afire as she is the cover girl for Vogue magazine for this month.
Lara can be accused of giving everyone (esp. men) a stiff neck as they just cannot help turning their heads, only to have a mere glance of this angelic beauty. Such is the impact of this actress, who, in this issue, talks about her obsession with shoes, her most defining fashion moment, shopping list for the season, her shopping secrets (yes...she has revealed them!), her definition of glamour, her style statement, her take on shopping therapy ...to name a few...phew! Full marks to the fotog for presenting Lara like never before. Looking at the pictures, one just feels confused thinking whether the clothes and the accessories are complementing Lara or is it the other way round. Surely an interesting edition for all Lara fans.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 3 Mar 2010 | 3:32 am Bangalore swami in sex scandal - NDTV.com
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 3 Mar 2010 | 3:07 am Aap Ki Khatir falters big time!In the early 1990s, a new breed of film-makers erupted on the screen. Sooraj R. Barjatya [Maine Pyar Kiya], Dharmesh Darshan [Lootere] and Aditya Chopra [Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge] were three prominent names that were revered in every filmi office. Later,Source: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:57 am Business picks up at the Box OfficeAs compared to last week, the business showed a slight increase this Friday. One of the reasons could be that two of the three releases this week Ek – The Power of One and Aa Dekhen Zara starred audience-friendly names asSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:52 am Priyanka Chopra's night out with Ranbir in casino - Oneindia
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:50 am Naitik's Dream-Girl come trueKaran Mehra, a.k.a. Naitik of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, made his relationship status public on his birthday, September 10, when he announced that he was engaged to Nisha Rawal. This you already know. However, did you know that he aSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:44 am Reader’s Digest ranks AR Rahman as most trustedNevada (ANI): Oscar winner composer A.R. Rahman is the 'most trusted, Bollywood personality, according to a survey published in March edition of Reader’s Digest (India). He ranks number five on a list of 100 “most trusted” Indians of all categories. HeSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:43 am Mahindra-Magadheera to act togetherIndian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Junior Mega Star Ram Charan Teja are joining their hands! Confused? Yes, they are joining their hands for a soft drink ad. Mahendra singh dhoni, one of the most wanted cricketers of adworld andSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:42 am Prashant Chawla debuts as John Abraham’s co-starKaran Mehra, a.k.a. Naitik of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, made his relationship status public on his birthday, September 10, when he announced that he was engaged to Nisha Rawal. This you already know. However, did you know that he aSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:41 am SnippetsMarch 2, 2010We have heard lots of good things about Bollywood couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol. So, this piece of news will surely come as a surprise. Believe it or not, Kajol is very upset with her husband Ajay Devgn. AjaySource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:40 am Priyanka Chopra's night out with Ranbir in casinoLuck has got a lot to do with life. Lady luck smiled on actors Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra recently while shooting for their film abroad. They got the chance to spend the whole night in a casino in Las Vegas.Well,Source: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:33 am Sonali Kulkarni releases her articles as a book - Hindustan Times
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:31 am Wife seeks divorce from Charlie SheenMelbourne, (ANI): Actor Charlie Sheen’s wife Brooke Mueller is said to want a divorce from him once his court case for domestic violence is over. According to Radar Online, even though both the couple’s reps have publicly said they want toSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:31 am Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? - GlamSham
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:26 am Hurt Locker producer barred from OscarsA producer of the Iraq war story The Hurt Locker will not be allowed to attend Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony because of e-mails he sent urging academy members to vote for his movie.Source: | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:26 am Avinash-Radhika's honeymoon memories!Avinash Sachdev, a.k.a. Dev of Zee TV’s Chhoti Bahu, may be unmarried, but he can still indulge in onscreen honeymoons. As reported by TellyCafe.com earlier, team members, including cast, flew to Malaysia to shoot the Dev-Radhika honeymoon sequences, and have justSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:23 am "I'd love to be killed by Priyanka Chopra... which man wouldn't?" - Irrfan Khan
While the West has just honoured his global contribution with a 3-page spread in Time magazine, Irrfan Khan has had enough of being taken for granted at home.
In fact rumour has it he isn't too pleased being cast by Vishal Bhardwaj as one of Priyanka Chopra's seven husbands in Saat Khoon Maaf and was in two minds about the part until Vishal persuaded him and assured him that the supposedly saleable John Abraham and the distinguished Naseeruddin Shah and Mohanlal are also part of Priyanka Chopra's harem in Saat Khoon Maaf.
Irrfan has finally relented. Barely concealing his sarcasm the actor described by Time as 'the one who can do it all' says, "Whether it's Dibakar Banerjee, Shimit Amin, Anurag Basu, Anurag Kashyap or Vishal Bhardwaj, they all make the kind of films that suit my sensibilities perfectly. But they have all moved to another phase in their career. The Vishal that I worked with when I played the lead in Maqbool is not the same filmmaker who's making Saat Khoon Maaf. He needs commercially viable stars for the budget that his films now need. And let's be fair, I'm not commercially viable enough to make a difference to project."
Evading the spell of bitterness, Irrfan says, "Vishal and I kept missing each other. Finally I spoke to him in Mussourrie the other day. He's writing the script there. Yes I'd love to be killed by Priyanka Chopra. Which man wouldn't?"
The truth is, Irrfan is not too happy with the fact that directors whose art and creativity he trusts are coming to him with secondary roles.
Even the much talked-about Hissss is actually a Mallika Sherawat vehicle. When asked about its much-delayed release, Irrfan explains, "Out here they don't really understand the international market. I think the Indian producers of Hissss have got it right. They plan to market it as an exotic mysterious product from the Orient. To get into the Western market, the Indian producer Govind Menon has now invited a Hollywood studio to take the film to the American audience."Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:17 am Shah Rukh Khan Always Has A History To Set In Bollywood - india-server.com
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 3 Mar 2010 | 2:14 am Riteish Deshmukh won't do sex comedies any moreRiteish Deshmukh, who was seen in a TV reporter's avatar in "Rann", is not interested in doing sex comedies any more and says he and director Milap Zaveri have settled for a "mellow expression" in the forthcoming release "Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai".Source: Entertainment News | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:59 am Lara has reasons to celebrate - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 3 Mar 2010 | 1:29 am Katrina Kaif waiting for the release of Rajneeti - Oneindia
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:35 pm Police clueless on burglary at Hema Malini's house - Oneindia
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:51 pm Asha Bhosle humiliates Raj Thackeray - Oneindia
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 9:18 pm Bachchans head to London's Asian film fest
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 3:49 pm MNIK becomes highest Bollywood grosser in Middle East
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 3:47 pm It's easy to be different in our industry: Abhay Deol - Hindustan Times
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 2 Mar 2010 | 3:33 pm Roger Ebert recalls his last words on Oprah WinfreyThe film critic appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday with a laptop in his hand, talking through electronic voice. He made Oscars predictions and spoke how he deals with no longer being able to talk or eat solid food.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:52 pm Lara Dutta is compulsive shopaholic!
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:42 pm Vancouver 2010 Closing Ceremony, a slight disappointmentThe three hour Vancouver 2010 closing ceremony show included performances by Mime Yves Dagenais, Le May Doan and the rendition of the Olympic hymn by famous Canadian tenor Ben Hepner.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:28 pm Bachchans head to London's Asian film festJaya Bachchan will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the 12th London Asian Film Festival beginning on Friday and son Abhishek Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai are set to attend the gala event.Source: Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:26 pm 'MNIK' becomes highest Bollywood grosser in Middle EastShah Rukh Khan starrer "My Name Is Khan" (MNIK) has become the highest Bollywood earner in the Middle East with $3.Source: Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 12:53 pm The Patridge Family misses Susan Dey at NBC reunionThe cast of The Partridge Family reunited Tuesday on NBC's morning broadcast, but their group missed actress Susan Dey who remained absent from the reunion. David Cassidy, Shirley Jones, Danny Bonaduce and the rest were seen on the show.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 2 Mar 2010 | 12:46 pm Dancing with the stars 2010 lineup, pairings, live coverage detailsDancing with the Stars 2010 line up has been announced. ABC released the full line up of the new stars that will be a part of the two hour season premiere. One can watch the live coverage of Dancing with the Stars 2010 on Monday, March 22 from 8pm.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 2 Mar 2010 | 12:02 pm Dancing with the Stars; Pamela Anderson pairs with Damian WhitewoodABC has officially announced the all new celebrity cast of 'Dancing with the Stars' has been paired up with their professional dance partners. Actress Pamela Anderson, one of the biggest names in 'Dancing With The Stars' this season paired up with professSource: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:42 am Jay Leno cracks Lindsay Vonn on The Tonight Show Watch videoThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno featured Olympic star Lindsey Vonn on Tuesday. The alpine ski racing gold winner chatted with Jay Leno about the Winter Olympics. 'I'm not a crier,' Vonn said, 'it was more than I could take in.'Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:38 am Lara Dutta needs 'therapy when it comes to shopping'Lara Dutta, who features on the cover of the March issue of Vogue magazine, would stop at nothing when it comes to "shopping".Source: Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 11:29 am Over 60 people questioned for burglary at Hema's house
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:40 am Anderson's ad banned in Australia
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:26 am Bachelor finale: Jake picks Vienna Girardi, shocks allThe Bachelor finale 2010 may have been the biggest in show history. After all, The Bachelor finale followed one of the more contentious seasons in the show's history. Most of that revolved around one finalist, Vienna Giraldi.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 2 Mar 2010 | 10:20 am Real to reel lifeHollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp and his girlfriend Vanessa Paradis are taking their real-life romance to the screen.Source: | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:50 am There is lot of sex in Bel Ami: Robert PattinsonThe 23-year-old star admits that the film, which is an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's novel, will feature a lot of intimate sequences as it is set in the era when "sex was a kind of a weapon and a tool."Source: | 2 Mar 2010 | 8:02 am Kannada actor Shivaraj Kumar to donate body for researchKannada actor Shivaraj Kumar has decided to donate his body to a hospital for research after his death and has signed a declaration to this effect.Source: Entertainment News | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:48 am Gwyneth plays a legendGwyneth Paltrow is set to play Marlene Dietrich, the Hollywood legend known for her flashy nightclub lifestyle.Source: | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:12 am George Miller to receive top French honourThe Oscar-winning filmmaker, known for making films like Happy Feet, Witches Of Eastwick and Mad Max, has been presented with one of France's highest accolades.Source: | 2 Mar 2010 | 7:09 am Dancing with the Stars 2010 lineup announced, check outThe Dancing with the stars 2010 lineup includes many famous celebrities who would be hitting the dance floor, which would indeed be a treat to watch. Here is the list with all details of the Dancing with the Stars 2010 contestants.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 2 Mar 2010 | 6:02 am Robbery at Hema Malini's residence
Hema Malini was in for a shock when she learnt that a big robbery took place at her residence on the weekend.
What happened was that when Hema Malini returned back on Sunday morning to her Goregaon residence, she was startled at what she saw. Her house had been robbed off to a tune of around Rs. 80 lakhs. The police officials are now on the lookout for the watchman of the building. He has been missing ever since the robbery took place. Reports have it that, of the Rs. 80 lakhs, Rs. 75 lakhs was in cash and Rs. 5 lakhs in gold jewellery. The police have launched an immense manhunt to track down watchman and his accomplices, both in Nepal as well as in India. The police have registered a case of theft under Section 379 of the IPC.
The Dindoshi police station's officials are hoping to solve the case very soon.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 2 Mar 2010 | 4:29 am Katrina Kaif signed as brand ambassador for Lux Purple
She is what Superstars are made up of! An actress on every director's wishlist. She is none other than Katrina Kaif, the lady who is giving not just the Bolly heroines, but also top models a marathon run for their money.
After having launched a thousand (well... make that a million plus) products with her ravishing smile, Katrina Kaif is now all set to do it all over again, this time round with the prestigious Lux soap. The news of Kats becoming brand ambassador has really many minds thinking since till now it was the eternal beauty Aishwarya Rai who was at the helm of things for the said soap brand, for long time now.
Also the last time round, it was the very same Kats who replaced Ash as the face for the Nakshatra range of jewelry. Kats will be endorsing 'Lux Purple Lotus & Cream', a soap infused with anti-ageing properties.
With this, Katrina joins the ranks of all the Dream Girls of Bollywood.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 2 Mar 2010 | 2:50 am Subhash K. Jha speaks about Karthik Calling Karthik
Desolation is a distant cousin to suburban seclusion. And from the isolation of the Modern Indian Man is born the Great Cosmopolitan Fable of the man who knows no succour from seclusion.
Karthik Calling Karthik is an interesting if flawed fable of the damned. The protagonist is Karthik (Farhan Akhtar) so timid he could merge into the woodwork of his office if only the decor was not so much glass and papier-mache.
Karthik is bullied by his boss (Ram Kumar, unusual and interesting bit of casting, that) sniggered at by his smarter (read: less sensitive) colleagues and absentmindedly ignored by the beauty in the beastly workplace whom Karthik gazes at sideways and writes scores of unsent e-mail to. She's the unattainable beauty. He's King Kong without the imposing grandeur to protest against his malfunctional existence.
This is the world of Rocket Singh without the turban and the placidity. While Shimit Amin's Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year was about an office-goer who craved for acceptance, Karthik just wants to be less unhappy in his space. It's not too much to ask for. But who's listening? Except a voice on the phone that sounds suspiciously like Karthik to his own ear.
The build-up of Karthik's dreary disembodied world captures the claustrophobia of suburban existence without forgetting to add humour to the proceedings. The moments between Karthik and the gregarious Shonali (Deepika) have that touch of lively realism taken from lives we've known lived and somewhere tried to reject. However the dialogues between the couple try too hard to be 'cool'.
The relationship that Karthik develops with Shonali is far outdistanced in intensity by the one that he develops with the Chinese phone set. And after a while the 'extended monologues' (in a newly defined man-calling-self avatar) begins to lose its credibility.
But hold on. Debutant director Vijay Lalwani, self-assured and apparently fully conscious of where he's taking his story, gives us a second-half that is gut-wrenching in its portrayal of the individual as an island.
To escape the dictatorial and tyrannical voice on the phone Karthik buys a ticket to an unknown city which to our visual delights, turns out to be Cochi. Karthik rents a modest near-dingy room and begins life anew as a battered man seeking supreme anonymity with no telephone lines to break his self-imposed deathly stillness of existence.
The second movement of the quietly simmering plot comes to a poignant if faltering halt in a city whose tranquillity the cinematographer Sanu Verghese embraces by a rejection of the urban chaos. However the revelation on Karthik's psychological condition surprises no one except Karthik himself, and least of his sexy shrink Shefali Shah.
Karthik Calling Karthik is a gripping jigsaw piecing together a mind that plays games with itself. The winner is destiny. The pace is consciously sluggish suggesting the deep-rooted association of a vigour-less existence with the quality of life that the cities offer you in exchange for a comfortable flat in a techno-suffused surrounding.
Farhan Akhtar the life and breath of the proceedings, epitomizes urban anonymity in his body language speech and hesitant attempts to reach out to a world that has no patience with the over-sensitive.
Farhan's is indeed a super-confident performance as a man lacking self-confidence. The film itself doesn't lag behind in self-assurance. But the absence of what one may call an energetic exterior could well be mistaken by some viewers as an ingrained inertia, a malaise that the film's protagonist suffers from.
Do not mistake the man for the plot.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:29 am Subhash K. Jha speaks about Teen Patti
If you can get over the ludicrousness of a distinguished mathematician whose God is Albert Einstein and who at the end of the film gets the 'Isaac Newton Award' for excellence in his field, masquerading as a seedy gambler (in a lungi, if you please!) then Teen Patti is a surprisingly skilful and audaciously complex piece of tautly-scripted and brilliantly executed drama on the seemingly exclusive worlds of academics and avarice and the deep-rooted link between financial ambitions and moral compromises.
Monetary indulgence is a theme done to 'debt'. Writer-director Leena Yadav revealing stealthy skill utterly free of gender influences gives the theme a dizzying but pinned-down spin. She speeds confidently across out-of-control lives on a college campus (not quite the insouciant IIT campus in 3 Idiots , but chalega) with the confident vision of raconteur who spins a seemingly indecipherable web of deceit intrigue and crime that was probably destined to hurl into in uncontrollable cosmic and cinematic chaos.
Miraculously Yadav's yarn preserves its pencil -sharp edge of intrigue and wit right to the end. The story of the eccentric math-magician's adventures in blunder-land takes the narrative from underground addas to high-class casinos where Prof Venkat Subramaniam his junior colleague Madhavan (clenched and compelling in his part-guru part-shishya avatar) and four students convert the Professor's newly-discovered mathematical theory into hard cash on gambling tables. Goodbye, Prof. Chips!
The onion-peel plot reveals layer after layer of subterfuge and conspiracy until we come to the core idea. Greed, we are told, does have a place in the faculty of the intellect as long as the craving for the good things in life doesn't outdistance the ethical boundaries of a life committed to bettering society through education.
The story unravels through an extended dialogue in Cambridge between Prof Subramanian and a British maths professor Perci Trachtenberg played by Bachchan Sir and Sir Ben. Just watching the two distinguished baritones exchange notes on academia, life and their overlapping quirks , is a pleasure that makes for full paisa-vasool viewing.
Alas, one of the baritones belonging to Ben Kingsley speaks in Boman Irani's voice. And that too in Hindi! Why are the two professors huddled together in Cambridge speaking to each other in a language that suggests no tenability except a practical desire to make itself intelligible to Indian audiences in the non-metropolitan centres?
It's s futile endeavour in linguistic transference considering the fact that this is not a film for the audience that enjoyed De Dana Dan or Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.
Teen Patti targets its cerebral entertainment quotient at an audience that is willing to expand, and not suspend its disbelief. The proceedings charted by the intricate plot take the characters belonging to three generations through a smoky hazy compromised kingdom of the devil and the damned.
There's a touch of Faustian wickedness in the way the old professor, his subordinate colleague and their four brightest students embrace hedonism. The parameters of what 'is' and what 'should be' are almost blurred beyond redemption. The film gets its moral colour and texture from the technicians who seem to know the exact shades needed.
The death of one of the students (debutant Siddharth Kher, who has the most complex part among the youngsters) signals the redemptive overture in the plot. Siddharth's 'Bonnie & Clyde' act with his girlfriend (Shradha Kapoor) is indicative of the places that youngsters want to visit in their fantasies. The nightmare is just a hop away from the dream.
From the mathematical and magical to the murky and immoral, writer and director Leena Yadav exercises supreme control over the goings-on. At any given moment the narrative is susceptible to collapse like a house of cards. Yadav's grip over her characters' dithering conscience is perfectly matched by the brightly though starkly-lit interiors. Aseem Bajaj's camera-work is exquisite in delicate shades. The camera knows where it has to go and slips in quietly to capture a world that has lost its plot.
The songs and dances in pleasure-seeking places are edited with an eye for elegant economy. No space is left for humbug to spill over. This director means business.
Many sequences such as the one where Madhavan says goodbye to his screen girlfriend Raima Sen (when will filmmakers stop under-using this beautiful actress?) are shot to suggest the edginess of a world that could topple over any time.
Presiding over this world of infinite infamy is Mr Bachchan. He portrays the ill-understood proclivities of the academic genius with a profound absence of brouhaha. Even as the world outside falls apart Mr Bachchan creates an unspoilt inner world for his character.
As for the 'Ben' buyale mehmaan, the British actor's clipped tone is gone. What remains is half a performance. Good enough.
Madhavan pitches in a bravura act, lots of furtive guilty nervous close-ups indicating a moral breach that could destroy the character any moment. The 4 newcomers are pleasant enough in the spaces provided for them. But given how well each of their characters is written none of them goes beyond the requirements in the script.
A pity. Because the film quite often transcends the written word to go into the realm of the abstract where the existential joys of mathematics meets more earthly pleasures. Surprisingly ingenious and resonant, Teen Patti is not so much about the cards that are dealt on the table as the one that destiny doles out in places where the human eye and desire cannot reach.
Teen Patti re-defines the male-adventure genre by letting a woman director tell us what it is like to lose one's sense of propriety in pursuit of happiness. The gender is not the point here.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 2 Mar 2010 | 1:21 am
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