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Kerala and Karnataka actors are sidelined in Bollywood: SudeepHe may have rubbed shoulders with the likes of megastar Amitabh Bachchan in only his second Hindi film "Rann", but Kannada star Sudeep is a little disillusioned with Bollywood.Source: Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 8:42 am Experience magic of 1980s with 'Housefull' musicComposer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have an impressive range - from the Sufi songs in "My Name Is Khan" to energetic numbers in "Housefull", they blend their styles according to the requirement of the film.Source: Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 8:38 am 'Nirdoshi', a very crude filmThe posters of this new Kannada film "Nirdoshi" proudly proclaims that the film has been cleared by a tribunal and the censor board had not cleared the film.Source: Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 8:19 am Sandra Bullock cancels another public appearance
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 8:03 am Johnny Depp turns director for favourite band
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 7:56 am Woody Allen inspires designer duo Shantanu-Nikhil
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 7:48 am Kim Kardashian to date British soccer Star
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 7:41 am Hopper accuses wife of stealing
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 7:39 am Tara Reid wants a Cinderella wedding
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 7:37 am Changing your perspectiveThe International LGBTI Film Festival has 49 films from 13 countries, with a special package from South Africa.Source: | 27 Mar 2010 | 7:28 am When Dimple wore a rapper hatDirector Kabir Sadanand on Dimple the rock star and Simple her rock solid support.Source: | 27 Mar 2010 | 7:19 am 50 years later, FTII needs moreAs celebrity alumni from India’s official Film School praise it to the hilt, others insist that there’s a lot to be done before they feel proud.Source: | 27 Mar 2010 | 7:15 am Lady Gaga the new Michael Jackson?
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 6:45 am Hrithik's debut song as singer launches on 29th March
Reliance Big Pictures and Rakesh Roshan's highly-anticipated film KITES unfolds yet another surprise! KITES marks the debut of actor Hrithik Roshan as a singer on the silver screen. To commemorate this, Reliance Big Pictures is launching the music of the film on national television as a roadblock by airing Hrithik's debut song 'Kites in the sky', in English, along with some behind-the-scenes footage on 29th March at 9.30 p.m. across 40 television channels.
In a statement issued to the media, Hrithik says, "I was nervous to make my debut as a singer, considering I come from a family that is well known in the world of music, but for this very reason my chacha [Rajesh Roshan] and director Anurag Basu were most certain that I could sing. I have given this song my best and honest shot, but I still don't consider myself a professional singer."Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 27 Mar 2010 | 6:00 am I want to be a trendsetter like my dad: Luv Sinha
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Mar 2010 | 5:44 am VJ Anusha Dandekar launches all-girls bandAfter making her mark as a VJ, Anusha has launched an all-girl band, D Major, with sister Apiksha and Shibani. Their first album titled Teenage has a variety of songs be it bohemian, Punjabi or Hindi. Source: | 27 Mar 2010 | 5:11 am Rashid Irani's Review: NineFederico Fellini must surely be rock-and-rolling in his grave. The Italian maestro’s trendsetting 8 ½ is incarnated as a musical extravaganza set in the mid-1960s. Despite the chic period costumes and an A-list cast, the outcome is devoid of passion.Source: | 27 Mar 2010 | 4:43 am Rashid Irani's Review: AmeliaWhile the aerial vistas are breathtakingly photographed, there is little else to sustain our interest in the melodramatic proceedings. Read on for the complete review.Source: | 27 Mar 2010 | 4:36 am Dilip Kumar was the last superstar: JayaAmitabh Bachchan may be respected the world over as the biggest Bollywood megastar but his actor-politician wife Jaya Bachcchan begs to differ. She feels Dilip Kumar was the last superstar.Source: | 27 Mar 2010 | 3:38 am Sonam Kapoor appointed as brand ambassador for Spice Mobiles
She is the daughter of the ageless wonder and touted as the chip of the old block. She is none other than Sonam Kapoor, the darling daughter of Anil Kapoor. After having made an impactful debut with Sanjay Leela Bansali's Saawariyaa, Sonam now seems all set to take the world of ad commercials by super storm!
After having lent her famous smile to FMCGs like L'Oreal, Mont Blanc, etc, now, Sonam will be seen in a new avatar as the Brand Ambassador for Spice Mobiles. Sources close to Bollywood Hungama say, "The parent company of Spice Mobiles (B.K Modi Group), is now all set to launch a high quality phone (S-1200, to be precise), that will have a whopping 12 Mega pixel camera with 3 X optical zoom! The source also adds that since they are all gung-ho about this product, they were looking for someone who can effortlessly carry the brand on her shoulders, and needles to say that Sonam Kapoor fitted the bill like a 'T'. That's why they signed her on immediately!"
With this endorsement, the ad world sees yet another shuffling of brand ambassadors as Sonam replaces Katrina as face of Spice Mobiles.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 27 Mar 2010 | 3:33 am Lending his write hand - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 27 Mar 2010 | 3:30 am Mittal vs Mittal - GlamSham
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 27 Mar 2010 | 3:21 am Sandra Bullock cancels another public appearance - NDTV.com
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 27 Mar 2010 | 3:13 am Salman-Sonu fight it out for Dabangg
First it was Ranbir Kapoor who had his torso/abs contoured and hand-painted during Saawariya by his ever-helpful co-star Salman Khan.
Now it is Sonu Sood who got the same personal attention from Salman .While shooting the tricky bare-bodied climactic combat scene in Wai for Dabangg, Salman personally supervised his screen-adversary Sonu Sood's torso tanning.
Says Sonu, "Everyone knows when two guys do an action scene especially if they're bare-chested, they work out harder before the sequence to make sure each one's body is in the best shape."
Salman has not only exercised rigorously for the climactic fight but he has also made sure Sonu Sood looks his best on camera.
Says Sonu, "We've been shooting the hand-to-hand combat for a fortnight now, every day Salman has been making sure I'm as comfortable with the action director S Vijayan's instruction as he is."
He continues, "We've been shooting in the heat on a set depicting a warehouse and our fight is a free-for-all. We first combat with fists and then any weapon, instrument, hard object we can lay our hands on. .It's the most dangerous fight Salman and I have done. Salman made sure I was comfortable and as protected and safe as possible."
Best of all, the star gave Sonu Sood a lotion to highlight and contour his torso muscles.
Says Sood, "It's a suntan lotion which makes the abs glisten on camera so that your muscles look more contoured. Salman told me to apply it and my body looks better on camera than ever before."
Interestingly, Salman did the same to Ranbir Kapoor when the debutant shot the 'Jab Se Tere Naina' number in a towel for Saawariya. In fact Salman was not even required for the Saawariya song. He had nonetheless come on the sets and personally painted Ranbir's torso with the lotion before the song was shot.
That explains Ranbir's contoured torso muscles in the towel song when in fact he has a wiry physique.
Says Sonu Sood, "Unlike Ranbir who was in a towel the audience will see me and Salman like two rustic Biharis in Pyjama -kurtas. Salman plays a cop who thinks he's the unchallenged law of the region. I challenge him to a fight. We both slip off our kurtas and fight in full public view. As the fight gets more vicious the crowds are scared away .Only me and Salman are left, fighting. It's the most realistic climactic fight we've ever shot."Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 27 Mar 2010 | 3:06 am Subhash K. Jha speaks on Well Done Abba
Drawn from the innermost recesses of its extraordinarily versatile profound and prolific creator's mind, somewhat like the water that emerges from Boman Irani's well at the end of this delicately-drawn satire on babu-giri and red tape(ism), Well Done Abba is a little sparkling gem of a film.
Its humour warmth and tenderness are not as easily obtainable as was in Benegal's last comedy Welcome To Sajjanpur which was far more readily and immediately engaging.
Well Done Abba takes longer to settle and sink into our satiated sensibilities. Long parts of the film describing the Hyderabadi protagonist Armaan Ali (Boman Irani)'s close encounters with babu-giri and the bewildering maze of the bureaucracy(somewhat like Pankaj Kapoor in the serial Office Office) are done with a sense of insouciant indulgence that takes the bite away from the cruelty of watching a man run from one musty office to another trying to get a well dug into his parched backyard.
Everyone wants a bribe. No one wants to do what's right. A world waiting for water to emerge from Mother Earth was recently created in Shayam Benegal's nephew Dev Benegal's Road Movie.
Unlike Dev's film Shayam Benegal's parable on a soul waiting to be nurtured never remains as dry as the landscape it describes.
Thirsty famished Hyderabad is no strange hinterland to the ultra-perceptive Benegal. One of his first feature films Ankur (still considered by many to be his finest) was set in rural Hyderabad. It was real, grim and relentlessly dark in showing subjugation and injustice. Now Shayam Babu-God bless his jaunty soul-has mellowed down. His vision is far more forgiving of our beaucratic trespasses. He even chuckles over sex through the characters of Ravi Kissen and Sonali Kulkarni who are forever at it.
Cinematographer Rajen Kothari goes through the cluttered lanes of old Hyderabad with jaunty steps. No one is looking for despair here. It's a life lived at the edges with a zest to seize the day.
The flawed and aberrant characters in Well Done Abba ranging from the embittered police inspector(brilliantly played by the Benegal regular Rajit Kapoor) to the self-serving but not evil politician(Rajendra Gupta) are characters who move dexterously away from the realm of the grotesque and caricatural to becoming signs and representatives of our times.
Standing non-judgementally over the delicate satire Shyam Benegal seems to say... this is the way we are,what to do?
Benegal's characters are not hopeless losers. The director with some skillfully subtle sensitive and sharp writing from screenwriter Ashok Mishra lifts his people from the clammy clutches of corruption and dejection. These are people who exude the sweaty aroma of lived-in people eking out a dignified life from the morass of
anarchy.
Benegal's narration is steady, tender and in no hurry to make its point. The pace is even and delightfully devoid of anxieties, but sometimes far too crowded with inner explanations. The canvas is crammed with semi-pivotal characters in the bureaucracy. We are subjected to vignettes from the bureaucrats' home life which seem to unnecessary prolong the film's inevitable progress towards a triumphant finale.
Boman Irani in both his avatars as the Armaan Ali and his seedy twin Rehman Ali, renders rollicking wrinkles and creases to the film's over-smooth edges. He's delightful as the bewildered working-class soul, the over-protective father and the near-nirvana soul who at the end realizes the struggle to have justice is actually a journey towards God.
Minissha Lamba as Boman's spirited daughter gets into the skin of her character with a career-defining determination and emerges with a character who is feisty modern and, yes, Muslim. Sammir Dattani as the sweet-tempered do-gooder who supports the father and daughter shows a discernible growth as an actor. This film is actually the beginning of a new phase for Dattani. All three characters hold their Hyderabadi accents in place without slipping out of character for even a minute.
Watch out for all the usual Benegal actors like Lalit Tiwari, Ila Arun, Yashpal Sharma and Ravi Jhankal to newer entrants into this super-prolific director's hall of films like Ravi Kissen(playing an over-sexed Bihari engineer) ...they all know what we've known for years. The world of Shyam Benegal is filled with an anguished realization of moral and political corruption. But by God, Benegal knows how to juice our social milieu in his cinema without seeming exploitative or melodramatic.
Well, done Mr. Benegal!Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 27 Mar 2010 | 2:43 am Disney's new serial on ThirukkuralDISNEY CHANNEL after having established itself as an unparalleled leader in the animation industry has now come up with a serial titled 'Ek Tha Jungle' that will showcase couplets from Thirukkural ? one of the most important and celebrated works in TamilSource: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 27 Mar 2010 | 2:25 am Esha Deol, Hema Malini sizzle at WIFW - Hindustan Times
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 27 Mar 2010 | 1:39 am Angadi Theru - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 27 Mar 2010 | 1:10 am Salman's personal attention for Sonu SoodFirst it was Ranbir Kapoor who had his torso/abs contoured and hand-painted during Saawariya by his ever-helpful co-star Salman Khan. Now it is Sonu Sood who got the same personal attention from Salman .While shooting the tricky bare-bodied climactic combat sceneSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Mar 2010 | 12:25 am Shahid to promote MM with KareenaThe film in question has been in the making for quite sometime now with the starcast apparently having issues about promoting the film. However, now we hear that Shahid Kapoor has decided to go ahead and promote his film with KareenaSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Mar 2010 | 12:23 am Globalisation of the Indian film industryThe globalization effect on the industry has resulted in western production standards, usage of English in the script or incorporation of some element of western-style plots. Bollywood has produced hits like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Kal Ho.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 27 Mar 2010 | 12:22 am Sean Combs feels all Vodkas are 'pee pee'New York, (ANI): Offended with singer Sean Combs’ statement that all vodka except Ciroc are "pee pee," Georgi Vodka owner took a toilet bowl filled with bottles of Ciroc vodka to the hip hop star’s office. The ‘I’ll Be Missing You’Source: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Mar 2010 | 12:17 am Hum Tum Aur Ghost - GlamSham
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 27 Mar 2010 | 12:11 am Kim Zolciak admits lesbian relationshipNew York (ANI): Kim Zolciak of Real Housewives of Atlanta fame has admitted being in a lesbian relationship. The 31-year-old Zolciak has, in fact, revealed she is a bisexual and currently seeing DJ Tracy Young, the woman behind the remix ofSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Mar 2010 | 12:10 am Shahid to promote MM with Kareena - Oneindia
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 27 Mar 2010 | 12:08 am Vidya, Rani shoots on the crowded areas of DelhiVidya Balan and Rani Mukerjee had to shoot in old Delhi’s crowded areas for No One Killed Jessica. But how could that possibly happen without a mob surrounding them when Rani and Vidya are both such popular names? Director of theSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:52 pm Priyanka rejects Hollywood for Saat Khoon MaafPriyanka Chopra may be a determined actress but she values where she started out from. Even though most Bollywood actresses would never give up on an opportunity to act in a Hollywood film, Priyanka turned down a Hollywood offer for Bollywood.SheSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:51 pm Amitabh Bachchan joins Save The Tiger campaignBollywood's legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan has been signed on as the brand ambassador of 'Save The Tiger' campaign. With this, Bachchan joins the likes of the Indian cricket and football captains as the face of the campaign, spearheaded by the environmentalSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:50 pm Well Done Abba Movie Review - GlamSham
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:37 pm I am making a political thriller next: Dibakar BanerjeeHe is among the new-age breed of filmmakers whose films defy the stereotype. His first two films Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye ! fetched him the coveted him National Award and his latest film Love, Sex Aur DhokhaSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:37 pm Ishtapadithe audio on April second weekCanning of a song remained balance to complete the shooting of ‘Ishtapadithe…’ (Premena) with Subash Rayal and Farah Khan in the lead, directed by M Srinivas and produced by Padala Sriramachandra Reddy, Polisetty Chandrasekhar, R Suryaprakash and G Lakshminarayana Reddy onSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:27 pm Controversies abound Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week - Daily News & Analysis
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:22 pm Manmohan has passion for writing poemsManmohan Tiwari, the man who made a tragic controversy with controversy queen Rakhi Sawant has finally achieved what he wanted with no regrets. Manmohan Tiwari, who is now seen in Imagine’s ‘Jamuniya’ whose shoots are going on in Chhattisgarh, explores theSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:16 pm Sandra Bullock withdraws from Kids Choice Awards
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 26 Mar 2010 | 6:03 pm Dennis Hopper gets star on Hollywood Walk of FameDennis Hopper recieved his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, with Jack Nicholson, David Lynch and Viggo Mortensen attending the event. The actor is suffering from terminal prostate cancer.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 26 Mar 2010 | 6:01 pm Jim Marshall, iconic photographer dies in sleepJim Marshall, who captured several rock icons on his lens, died in his sleep in New York this Wednesday. He is known for his largely black and white images of stars like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash ans Janis Joplin.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 26 Mar 2010 | 5:07 pm Star News to hunt for news anchorsTaking a cue from popular entertainment-based talent hunt programmes, Star News -- which says there is a "resource gap of trained manpower in the television new business" -- would be holding a talent hunt for television news anchors on its network.Source: Entertainment News | 26 Mar 2010 | 4:38 pm Dilip Kumar was the last super star: Jaya BachchanAmitabh Bachchan may be respected the world over as the biggest Bollywood star but his actor-politician wife Jaya feels "Dilip Kumar was the last super star".Source: Entertainment News | 26 Mar 2010 | 4:34 pm Asia auditions for 'Amazing Race' to take place in IndiaFor all those TV buffs who enjoyed watching hit reality show "Amazing Race" and always hoped to be a part of it, have something to rejoice.Source: Entertainment News | 26 Mar 2010 | 3:34 pm Hot Tub Time Machine review - a 100 minutes entertainerThe Hot Tub Time Machine is a hilarious comedy which follows a group of best friends who've become bored with their adult lives. Primarily an 80s retrospective, it stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and Crispin Glover.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 26 Mar 2010 | 3:28 pm Will the real Sufi please sit down?Everybody today wants a piece of the Sufi soufflé. Every music company wants to be able to claim at least one album of 'Sufi music' under its label, whatever the songs, whoever the singers. As a result of what seems to be purely a scramble for a fast-growing market, we the listeners are left with a confusion: what is a Sufi song writes Amitava Sanyal.Source: | 26 Mar 2010 | 3:05 pm Knock on woodBombay, Bombay, December 1992. You can smell the impending violence in the air in the Muslim-majority ghetto of Malvani. Suryakant Sarang, away from home for long, decides to return to curfewed Malvani at this point of post-Babri tension. Before we know how things progress, writer-producer-director Chandan Arora swivels the story back to May 1977 to (re)introduce us to the young(er) Surya entering the portals of the Ideal Carrom Club with his elder brother Chandrakant. Source: | 26 Mar 2010 | 3:01 pm Beyonce pregnancy: Rumour denied, still continuesOnline reports continue to say that singer Beyonce Knowles is pregnant, with several even citing sources, even as a representative for the singer has called the rumours false. Beyonce Knowles had married Jay Z two years ago, in a secret ceremony.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 26 Mar 2010 | 2:39 pm Kim Kardashian finds new man
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 26 Mar 2010 | 1:25 pm Jesse James another Tiger Woods? Mistress count reaches fourOn Thursday, attorney Gloria Allred released a statement saying that she is representing a woman (who has chosen not to identify herself) who allegedly had an 'intimate' three-year fling with Jesse James, husband of Oscar winner Sandra Bullock.Source: merinews: Entertainment News Articles | 26 Mar 2010 | 12:30 pm Film fest on disability showcased in DelhiA range of inspiring films on various forms of disability and how people battled them to lead a fulfilling life were showcased at a two-day festival that ended in the capital today.Source: Entertainment News | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:38 am Mayank Shekhar's Review: Well Done AbbaThe film remains a fine black comedy, which could only disappoint in parts for its weakened pace, or the director’s discomfort with a soundtrack to help with the movie’s commerce. Read more...Source: | 26 Mar 2010 | 11:07 am Sakshi Tanwar to appear in 'Balika Vadhu'Television actress Sakshi Tanwar, better known as Parvati of "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki", has now joined the cast of the hit TV show "Balika Vadhu".Source: Entertainment News | 26 Mar 2010 | 10:41 am Big B joins 'Save The Tiger' campaign
Bollywood's legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan has been signed on as the brand ambassador of 'Save The Tiger' campaign.
With this, Bachchan joins the likes of the Indian cricket and football captains as the face of the campaign, spearheaded by the environmental group WWF India and the telecom giant Aircel.
Bachchan, in his blog, said, "I immediately agreed because I feel it is first of all a national cause. It is a cause of nature, it is a cause of environment and if my face and my voice can be used to impress upon people that this is something essential and important. It is not just for the environment but for the entire nation then I shall be most willing to join it."
"If I can be a voice that is going to be speaking about these issues, if I can be a face that perhaps a few people will listen to and hear and if I can convince even one individual to follow this path, this very righteous path. I think that somewhere I will feel convinced that I have done something worthwhile. And I feel that this campaign will also take one very small step forward but at least a step forward," he added.
With the legendary superstar Amitabh Bachchan joining in as the brand ambassador, the tigers are sure to receive a much needed reprieve.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 26 Mar 2010 | 9:38 am Shahid shoots for promotional video of Milenge Milenge
The film in question has been in the making for quite sometime now with the starcast apparently having issues about promoting the film. However, now we hear that Shahid Kapoor has decided to go ahead and promote his film with Kareena Kapoor, Milenge Milenge.
Sources close to the film have confirmed that Shahid Kapoor is shooting a promotional music video for the film today. Choreographed by Ahmed Khan, shoot of Shahid's portions are to be finished by today.
However, as for Kareena, it's yet to be confirmed whether she will be a part of the said music video, which also features her one time beau, Shahid Kapoor.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 26 Mar 2010 | 9:28 am "Boman can carry entire film on his shoulder, just like SRK can" - Shyam Benegal
He's been there done that. Wait! Let me re-phrase this. He has been there and is still doing what he does best - making cinema filled with artistic narrate. Yes, that's the word which Shyam Benegal uses to describe his films - 'artistic narrate'. They are, aren't they? Ankur, Kalyug, Manthan, Sardari Begum, Zubeida, Welcome to Sajjanpur and his latest venture, Well Done Abba. His films aren't to do with the latest technology, aren't spectacular in visual effects, aren't shot in foreign locales and aren't the years most awaited releases. Surprisingly, Shyam Benegal's cinema has an earthy fragrance. But more importantly, they have which many of today's films lack - an honest and a truthful storytelling with an equally supportive execution. UK's Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent caught up with this visionary filmmaker to know more about which films should go to the festival circuits and which shouldn't, how has consumerism caught up in Bollywood, why he cast Minissha Lamba, why he thinks that Boman Irani can single handedly carry any film on his shoulder and why Well Done Abba is a film that fits into the 'artistic narrate'.
For any film to reach the festivals, it has to have an artistic narrate
You've been taking many of your films to festivals around the globe. But which films should and should not be taken to festivals? Please throw some light.
There is no such thing. I'll tell you. When you say that the film is festival worthy, it means that the film has a great deal of artistic narrate. Then there is a measured way of looking at it, like, this will work at the festivals but won't work at the cinema halls. It further more suggests that its commercial value is zilch. All this don't count. Certain kinds of films are not likely to draw large audiences because the entertainment quotient in the film is low. So when it doesn't have that, it isn't festival worthy. So for any film to reach the festivals, it has to have an artistic narrate.
How important is a story's worth in the world which is surrounded with commercialism and short cuts?
That's always been a struggle. We've moved into a kind of situation where we want our audiences to become consumers in the world of consumerism. There is a tendency which people follow, to make films that are attractive and yet simplistic. Therefore, it need not necessarily be credible. Credibility requires a greater amount of attempt at truthfulness. Similarly, you may not have the kind of artistic honesty that you require but your aesthetics tell you to be attractive at the market place.
You believe in casting right. So what are the qualities and the charm which defined Minissha Lamba for you?
I was looking for a young and an attractive girl who was in her sixteen or seventeen years of age and in her last year of school. Apart from being petite, I wanted the girl to be very spirited and feisty. She had to be bright too. Minissha fitted the image I had in mind perfectly. That's what defines her charm and that's how she is anyway.
The older he gets, the better he gets. Is Boman like a wine bottle?
He is, he is getting really good, isn't he? But I've seen Boman's work before he entered films when he was cast in Rahul D'Cunha's many years ago. I wasn't sure if Boman wanted to do cinema at that time and nobody knew how interested he was. Plus, the play was in English too. So I wasn't sure he was ready for Hindi cinema. Then I saw him in a Ram Madhvani film titled 'Let's Talk' and his performance was so outstanding and different from anything I'd seen before, foreign and domestic. In fact, I've used that film in my course as a visiting faculty in a university in Chicago. Boman is an actor who can carry an entire film on his shoulder, just like Shah Rukh Khan can. The difference is that Boman can do so by his acting ability and SRK can do so by his star quality.
You being an acclaimed filmmaker around the world, what sort of audiences do you wish you made films for?
I cannot predict my audiences but I feel that humanity of your film is more important. Feelings that are universal, which people all around the globe can feel, cutting across cultures...that is important. If you can get that, you've got your audiences.
And what about issues revolving your films?
There are certain issues that are either topical in certain places and may not have a universal application. Jag Mundra's Provoked had an issue which wasn't universally applicable. It was a good film but it had to do with certain kinds of issues like violence, wife abuse in Britain and the overseas Asian audiences. Well Done Abba has a universal feeling. It has a predicament of every man. It is not high minded but it certainly has a great sense of fellow feeling.
With new breed of talent coming into our cinemas through versatile filmmakers, who do you think are worthy enough to make a good career for themselves?
Yes, surely. I can name a few filmmakers who stand out for me. I admire Dibakar Banerjee, Vishal Bhardwaj, Abhishek Chaubey, Anurag Kashyap, Neeraj Pandey, Shimit Amin and Sriram Raghavan to some extent. Though I've only seen Johnny Gaddaar of his. It was very different from the kind of films that are being made in India now. There is also R. Balki who is promising. Some have achieved a lot and some are on their way achieving.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 26 Mar 2010 | 9:17 am 'Hum Tum Aur Ghost': deadweight script, dead bore filmThe sheer delight of watching Arshad Warsi play the lead rather the supremely self-assured sidekick gives this otherwise pale romantic comedy a cutting edge.Source: Entertainment News | 26 Mar 2010 | 9:01 am Subhash K. Jha speaks on Hum Tum Aur Ghost
The sheer delight of watching Arshad Warsi play the lead rather the supremely self-assured sidekick gives this otherwise-pale rom-com a cutting edge.
Arshad in his own words plays a guy, who van see dead people. Wish he could see dead plots too. The screenplay by Arshad Warsi , Soumik Sen and Arshad Ali Syed is a deadweight carried forward not by any inward propulsion, conviction or compulsion but by the producer-leading man's will to create a slick and cool space for himself within the stifling space allotted to a one-note film about friendly spirits and a disbelieving girlfriend.
The romantic lady Dia Mirza is very adept at expressing energetic exasperation. She is whiny clingy and bossy just like over-protective girlfriends tend to be. Arshad is very skilled at conveying the killing anxieties of cautious courtship.He reminds one of Saif Ali Khan in Dil Chahta Hai, though we and this baggy film are not even going there.
Warsi is ill- supported by poor writing. His character's three-layered encounter with ghosts and their pre-burial trauma is at the most, cinematic knick-knack bereft of any subtext or layering. Director Kabir Kaushik was far more successful getting Arshad to play a tough gritty idealistic cop in Saher. Here the bewildered lover-boy with a hotline to the supernatural is just not in his element.
The narrative is so shallow at times that you wonder if there are ghosts of relevance's hovering beyond the range of vision. But no. What we see is what we get.
While the plot totters along at a sluggish pace, sporadic moments of humour and warmth creep in willy-nilly. These are too infrequent to sustain our interest.
However the chemistry between Warsi and Mirza is first-rate. They clutch at each other without awkwardness and speak to one another as though the words were not conscious of the camera. Wish this film was just about Hum and Tum. The Ghost could have been left to the Shyamalans and Vikram Bhatts of the cine-world.
Some of the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is hum ably romantic. Ashok Mehta's cinematography creates a picture-postcard world of over-cute confections. Sadly these are not even true confections; Just artificial chocolates packed into a neat box and gift-wrapped for a unit desperate to do a desi take on the American rom-com.
Arshad gets it right. The rest just don't get the point. They see dead people. We see a dead film.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 26 Mar 2010 | 8:46 am Sonam Kapoor amused at being called 'Mrs'"Delhi 6" actress was very amused when she was addressed as Mrs.Source: Entertainment News | 26 Mar 2010 | 8:43 am Play The Game with Ranbir, Sanjay - Times of India
Source: Entertainment - Google News | 26 Mar 2010 | 7:15 am Deepika Padukone cools up this summer with People
She is the Queen of Bubblegum generation. And who can forget the famous bubble gum scene in Om Shanti which blew everyone's mind! We are indeed talking about the one and only Deepika Padukone, who looks the look in the latest edition of 'People'.
This PYT, who looks gorgeous on People's cover, talks about range of subjects about her life that includes her last summer memories, her take on the reportedly fresh start with Ranbir, her styling trick, her plans for this summer... to name a few. This issue of People will surely prove to be cooler than a dozen cucumber put together!
All in all, an interesting read for all Deepika fans!Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 26 Mar 2010 | 6:46 am "In horror films, director is the star" - Vikram Bhatt
Shaapit has turned out to be a decent earner at the box office. A safe investment, though a mind blowing opening was never expected out of it, a decent fare was pretty much on the cards, hence turning this Vikram Bhatt directed film into a plus affair. As his horror trilogy (after Raaz and 1920) comes to a conclusion, Bhatt looks at the difference in the way horror films are treated in Bollywood v/s rest of the world.
"In India, we are required to make far more fuller films when it comes to horror", says Vikram Bhatt who is sure about 'selling fear' in each of his films to come, "You need to have a love story, great music, good locations, the works. Look at films like Woh Kaun Thi, Bees Saal Baad or Kohra from the past - you always need to do a lot more. Our films come from this lineage; this is where we got out horror germ from. Audience look for 'our' kind of films. We don't come from Ringu and Grudge lineage."
It is also often said that horror is the safest bet of all amongst all genres since it can be made 'cheap'.
"The term 'cheap' would be too harsh. In fact horror should not be treated as a cheap shot", protests Bhatt, "The bare minimum requirement is to have a production value, some nice songs and dances and overall a milieu which is scary. Now that is immensely tougher because you have to rely upon nothing but visuals here."
Still, one can't deny the fact that there is a lot of cost saving involved due to new faces that can be roped in for a horror tale. After all the star of the show is invariably the director and if he comes with good enough skill sets, the new actors (if reasonably talented) can pull through the film.
"Well yes, it is true that in horror films, it is the director who is the star", says Vikram, "In fact that's a trend across the world where most of the horror classics too haven't quite boasted of big actors. Have you ever heard of a Tom Cruise or an Arnold or a Stallone in a horror film? Having said that, the fact cannot be denied is that some of the talent which is launched in horror films goes on to be much bigger in films to come."
Narrating a few examples, Vikram consolidates his point, "Look at films like Final Destination or Paranormal Activity. Now who has seen these actors earlier? See, fear sells on its own, but you have to work equally hard to get your product noticed."
After 1920 and Shaapit, is Vikram chartering a set route where he would be working primarily with newcomers? Has he lost the appetite of working with stars?
"Well, that's not the entire truth actually", says Vikram after a brief pause, "I do believe that there are some films that cannot be made without stars. But then the bitter truth is that those who are available are not saleable and while the ones who are saleable are not available. In such a case, the best choice for a filmmaker is to make him a brand name. As far as horror films are concerned, I guess Vikram Bhatt is a brand name. Now as long as I have that core competence, I don't need a star."Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 26 Mar 2010 | 5:11 am "Story and screenplay of Hum Tum Aur Ghost are mine" - Arshad Warsi
Arshad Warsi admits he had differences with the director Kabeer Kaushik of his first production Hum Tum Aur Ghost. "Yes we did have differences. There were some scenes which I thought should've been shot differently. The post-production was done by the entire crew. But of course Kabeer Kaushik would get credit as director. But the story and screenplay were mine. So it was my vision to begin with."
Arshad Warsi admits he has hiked his price after the success of Ishqiya. But he isn't sure if he'd be paid what he's asking.
Says the actor, "I'd have asked for what I deserve even if Ishqiya hadn't worked. I'm finally asking for the price I deserve. I was completely underpaid earlier. I'll ask for a certain price now (Rs. 3 crores). If I don't get it I'll continue to be an underpaid actor for films I believe in. For example if I am asked to do a sequel to Ishqiya, I wouldn't ask for money. I haven't ever asked for money for the Munnabhai movies. If I feel the film helps me in any way as an actor I'll cut my price."
But Golmaal, Arshad feels is a commercial film and therefore should be lucrative for him. "Golmaal doesn't help the actors at all. It only helps the director. Munnabhai does help the actors. Even Dhamaal whose sequel I'm doing doesn't help actors. Golmaal and Dhamaal mean another hit for me. Nothing more."
Between Golmaal 3 and Dhamaal, Arshad is doing Mani Ratnam's assistant Bijoy Nambiar's gritty real-life drama. "After Golmaal 3, I'll do a small-budget film before going into Dhamaal. It's the kind of film that enthuses me as an actor. I play a cop in a real-life setting in Mumbai."
Arshad was almost not in Golmaal 3 because of the price factor, though he gives another reason for his near non-presence in Golmaal 3. "I needed a gap of at least two weeks between the last day of my own production and the first day of the shooting of Golmaal. After running around like a mad man for the promotion of Ishqiya and completing Hum Tum Aur Ghost, I really needed a break. I've had no chance to relax. But now I'm starting Golmaal 3 on the day after the release of Hum Tum Aur Ghost. So no respite. I really begged them for time off."
He's also not sure if he's part of the Munnabhai franchise anymore. "In the last conversation that I had with Rajkumar Hirani he said he's working on his script. It looks like we might be doing it at the end of the year. But until it happens I can't be sure. What I'm sure of are the Golmaal and Dhamaal sequels."
Says Arshad, "I'm very much obliged to the makers of Golmaal for making me a part of their franchise. My equity is bound to increase with the sequels."
Arshad will now turn director in 2011. A real action thriller but very stylish in execution. "I'm ready to direct. It's a film called Akadd. It will be very realistic quirky action comedy. I won't be beating up 25 people in the film. The style of acting, dialogue delivery, the actors' body language would all be life-like. The heroine's role is very important."Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 26 Mar 2010 | 5:03 am Neil Nitin Mukesh busy shooting for ads in Bangkok
After a rigorous crash-course in Taekwondo in Bangkok, Neil Nitin Mukesh not only performed the martial arts for the camera he also directed the action scenes for himself.
A sure sign of this young actor's progression towards his ultimate goal, direction. In fact Neil's mentor, Yash Raj Films, have already reserved the rights verbally to launch Neil as a director.
Laughs the young actor, "That is some way off. But yes, I do plan to direct my own film some day, and not in the distant future. In the meanwhile I am here in Bangkok and I've directed all the stunts for an ad we shot for Gen- X innerwear. You could say my career as a director ha started."
It was Neil's idea that the ad should have plenty of adrenaline-pumping action.
Last week after his leading lady Deepika Padukone left to shoot with Imran Khan in Delhi, Neil Nitin Mukesh suddenly took off for Bangkok for a week to learn the popular martial art Taekwondo, shoot the action ad and then shoot another very erotic ad.
Speaking from Bangkok and sounding quite out of breath Neil said, "It was my idea to combine the shooting of two back-to-back ads in Bangkok after my dates for Yash Raj were readjusted. It's been a super-hectic time since I arrived here. I first shot an action ad for the innerwear and then I'm now shooting a really erotic ad for a deodorant with all these firang babes. It was supposed to be like first the action and then the araam."
Since the deodorant is aphrodisiacal Neil suggested the concept with a dozen sexy models.
Neil was seen in the company of at least a couple of these Caucasian models in Bangkok after shooting. A sure sign of his newly acquired single status.
"It's more a sign of the fact that I get lonely and bored every time I'm away from home. Fortunately, the work schedule here has been really tough so I've no time to get lonely. First the training in Taekwondo, then the shooting for the action ad. And then the erotic ad with the babes. I thought the first ad would be strenuous and the second one will be relaxing. But shooting with all those sexy women is even more hard work than doing stunts", Neil winks.
Incidentally, the Taekwondo training is not just for the ad that Neil has just shot in Bangkok. It's also for Dhoom 3 which Yash Raj is getting ready to shoot.
But Neil isn't talking about that yet. He returns to Mumbai on March 27.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 26 Mar 2010 | 4:38 am
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