The ban on Jodhaa Akbar put unilaterally by the MP government has been stayed by the High Court. When the ban was imposed on the movie by the MP government, there were hardly any protests in the state. In fact the few stray protests by the Rajput groups died down in a few days. But will our governments who are more political than social let sleeping dogs lie? No they won't and soon we had a scenario where Government banned a movie expecting trouble when there was none. Some might defend the cation as over zealous but if one looked at the ground situation, it was obvious there were no major Rajput organizations, militant or otherwise who could cause problems or create a law and order problem. It was just a non-performing government trying to score a few brownie points with a small community.
In fact there were a few Rajput groups who protested the move and files a PIL against the government and asked them to revoke the ban. There were also the distributors who were upset by the ban as they felt it highly unnecessary and were keen to cash in on the immense interest them movie has generated.
Thankfully the High Court saw this cheap political stunt by the MP government and had the ban on Jodhaa Akbar revoked. WIth this UTV and Ashutosh Gowariker will be mighty pleased as it will ensure they do not lose on on valuable revenue on the movie. It will also be a sharp reminder to other governments that they cannot play around with the law as they please.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Shama Sikander the little minx from Hindi serials does an Item number in Tamil Movie
A Tamil movie called Vellitherai has been showing promos on TV and a hot babe in one of the numbers has everybody asking about her. The number in question is ‘Kanji Paanai’ and she has danced with Prakashraj in the song. The surprising answer to that question is Shama Sikander. Yes the very sweet and cute guzzu girl from 'Yeh Meri Life Hai'.
After that serial had wound up prematurely she was not seen in any other serials or movies for that matter. The only place i saw her was in an ad for Sauna belt on some obscure channels. Mind you she was looking hot. She has a nice slim figure and a nice flat tummy and she was perfect for plugging a product like Slim Sauna which promises to make you lose fat if you use it.
Apparently Prakashraj zeroed in on this Rajasthani beauty after being impressed by her bubbly face which would be a big plus for the rustic and playful folk number. I am definitely looking forward to this number as I think she is a great looking babe and would be sensuous in an item number.
After that serial had wound up prematurely she was not seen in any other serials or movies for that matter. The only place i saw her was in an ad for Sauna belt on some obscure channels. Mind you she was looking hot. She has a nice slim figure and a nice flat tummy and she was perfect for plugging a product like Slim Sauna which promises to make you lose fat if you use it.
Apparently Prakashraj zeroed in on this Rajasthani beauty after being impressed by her bubbly face which would be a big plus for the rustic and playful folk number. I am definitely looking forward to this number as I think she is a great looking babe and would be sensuous in an item number.
Ranvir Shorey-Vinay Pathak to the fore...viva la new age cinema
Thanks to the parallel or new age cinema we are being introduced to actors who might have otherwise been languishing in the periphery of cinema and away from the recognition that they rightly deserve. One of the stars who has slowly and steadily worked his way up is Ranvir Shorey. This extremely talented actor started off as Channel V VJ and it was his double act with his funny twin Vinay Pathak that he came to the publics notice. At least he came to my notice. I don't know how many people remember his days as a VJ and his at times atrocious and at tongue in cheek humor. They had a ball and who ever watched it with them enjoyed the show immensely. It was only because of the presence of a Cyrus Broacha that they were not crowned the undisputed funny men of TV. And were they funny.
They then graduated to films where they picked up small buy significant parts. It seemed they could not act without each other or they simply liked each others company too much. Perhaps it gave a sense of security to them when they stepped in to the big bad world of Bollywood that they had each other withing shouting range. Vinay Pathak was first off the blocks with a smallish but funny role in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
I was watching Jism recently and realized that they were playing John Abraham's friends in the movie. It was around this time that Ranvir's name was splashed on the Bollywood scandal pages for his messy affair with Pooja Bhatt and his drinking problems. He reportedly ranted outside her house once after being punch drunk. He luckily managed to get out of that phase and started doing small but significant roles.
He was seen in small but important roles in Khosla Ka Ghosla, Traffic Signal, No Smoking, Bheja Fry, Aaja Nachle and major starring roles in Mixed Doubles and now Mithya. Bheja Fry was of course the huge sleeper hit of last year that catapulted his buddy Pathak on to the big league. And that is what Mithya will do for Ranvir I think. I hope it does well, as it is a brilliant film, with great reviews and has been getting great word of mouth publicity.
And the movies they have acted in together? Mixed Doubles, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Bheja Fry and Jism. Proves that buddies work and play together?
They then graduated to films where they picked up small buy significant parts. It seemed they could not act without each other or they simply liked each others company too much. Perhaps it gave a sense of security to them when they stepped in to the big bad world of Bollywood that they had each other withing shouting range. Vinay Pathak was first off the blocks with a smallish but funny role in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
I was watching Jism recently and realized that they were playing John Abraham's friends in the movie. It was around this time that Ranvir's name was splashed on the Bollywood scandal pages for his messy affair with Pooja Bhatt and his drinking problems. He reportedly ranted outside her house once after being punch drunk. He luckily managed to get out of that phase and started doing small but significant roles.
He was seen in small but important roles in Khosla Ka Ghosla, Traffic Signal, No Smoking, Bheja Fry, Aaja Nachle and major starring roles in Mixed Doubles and now Mithya. Bheja Fry was of course the huge sleeper hit of last year that catapulted his buddy Pathak on to the big league. And that is what Mithya will do for Ranvir I think. I hope it does well, as it is a brilliant film, with great reviews and has been getting great word of mouth publicity.
And the movies they have acted in together? Mixed Doubles, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Bheja Fry and Jism. Proves that buddies work and play together?
Friday, February 22, 2008
Next bollywood offering - One Two Three
The next movie from the Bollywood shop floor is One Two Three, a movie starring Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Tusshar Kapoor, Sameera Reddy, Esha Deol, Neetu Chandra, Tanisha, Upen Patel and then some more.
The promos are running full steam on the various TV channels and I think the film will release soon. When the promos, trailers and songs are seen in continuous succession that means the movie is progressing well, the shooting is almost complete and the producer has not fled from Bombay!!!! Hehe heheh heh. So the movie will be released a few weeks after they say it will That's who Bollwood works here.
The songs or at least the songs used in the trailers look catchy and the movie has a kind of happening freshness. By freshness I mean one was getting tired of the comedies being churned out. And this one looks a bit well made and has a decent plot for a change. But it also has Tushar Kapoor and when a movie or project has him, I immediately think of Balaji films (Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, Kyaa Kool Hai Hum). That means Balaji is involved and thats how he got the role. And that screws up the project to an extent. No issues with him but he seems just too wooden, no charisma and very ordinary looking. And his language control is bad. I mean I heard he can barely speak Hindi in real life. Then why do they come into Bollywood for gods sake? For the easy money? Its disgusting, working in the Hindi Film Industry and not knowing the language. I mean I can understand people like Upen Patel or Katrine Kaif who came in from England, they have an excuse. But a Bombayite? And what about Marathi? Shouldn't the MNS or Shive Sena retards be targetting him?
Anyway, only hope is for Paresh Rawal in the movie. Prob is he is doing the same roles too often. He must start abstaining from such roles and go for a major overhaul. Are you listening Paresh bhai?
The promos are running full steam on the various TV channels and I think the film will release soon. When the promos, trailers and songs are seen in continuous succession that means the movie is progressing well, the shooting is almost complete and the producer has not fled from Bombay!!!! Hehe heheh heh. So the movie will be released a few weeks after they say it will That's who Bollwood works here.
The songs or at least the songs used in the trailers look catchy and the movie has a kind of happening freshness. By freshness I mean one was getting tired of the comedies being churned out. And this one looks a bit well made and has a decent plot for a change. But it also has Tushar Kapoor and when a movie or project has him, I immediately think of Balaji films (Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, Kyaa Kool Hai Hum). That means Balaji is involved and thats how he got the role. And that screws up the project to an extent. No issues with him but he seems just too wooden, no charisma and very ordinary looking. And his language control is bad. I mean I heard he can barely speak Hindi in real life. Then why do they come into Bollywood for gods sake? For the easy money? Its disgusting, working in the Hindi Film Industry and not knowing the language. I mean I can understand people like Upen Patel or Katrine Kaif who came in from England, they have an excuse. But a Bombayite? And what about Marathi? Shouldn't the MNS or Shive Sena retards be targetting him?
Anyway, only hope is for Paresh Rawal in the movie. Prob is he is doing the same roles too often. He must start abstaining from such roles and go for a major overhaul. Are you listening Paresh bhai?
Bad news for Ashutosh G, as Jodhaa Akbar gets banned by unscrupulous MP government
News is just out that Ashutosh Gowariker's epic love drama Jodhaa Akbar, has fallen victim to caste politics and the MP government has banned it from been screened in that state. And this is after the protest were dying down. The Rajput community had asked for a ban a week ago but seeing that their demand were being ignored they slunk away like the snakes they were. But the lame duck government (what else do you call a government which instead of upholding the law plays vote bank politics) decided it was a grea chance to bag the loyalty of the Rajput community. And so they banned the film even though there were no perceivable law and order problems.
(Check below link for news article on Yahoo.co.in
http://in.news.yahoo.com/indianexpress/20080223/r_t_ie_nl_general/tnl-mp-bans-jodhaa-akbar-theatres-threat-aaaedd4_1.html)
In fact only last week a minister Mr. Gaur saw the film and found no problems with the movie and suddenly the CM now finds it a danger to Law and Order and bans it? Mysterious. Actually cheap politicians playing cheaper games.
(Check below link for news article on Yahoo.co.in
http://in.news.yahoo.com/indianexpress/20080223/r_t_ie_nl_general/tnl-mp-bans-jodhaa-akbar-theatres-threat-aaaedd4_1.html)
In fact only last week a minister Mr. Gaur saw the film and found no problems with the movie and suddenly the CM now finds it a danger to Law and Order and bans it? Mysterious. Actually cheap politicians playing cheaper games.
Under fire Jodhaa Akbar notches up Rs 38.53 cr in 4 days!!!
That will be sweet Sufi music to Ashutosh's ears, wouldn't it? After all the controversies, the unnecessary threats and the fire bombing and protests (which are adding more states to its tally), it is nice to hear of such figures for the very talented and conscientious director.
In only its first 4 days, Jodhaa Akbar has mopped up 38.53 crore from the box office (domestic and international). And there is three days of collections to be added to complete a week. It is UTV Motion Picture release. Last year Om Shanti Om grossed about Rs 42 crore for the entire week and that was a Shah Rukh Khan vehicle. A close second so far has been Akshay Kumar movie Welcome as it grossed about Rs 37 crore in the first week of its release.
Last years Aishwarya-Hrithik starrer Dhoom 2 had total box office collections of Rs 32-33 crore in the first week of its launch.
US territory
After Om Shanti Om (about Rs 6.90 crore), Jodhaa Akbar (6.40 crore) is the second highest Bollywood grosser during the first-four days of its release.
In only its first 4 days, Jodhaa Akbar has mopped up 38.53 crore from the box office (domestic and international). And there is three days of collections to be added to complete a week. It is UTV Motion Picture release. Last year Om Shanti Om grossed about Rs 42 crore for the entire week and that was a Shah Rukh Khan vehicle. A close second so far has been Akshay Kumar movie Welcome as it grossed about Rs 37 crore in the first week of its release.
Last years Aishwarya-Hrithik starrer Dhoom 2 had total box office collections of Rs 32-33 crore in the first week of its launch.
US territory
After Om Shanti Om (about Rs 6.90 crore), Jodhaa Akbar (6.40 crore) is the second highest Bollywood grosser during the first-four days of its release.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Subhash Ghai's Black & White may turn out to be a surprise hit
The movie Black & White which is to be released by Ghai's Mukta arts soon may actually surprise a lot of people and become a hit. And the person who may be surprised the most might be Subhash Ghai himself!!! Thats because the last time he gave a hit, we were in the stone ages.
It has been a sad degeneration of a film maker who was handed the title of Showman, previously belonging to Raj Kapoor. Obviously the pressures were too much or he got carried away and got too conceited. For any person, and more importantly a professional artiste, growth is very important. What is success without intellectual growth. Perhaps thats why they say that failure hands out more lessons than success. Perhaps thats what happened to Mr. Ghai. He got big successes - perhaps easier than others got them. That went to his head and he assumed he knew all there was to film making. But film making is nothing but story telling in a audio-visual medium. And one needs to be able to read the lessons every day life gives you. Not announce films without stories, re-use formula's and pay more importance to the name of the actress you are launching. And in many cases rename her so her name is more correct numerologically (is there is any word like that).
And the trap is truly set when film makers go to controversial stars with criminal backgrounds just to ensure they get a chunk of the media bytes (Sanjay Tada Dutt?). The movie he made in that case Khalnayak was trash (cept that raunchy Choli number by Ms Dixit) and it was badly received but for Mr. Ghai it was good enough to count as a hit. Now thats where you know a person has fallen on hard times when he finds mediocre success thrilling. I found even Saudagar all tripe. And then things went worse. Movies like Yaadein, Kisna though he got a Pardes in between. That i reckon was his last hit.
Now the erstwhile Showman has started producing more movies in the hope of improving his success rate. Makes sense na? If it clicks, its a Mukta film. Else the director botched up the vision. As had Nagesh Kukkunoor in Bombay to Bangkok. Sigh!!!
Anyways, Black & White is carrying reports (planted I guess) that the young kid, Sinha is impressive in the film and it make even a seasoned pro like Anil Kapoor insecure. How insecure we will see after the movie releases. The music is by Sukhwinder and he has given the expected Punju flavor and the title song is good- earthy and catchy. The trailers look promising. The story seems ok. Lets see the movie. Best of luck, Mr. Ghai.
It has been a sad degeneration of a film maker who was handed the title of Showman, previously belonging to Raj Kapoor. Obviously the pressures were too much or he got carried away and got too conceited. For any person, and more importantly a professional artiste, growth is very important. What is success without intellectual growth. Perhaps thats why they say that failure hands out more lessons than success. Perhaps thats what happened to Mr. Ghai. He got big successes - perhaps easier than others got them. That went to his head and he assumed he knew all there was to film making. But film making is nothing but story telling in a audio-visual medium. And one needs to be able to read the lessons every day life gives you. Not announce films without stories, re-use formula's and pay more importance to the name of the actress you are launching. And in many cases rename her so her name is more correct numerologically (is there is any word like that).
And the trap is truly set when film makers go to controversial stars with criminal backgrounds just to ensure they get a chunk of the media bytes (Sanjay Tada Dutt?). The movie he made in that case Khalnayak was trash (cept that raunchy Choli number by Ms Dixit) and it was badly received but for Mr. Ghai it was good enough to count as a hit. Now thats where you know a person has fallen on hard times when he finds mediocre success thrilling. I found even Saudagar all tripe. And then things went worse. Movies like Yaadein, Kisna though he got a Pardes in between. That i reckon was his last hit.
Now the erstwhile Showman has started producing more movies in the hope of improving his success rate. Makes sense na? If it clicks, its a Mukta film. Else the director botched up the vision. As had Nagesh Kukkunoor in Bombay to Bangkok. Sigh!!!
Anyways, Black & White is carrying reports (planted I guess) that the young kid, Sinha is impressive in the film and it make even a seasoned pro like Anil Kapoor insecure. How insecure we will see after the movie releases. The music is by Sukhwinder and he has given the expected Punju flavor and the title song is good- earthy and catchy. The trailers look promising. The story seems ok. Lets see the movie. Best of luck, Mr. Ghai.
Akshay Kumar-Bhushan Kumar gang up for new movie '8x10'
With the resounding success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa, T-series are all set to repeat they big marquee star from that film in their next project. Akshay Kumar who is soon acquiring the tag "Jubilee Kumar" will team up with T-series top honcho Bhushan Kumar for a new movie project titled '8x10'.
The film will top line besides Akshay Kumar, the flavor of the season - Shahid Kapur (Jab We Met) and the sizzling Ayesha Takia. Nagesh Kukunoor who is also directing Akshay in Tasveer will also direct this film indicating a growing working relationship between him and the Khiladi Kumar.
The film will top line besides Akshay Kumar, the flavor of the season - Shahid Kapur (Jab We Met) and the sizzling Ayesha Takia. Nagesh Kukunoor who is also directing Akshay in Tasveer will also direct this film indicating a growing working relationship between him and the Khiladi Kumar.
Hrithik's trance dance in 'Jodhaa Akbar' lauded by one and all
Looks like Hrithik's dedication to his craft is paying him rich divedends. His trance dance in 'Jodhaa Akbar' has been widely appreciated and a person no less than Amitabh Bachchan has said "not since Stanley Kubrick's legendary sci-fi '2001: A Space Odyssey' in 1968 had there been such an apocalyptic moment in a film". Now comparing his scene to Stanley Kubrick's movie is a great achievement and is a great pat on the back for Hrithik. He was told that it was moment when Akbar connects with divinity. So it was critical he portrayed a man connecting with God and obviously it has worked well.
Hrithik Roshan said, "I joined the singers to dance with one hand pointing towards heaven, which was receiving the divine gift, while my other hand pointed to the ground, which meant I was connecting the gift received from divinity to people down below. I was the medium, the recipient of divine communication'. Well, I was going to catch the epic movie as it is as I am a huge fan of Ashutosh Gowariker, but now it looks like I also have a scene of the century to look forward to.
Hrithik Roshan said, "I joined the singers to dance with one hand pointing towards heaven, which was receiving the divine gift, while my other hand pointed to the ground, which meant I was connecting the gift received from divinity to people down below. I was the medium, the recipient of divine communication'. Well, I was going to catch the epic movie as it is as I am a huge fan of Ashutosh Gowariker, but now it looks like I also have a scene of the century to look forward to.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Bipasha Basu looks cute in her new trimmed hair-do
(Image courtesy Rediff)
Bengali beauty Bipasha Basu has gone and got her curly locks chopped and I must admit it looks very natty. She was always in the Bombshell category and thats why her long and swirling hair suited her personality and her roles. Surprisingly initially I never found her attractive. No no , I'm not gay. Its just that I found her just too oomphy but still nothing to dream or fantasize about. I found others like Amisha Patel, Hrshitaa Bhatt, Riya Sen, Rimi Sen, Rani Mukherjee quite hot. But Bipasha?? Naaa....
Then later when she got her hair straightened I found her suddenly very desirable. I can't explain it. Yes, now she is part of my fantasy list of actresses.
The Bong bombshell actress is promoting her film upcoming movie Race. It stars Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif, Akshaye Khanna and Sameera Reddy. In this movie she is is seen with long tresses - her usual va-voom look. You can see why I think it is cool.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)