Author: #TIPEntertainment

Deepika Padukone is known for her professional conduct and all her directors and producers have always had good things to say about her. She is extremely punctual and pushes herself to her utmost capacity. Last week itself, the actress worked for 30 hours straight.

After shooting for Happy New Year for 16 odd hours, Deepika rushed for her dance performance at an awards function. Not only did she perform, she also did a thorough rehearsal with the team before that. However, the young actress had a sudden bout of ill health over the weekend (Saturday). Deepika was shooting till wee hours on Friday and almost fainted.

She woke up with running high temperature on Saturday and felt extremely weak. A doctor was rushed home who advised her strict bed rest. Deepika who is a workoholic would usually skip his advice, take medication and head straight to the studio but this time around, she was physically drained.

She had a hectic day ahead with a magazine shoot and brand commitment to keep. However she felt very weak and hence had no option but to stay home and rest. Deepika’s spokesperson confirms, “Deepika’s health has taken a toll. The doctor has strictly advised her complete rest for couple of days.”

Actress Bipasha Basu, who is in the news for her relationship with Harman Baweja, says she is looking for an eligible bachelor. Bipasha is all set to perform at the IIFA awards in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Asked if she going to the IIFA awards with Harman, Bipasha said: “I am going to IIFA alone. So I am looking for an eligible bachelor there.”

Story: Buddies Bikram and Bala control Calcutta’s black trade, both falling in love with Nandita – who’s the biggest gunda?

Review: Straight up, Gunday pays loving homage to Bollywood classics ‘Sholay’, ‘Kaala Patthar’ and other ‘brothers-in-arms’ films while offering more. Gunday is Oliver Twist, given a Bollywood twist. Orphaned Bala (Kapoor) saves waif Bikram (Singh) from a paedophile in war-torn Bangladesh. Escaping officials, the two boys reach Calcutta, hiding on a train. Facing homelessness and heartlessness, the duo decides to conquer life, selling stolen coal – till they become Calcutta’s most famous gundey, controlling all its illegal trading from timber to fish.

Bikram and Bala are tough, cheerful and inseparable – until they both fall for cabaret dancer Nandita (Chopra). As they bitterly fall out with each other, ACP Satyajit Sarkar (Khan) closes in for the kill. Gunday showcases refugee Robin Hoods refusing to be beaten. Its music has peppy, bright dil while its muscular action is hard-hitting. Irrfan stands out as the sarcastically drawling cop while Arjun displays endearing vulnerability as dark-natured Bala. Ranveer endows Bikram with a charming, if familiar swagger while Priyanka infuses Nandita with languid sexiness.

However, the plot distractedly rushes in several directions – refugee angst, ration cards, the system’s rot, gang wars, bromance, romance, broken bromance – while Calcutta appears like a Wild West of the east, fringed by Chambal-like landscapes through which goods trains sway, gundas bashing each other to coal dust atop.

Gunday’s heart is in the right place but the plot gets overwhelmed by its own voluptuousness, its slick torsos and slow-motion slaps, its extended Durga Puja which leaves it lost between Calcutta’s cabarets and Dhanbad’s dark mines. However, Gunday’s fun while it lasts. Bala and Bikram’s chemistry is literally fleshed out well – don’t miss the cheeky salaam to Salman Khan when their shirts fly off – and you giggle as they’re scolded, “Daant mat dikhao!” More depth, more fire would’ve sharpened this film. But Gunday offers glitter coating a grim tale.

STORY: Straight-forward boy and eccentric girl are drawn to each other. Wait, they’re not the ones in a relationship. Will their love fructify?

REVIEW: Hasee Toh Phasee is for the romantics who like their martinis stirred not shaken. Debutant director Vinil Mathew’s straight-forward approach is smart and fresh; his characters are lovable. Nikhil(Sidharth Malhotra) is an optimist, who believes once committed, there’s no straying. Meeta( Parineeti Chopra) is a nonconformist; she’s a go-getter in her personal and professional space. Naturally Nikhil and Meeta’s ideologies don’t match. But there’s an under-current in their equation that keeps the audience hoping they that they will seek each other out.

Ok, so why aren’t these two together in the first place? Is it only because they are poles apart as people? No, it’s because Nikhil is engaged to be married to Meeta’s elder sister Karishma. And, Meeta herself has been missing from the family scene for seven long years chasing her professional dream. It is only when the prodigal returns, does she realise that there’s an emotional void in her life. Besides her father who dotes on her, she also feels the need for a companion like Nikhil who can put her topsy-turvy life into perspective.

This romantic comedy mirrors the quirks in human nature subtly and provides humour in everyday situations; in the family and amongst friends. Parineeti’s relationship with her father(Manoj Joshi, in fine form) strikes the right emotional chord. The songs–Shake It like Shammi and the Punjabi Wedding Song add zing to an otherwise simple narrative. Parineeti who has come to represent the power-house performer passes with flying colours. And, Sidharth, whose good-looks distract, shows a definitive growth in his second outing as an actor after Student of the Year. If you’re looking to rediscover the magic of goofy love around Valentines, give HTP a shot.

Katrina Kaif has once again made headlines but unlike her last few news sightings, this one isn’t about her holiday pictures getting leaked or her rumoured tiff with alleged boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor. Katrina is under the limelight this time for her response to a question asked by a journalist on Salman rating her higher up on the honesty meter. At a recent awards function which was hosted by Salman, the superstar invited filmmaker Karan Johar on stage and threw a volley of questions at him in a mock rapid-fire round inspired by the latter’s popular celebrity chat show.

Titled ‘Sherbat With Salman’, he gave Karan the names of a few actresses and asked Karan to rate them on their level of honesty. When Karan put Katrina right at the bottom of his list, Salman intervened and asked him to rank her a little higher. In an interview later when Kat was informed about the same, she replied with a smile and said “If Salman has said that then it is a very important thing. We should always respect what Salman says”. Well, compliments never hurt anyone and her ex-boyfriend’s compliment certainly put a bright smile across Katrina’s face.

Sunny Leone, who thrilled one and all with her bindaas attitude in Jism 2, is all geared up to set the screen on fire with her Baby Doll avatar in Ragini MMS 2. Sunny Leone launched the much awaited Baby Doll song in Mumbai. The former adult film star turned Bollywood actress Sunny Leone was seen in a cage dance performance at the unveiling of the most sensual song of the year, Baby Doll, from the film Ragini MMS 2. The actress is confident about the film and Ekta Kapoor, who was present at the event termed Sunny Leone to be the biggest side effect of Ragini MMS 2.

Actress Jennifer Aniston is set to star in ‘Cake’. Produced by Courtney Solomon produced, the film sees a collaboration between Chinese TV producer Shenghua Entertainment and After Dark Films, said The Hollywood Reporter. The film will be directed by Daniel Barnz and has been written by Patrick Tobin. Speaking about the collaboration Solomon said, “Our goal is to find great material and great talent and let them do what they do best and Shenghua has proven a great partner to make that happen.”

“The formation of Cinelou Films DHJ, and this new venture with Shenghua is a unique pact which allows us to give great projects a chance to be made for the right reasons without many of the usual limitations put on indie films,” he added. Aniston, 44, who rose to fame with sitcom ‘Friends’, recently starred in ‘We’re the Millers’ alongside Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts and Will Poulter.

British actress Elizabeth Hurley took to Twitter to rubbish sensational claims made by ex-boyfriend Tom Sizemore that she allegedly had an year-long affair with former US president Bill Clinton. “Ludicrously silly stories about me & Bill Clinton. Totally untrue. In the hands of my lawyers. Yawn,” Hurley wrote on Twitter. She later updated that it had been a tough day for her.

“Thank you very much for your (mostly) very nice comments on what has been a pretty gruesome day… It’s been a tough couple of months in many ways- thanks to all my friends & family for your unwavering support & kindness,” she added. In the undated audio tape, obtained by Radar Online, Sizemore is heard boasting in detail about how he set up Hurley with Clinton after meeting the president during a screening of ‘Saving Private Ryan’ at the White House in 1998. The actor, who has battled with substance abuse in the past, says on the tape that Clinton immediately called Hurley and sent a private plane to pick her up.

Sizemore, however, has now done an about turn claiming his rants about Hurley and Clinton were recorded while he was high on drugs. “I’ve never met former President Clinton, I’ve never known him to know Hurley. I’m not denying that I said these things … I don’t remember saying these things,” Sizemore told HuffPostLive. “They’re the rantings of a guy that it has been well-chronicled had a very severe problem,” he added. Hurley and Sizemore are said to have dated after meeting on the set of 1992 thriller ‘Passenger 57’.

STORY:
Set in a fictitious city called Strathaven in North America, the film is about a series of events that follow a diamond heist planned by a mysterious hacker named Roman. REVIEW: Before you think that this film has something to do with the rock-paper-scissors-stone game, nope, it has got nothing to do with that. Instead, by the end of the film, you are meant to deduce that ‘rock’ stands for diamonds, ‘paper’ for information, ‘dice’ for chance or certainty and ‘enter’ denotes technology. Roman, along with two associates, hacks into Strathaven’s ‘security protocol’ and then uses the threat of national security as bargaining leverage when he speaks with Strathaven’s figures of authority.

As Roman then periodically calls the police chief and various other officials over an electronically distorted internet call, he tells them what he’s really after is world peace. The diamond heist is also connected to the cat-and-mouse game Roman plays with the officials. What is surprising is that in dealing with this threat to ‘national security’, the cops apparently struggle to trace a scrambled VOIP call. There are gaping plot holes, no character sketches and a shocking lacuna of logic at many points. Even more confounding is the plot, which is more muddled than the murky and gloomy atmosphere of the movie.

The script borders between being rudimentary to random. It is made worse by the delivery and the poor acting that underscores everything. One redeeming factor is the music, which is good in small parts. However, the same pieces of music are used over and over again and loudly, even in sequences that could have worked using silence. One of Roman’s partners, Kat (Dicey) at one point exclaims ‘What is the point?’ or something similar, which might have you wondering whether it’s a comment about the movie itself. The only noteworthy thing about the movie is the concept it started out with – which to be fair, is unique. But despite that, it goes wrong in almost every other department.

Actress Sonakshi Sinha is teaming up with choreographer Remo D’Souza for the first time in Amit Sharma’s ‘Tevar’. The 26-year-old actress, who shook her leg with Prabhudeva in her previous films, said the new song is “killer and crazy”.

“On my way to rehearse for a song in Tevar. Killer crazy song!! My first time working with Remo… Looking forward!,” tweeted Sonakshi. Remake of 2003 Telugu film ‘Okkadu’, the film also stars Arjun Kapoor in the lead. The film is producing by Arjun’s father Boney Kapoor.

Parineeti Chopra, who is playing the role of a quirky scientist opposite Sidharth Malhotra in her upcoming film ‘Hasee To Phasee’, says she is a drama queen in her real life too.

The song ‘Drama Queen’ in the film is dedicated to Parineeti’s character of Meeta, a nerdy and unpredictable girl. “I am a drama queen in real life too but I don’t take this terms in a negative way. It is a positive term for me. I stay happy don’t take life seriously,” Parineeti told reporters.

Parineeti says she said yes to the movie as a part like this is rarely written for a Bollywood actress. “It was quite difficult to play the role of a scientist in ‘Hasee To Phasee’. There was no reference point for me. No actress in the industry has ever attempted to do a role like this because in our industry either the female characters are normal or mentally challenged.

My role is a cross between the two,” she said. Parineeti shot to fame with her debut film ‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’ and garnered critical acclaim for her effortless performances in subsequent movies ‘Ishaqzaade’ and ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’. The actress says she and director Vinil Matthew practiced a lot to make her scenes appear effortless on the screen.

“It was physically exhausting for me. I and my director we used to practice my expressions and Sidharth (Malhotra) used to be our litmus test. He used to finalise the expressions for a particular scene. “I try and make things on my own, I just practice a lot. I make the dialogues easy on my tongue before shooting,” she said. Asked whether she would like to share the screen with her cousin Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti said, “I would love to work with Priyanka provided the script is a strong one.” ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’ to hit theatres on February 7.

STORY: Amit and Samara are two lost souls in the city with different dreams and desires. Until destiny designs a new road for them. REVIEW: Wait to be seated, in the meanwhile take a look at the menu tonight.

The portions are large, so everything is served one by two. In the ‘Specials’ we have a daringly different product of Bollywood, Abhay Deol. With a storyline that wants to leap out of mundane romcoms. Some spark of comedy, some feathery feelgood scenes. And some good music (Shankar-Ehsaan- Loy) for the hungry soul.

We’ll come back to what’s ‘not hot’ on the menu, for now let’s dig in. Everything in Amit Sharma’s (Abhay) life is unbearably boring. Starting with his name, of course. He’s in a permanently pakaoed (like deep fried French fries) and purposeless state of mind – with a nagging mom (Rati) who buys him stretchable underwear and emotionally blackmails him to opt for a quick-fix boredom solution called shaadi.

His college sweetheart dumps him for being as mundane as manchow soup on a date. And to top it, thanks to his ‘gas’tronomical indulgences (blame it on ‘pakaoed paneer’) he’s a good ol’ fart too. He believes, when life throws shit at you, you need a lot of toilet paper. Phrrr! On the other side, Samara (Preeti – pretty, super confident and shows promise) raised by single-mom (Lillete-good act!) is aspiring to be famous dancer by winning a dance reality show.

She’s exasperated with her mom who has a date with the daru bottle every night, and an ex-boyfriend who can bed anything for benefit. Her mantra is ‘clean up the shit’. Amit and Samara’s paths almost cross, but they miss each other each time by a split second. Eventually, after all the ‘shit happens’ and is flushed out; fate has fresh plans for them.

Debutante Devika’s concept might look good on paper, but onscreen it dissipates like diarrhoea. Strung with a few laughable scenes, it scrambles around with too many plots crafted like episodic sitcoms. It intends to reflect the psyche of the ‘wuzdat’ generation but quickly crumbles like an out-of-love, casual sex relationship. Abhay is good in his part, but after his super performance in ‘Raanjhanaa’ he’s not at his peak here.

Actress Lindsay Lohan has reportedly been refused entry in a number of nightclubs. The 27-year-old is said to have been recently banned from New York clubs after a series of incidents including one where she claimed that her fur coat has been stolen, reports contactmusic.com.

“She stared the doorman down and was surprised that they wouldn’t let her in. She was definitely shaken up,” a source told Bang Showbiz.

Kim Kardashian has revealed that she wants her daughter North West to appear on ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’. The 33-year-old fiance of Kanye West is keen that her sevenmonth- old daughter joins the series, but the rapper has “shut down” the topic of conversation whenever it’s brought up and refuses to compromise, Contactmusic reported.

Sources revealed that Ryan Seacrest, who executive produces the show had reached out to Kardashian and asked her to consider allowing North on the show as her fans want to see her interact with her daughter, and how she is as a mother. Sources added that Kanye isn’t keen on the idea and doesn’t want his daughter ever to appear on the

STORY: Solomon Northup is kidnapped into savage slavery – can Solomon ever be free again?

REVIEW: Straight away, 12 Years A Slave is not a film for the faint-hearted. It is one of the most haunting, daunting movies made. But despite its unrelenting, tense brutality, you’re unable to tear your eyes away. This is what makes 12 Years A Slave a work of disturbing genius. Solomon Northup (Ejiofor) is a free musician in 1841, kidnapped into the slave trade. Taken to Washington, Solomon is savagely beaten when he screams that he’s free. His howls fly into Washington’s skies, unheard by the White House impassively behind. Solomon is shipped down south where slave trader Theophilus Freeman (Giammati, stunning) sells naked, shivering black slaves, placed like exhibits amidst delicate china tea cups and cream cakes.

Northup, beaten into answering to ‘Platt’, is bought by timber farmer William Ford (Cumberbatch). Platt impresses Ford with his skills but resentful overseer Tibeats (Dano, chilling) has Platt lynched. Shots of Platt strung up, gasping, his toes scrabbling desperately in squelching mud below, shock. Ford rescues Platt but sells him to savage plantation owner Edwin Epps (Fassbender). Any slave who picks less than 200 pounds of cotton a day is lashed while Patsy (Nyong’o), who picks 500, gets worse, Epps raping, then whipping her as his jealous wife (Paulson) demands. One day, Epps makes Platt whip Patsy too.

Slavery’s crushing Platt when a Canadian carpenter Bass (Pitt) hears his tale. Will Bass help Platt be Solomon Northup again? The film is deeply powerful with brilliant acting. Ejiofor is its evocative heart while Fassbender is frighteningly perfect as soulless Epps, supported by Paulson as his sour, shrewish wife. Nyong’o makes Patsy’s misery come alive. Alongside, the sound design’s superb, capturing the relentless march of the waves powering slave boats, winds moaning through plantation trees.

Deep focus shots showcase how the American South’s gracious life, its mansions and masquerades, its tea parties and gowns, was based on breaking the backs of captured blacks. Alongside, some scenes – Platt making ink from watery beetroot stew, burning a letter as darkness overwhelms – are of tremendously moving simplicity. Bass’s reaction, “Your story is amazing – and in no good way” rings true for the film. This is not a movie to be enjoyed but endured. But there lies its disturbing genius.

Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah
Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt
Direction: Steve McQueen
Genre: Biopic
Duration: 2 hours 14 minutes

Scarlett Johansson is ending her relationship with a humanitarian group after being criticized over her support for an Israeli company that operates in the West Bank. A statement released by Johansson’s spokesman said the 29- year-old actress has “a fundamental difference of opinion” with Oxfam International because the humanitarian group opposes all trade from Israeli settlements, saying they are illegal and deny Palestinian rights.

“Scarlett Johansson has respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years,” the statement said. “She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. She is very proud of her accomplishments and fundraising efforts during her tenure with Oxfam.” Earlier this month, “The Avengers” and “Her” actress signed on as the first global brand ambassador of SodaStream International Ltd., and she’s set to appear in an ad for the athome soda maker during the Super Bowl on Feb. 2. SodaStream has come under fire from pro-Palestinian activists for maintaining a large factory in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, a territory captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians.

In response to the criticism, Johansson said last week she was a “supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine.” Oxfam took issue with Johansson, noting it was “considering the implications of her new statement and what it means for Ms. Johansson’s role as an Oxfam global ambassador.”

STORY: Nelson Mandela walked a long, hard path – how did the world join him?

REVIEW: Straight away, Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom shows you an icon in a whole new light. Many know about Nelson Mandela’s fight against South Africa’s apartheid, his imprisonment for decades, his faith in non-violence. While this film shows all that, it also shows more, capturing a man who began as deeply confused, full of conflicts and charm, gravity and fun.

It is as Nelson Mandela moves from being an upcoming lawyer in 1940s Johannesburg, full of jazz bars and pretty girls, courts and cruel cops, a friend telling Mandela he’s becoming a man to watch, to the wry rejoinder, “Maybe I should sell tickets” – to an African National Congress member, addressing demos and blowing up plants, that his character evolves. We then see Mandela grow into the Madiba the world knows. Along the way, Mandela loses more than his freedom.

Fed up by his philandering, his first wife leaves. His mother is furious while he struggles between pleasures and principles. When Mandela meets Winnie, a tough social worker, his identity becomes sharply defined. He goes from being a light-hearted seeker of joys to a fully determined fighter against apartheid. Mandela and his associates are imprisoned for life – but battling solitude and savagery, Mandela grows larger than life. This fast-moving film extends beyond one icon.

Alongside Mandela, it follows the anti-apartheid movement itself, from peaceful boycotts to blowing offices up, terrible civil war and a return to peace. It captures the tremendous romance of Africa, its gold-pink vistas as beautiful as blush, its rhythms, vibes and colourful tribes. And it presents fabulous performances. Naomie Harris is brilliant as Winnie Mandela, capturing her seething trauma – imprisoned and tortured, Winnie’s “Don’t touch me” to a policeman chills – her insistence on violent revenge, and her break-up with Madiba.

Alongside, Idris Elba’s Mandela towers gracefully, full of complexity, yet simple enough to emphasise you cannot hate another without hating yourself. The camerawork skillfully captures individuals and crowds while the soundtrack, from jazz to Bob Marley, makes you live the world’s energy to free Mandela. Watch this – while making you laugh and cry, it takes you on a wondrous walk

Supermodel Kate Moss is the new face of late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen’s eponymous label.

The 40-year-old fronts the campaign for the label’s spring-summer 2014 collection, which according to the fashion house aims to “capture the iconic British model as an otherworldly woman in a darkly surreal environment”, reports contactmusic.com. In a short film captured by photographer Steven Klein in East London, Moss is seen in a short yellow crop.

Actress and singersongwriter Hilary Duff went on a family trip with her estranged husband, retired professional ice hockey player Mike Comrie, and son Luca.

The family of three headed out for a hike Sunday, reports eonline.com. “Daddy and son Sunday hike,” Duff posted along with a photograph of her estranged husband and their 22-monthold tot walking on a trail. The 26-year-old actress made her first red carpet appearance post-split at the 2014 Grammy Weekend Reception party in West Hollywood, California.

While she stayed mum on the break-up at the event, she seemed to be in great spirits while chatting and laughing with friends before Lorde performed for guests. A source close to the couple told E! News that the couple’s split was truly amicable and they didn’t call it quits for any particular incident. The duo rather drifted apart over time despite trying couple’s therapy to mend their relationship.

Ameesha Patel badly bruised her hands and legs while shooting for an action scene. A unit source said, “It was a chase sequence in which Ameesha, who is being chased by a man had to rush down a flight of stairs.

However, while shooting, the guy who was chasing her tripped, dragging Ameesha along with him.” Both got injured in the mishap. A doctor was immediately summoned to the set. “Ameesha’s feet and hands are swollen and she has been advised bed rest,” said a source.

Though director Vishal Bhardwaj tried keeping Shraddha Kapoor’s role and character in ‘Haider’ under wraps, his efforts eventually turned futile.

Recently, Shraddha was spotted flashing a press correspondent’s card as she started shooting for the project with co-star Irrfan in Srinagar. According to the sources, she plays a journalist in the movie who is not just fearless but also doesn’t mind risking her life for a story. “Her life motto is to bring out truth at any cost,” a source said.

On the other hand, Irrfan was seen wearing traditional Kashmiri outfits with a special hat. “His role is an important one.” In one of the shots, we spotted Shraddha chasing Irrfan while holding a pen and a diary as if she’s asking him some questions. While Shahid, who will be joining the crew in a day or two, is completely changed from what he essayed in the last leg of the shoot in 2013. “Now he will be bald and clean shaven.

Since it’s a final schedule of the shoot, Vishal asked Shahid to prepare himself mentally and physically for a vital sequence. Shahid is anxious, and it showed when he posted this on twitter. “Reading scenes for the final schedule of Haider. Nervous and excited. Last four days of hair I can run my hands through. Snowed out Kashmir calling.” Tabu will reportedly join soon. The shooting is currently going on at Residency Road in the city and Press Colony.

When contacted K Jamsheed, who is a line producer for the film, said, “It’s going to be a long schedule of 20 to 25 days.” He stated that major chunk of the film will be shot in Srinagar, but the unit will move to Pahalgam and other nearby areas soon. Also, the director is not taking any chances with the filming of scenes. Probably he’s not too keen to see the repeat of what happened last time when the students of Kashmir University objected to hoisting of the national flag atop a makeshift bunker, leading to cancellation of the shoot.

STORY: A braveheart commoner stands up against injustice and spreads a life-changing mantra of the circle of goodness, giving and generosity.

REVIEW: There is nothing ordinary about this aam aadmi. He rips, roars and ravages the raavans with a single blow – like a Stallone on steroids. Jai (Salman) is an ex-Army officer, who runs a garage part-time and plays incredibly good (looking) Samaritan fulltime, beating up baddies to bloody pulp with anything from hockey sticks, chains, scaffolding and even a mighty pen.

During one ‘good-deed’ demo, he’s hit by a brainwave – a thought that can change the world! His funda seems profound but is simple. Goodness is redeemable. If someone shows you a random act of kindness, you pay it forward to three people. And they’ll pass on the ‘act of kindness’ to three more each. A multiplier effect on millions – snowballing into a mass junta movement of goodness.

The film has the heart and the haath (read: fist) in the right place. But there’s more than just ‘do-gooder’ drama in this potboiler with purpose. Jai gets embroiled with a nefarious neta, Dashrath Singh (Danny) and his heavyweight hooligans, who’re a ‘pain in the rear’ of the aam aadmi. It sparks a raging war between the udaas aam aadmi and khaas politicians.

‘Jai Ho’- A remake of Telugu film ‘Stalin’ (inspired by Hollywood film ‘Pay It Forward’) resonates with the current mood of the country. Sparking an optimistic hope of a Utopian world. Sohail presents our ‘Hero of the Masses’ fabulously – with all Salmanisms perfectly in place. The premise pompously alerts us of cliches and trappings of a commercial masala fare.

The screenplay is not as inspiring as the noble message, the story cuts into too many episodes and the underlying idea is repetitive. Tabu and Danny leave a decent impact. Debutante Daisy grooves well and shows impressive confidence. The bone-crunching, blood-splitting scenes are a delight for action addicts. The story is laced with light-hearted humour and massy music.

Like most Salman Khan films, this one too rests solely on his undeniable superstardom. There is one explosive moment of revelation in the film – when Salman tears off his shirt to show off his greased, stabbed, scarred and sensational sinews. Nothing else matters for ‘bhai’ fanatics. It’s ‘the’ paise wasool moment. Rest assured, they will ‘pay up’ and ‘take it forward’.

STORY: A struggling theatre actor and a young girl, ‘mad over paranthas’, bump into each other in the famous paranthe wali gali of old Delhi and talk each other into fulfilling their dreams. REVIEW: Playwright and theatre director Sachin Gupta’s debut film with an interesting title offers a fresh perspective on life, ambition and our ability to hit back harder when life hits you hard. Very rarely do films focus on simple and light-hearted everyday conversation.

Gupta brings that aspect to the forefront with the beautiful backdrop of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi (or Delhi-6, thanks to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra). We also liked the fact that though based on the hero’s love for theatre, most songs and scenes don’t look theatrical. Gupta keeps it real with locations, performances, interactions. While the sight of scrumptious paranthas and pickle leave you salivating, lack of a concrete plot coupled with the film’s stagnant pace also unfortunately leave you hungry and tired.

Plus, the story lacks direction; it wanders around aimlessly, lacking continuity and failing to connect with the audience. This makes you question the motive of the film. For example, the protagonist Maulik ( Anuj Saxena), a theatre actor/director, who struggles to get himself a show, goes on and on about his passion for ‘theatre’, but his actions do not back his words. We don’t feel for his character or his love for the art, which is the biggest drawback of the film. Saxena is a tad too understated for his character.

On the contrary, his young heroine ( Neha Pawar), who plays a loud Punjaban, tries to imitate Anushka Sharma and ends up looking over-animated in most scenes. She gets better when she’s herself. The lead actors have good screen presence but need to undergo voice modulation for their pitch stays constant. The chemistry between the two doesn’t work either. Supporting actors are pleasant, but don’t add much to the proceedings. The abrupt climax doesn’t live up to the strong initial build-up either.

Kangana Ranaut got a sense of deja vu when she was shooting for ‘Badra Bahaar’ from the film ‘Queen’. Kangana, who is originally from Manali, had come to Mumbai all alone to become an actor. Before she worked her way to the top and became a successful star, Kangy had to live alone and figure out her way in the big city. What is commendable is that she successfully carved a niche for herself in Bollywood without a Godfather.

Coincidentally, in the movie Rani leaves India to visit Paris, venturing out on her own for the very first time in her life. Braving it out in a new place, Rani discovers a whole new world. She fights every situation and thoroughly enjoys moments that life throws at her.

Deepika Padukone’s rumoured beau Ranveer Singh has got the seal of approval from her friends who are now urging the actress to get ‘serious’ about the relationship. This happened during their rendezvous in New York during New Year which Mirror reported. Deepika’s circle met her Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela co-star and the advice followed. The pair was joined by friends over dinner and the conversation soon veered towards their ‘relationship’.

At this point Deepika tried to change the topic but her pals refused to drop the subject. “They unanimously suggested that Deepika should not leave Ranveer,” said the source. “One of them blurted out, “Can’t you see the man loves you madly? Don’t leave him.” Perhaps Deepika’s friends were hinting at her history of her break-ups; Nihar Pandya, Yuvraj Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and Sidhartha Mallya.