The Indian Panorama

Author: #TIPEntertainment

  • SAINA WANTS DEEPIKA FOR HER BIOPIC

    SAINA WANTS DEEPIKA FOR HER BIOPIC

    Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal wants actress Deepika Padukone to portray her in the upcoming biopic on herself. Calling her a “good” badminton player, Saina said Deepika is apt and can do full justice to the character.

    “Her father has been a badminton player and I have seen her playing badminton. She used to play really good. She can do justice to the role and I really wish she can do the role,” Saina said during the NDTV Indian of the Year award.

    Deepika, who was present at the ceremony, said she would love to play her onscreen.

    “We have played together many a times and she was always way better than me. I think we had fun times together. Anything for the love of sport and especially for badminton,” she said.

    The actress, 30, who is all excited for her debut Hollywood project, left the country last night to shoot Vin Diesel-starrer “XXX: The Return of Xander Cage”.

    Filmmaker Amol Gupte is making the biopic on the celebrated Indian badminton player and the movie will trace the journey of the first Indian to win a medal in Badminton at the Olympics.

    Source: PTI

  • Airlift | Movie Review – Akshay at his best

    Airlift | Movie Review – Akshay at his best

    Airlift has one of Akshay Kumar’s best performances – along with other sterling acts. Rich Indian-origin businessman Ranjit Katyal (Akshay) loves profits and dislikes the idea of India. But Ranjit’s golden life in the desert crumbles when Iraqi forces invade Kuwait. Suddenly, people are savagely shot in the streets, houses looted, buildings blown up, tanks taking over, chop-pers hovering maliciously amidst minarets.

    AirliftIraqi Major Halaf (Inaam-ulhaq) offers Ranjit and his wife Amrita (Nimrat) buy million-dollar tickets to leave with their child. But Ranjit’s also looking after thousands of Indians, desperate as the Embassy exits Kuwait.

    What happens when Ranjit takes responsibility for getting 1,70,000 Indians home?

    Airlift features Akshay at his best – based on real-life characters, there’s little khiladi-wala swag in Akshay’s performance and more mature control. As Ranjit, who goes from protecting his kin to his countrymen, Akshay does a polished, restrained, powerful job. Nimrat conveys brittle edginess – she asks Ranjit, “Ye Indian-Indian khelna, kya drama ho raha hai?” – but grows into a woman who loves her husband’s humanitarian heart.

    Certain cameos are outstanding. Prakash Belawadi brings alive surly, suspicious George, Kumud Mishra deeply impresses as a quietly determined MEA babu and Inaamulhuq oozes smooth menace as he quotes ‘Amitabh Bachhan’ to Ranjit – before showing him his business partner, hanging from a crane outside a palace full of bloodied marble and broken glass.

    Airlift’s scale is impressive and editing (Hemanti Sarkar) deft. Some sequences – Iraqi soldiers brutally molesting an Indian girl, looting even onions, cheerily singing ‘Ek Do Teen’, dragging out a young mother, so “the boys can have some fun with her” – are intense.

    But the movie could’ve increased this intensity, the horror and taut, time-ticking dread that typify unforgettable siege/rescue films like Hotel Rwanda (2004), where you vividly felt humanity running out each second. Airlift depicts desperation but with more sound and light than darkness, more broad strokes than fine detail.

    Yet, Airlift works because it conveys a time when armies will attack civilians – you’re struck by how IS was born from the Iraqi army’s core – and raises Bollywood’s generic bar. Plus, it movingly celebrates the most beautiful flag in the world.

  • Chalk N Duster | MOVIE REVIEW

    Chalk N Duster | MOVIE REVIEW

    STORY: Teachers Vidya Sawant (Shabana Azmi) and Jyoti Thakur (Juhi Chawla) impart knowledge and values to students in a middle-class school. However, when an ambitious shrew becomes the principal, they are forced to wage a ‘war’ to safeguard their legacy.

    REVIEW: Chalk N Duster‘Chalk N Duster’ has its heart in the right place.

    Made with an intention of showcasing the worms in the current education system, where money often gets merit over capability; this film can be lauded to some degree. However, it flounders in the first half due to its tacky narrative approach. Told like a TV serial, it takes the oft-taken path of following the underprivileged on local train rides to the Mumbai chawl. Okay so the point of a teacher’s life being hard is made. Yet, it’s predictable to see Shabana dabbing sweat with her sari pallav as she gets off an over-crowded Virar local, buying vada pav and keeping the positive spirit at home that has a handicapped husband (Girish Karnad) and their about-to-be chartered accountant daughter. The revered teacher also coaches the neighbourhood children for free!

    Then, there is Juhi who is slightly more privileged than her didi, Shabana. She can buy a car on installments. These two teachers also have hardworking colleagues, who become sisters in misery when Kamini Gupta(Divya Dutta) a devil wearing designer sarees is appointed as the principal. Divya is more unreasonable than Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters put together. The shock of having to bear her nastiness gives Shabana a heart condition. Juhi exits the school and vows to get back the ‘honour’ of her didi and herself. So, they reach out to a media person, Richa Chadha, an IAS officer, a Minister, conscientious past students from the world over and even win Rs 5 crore in a KBC-styled contest, with Rishi Kapoor in a cameo as the quiz master!

    The execution for the most part is clumsy. Yet somewhere in the second half, Gilatar redeems himself and the film. He touches on the importance of teachers in our lives and shows the apathy of the powers-that-are towards providing equal education opportunities. It also gives us a proud India moment as we watch two teachers pass a GQ contest with flying colours. Life, after all, whether in a cinema hall or on the outside is about minor triumphs (staged or otherwise), isn’t it?

    Shabana and Juhi are irritatingly saccharine initially; but get firmly in the saddle soon. They’re from the dependable lot of actresses after all.

  • SONAKSHI SINHA ON DATE HUNT FOR ‘HASEENA’

    SONAKSHI SINHA ON DATE HUNT FOR ‘HASEENA’

    Sonakshi Sinha was compelled to come out of her Twitter hiatus to clear the air surrounding her project ‘Haseena’ hitting a roadblock. The actress says she is trying to squeeze out time and dates to shoot for the film.

    The ‘Lootera’ star, who also has Abhinay Deo’s ‘Force 2’ up her sleeve, took to the micro-blogging site to share the update on the film, which is based on the life of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s sister Haseena Parkar. “Just an update on ‘Haseena’, am trying to work out the dates. This film is very special to me and I’m trying my best to clear the date clash. Back on break,” shared Sonakshi, who is essaying the titular character in the Apoorva Lakhia directorial.

    Several reports suggested that the biopic is facing production issues with a producer and financier yet to come on board. The film will bring alive 40 years of Haseena’s life and is said to be an emotional saga of a woman and what it meant to be Dawood Ibrahim’s sister. Haseena Parkar, the elder sister of Dawood, died in July last year. She shot to fame after some rival gangsters led by Arun Gawli gunned down her husband Ismail Parkar in a gang war in 1991 which led to a spate of brutal retaliatory killings from the Dawood gang at that time. Subsequently, Haseena was reportedly acting as the don’s Mumbai business head. Though officially she was not directly implicated in any underworld activities, it is believed that in parts of south Mumbai, nothing moved without her nod.

  • PARINEETI TO STAR IN DHOOM 4!

    PARINEETI TO STAR IN DHOOM 4!

    After making heads turn with her all new svelte and sexy avatar, Parineeti Chopra has once again managed to grab eyeballs. According to a report on Filmfare, Parineeti has been cast as the female lead in Yash Raj Films’ hit franchise, Dhoom 4. Reports had been doing the rounds that Parineeti was offered Salman Khan starrer Sultan, which is also being produced by YRF. But allegedly Salman was not too keen on Parineeti being a part of the project, reported Spotboye.com. The report further added that Aditya, head honcho of YRF, had reportedly promised Pari a major role in one of his upcoming productions. So, is Dhoom 4 the “major role” he was talking about? Well, only time will tell.

    While we wait for the Dhoom 4 cast to be finalised, clicking the next slide to take a look at another hit franchise that has begun shooting its fourth installment.

     

  • THE HATEFUL EIGHT | MOVIE REVIEW

    THE HATEFUL EIGHT | MOVIE REVIEW

    STORY: In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter, John Ruth (Kurt Russell) is escorting his prisoner, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to Red Rock to collect a 10-thousand dollar reward. The blizzard forces them to take shelter in a haberdashery along with other strangers. On getting acquainted, each of them wants to outsmart the other either with a bullet or pure wit.

    CAST: Samuel Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern and Channing TatumDIRECTION: Quentin TarantinoGENRE: MysteryDURATION: 2 hours 50 minutes
    CAST: Samuel Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern and Channing Tatum
    DIRECTION: Quentin Tarantino
    GENRE: Mystery
    DURATION: 2 hours 50 minutes

    REVIEW: Tarantino knows how to tell you a great story with picture-perfect visuals. The snow-white Wyoming landscape is compelling. As a stagecoach struggles to keep itself from getting buried in the snow because of the blizzard, your eyes start to focus on the characters riding in it. The inhabitants of the coach– John Ruth and Daisy Domergue, a fugitive, who are cuffed together, along with another bounty hunter, Major Marquis Warren (Samuel Jackson) are forced to make a pit stop at a cabin. They also bring with them Chris Mannix(Walton Goggins), who has introduced himself to the people who gave him a ride, as the new sheriff of Red Rock.

    Once inside, these strange bedfellows realise they already have a crowd for company. Minnie, the owner of the joint is MIA (missing in action) but there is Bob, who claims to be the new caretaker. Also present are Oswaldo Mowbray(Tim Roth) who introduces himself as the hangman assigned for Daisy’s hanging and Joe Gage (Michael Madsen) who claims to be visiting his grandma for Christmas. Seated afar is Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern) a General who is looking for a burial spot for his dead son. And of course there is one missing piece (or person) in the puzzle that is a mystery.

    Though these are hardened men you find yourself invested emotionally in each of them because of Tarantino’s terrific characterisation.

    What ensues is a night of unrest. Even more chilling than the storm outside are the equations between the humans inside. As they go around introducing themselves, sharing cups of steaming coffee, downing alcohol or eating stew at the same table, they also indulge in a game of insult and injury because some of them discover that inadvertently their paths have crossed earlier! Turn by turn, they lay bare their `black and white’ feelings. The narrative that plays out in six chapters is verbose and slow in the first hour. But once the dialogue ebbs, bullets fly thick and fast. There’s enough bloodshed here to fill a small rivulet.

     

  • LIV TYLER CALLS HER THIRD PREGNANCY AMAZING

    LIV TYLER CALLS HER THIRD PREGNANCY AMAZING

    Actress Liv Tyler, who is expecting her third child, finds the experience “fun”. Although she was “tired” because she had a “little cold”, the actress recently beamed on the arrivals carpet at an awards ceremony here, reports eonline.com. She said: “It’s amazing. It’s so fun. I feel very grateful.” The third child will be her second with fiance Dave Gardner.

    She has already seen how wonderful son Milo (whose father is the actress’ ex-husband Spacehog rocker Royston Langdon) is with his little brother Sailor, who turns one next month. “They’re so sweet. It’s so fun,” Tyler said. “My older boy is 11 and it’s so sweet to see him with Sailor because there’s a big age difference and he just absolutely adores him so much.”

    Tyler hinted that they already know the sex of the baby, but she laughed and said she was keeping it a “surprise” for the public. She announced the pregnancy on Instagram on January 8 with a black and white photograph that shows her holding her belly.

  • JENNIFER LAWRENCE TO PLAY MARITA LORENZ IN NEXT

    JENNIFER LAWRENCE TO PLAY MARITA LORENZ IN NEXT

    JENNIFER LAWRENCEGolden Globe-winner Jennifer Lawrence is set to play Marita Lorenz, the German woman who had an affair with Cuban politician Fidel Castro, in an upcoming Sony Pictures film. Penned by Eric Warren Singer, who was co-writer on Lawrence’s ‘American Hustle’, “Marita” will be produced by Matt Tolmach with the 25-year-old actress and Scott Mednick. Andre Rouleau is also producing, said The Hollywood Reporter. The romantic spy drama centres on Lorenz and how she met and began dating with Castro when she was 19 years old. She was reportedly approached by the CIA to kill the Cuban leader.

    This is the second time Lawrence would be tackling a real-life personality on screen after playing housewife-turned-inventor Joy Mangano in David O Russell’s ‘Joy’. The actress has won a Golden Globe for her performance in the movie and also earned a nomination for the upcoming Academy Awards. Sony won a bidding war for the Lorenz rights against Universal, Warner Bros, Fox, Paramount and Lionsgate. The actress, who received her fourth Oscar nomination last week Singer spent months developing the project, working with Mednick, before bringing it to Lawrence.

  • A Sikh Woman is Actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s stepmom

    A Sikh Woman is Actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s stepmom

    LOS ANGELES (TIP): It may come as a surprise to many that Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s stepmother is an Amritdhari Sikh who sports the 5 ‘Ks’. In the backdrop of strident debates on intolerance, peppered with hate crimes against Asians in general and Sikhs in particular, this news is refreshing.

    With the actor poised for a probable Oscar for “Revenent”, his Indian fans found all the more reason to cheer when news of Peggy Ann Farrar, his stepmother being an Amritdhari Sikh broke.

    According to reports, Peggy embraced Sikhism many years back, but has started wearing a turban recently. Peggy is Leo’s father George DiCaprio’s second wife. She married him in 1995, after he divorced Leo’s biological mother Irmelin Indenbirken when Leonardo was one-year-old. Leonardo DiCaprio is a heart-throb who commands millions for his work, while his bohemian father George is lesser known. The latter has been a comic book artist, editor and distributor.

    Quite conspicuous in her Indian traditional dress and turban, Peggy is often seen at award functions and other Hollywood events with her family. But the wave of appreciation for her has come with a dash of criticism. A video uploaded on YouTube claims that she cannot be described as an Amritdhari Sikh due to her connection with the Yogi Harbhajan sect. It also says that she has been seen participating in rituals of other faiths. But that may be the least of her concerns, given the troubled life of her biological son Adam Ferrar, who is said to have inspired his sibling Leo to adopt a career in acting. Adam has been on the wrong side of the law for possession of drugs, domestic violence and even an attempt to murder his former girl friend.

    A biography on Leonardo by Douglas Wight mentions how Peggy made the best of her new husband’s unconventional living arrangement with his ex-wife. To make sure Leonardo had a father figure all his life, George DiCaprio lived next door to Irmelin and the boy who would grow up to be a star. Peggy managed to maintain a harmonious relationship without any evidence of rancor.

    All said and done, the Indian connection has worked well for both Peggy and Leonardo.

    (Source TOI)

  • Friends Cast coming together for special on NBC

    Friends Cast coming together for special on NBC

    NEW YORK (TIP): The cast of the hit sitcom Friends are to reunite for a two-hour special, according to US broadcaster NBC.

    The actors behind Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross have all signed up for the special, a tribute to director James Burrows.

    Burrows helmed numerous episodes of the program and has just celebrated directing his 1,000th TV program.

    But NBC entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt suggested the six Friends may not appear together.

    “I’m hoping all six will be in same room at the same time,” he told reporters. But he added: “I’m not sure we can logistically can pull it off.”

    Fans of the show have been hoping for more than a decade to see Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer back on screen together, but previous attempts have fallen short.

    The program ended in 2004, 10 series and a decade after it premiered on US screens. It made international stars of its little-known cast, winning a slew of awards and a huge audience in the process.

    As well as Friends, Burrows was behind the camera for several of America’s much-loved sitcoms, including Cheers, Frasier, and The Bob Newhart Show.

    The two-hour show is expected to feature cameos, sketches and appearances connected to the various series the 75-year-old has worked on over the years.

    The special is scheduled to be broadcast on 21 February on NBC.

  • Harry Potter star Alan Rickman dies of cancer

    Harry Potter star Alan Rickman dies of cancer

    LONDON (TIP): Alan Rickman once famously said “I am the character you are not supposed to like”. His advice however fell on deaf ears.

    Rickman should have been alive to see how much he was loved and admired.

    The world on Thursday mourned the sudden death of the versatile actor who shifted from being comic to a villain who would get under your skin with nonchalant ease.

    Rickman who became a household name playing the notorious villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard was suffering from cancer. He was 69 years of age.

    Known the world over lately as enigmatic professor Snape in the Harry Potter films critics raved about his performance in Love Actually and he also earned an Oscar nod for playing the romantic hero in Sense and Sensibility.

    He also won a Bafta Award for playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

    A family statement said “The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends”. (TNN)

  • SUSAN SARANDON HAS NATURAL APPROACH FOR BEAUTY

    SUSAN SARANDON HAS NATURAL APPROACH FOR BEAUTY

    Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon likes to keep her beauty regime to the minimum and just rely on healthy food items and plenty of water. Sarandon said, “I am of the generation that was baking bread and living in the country, so I was aware of what I was putting into my body but not necessarily getting waxed and getting my hair done every week or anything like that. I had a very natural approach to maintaining myself.”

    Although she’s still not into smothering her face with lots of products, the 69-year-old makes sure she wears sunscreen every day without fail, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Asked how things have changed now that she’s nearing 70, she told Vogue magazine, “I think I’m a little more careful now to wear sun cream, and other things which I didn’t really think about as my young hippie self. I never have been very up on the latest trends in fashion or beauty.”

  • KATE HUDSON: ALKALINE MONITORING KEEPS ME TRIM

    KATE HUDSON: ALKALINE MONITORING KEEPS ME TRIM

    Actress Kate Hudson puts her incredible shape down to an alkaline diet. The 36-year-old actress said she keeps her body in top condition by following an alkaline diet, which focuses on balancing pH levels and acidity, reported Contactmusic.

    “I live by a rule book of eating alkaline – no meat, no dairy, no gluten (and) I try to stay away from sugar – but I’ll cheat when I want to, since I’m a bit of a foodie,” she said. “I try not to make it so much about dieting, but rather everything in moderation.”

    Hudson, who is a co-founder of activewear brand Fabletics, sticks to a regular fitness routine, but when a major red carpet event is on her schedule, she steps her exercise up a notch.

  • WAZIR – MOVIE REVIEW

    WAZIR – MOVIE REVIEW

    STORY: Danish is chasing Wazir, an assassin linked to politician Qureshi who’s threatening elderly chess master Pandit Dhar – in this game of life and death, who’s playing whom as a pawn?

    WAZIRREVIEW: So, Wazir is a smart movie – which could have been way smarter. Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer Daanish Ali (Farhan) loses his daughter while chasing terrorists. His anguished wife Roohana (Aditi) blames Daanish, who’s about to kill himself in guilt-laden grief. Suddenly, he meets wheelchair-bound Pandit Omkar Nath Dhar (Amitabh), who teaches Daanish about chess, life, love – and revenge. Panditji’s own tragic tale leads Daanish to investigate Welfare Minister Qureishi (Manav) – and then chase him furiously when brutal assassin Wazir (Neil) attacks Pandit Dhar.

    Does Daanish find Wazir – and the truth?

    Wazir is held together by Amitabh Bachchan who shows why he is the Grandmaster of this game. With sly glances and shy smiles, wry jokes and escaped tears, Amitabh carves a character, mesmerising you as he does Daanish, very competently played by Farhan who delivers intensity and gentleness. As pashmina-smooth politician Qureishi, Manav Kaul performs very admirably, adding to the movie’s tension, its eerie quality, its things that go bang in the dark.

    But the tension just isn’t hard enough.

    With too many distractions – Aditi looks lovely but is constrained in a chiffon-clad role featuring more dancing than dialogues – the plot loses pace. There are too many kiddies, cupcakes and kathak cuts. When the movie picks up speed – action sequences in Delhi and Srinagar are terrific – you’re on a gritty edge. But when it over-indulges itself – its writers and editors are the same – the game slips into stalemate.

    It’s a pity because Wazir’s lead performances, its glassy cinematography, its haunting sound design, work well. What this game needed was more attack, less defence, less repetition, more relentlessness.

    As Panditji puts it, ‘Thora energy hona chahiya.’

    Consistent hard focus over sentimental soft-focus would have let these shatranj ke khiladi blow up that chess board. As it is, they complete their game – but don’t check-mate smartly enough.

  • KANGANA RANAUT REFUSES TO BE A SATI-SAVITRI

    KANGANA RANAUT REFUSES TO BE A SATI-SAVITRI

    KANGANA RANAUTIn a recent interview, while replying to why she feels celebrities often get misinterpreted for their statements, Kangana Ranaut said that people expect her to be ‘sati-savitri’, but being today’s woman she is a ‘total badass,’ not a ‘sati-savitri’ and refuses to become one, reports The Express Tribune. According to an ANI report, Kangana even said that we, as Indians, have a knack for loving a stereotypical, sobbing, sympathy-seeking personality. So she feels the need to promote quirky, cool and youthful talent and stop propagating the sob-story angle of celebs, where they try to be larger-than-life.

    Kangana Ranaut has proved her niche in the film industry and knows her art well. The firebrand actress, who doesn’t shy away from speaking fearlessly, opened up to Pune Mirror about how she doesn’t feel the need to share selfies on a regular basis to be in the news. Now, was that a dig on the selfie queens of Bollywood? The diva currently has three films lined up – Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Rangoon’, Ketan Mehta’s Rani Laxmibai biopic and ‘Simran’. She said that she would prefer working whole-heartedly on one film a year as she is financially secure and doesn’t feel the need to work day in and day out.

  • WILL PRIYANKA DON THE RED BIKINI in ‘Baywatch’

    WILL PRIYANKA DON THE RED BIKINI in ‘Baywatch’

    Priyanka Chopra is on top of the world. She recently bagged the ‘Favourite Actress in a New TV Series’ at the People’s Choice Awards for her portrayal of FBI agent Alex Parrish in ABC’s ‘Quantico’, becoming the first South Asian to win the honour. The actress, who is the first Indian to headline an American TV show, will now be playing the leading baddie in a Hollywood feature film.

    If all goes well, PeeCee will be seen alongside Dwayne `The Rock’ Johnson and High School Musical’s Zac Efron in the big-screen adaptation of the popular TV show, ‘Baywatch’. Directed by Seth Gordon of ‘Horrible Bosses’ fame, the film is touted to be even more “badass” than the ’90s TV show which aired for 11 seasons and featured Pamela Anderson, David Hasselhoff, Jeremy Jackson and Michael Newman amongst others.

    The film will follow the lives of an elite and attractive group of life guards in California, centering on the leader played by Johnson. He is forced to team up with a hotshot Olympian, Efron, to save their beloved bay.

    In an interview with Mirror (October 6) from her second home in Montreal, where she is currently filming ‘Quantico’, PeeCee had revealed that she loves being the female Jason Bourne. “I’ve always been clear that I will only choose roles in the West that will match my Bollywood status,” she had asserted.

    A source close to the ‘Baywatch’ production informed Mirror that the idea was to sign an actress who could ace the red bikini. “She had to look sexy, stylish and complex. Priyanka has been approached to play the leading lady who, incidentally, is also the baddie. There is a scheduling conflict since she is filming Quantico and the show has been renewed for the second season. But the makers are keen to sign the Indian beauty,” adds the source.

    Anjula Acharia Bath, who represents Priyanka Chopra confirmed this, saying, “Yes, Priyanka Chopra is in talks to join Dwayne Johnson in Baywatch.”

    Source: TOI

  • India is 3rd Most Porn Watching Country In World

    India is 3rd Most Porn Watching Country In World

    In 2015, Indian government imposed a temporary ban on pornographic websites, but Indians remained one of the world’s biggest consumers of online porn. PornHub, one of the world’s largest adult websites, found India was its third biggest contributor to global traffic last year.

    When it comes to traffic worldwide, India came in third place with 9 minutes and thirty seconds of average time spent, one up from where it was in 2014. The USA and UK still occupy first and second place respectively.

    PornHub—in its third edition of the annual review—recorded 21.2 billion visits in 2015. That’s 40,000 visits every minute or 2.4 million per hour. And the average time spent on PornHub during each visit increased by four seconds—from 9 minutes 16 seconds to 9 minutes 20 seconds.

    porn stats for indiaThere’s a big difference in the numbers of porn-loving men and women in India, but the gap seems to be gradually closing in. From 26% in 2014, the proportion of women viewers spiked to 30% this year. That’s better than the 24% average proportion of female visitors worldwide. On the list of countries with the highest proportion of women visitors on PornHub, India ranked third.

    The most famous keyword in 2015 among Indians was “Indian.” And everything related to Indian, including bhabhi (sister-in-law), aunty, and teen. Gaining keywords are those that recorded the most spike in terms of searches. For India, that phrase was Indian bhabhi devar (Indian sister-in-law and brother-in-law).

    porn queensSunny Leone is an undisputed favourite among Indians. Even in 2014, she had emerged as the most searched pornstar. Lebanese-American porn model Mia Khalifa emerged as the second-most searched pornstar this year. After Leone and Khalifa, Lisa Ann ranked third among the most searched pornstars. Ann was at the second position last year. Across the globe, Kim Kardashian is the most searched for pornstar, followed by Khalifa, Ann, and Leone.

    porn stats1Across the world, there was a fall in traffic during holidays. In India, two festivals stood out in 2015—Ramadan (June 15), when the traffic from India fell 15%, and Raksha Bandhan (a holiday to show love for your siblings), when the traffic fell by 10%. On New Year’s Eve, too, traffic from India fell 21%. Globally, the fall was even bigger—at 44%. During Christmas, however, India saw a slight rise in traffic. On Christmas Eve, traffic from India increased 1% as against 39% dip worldwide. On Christmas Day, the traffic spiked 2% as against 18% drop globally.

  • Preach Your Wife About Country’s Prestige: Ram Madhav’s Dig At Aamir Khan

    Preach Your Wife About Country’s Prestige: Ram Madhav’s Dig At Aamir Khan

    BJP leader Ram Madhav on Thursday denounced actor Aamir Khan’s remarks on ‘intolerance’, saying he should not preach only to an auto-rickshaw driver about country’s prestige but also his wife.

    Madhav also said the government will ensure that in future no need arises for ‘award-wapasi’, and asserted that there will be no compromise on the security of the country’s borders and self respect.

    In an apparent dig at Khan, who recently courted controversy over his remarks on perceived intolerance in the country, Madhav said, “It will not work that you preach to an auto wallah how country’s prestige has to be saved but not tell the same to your own wife”.

    The Bollywood superstar was the ambassador for the government’s ‘Incredible India’ tourism campaign during the UPA regime. He ceased to be the mascot for the campaign as the contract for it expired.

    Madhav, who was addressing students at Delhi University’s SGBT Khalsa college, said “No one needs to return the awards, everyone will be taken care of but the country should be respected. The individuals should also take care of nation’s prestige.”

    “We are dedicated to the security of the country. We want good relations with our neighbours. But with regard to the security of the country’s borders and its self-respect, no compromise will be accepted … we will take care that no need arises to return awards years later,” he said.

    Maintaining that in articulation of dreams for the country sometimes one can be “politically incorrect” too, the BJP leader at the same time said, “We feel painful that we are living in such an atmosphere that we cannot see dreams, you cannot talk four good things about the country’s future as it has to be politically correct … it has to be secular …” Madhav said Swami Vivekananda had asserted in his address in Chicago that Indian’s not only tolerate but also “accept” and “validate”.

    “Every American citizen is respected because of his country’s image in the world. Similarly, we want to make India an honourable nation. Not that the honour of our citizens is not our concern … our main aim is to bring honour to India across the world.

    “There is no need of award wapsi. You do not safeguard your country like that. Every citizen should be respected here and if anything wrong happens, that will be taken care of,” he said.

    The BJP leader said ever since Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister, the image of the country has improved globally.

    “The Narendra Modi government is fighting decisive battle against poverty in the country. We are determined to eradicate this menace,” he said.

    Madhav further said both his party and the government advocate “development for all”, which is why the PM always endorses “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”.
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    He pointed out that the Centre’s initiatives on education and skill development will benefit 19 crore youths belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

    “Our goal is to ensure security, prosperity, respect and equality for every citizen of India. We are responsible to the people of India and our objective is to bring about a positive change in the country,” Madhav added.

  • India Out Of ‘Oscar’ Race; Here’s The Complete List Of Nominees

    India Out Of ‘Oscar’ Race; Here’s The Complete List Of Nominees

    Indian regional films — “Court”, “Jalam”, “RangiTaranga” and “Nachom-ia Kumpasar”, which were vying for a spot in different categories of the upcoming 88th Academy Awards, couldn’t make it to the nominations’ list of this year’s Oscars.

    India has never won an Oscar, even though “Mother India”, “Salaam Bombay!” and “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India” were nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category in different years.

    The nominees for the 88th Academy Awards were announced on Thursday by Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, actor John Krasinski and filmmakers Guillermo del Toro and Ang Lee.

    The 88th Oscars will be held on February 28 at the Dolby Theatre. Here’s the complete list for the 88th Academy Awards:

    BEST PICTURE

    • The Big Short
    • Bridge of Spies
    • Brooklyn
    • Mad Max: Fury Road
    • The Martian
    • The Revenant
    • Room
    • Spotlight

    BEST ACTOR

    • Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
    • Matt Damon, The Martian
    • Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
    • Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
    • Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

    BEST ACTRESS

    • Cate Blanchett, Carol
    • Brie Larson, Room
    • Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
    • Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
    • Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

    • Christian Bale, The Big Short
    • Tom Hardy, The Revenant
    • Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
    • Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
    • Sylvester Stallone, Creed

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

    • Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
    • Rooney Mara, Carol
    • Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
    • Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
    • Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

    DIRECTING

    • Adam McKay – The Big Short
    • George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
    • Alejandro G. Iñárritu – The Revenant
    • Lenny Abrahamson – Room
    • Tom McCarthy – Spotlight

    ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

    • Anomalisa
    • Boy and the World
    • Inside Out
    • Shaun the Sheep Movie
    • When Marnie Was There

    COSTUME DESIGN

    • Carol
    • Cinderella
    • The Danish Girl
    • Mad Max: Fury Road
    • The Revenant

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

    • Amy
    • Cartel Land
    • The Look of Silence
    • What Happened, Miss Simone?
    • Winter on Fire

    DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    • Body Team
    • Chau, Beyond the Lines
    • Claude Lanzmann
    • A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
    • Last Day of Freedom

    MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING

    • Mad Max: Fury Road
    • The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
    • The Revenant

    ORIGINAL SONG

    • “Earned It” – Fifty Shades of Grey
    • “Manta Ray” – Racing Extinction
    • “Simple Song #3″ – Youth
    • “Til It Happens to You” – The Hunting Ground
    • “Writing’s on the Wall” – Spectre

    ANIMATED SHORT

    • Bear Story
    • Prologue
    • Sanjay’s Super Team
    • We Can’t Live Without Cosmos
    • World of Tomorrow

    SOUND EDITING

    • Mad Max: Fury Road
    • Sicario
    • Star Wars: The Force Awakens
    • The Martian
    • The Revenant

    FILM EDITING

    • The Big Short
    • Mad Max: Fury Road
    • The Revenant
    • Spotlight
    • Star Wars: The Force Awakens

    FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

    • Embrace of the Serpent
    • Mustang
    • Son of Saul
    • Theeb
    • A War

    ORIGINAL SCORE

    • Bridge of Spies
    • Carol
    • The Hateful Eight
    • Sicario
    • Star Wars: The Force Awakens

    PRODUCTION DESIGN

    • Bridge of Spies
    • The Danish Girl
    • Mad Max: Fury Road
    • The Martian
    • The Revenant

    VISUAL EFFECTS

    • Ex Machina
    • Mad Max: Fury Road
    • The Martian
    • The Revenant
    • Star Wars: The Force Awakens

    ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

    • The Big Short
    • Brooklyn
    • Carol
    • The Martian
    • Room

    ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

    • Bridge of Spies
    • Ex Machina
    • Inside Out
    • Spotlight
    • Straight Outta Compton

    (With inputs from ABC News)

  • KATE WINSLET GIVES INSPIRING BODY IMAGE MESSAGE TO GIRLS

    KATE WINSLET GIVES INSPIRING BODY IMAGE MESSAGE TO GIRLS

    Kate Winslet may be a stunner at the award shows and celebrity events, but the actress says it is important for her to convey to girls that celebrities do not look pretty all the time. The 40-year-old ‘Steve Jobs’ star does not want young girls to get the wrong idea about the glamorous appearances stars make, reported E! online.

    “You know, we walk down red carpets. You know, it’s part of the job. But I think I feel very strongly that it’s important to also say to young girls that we don’t look like that all the time,” Winslet said.

    The actress, who tasted success with ‘Titanic’, said she was bullied as a child over her weight. “I was teased for how I looked. In part, yeah, because I was quite stocky as a child. And was very much teased for that,” she said.

  • BECOMING A MOTHER MAKES YOU STRONGER, SAYS JENNIFER LOPEZ

    BECOMING A MOTHER MAKES YOU STRONGER, SAYS JENNIFER LOPEZ

    Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez hates being away from her kids due to work and likes to make sure she has a video conversation with them whenever she gets time. The 46-year-old ‘Live It Up’ singer, who is a mother of seven-year-old twins Max and Emme, says she even take pictures of herself beside her children’s beds when they’re sleeping, reported E!online. “I am busy, and they know it. And they know part of their job is helping me get sleep. If I’m sleeping in, they’re very quiet, like, ‘Mummy needs to sleep! She worked late last night!’ We’re a team. Becoming a mum makes you stronger but also more gentle, especially with yourself–and that changes everything,” Lopez said.

    The sing-stress, who has been romantically linked to backing dancer Casper Smart, is focused on her career and children at the moment. “I need to be happy on my own. If someone fits into that, great. But if they don’t, that’s OK too.”

  • PREITY ZINTA ALL SET TO MAKE A COMEBACK

    PREITY ZINTA ALL SET TO MAKE A COMEBACK

    Bollywood’s sweetheart, Preity Zinta, had chosen to stay away from Bollywood after her movie, Love In Paris had a disastrous run at the box office and failed to impress the audience.

    Reportedly, the gorgeous actress is all set to make a comeback. According to reports, it seems that the actress, who is currently in Chicago, has been going through few scripts. A source was quoted saying that Preity has started reading scripts as she wants to face the camera again.

    She also has a few scripts which she wants to produce herself. The source further added that an official announcement will be made soon. We can’t wait to see the dimpled beauty returning to the silver screen.

  • KANGANA: WILL DO ONE FILM A YEAR FROM 2017

    KANGANA: WILL DO ONE FILM A YEAR FROM 2017

    For Kangana Ranaut, 2015 swung from one extreme to the other, from the applauded double role in the ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ to the disappointing ‘Katti Batti’. The actress is unfazed, pointing out that her life too has been like this. “It’s either overwhelming or under-whelming, there’s no middle ground,” she laughs.

    Kangana admits she’d expected ‘Tanu 2’ to do well but was a bit taken aback when it turned out to be one of the year’s top grossers. Similarly, she had not anticipated that ‘Katti Batti’, which she believed to be a good film, would crash. “Maybe people expected it to b my film and were disappointed to see so little of me. But I no longer have to prove that I can act in every film with a long screen time. In the past, I have successfully been a part of films like ‘Life In A… Metro’, ‘Fashion’ and ‘Krrish 3’ which didn’t revolve around me,” she argues.

    Kangana remembers Salim Khan telling her that in this industry few connect, and those who do shouldn’t fool around with their image and audience expectations. “He was speaking from experience. I’m just a decade old here and I still don’t understand what made Queen a phenomenon. But if I were to ever write a book it wouldn’t be on my achievements but on how to lose and not lose your mind,” she smiles.

    It’s the award season and suddenly, Datto Tanu is no longer top of the mind. Kangana is not surprised, reasoning that awards have become events and are all about song, dance, glamour and TRPs. “Technicians are being pushed to the 30th row while those whose work is not even relevant sit in the front rows. A few like the National Awards and Filmfare Awards are more respectful but the others are giving 10 awards in one category to 10 people. So when you carry the piece of metal home, you lose respect in your own eyes,” points out the actress, who has never played by the rules, shying away from special appearance songs, big setups with influential superstars and expected blockbusters.

    Her line-up for this year includes ‘Rangoon’, ‘Simran’ and ‘Rani Laxmibai’ with makers who have never followed the rule book. She’s filming Vishal Bhardwaj’s Casablanca-like love story, set against the Second World War, and confides that after the ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ sequel, in which she did the job of two actors, and the cancer patient in ‘Katti Batti’, she’d hoped that even though ‘Rangoon’ is a big film with larger-than-life characters, it would be easy for her as a woman in love with two men.

    “But Julia is extremely conflicted. It’s amazing how well Vishal sir understands a woman and it’s fulfilling to engage creatively with him. But while he is patient and collaborative on some days, he’s a hard taskmaster who knows what he wants and how to get it on other days. He’s demanding, drives everyone with his passion and keeps you on your toes. It’s turning out to be really draining,” she says.

    The pressure is unlikely to let up when she starts ‘Simran’ with Hansal Mehta, who is equally demanding, has a different sensibility and a subtle, universal language. It will demand a long stay in Gujarat for the girl from the mountains to imbibe the language and culture. “I want Simran to be real and raw, not a stereo typical Gujarati or a caricature.”

    There’s another “bone-breaking” film, Ketan Mehta’s biopic on Rani Laxmibai, who, for her, is one of the real heroes who are often ignored by an industry that keeps remaking inconsequential films. “At the age of 90, if I discovered a maker from another country had made a film on her I would die of shame. We need to take pride in our own culture. Besides, I feel a strange connect with this rebel with a cause. Growing up, I would join every strike and I believe if I had lived in pre-Independence India, I would be wearing khadi saris and marching in morchas,” Kangana laughs.

    TOI

  • PAY DISPARITY WASN’T SOMETHING I GOT UPSET ABOUT, SAYS JUHI CHAWLA

    PAY DISPARITY WASN’T SOMETHING I GOT UPSET ABOUT, SAYS JUHI CHAWLA

    The issue of pay disparity has become a rage in Bollywood now, but actress Juhi Chawla says she never got upset about the wage inequality and “accepted” that her male counterparts would get more than her.

    Actresses like Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Kangana Ranaut and Anushka Sharma have openly slammed the Hindi film industry for pay disparity.

    The 48-year-old ‘Yess Boss’ actress, who ruled Bollywood during the ’90s, feels the issue has always been there and it won’t be resolved anytime soon. “Pay disparity has always been there. It was there during our times too. There was no problem. It wasn’t something I got upset about. We just accepted that the male actors would get more than us. But it is alright… And it is pretty much the same now,” Juhi told PTI.

    When asked if it is high time, the pay gap should be reduced, the actress said, “Even if I feel that way, I don’t see it going away easily. It won’t go overnight. The only difference is that today’s actors earn more than what we used to get and similarly the future actors will get even more.”

    The last few years have seen women-centric films getting prominence with movies like ‘Queen’, ‘Tanu Weds Manu’, ‘Mary Kom’ and ‘Piku’ among others winning big at the box-office. Juhi, who was last seen in female-centric drama ‘Gulab Gang’, however, feels the trend is not new.

    “I think you can name a few such films but then 300 movies get made in a year, so, seven-eight will have something substantial for girls to do. It has been happening on and off. During our times also… Maybe I did not do those things, I was more into mainstream stuff but Madhuri did ‘Mrityudand’, Manisha did ‘Khamoshi’.

    “So, there have been such movies but the ratio is just 5 per cent, rest are hero-oriented. Actresses like Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi were making their mark then and had substance in their characters. The inequality still exists,” she said. It is perhaps this “dearth” of good scripts that forces Juhi to take long breaks between signing different projects. Also, the actress thinks she cannot “fit” into every role now and there are only certain roles, which she can do.

    She will next be seen in ‘Chalk n Duster’, a film highlighting problem of teachers and students. Juhi, who plays a teacher in the movie, said she found its story relevant and engaging. “I really liked the script. I kept reading it through the end and I feel if it kept me engaged it would keep the audience hooked to. The film is about commercialization of education, which I see happening in a lot of places. It is also about how we forget our teachers, who have taught us so much in life.”

    Working on ‘Chalk n Duster’ was special for Juhi also because she shared screen space with Shabana Azmi. The actress said she was amazed to see Shabana’s way of working and her observational skills.

  • Priyanka Chopra: Indian actress wins People’s Choice Award

    Priyanka Chopra: Indian actress wins People’s Choice Award

    MUMBAI (TIP: Indian actress Priyanka Chopra has become the first South Asian actress to win a People’s Choice Award. Chopra won the “favorite actress in a new TV series” award for her role as an FBI agent in the US thriller Quantico.

    Other actresses nominated for the award included Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele and Marcia Gay Harden.

    Chopra tweeted an image of herself with the award, thanking fans for voting for her and said she was “fortunate”. Chopra also presented the award for favorite action movie to Furious 7, along with actor John Stamos. Other winners at the awards include pop stars Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, and Jim Parsons from The Big Bang Theory.

    Chopra’s win has pushed #PeoplesChoiceAwards, which is not followed widely in India, to the top of Twitter trends in the country.