Author: #TIPEntertainment

Actress Sonakshi Sinha, who is currently shooting for her film “Akira”, says she has broken her own record by reaching the set very early.

The “Dabangg” actress, who is also judging the TV show “Indian Idol Junior” took to Twitter and seemed ecstatic as she reached the set 20 minutes early when nobody was present.

“Breaking my own records! Was up to reach shoot at 7:30 and here I am 20 minutes earlier. Not another soul on set. Reached Thane in 30 minutes,” Sonakshi tweeted on Tuesday.

Being produced by Fox Star Studios, “Akira” is a thriller directed by A.R. Murugadoss.

The film is the Hindi remake of 2011 Tamil hit “Mounaguru” and also stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Anurag Kashyap and Shatrughan Sinha.

Akira” marks Murugadoss’s third Hindi venture after back-to-back hits “Ghajini” and “Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty”

Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut says she is single and is in no mood to enter into a relationship as she is primarily committed to her work.

In the past, the national award winning actress was reportedly in a relationship with actor Aditya Pancholi and Adhayan Suman. There were rumours of link up with other actors too. “I don’t have anyone in my life as of now. I am single.. (but) I am not open to dating because I am committed to my films and roles. Relationship is a lot of work. I don’t want to be unfair to someone,” Kangana said in an interview.

When asked about the link-up rumors, Kangana chose to duck the question. She thinks it is essential to nurture and invest time in a relationship.

“Relationship is like a baby and you need to take care of it. I have been in a situations when one is busy and other person feels ignored and the relationship turns bitter. You feel the person is demanding and as a woman you feel you are not respected. If you are working round-the-clock what you are hoping to do with the relationship… it will die and you will regret,” she said. There are quite a few B-town celebrities who go for live-in relationships. But the 28-year-old actress thinks it is overrated.

“I think live-in relationships are overrated. There are marriages that are crumbling.. So I don’t have anything great to say about it. At some point, I would like to settle down,” Kangana said. The Queen star is busy with three projects — Vishal Bharadwaj’s Rangoon, Rani Laxmibai project with Ketan Mehta, and a film with Hansal Mehta. “Today, I am targeted ….People are targeting my project, my position… I don’t want to become a soft target after these two three films I can take things easily,” she said.

NEW YORK CITY (TIP): ZEE TV, along with 1947 media is bringing the biggest Ganesh celebration in America, spanning for 5 days, with over 150,000 people in attendance from all over North America.

For the second year in succession, ZEE is organizing this spectacular festival. In its first year, the event was a huge success, attracting nearly 97,000 people. Held on 10 acres of open ground in Edison New Jersey, also known as Little India, last year’s event attracted one of the most diverse crowds, with 25% Gujarati, 25% Telugu, 25% Punjabi, 10% Marathi, 5% Tamil, 5% Bengali, and 5%of various other backgrounds. Apart from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, attendees traveled all the way from Canada, Washington D.C., Virginia, Illinois, and even New England States.

The celebration this year will begin on September 17th, which is the day of Ganesh Chaturthi (Sthapana), and will take place until September 21st, which will be the visarjan. This is North America’s very first and biggest Sarvajanik (Community) Ganesh Utsav.

The idea is for people to experience the same celebrations, as they would in India. A few highlights in store for Ganesh Utsav will include; all day performances by contestants from DID North America, DID Super Moms, SRGMP winners, and appearances by some of the biggest TV stars.

To top it all, we are proud to welcome the lead star cast of one of the most anticipated Bollywood films, Jazbaa, with the one and only Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in attendance!Not only will she be present at the event to interact with fans, but to also seek blessings!

Sameer Targe, GM of Asia TV USA says, “When we decided to enter the events space, we saw an obvious need to fill gaps towards events that are fun, and have something in store for everyone. Ganesh Utsav is a celebration that connects our community. Most importantly, we want for all Indians, especially 2nd and 3rd generation Indian Americans to experience what a Lal Bagh ka Raja feels like. We want them to experience how the Ganpati festival is celebrated in India, which is what we are bringing here, right in America!”

Piraan Erachshaw, President of 1947 Production and Entertainment says, “In partnership with ZEE TV, we are proud to successfully bring one of India’s favorite festivals to life for the very first time in the USA. The entire South Asian community will be able to experience the event in person instead of just viewing it digitally or on TV”

About 1947

1947 Production and Entertainment, Inc is an event management and production company. Whether a dance show, music video production, an onstage spectacle or a complicated concert tour, they combine their ingenious flair, logistical precision and advanced technical skills to create an impressive result. Their attention to detail is legendary and evident in every element of each event. Ganesh Utsav 2014 (their home production) in Edison, New Jersey was nothing short of exceptional. Their massive global audiences were wowed by their concentrated efforts of bringing one of India’s favorites festivals to life in the USA for the very first time. Their clients have quoted, that they can transform the ordinary into the exceptional every time and that their strategic approach ensures there’s impact long before an event begin and long after it has ended.

About Jazbaa

Riding high on the unique casting of global celebrity icons Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Irrfan, Jazbaa is a high-octane entertaining action thriller revolving around the two lead protagonists race against time. The film also stars Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Atul Kulkarni, Sidharth Kapoor in pivotal roles. Jazbaa directed by Sanjay Gupta and produced by ZEE’s Esselvision Studios, Viiking Venture and White Feather Films is set to hit the theaters on 9th October 2015 worldwide.

National Award Winning actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is happy that the audience has finally accepted him in a lead role with the success of his latest film “Manjhi: The Mountain Man” and is all over the moon these days with all the praises from the audience.

The film was based on the life of Dashrath Manjhi, a poor labourer in Gehlaur village (Bihar), who carved a path through a mountain with only a hammer and chisel in his wife’s memory.

Though the film leaked online just days before the release, Nawaz said people still turned up to watch it in theatres. “It feels really nice to get a central character in a film. But in our industry, there is a belief that your solo lead films should register well at the box-office. The film leaked and CDs were sold and still the movie made good enough money at the box-office.”

In the upcoming releases for the actor; “Raees” will see the actor sharing screen space with Shah Rukh for the first time. Nawazuddin, who has earlier worked with both Aamir and Salman Khan, is all praise for the “Chennai Express” star. “First schedule is complete. I shot with Shah Rukh and I had an amazing experience working with him. I really enjoyed shooting with him.” When asked to comment on the reports that he is playing Pakistani actress Mahira Khan’s husband in the film and his character has grey shades, Nawazuddin said, “I haven’t heard of any such thing. I play a cop in the film. I can’t divulge much about the movie.”

Another movie in production “Haramkhor” tells a sensitive tale of a relationship between a teacher (Nawazuddin) and his student (Shweta) based on an incident from Shlok’s life. “The film is based on reality. Shlok has a great command over story, how teachers and students behave… because this incident happened in his life. He has witnessed something like this and I am very happy that I am bringing it on screen,” Nawazuddin said.

The actor who was all present yesterday, September 2, at a suburban hotel in Mumbai at the film’s success bash, was asked by media about his upcoming project with Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

The talented actor said, “We haven’t started the project yet. It is in its premature stage. But I will soon be working with Mr. Bachchan.”

Phantom, is a spy thriller, that is based on Hussain Zaidi’s book Mumbai Avengers. Picking up from the post-26/11 scenario, where the Indian Government’s diplomatic policy wasn’t in favour of retribution for the brutal attacks on Mumbai, the film narrates a fictionalised story of how a former army officer is sent off on a ghost mission to kill the prime masterminds of the attack.

STORY: A Phantom-like vigilante is surreptitiously chosen by RAW officers to bring the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to book.

REVIEW: A shamed army officer, Daniyal Khan (Saif) is living a life of anonymity. Court-martialed because evidence points out that he was not with his team when the enemy attacked, he yearns to earn his stripes back. As it so happens, there is a covert intelligence group, who is seething that the Centre has not been able to avenge the 26/11 Mumbai carnage.

They know permissions from official quarters will not come. So, they just take it upon themselves to launch a `punish-those-terrorists’ movement. After all, like one young officer (Zeeshan Ayub) says, 10 audacious guys from across the border did bring Mumbai to her knees on that fateful night in 2008, killing 166 people.

So Daniyal is despatched across continents to find the fanatic four who plotted 26/11. They even whisper to him that, he can `accidentally’ kill .

Based on the book, Mumbai Avengers by Hussain Zaidi, Kabir Khan, fresh from the super-success of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, doesn’t extend a hand of friendship to our neighbouring country in this one. Instead, he is clear that if they house the Laskhar-e-Taiba or allow militants like Haris Saeed (the cinema-counterpart of Hafiz Saeed) then the blood-thirsty Indian will take revenge.

To add glamour, Daniyal is accompanied by Nawaz Mistry (Katrina) who works on special assignments for Indian intelligence from London.

As the prologue says, the Taj Mahal Hotel at Apollo Bunder, blown up that fateful night has a new facade now. But our hearts are still bleeding. Yet, we’re a passive country that lamely does things like refusing to play cricket with Pakistan, rather than go in for a frontal attack.

As cinema, this thriller is over-simplified, though the gloss adds to the large-screen appeal. Saif is adept; Kat is pretty appealing (pun on the pretty because her make-up is intact even in the battlefield). Zeeshan and his jingoism in the climax gives you that proud-India moment. And, if you’re still licking the wounds of that senseless Mumbai massacre, then  Phantom is the balm you should reach out for.

TIP September 3: According to media reports, in a controversial statement, senior CPI leader Atul Anjan has accused Sunny Leone’s condom advertisements for the rising number of rape cases in India.

The report further stated that in a video, the leader was quoted saying that a woman named Sunny Leone has worked in a number of porn films and was made an actress by director Mahesh Bhatt.

The leader further said how pathetic it was for him to see one of her porn films for the first time in his life and he further claimed that her condom campaigns were the main reason behind the rising rape cases in the country.

This is not the first time that Sunny Leone has been accused of something like this. Earlier too, leader of Sri Ram Sena, Pramod Muthalik said the actress should be deported back.

CPI leader Atul Anjan earlier today, said that “Sunny Leone’s condom advertisements are vulgar and he would continue to oppose them”.

The CPI leader added that he is not anti-condom, but the language used in the advertisement is not right.

Atul Anjan, however, apologized to the supporters of Sunny Leone for his controversial remark.

“I apologize but I don’t stand for such ads,” Anjan said.

He further stated that the NDA government should look into the matter and try to stop the broadcast of these advertisements.

Kangana Ranaut ‘s next film Rangoon is with Vishal Bhardwaj and it will go on floors in October. One hears that the actress will flaunt a pixie cut in the film.

The look test for the movie was done a few days back at a popular suburban film studio and a source from the set informed us that the actress will sport a short-hair look in the period drama, which also stars Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles alongside her. The action-heavy movie will be set against the backdrop of the Second World War Burma.

The first trailer of Bollywood diva Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s much-awaited film “Jazbaa” was unveiled.

The two-minute-31-second clip with a dark and intense tone features Aishwarya in the role of a lawyer racing against time to save her daughter.

Irrfan Khan, who is working for the first time with 41-year-old actress, will essay the role of a cool cop, mouthing cheeky one liners.

Director Sanjay Gupta shared the trailer on his Twitter account after series of unedited pictures from the sets.Aishwarya is making her Bollywood comeback after a gap of five years. She was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish (2010).

Her actor husband Abhishek Bachchan and close friend Karan Johar were among others to post the link on the micro-blogging site.

“Garma garmi shuru….. @JazbaaFilm https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature =youtu.be&v=nx7z1enCLWs…, ” Irrfan tweeted the link.

Also featuring veteran actress Shabana Azmi and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles, Jazbaa is set to hit theatres on October 9.

STORY: Prize-fighters David and Monty are bitterly estranged  brothers – who wins when they face each other in the ring?

REVIEW: So, Brothers is essentially Akshay Kumar’s triumph, with some knock-out moments – and a few punches that fall flat. Gary Fernandes (Jackie) is a prize-fighter married to Maria (Shefali). They have one son, David (Akshay) – and then, Monty (Siddharth), born from Gary’s extra-marital affair, appears.An old school potboiler where self-sacrificing mother is the cause of fire, Brothers simmers with emotion and action in a new shiny pan. When one becomes the pivot for the other, results are often whistle-inducing. Here director Karan Malhotra egged on by trainer Karan Johar provides enough kicks to keep the galleries in the game.

An adaptation of Warriors, Karan draws heavily from Gavin O’Connors’ film but ultimately he manages to place his own beast in the ring. It is full of clichés that we associate with this kind of blood fest but both the emotional and physical fights are skilfully staged so that you can’t punch the film into the mocking corner. It reminds of Apne. In fact, one smirks when one of the big names in the ring is called Luca. Remember it took the whole Deol family to outwit him. Here the emotions are more internalised and the fights are more stylised and realistic.

Monty’s mother passing on, the boy has nowhere to go. After turmoil, Maria accepts him into their home. David becomes Monty’s protective big brother – but relationships shatter when Gary’s drinking causes a tragic accident. The brothers bitterly split – only to face each other in a prize-fight years later.

Who wins this battle over body, soul – and memories?

Brothers features Akshay Kumar in one of his best roles. Sans his trademark twinkle, Akshay is grimly severe here, using tense muscles and intense silences rather than Gabbar Is Back-style bombast. With greying hair and soft, sad eyes, Akshay carries Brothers on his shoulders, meriting applause for a vulnerable, memorable performance.

The other performances are weaker.

Siddharth Malhotra remains an enigma wrapped in a mystery, with few dialogues and limited expressions. The lack of fire in Siddharth’s Monty just doesn’t build up a sense of furious clash – instead, it makes the brothers’ face-off curiously flat.

In contrast, Jackie Shroff’s Gary melodramatically blusters around, first soaked in boozy arrogance, then weeping wretchedness, but neither grips. As David’s wife Jenny, Jacqueline’s pretty but inconsistent, resembling the script which mentions David and Jenny have three jobs each, but shows us one out of six.

The cameos work better. In a brittle little role, Shefali conveys trembling, conflicted emotions while Ashutosh Rana as a cheeky manager and Kiran Kumar, as a martial arts promoter covered in mystery and cigar smoke, pad this drama well.

On the plus side, Brothers adapts Hollywood hit Warrior with a Bollywood beat. The script builds a powerful contrast between a bleak first half and a lively second. Following brothers-mothers movies like Deewar, Brothers revisits Bollywood’s ‘Ma’ obsession, offering action, adrenalin and abs too.

However, its angst could have hit a much harder punch – for when blood sours, it explodes.

But Brothers, despite mouthing, ‘Har sport mein thora drama toh hota hai’, only skims that dramatic surface. It could’ve dived in deeper.

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who will be next seen in action-drama film
“Brothers”, says she is keen on doing a full fledged action role.

Her co-stars in the Karan Malhotra movie, Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra, have done hard core action sequences in the film. “I felt so left out. I was sitting at home and all these guys were doing action. I am a sports buff and I have athletic personality. I have been dying to do action (film) for a long time. Hopefully, I will be able to do one soon,” Jacqueline told .

The “Kick” actress said she yearns to do an action film as she thinks it is empowering to see women essaying such roles on-screen.

“Action is my favorite thing to do in cinema and I think it is so empowering when you see a women doing it. As very rarely you get to see it. We have such great and strong women in the industry who can pull off as action heroines,” the 30-year-old actress said.

“With good script and character, I would like to tap into that (action film),” she added.

One can recollect that Jacqueline was offered the role of ‘Kaya’ in Hrithik Roshan’s Krrish 3. Later, it was done by actress Kangana Ranaut. “That was my one opportunity to do action but I missed it,” she said. In Brothers, which is a story of two estranged brothers, Jacqueline has an interesting role, which is a crucial part of the storyline. “The film is about two brothers but unless you know their back story you won’t be able to feel for their motive behind what they are doing. For me, Jenny (her character) and Jackie Shroff’s character (who plays the role of a father) get an insight into their lives,” Jacqueline said.

“It is a very challenging character. In the film, I am in a huge dilemma in life as my daughter is dying and we as a family can’t afford to pay for her treatment. We are afraid of losing her and I am afraid of losing my husband,” she said. Jacqueline thinks the audiences will be able to relate to her character as it deals with real life situations.

Superstar Salman Khan says the love he has got from the audience for his latest release Bajrangi Bhaijaan is his national award.

His co-star Kareena Kapoor recently said in an interview that she feels Salman might get the coveted recognition for his work in the superhit movie. “It is sweet of people to say that (National Award). I think there are a lot of other people who deserve national award than me. I appreciate that. People have loved the film …watched it three four times.. that is the national award for me,” Salman said.

On his acting skills being lauded, Salman says, “I haven’t considered myself as a star or actor. This is my badappan (modesty).” The 49-year-old actor is elated with the response to the film. “There was a feeling that it would do well. We did expect that people would appreciate the film… and we got to know that we were on the same wave length. Whenever we make films on India-Pakistan, we deal with army and terrorists. We have never shown the normal side of people in both the countries. We were dealing with humanity and people have liked that,” he said.

STORY: Two individuals are brainwashed by their gurus into becoming suicide bombers, with their mission being that of blowing up a gathering of religious leaders from all over the globe. Their journey has several twists and turns.

REVIEW: The basic premise of Bangistan is interesting in itself. This quirky comedy tells you the simple story of two naive men, willing to go to any length for their respective faiths.

Action kick-starts in North and South Bangistan, a fictitious but beauteous land where opposing faiths, the Muslims and the Hindus, have their headquarters. A voice over informs you in a tongue-in-cheek fashion that bombs go off here at the least provocation, hence the place is aptly named Bangistan.

Hafeez (Riteish) works in a BPO and speaks chaste English with an American accent (hilarious). On the South side of this mountain town is Praveen(Pulkit), who is the Hanuman of the local Ram-Lila. Both Hafeez and Praveen are impressionable so their sects choose them for a special mission. They are told that to show reverence to Allah and Bhagwan, they must destroy people from the opposite faiths. When the opportunity to accomplish their objective, albeit without raising any suspicion, presents itself at a religious conference scheduled in Poland, the men set off of on their journey. They prepare for D-day at Wilfred’s rooming house in Krakow. Lodged one floor above the other, the simpletons discover that they more inclined to be friends than foes. And that’s where their moral dilemma actually starts. The charming bartender (Jaqueline) at the lodge is also someone the two of them take a shine to. Songs are sung and merriment is had, giving this satire the required light-hearted touch. The director, who wishes to depict the futility of war fought in the name of God and religion, stays on track. Despite the dry choice of subject, Bangistan makes valiant attempts to keep the humour alive during its two-hour running time.

The characters of Riteish and Pulkit, who do not have a single mean bone in their bodies, are convincing as the Dumb and Dumber combo; blundering bumpkins who are a misfit on a terror journey.

Deepika Padukone, who is currently spending quality time with her family, has her phone buzzing non-stop!

The actress, who barely gets time with her family, usually disconnects from her work to be with family. But she is having a hard time with her phone. Reason being, Deepika is getting constant congratulatory messages from all her friends, fans and family for the recently released teaser trailer of Bajirao Mastani.

Deepika, who will be featuring in an never seen before avatar, is getting calls and messages from across to wish her on the first look of the film! The actress is looking breathtaking in the sneak peek of the film and the audience just can’t seem to get enough!

Deepika is seen performing some glaring fight scenes and it has definitely intrigued the audience and her fans to a whole new level!

The Banglore beauty has always stunned the audience with back to back stellar performances in her films like Cocktail, Chennai Express and Piku to name a few.

In her upcoming film, Deepika has embraced a new look altogether. The film that also features Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra is all set to release on December 25, during Christmas Eve!

A spokesperson confirms the news and adds,

“Friends and fans are reaching out to Deepika to express their liking and congratulating her for the first look of the film and the glimpse of hers that was revealed in the teaser.”

STORY: Masaan, a desolate place, follows two heart-breaking tales; that of Devi whose life is condemned after she is caught in the act. And that of a lower-caste boy Deepak, who falls in love with an upper-caste girl. Will Devi and Deepak respectively find the rainbow at the end of the tunnel?

CAST: Richa Chadda, Sanjay Mishra, Vicky Kaushal, Shweta Tripathi
DIRECTION: Neeraj Ghaywan
DURATION: 1 hour 49 minutes

REVIEW: It is in Banaras where Sanskrit Pandit(Sanjay Mishra) and his student-daughter, Devi(Richa) lead an innocuous existence. Richa’s curiosity to know more about the bees and the birds has her checking into a seedy lodge for a rendezvous with college friend Piyush Agarwal (Saurabh Chaudhary). However, their sexapade ends abruptly because a badass cop (Bhagwan Tiwari) raids the place and blackmails them.

Fear of notoriety forces Piyush to seek an easy way out. However, Devi and her father are hapless victims. The parallel track shows Deepak (Vicky Kaushal), a youngster from the untouchable Dom caste. Though he’s a super-bright student, he can’t help feeling marginalised because like his father and elder brother, he too is forced to work on the Ghats of the Ganges,burning funeral pyres. Deepak’s world lights up when he falls for Shaalu (Shweta Tripathi). This couple steal passionate kisses below the Peepal tree and though they fear that the caste-system could divide them; they nurse starry-eyed dreams.

Masaan, an Indo-French collaboration that won accolades at Cannes earlier on in May, has adept story-telling by Neeraj Ghaywan, a Anurag Kashyap alumni. The film unspools in an unhurried manner, occasionally tugging hard at your heartstrings. The urgency with which youngsters from India’s heartland feel the need to discover Facebook, forbidden fruit and freedom has been captured well.

The performances of the entire cast including that of the child actor Nikhil Sahni are praiseworthy. Masaan has pure desi magic woven in.