Tag: Bollywood

Bollywood actress Richa Chaddha has come up with befitting replies to those who trolled her on Twitter after she answered a question about cultural similarities with Pakistactor Fawad Khan at the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne. Twitterati described the ‘Fukre’ actress as a ‘bimbo’ and ‘dimwit’. Richa refused to take the unnecessary bashing.

“So, a bollywood bimbette @RichaChadha_ says she has more in common with a Muslim Pakistani than a Tam Brahm. Hahaha,” tweeted a hater.

The 29-year-old actress in a reply said, “Thanks. Bimbette is a first for me. Thank you so much.”

Another wrote, “No self respecting South Indian or any other Indian should watch this filth making industry Brothelwood.”

“Bollywood starlet – I’ve far more in common with Fawad coz I am from North India.. than i’ll have with tambrahm or malayali or NE India,” read another tweet.

The tiff was triggered when a journo at the IIFM asked the Bollywood heartthrob about cultural disparities between India and Pakistan film industries. The 29-year-old actress immediately rose to Fawad’s defence, saying, “I would like to answer that. Sorry, I am cutting in! You know we were colonised by the British for a really long time. It’s a part of the… I am sorry if I am offending anybody here, but if you look at the worldwide history, every time the British left an empire they divided it. Whether it was North Korea or South Korea, then there was Germany. It is a part of the strategy to keep political unrest to sort of maintain a global kind, I am sorry but your question to me doesn’t make sense because I will have far more in common with Fawad because I am from the North of India than I will have with somebody who is a Tambrahm or maybe Malayali or from the Northeast. I think we should avoid stereotyping in questions or creating some kind of contradiction here because the whole intent and especially art doesn’t really have any borders.”

Some people also took offence by pointing out historical errors in her comment about British colonisation. Richa is currently waiting for the release of the Pooja Bhatt directed film ‘Cabaret’. Source: ANI

After enthralling the audience with their duet performance at the Dream Team tour in the US, Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif and Varun Dhawan may also be seen doing a project together. According to a leading tabloid, the 33-year-old actress will be see grooving with Varun in the third outing of the dance drama flick ‘ABCD 3’. They will not just be dancing together but the duo will also be seen romancing on screen, according to reports.

While there has been no confirmation yet from either the director or the producer, the chemistry between the two at Dream Team tour certainly hinted in favour of the report.On a related note, Katrina will next be seen opposite Sidhartha Malhotra in ‘Baar Baar Dekho’ while Varun will be seen alongside Alia Bhatt and Pankaj Kapoor in romantic drama ‘Shudhi’.

STORY: Rustom Pavri (Akshay Kumar), an honourable officer of the Indian Navy shoots his friend Vikram (Arjan Bajwa) to death after discovering that his wife Cynthia (Ileana D’Cruz) had an affair with the rich businessman. The Commander surrenders himself to the Police immediately and admits to have killed Vikram but pleads ‘not guilty’ in court. Is he convicted or acquitted?

REVIEW: Though the climax has been smartly fictionalised, this courtroom drama is essentially based on the real life of Naval officer K?M Nanavati, who in 1959, shot and killed his wife’s lover. The subsequent trial was one of India’s most sensational court cases.

Coming to the film, Rustom has a cracker of a beginning. Without wasting any time, the director comes straight to the point. He takes us quickly through the circumstances in which Rustom shoots Vikram and the trial begins.

Akshay Kumar is the backbone of Rustom. The Khiladi renders one of the most understated performances of his career, proving yet again that he can play a range of diverse roles with aplomb. The plot is interesting if not engaging.

However, Rustom lacks the unnerving tension exuded by well made courtroom dramas like A Few Good Men (1992). It is not the gripping thriller one expects it to be, given the controversial case it’s based on. It tries to unfold like a whodunnit, and falters in its execution.

Tinu Suresh Desai’s melodramatic direction struggles to maintain momentum. It lacks subtlety and is reminiscent of a languid Television daily soap, replete with a jarring background score, cliched dialogues and mandatory close-up shots of every character at regular intervals. While Ileana is perfectly cast, Esha Gupta’s inappropriate outfits and over-the-top acting evokes laughter. Arjan Bajwa plays a rich Sindhi guy here, just the way he played a rich Parsi guy in Guru. The art direction is mediocre as well.

To cut to the chase, despite its multiple flaws, Rustom can be watched for Akshay Kumar, whose action/comic brilliance often overshadows his acting prowess. He reminds you to value the honest officers who serve our country with dignity and valour. He makes you want to support the man who probably did the right thing the wrong way.

She made her big screen debut seven years ago and Jacqueline Fernandez says she is a much more confident actress today and feels ready to take up challenging roles. The actress first appeared in Sujoy Ghosh’s fantasy drama ‘Aladin’ before bagging her breakthrough role in Mohit Suri’s psychological thriller ‘Murder 2’. “I am a more confident actress today. The change is definitely inevitable. It needs to be there, you need to grow. So that’s why I am looking forward to a lot more challenging roles today than ever before,” Jacqueline told PTI. The 31-year old actress has worked in big films like ‘Race 2’, ‘Brothers’, ‘Housefull 3’ and the Salman Khan starrer- ‘Kick’. Asked if directors have not tapped her full potential as an actress, Jacqueline said, “Possibly yes. I don’t know if directors haven’t tapped into it but maybe, I wasn’t ready before. Now I do feel ready to take on more challenging stuff. Earlier, I think I probably had not given enough (in my roles) because I wasn’t ready for them.”

The actress, who recently starred in ‘Dishoom’ is set for her next, ‘A Flying Jatt’. Jacqueline feels her perspective towards the craft of acting has changed and she is willing to contribute a lot more than what she used to earlier. “Now, the kind of roles I do and the films I take on, I look at them in a different way. The perspective has definitely changed. I am enjoying the process. So from now on, I will give them a lot more so then it helps even the directors a lot.” ‘A Flying Jatt’ will feature Jacqueline as the love interest to Tiger Shroff’s character of a superhero. The Remo D’Souza-directed superhero-action movie is scheduled to release on August 25.

The Leena Yadav-directed Parched has been getting rave reviews and winning awards on the international festival circuit. But on Sunday, the dusty drama revolving around three women in a remote village in Gujarat who break free of century-old traditions which have kept them locked in servitude was making news for a different reason after two lovemaking sequences featuring Radhika Apte emerged online.

One of them showed the expanse of her bare back as she locks lips, while the other featured frontal nudity. The makers had planned to blur out the latter for the film’s theatrical release in India. Them going viral come as a rude shock.

Producer Aseem Bajaj was unaware of the incident and when informed said he may approach the cyber cell of the Mumbai police to have them removed. “I don’t think the leak happened in India.

The film has released in the US and France and its possible someone uploaded them from there. The scenes are not sensational or titillating in any way. But in our country while rape videos are available freely, sex is still considered taboo so we had planned to blur out the breasts.

Radhika plays a woman who has been beaten up all her life and is yearning for a loving touch,” he informs.

The producer goes on to add that there was never any intention to objectify the actress. “She’s like my sister, we did not set out to exploit her in any way. This kind of attitude stems from the way people view such scenes. I didn’t see men in the US and France `getting excited’.

We haven’t sent the film to the Indian censors yet but I am confident the CBFC will understand the thought behind them and agree that they are integral to the narrative. We are not ashamed of these scenes.”

STORY: Star Indian cricketer Viraj is kidnapped. Can top cop Kabir and aide Junaid find Viraj – and his kidnapper?

Just before an India-Pakistan cricket face-off in the Middle East, top Indian batsman Viraj (Saqib) is kidnapped. India’s external affairs minister, sporting a big bindi, receives a video with a Pakistani kidnapper threatening to kill Viraj. Muttering ‘Is news se dange ho sakte hain’, Ms. MEA sends in India’s secret weapon -surly, chain-smoking top-cop Kabir (John), assisted by Junaid (Varun). Kabir and Junaid find Ishika (Jacqueline), a hot chor, and several suspicious characters including cricket aficionado Wagah (Akshaye) and rock-faced Rahul Dev, playing Altaf from ‘Abudhin’, a nation of tigers and terrorists.

Just before an India-Pakistan cricket face-off in the Middle East, top Indian batsman Viraj (Saqib) is kidnapped. India’s external affairs minister, sporting a big bindi, receives a video with a Pakistani kidnapper threatening to kill Viraj. Muttering ‘Is news se dange ho sakte hain’, Ms. MEA sends in India’s secret weapon -surly, chain-smoking top-cop Kabir (John), assisted by Junaid (Varun). Kabir and Junaid find Ishika (Jacqueline), a hot chor, and several suspicious characters including cricket aficionado Wagah (Akshaye) and rock-faced Rahul Dev, playing Altaf from ‘Abudhin’, a nation of tigers and terrorists.

Not that there are too many nail-biters – with its careening plot, Dishoom doesn’t fulfil the promise of a taut thriller but its mad, zany moments make up with entertainment. The film evokes 1990s hits, from Main Khiladi Tu Anari to Govinda’s many friendly leers -presenting a new-age masala movie, full of choppers, chummas, cheetas, cheese-bhara lines and spicy dishooms.

Plus crazy cameos, including Nargis Fakhri sizzling in a bikini and Vijay Raaz as a dusty khabri who got the Americans ‘Osama ka address, doodhwale se’. The cameo that really smashes it is Akshay Kumar as ‘party animal Sameer’, who murmurs silkily to the cops,
“Kyun kiya bang bang? Humein hinsa se sakt nafrat hai,”, demanding they strip to their “shots” (hilariously matching peach numbers), sporting a pout, man-bun and wicked winks with sweet-sour swagger. Saqib’s competent while Akshaye has fun but for an actor of his ability, could’ve been sharper.

As could the entire film. If Dishoom had less fantasy -Abudhin lies somewhere between Game of Thrones and Prince of Persia – and more focus, it would be a leaner, meaner movie. Instead, it fleetingly evokes ISIS, Yazidi slaves, hooded hostages, but then rushes back to the domestic comforts of item numbers, pet dogs and ministers who say, “Call a press conference – the world needs to know.”

But as an entertainer, Dishoom delivers. If you’re good with laughter, not logic, Dishoom is actually two much fun.

After a series of blockbusters, there is no doubt that Deepika Padukone is the Numero Uno actress today and has got the midas touch. No wonder the filmmakers are ready to pay her a bomb and the latest to join the bandwagon is her most favourite director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who, as per reports, has paid Deepika an unbelievable fee of approximately Rs 13 crore.

Yes, you read that right! And if that happens to be true then that makes Deepika the highest paid actress of Indian cinema ever. We told you yesterday how Bhansali was miffed with the reports of Deepika being paid a whopping Rs 11 crore for ‘Padmavati’ have been doing the rounds.

The director reportedly even had a word with the actress asking her to keep mum about money matters. However, the latest news might just add to Bhansali’s woes. On one hand, while the director doesn’t like details of his monetary deals with his actors getting leaked in the media, on the other, the latest reports suggest a bigger and a fatter pay cheque that Deepika would be taking back home for her role of Queen Padmavati.

Over to you Mr Bhansali!

Kangana Ranaut, who has begun working on her new film, is getting plenty of compliments for her new look — with her curly hair chopped short for the role. But the actress is in a bit of a dilemma.

While her stylists are loving her new chic look, apparently the people behind the brands she endorses want her to go back to her long, wild locks. Let’s see how the stylish Kangs gets to the ‘root’ of the problem and fixes it.

If recent buzz is to be believed, actor Nargis Fakhri, who would next be seen in the upcoming musical film ‘Banjo’, has reportedly left India forever. As per a report in popular magazine Filmfare, the 36-year-old actress, who has quit Bollywood, has left the country for a “good” and is unlikely to come back and is planning to settle down permanently in the United States. It is said that the actress, who was last seen in comedy ‘Housefull3’, wants to be “around her friends and family” in US.

Rumour has it that the ‘Rockstar’ actress was emotionally disturbed following her split with the actor boyfriend Uday Chopra and since then, she had stayed away from all promotional activities of her films ‘Azhar’ and ‘Housefull 3’. Nargis made her Bollywood debut with 2011 movie ‘Rockstar’, is known for her work in ‘Madras Cafe’, ‘Main Tera Hero’, ‘Azhar’ and ‘Housefull 3’.

She been a part of top grossers like ‘PK’ and ‘Sultan’, but Anushka Sharma says that being seen as a versatile actress is true success. Anushka, who ventured into Bollywood in 2008 has carved a niche for herself and has worked with experienced filmmakers like Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani, Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar and will now be seen in Imtiaz Ali’s next. She also featured in debutant Navdeep Singh’s dark film ‘NH10’ and has experimented with her roles.

The 28-year-old says her interest in these directors is because they all are from different schools of thoughts. “All their films are very different. I think if you as an actor can convince such directors, who are different from one another, that you can be convincing part in their film…I think that for me is a huge success because that just shows that everyone sees you as a versatile actor,” Anushka told IANS. Asked if she considers working with big names important, she said: “I feel like it is for the work they do. For me, it’s not like I am going to look t the money the director’s film has made before their film… For me, it is about working with the director whose work I have admired.”

Source: IANS

Kabali’s Rajinikanth is a man on a mission. He was grievously wronged years ago and Kabaleeswaram
(Rajinikanth in Kabali) is out to extract his revenge. But before he does it, the audience will get its two-and-a-half hours worth of classic Rajinikanth moves, dialogues and dance steps.

Cut to the Kabali plot: Kabali is a worker who lives happily with his wife (played by Radhika Apte) and daughter. Then things start going wrong and our innocent, hard-working man loses everything. How he fights to save his world and help the downtrodden Tamilians in Malaysia forms the crux of Kabali.

The best part of the film, obviously, is Rajinikanth. His charisma pulls Kabali through. From the slick visuals showing the flashback to Rajinikanth playing his age as a don, his fans will not go home disappointed. Add to it the hit Neruppa Da and you hear enough whistles and clapping in the theatre.

The other cast members are also good and we would like to give a special shout-out to Radhika Apte and Dhansika. Radhika brings a nuance to her performance as Rajinikanth’s wife and is a refreshing change after watching heroines in bit roles in Rajini movies. Watch out for the scene where Rajinikanth and Radhika meet after a long time. We bet this one will give you goosebumps. There is another moment near the interval which leaves you feeling cold.

What doesn’t work in Kabali is its slow pace and patchy narrations. There are moments when the film starts lagging and your attention wanders. For a movie that has lefts fans in a frenzy across the world, Kabali fails to live up to expectations because of this.

While for most audiences this will be the major grouse, die-hard fans are going to love every moment. This one is a feast for them, others will find it enjoyable but lagging at certain moments.

Facts

• ? “Kabali” is the third Indian film after ‘PK’ and ‘Baahubali’ to be released in more than 5,000 theaters worldwide, with special premieres planned for a day earlier.
• Make hay while Rajinikanth shines! This seems to be the mantra for theatre owners who are making a killing by selling “Kabali” tickets at exorbitant prices – much to the disappointment of hardcore superstar fans.
• Superstar Rajinikanth’s upcoming Tamil gangster drama “Kabali”, first movie will be dubbed and released in Malay language. Malay is an Austronesian language mostly spoken in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand. It will also be released in Telugu, Hindi and Japanese and will get a Chinese release in a couple of months.
• AirAsia India, the official airline partner of superstar Rajinikanth’s Tamil actioner “Kabali” and which has a special aircraft bearing the images of the star, spent over a month in designing the livery.
• He will sport a salt and pepper look along with thick white beard for his role as a gangster in upcoming Tamil drama “Kabali”, which happens to be his 159th film.

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif will be celebrating her 33rd birthday on July 16 with her family and close friends. Reports state that the birthday will be a quiet one as the actress isn’t someone who throws huge parties.

Katrinia’s mother, her sisters (they have flown down to Mumbai to be with the birthday girl), and her friends from the industry Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Karan Johar, Ayan Mukerji, Ali Abbas Zafar, Kabir Khan and his wife Mini Mathur, Sidharth Malhotra and her manager Reshma Shetty are among the ones expected to be in attendance.

According to reports in dailies, the gathering will be happening at the actress’s posh Bandra apartment, where she continues to live post her breakup with Ranbir Kapoor. The actress has reportedly moved on and intends to spend her special day with people who she cares for.

Having been on a weight loss spree, actress Parineeti Chopra felt the pressure of Bollywood to be in shape but she is now happy to be fit. “There are women who are pregnant or are dealing with post pregnancy weight, or teenagers who are obese, from across the world, (they) want to know my story. I am a fat-to-fit story,” Parineeti told reporters at a song launch event.

“I have struggled with my weight. I was big and unhealthy, not chubby. I took it upon myself to work towards this. There was pressure of Bollywood to bring me on right part.” The 27-year old actress now eats and sleeps well. “I am fit now. People need to be fit no matter what size they are. I was big and unfit. There are dancers in New York who are big but flexible. It took me a year-and-half to reach here.”

The ‘Daawat-e-Ishq’ actress was away from the screen for quite sometime and now post her weight-loss break, she is all charged up. “Of course, I missed (being onscreen). When I entered the film industry I did four films back-to-back as everyone was used to seeing me onscreen. I am not filmy as these (star kids) guys. I come from a different discipline and I have lived my life in a different way. I needed that emotional break. I wanted to settle down.” Parineeti feels the break helped her sort out her priorities. Source: PTI

MUMBAI — He is a voracious reader of fiction and non-fiction books. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan revealed his favorite books while interacting with his fans via #fame, a live video social platform.

Among his favorite books are E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey” and Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs.”

It was during his shoot for Yash Chopra’s “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” in London that Khan got several copies of “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

While he tried reading the book in London, he has yet to finish it.

Despite not reading it cover to cover, Khan praised the book, saying: “Many may think that the movie is not great, but I enjoyed it. It is quite interestingly put together.”

Khan says the biography of former Apple CEO, the late Steve Jobs, changed the way he looks at business platforms and showed him new avenues that he could tap into.

He said: “At Red Chillies Entertainment (his motion picture production and distribution company), I was involved in multiple businesses. But after reading the book, I realized that focusing only on one thing will help.

“So, we stopped TV and ad production and focused entirely on films and visual effects. There is a lot of stuff in the book that I don’t agree with, but who am I to disagree with Steve Jobs?”

Another book that the “Dilwale” star lists as a favorite is Malcolm Gladwell’s “Blink,” which explains that in a competition, the guy who blinks first loses first.

He recommended Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat!” for all aspiring writers.

“This is one of the best books on screenplay writing that I have read so far,” he said.

STORY: Sultan starts wrestling to win Aarfa’s heart -but what happens when Sultan loses Aarfa? And when, many years and multiple kilos later, he faces a much deadlier fight?

REVIEW: So, this is the first movie where Salman Khan takes off his shirt and everyone – including Khan -shudders. Portraying Sultan, who goes from being fit and lean to a gloomy, middle-aged, paunch-burdened man, Khan performs with elan and unhappiness, his acting giving Sultan a nice, rounded punch.

Rewari lad Sultan (Salman) falls in love with wrestling champion Aarfa (Anushka), who tells him no ganwaar lacking a goal can win her. Sultan determinedly joins Aarfa’s father’s akhaara – the scene where he switches from ‘Barkat bhai’ to ‘uncle’ is fun -and trains so hard, he wins every championship and Aarfa’s heart.

But when Sultan wins the Olympics, he loses his head and in his arrogance, loses Aarfa and more. The only way Sultan can win Aarfa – and his own identity – back is by competing in entrepreneur Akash Oberoi’s (Amit) Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament.

But can the desi wrestler, now overweight and broken-spirited, compete against the world’s toughest judo, karate and capoeira champions?

Salman gives a fighting performance, his character graph moving plausibly from a cheery, everyday “loojer” to a determined athlete, an arrogant star, a crushed, depressed, lonely guy. Anushka plays her familiar feisty girl, with a rustic twang and self-control, but fairly little change.

The performance which really impresses is Sultan’s friend Govind (Anant), who stands by his buddy through broken heart and crushed rib, charming throughout. Amit Sadh presents an attractive persona while Kumud Mishra, as Anushka’s father and Sultan’s guru, adds noticeable subtlety to the drama. Sultan’s dialogues also “oopher” a Haryanvi kick while its visuals are fresh and attractive, swaying with Rewari’s eucalyptus trees and gushing canals.

The trouble is its length. At nearly three hours of runtime, Sultan gets heavy and repetitive – only so many training sequences can look sharp and by the time Randeep Hooda shows up as MMA coach Fateh Singh, resembling a perennially eating Brad Pitt from Ocean’s Eleven, but overacting as he gets senti about Sultan, you become restive. By cutting 30 minutes of flab – running commentaries, kite-running, taalas, taalis – Sultan could’ve been a leaner, meaner movie. As it is, it’s more a large lassi, not an espresso shot.

Alia Bhatt is surely one of those who believes in keeping her personal life away from the limelight, as she does not want to be the focus of attention because of it. In a recent interview, 23-year-old Alia said, “Keeping my personal life away from the public glare just saves me from any further damage. It’s more a way of caution rather than getting hurt. I feel when you start talking about it, your entire life revolves around that.”

She added, “I admit that it does happen by default but I am here to work and be known as an actor and not someone who has a happening personal life.”

On the work front, Alia, who has given back to back hit movies ‘Udta Punjab’ and ‘Kapoor and Sons (Since 1921)’ this year, will next be seen in Karan Malhotra’s directorial ‘Shuddhi‘ opposite Varun Dhawan.

Here is the first look of ‘Simran’, in which Kangana Ranaut plays Praful Patel. While it’s known that her character is that of a Gujarati girl, we have learnt that the actress plays a housekeeper in this Hansal Mehta-directed film. The story revolves around a girl, her ambitions and how she gets addicted to the world of crime.

Produced by Bhushan Kumar and Shailesh Singh, the movie is scripted by Apurva Asrani. The film rolls this August and will be shot in the US. Since Kangana’s character is called Praful Patel, we wonder why the film is titled ‘Simran’. Guess that’s something Hansal is not in a hurry to reveal.

Yami Gautam has recently got her own space in Malad West, Mumbai and she loves it. The actress, who hails from Chandigarh, was earlier living in the Mumbai suburbs of Andheri (W). To find silence and peace, the ‘Badlapur’ actress shifted to her new spacious apartment.

According to a source close to Yami, “Yami recently moved to a new flat, where she lives alone. The residents of the building find her to be extremely endearing. Yami makes it a point to always smile and greet whenever she comes across them. Despite being an actor, in barely any time, Yami’s has managed to create a rapport with her neighbours.”

“She is extremely caring towards the senior citizens in her building as well. Since she does not live with her family, Yami believes in keeping in touch with those around her,” it added.

On the work front, the ‘Vicky Donor’ actress is currently busy shooting opposite Hrithik Roshan for ‘Kaabil.’ When contacted, spokesperson confirmed the news and added, Yami is an ideal neighbour and is extremely friendly.

Vidya Balan is known for getting into the skin of her characters. She goes to great lengths to essay her roles with conviction – be it gaining weight for The Dirty Picture (2011) or putting on a fake baby belly to achieve the gait of a pregnant woman for her role in Kahaani (2012).

Now, the National award-winning actor will be attending horse riding lessons for her next project, a Hindi adaptation of film-maker Srijit Mukherji’s Bengali film, Rajkahini (2015), in which she plays the head of a brothel.

A source says, “Vidya plays the titular character in her next film and has been preparing for the role. Earlier in the year, she worked on her voice as her character required her to sound hoarse. Later, she started reading Urvashi Butalia’s 1998 book, The Other Side Of Silence, which is based on the Partition. Now, she will start horse riding lessons in two-three weeks.” The shoot for the movie started earlier this month in Jharkhand, and Vidya has a horse riding coach who will train with her for an hour every day.

“While horse riding does not form a major part of the movie, a few scenes will require Vidya to ride a horse. She wants to be completely prepared for it,” adds the source. We tried reaching the star, but she was unavailable for comment.

Source: HT