Tag: Bollywood

Gauahar Khan is set for not one, but two film releases this year, where she plays the lead —Punjabi film (Oh Yaara Ainvayi Ainvayi Lut Gaya) and Bollywood movie Fever). “They will release around the same time, which is in a couple of months and the best part is that my look is diametrically opposite in both,” she says.

Her Punjabi film is a love story and a full-on commercial entertainer. So, how did the film come about? “I was getting a lot of offers from regional cinema. As an actor, I have never restricted myself from doing things other than Bollywood. I have done Zangoora for two-and-a-half years. It’s a live stage show and the world’s biggest musical. I did Bigg Boss. The fact that I got such a fabulous script where I’m paired opposite Jassi Gill, a superstar in Punjabi cinema, made me take it up. I obviously couldn’t take this route in Bollywood because this industry tests you a lot! I had to prove my mettle as an actor and that’s why I’ve done more character-centric roles, be it Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, Ishaqzaade and Game, two of which were critically acclaimed.”

Learning Punjabi wasn’t a problem for her. She says, “Jassi Gill really helped me with that. Everyone on set says I am the expat that never was an expat. I am a hardcore Punjaban!” Her look in Oh Yaara…, is Indian, very different from what people associate her with. “People have not seen me like this… a girl with her dupatta flying, kheton mein bhaag rahi hai. I should be getting a lot more roles after this. I’m looking forward to that. I want to run around trees!”

Actress Anushka Sharma says it is in the pursuit of doing new things that she chose to do ‘NH10’. She is glad that the movie shows her in a different light. “As an actor, I have tried to do new things and that’s why I have done few films. I can do a film only if it excites me as an actor. The story should give a huge kick. I look different and feel different in ‘NH10’,” Anushka.

“When you have the option of being able to perform, I want to do that,” added the ‘Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl’ and ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’ actress. Directed by Navdeep Singh, ‘NH10’ is a thriller, co-produced by Phantom Productions and Eros International. This is Anushka’s debut production venture and it also stars Neil Bhoopalam.

She says the movie features incidents inspired from real life events. “It’s a very unusual film and I am proud to back this film,” she added.

Amidst busy work schedules, actress Nargis Fakhri has found time to sip her morning coffee and pursue her love for painting. She drew a creative sketch, and it seems she wants to explore her drawing skills more.

“Morning coffee & Sketch. Haven’t done this in years! Gona start with pencils then move to canvas and paints later…?? lets see what I can create (sic),” the Rockstar actress shared via Twitter.

Her sketch features a prim and proper lady dressed in a gown and with an elaborate floral headgear. It has hints of peach for some colour.

While enjoying her artistic pursuit, Nargis is also caught up with working towards getting toned abs with a combination of healthy eating habits

STORY: Anokhi Devi (Mallika Sherawat) is a popular dancer who engages in a relationship with Dina Nath (Om Puri) for political power. When election ticket doesn’t come her way, she threatens to bring out an objectionable CD containing something that can destroy Dina Nath’s career. Anokhi goes missing and the case moves to CBI for investigation.

REVIEW: A hybrid of political drama and murder mystery, Dirty Politics is a warped tale. Despite flaunting a convoy of seasoned actors, the film fails to hold up its promising premise. The script’s most potent part is the sex scandal but the writer introduces an array of meaningless sub-plots which dilutes it. Had the story systematically unraveled its myriad facets, it could’ve left a thumping impact.

There is no drama or suspense in the film. The only mystery that remains is why actors like Puri, Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher agreed to be a part of such muck. A mishmash of dismal performances, terrible editing and an unsurprising plot-line, the film fails to do justice to its core idea of dishing out a political drama where sex plays a powerful role.

Sex is instead used as a prop to titillate in this amateurish story. A top politician cannot keep his libido in control and allows himself to be used as a pawn by his keep whose ‘dirty’ ambitions include attaining political power. Sherawat’s skin show adds no value to the plot. Kher, Shah and Puri manage to better an otherwise dreadful narrative but with a plot this execrable, a better film cannot be whipped up.

Silly isn’t a term broad enough to encapsulate the zest of this movie. Stories like these demand a little more sensitivity but the director’s incoherence of understanding the theme make this a wasted attempt. What else can explain the rape sequence in the climax?

Expect to remain unmoved by this film which tries to unleash the morally corrupt face of Indian politics. The product we have at hand, is a juvenile tryst which focuses on a sexually charged up plot to garner good box office moolah.

The history of horror genre can be traced way back to 1993, when Zee TV launched Ramsay Brothers’ Zee Horror Show and then Sony brought to its audiences Aahat for the very first time in 1996, which thus far is considered as the longest-running horror show on Indian television today.

Though initially there was buzz regarding actress Bipasha Basu starring in the first episode of the horror show which turned out to be false, Sunny Leone will now be soon on the show.

STORY: When more-than-pleasantly-plump Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar) gets hitched to Prem (Ayushmann Khurrana), the latter cannot bring himself to look beyond his wife’s size. Her relentless attempts to win over his attention are in vain and the two end up on the brink of divorce when she overhears him passing objectionable remarks about her to friends. Can blubber hinder love?

REVIEW: Dum Laga Ke Haisha is an unlikely quasi-original offering from the stable that in recent past has made sincere efforts to defy the conventional notions of love.

This film might further the cause of breaking away from the bastion but it reeks of predictability. Sharat Kataria pulls off a quaint-yet-flawed film. Set in circa 1995 in Haridwar, he carefully refrains from creating a staple, syrupy affair. The film’s first hour sails smoothly sans hiccups, but the second half can be faulted for unspooling tediously.

The movie erects a plot whose on-the-face nostalgia factor is almost jarring. Its rustic setting, bustling by-lanes and old-world charm does an overt job of selling the VCR era. There’s even a desperately-included fight sequence where the couple aggressively play 90s songs.

Such scenes might crack you up, but the crackling effect is wiped out as the film moves towards a predictable climax featuring Kumar Sanu, a steady fixture since the first scene. It’s the only thing that makes its ‘loser’ hero look good and is a contrived culmination of the romance we never find blooming.

The film’s subplots are unnecessary and abrupt, like the sudden demise of a never-mentioned-before uncle which triggers the final act.

The actors, however, deliver redeeming performances. For a debutante, Pednekar is surprisingly confident. Khurrana, is the best he has been since his launch venture. Sanjay Mishra and Seema Pahwa are at the top of their game.

But in the end, it isn’t extraordinary, failing to rise above the idea that a fat girl needs some schmuck to complete her life. Undeniably, the smarts are visible in its original thinking but it doesn’t translate into a satiating viewing experience.

Jacqueline Fernandez is fast becoming one of the most loved actresses of B-town. With her pretty looks and her charming ways, she has entranced everyone by performances that just keep getting better with each film. And now, we hear that the talented actress has reached 1 million followers on Instagram.

Overwhelmed by the love showered on her by her fans, the gorgeous lady made her Instagram profile private last night, giving access only to her million followers to view, comment and like her Instagram posts as she feels that her first million fans on Instagram deserve this exclusive opportunity.

And we hear that she’s all set to post interesting, exclusive snippets all day, only for her 1 million followers to see.

Bang Bang hottie Katrina Kaif is all set to join Bollywood biggies at Madame Tussauds, London. The actress will unveil the carefully sculpted wax statue later this month. Katrina is reportedly trying to zero in on what she would wear for the unveiling ceremony. The official Madame Tussauds Twitter handle had earlier tweeted, “Katrina has collaborated closely with our sculptors and artists to decide a dancing pose and outfit for the figure, having given a sitting in Mumbai where all the measurements required to create an accurate likeness were gathered. A team of 20 artists will work on the figure, which will cost £150,000 to produce.” 

There is perhaps only one place in the world where stars like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan can come together under one roof. The prestigious Madame Tussauds wax museum in London brings the best of Bollywood together and freezes the stars in all their glory.

Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor, 28, who was shooting for ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ in Gondal, Rajkot district, was admitted in an ICU after she tested positive for swine flu. She complained of viral fever and was taken to a local hospital before being confirmed for Swine Flu.

She was taken to Sterling Hospital in Rajkot on Saturday (February 28) and was tested positive for swine flu. Spokesperson for Sterling Hospital confirmed the actress had tested positive for H1N1 virus. “She had been admitted to the hospital at around 10 am on Saturday. Dr Chirag Matravadiya, examined her. As the patient had symptoms of cold, fever etc, the doctor recommended her swine flu test. The lab tests came positive for H1N1virus in the evening,” said the spokesperson.

“Right now, she is being treated in an intensive care unit in isolation ward of our hospital. Doctors treating her are saying that her condition is stable,” added the spokesperson.

Sources at the hospital also said that her physical trainer had also reportedly tested positive.

Sujoy Ghosh is directing the Hindi adaptation of the best-selling Japanese romantic thriller “The Devotion Of Suspect X” written by best-selling author Keigo Higashino.

While the film has already been made in Japanese and Korean languages, the same is currently being made in Hollywood too. The book is an atmospheric thriller about a desperate woman craving a peaceful life, but who ends up killing her abusive ex-husband. The next-door neighbour helps hide the body and improvises a cover-up. When the body is eventually found, a determined investigator senses that something is amiss, thereby giving rise to a thrilling cat-and-mouse game.

Saif Ali Khan has been finalised for playing the investigator in the film. It is now confirmed that Kangana Ranaut will be playing the role of the woman. You would recall that Saif and Kangana had coincidentally been paired opposite each other in Reema Kagti’s love story. But due to financial differences between the producers and Saif, he opted out of the film.

Since Reema’s film was taking a little time to start, we have now learnt that due to date issues, Kangana has also decided to opt out of her film as she has now given her dates to Sujoy for his film. While Reema is sure to find her lead cast again, Sujoy is all set to start shooting his film from April this year with both Saif and Kangana, who it seems must have been truly destined to work together in a film.

Sherlyn Chopra has been signed on to play a double role in Satellite Pictures’ next venture. The film is slated to go on floors as soon as the actress wraps up the shooting of her bilingual film.

The movie, which is yet untitled, will be produced by Subhash Choudhary and Shaila. One might remember that the producer duo’s earlier production Filmistaan bagged the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi in 2012.

In sharp contrast to the award-winning film that had debutant actors, the makers were keen to sign on an established actress for their next. “The premise of this film is much more challenging than that of Filmistaan. We were aware that the lead role was a rather difficult one. So we thought that we would need a talented and established actress to play the protagonist,” says Subhash.

The two add that while they were considering a few actresses, it was the film’s casting director, DK Shroff, who recommended Sherlyn for the role. Says Shaila, “When we met her, we realised that there is more than meets the eye. Sherlyn’s personality has multiple layers, which makes her very intriguing as an individual. And it is because of this very trait that we felt she would be able to add a new dimension to her characters. The film will be shot across India and shall hopefully be ready for release in 2016.”

While they are excited about their second venture, the producers also state that they are still trying to find their footing in the industry.
“Although our debut theatrical release bagged a National Award, we still consider ourselves new players in the business of filmmaking. We are willing to learn the ways and techniques of storytelling over time, and are always trying to give our best shot,” concludes Subhash.

Prime Focus, the visual effects company behind Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Visual Effects. The Oscars victory was led by Double Negative, the London-based VFX studio, that merged with a subsidiary of Prime Focus in 2014 and created one of the world’s largest 3D, animation and visual effects outfits. 

To his credit are Hollywood entertainers like Gravity, Avatar, Shrek,Tron: Legacy, among others. Avatar and Gravity are both Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects in 2010 and 2014.

In 2011, the company collaborated with American film production company, Lucasfilm, for the 3D conversion of Star Wars: Episode I-III. A year later, Prime Focus bagged five Oscar nominations for the studio’s work in Tree of Life, X-Men: First Class, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Hugo.

Namit Malhotra, the founder of the Company in Mumbai started out of his father’s garage in 1995. Over 80% of the merged company is still held by Malhotra’s Prime Focus, which is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.

Actress Anushka Sharma is not happy with the stories surrounding her lip-lock sequence with Ranbir Kapoor in Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet. 

Calling it a cheap shot, the actress added,”Such stories make the film sounds like something else, taking from the film’s aesthetic.

A lot of untrue, negative things are being said about the film and it’s just preposterous. All of us associated with Bombay Velvet want to let the film do the talking instead of constantly clarifying the fabricated stories,” said Anushka.

It’s sad and a loss to the Bollywood industry, 44year old actor Ashraful Haque died of a prolonged illness in Mumbai on February 17. The actor was well known for his performance in films like Delhi Belly and Fukrey.

The actor was admitted to a hospital in Andheri as he was in a critical condition, suffering from bone marrow cancer. He survived with his wife and a 9-year-old son in Mumbai. Bollywood celebrities took down on twitter to express their condolences to their family.

Ashraful Haque has contributed very powerful roles and performances to the Indian cinema. The actor was graduated from the National School Of Drama, played many important character roles in films like Company, Jungle, Satrangee Parachute, Ravan, Deewar, Black Friday, Fukrey and many others.

Anurag Kashap said, “He was one of my closest friends and we knew each other since our struggling days. From my TV show to short-films to features, I worked with him quite often, as he was a terrific actor. I was aware of his illness and we knew that his health was fast deteriorating. We were all there for him and it’s truly tragic that he had to depart so soon. Our priority now is to take care of his 9-year old son.”

Director Anurag Kashyap said that Ashraful Haque was his closest friend and has also worked with him in many of his films. He also said that his priority is now to take care of Ashraful’s 9-year-old son.

STORY: A director’s movie is inspired by a thief’s character; but when reality and fiction collide – his story takes an unexpected turn.

REVIEW: Get ready to go on a ‘trip’. This one’s rolled up in celluloid – with all the kaleidoscopic colours and hues associated with it.  Roy takes you on an orgasm of the imagination, and gives you a treat of visual delight – with all things good-looking. Smooth vintage wheels, stunning studs (horses), Fedora hats and magnificent Malaysia. Of course, the gorgeous lead trio too – striking poses right out of fashion glossies.

Kabir Grewal (Arjun) is a filmmaker known as much for his flamboyant lifestyle (read: wine and women) as his action films (‘Guns’ series). He’s also the darlin’ of the tabloids because he simply can’t keep his ‘gun-on-steroids’ under control. His heist stories are born out of a thief’s character from his childhood memories. Kabir starts filming in Malaysia with a writer’s block and without a script, but he quickly finds a muse in Ayesha (Jacqueline part 1) – an arty filmmaker (who shows no sign of making a film).

He takes his story forward; ‘Roy'(Ranbir) the robber, reaches Malaysia to plan his next big robbery. The fictitious tale meets reality – they collide and crumble – leaving us confused. Ayesha’s lookalike, Tia, walks in to the chaos (Jacqueline part 2). There’s a forced sense of mystery, and the transition between the real and the imagination is what leaves you baffled.

Debutant director Vikramjit’s premise is uncommon; the execution is stylish – with beautifully captured actors and ambience, but it turns into an emotional drama (often too complex) rather than a taut romantic thriller. It’s glazed with visual appeal and style (champagne, cigar, et al), and evokes curiosity too, but the soul of the plot fades into thick clouds of smoke. There are characters that add no real dimension to the story. Much is said in silence minus melodrama, backed by a good musical score – a saving grace. The editing is weak in parts and the pace is too languid. There’s a dialogue in the film which goes, “If the story isn’t going anywhere, it’s better to end it.” Wish this dialogue was taken seriously.

Arjun looks dapper in every frame and shows brooding intensity even if it’s tucked under his stylish hat. Ranbir, with few dialogues and a poorly sketched role, looks dreamy-eyed throughout. Jacqueline, in both parts looks the same – but great.

Roy’ has its moments, but the story is like a blotch of painting on abstract art.

STORY: Mute Daanish becomes a superstar when Amitabh Sinha provides him his voice – what happens when ego pulls body and speech apart?

REVIEW: So, Shamitabh has a lovely concept – a boy falls in love with the movies and dreams of becoming a star. He has pizzazz, passion, presence – but no voice. Daanish (Dhanush) is born mute, his soul, like the film-mad lad of Cinema Paradiso, finding utterance with movies, Igatpuri’s bus conductor (rather like a certain Rajini Sir) determined to achieve stardom. Daanish hits Film City and impresses assistant director Akshara
(Haasan) but directors reject a mute hero.

Akshara’s doctor dad introduces Daanish to technology which, using embedded micro-recorders and ear-pieces, enables a mute person to communicate via a ‘borrowed’ voice. Daanish and Akshara find the perfect voice – that of Amitabh Sinha (Bachchan), a failed actor, snubbed due to his baritone, who lives in a graveyard, soaked in whisky and cynicism. Amitabh’s tickled by the idea of making his rejected voice successful and the ‘Shamitabh’ team becomes a super-hit.

But what happens when Amitabh feels he’s getting no recognition, despite being as good a kalakaar as Daanish – if not better?

Shamitabh’s dramatic performances match its unusual tale. Often evoking The Artist, Dhanush is terrific as film-crazy Daanish, whose eyes sparkle at the cinema, whose brow furrows in desperation to meet directors, who schmoozes and rages without saying a word. Amitabh Bachchan provides perfect balance, catty and chatty in that wondrous velveteen baritone, dripping sarcasm, yodelling ditties, expressing irony, then abhimaan, bringing to life Shamitabh’s crackling dialogues.

Their acting is electric – but also, frequently over-indulged. Scenes that should’ve been tight are allowed to stretch or become repetitive. The vibrant ‘Piddly’ song gets wasted while the plot is too convenient – a rural boy flings his village life behind him like dust, no doctor explains how the mute hero’s ‘voice’ reads his thoughts and speaks them, no-one swears Amitabh’s sidekick to secrecy.

In over-explaining this uncommon story – “Very deep”, as Amitabh drawls – the plot rushes through emotional moments. And amidst the high-wattage attention around the Dhanush-Amitabh pairing, less is paid to Akshara, whose performance, although sincere, sometimes looks a tad banal.

As does the film occasionally, a pity because Shamitabh’s striking story could leave you speechless.

Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who was in the national capital to promote her upcoming flick Roy, said she relates a lot to her character Ayesha in the movie. “I do relate to Ayesha a lot, she is quite fun loving and a free spirited girl, she is a nice simple girl. So, it was easy for me to connect with her,” she said.

Jacqueline will be seen playing a double role as Ayesha Aamir, a bohemian filmmaker, and Tia, a glamorous globetrotter, in this movie. Directed by debutant Vikramjit Singh, the flick stars Jacqueline, Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor.

Starlet Poonam Pandey, known mostly for her offer to strip if the Indian Cricket Team won the 2011 World Cup, had made news once again. India’s most downloaded model refused an offer from Gursimran Khamba and Tammay Bhat to do a podcast on All India Bakchod (AIB) as she felt it was too demeaning to the women folk. AIB has been in the news recently for its Roast controversy including celebs Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor and Karan Johar. It has been a talking point amongst celebs, fans and even the Government. But Poonam refused this offer. “I have heard that AIB has been doing some good work, but then some of what I have seen wasn’t really up my alley. The digital medium has been home for me over the last four years, but then I felt that I could not participate in something like this,” said the Nasha actress. Sources inform that Poonam felt that the contents of the show were rather demeaning to women and hence did not pursue the offer sent by AIB . While Poonam seems to have made her stand clear, here’s a look at what other celebs had to say about the AIB Roast.

Her character steps out of a mental institution and trouble follows.

Raj Kumar Gupta bid adieu to the big screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s Revolution 2020 over his choice of actress (Mirror, August 12, 2014). The filmmaker, who helmed Aamir and No One Killed Jessica, has now moved onto a new project and has signed the leading lady of his choice, Kareena Kapoor.

The yet-untitled film explores Section 84 of the IPC which states: “Nothing is an offence which is done by a person who, at the time of doing it, by reason of unsoundness of mind, is incapable of knowing the nature of the act, or that he is doing what is wrong or contrary to law.” Kareena plays a schizophrenic woman who finds herself at the centre of a crime. Confirming the news, Gupta told Mirror, “Yes.Section 84 is an integral part of the film and Kareena is my protagonist.”

Buzz is, Kareena, who played a prostitute, to critical acclaim in both Chameli (2004) and the 2012 release Talaash, will again play a lady of the night in Gupta’s film.A source close to the film says, “The characters are dark and twist ed. It’s a character with two sides and trouble begins when she steps out of a mental asylum.” 

Bebo who is currently filming Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan with Salman Khan, will start filming with Gupta this year.

For her upcoming film Leela, Sunny Leone has shot a song, which is a reworked version of the chartbuster Dholi taro dhol baaje from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Salman Khan-Aishwarya Rai starrer Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

“Bhushan Kumar, our producer, already had the rights to the song. It was his idea to rework the song and he got the Meet brothers to do it,” says Ahmed Khan, who has choreographed the song for the film which is being directed by his brother Bobby Khan.

A massive set was erected in the dunes of Jaisalmer. A crowd of over 500 dancers assembled for the shoot that lasted for a week.

The temperature was a scorching 48 degree Celsius and the heat melted the leading lady’s make-up. “But we refused to compromise. Dholi taro is an iconic song,a Sanjay Leela Bhansali song, so not even a strand of hair could be out of place. Sunny’s personal stylist worked on her wardrobe for over a month before the shoot,” reveals Ahmed.Why this song in particular?
“It’s something that has stayed in the public memory for 16 years. We’ve modified the tune.And it isn’t a Garba set-up, we’ve turned it into a Rajasthani dance,” adds Ahmed who earlier choreographed Sunny’s Laila for Shootout at Wadala. “It was an easy number for her as it didn’t have any complex moves but regular folk dance steps.”Isn’t he worried about comparisons with the original song and Aishwarya in particular? “Not really. There is no denying that Ash is the prettiest face in the industry and a terrific dancer. But Sunny is no less,” he asserts. Sunny was trained by veteran choreographer Saroj Khan before she stepped into Ash’s shoes. “But we wanted to quickly finish the song so the training was limited but the result is spectacular!” he exults.Has he shown it to Bhansali? “God, not yet, I hope he likes it!” Ahmed worries.