Tag: Bollywood

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is known to be a daring fashionista. In keeping with her image, the actress was chosen by online portal Myntra to echo the ‘fun, flirty and feminine’ image of its women’s Western wear brand, DressBerry. This works perfectly for Kangana, who usually doesn’t have the luxury of time to shop at stores, and prefers shopping at online portals.

About her association with the brand, Kangana says, “Besides the apparels, it is the attitude of ‘fun, flirty and feminine’ reflected by the brand that resonates with me.” The actress will showcase the brand’s AW’ 14 collection in an upcoming multimedia campaign. About roping in Kangana, Abhishek Verma, SVP, Fashion Brands, at the portal, says, “We are excited to have Kangana mirror a persona just like hers — young, confident and fashionable — in the brand.

This initiative will further strengthen our position as one of India’s most loved and preferred online fashion portals and will mark a new step in the brand’s evolution.” Launched in 2013, the brand has gained commendable popularity, making it one of the largest selling women’s Western wear brands on the portal. The collection spreads across tops, dresses, jackets, bottoms, jumpsuits, nightwear and accessories. To view the entire range, log on towww.myntra.com/dressberry

Deepika Padukone has been working round the clock since long. She recently returned from a hectic schedule in Corsica, where she was shooting for Imtiaz ali’s Tamasha with Ranbir Kapoor. Since her return, she has actively been involved in promotions of her two upcoming projects – Finding Fanny and Happy New Year. After hosting the song ‘Fanny Re’ from Finding Fanny on August 12, Deepika made to the mega launch of Happy New Year trailer.

Finding Fanny will be releasing on September 12 and Deepika will be actively promoting the film. She has also set aside a chunk of dates for promoting Happy New Year and will be travelling for the SLAM tour with the entire cast. Deepika will also start shooting for Shoojit Sircar’s Piku soon and will take up Bajirao Mastani later. Besides her film projects, Deepika also has her brand commitments to keep up to. So the busy actress will be juggling between promotions, brand commitments and shooting for her upcoming projects. However the actress loves her work and skillfully manages her time.

Model Cindy Crawford and her husband Rande Gerber recently pulled their two children out of school over health concerns. Crawford and other parents made the decision after testing found high levels of toxic chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in window caulking at the Malibu High School. According to Crawford, the school tested 10 random classrooms for PCBs, and four were found to be over the federal limit. The school plans to remove caulk in those four classrooms and periodically monitor for air and dust, reports contactmusic.com. “The problem is, for me, that they haven’t tested the source,” said Crawford.

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites,
Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift,
Cameron Monaghan, Odeya Rush
Direction: Phillip Noyce
Genre: Drama
Duration: 1 hour 37 minutes

Story:

Jonas (Thwaite) lives in a utopian society that celebrates conformity and uniformity to preserve peace. He is chosen to be the next ‘Receiver of Memory’ and learn about the primal feelings of the past world. The more he learns, the more he realizes how fake his carefully engineered society is.

Review:

A squeaky-clean city is portrayed in flat monochrome (a visual metaphor for a society controlled by a rigid code of rules, where individualism and the questioning of authority are discouraged) and is perched on a hilltop and surrounded entirely by clouds. Its inhabitants dress more or less the same, aren’t allowed to hold hands in public and they eat food that looks like it was cooked by a robot.

Narrator and protagonist Jonas has a mom (Holmes) who repeatedly tut-tuts him, his dad (Skarsgard) and little sister when they say the ‘wrong’ things because in their perfect world, their entire lexicon is monitored by the seemingly benevolent Chief Elder (Streep).

Emotions are excised from daily life and townsfolk are even told what time to go to sleep. All of this is done because it is believed a machinelike existence will keep mankind’s ills (wars, famine, deforestation, etc.) away from them. The Elder assigns people job roles in the manner of an assembly line sorting products. After Jonas is given his important role, the Receiver (Bridges, suitably grizzled) has to pass on these memories to Jonas.

Jonas is established as free-thinking, curious and even rebellious, and so the idea of giving insightful and revelatory thoughts to someone who has the potential to upset the carefully constructed order of things seems puzzling and even illogical. Despite the impressive cast (Taylor Swift has a cameo), performances are uneven. Bridges and Streep stand out but the others are somewhat unconvincing.

Conceptually, there are also bits reminiscent of *The Matrix* some Orwellian Big Brother ideology and dashes of *Divergent* in an overall attempt to convey the film’s core message – do we sacrifice pain and pleasure in the quest to attain a ‘perfect’ existence?

Actress Kristen Stewart’s latest magazine shots with her “Clouds Of Sils Maria” co-star Juliette Binoche are snug and sensual. For the September edition of Germany’s Interview magazine, the duo have struck an intriguing pose accentuated by their wet hairstyles and smoky eye makeup.

The headline is rightly chosen – “Exclusive. Wild. Glamorous.” In the magazine, the co-stars have spoken about their new film, and Binoche has said she researched Stewart prior to working with her on-set. “Of course I googled you,” Binoche said while addressing to Stewart. “I needed to know whom I am supposed to meet and play with.

I also watched ‘On The Road’ and skipped ‘Twilight’. Although I have to admit that the first time I ever saw you was on my daughter’s walls,” she added. In “Clouds Of Sils Maria”, Stewart’s character plays Binoche’s assistant. The ladies’ close-knit relationship often blurs the lines between platonic and romantic. The film will release in the US Dec 1.

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Tamannaah, Sonu Sood, Krushna,
Prakash Raj and Junior – the wonder dog
Direction: Sajid-Farhad
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes

Story: Akhil Lokhande, the illegitimate son of a Bangkok billionaire, finds out that his inheritance has been willed to a dog, Entertainment. And there are also other baddies playing dogs-in-the-manger.

Review: Entertainment tells you the story of how one Daddy’s Najayaz Aulad (illegitimate child), abbreviated in the film as DNA, stumbles upon the fact that he is actually a poor Mumbai boy born to a billionaire from Bangkok. His father, Pannalal Johri (Dalip Tahil in a garlanded photo-frame on the wall), has bequeathed his wealth to his pet dog Entertainment (Junior), because he could not in his life-time locate his real son, Akhil Lokhande (Akshay Kumar).

After a romantic interlude with his girlfriend Saakshi (Tamannaah) in Mumbai, Akhil flies to Bangkok. His best friend Jugnu (Krushna, good comic-tuning) and he make grand plans to get rid of the dog, who stands between him and his billions.

But the canine is nobody’s fool. Man and beast find ways to outsmart each other and when they can’t kill each other, they join forces. Here, a fresh set of villains, Prakash Raj and Sonu Sood, named Karan-Arjun (there are many stereotypes), are introduced. They, too, are eyeing the same pile of wealth.

So now, Akhil and Entertainment have to get the better of the baddies. Debutant-directors Sajid-Farhad, who have the dubious distinction of having written very successful Bollywood no-brainers like the Golmaal series, Dhamaal, and Housefull 2, and who have salvaged themselves to a degree by writing the Singham films, could have salvaged their first directorial venture by keeping it tight, despite the stereotypes. However, because the jokes are repetitive by nature, the LOL (laugh-out-loud) moments are few and far between.

The dialogue, which uses Bollywood actordirector names like, “I so Rajani-can’t”, does get guffaws. But for the most part, the humor is for the child in you. Akshay Kumar is in top form. Having done a multitude of masala movies, he’s become a khiladi. His bonding with the dog (especially in comic scenes) has those ‘oh-so-cute’ moments. The golden retriever is not a wonderful actor; but his eyes can melt your heart.

Model-turned actress Bipasha Basu feels that the competition in filmdom is so cut throat that a feeling of insecurity creeps in. “This industry can make you insecure because it’s do or die for you all the time,” the actress told media. “If you are enjoying it, I know it’s rare, like me, you kind of sail through your 14 years peacefully.

You never know that much time has passed. Also, I am one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have an agenda,” added the 35-year-old. When it comes to her career, Bipasha, who entered filmdom with 2001 hit Ajnabee, has worked in various genres like action thrillers Dhoom and Race, comedy No Entry and off beat drama Corporate and Lamhaa. However, off late she mostly featured in horror films like Aatma and Raaz 3. In fact, her next releases is also horror drama Creature 3D.

When asked about the same, she said:” I have done all kind of films. It’s not that I have done only horror films, but yes if you compare it with other actresses’, maybe I have done a lot more horror film. “It’s just that I want to be part of films that I enjoy genre is irrespective. I love films that entertain, allow me to perform and offer me author driven role.” She is also shooting for director Bhushan Patel’s Alone, which is also a horror drama. ” ‘Alone’ is a supernatural film, but it has got so many layers to it. It’s extremely intense romantic film. It’s a multilayered role. I am happy with the way work is happening. It’s all going really well,” said Bipasha.

After delivering films as varied as ‘Queen’and ‘Revolver Rani’ back-to-back, actress Kangana Ranaut says the audience can expect more variety from her performances in her upcoming movies. “I’m playing very interesting characters now.

I’m doing a love story directed by Nikhil Advani, it’s a different character, then I will be seen in Tanu Weds Manu 2, a film with Sai Kabir – it’s a good line-up. You’ll see a lot of variety from me,” Kangana said during a recent appearance at a fashion gala here. he National Award winning actress took to the ramp at the just concluded BMW India Bridal Fashion Week (IBFW) here in a creation by Suneet Varma, one of the country’s pioneering designers.

While Kangana was impressed with his designs, Varma felt that when the actress ties the knot, the classic red will suit her the best as a bride. “I think Kangana is a very gutsy and fashion forward thinking actress. I think she has been able to find a very important relevant and current niche that many actress haven’t been able to do. She also represents an Indian woman with lot of power. So red is the colour for her (when she marries),” he said.

Former model Katie Price is reportedly in talks with Hollywood executives about turning her life story into a movie. The three-times married former glamour model, who gave birth to her fifth child last week, is reportedly in talks with US publishers Simon and Schuster to adapt her autobiographies for the big screen. According to a source, the ups and downs in her life, which have included current spouse Kieran Hayler cheating on her with two friends, will make for fascinating viewing, reports contactmusic.com. “Katie’s been through a hell of a lot in her thirty six years, but she was clever to document it all down in her books,” said a source. “They’re always great sellers and now they can form the basis for a film of her life. The publishers think there will be a great appetite to watch a dramatization of Katie’s crazy life and they’re so keen to get her on board, they’re talking about a hefty pay cheque to go with it,” the source added.

Actress Mila Kunis’s pregnancy wear is so stylish that she is tagged as the most stylish pregnant woman. The yummy mummy-to-be put her stylish foot forward when she stepped out here Saturday in a white blouse and shorts showing off her growing baby bump, reports mirror.co.uk This is her first child with fiance Ashton Kutcher, but it is not known exactly when it is due, because the two are keeping mum over it. But they are super excited about finally welcoming their baby.

Pop star Lindsay Lohan wants to guest star on “The Only Way is Essex” as she is obsessed with the British reality show. The “Canyons” actress, who was recently romantically linked with former “TOWIE” star Tom Kilbey, is said to be keen to land a cameo on the British reality show because she is a huge fan and watches every episode on YouTube, reportscontactmusic.com. ”Lindsay’s obsessed with all things Essex and she’s watched every episode of ‘TOWIE’ on YouTube. It’s like her new fix. She’s been telling anyone who’ll listen that she’d love to guest star in a few episodes and has even asked her management to set up a meeting with the producers,” said a source.

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace,
Bradley Cooper, Benicio Del Toro, Vin Diesel, Glenn Close,
Josh Brolin, John C. Reilly, Karen Gillian, Rob Zombie,
Stan Lee
Direction: James Gunn
Genre: Action
Duration: 2 hours 1 minute

Story: A bounty hunter finds himself pursued by powerful enemies after he steals an orb. Realising that the orb can be deadly in the wrong hands, he forms a team with four other dodgy individuals, all united by a common cause – to keep the orb (and what it contains) from the wrong hands.

Review: Marvel’s latest offering is quite unlike any in its genre. Apart from wit, guile, strength and a gift for being resourceful, these Guardians are quite the underdogs.

Peter Quill (Pratt) is the aforementioned bounty hunter and the villains – Ronan (Pace) and his lord Thanos (Brolin) – want the orb for what it contains. Thanos sends the chartreuse-coloured Gamora (Saldana) to planet Xandar to steal it from Quill, but their ensuing tussle on the street attracts the attention of a genetically engineered raccoon, Rocket (Cooper) and his tree-mutant companion Groot (Diesel).

The subsequent melee lands the bunch in a galactic prison called The Kyln, where they meet the muscular Drax (Bautista) who takes everything literally. Post-prison break, Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot (vocabulary limited to “I am Groot”) form a hesitant alliance, the aim being to keep the orb from Ronan and Gamora’s half-sister Nebula’s (Gillan) grasp and then sell it.

From Xandar to the Kyln, the action shifts to Knowhere, an interstellar trade station shaped like a gigantic alien-like head. Although a team, Gunn gives each Guardian a wellthought- out personality. Refreshingly innovative, delightfully quirky, very well-made and even boundarybending, the humour keeps rolling with laser-blast frequency in this wildly imaginative and thoroughly entertaining film.

The screenplay is tighter than a racetrack with hairpin turns, but the narrative does have a few fissures. Despite these chinks, the charming performances, strange characters (don’t miss Del Toro as The Collector), spaceships and of course, the 70s soundtrack (a highlight by itself) make this one a heck of an intergalactic romp. Don’t miss Stan Lee’s customary cameo and in case you’re new to Marvel film lore, stay past the end credits roll.

Alia Bhatt keeps track of box office collection of her films. Not that the actress wants to keep a tab but it is father Mahesh Bhatt’s religious Monday calls asking her about the collections of her films that make her keep an eye on them. “I keep a track but by default. My father calls and asks me, “What is the collection now and thus I automatically keep a track and know about the box collection of my films,” she says.

After acting and producing films, Dia Mirza wants to move towards directing a movie. However, she wants to wait till a story appeals to her enough. “I love storytelling, which is why we make movies and I have chosen production. Direction is one of the more meaningful aspects of storytelling and I will admit that it is an area I would actually gravitate to,” the 32-yearold said at the launch of a magazine edition featuring her on the cover. She doesn’t know “how soon” it would be before she makes her directorial debut. But she said: “A story needs to call out to me strongly enough for me to want to make it or tell it myself. Also, it takes a lot of confidence and I need to make a few more films before that.” Dia has produced two films Love Breakups Zindagi and Bobby Jasoos. She is currently getting ready to marry fiance Sahil Sangha in October.

Name dropping is something which is thoroughly looked down upon and has caused quite a few relations to go sour. Richa Chadda, the latest victim of such name dropping is furious and at the same time amused that her name is being used by some. A recent press report claims that Richa is a part of a film called Kacha Love, Pakke Dost which is apparently the directorial debut of famous casting director Mukesh Chabbra. Chabbra happens to be a good friend of the actress giving her all the more reason to be surprised at this news. Richa said reacting to the news, “It’s funny actually because Mukesh is a dear friend. And if he has such a movie I’m sure he would call and ask. I have never heard about this movie and this actually isn’t the first time my name is being used randomly without me being aware.”

Actress Rani Mukerji on Monday unveiled ‘Mardaani’ anthem and says it talks about “anger and frustration” women go through. “This anthem is a thought that has come from the anger and frustration we go through in our daily life,” Rani told reporters. “The anthem is written by Kausar Munir. This anthem is beautifully depicted. The lyrics are very powerful,” added the actress. Director Pradeep Sarkar’s film Mardaani will see Rani as Shivani Shivaji Roy, an officer of the Mumbai Crime Branch unit. In the raw and gritty tale, Rani displays women power. She said: “Men are physically strong but women are mentally and emotionally strong. There is nothing man can do without women.” Produced by Rani’s husband Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films (YRF) banner, Mardaani is slated to release on Aug 22.

While on outdoors schedules Bollywood Actors generally tend to crave delicacies of the region they are shooting in. But long schedules of work and strict diet plans don’t allow them to gorge enough food. During the shoot of Finding Fanny, Deepika decided that the entire team immerse themselves into a Goan avatar. And in her endeavour to do this, she traced down a local Goan culinary expert and would personally order authentic Goan cuisine from wherever she was shooting. It first started with ordering Goan food on set but that would warrant a siesta after the unit had gorged on all the delicacies. Following a couple of these siestas, producer Dinesh Vijan decided that the over-eating should be kept for after wrapping the day’s work or it would be impossible to wrap each actor within 36 shooting days. “Oh ya, we’d come back from a hectic day of shooting and Deepika’s team would have a Goan spread laid out for everyone,” beams a crew member. Well, we are sure Deepika Padukone makes quite a good Host and has her taste buds all over the place.

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Amr Waked,
Min-sik Choi
Direction: Luc Besson
Genre: Sci-Fi
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Story: One wrong decision lands Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) in trouble and changes her life forever.

Review: Lucy is deceived by her shady boyfriend, who coerces her into undertaking a delivery job. Little does she know that she has been used as a drug mule instead! However, the victim in her becomes lethal when she is accidentally exposed to an overdose of the very experimental drugs she is about to transfer.

Lucy’s premise is built on the widely popular myth that we ‘human beings only make use of 10% of our brain’. What will happen if a drug (here, CPH4) alters that calculation drastically, thus enabling us to use the full 100%? Lucy undergoes this. Her brain power keeps increasing, making her seem like a highly volatile, walking, talking time bomb about to explode.

What will happen to Lucy after the drug unlocks her mind’s full potential? While the concept is highly intriguing and thoughtprovoking, you cannot stretch an idea way beyond its limits. Lucy’s dilemma is mysterious and gripping but as the film oscillates between sci-fi, action and philosophy, you somewhere find it all too pseudocerebral and convoluted.

The combination of multiple genres makes the film look like a bizarre mix of The Tree of Life and La Femme Nikita! Morgan Freeman stands out in his small but significant role. Scarlett Johansson is convincing but after a while, the film gets too far-fetched and her character loses its sheen. While we are keen on counting her rising brain potential, changing psyche and the unexpected repercussions, the overindulgent French filmmaker seems more desperate to focus on his femme fatale’s implausible superpowers (telekinesis and mind-reading) instead.

Lucy may fail to woo the mainstream audience as it doesn’t boast an extravagant budget or thrilling special effects. You don’t feel for the protagonist either as she loses everything that makes her human, including pain and fear of death. However, if you are a fan of ‘experimental’ cinema, you will appreciate this unconventional attempt.

Supermodels Gisele Bundchen has undertaken three days of meditative silence while on vacation in Costa Rica. The Brazilian supermodel is currently on vacation in Costa Rica with fellow model Kiara Kabukuru and the two have embarked on the challenge to find their inner Zen, reports contactmusic.com.

Posting a photo of her and Kirara posing with their hands together in prayer via her Instagram account, Gisele wrote on Twitter: ”Here we go… 3 days in silence. #goinginward (sic).” Bundchen, 34, and Kabukuru, 39, seem to be trying to rejuvenate themselves on the break as at the weekend. The former re-posted a image of a basket of vegetables that her personal raw food chef Joanne Gerrard Young had tweeted stating the two beauties were “starting” their “juice cleanse”.

Cast: Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Randeep
Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mithun Chakraborty,
Saurabh Shukla
Direction: Sajid Nadiadwala
Genre: Drama
Duration: 2 hours 26 minutes

Story: Shaina loves Devi who loves anything that gives him a kick – what happens when Devi discovers the highs of low crime?

Review: Straight on, Kick is Bollywood biryani, a masala movie spiced with the superstardom of Salman Khan, garnished by charming Jacqueline, smouldered over the wry talent of Randeep Hooda. Kick is not for lovers of fine filmi foie gras, but for those who want a hearty Eid banquet to enjoy. Shy Shaina (Jacqueline) meets eccentric Devi Lal (Salman) who will do anything – including beat up eveteasing “micro-terrorists ki gang” – for a kick.

The couple’s love blossoms in a blaze of golden confetti but withers as Devi is unwilling to hold down boring jobs despite Shaina – who is a “magaz ki doctor” or psychiatrist – pleading. As Devi walks away, even hot Inspector Himanshu (Randeep), who visits Shaina and her diplomat dad (Saurabh Shukla) in Poland, is unable to charm the broken-hearted girl. What happens when an amnesiastruck Devi shows up? And when he mysteriously appears in the super-robbery case Himanshu’s determined to crack? Kick is vintage Salman Khan, the star flipping from fun-loving Devi to dead-serious Devil with goofy, yet deadly grace.

Salman’s clearly having fun here – he drawls, “Meri cat, mujhi pe attack” with creamy cattiness, while in the stiltedly sexy Marjawan featuring Nargis Fakhri, where he’s togged up as a devil, Salman grins sideways, as if he knows just how ridiculous this is.

But if Salman’s getting his kicks, so are the others. Randeep Hooda matches Salman with his restrained, velveteen performance as Inspector Himanshu whose coat, he explains, “isn’t Armani but sarkaari”, while Jacqueline is best-in-lipsticks so far this year, carrying off librarian-hot with grace, her Shaina beautifully elegant – until she throws off her jacket and burns the screen in Jumme ki Raat.

As Shiv Gajra, criminal head of a charitable trust, Nawazuddin tries too hard to be bad. His Faster Fenaylike ‘tock’ and hammy laugh get on your nerves but his role’s sharp and small, restricted to “Pollen-d” and a bank sequence with, well, a shocking end. But shocks aside, Kick has laughs too. A jail sequence involving Devi’s pitaji (Mithun) is LOL-hilarious while there’s unintended comedy too, including animation featuring Salman with a body suspiciously like Hrithik’s and a Polish chase sequence involving a London Kings Cross bus. At times, the plot resembles the bus itself, wobbling madly until the next killer line.

Nikhil Advani who is coproducing ‘Katti Batti’ with Sidharth Roy Kapoor, has signed Kangana Ranaut opposite Imran Khan for the romedy. Confirming this, he says she’s the perfect choice for Payal, a fine arts student who isn’t sure if she wants to be a model, a teacher or an architect. But hadn’t Ileana D’Cruz been finalised for the part? “We were talking to several people one of whom was Ileana. But as the script shaped up, we felt Kangana’s quirky personality would bring this eccentric character to life,” Nikhil asserts.

Wasn’t it difficult convincing Kangana considering Imran’s dismal box-office run? She has rejected a couple of films recently. Nikhil insists she heard the narration and immediately said yes. “She’s a gutsy actress who has never played safe. When I told Imran that she’s on board, he was thrilled,” he insists. The film rolls in September before Hero releases and will be shot in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi. “It’s a progressive look at modern relationships. The title reflects the dramatic equation Kangana and Imran share in,” says Nikhil.