Tag: Bollywood

STORY: Amit and Samara are two lost souls in the city with different dreams and desires. Until destiny designs a new road for them. REVIEW: Wait to be seated, in the meanwhile take a look at the menu tonight.

The portions are large, so everything is served one by two. In the ‘Specials’ we have a daringly different product of Bollywood, Abhay Deol. With a storyline that wants to leap out of mundane romcoms. Some spark of comedy, some feathery feelgood scenes. And some good music (Shankar-Ehsaan- Loy) for the hungry soul.

We’ll come back to what’s ‘not hot’ on the menu, for now let’s dig in. Everything in Amit Sharma’s (Abhay) life is unbearably boring. Starting with his name, of course. He’s in a permanently pakaoed (like deep fried French fries) and purposeless state of mind – with a nagging mom (Rati) who buys him stretchable underwear and emotionally blackmails him to opt for a quick-fix boredom solution called shaadi.

His college sweetheart dumps him for being as mundane as manchow soup on a date. And to top it, thanks to his ‘gas’tronomical indulgences (blame it on ‘pakaoed paneer’) he’s a good ol’ fart too. He believes, when life throws shit at you, you need a lot of toilet paper. Phrrr! On the other side, Samara (Preeti – pretty, super confident and shows promise) raised by single-mom (Lillete-good act!) is aspiring to be famous dancer by winning a dance reality show.

She’s exasperated with her mom who has a date with the daru bottle every night, and an ex-boyfriend who can bed anything for benefit. Her mantra is ‘clean up the shit’. Amit and Samara’s paths almost cross, but they miss each other each time by a split second. Eventually, after all the ‘shit happens’ and is flushed out; fate has fresh plans for them.

Debutante Devika’s concept might look good on paper, but onscreen it dissipates like diarrhoea. Strung with a few laughable scenes, it scrambles around with too many plots crafted like episodic sitcoms. It intends to reflect the psyche of the ‘wuzdat’ generation but quickly crumbles like an out-of-love, casual sex relationship. Abhay is good in his part, but after his super performance in ‘Raanjhanaa’ he’s not at his peak here.

Actress Lindsay Lohan has reportedly been refused entry in a number of nightclubs. The 27-year-old is said to have been recently banned from New York clubs after a series of incidents including one where she claimed that her fur coat has been stolen, reports contactmusic.com.

“She stared the doorman down and was surprised that they wouldn’t let her in. She was definitely shaken up,” a source told Bang Showbiz.

Kim Kardashian has revealed that she wants her daughter North West to appear on ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’. The 33-year-old fiance of Kanye West is keen that her sevenmonth- old daughter joins the series, but the rapper has “shut down” the topic of conversation whenever it’s brought up and refuses to compromise, Contactmusic reported.

Sources revealed that Ryan Seacrest, who executive produces the show had reached out to Kardashian and asked her to consider allowing North on the show as her fans want to see her interact with her daughter, and how she is as a mother. Sources added that Kanye isn’t keen on the idea and doesn’t want his daughter ever to appear on the

STORY: Solomon Northup is kidnapped into savage slavery – can Solomon ever be free again?

REVIEW: Straight away, 12 Years A Slave is not a film for the faint-hearted. It is one of the most haunting, daunting movies made. But despite its unrelenting, tense brutality, you’re unable to tear your eyes away. This is what makes 12 Years A Slave a work of disturbing genius. Solomon Northup (Ejiofor) is a free musician in 1841, kidnapped into the slave trade. Taken to Washington, Solomon is savagely beaten when he screams that he’s free. His howls fly into Washington’s skies, unheard by the White House impassively behind. Solomon is shipped down south where slave trader Theophilus Freeman (Giammati, stunning) sells naked, shivering black slaves, placed like exhibits amidst delicate china tea cups and cream cakes.

Northup, beaten into answering to ‘Platt’, is bought by timber farmer William Ford (Cumberbatch). Platt impresses Ford with his skills but resentful overseer Tibeats (Dano, chilling) has Platt lynched. Shots of Platt strung up, gasping, his toes scrabbling desperately in squelching mud below, shock. Ford rescues Platt but sells him to savage plantation owner Edwin Epps (Fassbender). Any slave who picks less than 200 pounds of cotton a day is lashed while Patsy (Nyong’o), who picks 500, gets worse, Epps raping, then whipping her as his jealous wife (Paulson) demands. One day, Epps makes Platt whip Patsy too.

Slavery’s crushing Platt when a Canadian carpenter Bass (Pitt) hears his tale. Will Bass help Platt be Solomon Northup again? The film is deeply powerful with brilliant acting. Ejiofor is its evocative heart while Fassbender is frighteningly perfect as soulless Epps, supported by Paulson as his sour, shrewish wife. Nyong’o makes Patsy’s misery come alive. Alongside, the sound design’s superb, capturing the relentless march of the waves powering slave boats, winds moaning through plantation trees.

Deep focus shots showcase how the American South’s gracious life, its mansions and masquerades, its tea parties and gowns, was based on breaking the backs of captured blacks. Alongside, some scenes – Platt making ink from watery beetroot stew, burning a letter as darkness overwhelms – are of tremendously moving simplicity. Bass’s reaction, “Your story is amazing – and in no good way” rings true for the film. This is not a movie to be enjoyed but endured. But there lies its disturbing genius.

Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah
Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt
Direction: Steve McQueen
Genre: Biopic
Duration: 2 hours 14 minutes

Scarlett Johansson is ending her relationship with a humanitarian group after being criticized over her support for an Israeli company that operates in the West Bank. A statement released by Johansson’s spokesman said the 29- year-old actress has “a fundamental difference of opinion” with Oxfam International because the humanitarian group opposes all trade from Israeli settlements, saying they are illegal and deny Palestinian rights.

“Scarlett Johansson has respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years,” the statement said. “She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. She is very proud of her accomplishments and fundraising efforts during her tenure with Oxfam.” Earlier this month, “The Avengers” and “Her” actress signed on as the first global brand ambassador of SodaStream International Ltd., and she’s set to appear in an ad for the athome soda maker during the Super Bowl on Feb. 2. SodaStream has come under fire from pro-Palestinian activists for maintaining a large factory in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, a territory captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians.

In response to the criticism, Johansson said last week she was a “supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine.” Oxfam took issue with Johansson, noting it was “considering the implications of her new statement and what it means for Ms. Johansson’s role as an Oxfam global ambassador.”

STORY: Nelson Mandela walked a long, hard path – how did the world join him?

REVIEW: Straight away, Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom shows you an icon in a whole new light. Many know about Nelson Mandela’s fight against South Africa’s apartheid, his imprisonment for decades, his faith in non-violence. While this film shows all that, it also shows more, capturing a man who began as deeply confused, full of conflicts and charm, gravity and fun.

It is as Nelson Mandela moves from being an upcoming lawyer in 1940s Johannesburg, full of jazz bars and pretty girls, courts and cruel cops, a friend telling Mandela he’s becoming a man to watch, to the wry rejoinder, “Maybe I should sell tickets” – to an African National Congress member, addressing demos and blowing up plants, that his character evolves. We then see Mandela grow into the Madiba the world knows. Along the way, Mandela loses more than his freedom.

Fed up by his philandering, his first wife leaves. His mother is furious while he struggles between pleasures and principles. When Mandela meets Winnie, a tough social worker, his identity becomes sharply defined. He goes from being a light-hearted seeker of joys to a fully determined fighter against apartheid. Mandela and his associates are imprisoned for life – but battling solitude and savagery, Mandela grows larger than life. This fast-moving film extends beyond one icon.

Alongside Mandela, it follows the anti-apartheid movement itself, from peaceful boycotts to blowing offices up, terrible civil war and a return to peace. It captures the tremendous romance of Africa, its gold-pink vistas as beautiful as blush, its rhythms, vibes and colourful tribes. And it presents fabulous performances. Naomie Harris is brilliant as Winnie Mandela, capturing her seething trauma – imprisoned and tortured, Winnie’s “Don’t touch me” to a policeman chills – her insistence on violent revenge, and her break-up with Madiba.

Alongside, Idris Elba’s Mandela towers gracefully, full of complexity, yet simple enough to emphasise you cannot hate another without hating yourself. The camerawork skillfully captures individuals and crowds while the soundtrack, from jazz to Bob Marley, makes you live the world’s energy to free Mandela. Watch this – while making you laugh and cry, it takes you on a wondrous walk

Supermodel Kate Moss is the new face of late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen’s eponymous label.

The 40-year-old fronts the campaign for the label’s spring-summer 2014 collection, which according to the fashion house aims to “capture the iconic British model as an otherworldly woman in a darkly surreal environment”, reports contactmusic.com. In a short film captured by photographer Steven Klein in East London, Moss is seen in a short yellow crop.

Actress and singersongwriter Hilary Duff went on a family trip with her estranged husband, retired professional ice hockey player Mike Comrie, and son Luca.

The family of three headed out for a hike Sunday, reports eonline.com. “Daddy and son Sunday hike,” Duff posted along with a photograph of her estranged husband and their 22-monthold tot walking on a trail. The 26-year-old actress made her first red carpet appearance post-split at the 2014 Grammy Weekend Reception party in West Hollywood, California.

While she stayed mum on the break-up at the event, she seemed to be in great spirits while chatting and laughing with friends before Lorde performed for guests. A source close to the couple told E! News that the couple’s split was truly amicable and they didn’t call it quits for any particular incident. The duo rather drifted apart over time despite trying couple’s therapy to mend their relationship.

Ameesha Patel badly bruised her hands and legs while shooting for an action scene. A unit source said, “It was a chase sequence in which Ameesha, who is being chased by a man had to rush down a flight of stairs.

However, while shooting, the guy who was chasing her tripped, dragging Ameesha along with him.” Both got injured in the mishap. A doctor was immediately summoned to the set. “Ameesha’s feet and hands are swollen and she has been advised bed rest,” said a source.

Though director Vishal Bhardwaj tried keeping Shraddha Kapoor’s role and character in ‘Haider’ under wraps, his efforts eventually turned futile.

Recently, Shraddha was spotted flashing a press correspondent’s card as she started shooting for the project with co-star Irrfan in Srinagar. According to the sources, she plays a journalist in the movie who is not just fearless but also doesn’t mind risking her life for a story. “Her life motto is to bring out truth at any cost,” a source said.

On the other hand, Irrfan was seen wearing traditional Kashmiri outfits with a special hat. “His role is an important one.” In one of the shots, we spotted Shraddha chasing Irrfan while holding a pen and a diary as if she’s asking him some questions. While Shahid, who will be joining the crew in a day or two, is completely changed from what he essayed in the last leg of the shoot in 2013. “Now he will be bald and clean shaven.

Since it’s a final schedule of the shoot, Vishal asked Shahid to prepare himself mentally and physically for a vital sequence. Shahid is anxious, and it showed when he posted this on twitter. “Reading scenes for the final schedule of Haider. Nervous and excited. Last four days of hair I can run my hands through. Snowed out Kashmir calling.” Tabu will reportedly join soon. The shooting is currently going on at Residency Road in the city and Press Colony.

When contacted K Jamsheed, who is a line producer for the film, said, “It’s going to be a long schedule of 20 to 25 days.” He stated that major chunk of the film will be shot in Srinagar, but the unit will move to Pahalgam and other nearby areas soon. Also, the director is not taking any chances with the filming of scenes. Probably he’s not too keen to see the repeat of what happened last time when the students of Kashmir University objected to hoisting of the national flag atop a makeshift bunker, leading to cancellation of the shoot.

STORY: A braveheart commoner stands up against injustice and spreads a life-changing mantra of the circle of goodness, giving and generosity.

REVIEW: There is nothing ordinary about this aam aadmi. He rips, roars and ravages the raavans with a single blow – like a Stallone on steroids. Jai (Salman) is an ex-Army officer, who runs a garage part-time and plays incredibly good (looking) Samaritan fulltime, beating up baddies to bloody pulp with anything from hockey sticks, chains, scaffolding and even a mighty pen.

During one ‘good-deed’ demo, he’s hit by a brainwave – a thought that can change the world! His funda seems profound but is simple. Goodness is redeemable. If someone shows you a random act of kindness, you pay it forward to three people. And they’ll pass on the ‘act of kindness’ to three more each. A multiplier effect on millions – snowballing into a mass junta movement of goodness.

The film has the heart and the haath (read: fist) in the right place. But there’s more than just ‘do-gooder’ drama in this potboiler with purpose. Jai gets embroiled with a nefarious neta, Dashrath Singh (Danny) and his heavyweight hooligans, who’re a ‘pain in the rear’ of the aam aadmi. It sparks a raging war between the udaas aam aadmi and khaas politicians.

‘Jai Ho’- A remake of Telugu film ‘Stalin’ (inspired by Hollywood film ‘Pay It Forward’) resonates with the current mood of the country. Sparking an optimistic hope of a Utopian world. Sohail presents our ‘Hero of the Masses’ fabulously – with all Salmanisms perfectly in place. The premise pompously alerts us of cliches and trappings of a commercial masala fare.

The screenplay is not as inspiring as the noble message, the story cuts into too many episodes and the underlying idea is repetitive. Tabu and Danny leave a decent impact. Debutante Daisy grooves well and shows impressive confidence. The bone-crunching, blood-splitting scenes are a delight for action addicts. The story is laced with light-hearted humour and massy music.

Like most Salman Khan films, this one too rests solely on his undeniable superstardom. There is one explosive moment of revelation in the film – when Salman tears off his shirt to show off his greased, stabbed, scarred and sensational sinews. Nothing else matters for ‘bhai’ fanatics. It’s ‘the’ paise wasool moment. Rest assured, they will ‘pay up’ and ‘take it forward’.

STORY: A struggling theatre actor and a young girl, ‘mad over paranthas’, bump into each other in the famous paranthe wali gali of old Delhi and talk each other into fulfilling their dreams. REVIEW: Playwright and theatre director Sachin Gupta’s debut film with an interesting title offers a fresh perspective on life, ambition and our ability to hit back harder when life hits you hard. Very rarely do films focus on simple and light-hearted everyday conversation.

Gupta brings that aspect to the forefront with the beautiful backdrop of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi (or Delhi-6, thanks to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra). We also liked the fact that though based on the hero’s love for theatre, most songs and scenes don’t look theatrical. Gupta keeps it real with locations, performances, interactions. While the sight of scrumptious paranthas and pickle leave you salivating, lack of a concrete plot coupled with the film’s stagnant pace also unfortunately leave you hungry and tired.

Plus, the story lacks direction; it wanders around aimlessly, lacking continuity and failing to connect with the audience. This makes you question the motive of the film. For example, the protagonist Maulik ( Anuj Saxena), a theatre actor/director, who struggles to get himself a show, goes on and on about his passion for ‘theatre’, but his actions do not back his words. We don’t feel for his character or his love for the art, which is the biggest drawback of the film. Saxena is a tad too understated for his character.

On the contrary, his young heroine ( Neha Pawar), who plays a loud Punjaban, tries to imitate Anushka Sharma and ends up looking over-animated in most scenes. She gets better when she’s herself. The lead actors have good screen presence but need to undergo voice modulation for their pitch stays constant. The chemistry between the two doesn’t work either. Supporting actors are pleasant, but don’t add much to the proceedings. The abrupt climax doesn’t live up to the strong initial build-up either.

Kangana Ranaut got a sense of deja vu when she was shooting for ‘Badra Bahaar’ from the film ‘Queen’. Kangana, who is originally from Manali, had come to Mumbai all alone to become an actor. Before she worked her way to the top and became a successful star, Kangy had to live alone and figure out her way in the big city. What is commendable is that she successfully carved a niche for herself in Bollywood without a Godfather.

Coincidentally, in the movie Rani leaves India to visit Paris, venturing out on her own for the very first time in her life. Braving it out in a new place, Rani discovers a whole new world. She fights every situation and thoroughly enjoys moments that life throws at her.

Deepika Padukone’s rumoured beau Ranveer Singh has got the seal of approval from her friends who are now urging the actress to get ‘serious’ about the relationship. This happened during their rendezvous in New York during New Year which Mirror reported. Deepika’s circle met her Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela co-star and the advice followed. The pair was joined by friends over dinner and the conversation soon veered towards their ‘relationship’.

At this point Deepika tried to change the topic but her pals refused to drop the subject. “They unanimously suggested that Deepika should not leave Ranveer,” said the source. “One of them blurted out, “Can’t you see the man loves you madly? Don’t leave him.” Perhaps Deepika’s friends were hinting at her history of her break-ups; Nihar Pandya, Yuvraj Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and Sidhartha Mallya.

While Vidya Balan may prefer wearing a sari in real life, she dresses up glamorously for her character in the upcoming film Shaadi Ke Side Effects.

Keira Knightley has revealed that she couldn’t be a CIA agent like her onscreen lover in ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’, because she is ”terrible” at keeping secrets. While the 28-year-old beauty plays the love interest of a CIA agent in the new flick, she insists she could never be a covert operative herself because she would end up spilling all the classified information. Speaking at the European premiere of ‘Jack Ryan’ in London’s Leicester Square, she told BANG Showbiz that she’s terrible at keeping secrets, and it would come straight out of her mouth, so she would be an awful CIA agent.

Kim Kardashian has revealed that after experiencing the wonder of bringing up her first daughter, North, she now wants at least six children. The reality TV star gave birth to her first daughter, North, last June and is eager to go through the joys of having a child again. She told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres that she always wanted about six kids, and after having North, she would like to have a million, Contactmusic reported. Even though is keen to increase her brood, she isn’t looking forward to pregnancy again, after suffering health problems during her first, including preeclampsia, which caused her body to swell and was dangerous to the health of both her and the baby.

STORY: Based on the character created by author Tom Clancy, ‘Jack Ryan’ is a geopolitical thriller set in the post 9/11 world. REVIEW: While the previous films in the series were adapted from Clancy’s best-selling novels, Shadow Recruit is a reboot, which works as a prequel to the original Jack Ryan stories. In this one, Jack Ryan (Chris Pine), CIA’s covert financial analyst, discovers a Russian conspiracy to destroy the American economy and must travel to Moscow to save his country. But it’s not that easy when Russian Mogul Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh), is at the helm of the attack.

Who will win? While the film is certainly not yawn-inducing and keeps the suspense level high, it fails to create its own identity. In spite of being fast-paced and sleek in terms of stunts, it looks like a generic action thriller, which seems to be made to keep the franchise going. We don’t mind the ‘lack of originality’, as long as what you see onscreen is engaging enough. The film does manage to capture attention in the beginning, but as it proceeds, the execution gets mediocre and what you end up seeing is a run-of-the-mill espionage thriller.

While you crave to see the urgency, suspense and high-octane action that the Bourne series or Mission Impossible exhibit, here you get an uninspiring, one-dimensional film instead, which doesn’t look real. The ‘Russians as the bad guys’ theme has been done to death. The protagonist conveniently dodges danger while the girlfriend ( Keira Knightley) has nothing much to do, except for suspecting he’s having an affair. Chris Pine, known more for his looks than performance, does a decent job, but it’s the regular direction and script which undo his effort. The background score works and (villain-cum-filmmaker) Kenneth Branagh does look vicious; unfortunately, the climax fails him too. Kevin Costner is wasted.