Tag: Bollywood

Story: A team of con men fall for a Begum and her female confidante. Does their love fructify? Review: Dedh Ishqiya is a sequel to the zany 2010 black comedy Ishqiya. Like its prequel, the idiom and the setting are rural. The spoken language is Hindi with a peppering of heavy-duty Urdu. Thank God for the English subtitles in circuits except the Hindi belt! What’s also nice is the contemporary thought woven in (with references to Iphone-5 and hamburgers in New York). So, the desi-yuppies can connect. The plot, with many interesting twists, is about the irrepressible team of crooks, Khallu and Babban (Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi respectively). When these two arrive in Mehmudabad, Naseer finds himself magnetically drawn to the local heiress, Begum Para (Madhuri Dixit Nene).

And Arshad falls head over heels in love with the Begum’s aide, Muniya (Huma Qureshi). The uncle-nephew team chase their love interests and build castles in the air about sex, life and wealth. The women, Begum Para and Muniya, also have a back-story. Para is the widow of a debauched Nawab who gambled away his wealth on men and wine. Her crazy suitor, Jaan Mohammad ( Vijay Raaz) wants to bail her out. In their attempt to live happily ever after, Begum and Muniya devise their own Thelma and Louise (the 1991 Hollywood flick) kind of plan. Not willing to give up, Khallu and Baban try hard to fit in. Vishal Bharadwaj’s dialogue keeps you in splits.

The free usage of words like sex and chu**yapaa tickle the funny bone. Naseer is back in super-form after straying in outings like Jackpot. Ditto Arshad. Madhuri looks gorgeous but the dhak-dhak girl (now woman) falls short on the oomph meter, as compared to Vidya Balan in Ishqiya. Huma Qureshi is interesting.

Elli Avram won quite a few hearts, including that of the host’s during a recently concluded reality show. While on ‘Bigg Boss’ Salman Khan had promised her a film once she was out of the house and buzz was that she would be seen in a special appearance in ‘Jai Ho’.

But when asked director Sohail Khan laughed off the rumour saying, “The film is complete, there’s no place for anyone else to make an appearance.” But all is not lost. According to a source, the ‘ Mickey Virus’ actress will be shaking a leg in Salman’s brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri’s upcoming film ‘ Oh Teri’.

Jacqueline Fernandez, who is currently shooting for the ambitious action entertainer ‘Kick’, recently gifted her parents a holiday to France , a country they wanted to visit for a long time. “Jacqueline knew that her parents wanted to visit the country for a long time now. So, she planned the entire trip for them. She not only booked the tickets, but also made all the arrangements for their trip, including their stay and sightseeing, etc,” says a source close to the actor.

And while Jackie wanted to accompany her parents on the trip, she has been extremely tied up with her shooting schedule for Kick and other assignments. Says Jacqueline, “My parents always wanted to visit France, so I decided to gift them a vacation to the beautiful country that they both love.”

Sushmita Sen has lost weight and is gearing up for a comeback and says 2014 is going to be her year. “I have been preparing actually since 2013. I know every time an actor loses weight or starts looking fitter or thinner, it is always for a reason. But this is me getting ready for the most fantastic time of my life in all aspects. Professionally and personally 2014 is going to be my year,” the 38-year-old said at an art exhibition. Sushmita is eagerly awaiting the announcement of two projects, one of which goes on floors in July.

“Professionally you are going to see me back this year for sure. We have two very nice announcements, hopefully they should happen soon,” Sushmita said. “The filming for one of them begins in July and the rest of them is more of combining the entrepreneur side of me and the actor and the mum side of me, all of it together,” she added.

Amanda Bynes’ bong-toss case will be dismissed if she manages to stay out of trouble for six months and goes for regular counseling. A Manhattan judge allowed an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal which means the 27-year-old actress does not have to admit guilt, CBS News reported. However, she does have to attend counseling twice a week for six months. The ‘Hairspray’ actress didn’t appear in court, but an affidavit was filed on her behalf by attorney Gerald Shargel saying that she understood the agreement.

Bynes was charged last spring with reckless endangerment and marijuana possession after building managers called police because they said she was smoking pot in the lobby of her Manhattan apartment. When officers entered her 36th-floor apartment, they said they saw her heave a bong out the window.

Afilm on the life of international celebrity chef Nigella Lawson is being planned and actress Angelina Jolie is said to be completely gripped by the former’s life, might play the lead in it. Lawson has had a turbulent year. She was recently accused of taking cocaine. Jolie is said to think of Lawson as a “remarkable woman” and is reportedly totally gripped by the drama surrounding the latter’s life, reports contactmusic.com. “Angie had planned to take a lot of time off next year but this role is very tempting.

She has been gripped like everyone else by all the drama surrounding Nigella these past few months and thinks she is a remarkable woman. The story has got it all – and she’s as intrigued as anyone else by it,” The Sun newspaper quoted a source as saying. The 38-year-old has been seen in films like “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, “Wanted” and “Salt”.

Story: Middle-class Jordan Belfort makes millions selling dodgy stocks – how long can he fly high? Review: Straight up, The Wolf of Wall Street (TWOWS) is one of the most amusing and appalling films around. Martin Scorsese paints a compelling portrait of Wall Street, that metaphor for American ability and greed, sending your head spinning with its ferocity. Leonardo DiCaprio stands foreground, delivering fresh-faced-with-wicked-eyes with the kick of a cocktail. DiCaprio excels as Jordan, a middle-class boy dreaming dollar signs, landing on Wall Street in 1987, mentored by stock wiz Mark Hannah (McConaughey) in how to ‘move money from your client’s pocket into yours’. Jordan’s loving the buzz when a crash forces him into a penny-stock trading firm, offering postmen and plumbers modest buys.

Here too, with his drive and desire, Jordan strikes it rich, launching his own firm with neighbour Donny (Hill) and ‘young, hungry, stupid’ guys who get super-rich. When they’re not ensuring the client ‘either buys or f***ing dies’, the brokers do drugs and sex like there’s no tomorrow. But the FBI’s watching their orgy. DiCaprio runs away with Jordan, magnetic as he trains his pack to hunt, brutally funny when high on drugs, he crawls to his low-slung Ferrari. You feel Jordan’s hunger for dough, his itching hands, his lips licked at the thought of his next billion. DiCaprio is compelling, quipping amidst carnality and cocaine, “This is obscene in the normal world – but who the f*** wants to live there?” Swinging from magnificent to meatloaf, DiCaprio nails over-the-top, yet fragile Jordan, unraveling after meeting Patrick Denham (Chandler), FBI.

There are further ‘highs’ – Hill’s memorable as chubby, grotesque Donny, Jean Dujardin’s like a polished fondue as slick Swiss banker Saurel, veteran British actress Joanna Lumley’s in a nice cameo as Aunt Emma to Jordan’s bombshell wife Naomi (Robbie). The movie could have snipped 20 minutes off but the soundtrack’s peppy-bright against greed raw and stark, capturing the violence and vulgarity embellishing the victories of Wall Street. The ‘F’ word’s sprinkled generously, like salt on French fries, shocking your taste-buds more. Prepare your appetite. This Wolf makes you wince, think, laugh – and growl.

Capturing the public’s imagination for three decades through her ethereal beauty and intense celluloid performance, Suchitra Sen symbolised the golden age of Bengali cinema with memorable films like ‘Agnipariksha’, ’Devdas’ and ‘Saat Paake Bandha’ The doe-eyed beauty turned a recluse after bidding adieu to the world of films in the late seventies and was often compared to Hollywood icon Greta Garbo, who shunned public contact. No other heroine in Bengal, since Kanan Devi, caught the public imagination as Sen did. In an era of black and white movies, her intense performances catapulted her to stardom. Such was the popularity of the Sen that during Durga Puja, idols of Lakshmi and Saraswati were known to have been modelled on her face.

Sen on January 17 died at the age of 82 after suffering a heart attack. Beginning her career with Bengali film ‘Shesh Kothai’ in 1952, Sen went on to receive a National Award for her performance in Bimal Roy’s 1955 Hindi classic ‘Devdas’, playing the defiant ‘Paro’ to Dilip Kumar’s ‘Devdas’. She formed an unbeatable romantic pair with Bengali cinema legend Uttam Kumar. The duo gave a string of memorable hits such as ‘Harano Sur’ (1957), ‘Agnipariksha’ (1954),’Saptapadi’ (1961), ‘Grihadaha’ (1967), ‘Indrani’ (1958), ‘Sagarika’ (1956), ‘Bipasha’ (1962), ‘Kamal Lata’ (1969), ‘Alo Amar Alo’ (1972), ‘Har Mana Har’ (1972) and ’Priyo Bandhabi’ (1975). Sen acted in 52 Bengali and seven Hindi films. ’Champakali’, with Bharat Bhushan, ‘Sarhhaad’ and ‘Bommbai Ka Babu’ with Dev Anand and ‘Mamta’ were some of her other notable Hindi films.

However, her most famous Hindi film after ‘Devdas’ was 1974’s ‘Aandhi’ by Gulzar. She earned wide acclaim for her role opposite Sanjeev Kumar in the film which landed in controversy due to similarities betwen her character and Indira Gandhi. After her 1978 movie ‘Pronoy Pasha’ with Soumitra Chatterjee flopped, Sen quietly left the limelight and even allegedly refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 preferring not to make a public appearance. As per her wishes, her family maintained secrecy even when she was hospitalised. The reason behind Sen’s withdrawal from public life remains a mystery.

A follower of the Ramakrishna Mission order, Sen spent her retired life in meditation and prayer. In 1989, when Bharat Maharaj of the mission passed away, she was seen publicly walking all the way to the crematorium from Belur Math near Kolkata. Her daughter Moon Moon, though a wellknown Bengali actress, could never overcome the large shadow that her mother’s beauty and acting prowess cast. Sen’s granddaughters Riya and Raima have also featured in some Bollywood flicks. In 1963, Sen became the first Indian actress to be honoured at an international film festival — best actress award for ‘Saat Paake Bandha’ at Moscow film festival. She was cast opposite matinee idol Uttam Kumar in 30 films from 1953 to 1975.

She earned both national and international acclaim for her performances as the quintessential romantic heroine be it in the role of ‘Vishnupriya’ in the fifties, ‘Rina Brown’ in the sixties or ‘Bijaya’ in the seventies. The actress was born as Rama Dasgupta at Pabna (Bangladesh) in 1931 to Karunamoy and Indira Dasgupta. Suchitra married Dibanath Sen from an aristocratic family in 1947, before launching a successful acting career. There were rumours that the marriage suffered due to her successful acting career. Initially, Sen was more interested in singing than in acting. In 1951, she auditioned as a playback singer, but was instead offered a role by director Sukumar Dasgupta. Dasgupta’s assistant director Nitish Roy named her Suchitra by which name she went on to achieve celebrity status.

Her first film ‘Sesh Kothay’ (1952) remained unfinished and ‘Sat Number Kayedi’ with Samar Roy as the hero in 1953 was her first film to hit cinema houses. That year three other films of hers were also released — Niren Lahiri’s ‘Kajari’, ‘Bhagaban Sri Krishna Chaitanya’ and Nirmal Dey’s ‘Sade Chuttar’ opposite Uttam Kumar. In 1954, ‘Agnipariksha’ played to packed houses for a record 15 weeks and the Suchitra and Uttam were on their way to success. The pair then had a string of runway successes due to their on-screen chemistry. But Suchitra’s talent ensured the success of her films even without Uttam as her co-star. ’Uttar Phalguni’, ‘Sandhya Deeper Shikha’, ‘Deep Jeley Jai’, with Basanto Chowdhury and ‘Hospital’ with Ashok Kumar, were also hits.

STORY: Chicago is hit by a mysterious thief targeting one bank – can Mumbai cop Jai Dixit catch the shadowy chor? REVIEW: Straight up, Dhoom 3 makes you laugh, gasp – even sniffle. The most emotional of the Dhoom series yet, this is Aamir Khan’s show all the way. As revengeful circus star Sahir, whose father Iqbal (Shroff) dies after losing his beloved Great Indian Circus to a stonyhearted Chicago bank, Khan is terrific.

The Dhoom series usually showcases brawn on bikes but in this one, mind meets machinery, Khan’s brain almost visibly ticking behind his eyes, calculating every second before he vrroooms off on a bike – across a wire stretched high between buildings, beneath a mega-truck, even underwater. Chicago forms a super backdrop for Sahir’s stunts, the grainy stone of its buildings the perfect texture against which those bikes purr past with velveteen growls. Scrawling ‘Teri aisi ki taisi’ on its vaults and scattering the bank’s money across Chicago’s skies, Sahir makes the local police look as intelligent as turkeys. But things change when Mumbai cop ACP Jai Dixit (Bachchan), with bike-and-babe-mad subordinate Ali (Chopra), arrive and figure out why – and how – Sahir is breaking the bank.

Dhoom 3 rests on Khan’s magnetism, his actor’s eyes and jaw-line, his abs playing a part too. But the film is powered by its action.With WOL (whistle-out-loud) moments, this is super-slick and on an extravagant scale, using Chicago’s skyscrapers like sexy statues arching into the sky. Alongside, Dhoom 3 features the franchise’s tongue-in-cheek cheekiness, Ali, fida over blonde policewoman Victoria (as in ‘secret’), Jai telling him to focus not on Kamasutra but kaam. As circus star Alia, Kaif provides soft romance, her fitness and innate grace redefining sexiness, making even potentially risque sequences – she lands her job following a speedy striptease – look delicately sensuous.

Alia’s charming beauty stops our protagonist in his tracks – but for how long? Clocking in at nearly three hours, Dhoom 3 is slightly extensive. But it holds advantages, the first, that sizzling Dhoom tune, all leather, boots and electric guitars, which straightens sagging scenes. The second – sharp performances by Khan, Bachchan (an underrated actor, whose ability to drawl languid lines with intense looks stands out) and Chopra, who sprinkles lightness and fun. And the third – Dhoom 3’s story with a twist wrapped around it, like the ribbon around a Christmas gift. Merrily unwrap – flying out of the Great Indian Circus, Dhoom 3 is great fun.

Buzz is, Kajol is no longer in contention for a TV show thanks to her astronomical fee. Even stars are not recession proof. There was a time when Bollywood A-listers stepping into the small screen would quote and get any price they wished. But in a failing economy, even television channels who want to oblige, are eventually forced to say “no”. A recent case in point is Kajol, who was on Rensil D’ Silva’s wish list for the 27-episode fiction show he was co-scripting with Priya Pinto.

Kajol was reportedly bowled over by the woman-centric subject revolving around a single mother living in an extended joint family in Delhi. But her telly debut came at a premium. According to a source close to the development, the actress allegedly demanded a whopping Rs 15 crore plus. “After a long meeting with the channel and the producer, she was offered one-third the amount, but Kajol wasn’t willing to take the cut.” Last heard, there was talk of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being approached.

The show’s producer Siddharth Malhotra however denied the development saying, “We have not approached Kajol for my show and we don’t know Aishwarya Rai personally. The show that Rensil has worked on has been put on hold since the past six months by the channel.”

After acting with popular actors like Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone now wants to work with other superstars – Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan. “Every year I am asked this question (which Bollywood actor I would like to work with now), but I hope in the next one or two years I will get to work with Hrithik, Salman and Aamir,” Deepika, who has given four back-to-back hits this year, told reporters here at her success party.

“Till now I have not worked with these actors (Aamir, Salman and Hrithik),” she added. There are reports that Deepika has been roped in opposite Salman in Sooraj Barjatya’s next, but Deepika denied and said: “That’s not true and I have not officially met Sooraj ji.” It’s not just Deepika who is eager to work with Salman. In fact, the Bigg Boss host has also expressed his desire to work with the actress and has been seen praising her on many occasions. Deepika said it feels great.

“Definitely it feels great when Salman says such good things about me because if you all know he was the one who first noticed me,” said Deepika, who made her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh in 2007 film Om Shanti Om. “I was doing an ad with his friends in Rajasthan. So, he noticed me first of all and he was the one who offered me my first film,” she recalled. Deepika, during her modelling days, had got an acting offer from Salman before she was chosen for Shah Rukhstarrer Om Shanti Om.

However, the actress denied Salman’s offer as she felt she was not ready to face the camera. Currently, Deepika has films like Happy New Year, Finding Fanny Fernandes and Imtiaz Ali’s untitled film in her kitty.

Model-actress Adriana Lima has been offering lingerie tips to men to gift the women in their lives. The 32-year-old said that it is important to be able to keep the gift a surprise. “If you’re not sure of her bra size, try to go through her things when your lady’s not in the house.

That’s the secret, because you want to surprise her – we love surprises,” contactmusic.com quoted Lima as saying. Lima’s association with lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret dates back to 2000.

STORY: Part bonkers, part brilliant Flint Lockwood (Hader) now works for The Live Corp Company, after accepting an invite from his idol, Chester (Forte). While Chester wants to save Swallow Falls from being swamped by mutant creatures and critters, Flint, who is enlisted to help save the town, soon finds himself having to take some important decisions. REVIEW: While its predecessor had more emotional impact, this second helping of Cloudy… is more adventurous and fun, while losing precious little of the overall charm of the characters and location.

Flint’s earlier invention of a machine that turned water to food was of great benefit to the people of Swallow Falls as it created a smorgasbord of free grub for the townsfolk to chow down on. While Flint, his father Tim (Caan) and his buddies Sam (Faris), Brent (Samberg) and Steve (Harris) had been living elsewhere, they have to now return to their old town. This is because Flint’s old machine has become self-aware and started creating a glut of hilariously-titled ‘foodimals’ – living creatures made out of various food items with portmanteau names like ‘shrimpanzees’, ‘watermelephants’, ‘double bacon cheespider’ and ‘tacodiles’.

Flint now gets recruited by Chester, who apparently wants to save Swallow Falls. And as frantic Flint finds himself both inspired and driven by Chester, his newfound success makes him more socially acceptable and he drifts further away from the grounding effect of his old buddies. There are a few smaller subplots too, but apart from creatively-titled names and a hallucinogenic landscape, Cameron and Pearn keep the narrative tight and in focus without rambling all over the place.

While kids will enjoy the jokes, there are sight gags galore to give adults a good guffaw or three. Generously laden with a buffet of food puns and savoury set locations, this is a film filled with gorgeous, vivid animation and no-holds-barred creativity. With plenty of ‘tasty’ surprises, the umpteen food references make it as much a gustatory delight as it is uplifting.

Actress Elizabeth Hurley and former cricketer Shane Warne have reportedly called off their engagement for the second time after an initial split in September. The 48-year-old brunette beauty and the 44-year-old retired cricketer got back together last month, but if a source is to be believed the couple has now called it quits for good. “It is very sad and they tried to make it work but there were just too many issues in the way. Elizabeth is taking it one day at a time.

She will always be extremely fond of Shane,” HELLO! magazine quoted a source as saying. Rumours of their split were fuelled after Warne tweeted: “The past should be the past and stay there. It destroys the future. Live life for what tomorrow has to offer, not for what happened yesterday.” The duo parted ways in September after Hurley reportedly found intimate text messages from someone else on Warne’s mobile phone while packing for a trip to his native Australia.

STORY: After being held captive in a room for 20 years, Joe Doucett (Brolin) sets out on an obsessive journey of violent revenge against his anonymous captor. What also keeps him going is the need to make amends with his estranged daughter. REVIEW: Joe embodies just about every offensive trait that an absentee dad who is an alcoholic and a lecherous womanizer, can have. He begins his work day with a fifth of vodka, injects blatant innuendos in every conversation with female co-workers and ends his day as drunk as a skunk, pissing on the streets and rolling in his own vomit.

In short, he is a cringe-inducing wreck. After one episode, he wakes up in a room to find himself held captive. He is fed a diet of dumplings and vodka everyday and only has rodents for company. Via television, he finds out his ex-wife has been murdered and he is the chief suspect. After almost losing his mind, he sees his daughter on a TV news report and realizes his only chance for moral redemption is to find and take care of her. Joe goes cold turkey, does push-ups and cleans up before managing to escape. In the real world, he meets the sexy social worker Marie (Olsen) who adds some muchneeded warmth to his life.

Predictably enough, she falls for him. His buddy Chucky (Imperioli) is also a big help. Lee is known for his bold films, but his remake of Chan-wook Park’s genuinely freaky Oldeuboi lacks the former’s visceral punch. Two scenes – an extended tracking shot of a fight scene involving a hammer and Joe crawling out of a Louis Vuitton trunk in a field while a woman holding a yellow umbrella stands in the background – are surreal. What’s oddest is that at the end of 20 years, Joe looks like he hasn’t even aged 20 days and some of the dialogues are shockingly limp. The film has graphic violence and perversion, but there is no take-away. It leaves you trying to nail down what the point to this remake really was.

Kangana Ranaut has decided to learn the art of screenplay writing. She’s set to take off to New York early January for a twomonth screenplay writing workshop. A friend of the actress says, “Kangana has decided to pursue her interest now, else it will keep getting postponed due to work commitments. And since she is able to take only a month’s break, the institute has allowed her to complete the remaining sessions via correspondence.”

It is a well-known fact that Shilpa Shetty Kundra has bagged the ‘yummy mummy’ tag ever since she became a mother and has inevitably always scored brownie points for her style. Her svelte figure, glowing skin and an effervescent personality is always accompanied with that hundred watt smile. The country now celebrates that fact as the actress turned producer , recently emerged as the Yummiest Mummy in India as per the recent AC Nielsen poll. The international survey organization AC Nielsen, a global marketing research firm that operates in over 100 countries ,with worldwide headquarters in New York City, United States of America, recently conducted a survey on ‘Yummy Mummies’ and leggy lass Shilpa Shetty Kundra bagged the maximum votes.

STORY: Three con artists have their eyes set on some fast money. However, each of them are secretly trying to con the other as well. Who will outwit whom and get away with the loot? REVIEW: Goa forms the backdrop for this who-getsthe- moolah caper. Francis (Joshi) packs in the muscle and has a can of beer always close at hand. He is also street-smart enough to impress Maya (Leone), the oomphy voice of reason in the movie.

Boss Man (Naseeruddin) is a veteran raver whose clothes are as colourful as his principles and punchlines. Slow in speech but quick to draw a six-shooter, he owns the Jackpot casino. Boss, Francis and Maya hatch a plan to steal crores of cash. And while the deed itself is executed decently enough, the subsequent sub-plots and implications of intrigue amongst the schemers is laid on with the predictability and subtlety of a bull in a china shop. Completely in character, Boss looks and sounds like a parody of a villain. While it’s clearly understood that he is the owner of a floating casino, his lines flog every possible gambling pun to death. After a point, you can almost predict what the next one-liner will be.

Francis and his other muscle-bound cronies often get into squabbles whenever some suspicion of duplicity arises amongst them. And those expecting anything even close to a Sunny Leone steam-fest will be disappointed. In fact, she raps the knuckles of the local lads, scolding them if they dare lay their gaze on her bursting-at-the-buttons bosom. “My eyes are up here, not down there!” she reminds one local lad. She is also given lines like “Sarkar aur underworld mein kya farak hai?” Similarly, Francis, who later in the movie reminds her that “Hum log artist hai – con artist!” and Boss, who reasons out that in his line of work, “Risky is like whisky”. Makarand Deshpande’s kooky cop character is genuinely funny, but corny lines aside, one of Jackpot’s few redeeming factors here is that it moves along quickly.