Tag: Bollywood

While there’s no doubting Katrina Kaif being a consistent lucky mascot at the box office, she has also gone on to be the front runner on the popularity charts, beating her contemporaries for 2 consecutive years. Katrina Kaif emerged in the Numero Uno position on esteemed trade magazine Box Office India’s annual report card – that conducted a detailed study on the collections and territory-wise performance of Bollywood’s leading actors.

Taking an in depth look at various trade centers across the country, Katrina had the highest success ratio in centers like Mumbai, Delhi, UP East Punjab, CP, CI, Rajasthan, Nizam Circuit, Mysore, TNK, West Bengal, Assam and Orissa making her Box Office India’s Best Opening Actress. Confirming the news says editor and trade analyst Vajir Singh , ” Katrina Kaif has unanimously emerged the most successful actress with the figures to prove her standing…

Her films Ek Tha Tiger and Jab Tak Hain Jaan took a stupendous opening at the box office and reestablished her as Bollywood’s leading lady. ” Not too long ago, Katrina Kaif was also voted the most powerful celebrity endorser ,in a celebrity-brand association recall study conducted by Ormax Media and also ranked the Most Favorite Film Star – Female in the Small Wonders report.

If that wasn’t all, Katrina had also topped the findings conducted by Airtel Mobitude 2012-continuing to maintain the leading position in the category of images downloaded for the 4th consecutive year. With a success ratio that very few actresses in the industry enjoy with blockbusters like Partner, Welcome, Singh is Kingg, New York, Rajneeti, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Ek Tha Tiger and the recent Jab Tak Hai Jaan , Katrina Kaif will next be seen in Yash Raj’s Dhoom 3 and Fox Star Studios’ Bollywood remake of the 2010 James Mangold action-comedy – Knight and Day.

For her latest campaign Kate Moss looks almost unrecognizable, as the supermodel sizzles as an Amazonian goddess for Versace’s new spring/summer 2013 campaign.

The 38-year-old cuts a statuesque figure as she stands in a sheer lace skirt and matching top with two men at her feet, the Daily Mail reported. Her skin appears tanned but incandescent, giving her an invisible quality as she poses tall against the dark and brooding background. Moss’ frame looks strong too, her stomach muscles appear toned and her feet are calves are encased with gladiatorstyle heels.

In another shot from the campaign, Moss is dressed in an aqua-blue gown with cut out panels and gold detailing. She looks fierce as she gazes past the camera, with one foot propped up and a man handing off her.

Not only does she look unlike herself but Moss seems to ooze vitality in the shots and looks much younger than her years. Shot by fashion photographers Mert Alad and Marcus Piggott, who have worked with most of the top designers including Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Yves St Laurent and Givenchy, the striking pictures show off the colorful fluid dresses of Donatella’s Spring Summer collection.

Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed that she wants to be a Bollywood dancer.

The 43-year-old actress thinks that with her experience of musicals, she fits into Indian movies perfectly, the Daily Star reported.

The Oscar winning actress, who is planning a trip to India with husband Michael Douglas, also said that she would jump
at the chance if an opportunity comes along.

Cast: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone
Direction: Ruben Fleischer
Genre: Action
Duration: 1 hour 53 minutes

STORY: In the late 1940s, post-Second World War, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will have to do what it takes to tackle the expansion of megalomaniacal boxer-turned-gangster Mickey Cohen’s crime empire in LA. A group of incorruptible officers are given orders to take down the vicious gangster in whichever way possible. The film is inspired by real events.

MOVIE REVIEW: Honest and fearless, John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) of LAPD is assigned the job of taking down gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). He is asked to form his own unit, comprising of like-minded, skilled men who can put an end to Mickey’s growing crime empire. He thus forms his own ‘gangster squad’. The only difference being, his squad will have to violently kill in order to restore order in the city.

When acting heavy-weights like Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling come together, one expects a mind-blowing effect, but that doesn’t really happen. Gangster Squad engages and entertains you with its occasional humor, sleek slow-motion action sequences and stylized gun violence but somewhere falls short of substance and depth. As certain righteous cops fight for honor and justice, you do not feel enough for the characters.

Filmmaker Ruben Fleischer is known for comedy. True to his style, he infuses some good humor in a few scenes. However, in the very next scene, you see extreme bloodshed. The transition doesn’t seem too smooth here. That very style worked in his earlier film Zombieland (2009), owing to its genre, which was a comedy.

Emma Stone as the gangster’s moll gets a weak role. Ryan Gosling as the ladies-man seems repetitive. In spite of drawbacks though, the film is high on style and keeps you hooked, thanks to some superb stunts and performances by Josh Brolin and Sean Penn who looks absolutely menacing as Mickey Cohen, his gaze and body language perfect for his character. Brolin is as brilliant as the heroic cop who relentlessly chases Cohen down. As far as stunts are concerned, car chases and fist-fight scenes are superbly shot.

The 1940’s setting looks authentic too. If you like to witness the battle of good versus evil, mafia and mayhem, Gangster Squad has enough fire, guns and bullets to keep you engaged! But if you seek to explore the criminal underbelly, this may be a tad too simple for your liking.

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez spoke out on why men should not tell us how to dress up and behave. With the issue of violence against women and the need for a safer environment gaining momentum; fingers have been pointed and questions raised on the portrayal of women in Hindi films. Reacting strongly to such comments, actor Jacqueline Fernandez said, “I think it’s totally unfair to blame Bollywood for such a disgusting act.” Talking about the recent gang-rape case in Delhi she added, “Rape is not only inhuman, but also animalist. People here feel that they can do anything and get away with it.

I think it is important for the government to make strict laws and stringent punishment so that people have the fear and think twice before committing such heinous crimes.” The actor also voiced her opinion on some of the recent statements made by politicians on how a woman should dress and that they should restrict themselves to doing household chores. “It’s really unfortunate that women are treated in such a manner. When we don’t set specific rules for men, how can they set rules for us?

Today the main question is to punish the guilty,” she added. Going back to Bollywood’s portrayal of women, the actress said, “I strongly feel Bollywood lyrics should be modified to avoid vulgarity.” Jacqueline who has been linked to producer Sajid Khan in the past admitted that link-ups do not bother her. “I think link-ups are a part and parcel of our industry and one has to deal with it.

We have a larger-than -life image. It is better to stay good and happy in your own space. Link-ups do not upset me at all.” The Sri Lankan origin actor, who has tried her hands with comedy and is now all set to do some action packed sequences in Race 2, admits that she enjoys both the genres. “Doing comedy is stress-free while action is physically challenging. I have been training with two Vietnamese martial arts experts for the movie and it was fun doing something new.”

Neha Dhupia who was roped in for the item song for the sequel of Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster has now opted out of the film. She is now no longer associated with Tigmanshu Dhulia’s upcoming sequel to his 2011 film due to date issues. The actress was initially roped in to add oomph to the film. As reported earlier, Dhulia and producer Rahul Mittra were keen to include an item number and the shoot was scheduled for September in Jaipur, but it has been indefinitely delayed. Confirming the news, Neha tweeted,”Much against my wishes and the team of Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster 2, I had to opt out of the item song as my dates did not work out.”

LOS ANGELES (TIP): Torture. Terror. Depression. Revolt. Where’s Uggie the dog when you need him? The 85th Academy Awards season jolted into place on Thursday, as the heaviest number of Oscar nominations — including nods for best picture — went to “Lincoln”, about a president’s struggle with civil war; ” Life of Pi”, about a shipwreck survivor and a tiger; “Silver Linings Playbook”, a comedy, of sorts, about mental illness; and “Les Miserables”, filled with songs of the oppressed. Close behind were “Argo”, about political captivity; “Amour”, a French-language film about death; and “Django Unchained”, about slavery and retribution. “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, about a child’s encounters with rising floodwaters in the South, and “Zero Dark Thirty”, about the murky pursuit of a national enemy, also scored heavily and were nominated for best picture.

But the real surprise was a triple snub in the best director category: Neither Kathryn Bigelow, who directed “Zero Dark Thirty”, nor Ben Affleck, who directed “Argo”, nor Quentin Tarantino, who directed “Django Unchained”, were included among the five directing nominees. Those were Steven Spielberg for “Lincoln”, Ang Lee for “Life of Pi”, Michael Haneke, for “Amour”, David O Russell for “Silver Linings Playbook” and Benh Zeitlin for “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” The nominations were announced at the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters in an early morning ceremony that paired the actress Emma Stone with the host of this year’s Oscar telecast, Seth MacFarlane.

Hollywood now faces a somewhat longer-than-usual campaign period. A new digital voting system — despite its reported hitches — allowed the Academy to announce nominees two weeks earlier than last year, and more than six weeks before the awards ceremony, which will be broadcast on February 24. “Lincoln,” directed by Steven Spielberg, had gone into the morning as the picture to beat, and it remained a leader, with 12 nominations. But it barely outpaced “Life of Pi”, which beat the expectations by coming up second, with 11 nominations in all, even as ” Zero Dark Thirty,” an early favourite, picked just five. Spielberg’s directing nomination was his seventh (he has won twice), while Daniel Day-Lewis received his fifth best actor nomination, this time for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. Though no slouch when it comes to importance, “Zero Dark Thirty”, about the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden, may have been hurt by controversy, as several senators and a number of political critics tore into the film for its portrayal of the use of torture. nyt news service.

007 stumbles
again The latest James Bond movie “Skyfall” won five Oscar nominations on Thursday, the highest tally for a 007 picture, but the major categories including best picture once again eluded the franchise. Hopes had been raised that “Skyfall”, the first official Bond movie to make over $1 billion at the box office, would finally make its mark at the Academy Awards at the 23rd time of asking.

Critic’s Rating: Cast: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan
Gosling, Emma Stone
Direction: Ruben Fleischer
Genre: Action
Duration: 1 hour 53 minutes

STORY:
In the late 1940s, post-Second World War, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will have to do what it takes to tackle the expansion of megalomaniacal boxer-turned-gangster Mickey Cohen’s crime empire in LA. A group of incorruptible officers are given orders to take down the vicious gangster in whichever way possible. The film is inspired by real events.

Movie Review: Honest and fearless, John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) of LAPD is assigned the job of taking down gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). He is asked to form his own unit, comprising of like-minded, skilled men who can put an end to Mickey’s growing crime empire. He thus forms his own ‘gangster squad’.

The only difference being, his squad will have to violently kill in order to restore order in the city. When acting heavy-weights like Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling come together, one expects a mind-blowing effect, but that doesn’t really happen. Gangster Squad engages and entertains you with its occasional humour, sleek slow-motion action sequences and stylized gun violence but somewhere falls short of substance and depth. As certain righteous cops fight for honour and justice, you do not feel enough for the characters.

Filmmaker Ruben Fleischer is known for comedy. True to his style, he infuses some good humour in a few scenes. However, in the very next scene, you see extreme bloodshed. The transition doesn’t seem too smooth here. That very style worked in his earlier film Zombieland (2009), owing to its genre, which was a comedy.

Emma Stone as the gangster’s moll gets a weak role. Ryan Gosling as the ladies-man seems repetitive. In spite of drawbacks though, the film is high on style and keeps you hooked, thanks to some superb stunts and performances by Josh Brolin and Sean Penn who looks absolutely menacing as Mickey Cohen, his gaze and body language perfect for his character. Brolin is as brilliant as the heroic cop who relentlessly chases Cohen down. As far as stunts are concerned, car chases and fist-fight scenes are superbly shot. The 1940’s setting looks authentic too.

If you like to witness the battle of good versus evil, mafia and mayhem, Gangster Squad has enough fire, guns and bullets to keep you engaged! But if you seek to explore the criminal underbelly, this may be a tad too simple for your liking.

Jessica Alba has revealed that she will never wear hotpants again.

The 31-year-old actress, who named ‘booty shorts’ as a fashion trend, asserted in a recent interview that she will never wear them again, the Sun reported.

The mother of two, who has donned them on-screen – most famously in 2003 film ‘Honey,’ said that she is pretty confident about ditching hotpants.

The Sin City star is also unwilling to go back to one aspect of 80s power dressing, as she asserted that she doesn’t like oversize shoulder pads.

Actress Lindsay Lohan has reportedly been offered a role in an X-rated film. “Her acting career is going south and it seems as if people are run-ning scared from working with her – some industry insiders think she’s uninsurable, unreliable and far too much trouble,” showbizspy.com quoted a source as saying. Lindsay might star in a “selfpleasuring” porn video much like the one filmed by “Octomom” Nadya Suleman. “Lindsay has had offers before, but one particular online porn com-pany has put $2.5 million on the table,” said a source. “If she says yes, the footage will be offered to pay-per-view subscribers – and LiLo’s friends say her back is against the wall. Every time her law-yers go to court it’s another $50,000. It’s unsustainable and she must know she’s running out of options fast. A move into porn isn’t ideal – especially if she wants to return to mainstream film acting. But right now, she’s not in a position to pick and choose,” the source added.

Jennifer Garner has been named celebrity Mother of the Year 2012 by a magazine. According to Today’s Parent Magazine, the 40-year-old actress, who is a hands-on mother to three kids with Ben Affleck, won by “a landslide”. The magazine had a list of reasons to choose Garner as a winner for this title, one of them being her appearance, which is relatable yet still “gorgeous and put-together,” and her honesty about being overwhelmed and tired as a mother of three was also noticed, CBS News reported. Apart from this, her candid confession in August that she’s done having kids, was also seen as a strong reason to get this title.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike
Direction: Christopher McQuarrie
Genre: Thriller
Duration: 2 hours 11 minutes
STORY: A lone gunman shoots five random people in what seems like an act of mass murder. Based on evidence and his flawed past, an ex-army sniper is held as the suspect. He wants ‘Jack Reacher’ (Tom Cruise) to interrogate the case. REVIEW: The film is a cinematic adaptation of Lee Child’s 2005 novel One Shot. Jack Reacher is Child’s successful fictional character from his mystery/thriller novels.

The film opens with a shooting scene which is disturbing since it reminds you of the current gun violence issue plaguing USA. From the suspect claiming innocence to Reacher getting tangled in the conspiracy crime himself, the ‘whodunnit’ drama keeps you engaged. For those who are unfamiliar with the books, the film does give you a brief backgrounder on Jack Reacher.

He’s a drifter, an ex-army guy who ‘prefers to be left alone’ when he’s not investigating tough cases. Highly skilled, possessing extreme intelligence, photographic memory and raw strength, he is a man who lives by his own code of honour. Does Tom Cruise fit the bill? In the books, Reacher is described as ‘big and tall’ with ice-blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. Tom Cruise bears no physical resemblance to the character. He does not look intimidating or menacing enough for the goons.

Thus, much has been said about Cruise being a misfit for the title role. In Cruise’s defence, he sheds his movie-star image remarkably, to play the stoic fictional hero who may not be as ‘exciting’ as his contemporaries. Reacher knows who he is unlike Jason Bourne, does not have fancy cars, clothes and gadgets like Bond, nor is he a wisecracking, fast-talking guy like Sherlock. Cruise, who is otherwise super-expressive as an actor, underplays impressively to portray Reacher. He does justice to the role but on the flipside, you constantly miss Tom Cruise’s charisma.

Without it, the film borders on being bland in certain portions. The villain (played by director Werner Herzog) with his German accent and coloured eyes is creepy. Certain oneliners are impressive while some unintentionally funny. Action scenes look authentic. There is no loud background score. The highlight is one of the suspenseful car chase sequences, where Reacher is chasing the bad guys while being chased by the cops. It’s been shot brilliantly. The film is more of a cerebral drama than a fast-paced, modern action flick. The suspense is satisfying and so is Cruise’s ‘true to character’ performance. A lot depends on whether you like Jack Reacher, the pragmatic investigator.

Deepika Padukone may have chartered a successful Bollywood career for herself in a short span but the actress says she is rarely happy with her work. The 25-year-old says her selfcriticism helps her do better with each film. “I am very harsh on myself. I am very rarely satisfied with my own work but I am glad that it is like this. I would rather be harsh on myself than be happy with the smallest thing that I do. I compete with myself and challenge myself to do better everyday. It gives me the drive to push myself otherwise I would be stuck in the rut,” Deepika said. She proved that she is more than a pretty face with her powerful performance as Veronica in Cocktail, her lone release this year.

“I am glad that this film happened for people to realise that. I have always believed in my work and myself but sometimes you have to wait for the right script and opportunity to come your way. Cocktail did that for me.” She has already won an award for her performance in the film. Deepika, however, says she is more happy to see that the audiences’ perception about her has changed for good. “I think awards are always welcome. Big Star awards recently acknowledged my contribution. But I am more happy about the energy shift that I feel from the audiences post Veronica. There is nothing in the world that compensates for that feeling.”

With her latest film Race 2 ready to hit the screens on January 25, Deepika says she is looking forward to 2013. “I could not have asked for more this year. I invested a lot emotionally into the character of Veronica and I am very happy with the result. It has been a great year for me not only in terms of Cocktail’s success but also with the kind of films that I signed post that. I have an interesting lineup for 2013.” Deepika is looking forward to a busy year in 2013 with Race 2, Kochadaiyaan and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani releases. She has also reunited with Shah Rukh Khan for Chennai Express after Om Shanti Om besides working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Ram Leela.

Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone is set to perform in the capital on New Year’s Eve. She says she enjoys the street food, especially the spicy gol-gappas. “I love Delhi! My favourite thing about being there was before I came here as Sunny Leone (was) walking on the streets, eating gol-gappe,” she said. Sunny made her Bollywood debut with “Jism 2” this year. She has now even settled in Mumbai and is loving it. “I moved into my new place a couple of months ago in Mumbai, it’s beautiful. It overlooks the Arabian Sea. I never thought I will wake up in the morning and say ‘I am looking at the Arabian Sea’. So it’s really special for me. Everything is coming together and I love it,” the 31-year-old said. Sunny will soon start shooting for ” Ragini MMS 2″, her second Bollywood project.

Actress Sonakshi Sinha, who made her big Bollywood debut opposite Salman Khan in “Dabangg”, says she is thankful to the star for his constant support and constructive criticism. “Whenever Salman criticizes me, he does it in a very positive way. Because of him only I lost so much of weight. I am an actress because of him and he is very happy about it.

Whatever he says, I take it in a very positive spirit,” Sonakshi told IANS. Sonakshi was over 80 kgs before she joined the industry, and worked hard to get into shape to get into filmdom.

Recently, a lot has been commented regarding her weight issues, but she says it doesn’t make a difference. “It doesn’t affect me. I think I read about it, I see it on TV, I sit and I just laugh, because tomorrow my film will become a hit and people will shut up,” Sonakshi said. So far, Sonakshi has donned a desi look in all her films – Dabangg, Rowdy Rathore, Joker and Son Of Sardaar. But she says in Bullet Raja, she sports a fusion look.

Aamir Khan-starrer suspense thriller “Taalash” has made it to the Rs. 100 crore club. The film has raked in Rs.131.78 crore worldwide. The film, directed by Reema Kagti, and co-produced by Farhan Akhtar-Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertaiment and Aamir Khan Productions, earned Rs.85.38 crore at the domestic box office within 13 days of its release, Nov 30.

The film has grossed Rs.46.40 crore overseas. ” Talaash” also features Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor. It was made on a budget of Rs.40 crore, and released across 2,500 screens. Its satellite rights were sold for Rs. 40 crore.

Bold beauty Poonam Pandey, who has been busy shooting for her debut Bollywood film “Nasha”, hints she might feature in a bikini for a dance number in the movie. “There will be a song in bikini, but not an item number as such. I am not allowed to talk about anything right now,” Poonam said.

Maintaining suspense around it, she added: “There may be or may not be a bikini song, but you never know it’s me and you can expect anything from me.” Poonam is the model, whose offer to go nude before Team India if they won the Cricket World Cup in 2011, shot the mercury up for the India-Sri Lanka final.

She is quite a regular on microblogging site Twitter and often shares titillating pictures of herself. However, she is happy concentrating on her film shoot these days.

Shortly after news of her being approached for an item song, adult star Sunny Leone is apparently a hot favourite this year for New Year bashes being held in the city. After her debut film, she has been approached by a lot of suburban hotels to perform at the New Year’s Eve and looks like Sunny has given her nod to one of them.

A source close to her reveals, “Sunny has chosen to perform at a famous property in Delhi. She is being paid close to a crore to dance to a medley of popular Bollywood numbers. She loves to dance and has already started rehearsing for her act on the December 31.”

Emmy-winning actress Claire Danes has given birth to her first child, a boy, the publicist for the “Homeland” star said on Wednesday. Cyrus Michael Christopher Dancy was born on Monday to Danes, 33, and her husband, British actor Hugh Dancy. Danes’ performance as CIA operative Carrie Matheson on Showtime’s “Homeland” series scored her an Emmy win in September, while the psychological thriller won the TV industry’s highest honor of best drama series.

Danes is nominated for her second Golden Globe award in the role at the Hollywood awards show in January. She also has won multiple awards for her past work on 2010 TV film ” Temple Grandin,” and as a 15-year-old on the 1990s coming-of-age television drama “My So-Called Life.”