Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Bollywood hunk Sunil Shetty fights Naxals in his Next Movie.
Bollywood hunk Suniel Shetty has been best remembered for his muscles and action roles. Now, one will see a different side to his acting prowess in Anant Mahadevan's RED ALERT - THE WAR WITHIN, which is a realistic depiction of naxalism. If one needs proof of his scintillating performance, well, the actor has won the Best Actor Award at the international film fest, the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF). Obviously, the actor is elated and proud of the fact that his hard work has paid off but the award has also made him conscious of roles he would be choosing and portraying in future.
Talking of hard work in the project, Suniel admits to turning himself inside out for the role. The guy who has played a fearless hero in all his films, in RED ALERT he had to play a helpless and hapless farmer, who is lost and unkempt. He changed his body language completely. The macho man Suniel is quite comfortable with giving 'shots' with guns but in RED ALERT, he plays a farmer who holds the gun for the first time. So, director Mahadevan had him refer to the naive Dith Pran character in Roland Jaffe's KILLING FIELDS.
Suniel has not prepared for his role blindly. He is quite aware of the problem of naxalism. Ask him about his take on it and he admits that the problem is not plain black and white. It's more complex than one can imagine, according to him. He opines that naxals are often helpless people who have been exploited and their mineral ores seized and their existence threatened. One cannot just eliminate or deal with them harshly because they are our own people and not terrorists. Suniel also says that it is quite disheartening that the naxal violence has taken such shocking proportions. The actor is also aware of the fact that violence can only result in violence and the Red Belt is bleeding with violence now. The more we try to get out of this complicated situation, the more we get knotted up.
Well, now one can witness the portrayal that Suniel is so passionate about when the film releases on the 9th of July, at theatres near you.
Source: Glamsham
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan feels Awful!
Shah Rukh Khan says he is feeling 'awful' after the poor performance of his Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) that has been knocked out of the tournament. He has taken the blame for its poor show and makes an unconditional apology to all his supporters and well-wishers.
The actor poured his heart out on his Twitter page after the team was out of the semi-finals following its defeat by Chennai Super Kings Tuesday.
'I completely take the blame for not putting up a good enough show...so much love for kkr & I couldnt reciprocate,' Shah Rukh posted on his Twitter.
'Will call all & thank them for trying, even if it wasn't good enuff. All are a good bunch. All of them. Sometimes our best not good enuff.
'Final thanx to Kolkata audience. You make us proud...couldn't do the same...& can't make any promises for future either, have lost the right.
'I am not sad. Just feel awful for Kolkata & all of this, most wonderful city & my sponsors... Nokia & xxx drink. No promises anymore,' he added.
An upset Shah Rukh sought the support of his family and friends to get over his sadness.
He further wrote: 'My kids gave me a hug for the first time in 3 years when we lost. They have overcome the sadness of defeats better than me. Time to learn. Just disappointed. can't do anymore for kkr. Sorry can't sound fakely uppity about next season & thanx for support tweets.
'Many friends at home..so will be with them. Will try & get over this loss too..like in the last 2 yrs. All supporters try the same.
'Substance leads to style & glamour. Supporters of kkr we can say goodbye to ipl now. Better than last year is not good enuff.
'Bye all. I am off now to deal with disappointments in the way I know best. You find your poison. love you all. Unconditional apologies to all,' he added
Source:IANS
Yesteryear heartthrob Sridevi's daughter Jhanvi debuts
After Radha, yesteryear heartthrob Sridevi is all set to launch her daughter Jhanvi on the big screen, that too in Tollywood. Sridevi's daughter Jhanvi will do her first film opposite Nagarjuna's younger son Akhil. Interestingly, Radha's daughter Karthika made her onscreen debut in Josh opposite Nagarjuna's elder son Naga Chaithanya
Source: Galatta
Source: Galatta
Popular South Indian Actress Vimla Raman forays into Bollywood
Popular South Indian actress Vimala Raman is all set to make her Bollywood entry with an author-backed role in Amrapali, a remake of the yesteryear classic. Frankly, I never dreamt of a B-town career since I am happy with my career here. After a few discussions with the director, I signed the film two weeks ago and the muhurat for the same will be held on April 16, she said. Atul Garge (former assistant of Ashutosh Gowariker) will direct the film and there are reports that Arbaaz Khan will play a prominent role in this epic. The film is based on the life of a royal courtesan who latter becomes a disciple of Buddha. Vimala Raman has apparently become a specialist in playing courtesan roles and period epics. I won great laurels for my courtesan role (Nagavalli) in the Kannada hit Aptharakshaka and probably that is one of the reasons for Hindi film-makers to consider me. The Kannada film was a semi-periodic drama set 150 years ago, whereas Amrapali is set during the advent of Buddhism. Doing period epics is a challenge as we need to be careful about costumes, hairstyling, dialect, etc. to get our act right. Even my classical dancing skills have come in handy in enacting such roles, she added. Vimala Raman's upcoming projects in Tollywood includes Ranga The Donga and Gayam 2. She is also excited about her maiden international project Dame 999. The plot revolves around navarasas and my traditional role represents karunasa. While doing this film, I learnt a lot about live sound recording. I shared screen space with Indian actors Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak and a few Hollywood actors. I also realized the significance of subtle and non-dramatic acting, she revealed.
Source: Galatta
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Bollywood Star Salman Khan on Twitter!
Bollywood star Salman Khan is the latest actor from tinsel town to have joined the micro-blogging site Twitter.
'Arbaaz ne kaha ke Tweet karna toh banta hai boss. Chalo now, whoever was being me, party over, baju hatto please (Arbaaz said that I must Tweet. So now whoever was being me, please move aside),' Salman said in his initial posts.
The actor was welcomed on Twitter by jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali who is amongst the most regular celebrities on the website.
'Hey guys please welcome the one and only superstar actor Salman Khan on Twitter @BeingSalmanKhan. Big shout to him,' Farah posted.
While a lot of Bollywood actors have joined Twitter, stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, et al, are yet to get bitten by the Twitter bug.
Source:IANS
Bollywood Global Icon Shilpa Shetty's Autobiograhy in great Demand!
Shilpa Shetty's transition from Indian matinee madam to global icon has caught the fancy of an international publishing giant! Shetty's journey from being a Hindi film star to bagging success in 'Celebrity Big Brother' to turning IPL owner and entrepreneur of health spas… are all likely to show up with perfect details in place.
Reportedly, the publishing house has approached Shetty with an offer to write her autobiography, since the Indian celeb has an enviable fan base across England and other parts of Europe. They're sanguine that her penned memoirs will fly off the shelves by the time they say 'Jack Robinson!'. And to be privy to her life, they're tempting her with moolah… which would easily make her the highest ever paid celebrity in India to write an auto bio!!
Gushes Shetty in a media chat, "It's true that a big publishing house has approached me to write my autobiography. They feel that my life story will be an interesting one since I've seen so many ups and downs in life and have made it in the industry without the support of a godfather. But right now, I'm too busy with cricket and have no time to breathe! But it is a huge compliment!"
Source:Movietalkies
Popular Telugu Hero Ram replaces Star Ravi Teja.
Popular Telugu hero Ram, who is currently busy with Rama Rama Krishna Krishna under the direction of Srivas, will be the hero instead of Ravi Teja in creative director Krishna Vamsi's new flick, which is expected to start rolling in June. According to sources, Krishna Vamsi initially had plans to cast Ravi Teja as the hero in this flick, but later changed his mind after a clash with Ravi Teja during a private meeting. However, the official version is that Ravi Teja walked out of the project as he is too busy to allot dates for Krishna Vamsi. Jenda Pai Kapiraju and Kandhiriga are the two names under consideration as the title of this flick jointly produced by Raju, Praveen and Giri. Other cast and crew will be finalized soon.
Source:Galatta
Malayalam Actor Prithviraj in Director Blessy's Next Movie
2010 seems to be a great year for young Malayalam-Tamil actor Prithviraj as he has got plenty of prestigious releases ahead, including ace Mani Ratnam's much anticipated Raavan, bilingual Police Police (Telugu and Tamil) and Mammootty-Shriya starrer Pokkiri Raja (Malayalam). According to latest reports, Prithviraj's 2010 movies will also include another prestigious film from Blessy, one of the most promising directors of Mollywood! The director has recently chosen Prithviraj to play the hero in his untitled film to be shot extensively at Gulf deserts. This project is expected to go on floors by mid-August. More details about the film are awaited.
Source:Galatta
Source:Galatta
Monday, April 12, 2010
Bollywood Star Vivek Oberoi's Move Prince moves towards Success!
Vivek Oberoi starrer 'Prince' has proved to be a shot in the arm for the actor as the film has got above average response at the box office. The film has also elbowed out Ritesh Deshmukh-starrer 'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai' that fell flat courtesy its weak content.
''Prince' has met our expectations with close to 35 percent occupancy across different properties over the weekend. While 'Jaane Kahan...' has proven to be a below average kind of movie with just around 12 percent occupancy,' Deepak Taluja, senior vice president (business and operations) Fun Cinemas, told IANS.
'People are appreciating the content of 'Prince'. 'The Japanese Wife' on the other hand has done lukewarm business,' he added.
Piyush Raizada, director, Delite Cinema, an upgraded two-screener in the capital, also shared similar sentiments.
''Prince' has done very good business and the occupancy has been more than 50 percent. However 'Jaane Kahan...' has been very very poor with less than 20 percent occupancy,' said Raizada.
Made at a budget of over Rs.40 crore (Rs.400 million) by producer Kumar Taurani, the two-hour-six-minute venture boasts of action sequences exceeding an hour. It released with over 1,000 prints worldwide.
Directed by debutant Kooki V. Gulati, 'Prince' also stars Nandana Sen, Aruna Shields and Neeru Singh in the female lead.
Meanwhile, 'Jaane Kahan...' is the directorial debut of Milap Zaveri. Made on a budget of about Rs.10 crore (Rs.100 million), the fantasy romantic comedy released worldwide with around 600 prints.
Distributed by Warner Bros Pictures India, it has been co-produced by Mukesh Talreja and Nikhil Advani. It teamed up Riteish with Jacqueline Fernandez again after 'Aladdin'.
'The Japanese Wife', on the other hand, released with only 32 prints in India. Directed by Aparna Sen, it stars Rahul Bose, Raima Sen, Moushumi Chatterjee and Japanese actress Chingusa Takaku.
Munish Sharma, general manager (marketing), Satyam Cineplex, had positive reports for 'Prince' and 'Jaane Kahan Se...'.
'Both 'Prince' and 'Jaane Kahan...' did fairly well with close to 30-40 percent occupancy. Both are average movies but because there is a dearth of content these days, people are hungry for movies. 'The Japanese Wife', on the other hand, was a little lukewarm because of a niche audience value,' said Sharma.
PVR cinemas, however, was disappointed with the commercial potboilers.
'Both the movies have been disappointing. The content of 'Prince' has no value and fetched no footfall. It had close to just 20 percent occupancy while 'Jaane Kahan...' didn't do any magic on the big screen with below 10 percent occupancy,' said a source from PVR.
'However, 'The Japanese Wife' that released with limited prints and limited shows has got good reports with almost 40 percent occupancy,' the source added.
According to a statement released by Saregama Films Monday, the producers of 'The Japanese Wife', the movie has got 'a very promising start off at 88 percent initial collection'.
Source: IANS
Kannada Movie Maduve Mane is ready for release!
Shraddha Arya is gearing up to make her much-delayed Sandalwood debut opposite Ganesh in Maduve Mane. Shraddha made her onscreen debut in Nishabd (Hindi) as Amitabh Bachchan's daughter. She has also played the role of Abhishek Bachchan's wife in a TV commercial, and Hrithik Roshan's girlfriend in another commercial. And now, she's playing a Class 12 student in the Shahid Kapur-starrer Paathshaala. Reportedly Shraddha plays a 'very Indian, very homely' girl in Maduve Mane.
Source: Galatta
Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth and family Elated!!
The coming of a newborn into a family is always a joyous time. Rajinikanth and family, who were just celebrating the engagement of his second daughter Soundarya, are equally excited awaiting the arrival of the second child of Aishwarya, his elder daughter! Rajinikanth, who is a very dedicated and adoring dad, is quite the pampering grandfather to Aishwarya's first child, Yatra. He is at the beck and call of the three year old, and indulges in the kid's every whim and fancy [He supposedly even bought an entire train compartment and set it up in their backyard just to amuse Yatra!]. And now grandpa is going to have a tough time dividing his attention betweem Yatra and the next baby! Aishwarya and husband Dhanush are natually overjoyed about having a second child. We are pretty sure that grandpa Rajni's and dad Dhanush's call sheets are going to be so overloaded with baby time, their next directors are going to have a difficult time scheduling their movies!
Source:Galatta
Telugu Movie Darling's Audio released in Hyderabad.
The audio of rebel star Prabhas's new Karunakaran-directed class love story Darling, which is expected to grace screens on April 23, was released in a grand function at Cyber Gardens, Hyderabad. The audio release function coincided with the birthday celebrations of Allu Arjun and lyricist Anant Sriram and the unit members cut the birthday cakes. B.V.N. Prasad, Karunakaran, Puri Jagannath, Rajamoui, V.V. Vinayak, Meher Ramesh, Boyapati Seenu, Dil Raju, Nallamalupu Bujji, Shyam Prasad Reddy, Aditya Babu, G.V. Prakash, Kajal, Prabhas, Ravi Teja, Allu Arjun, Sravanti Ravi Kishore, Krishnam Raju and others took part in the event. The film directors who attended the event launched the audio jointly by handing over the first copies to the heroes present. Supreme Music has bought the audio rights of Darling, made by B.V.N. Prasad under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Cine Creations. G.V. Prakash is the music director.
Source: Galatta
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Bollywood Movie Review: Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai'
A light-hearted entertainer targeted at the youth.
Love stories seem to be the favourite genre of dream merchants here. I've a hunch, if we ever do a count of romantic films made in Bollywood, it would easily score over other genres. But the question is, how innovative can a love story get in today's times? Milap Zaveri provides the answer: Man from Earth, woman from Venus.
Having penned some likable comic capers in the past, Milap's directorial debut 'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai' has liberal doses of light moments dominating the first half of the film and heartache and reunion following soon after, in its post-interval portions.
'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai' works for its light moments mainly. It's bizarre to think of a love story between a human and an alien, but Milap garnishes it well with assorted characters, sets the story in the film industry and has several laugh-inducing moments. Resultantly, the first half is paisa vasool in filmi lingo.
But the problem arises when the focus shifts to the prem kahani in its second half. For, the story follows the trodden path [it becomes a love triangle] and embarks on the same old route that all love stories usually embark upon. If Milap had the courage to think out of the box, he should've ensured that the film remained true to its essence. Why didn't he think of an equally wacky second hour?
Notwithstanding its predictable second half, 'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai' is a decent watch that provides ample laughs.
'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai' is the story of Rajesh [Riteish Deshmukh], a simple Gujarati boy who's been looking for love since he was a baby. Thoroughly unsuccessful in his endeavours, he nearly gives up till he meets Natasha [Sonal Sehgal].
Desh [Ruslaan Mumtaz] is the youngest superstar in the country. Mothers want to adopt him and their daughters want to marry him. But when will he find the girl of his dreams? Their worlds turn upside down when Tara [Jacqueline Fernandez], an alien from Venus, lands on Earth in the search of true love.
Milap tickles your funny bone at the very outset. The story of a loser, his search for true love, his 'naughty' father, his 'oversexed' friend and his experiences at his work place [on a film set] bring a constant smile on your face. In fact, one of the key factors why the first half works is because the casting is just right and the actors carry off the assigned roles so well.
But the second half fumbles because the story gets very old-fashioned. If the alien could travel all the way to earth to find love, why couldn't she profess love to the man she loves the most? Why develop human emotions all of a sudden?
This is Milap's directorial debut and he clearly shows a flair for comic entertainers. Sajid-Wajid's music is pleasant, with the title track standing out. Attar Singh Saini's cinematography is perfect.
Riteish enacts his part efficiently. That he's at home in comedy is well-known by now, but the actor is equally at ease in emotional moments and also romantic sequences. Jacqueline is easy on the eyes. In fact, she seems more comfortable this time. Vishal Malhotra is superb and contributes enormously in making the proceedings lively. Ruslaan carries the teen heart-throb look very well. Sonal Sehgal is competent.
Farah Khan is a complete natural. Satish Shah is excellent. Supriya Pilgaonkar does well too. Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Sajid Khan and Amrita Rao make special appearances in the film.
On the whole, 'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai' is a light-hearted entertainer targeted at the youth. It has a thoroughly entertaining first half, but a routine second half. A decent watch!
Source: Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Movie Review: Prince
Strike a chord with the youth and lovers of masala movies.
Hollywood has come up with so many movies on memory loss, while Bollywood too has had its share of films which depicted the protagonist losing his memory, 'Ghajini' being the most recent example. But what if someone robs your memory? Quite an interesting thought, isn't it?
One of the advantages of having a GenNext director is, he's ready to take risks, ready to tread the untrodden path, ready to go where no one has been before. But there's a disadvantage too: Visuals and technique take precedence, while story takes a backseat. 'Prince' has a terrific first half, where technique and content go hand in hand, but technique overpowers the content in its post-interval portions.
What surprises you is that 'Prince' is penned by the writer of 'Race' [Shiraz Ahmed] and like 'Race', 'Prince' too has several twists and turns every 15 odd minutes. But the twists and turns are a mixed bag here - captivating at times, not captivating at some places. More on that later!
On the brighter side, 'Prince' has great stunts and chase sequences [Allan Amin], fantastic visuals [South Africa] and of course, a chartbuster musical score [Sachin Gupta]. And these three factors, coupled with Vivek Oberoi's convincing performance, should take the film to safety!
One of the savviest thieves in the world [Vivek Oberoi] commits the biggest heist of his life. He wakes up next the morning to realize he has a gunshot wound on his arm that he doesn't remember getting. In his quest to find answers, he discovers his name is Prince, he used to work for a man named Sarang and his girlfriend's name is Maya.
He is being hunted by the secret service of India, the CBI and the biggest white collared criminals in the world. He is the most wanted man in the country because only he knows the whereabouts of the heist, which contains a secret that is linked not only to his loss of memory, but threatens the future of the human race.
Every day he meets a new girl claiming to be Maya. He doesn't remember where he has hidden the Heist. He has just dive days of his life. Time is running out...
Although 'Prince' stands on a novel premise, flashes of the Dev Anand starrer 'Jewel Thief' do cross your mind. 'Prince' starts off with a heist and soon after, Vivek realises that his memory has been 'erased'. The mystery only deepens when he meets three different women, all posing as Maya and all having a new story to tell. So far, so good!
He is being hunted by the secret service of India, the CBI and the biggest white collared criminals in the world. He is the most wanted man in the country because only he knows the whereabouts of the heist, which contains a secret that is linked not only to his loss of memory, but threatens the future of the human race.
Every day he meets a new girl claiming to be Maya. He doesn't remember where he has hidden the Heist. He has just dive days of his life. Time is running out...
Director Kookie Gulati has an eye for visuals and that's evident from the very start of the film itself. The film looks magnificent and wears an international look as well. Shiraz Ahmed's screenplay is watertight in the first hour, but leaves a lot to be desired in the latter portions. Dialogues [Mayur Puri] are well worded. Cinematography [Vishnu Rao] is top notch and the eye-filling locations are a visual treat. Allan Amin's stunts and chases are mesmeric. Sachin Gupta's musical score is trendy and catchy.
Vivek is super in a rather difficult role. He is excellent in dramatic portions especially and carries off the stunts with remarkable ease. Nandana is effective. Neeru doesn't get much scope. Aruna is the best of the lot. Sanjay Kapoor enacts his part well. Dalip Tahil is alright. Isaiah has screen presence and looks ferocious on screen. Rajesh Khattar is hardly there.
On the whole, 'Prince' has great music, super stunts, Vivek Oberoi's bravura performance and terrific promotion as its trump card, but where it falters is in its writing [in its second half mianly]. Yet, all said and done, the film has the merits to strike a chord with the youth and lovers of masala movies.
Source: Bollywood Hungama
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