Yatra - Movie Preview

Dasrath Joglekar (Nana Patekar), a celebrated writer travels to Delhi to receive the prestigious Literary Award. During the journey he meets a young film maker (Nakul Vaid), an ardent fan of Dasrath's writing and the encounter brings back memories from the past. Both of them travel back in time, remembering characters from the Dasrath's celebrated novel Janaza, reconstructing the true story of the novel protagonist – Lajvanti (Rekha) from their own perspective. Fact and fiction merge together to create a new journey.

After the gala award ceremony in New Delhi, Dasarath begins another journey in his new novel, while the nostalgia of the previous one haunts him.Dasarath disappears from his hotel. Tension mounts in his family and associates.

Memories from the past and passion brings him to Mehendi galli where people flock to listen to mujras. The entire area has changed. Lajvanti alias Lajobai has become Miss Lisa, presenting popular film songs numbers to entertain a new clientele. Dasarath's sudden appearance is a great surprise for Lajvanti. The character of his novel Janaza comes alive in an unexpected juncture.

Lajvanti shows her reverence to Dasrath by singing melodies from their past. Fate accomplices another journey into the unknown is created. Is this fact or is it fiction, created by filmmaker Mohan for his forthcoming film called Janaza.

Shahrukh's biography to be released in October

We had told you 2 days back about Shah Rukh Khan's next biography by the well-known film writer, Anupama Chopra. Here is more. The full title of the book is 'King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema'.

As per Anupama's synopsis, "Here is the astonishing true story of Bollywood, a sweeping portrait about a country finding its identity, a movie industry that changed the face of India, and one man's struggle to become a star. Shah Rukh Khan's larger than life tale takes us through the colorful and idiosyncratic Bollywood movie industry, where fantastic dreams and outrageous obsessions share the spotlight with extortion, murder, and corruption."

The book reading, sale and signing, followed by a cocktail reception, is to take place on October 4, 2007.

Metro to have a 3 continent premiere

From the euphoria of a fast paced life, to the breakdown of a short-lived relationship… it's a journey everybody staying in metros across the world undertake daily.

UTV's film Metro depicts this aspect, in director Anurag Basu's signature style. The very aptly named Metro, which already has garnered brand associations worth Rs. 2.25 crores, releases worldwide on May 11 with a 3 continent première that includes metros like Dubai, London, Melbourne and Mumbai - first time for an Indian film. Starring Shilpa Shetty, Shiney Ahuja, Kay Kay Menon, Konkana Sen Sharma, Sharman Joshi and Kangna Ranaut, the film is about the thrills and shrills of being a metro citizen.

The action does not stop here… also seen strumming the strings of the guitar will be Band Metro, a melting pot of musical talent that consists of Pritam (music director for Metro), James, Soham, Suhail, as they set out for a 4 city tour across India in cities like Kolkata, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, where they would perform live at theatres, clubs, pubs to give the audience a slice of the film through music, which is an integral part of the film storyline.


Says Siddharth Roy Kapur, EVP - Marketing, Distribution & Syndication, UTV "We plan to take the film Metro across the globe as it's the story of people living in a metro, they could be anywhere in the world. Thus keeping this universal theme in mind we première the film across prominent metros of the world like Dubai, London, Melbourne, Mumbai backed by whole host of marketing blitz."

The visual aspect of Metro life will be captured by a photo exhibition to be held in Mumbai. Photographers across Mumbai and Delhi have taken snapshots, depicting life in metropolitans, which will be auctioned. Also on the Metro wagon are brand like Shaadi.com and Lenovo that would be running contests, promotions around the release of the film.

Sanjay Suri re-launches site

Here is good news for all Sanjay Suri fans. Sanjay has re-launched his website and is looking forward to becoming much more accessible with his fans as well as professionals who may wish to get in touch with him.

"There was this site of mine which was created around 3 years back but it always had some areas of improvements", says Sanjay, "I along with my web designer worked on this entire professional feel that we wanted to give to the site. The idea was not just to add some pictures and give it a snazzy look and feel", he adds, "In addition the purpose was to have an interactive site where audience could come in, post their comments on what they loved or hated about me or my film, get in touch with me, access information about my past and forthcoming films along with other usual details."

What more is in the offering here? "Navigation was given key importance. So many times it happens that one gets lost in what to see and in the process misses out in accessing some information for his use. This is why it was of utmost importance to make the site so user friendly that a person accessing the website knows in a jiffy what was there in the offering", he explains.

Apart from fans, any other target set of visitors that he had in mind? "Film makers who want to see my work from the past and get in touch with me for their projects", he says quickly, "In fact you would be surprised to know that makers of some of the recent films that I have locked in approached me though my website itself. It is a great medium and though in West it is being used in an extremely professional manner, in India it is catching up well too!"

Bollywood finds its way on London map

As Bollywood's love affair with London continues with films being shot at various locations there, British film authorities have now unveiled a new map that lists venues where recent blockbusters were shot.

So the next time tourists from India come visiting, they can visit locations where popular films such as Kabhi Khushie Kabhi Gham, Mujhse Dosti Karoge (Starford Station) were shot.

The new movie map is eighth in a series of maps designed to encourage tourists and cinema-lovers alike to discover the Capital through films. More than 40 Hindi films were shot in London last year.

Some of the most popular locations for Indian films have been Trafalgar Square, Natural History Museum, Tower Bridge, The Royal Albert Hall, Millennium Dome, the Houses of Parliament, Nelson's Column and the London Eye.

Some of the better-known films shot at London locations are:

* Southall is home to one of the largest Indian communities in London and was the setting for Kajol's home in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).

* Hyde Park was one of one of the locations for a song in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The song culminates with an early morning dance sequence shot at the British Museum.

Several cinemas in London screen Bollywood films, including the Himalaya Palace, Southall; Safarai Cinema, Harrow; Belle-Vue Cinema, Willesden Green, and the Boleyn Cinema, Upton Park. Cineworld Cinemas in Wood Green, Wandsworth and Feltham also have regular Bollywood screenings.

To celebrate the partnership between the Indian and British film industries, the International Indian Film Academy is coming to Yorkshire for a weekend of film premieres, festivals, special events and awards June 7-10.

Shahrukh Khan adds zing to comedy awards

A Hindi movie channel organised Comedy Honours—a special event to award some of the best Hindi film comedies. And to do the honours, came none other than the sultan of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan.

While King had a re-union of sorts with good friends Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza, keeping the jovial mood intact were some of the best comedy flicks.

"I feel those who can't do comedy can't act. My favorite comic actors are Peter Sellers, Govinda, Juhi Chawla, Sridevi and at times Johnny Lever amongst others,” said SRK.

While actors like Govinda, Raj Pal Yadav, Anupam Kher, Ayesha Takia walked the red carpet, show stealers were none other than Raju Hirani and Sanjay Dutt of the Munnabhai team. After all it was the Munnabhai Lage Raho team that walked away with the Hrishikesh Mukherjee Award for socially relevant comedy films!

Juhi Chawla and Govinda received special recognition for comic excellence, and both seemed quite touched. In the long list of award nights these days, one dedicated to some of our funniest big screen moments- we say, is a good idea. Might even inspire our filmmakers to make a lot funnier films.

Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan in Balki's 'Pa'

Abhishek Bachchan’s term of endearment for Big B will now be the name of a film, starring the father-son duo.

Apart from Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar 2, superstar Amitabh and son Abhishek Bachchan are all set to star together in yet another movie.

Balki, the maker of Cheeni Kum, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu, has already signed the father-son duo for his next film called what else, but ‘Pa’!

Abhishek calls his dad 'pa' in real life too. Apparently, Big B was very impressed with Balki during the making of Cheeni Kum, which is the story of a younger woman falling for a much older man.

The buzz is that RGV was inspired by Balki’s story; he made Nishabd on the same topic and released it even before Balki could complete his film. However, Balki’s new film Pa will be a light comedy .The female lead has not been decided as yet.

When contacted, Balki confirmed that he is indeed doing a film with the Bachchans. He said, “Pa is a comedy and both Amitabh and Abhishek loved the script when I narrated it to them. We have not worked out the dates as yet since the shoot will only begin after the release of Cheeni Kum which is scheduled to release on May 25th.”

Kangana Ranaut to do an ad with Salman Khan

If there are any doubts about Kangana Ranaut's growing clout in the entertainment market, her latest triumph should put all questions to rest. She's not only been chosen by international shoe company Red Tape to endorse their brand, the actress will shoot with Salman Khan for a TV ad.

"Until now they manufactured footwear only for men. And Salman was their brand ambassador. The company is launching its female line-up with me. And that's quite an honour, considering it's my first endorsement," Kangana said.

What made them choose her?

"It was my casual looks, I guess. The brand isn't associated with formal shoes - only sporty footwear, sneakers etc. They want me to endorse their shoes in my jeans and with my curly hair. Very youth-oriented. And the fact that they expect my career to grow with their new female line up of shoes makes the endorsement a bigger responsibility for me."

The actress, who made a successful debut with Gangster-A Love Story and repeated it with Woh Lamhe, recently shot spots for hoardings and magazines.

Apparently Red Tape has paid Kangana a whopping figure and has promised to enhance the amount by 30 percent in the next financial year.

"At this rate I'll soon realise my dream of buying my own house. The shoes and my career are supposed to journey together. It's a good thought."

"I'm excited about the ad with Salman. I've always been his fan. I think he's the only rock star in our cinema. I had watched him dance at an awards function and hoped I'd be paired with him one day. It's happening sooner than I thought."

Amitabh was almost named 'Inquilab' by father!

If fate would have had it differently, superstar Amitabh Bachchan would not have existed. The country's 'angry, young man' would have been, instead, Inquilab (revolution) Bachchan.

A new book on the history of Bollywood reveals that poet Harvanshrai Bachchan wanted his son to be named Inquilab but accepted poet Sumitra Nandan Pant's suggestion of 'Amitabh' which comes from Amit and Abha.

Talking about when the country was in the midst of the Quit India Movement, journalist Mihir Bose writes in the book 'Bollywood, A History', that the man who would be identified as the 'angry, young man' of the country, was, infact, very much a good boy when he was young.

The Bachchans were well-connected to the rising Bollywood establishment and Harvanshrai was a regular visitor at Prithviraj Kapoor's stage performances after which there would be soirees to recite his poems.

But when Amitabh came to Bombay in 1969 looking for work he did not try to make his way to R K Studios, and chose to launch himself without pull, the book says.

Awarapan - Movie Preview

Awarapan is the story of man called Shivam who searched for joy but found nothing but pain and loneliness. It is the journey of a godless heartbroken lover who in order to escape from the ghosts of his tragic past dedicates himself to serve his gangster boss Malik who runs a chain of hotels in Hong Kong.

One day Malik asks Shivam to do an unusual job for him. He asks him to keep an eye on his young mistress Reema while he is away on a brief business trip. Reema is a young Pakistani girl who is a victim of human trafficking. Malik had ‘bought’ her in the flesh market in Bangkok.

The brief is clear.. if Reema is found cheating behind Malik’s back, Shivam has to eliminate her. From the moment Shivam sets his eyes on Reema, his frozen past begins to raise its head. He is reminded of his lost love and how he had failed to save it from a catastrophe.

And then one night Shivam is shocked to discover that the innocent looking Reema has a secret boyfriend, whom she has tucked away and is planning to run away with. Does Shivam remain loyal to Malik and execute his orders, or does he take on his wrath by daring to go against him. Will Shivam find redemption and faith or will this Godless vagabond remain shackled to his faithless dead past are the questions which is the life blood of this haunting tale.

Mandira kicks up row at Cup finale

Actress and cricket anchor Mandira Bedi's clothes flagged off a fresh controversy on Saturday after she was spotted wearing the Indian colours in a disrespectful manner on a satellite television channel.

Hosting the live telecast of the Cricket World Cup along with Charu Sharma on SetMax, Mandira was seen wearing an image of the Indian Tricolour below her waist, which seems to have gone against the constitutional norm. Mandira's saree on the occasion had images of national flags of all the cricket-playing nations printed on it. But it placed the image of the Indian Tricolour in a rather disrespectful position.

As soon as the show kicked off at 1700 hours (IST) on Saturday evening and the Indian cricket fans glued to their television sets for some good cricket, SMSs started doing the rounds in India, pointing fingers at the aberration on Mandira's saree.

According to sources, the controversial saree was part of a special collection designed by Satya Paul, which is being sported exclusively by Mandira Bedi during the ongoing World Cup.

Shilpa Shetty plans UK curry houses

Shilpa Shetty, winner of the reality television show Celebrity Big Brother and currently embroiled in a kissing episode with Richard Gere, will open a chain of Indian curry houses in Britain, a newspaper reported Friday.

Encouraged by her popularity in Britain, Shetty is also reported to be buying a house in an expensive north London neighbourhood as well as setting up the restaurants.

"The flagship restaurant will be at central London," the newspaper quoted Shetty's agent Farhath Hussain as saying. "The work is moving very swiftly and final details are being chalked out. The curry chain will be called Shilpa Shetty Dining Hall and will have branches across the country."

Hrithik is the highest tax payer of 2006-07

The Bollywood stars creating records at the Box Office have also topped the income tax charts of this year. Hrithik Roshan turned out to be the highest income tax paying actor of the year 2006-07.

Paying Rs. 15.10 crore, Hrithik is the highest individual tax payer from Bollywood this year. Shah Rukh Khan has always been among the highest tax payers and even this year, he follows Hrithik with Rs. 14 crore paid as tax amount. Then comes Akshay Kumar followed by cricket star Sachin Tendulkar.

Shilpa won't participate in Australian Big Brother

After winning the world's leading reality show Celebrity Big Brother in UK, the media has been abuzz with reports of Shilpa Shetty being a part of the Big Brother house in Australia. But the actresses' spokesperson and publicist Dale Bhagwagar states otherwise.

"She won't be a part of another reality show," he says and adds, "Shilpa participated in the UK 'Big Brother' as she wanted to do something new in her career and take one step ahead in life. It threw challenges untold and she emerged a stronger and more confident person. Since then, she has moved on in life," he said.

Currently, the actress is looking forward to her upcoming film METRO with Shiney Ahuja and powerhouse performer Kay Kay Menon. The film is going to get a grand international release in a fortnight.

Around the same time, Shilpa will also launch a perfume in her name, mainly targeted at the UK market.

Yes! 'Brand Shilpa' shows no signs of stopping!

Shahrukh Khan's next biography

Shah Rukh Khan's biography, ‘Still Reading Khan’, by his friend Mushtaq Sheikh, is priced at close to Rs. 3000 and has generated a good response. While across-the counter sales have been good, the orders through the net have been very impressive, as per eBay. However, it seems that King Khan's fans across the globe want more and we have good news for them. Shah Rukh Khan's next biography is by the well known film writer, Anupama Chopra and is nearing completion.

According to the actor himself, "It is a journey through Indian cinema in recent decades, as seen through my career. Interesting and insightful because of the amount of rigorous research Anupama has taken on."

We hope that after reading this, the coffee tables for keeping Anupama's book are ready!

Jodha Akbar and Goal to be unveiled at Cannes 2007

UTV Motion Pictures gears up for Cannes Film festival 2007. On May 18, UTV will curl up curtains to showcase two of its tent pole upcoming projects - Jodha Akbar and Goal. The two films will be unveiled for the very first time at Cannes 2007, which is scheduled to release across the world in 2007.

Present at the Cannes unveiling of Jodha Akbar would be the director of the film Ashutosh Gowariker and actors Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan. The second film Goal based on an Asian soccer league team and shot entirely in the UK, is a sports action drama starring John Abraham & Bipasha Basu, who would be present at the unveiling of the film at Cannes.

Says Siddharth Roy Kapur, VP marketing and Sales, “Indian films have always raised the curiosity factor in the west. With the new wave of Indian cinema has been widely acknowledged and welcomed across the globe which is a great positive for us. This year we would unveil two of our upcoming movies both of which have been positioned as international projects with a universal appeal.”

UTV will also display its entire film catalogue at Cannes. This includes blockbusters like Swades, Parineeta, Viruddh, Chup Chup Ke, Don, Blue Umbrella and Rang De Basanti all from UTV’s archetypal collection.

Valley of Flowers adjudged best at IFFLA

Pan Nalin’s Valley of Flowers bagged the Best Film Award at the fifth edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.

The six-day Film Festival, being held at ArcLight Hollywood, concluded on Monday with the Los Angeles premiere of Rajnesh Domalpalli’s Vanaja.

The winners of the Jury and audience choice awards were announced at the post-screening Gala Reception on Monday.

This year, the festival paid tribute to acclaimed actress, poet, painter and writer Deepti Naval who has received widespread recognition for a career that has spanned nearly 30 years. As part of the tribute, the Film Festival showcased three films of her most renowned performances that included Kamla, Panchavati and Main Zinda Hoon.

Know why Konkona took up Metro?

After playing several unconventional roles, Konkona is upbeat about her next stimulating performance in Anurag Basu’s Metro where she plays the role of a woman who is depressed for being a virgin at 30.

Konkona says, “Shruti’s character is like any normal girl. She is financially independent but under- confident. She ends up taking several wrong decisions while finding a companion for herself. She is so finicky that she doesn’t approve of any body.” For Konkona it was not a difficult role to pull off as she relates to the role. “Shruti’s character is close to me as I see a lot of people like her around me.”

Strangely though, she has no strings attached with the movie. “Films are very unpredictable; it may be a hit or may be a disaster. I do not expect anything out of of my projects. I just do my job well.”

For Konkona the best part about working on this project was working with Anurag Basu. “He was one of the reasons I signed the film. I haven’t seen his movies but I have heard that he is very good. The script was not ready when I had signed the film but I had liked the way he described the film to me and hence I took it up. I go by my instincts and I knew that this would be a good project to work in. He is a nice director and a nice human being too.The positive vibes experienced, while shooting for the film is rarely experienced on the sets of other projects ”

Incidentally, Konkona had shifted to Mumbai from Kolkata a year and a half ago. When asked, how does the city’s fast paced life treat her, she calmly says, “Work keeps me busy. It’s the best way to forget everything. I am doing alright in the city. Though, I often visit Kolkata.”

French honeymoon for Ash-Abhi

So, another mystery surrounding Ash-Abhi is finally over.

After much speculation about their honeymoon destination, it’s now official that Bollywood’s star couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai are headed for a French honeymoon.

The newly-weds would catch an early morning flight on Friday for France and will be spending their time mostly there during their fortnight stay in Europe.

After hogging the limelight for their “private” wedding, the couple remained in news when they visited Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh along with their family and close friends.

Himesh's lead actress is child artiste Hansika Motwani

This is the most shocking disclosure about Himesh's upcoming film Aap Ka Surroor. The lead actress opposite Himesh in the film is none other than child artiste Hansika Motwani. Hansika is the same girl who was seen in the film Jaago starring Raveena Tandon and Manoj Bajpai, where Hansika played a 10 yr old girl who gets raped in train. She was also child artiste in films like Hum Kaun Hai, Hawa and Escape From Taliban. She was also seen in the famous television soap, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

However, her most notable film is Hrithik Roshan starrer Koi Mil Gaya in which Hansika played one of the kids from the super-six group. Her last film as a child artiste was Dheeraj Kumar's Aabra Ka Daabra which came out in December 2004.

Within a span of just two years, Hansika made her comeback in films but as a lead actress. Early this year, she made her debut in a Telugu film Desamuduru. And now, Hansika will soon make her Bollywood debut with Himesh Reshammiya in Aap Ka Surroor. She is however publicized as a debutant actress named Ria.

Its quite shocking though that within less than three years, Hansika's looks became so mature. Interestingly, Hansika was to make her debut opposite Mithun Chakravarthy's son Mimoh in He - The Only One but the film was 60 percent shot and then got stuck.

So, now you will see, Hansika Motwani, the cute looking child artiste of one time, playing the lead actress opposite Himesh!! The weird part however is that Hansika is just 15 year old and Himesh is……well, we better keep our mouth shut. Hope the two click onscreen though as Aap Ka Surroor will be a crucial film for Ria aka Hansika and will also decide if Himesh should face the camera or continue with his work in the recording studio.

Phalke Ratna Award for Dilip Kumar

Thespian Dilip Kumar will be the recipient of Phalke Ratna Award. This prestigious award will be presented to him by Dadasaheb Phalke Academy on 30th April at Bhaidas Auditorium, Vile Parle.

Dadasaheb Phalke Academy is the august body of film industry and 36 cine associations are affiliated to it. To celebrate the 138th birth anniversary celebrations of Dadasaheb Phalke, 55 seniors [from labor to legend] will be honored with Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards.

Legendary artists Jeetendra, Shashikala, Aruna Irani, Beena Rai, Kumkum, Sushila Rani Patel, director Lekh Tandon, producers Rajkumar Barjatya and Kamal Kumar Barjatya are among the recipients of the award. Many technicians, distributors and exhibitors will also be honored.

To announce details of this award function, a press meet was organized at veteran actor Chandrashekhar's bunglow on 25th April. Shashikala, distributor-exhibitor Shyam Shroff, Chairman of Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Santosh Singh Jain, Neena Jalan, Ram Gopal Gupta, Sangram Shirke and many senior members were present on the occasion.
Shashikala was honored at this get-together for being the recipient of Padmashree Award. She was presented a shawl by Chandrashekhar.

Percept signs Anees Bazmee for a multi-starrer comedy

Percept Picture Company has signed up ace writer-director Anees Bazmee for a multi starrer titled Jeb Hamari Maal Tumhara. The film will go on floor in September 2007 and is currently scheduled for a release early 2008.

While the cast of the film is not revealed yet, Mr. Preet Bedi, CEO Percept Picture Company confirms, “We are delighted with our association with an extremely talented director like Anees Bazmi. Anees is a comedy natural and with Jeb Hamari Maal Tumhara we are sure he will definitely hit the bullseye. We at Percept Picture Company are looking forward to this and other projects thereafter."

Abhi-Ash Honeymoon:Cannes, Sydney or Venice?

Are Abhi-Ash really going to Venice on a honeymoon? Or is it Sydney? Nobody knows, not even the couple's closest friends, what with their crazy shooting schedules.

But the newly-married couple is most certainly going to attend the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, where Jaya Bachchan is participating. It might just be their first trip together as husband and wife if a honeymoon does not happen before that. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Cannes and also of India's independence.

Rituparno Ghosh's Dosar goes to Cannes

After having toured the globe in several prestigious international film festivals and winning numerous awards Rituparno Ghosh’s black and white chronicle Dosar has been selected in one of the most exalted film festivals of the world, The Cannes International Film Festival. Chosen to be screened in the ‘Tous les Cinemas du Monde’ section which screens the best of world cinema.

Dosar stars the talented Konkona Sen Sharma and superstar of West Bengal, Prosenjit Chatterjee. Inaugurated by the Festival de Cannes in 2005, the ambition of ‘Tous les Cinemas du Monde’ section is to illustrate the vitality and diversity of cinema throughout the world, the dynamism of its young creative talent and the involvement of its institutions in promoting international cinema. Along with Dosar, the section will see the best of Indian cinema, with Lage Raho Munnabhai, Guru and other best of regional films of India.

Cannes Festival has invited Director Rituparno Ghosh, Producer Arindam Chaudhuri and CEO – Planman Motion Pictures Shubho Shekhar Bhattacharjee to represent Dosar. PMP will also have a grand marketing presence at Cannes this year with five films in hand for release already in the current financial year.

Rituparno is currently busy with his film The Last Lear starring Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta in lead roles.

Arrest warrants out against Shilpa, Gere

The infamous kiss between Hollywood star Richard Gere and actress Shilpa Shetty at a public function in Delhi earlier this month has landed the two in legal trouble.

A Jaipur court has issued arrest warrants against the duo for their public kiss, which had evoked strong protests in several cities.

Jaipur city Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Dinesh Gupta issued the warrants on the basis of a PIL filed by Jaipur resident Poonam Chand Bhandari.

The controversial incident, which the organisers later described as an unplanned and harmless dance-and-kiss spoof, took place at an AIDS event organised by philanthropist Parmeshwar Godrej.

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STRINGS return with promotional video of SOAL

Remember the haunting track Yeh Hai Meri Kahani that popular Pakistani band STRINGS crooned for Sanjay Gupta's 'Zinda' ? The song became quite popular when released, especially due to the fact that Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham participated in the music video too that was based on studio setting.

Now for Sanjay Gupta's upcoming release Shoot out at Lokhandwala, STRINGS have been roped in again for a promotional music video. Titled Aakhri Alvida, the song again comes with a haunting feel since it narrates the dark theme of the film which revolves around a real life incident of a shootout that happened in Lokhandwala years back.

The video is unique too since it has shots interspersed from the making of the film with STRINGS strolling around the sets and taking the viewer through the film making journey.

Reliving 50 yrs of 'golden' cinema (1957-2007)

A poet's love for his work and a prostitute he yearns for. It was a bold experiment for Guru Dutt who made Pyaasa in 1957, and fell in love with Waheeda Rehman while making it.

“When I was first explained that I have to play the part of a prostitute who seduces men, I didn't understand because I was all of 16 years,” recalls Waheeda.

Now when we do a flashback, the poet/filmmaker Guru Dutt was in august company that year. 1957 also gave Bollywood, Nargis' classic Mother India.

Apart from sparking off Nargis' love story with Sunil Dutt during the making, Mehboob Khan's earthy representation of a strong Indian mother went on to win a foreign film Oscar nomination.

"Nargis is not hesitant to apply all the mud and muck on her face for this shot. and yet, she ends up looking so beautiful in that one shot," says filmmaker Tanuja Chandra.

This year also witnessed the "before its time" prison drama Do Aankhen Barah Haath. A film that is stuck in movie lore for its melodious songs and positive spirit, went on to win the Best Foreign Film award at the Golden Globes in 1959.

Last but most definitely not the least, BR Chopra's Naya Daur is a timeless tale of modern technology overtaking the village economy of India.

"I believe that each of us should give something back to society, to our people. And I feel that my films should talk about something that is relevant to the present times,” says filmmaker BR Chopra.

Each of these films emphasised socially relevant issues while entertaining millions of movie-goers in India, and earned Bollywood its place in the sun at a number of film festivals worldwide.

Yet 50 years on the films may just fade from public memory. Apart from Ravi Chopra, who plans to release his father's Naya Daur in colour, there is little being done to promote them.

"I feel that these films should be exhibited, should not necesarily be colored but should be shown to the present generation. And yes, I would encourage today's film audience to go and see them," says filmmaker Sudhir Mishra.

So while film makers fondly remember these four films that have influenced them for so long, it’s high time Bollywood sat up and placed these cinematic classics in their right place with the viewers. Perhaps a Naya Daur might just again kick off a new wave of more quality films.

Amitabh's response to Abhi-Ash wedding media rights reports

Reacting to a story that the filming rights of the Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding were given to a TV channel, the Big B says, "This is totally false. No such rights were given. And even if we were offered such a deal, we'd have rejected it outright. The wedding was a very private moment for our family and close friends."

Continues the Big B, “According to a report we've sold the filming rights for Rs. 5 crores to a tv channel. We've received a letter from Mr Rajiv Bakshi to whose channel we were reported to have sold the filming rights. He categorically states that the report was completely false. Neither have we promised photographed to any particular publication. The truth is I haven't got any photographs. They're expected any time now."

The Big B is very clear about protecting his family's privacy. "And if I'm called selfish for that, then yes I'm selfish. I'll protect and safeguard my family's interests. You can judge me, condemn me and nail me for my professional conduct. But you can't follow me with cameras into my home. The wedding was a private affair. And I maintain that."

Having said this, the Big B adds, "I know the media was only doing its job. And I sincerely apologized to anyone who was hurt on our account. I've no malice towards the media. Maybe in their excitement some excesses happened."

At the moment the entire family, the new Bahu included, are enjoying the time together at the Bachchan residence Jalsa. "But I know this bliss is short-lived. I wish I could spend more time with Aishwarya. But we all have to get back to work soon. But the family is feeling so much happier."

As for those who were unfortunately left out of the guest list the Big B has this to say. "We had two kinds of cards made for the wedding. One was the wedding card and the other was the information card which went to all our friends. It informed about the wedding with a shagun and mithai and asked everyone to bless the couple. We had sent this card to everyone, in the film industry, the political circles because of Amar Singhji and Jaya, and whoever has been a part of our lives. Even after all this if some people choose to be hurt what can we say?"

Bold habits die hard!

Everyone has nervous tics, stars included. We catch some stars resorting to their trademark gestures.



Shah Rukh Khan is simply obsessed with his collar. The proud actor seems to have taken the proverbial 'collar up' attitude a little too seriously. If sources are to be believed, he hates drooping collars. Needless to say, he keeps pulling up his collar to keep it flying high at all times. We saw him doing it ever so often on his show Kaun Banega Crorepati.

What's Salman Khan trying to hide? Well, nothing really. The actor prefers to stand with his legs apart and hands firmly placed behind. We closely observed the actor at various events and found that he's most comfortable with his palms tucked into his denims' back pockets.

You just can't miss John Abraham fidgeting with his shirt sleeves, all the time. Be it a half sleeve tee or a long-sleeved shirt, he keeps folding and unfolding them, or simply tugging at them. Psychiatrists reveal that nervousness often leads to such restlessness. So, what's ailing Johny boy?

Read my lips seems to be Kareena Kapoor's mantra. Ever since she joined the Bolly gang, she has been working on her pout. And she has mastered the pouting act over the years. Now it's just purr-fect.

"Individuals form such mannerisms only to do away with anxiety," says psychiatrist Anjali Chabria. Here she takes a closer look at the mannerisms of these actors.

Shah Rukh Khan: Probably he is trying to make sure that he is the best. He is assuring his identity by pulling up his collar.

Kareena Kapoor: She is known for her pout and it sets her apart from the rest. Her mannerism is a seductive way of showing her sexuality to the world.

Salman Khan: This signifies that he has a firm grip of himself. Also, his gesture has a sexual overtone to it. It suggests that sexually nobody can compete with him.

John Abraham: He is best known for his physique. Rolling sleeves signifies that he wants to rough it out with the world. Also, it's an indication that he is getting comfortable with the people he is with.

Akshay takes a spooky turn!

Akshay Kumar has signed a supernatural thriller to be directed by Nagesh Kukunoor along the lines of Hollywood film, The Sixth Sense.

Namastey London’s success has prompted Akshay Kumar to really experiment with roles. So much so, that his new film with Nagesh Kukunoor is in the genre of Manoj Night Shyamalan’s supernatural thriller, The Sixth Sense. Discussions with Nagesh had been on for a while now, but it was only recently that the script was finally ready and that’s when Akshay gave his nod. The as-yet-untitled film is to be produced by Percept Picture Company.

For the actor, the film is a different experience altogether, as this is the first time he’s trying his hand at a supernatural thriller. Says Akshay, “I don’t think a film like this has ever been made in India.” This will also be the first time Akshay will be shooting with an entirely foreign crew.

The film, which will go on floors sometime in September, will be shot in a non-stop schedule. Locations are yet to be finalised, but in all probability the shooting will take place abroad.

Dhoom 2 in Hollywood

The movie has been nominated for the Taurus World Stunt Awards taking place in LA on May 20.

After wowing audiences in India, the highly stylised Dhoom 2 has now created a record of sorts. The Aishwarya Rai-Hrithik Roshan starrer has become the first Hindi film ever to be nominated in the Foreign Film Category of the Taurus World Stunt Awards.

Allan Amin, the stunt director of the film, has been invited to Los Angeles for the award ceremony on May 20. “”It is indeed a rare privilege. I am so glad that I have been given this opportunity,” says an excited Amin.

The buzz is that if Allan wins the award, he will be receiving it from Hollywood hottie Keanu Reeves. However, the list of other foreign films vying for this award has not yet been announced. MI3, Casino Royale, Déjà Vu and Fast and Furious 3 are the films nominated in the main category. No wonder Amin is so excited...after all he will be mingling with the best in the stunt business!

Amitabh's 50 crore deal with Unitech

Brand Bachchan is very much alive and kicking.

Critics, who claimed that the King is losing his ‘magic’, may soon have to eat humble pie as Amitabh Bachchan closes in on the country’s largest endorsement deal at Rs 50 crore for real estate major Unitech. Together with this, the total value of endorsements signed by Mr Bachchan in the past few months has touched a whopping Rs 100 crore, which includes renewal of his ongoing contracts with Cadbury, Dabur, Luxor, S Kumars and Emami, among others.

Big B has been recently signed on by Unitech for a two-year deal that involves just an eight-day stint in front of the camera. Mr Bachchan’s Rs 50-crore deal with Unitech dwarfs all other celebrity brand marriages — no one, not even SRK or Tendulkar, commands even a fourth of the nearly Rs 25-crore per annum from a single brand. Even the fastidious Aamir Khan, who endorses a handful of brands, including Coca-Cola, Toyota and Titan, charges Rs 4.5-5 crore a pop. For the records, now “rested” from the Bangladesh ODI tour, Tendulkar has a five-year, Rs 180-crore contract with Iconix, ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi’s sports management arm.

According to media monitoring agency TAM India, Mr Bachchan also tops the number of brands endorsed, 41 in 2006, closely followed by SRK with 35. Tendulkar’s mug adorns just 17 brands. The total market for brand endorsements in India is around Rs 250 crore per annum, according to CelebZ, a recent study by Group M’s Mindshare Insights.

Of late, it’s raining stars on the real estate sector. While Golden Grand has roped in Kajol-Ajay Devgan, EmGee has signed on Bipasha Basu and Shah Rukh Khan is firmly in place with DLF. Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons endorse Omaxe. But all these deals are sealed in the region of Rs 1-5 crore. In the past, Big B has endorsed Sahara City Homes, but with the astronomical Rs 50-crore Unitech deal, he has clearly set the Big Benchmark.

Kajol’s into cha-cha-cha

Fourteen dances from 14 countries. That’s what our dancing queens including Kajol, Aditi Govitrikar , Kitu Gidwani, Neeta Lulla and Smiley Suri have in store for you on April 29 — International Dance Day. The evening will be hosted by an eight-and-a-half-months pregnant Maria Goretti in Mumbai.

So instead of seeing Kajol shake her hips to Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye, you’ll see her do the cha-cha-cha . While new-mom Aditi Govitrikar will up the tempo with her mambo number, Kitu Gidwani will do the tango and Smiley Suri the meringue. Meanwhile, fashion designer Neeta Lulla will salsa along with her daughter Nishka. And if there’s Kajol, can Bollywood be far behind? There will be a Bollywood twist to the show, with a dash of contemporary Bollywood numbers thrown in. “But the dances will be pure Latin American ones,” says dance choreographer and show director Sandip Soparrkar.
Was doing the cha-cha-cha challenging for Kajol? “I simply love Latin music and the dance moves associated with it. It’s unlike any other dance. Yes it was challenging, but it was a lot of fun,” says Kajol.

Arshad Warsi turns Villain

Bollywood's most loved comic actor Arshad Warsi admits that he is fed up of doing comedy. Now he's all set to turn negative with an author-backed assassin's role in Kabeer Kaushik's film titled Qazaa (death).

"I'm playing a terrorist on hire. My character doesn't just shoot to kill and he plants bombs to destroy cities. Qazaa is a film about global terrorism," Arshad said. Earlier, Arshad had played a serious anti-establishment cop in Kaushik's Saher. "That gave me a completely different role to do. If Saher didn't work it wasn't because of my comic image. It just didn't have the money to be marketed well."

Arshad, currently shooting for Goal in London, is in the mood to get serious.

"I try variations but I'm bored of comedy. It's like having the same food everyday. There's bound to be tedium. In fact I've stopped accepting comedy," admits the affable actor whose comic-turn in Munnabhai, Salaam Namaste and Golmaal brought the house down. "My last comedy after Lage Raho Munna Bhai will be Indra Kumar's Dhamaal. Anthony Kaun Hai? was a thriller. In Kabul Express I was a guy with a sense of humour who throws in his one-liners but he isn't a funny guy."

About losing out working with Rituparno Ghosh in Sunglass, he said: "I knew it'd be great fun working with him. But never mind. I know some day he'll call me again. Yes, it was a money issue. In signing films my logic is very simple. Either give me the money or fame. The big filmmakers don't pay you. So who the hell pays my bills? I think I'll have to find another job to support myself as an actor."

How about theatre? "I've been a choreographer on stage before I became a film actor. Theatre gives even less money than movies."

Gulshan plays Ektaa in Showbiz!

Badman Gulshan Grover is all set to portray soap queen Ektaa Kapoor in Mahesh Bhatt’s upcoming movie appropriately titled Showbiz.

The film is being directed by choreographer Raju Khan, who is making his directorial debut with this Mukesh Bhatt production.

Elaborating on his role Gulshan says, “I play the head of a television channel who is extremely god-fearing, superstitious and deeply religious yet driven by pure commercial interests when it comes to business.”

The film will also see two newcomers making their debuts. “That’s why Mahesh wanted someone he could bank upon to play the pivotal role. I accepted the role because the story revolves around me. I have known Ektaa for some time now. So it wasn’t difficult to get into the skin of the character,” he explains.

When asked about the most interesting part whilst depicting Ektaa, Grover reveals, “How a person can make or break someone’s career was most interesting to depict.” Gulshan asserts that the film is authentic saying, “The assistant scriptwriter and dialogue writer have both worked with Ektaa earlier.”

Showbiz is slated for a July release.

Gulshan Grover Image Source