Bollywood News

queeny_bee

sarNie Juvenile
interesting article. I too think that some of it is true and some false. Bollywood acting is a lot different than hollywood. to me, bollywood doesn't seem as professional and good. but since aish has been in the movie industry for a while, she might be ready for hollywood. her movie bride and prejudice shows that she is still very bollywood (since most of the film seemed more bollywood). However, it was good and it seems that americans are ready to embrace bollywood actors.
 

Kelly

Guest
queeny_bee said:
wow interesting!! do imagine that?? I grew up watching Madurhi's film.
[post="17534"][/post]​
i know same here.....for a long time she was my aunts fav. actress......but i never rella favored someone untill rani came along!
 

Kelly

Guest
i think i have seen this....if i'm not wrong is this the one where he also goes back to his hometown to visit his parents graves.....and met old frens.....i liked it alot b/c he taught me so much more about him as a normal person!
 

Kelly

Guest
wow......why would anyone think such things about him ahha....i mean he is so popular to the point that he does not need to promote hiself no more....but a documentary is not a bad idea....at all.....peeps are just jealous of his marvelous idea....since it's going to sell big time! ali khan to srk....no way...i dun find him attractive at all!
 

jaymes

sarNie Hatchling
This DVD has the previously aired documentary that Kelly is talking about and a new one that follows SRK on his Temptations Tour. I'm sure this new documentary will be as interesting as the first.
 

Ana

sarNie Adult
By Mid-Day

Model-turned-actor John Abraham beat up a man who molested his girlfriend Bipasha Basu, on Friday at the Juhu nightspot Rain.

According to eye-witnesses, barely after Abraham and Basu had entered Rain at around 11 pm, a man walked up to Basu, grabbed her breast and then fled towards the restaurant's exit.

Immediately, Abraham ran after him, caught him and rained blows.

While confirming the incident, Abraham said, “I didn't beat the man who tried to mess around with Bipasha. I taught him a lesson. I will do so with anyone else who tries to do the same.

Basu who was taken unawares was stunned after the incident.

According to the eye-witnesses, she cried for a long time in the restaurant before leaving the place with Abraham.

Incidentally, actors Bobby Deol, Fardeen Khan and Saahil Khan were also present at the venue when the event took place.

No complaint with the police nor is the identity of the man known.

(OLD NEWS)

-IndiaFM
 

Ana

sarNie Adult
dee said:
I think John Abe. is hottttt....and sexxxy....lol
[post="18678"][/post]​
I think he is HOTTTTTTT too!!
His movies aren't all that gr8 but I luv collecting it for his sexy body and face :rolleyes:
 

Ana

sarNie Adult
Courtesy: Rediff

Why Paheli's better than Black



Ever since it has been announced that Paheli has been selected by the Film Federation of India as India's submission for the 2006 Academy Awards, all hell has broken loose.

The film opened to mostly poor reviews across the country, and protesters are voicing dissent in all directions -- Shah Rukh Khan's acting ability, the tragic omission of critically loved films like Hazaaron Khwaaishein Aisi and Iqbal, and even raising the possibility of lobbying done by Rajasthan Tourism!

And an entire nation of critics, armchair and otherwise, seem incensed by the fact that Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black has been passed over for this relatively smaller commercial success.

In this article, we choose to argue the merits of the FFI's arguably gutsy selection. Here we defend our Oscar entry, especially over what can now be called its archrival, Black. Here's to the riddle:

First things first, the two films being debated upon have quite a bit in common: Both feature the masterful cinematography of Ravi K Chandran; both highlight their sensational leading lady, Rani Mukerji; and both are undeniably works of extreme directorial self-indulgence.

But the difference lies in that very fact. Amol Palekar's bright abandon in Paheli leads to a languorously unhurried fairytale, a unique love story told without fuss. On the other hand, Sanjay Leela Bhansali trips the light narcissistic with his mega-budget Black to emerge with a half-baked, often derivative and crucially flawed film.

The story: Palekar adapted a folktale written by playwright Vijay Dandetha. Trusting in the script to do the talking, he peopled this setting with a fine ensemble cast and a magnificent Rajasthani setting. The story remains a familiar one as a ghost falls madly in love with a human, and dresses up as her husband. Even as the ghost is enjoying this life, the husband returns, providing the film with its simplistic point of conflict.



Meanwhile, Bhansali, goaded to heights of cinematic decadence after the inexplicable success of his most grotesque and overblown film, Devdas, puts together a dodgy tribute to Helen Keller that aims far too manipulatively for the heartstrings. Black slashes melodramatically across them, instead of tugging lightly, which is why kerchiefs stay largely in pockets; emotion cannot be this calculated.

The setting: It's easy to fall into the rut of using Rajasthan as a clichéd backdrop, but Palekar avoids this pitfall by sheer excellence. The colours of the film make you reel, and its fairytale content is aptly framed by the bright magnificence of the desert state. Cinematographer Chandran hits peak with the film, wrapping Rajasthan in appropriate dream garb.

Black is a beautifully shot film, but amounting to vacant ambiguity. The setting is peculiarly English, the characters speak with a light (at the best times) accent, and everything aims to be perfect. But the candles and the bathtubs, the vastness and the artworks on the wall, all reek of trying-too-hard, of slathering on excess upon excess so you don't notice the emotion. As a friend said to me, if Black was set in the local marketplace, and you'd have seen Rani stumbling around in Lokhandwala (a northwest Mumbai area), it would have been a lot more effective. Indeed.



The acting: Shah Rukh Khan, despite whatever misgivings you might have about his thespian abilities, woos women on screen with superb panache. The actor also has splendid comic timing, and the film sees him in a dual role, utilising both of his strengths and adding miraculous layers of restraint. The film's producer isn't the 'he-he-hey Anjali' actor of yore, and this is a breakout role.

Rani Mukerji seems to be incapable of putting a foot wrong these days, and this is a powerful, sensuous, emotive performance. The supporting cast isn't important, but some scene-stealing is done through the comedic efforts of Dilip Prabhavalkar and Rajpal Yadav. Amitabh Bachchan is magnificent in his brief appearance.

Black has some marvellous performances. Ayesha Kapur, an unschooled little girl, plays the young Michelle McNally to absolute perfection, decidedly the highlight of the film. Theatre veteran Shernaz Patel is superb as the mother, and Dhritiman Chatterjee provides adequate foil as the father. In a script requiring massive acting histrionics, Rani rises to the occasion on most parts, but it is tragically the script itself that keeps hers from being an immortal performance. Amitabh Bachchan, rattling some insanely grandiloquent soliloquys, hams tremendously. He is required to deliver, but just mires the film into mediocrity.

The narrative: Paheli is a slow film. It starts slow, stays slow, and remains a lazily told story. The simplicity of the story is plain; it is how the director has chosen to sketch in the details that makes the difference. For example, a pair of hand puppets share occasional dialogue with the ghost, fleshing out his, and the film's, character delightfully. The song sequences were a total letdown, the director unaccustomed to the classic Bollywood devices, and the lengthy songs just drifted harmlessly through the film, aided by the splendiferous colours.



Black works in fits and starts. While you are still adjusting to the vacuously lit, tremendous open spaces, characters and introduced and confusion is born throughout as none of them achieve true credibility. At best, the film is shadowy, free of empathy and surrounded by cinematographic smoke and mirrors. For example, Nandana Sen, who plays Michelle's sister, is an inexplicable persona, a cross between jealousy and affection the script never works on explaining.

The flaws: WARNING. SPOILERS HEREIN

Ah. The 'interesting' bit. Paheli has its share of loopholes, with a lot of viewers decrying the fact that the ghost eventually chose to enter the husband's body. Why couldn't he have done that at the very beginning? Well, readers, if we're assuming that a spirit can fall in love, why can't we assume that he too gets spooked (sorry!) by commitment? He's drawn to her, he wants to have her, but really, isn't it reasonable to think that he too might need time to think things over? Anyway, doesn't a fairytale (!) always have a blissful lack of absolute rationale?

Black's errors, on the other hand, weren't as harmless. To mention just one in a tremendously long list, Nurses were justifiably up in arms after the film, as Bhansali constantly mixed up Alzheimer's and Parkinson's! This in itself is an unforgivable error, and in a film aiming to be a finely oiled and polished product, there can be no possible defense. The film drags tediously on, painting a strange picture lacking almost completely in realism.

In sum:

Black is not a good film. Hold your protests, and I swear if anyone mentions Krzysztof Kieslowski (the Polish filmmaking genius) and makes comparisons -- as several critics did at the time of the film's release -- with his Blue again, I will hurl Devdas DVDs at their scalp. Despite lavish and even breathtaking cinematography, and a couple of standout performances, Bhansali's film is insubstantial and ends up utterly inconsequential. Sound and fury, signifying nothing. If we would have sent this film to the Oscars, it would be laughed away. Not least because of the plagiarised content.



Paheli, on the other hand, paints a dreamscape. The enchanting story is laid out elaborately, framed magnificently in colours and Rajasthani exotica. The language is rustic and the actors have their accent-work well in place, so the dialect sounds appropriately faraway. The desert setting provides the cinematographer a perfect background to capture the trademark vivid brightness in the state's everyday clothing. The pagris are rich, layered, and as irresistible as the simple romance.

This is a magical film, and lets all hope fervently that the West wakes up to it as strongly as the Audrey Tatou movie (The French Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet), a couple of years ago. And we go one better, and grab us an Oscar.

Here's to you, Pahelie!
 

Ana

sarNie Adult
Roles and films that almost happened
Sep 28, 2005

Courtesy: IANS


From Guru Dutt to Kareena Kapoor, Bollywood has had a long history of 'misses' -- actors who shot for films and then dropped out for some reason or another, either creative differences, undisciplined behaviour or untimely deaths.

So, Akshay Kumar in "Barsaat" isn't the first instance of an actor dropping out of a film after having shot for it. Like Akshay, Kareena Kapoor shot for portions of Rakesh Roshan's "Kaho Na...Pyar Hai" before there arose "creative differences" with director Rakesh Roshan.

Kareena was out. Amisha was in. The rest was history. "I never actually think about it, because I got a perfect launch in 'Refugee'," says Kareena. "I guess... Amisha was destined to do the role."

Stranger still was the case of the Rajshri's "Uff ...Kya Jadoo Mohabbat Hai". Half the film was shot in Ooty with Sammir Dattani and Kajol's sister Tanisha before the Rajshris decided to chuck the leading lady, apparently because of her undisciplined behaviour.

A frantic search for an overnight replacement yielded Pooja Kanwal who flew down to Ooty and joined the unit within hours of the other actress' departure.

Recalls Sammir, "It was quite bizarre... redoing all those romantic lines and love songs a second time with another actress. I finally knew what déjà vu meant."

Sammir underwent a similar experience while shooting a Kannada film. "The leading lady vanished. But I had quite a lot of fun because there were lots of intimate romantic scenes to be redone," he chuckles.

Smita Patil and Parveen Babi were supposed to play the wife and other woman in Yash Chopra's "Silsila", until Yash Chopra thought of what he considered a casting coup. Overnight Jaya Bachchan and Rekha were signed for the two roles. The two actresses originally signed to play their roles were asked to leave from on-location in Kashmir -- unceremoniously!

Sometimes tragedy strikes a discordant note. Guru Dutt shot for nearly the whole of K. Asif's "Love & God" before he passed away. The entire film was re-shot with Sanjeev Kumar playing Qais to Nimmi's Laila.

When Smita Patil died without completing her dubbing for Sukhwinder Dhadda's "Waaris", Rekha graciously stepped in to do the needful. In the film, Smita's fiery performance 'spoke' through the other actress.

The untimely death of Divya Bharati led to panic among producers with incomplete films. Divya had already shot for nearly half of Raj Kanwar's "Kartavya" when she plunged to her death. Juhi Chawla was gracious enough to step in. But not without fuss from Dimple Kapadia who dropped out arguing she wouldn't look like the replacement actress' mom.

And what about poor Madhur Bhandarkar? Imagine his plight when his romantic lead Amit Rala in "Page 3" suddenly died of jaundice.

"Just imagine," Madhur shudders, "I had shot almost the whole film. Amit had combination shots with two dozen actors. I had to do them all over again with his replacement Jai Karla."

Sharmila Tagore was a thirteenth-hour replacement for Gulzar's "Namkeen". Rekha was shooting for the film when she threw a fit because she wanted a journalist, invited to visit the set by Waheeda Rehman, to be thrown out immediately (those days Rekha was constantly off-press). Gulzar Saab stood his ground. He threw Rekha out instead.

A similar thing happened during Gulzar's "Koshish" when the director scrapped sequences shot with Moushumi Chatterjee and brought Jaya Bhaduri in. Ram Gopal Varma had to do something like that when, after shooting with Rinke Khanna for Ajay Devgan's mistress' role in "Company", he realised the petite actress wasn't right for the part.

Manisha Koirala walked in and made the part her own.

One wonders what happened to the footage that Aishwarya Rai shot with Shah Rukh Khan for Aziz Mirza's "Chalte Chalte" before Salman Khan disrupted shooting, making way for Rani Mukherjee.

Maybe some day Shah Rukh can retrieve the scenes from the cans and use it for another film with Ash.

- Bollywood World
 

Ana

sarNie Adult
Shah Rukh Khan to endorse various Emami brands
Sep 28, 2005

Courtesy: Televisionpoint




A super-bright star has joined the galaxy of twinklers already endorsing Emami personal, beauty and healthcare products.

The Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, has been signed up to endorse various Emami brands, which include the Chyawanprash and a few other herbal-healthcare brands as well. This fast moving consumer goods firm has the distinction of having the most number of celebrity endorsers. Famous visages from Madhuri Dixit, to Raveena Tandon, Sunny Deol, and dapper cricket captain Sourav Ganguly already ad-lib for the Emami family of products.

Khan says, "I have found a lot of similarity between Emami and me. At 30, Emami represents the aggressiveness of youth complemented with the maturity of an adult. Emami."

Shah Rukh Khan's other endorsement list includes Pepsi, Hyundai, Tag Heur watches, Airtel and Mayur Suitings. The best is that of Amitabh Bachchan, who was signed on to Emami Fast Relief and Emami Navrattan Oil.

Emami has two umbrella brands, Emami (personal care products) and Himani (healthcare products). Its 'power' brands include the Madhuri line of talc, hair oil, skin cream and three shampoos; Boroplus, which has a market share of over 60 per cent; multipurpose Navrattan oil.

Then there's Sona-Chandi, which has two variants - Chyawanprash (winter) and Amritprash (summer); 'fast relief' ache ointment; and Menthoplus balm for headaches. Its biggest brand is reckoned to be the RS 100-crore Navrattan Oil, followed by Boroplus, prickly heat powder and the Sona-Chandi range.

Ambience Publicis and rmg david are handling the creative's for Emami.
 

Ana

sarNie Adult
Saif may beat SRK abroad!
Sep 27, 2005

Courtesy: Rediff




Saif Ali Khan, who is following Shah Rukh Khan's footsteps abroad as a highly durable Bollywood star, scored his first $1 million solo hit in North America with Salaam Namaste. In the process, he beat other successful desi films, including Aamir Khan's Mangal Pandey (about $1 million), and may soon trounce Shah Rukh's Swades (about $1.2 million).

But Salaam Namaste may not be able to beat Shah Rukh's Paheli, that grossed an awesome $1.5 million in North America. With Saif's current hit, and Parineeta and Hum Tum right behind them, the 34-year-old now ranks as the second most bankable star abroad after Shah Rukh.

The romantic comedy Salaam Namaste, which also stars Preity Zinta, has grossed about $1.1 million in 17 days in North America and $1 million in the United Kingdom. The Yash Raj film has become a hot favourite with teenagers. It may end its run in the two highly lucrative overseas territories with a strong $2.5 million gross. It had a more formidable performance in UK since it was shown there only on about 36 screens, while it was on more than 60 screens in North America. With at least $1.5million expected from Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa, Germany and the Gulf, you have a formidable hit with a $4 million gross outside India.

"There is an air of haplessness in him that is instantly appealing," says London-based novelist Hari Kunzru, who liked Saif in Hum Tum, and would love to see him play the lead of a nerdish IT worker in the film adaptation of the novel, Transmission. Saif has the makings of a formidable character actor and not just a baby-faced hero, he feels, adding that Saif is far more naturalistic than other Bollywood actors who are considerably hotter at home.

Saif's first solo hit abroad, Hum Tum with Rani Mukerji, grossed about $800,000 in North America last year. In the United Kingdom, it grossed over $1 million. The film, directed by Kunal Kohli, was written by Siddharth Raj Anand who made his debut as a director with Salaam Namaste.

A powerful testimonial for Saif's growing box-office clout was the $1.8 million gross tearjerker Parineeta, made on two sides of the Atlantic. Unlike Hum Tum and Salaam Namaste, which had popular stars Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta opposite him respectively, in Parineeta he was cast opposite newcomer Vidya Balan. Of course, Sanjay Dutt also added his own bit to the film, but Dutt is hardly a star abroad.

Interestingly, all three hits including Parineeta (Pradeep Sarkar) were directed either by first timers or relatively new helmers.
 

Ana

sarNie Adult
Paheli is India's Oscar entry
Sep 27, 2005

Courtesy: Rediff




Colours work.

Amol Palekar's Paheli has just been selected as India's official entry for the 2006 Oscars.

Ravi K Chandran's breathtaking cinematography is a probable reason for the Shah Rukh Khan starrer getting the prestigious nomination.

Paheli didn't set the box office on fire in India, despite opening to great numbers in the US: the film's North American gross was around $1.5 million. Most Indian critics savaged the film, even as Shah Rukh Khan's home production stepped into usually uncharted territory -- the superstar played a friendly ghost who falls in love. Amol Palekar's soft, off-beat film is an adaptation of a Vijay Dandetha novel that previously been adapted by Mani Kaul, who made Duvidha in 1971.

When contacted, director Amol Palekar said, "I feel very happy (about the nomination). But I did not expect it. I don't think any one makes films with such things in mind. One makes films because one believes in it."

Palekar claimed that he had not yet spoken to Khan about the nomination.

"Shah Rukh is abroad and people have just started bombarding me, so I haven't spoken to any friend, unit member or anybody. But I am sure they are equally happy."

And will Paheli bag the Oscar?

"A lot of things need to be done. I have no idea about it (the Oscars) but I will check with people who have been there before, like Ashutosh Gowarikar, Aamir Khan and the Shwaas unit. I will talk to them and take their guidance," he said.

The other films considered for the nomination were Mangal Pandey, Veer-Zaara, Iqbal, Swades, Parineeta, Page 3, Black, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Sachein (Tamil), Anniyan (Telugu), Uttarayan (Marathi), Achuvante Anna (Malayalam), Graham (Telugu), and Kadal (Tamil).

Vinod Pandey, the Acting Chairman of the Film Federation of India, said, "Paheli has represented the Indian ethos. It is a film based on the Indian language."

He admitted, however, that the choices were very difficult.

Over the last four-five years, Indian entries to the Oscars have moved on from relatively low-budget films (Deepa Mehta's 1947:Earth in 1998) to blockbusters -- Aamir Khan's Lagaan, the 2001 entry actually got an Oscar nomination, and the next year's FFI selection was Shah Rukh Khan's Devdas.

Last year, however, the committee chose to present a relatively smaller Marathi film, Shwaas.
 

queeny_bee

sarNie Juvenile
it was so interesting to read this. i haven't actually seen paheli, so i can't really make a comparison, however, i never liked black. I mean the acting and everything was great. but i hated the idea that it was a big replica of the american version of helen keller "the miracle worker". but i will hold my judgement of this until i watch paheli.
 
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