Movies

Dimple, Nana’s reel love story

Asian — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:16:07 GMT

Dimple Kapadia and Nana Patekar starrer Tum Milo Toh Sahi, a film about love at different ages, will release on Jan 29 next year.

The film is directed by Kabir Sadanand and it depicts how ordinary people find their true calling in life by saving an old Irani cafe against all forces that stand against Indian traditions, said a press release.

Other cast members include Suniel Shetty, Vidya Malvade, Anjana Sukhani and Rehan Khan. The film is presented by Fourth Wall Entertainment. It is produced by Nikhil Panchamiya and written by Rajen Makhijani and Sameer Siddiqi.

***

I’ve never used slangs: Vidya

Mouthing expletives for her role in Ishqiya embarrassed Vidya Balan as she says she never uses foul language in real life. "I was very apprehensive while using those slangs. I have never used them in my real life but I had to because the script demanded. When you will see this movie, you will understand that it is justified. The movie belongs to a certain terrain where slangs are part of their lingo," said Vidya.

The actress also revealed that she never rehearsed on the sets because of the heavy dose of slangs in the dialogue. "I never rehearsed on the sets as I used to feel awkward. So I used to come prepared on the sets and once the director used to say action, I used to forget everything and everyone. All my inhibitions used to go away and I used to deliver my dialogues perfectly. This is what happens to me when the camera starts rolling," said Vidya. In Ishqiya, Vidya is paired with Arshad and plays a village woman.

Sanjay’s beard plays villain

Asian — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:15:47 GMT

Sanjay Dutt’s schedule has gone haywire, all thanks to the beard that he has grown for his role in Mani Shankar’s Knock Out.

The beard was supposed to come off this month after the completion of the schedule for Shankar’s film. But Sanjay’s mentor, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, played the spoilsport when he asked him to campaign for the assembly elections in Maharashtra and it affected the shooting schedule.

Apparently, Sanjay refused to shave off the beard to work on other pending projects simultaneously with Knock Out. "Sanjay feels a false beard would cut into the authenticity of his character in Knock Out. He refused to shave off the beard and take on the other projects after the delay caused by the assembly elections. He requested other producers to push dates until he could finish with his bearded look," said the source. The actor has now decided he will hold a look for his film even if it means cutting down on his assignments. In fact, after he was unable to shave off his beard during Knock Out, he gave other producers the option of signing someone else.

—IANS

Love story with bloody smudges lacks soul

Asian — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:15:32 GMT

Suparna Sharma

The Asian Age

Kurbaan

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Om Puri, Kirron Kher, Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza

Director: Rensil D'Silva

Rating: **

Kurbaan's roll-call is impressive: Real-life lovers Saif and Kareena are the stars of this love story with bloody smudges; It's from the House of Karan Johar - his money and his story; The dialogues are by Anurag Kashyap & Co. So I'm wondering if part of my deep disappointment has something to do with the hype and the names associated with it. Perhaps.

Kurbaan is the worst kind of I-wanna-be-Hollywood film. Its doodads, stars, locations, camera work and extras are high-end. But the idiocy of its story (put together with chunks from Fanna, New York and Khuda Ki Liye), the jumpy plot, inconsistent characters, shoddy acting and inept direction are entirely B-grade Bollywood. Above all, it lacks an emotional core and is quite boring, quite often.

Kurbaan begins in Delhi where Avantika (Kareena Kapoor) is a psychology professor (used to teach in New York, but father's heart attack...). She's rather lovely in crinkle ghera skirts, silver earrings and thick eyeliner. Ehsaan Khan (Saif Ali Khan), a temp professor, courts her, they marry and move to New York where Ehsaan teaches Islam, the West and terror. All this, by the way, is taking place post 9/11.

Avantika and Ehsaan rent a house in a neighbourhood where we meet Bhai Jaan (Om Puri), Aapa (Kirron Kher) and her oye-lalle-di-jaan Pathani accent. Here men are stern, women in hijab and gender segregation on auto-pilot.

In New York we also meet Rehana (Dia Mirza), a TV reporter, and her war-correspondent boyfriend Riyaaz Masood (Vivek Oberoi), who has a curious accent. Avantika gets pregnant, eavesdrops on plan of blowing up a plane and Ehsaan the terrorist is out of the closet. Avantika can't call the police because her father's life is threatened, but leaves a message for Rehana, asking her not to board the plane. But...

Ehsaan doesn't bother to explain himself and Avantika deals with a plane-blasting husband by going into a sulk. We get a reaction out of her only when she hears of his dead wife. Riyaaz gets Avantika's bomb-in-plane massage, decides not to inform the police and infiltrates Ehsaan's terror group pretty easily. Ehsaan, meanwhile, has been planning more blasts, shooting at cops, leaving burning bodies by the kerb and dashing home with a bullet in his shoulder. Bleeding, bare-chested Saif, suturing activity. Compelling stuff.

Bombs go off, a jihadi is torn between love of wife, unborn child and blowing up commuters. Finally, the audience is sent off with a life-altering lesson: if handing a ticking bomb and pressed for time, never cut the red wire.

Few things work in Kurbaan. Kareena and Saif have thanda chemistry. When they lock lips it's as if a married couple is playacting their first date, first kiss. And when she sheds her top and bra - only to get to the maps of the blast sites - it's arty but soulless.

The film takes on the hyphenated America-oil-Iraq-WMDs-terror issue, and though it sees both America and terrorists as victims and perpetrators, it is confused and wimpy. In one scene, for example, Riyaaz, to convincingly prove to Ehsaan that he loathes America, talks about Iraq, oil, Afghanistan, WMDs. An American asks, "If Muslims like you feel that way about our country, why don't you get out of it?" Riyaaz replies, "We will. As soon as you get out of ours." This is the film's nicest scene, and perhaps the idea around which Kurbaan was meant to rally. It's a reaction many in India identify with. But the movie disowns this sentiment by putting it in the mouth of a revenge-seeking lover who is saying this only to wheedle his way into a terror group. On the other hand is Avantika - a terror victim who wants to save other innocent victims. But she is limp and her reactions excruciatingly vague.

Though the film's songs and background score are nice, and Kirron Kher, despite the accent, is good, the mess that's made of the main characters is appalling. They are set up to do certain things, but none deliver. Kurbaan's plot takes irrational twists and liberties that make you cringe. And the way the terror network functions, Osama won't hire them to break a boiled egg.

Perhaps, Karan Johar has presented this muddle as a precursor to My Name Is Khan. Perhaps, Kurbaan's inadequacies are by design, only to be redeemed on a grand scale in a month or two.

-----------------------------

**** Excellent

**** Good

*** Above average

** Average

* Poor;

TT (Truly Terrible)

Aamir-Bebo pull off a Leo-Kate

Asian — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:45:08 GMT

Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor did a Titanic act recently. A unit member said, "Though 3 Idiots is essentially a story of three friends, Zoobi Doobi is a romantic song that has been picturised on Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor to capture their sizzling chemistry on celluloid."

It was recently reported that in Zoobi doobi, Aamir and Kareena paid a tribute to the legendary actors Raj Kapoor and Nargis. "Besides that, the act also includes the Titanic sequence where the two actors pose like Leonardo Di caprio and Kate Winslet in the ship. Raju Hirani shot that scene in a small boat recently," informed our source.

Raju Hirani confirms, "Zoobi doobi is indeed a tribute to romance in cinema, as we witnessed it over the years. We have taken memorable moments from romantic songs in other films in our song and shot with the rain and the moon as the backdrop to make it look visually attractive."

Nana kicks the cancer stick

Asian — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:43:37 GMT

Veteran actor Nana Patekar has quit smoking for good. Patekar has been smoking the cancer stick for over 30 years now and on the sets of Rajniti, he finally called it quits. The actor has now quit smoking for over two months and seems to be pretty cool about it. In fact, since his ouster from the film, he had been giving lectures to co-actors Arjun Rampal and Ajay Devgan about the same. Our source from the sets said, "Nana has been trying to quit smoking for a long time now. However, it’s only recently that he managed to do so. the first film he shot after that was Rajniti and he was obviously not enjoying the fact that other co-actors and the unit members were smoking. Ajay Devgan and Arjun Rampal are both chain smokers and Nana used to get irritated when he was around them."

Asha is ready with her autobiography

Asian — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:42:04 GMT

Rhea Makhija

Versatile singer Asha Bhosle is finally ready with her autobiography. Asha had expressed her desire to write an autobiography when she released her album Asha And Friends in 2007. The autobiography is now ready and will be released early next year.

The book will be published in three languages and Asha’s close friend veteran producer-director-actor Dev Anand insisted that the autobiography be true and as close to reality as possible.

Our source said, "Ashaji was taking her time to write her biography. She was more comfortable in Hindi and Marathi, that’s why she was also looking for someone to translate the book in English. Asha recently also recorded a song for Dev Anand’s film Chargesheet and they worked together after a long gap. During one of the music sittings Asha informed Dev Anand that she wants to write her autobiography, but was sceptical about revealing everything in her book. However, Dev Anand insisted that the autobiography should be true to her life.

The autobiography will also look into the estranged relationship between Asha and Lata and the much talked about war of the Mangeshkar sisters. The book will also talk about the early days of Asha’s career and the romance that bloomed between her and R.D. Burman.

***

Siddharth, Shruti bond big time

Good friends Siddharth Suryanarayan and Shruti Hassan have been bonding, both on the sets and off it, over everything from scripts to books.

A source said, "Siddharth is happy to have found a friend in Shruti, as they have a lot of common interests. Besides music and movies, the two have been spotted discussing about a lot of other things. During one of their long chat sessions, they also discovered their mutual love for books. Ever since, the young actors have been bonding over their love for books. What’s more, Siddharth and Shruti have also been exchanging books by their favourite authors.

Not about flops

Asian — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:41:33 GMT

Age Correspondent

Asin has been bombarded with questions from her fans ever since her second Bollywood film London Dreams didn’t do well.

They even went on to ask her on several websites why she signed a film where she didn’t have much of a role. Asin has now responded saying that for an actress who’s just starting out like her, it is a huge accomplishment to have acted with three of the industry’s most popular actors in her first two movies itself.

She also stated that at this point she’s simply "going with the flow" and not thinking about anything much.

Main Aur Mrs Khanna heads straight home

Asian — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:39:25 GMT

Age Correspondent

The Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor-starrer Main Aur Mrs Khanna may have not done well at the box office, but the film has now apparently been a huge hit at the Direct-To-Home (DTH) space. The film has so far had the highest viewership rating on DTH and has grossed over Rs 21 crores.
It may be recalled that UTV had sold the satellite rights of the film within three days of the release of the film in theatres.
With this success, several producers are now considering the release of their films on DTH soon after the theatre release. Recently, Aamir Khan was also apparently considering the move with 3 Idiots on DTH.
Director Prem Soni remarks, "It's a delight to know that Main Aur Mrs Khanna is a huge success on DTH. It's a new beginning for Indian films as DTH has become a good territory and I am happy that my film has scored such big figures. I am glad that my film has now set a benchmark."

Akki in Farah’s next

Asian — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:32:25 GMT

Shama Bhagat

THE ASIAN AGE

Akshay Kumar and Farah Khan will now be working together in their next production Teesmarkhan. The film, to be directed by Farah, will have Akshay in the lead and the script has been written by Farah’s husband Shirish Kunder.

The rest of the cast is yet to be finalised. The film will be jointly co-produced by Farah’s Three’s Productions and Akshay Kumar’s Om Productions.

Farah has been wanting to work with Akshay ever since he made an appearance in her last film Om Shanti Om. Akshay has already worked in Shirish’s Jaaneman and the two apparently share a very good rapport. In fact, Shirish had earlier approached Akshay for his film Joker, but things didn’t work out then.

‘Hang around guys? They call me gay’

Asian — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:28:27 GMT

Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza have reportedly been a couple ever since they starred together in Tujhe Meri Kasam. But the actors have long denied the speculation, never publicly admitting their relationship. This despite the fact that the duo have been spotted together on many occasions.

Now, it seems, Riteish is tired of responding to questions. "I have often been denying that I am seeing anyone, but no one seems to believe it. I am tired of answering questions on my relationship now. I am young and I think I am entitled to go out with any young girl. If I am seen hanging around with guys, people call me gay. Now I don’t know which way to turn. I have decided to ignore such questions and carry on with my life as I want to," Riteish says calmly.

He’s happier, of course, to talk about his upcoming films. The actor will now be seen in Milap Jhaveri’s Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hain opposite his Aladin co-star Jacqueline Fernandez. Then there’s Ram Gopal Varma’s Rann, where he will be seen in a serious role. "I am looking forward to this film. Ram Gopal has tapped another side of me. I have been constantly experimenting with my roles. Here you will see me with short hair. I wanted to look real for the role. Even Ram Gopal was surprised to see me like that, but he liked the look and said go ahead," he says. — SB

Shekhar’s got the perfect ending

Asian — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:28:13 GMT

Age Correspondent

Shekhar Kapur’s segment in the film New York I Love You — a collection of short stories — is dedicated to the late Anthony Minghella, who wrote the script of this segment and had intended to direct it, but passed away before the movie was completed.

Producer Emmanuel Benbihy recalls, "They had a long conversation about life and death. Anthony only wanted Shekhar to do his segment because of his different approach and was sure Shekhar would be very true to his own vision. We were lucky that Shekhar was available and said yes."

When Shekhar was asked what inspired him to do this film, he said, "When I read the script, I asked Anthony, ‘What does it essentially mean?’ I immediately realised the power of that question. For I had to discover the meaning of the film in the making of the film. And when he died so tragically, these statements took on an even greater meaning for me. In order to make this film, I imagined Anthony smiling down at me and laughing at my perplexity on how to shoot this film, challenging me to find solutions instinctively. That is how I directed this film."

After the film was directed, Shekhar showed the film to Carolyn, Anthony’s wife. She said "Thank you Shekhar, this is a perfect book to end Anthony’s body of work."

Bebo’s biggest critic? Big sis

Asian — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:27:59 GMT

Shama Bhagat

The Asian Age

If there’s anyone who could point out what exactly Kareena Kapoor is doing wrong these days, they’d deserve accolades themselves! But Bebo herself is quite clear who her biggest critic is. "My sister Karisma. She gives me a reality check," says Kareena, "Of course I am critical of myself too. Sometimes I’m too harsh on myself, and Saif (Ali Khan) tells me not to behave like that. He only watches movies he wants to, not each and every one. But for me, Karisma’s comments are very important. I wait for her to react to my films."

Kareena is happy to talk about big sis, who, she says, has had a big influence on her career. Beaming with pride, she says, "Karisma is very possessive about me, and so am I. I wish producers would offer us a subject where we could work together. I am dying for an opportunity. She is one of the best dancers we have ever had. I don’t think anyone can match upto her."

Kareena adds, "Whenever I am free, I love to spend time with her. I also love being with my niece Samaira, who is the latest extension to the family."

No meat for Saif

Asian — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:55:39 GMT

Shama Bhagat

The Asian Age

It may come as a bit of a surprise, but Saif Ali Khan has turned vegetarian... for a while at least. The actor wants to clean up his system and the only way to do it is to go vegetarian, he says. "But only for six months. I cannot stay away from non-vegetarian food for a long time," reveals the Nawab.

Saif jokes that Kareena eats very "sad" food but adds that he respects her for the kind of diet she is on. "I always look at her plate and wonder how she does it. I really respect her for being so organised and disciplined. She is much healthier than I am," he says.

About his onscreen chemistry with Kareena in Kurbaan, he says, "You can't really create chemistry if the script doesn't support it. We are actors and we perform according to the scene. It's screenplay that creates chemistry, not the actors."

Even on the sets of Kurbaan they were so busy working, but Saif did make it a point to spend time with Kareena.

"I like visiting Kareena on the sets of her films. With this, we were on the same set, so it made it easier," he says.

The actor is all praise for his girlfriend saying, "Kareena is gifted. She is very spontaneous, intense and charming right from the start. She is so focused and in control of her career while it took me a long time to make my place in the industry."

About Kurbaan, Saif says, "It is an intense, edgy, gritty and entertaining film. It is coming at a time when comedies are working at the box office. This film is like bringing smiles and tears together - it's a very touching film."

Out of the house, into a wedding

Asian — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:46:55 GMT

Shamita Shetty has voluntarily walked out of reality TV show Bigg Boss 2 to be present for her sister Shilpa Shetty’s wedding. "I am just so excited about Shilpa’s wedding. I couldn’t help but leave the show to be with her," said Shamita.

Shamita was unaware of Shilpa’s engagement to London-based businessman Raj Kundra since she was shooting the show which leaves contestants completely oblivious to the world outside. The engagement took place on October 24. It was model Pravesh Rana who told her about the engagement when he entered the Bigg Boss house and since then, Shamita had been wanting to get out of the house to be with her sister. She kept requesting the other contestants in Bigg Boss to vote her out. "I don’t want to miss her wedding," she kept telling them. Shamita has now finally managed to make her way out of the house for the wedding.

Earlier, when Shilpa got engaged she had said that even though Shamita was still in the Bigg Boss house they would go ahead with the wedding because another good mahurat (auspicious time) was a long way off and considering Raj’s parents and relatives were down from London for a week, it only seemed convenient. "As much as I wanted to have Shamita there during this special moment, I had to be considerate towards Raj’s family too. So for all those who wanted to know why I went ahead with the engagement without Shamita, it was a difficult decision but this is the answer. I know Shamita will be shocked (she’ll kill me!) but still be happy — that’s what family is all about and our love is unconditional. I missed her more than words can describe but I’m sure she’ll understand. I can’t wait to show her my ring," she said.

— SB

Kats the sequel queen

Asian — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:39:55 GMT

Katrina Kaif may have lost out on a chance to be in the sequel to Race but the actress is all smiles again as she has made her way into the sequel of Vipul Shah’s Singh Is Kinng.

The first film had Akshay Kumar and Katrina and it turned out to be a huge blockbuster. The producers are hoping to get lucky again with the sequel.

Akshay has always considered Katrina as his lucky mascot, so there was no way that she was going to be dropped from the sequel.

A source says that the film is going to be made with an even larger budget this time, and filming is scheduled to begin in mid-2010.

Meanwhile, the actress is busy looking forward to her next movie De Dana Dan with Akshay again. After the success of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Katrina is currently busy shooting for Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti with Ranbir Kapoor again. — SB

Abhi admonishes ‘naughty’ Paa!

Asian — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:36:51 GMT

Abhishek Bachchan, who plays father to Amitabh Bachchan in Paa, says that shooting for the movie was akin to the sort of journey that is "exciting everyday". And in the course of that journey, we understand AB Jr thoroughly enjoyed the little role reversal.

"It was wonderful, more so because I have been calling him ‘Pa’ for the last 30 years, and here I was his father. I took advantage by admonishing him on the sets! I was asking him to eat his food and go to bed on time. Only when his makeup was off was he my Pa again. The relationships we are exploring here are very different. Paa is a trip," he says.

Much of what he’s portraying on screen, says Abhishek, comes courtesy references to his own childhood. "Pa often carried me on his back. Now I am carrying him on my back in the movie. I have tried to be as good as him. I try to take as much as I can from him," says Abhishek.

He adds, "Pa was very naughty on the sets. He had a whale of a time playing a child in the movie. What I was surprised with was the energy with which he attempted the role. He was fantastic. I don’t think anybody will be able to match him," he says. — SB

Kareena awed by online support

Asian — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:36:46 GMT

Age Correspondent

Kareena Kapoor was blown away while interacting with thousands of fans online recently, as part of a promotional effort for her upcoming 3 Idiots. Aamir Khan is known to be a master of promotion and has been actively involved in the same for the Raj Kumar Hirani-directed film, as have co-stars Madhavan and Sharman Joshi.

Aamir has been inviting opinion not only from the media, but also from select fans on the first look and the songs of the movie. He even wanted to launch the music online for fans to sample across the globe. In addition, he wanted every member of the team to interact directly with fans.

So Kareena was roped in to chat live with fans. But as soon as Bebo sat on the computer, she was overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of questions that came her way. She exclaimed, "My God. How do these guys type so fast." Technicians sitting next to her helped her type all the answers. Kareena was awed after a long chat with her fans. "It was great fun chatting with so many fans from across the globe and getting so much feedback instantly," she said.

Rocket Ranbir goes grey with Rajneeti

Asian — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:36:26 GMT

Shama Bhagat

The Asian Age

Despite the super success of his last two ventures Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Ranbir Kapoor says he has no time to pause and enjoy what’s coming his way. "I am in a constant rush and hope that the days were longer, so that I could work even harder and achieve success faster. I have waited 24 years to be where I am today. I am a very hungry actor," he says.

In his first major break from convention, Ranbir will, for the first time, play a character with shades of grey in Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti. "It’s my first mature role. It is a dark political thriller and also my first character with grey shades," he affirms.

Working with a director like Jha was a unique experience for the young actor. "It was really great to work with Prakash Jha. He is one of the great directors in the industry and has contributed a lot to Indian cinema. I got to learn a lot from the him."

Ranbir once again teams up with Katrina Kaif in the film. "Katrina is phenomenal. She is fun to work with and so professional. Not only that, she works as part of a team, so it makes it easier for other actors to work with her. From not knowing the language to becoming one of the biggest stars… she has achieved a lot. I have tremendous respect for her as an artiste," says Ranbir.

He is also looking forward to Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, where he plays a middle-class Sikh character. Ranbir even grew a beard for the role. "Rocket Singh is about a real sardar. He has no similarity with our filmi sardars. It’s a underdog story. My character is a middle-class guy who wants to be a salesman — it is his story. I wanted to look real hence I have grown a beard in the movie," he says.

For now, Ranbir is happy with the response he is getting from his fans. "I am working hard and concentrating on my career now. My priority are the films that I am doing now," he concludes.

Saif-Kareena to head to Morocco

Asian — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:03:31 GMT

Shriram Raghavan’s much hyped film, Agent Vinod, will finally hit the floors in January 2010. Our source said, "Shriram is currently in Canada. It’s a business cum personal trip. Besides meeting his friends, Shriram is also going to hunt for picturesque locations in Canada for his Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor-starrer. Besides Canada, a large portion of the film is going to be shot in Morocco. There are a few scenes that will be shot in Europe too."

When contacted, Raghavan said, "Yes, I am currently looking at various locations in Canada for Agent Vinod." He also revealed that nearly 70 per cent of the film will be shot in Morocco. "I travelled to Morocco to hunt for locations and found the place beautiful. The locales are a perfect backdrop for the film’s plot. The shooting will be complete by June," he adds.

Shazahn catches Ranbir’s fancy

Asian — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:02:04 GMT

NOYON JYOTI PARASARA

Ranbir Kapoor is the man of the moment. Close on the heels of reports of his break-up with girlfriend Deepika Padukone, there’s another scandal brewing. While the reason for their love story allegedly going kaput was being attributed to Ranbir’s mother Neetu Singh and his friendship with co-star Katrina Kaif, we hear that there is one more girl in the picture now — Shazahn Padamsee, Ranbir’s co-star in Rocket Singh.

A source reveals, "The two met on the sets of the film and hit it off instantly. They are pretty close now and Deepika is not too happy. Ranbir and Shazahn enjoy each other’s company and they keep in touch constantly. They also make it a point to meet up whenever they are free. There’s already so much speculation about the rift between Deepika and Ranbir and this new friendship has only made things worse."

While Ranbir was not available for comment, Shazahn replied by saying, "No, this is untrue. Ranbir is my co-star and friend, that’s all."