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November 9, 2006

Salman Khan and Miss Universe
Fashion is as much about the stars as the styling.



Fashion Week, always a Bollywood-themed event, features various A-list actors dropping in to promote their designer friends? clothes.

But the cause was nobler this time with Salman Khan, seen here with Miss Universe 2006, Zuleyka Rivera.

The duo walked the ramp for a show supporting AIDS awareness in India, modelling designs by New York-based designer Sanjana Jon on Monday, November 6.

Rivera is currently touring India as part of an AIDS awareness campaign. The beauty queen is reportedly very smitten by Sallu, and thoroughly enjoyed taking to the ramp with him.

Lest rumours spread, do remember that Salman? girlfriend Katrina Kaif was right there, smiling at the actor.

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Bollywood Press

November 9, 2006
Baabul has something for everyone



It? all about the parents. While Ravi Chopra? Baghban dealt with aged parents being neglected by their kids, Baabul revolves around a father-in-law? struggle to get his widowed daughter-in law remarried. Featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji and John Abraham, Baabul is scheduled to release on December 8.

The film? music is by Aadesh Shrivastava, who blends merry and melodramatic together quite well.

Even as Come on Come on suffers from an acute hangover of Baghban? Meri makhna meri soniya, there is no denying the fact that the song brings the house down. Big B wields the microphone to engage in an endearing battle of one-upmanship with Sonu Nigam off screen and Salman Khan on screen. A high spirited arrangement only adds to the song? disco-happy temperament. DJ Suketu? pepped up remix, however, is intense on percussion and doesn? impress.

BaabulThen, it? the turn of the mellow and mushy Keh raha hai to take centre stage. A typically romance-filled exchange of vows and eternal love is carried out through the honey drenched vocals of Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghosal. It has a brief sad version too, namely Vada raha hai, suggesting some tragic occurrence in the storyline. Not a bad tune, but nothing great.

Kunal Ganjawala tries to relieve his ladylove of desolation and depression with the melodic Bebasi dard ka aalam. The soothing notes of Bebasi and Ganjawala? elegant rendition conjure up a relaxed and likeable ambience.

Gaa re mann is a bumpy mix of qawaali and Bollywood tra la las. A situational, screen-friendly ditty, it specifically illustrates the picture of a perfect family close on the heels of a foreboding tragedy. Remember Aaja ve mahi from Henna? Something along those lines, but while Gaa re mann might be fun on the eyes, it? not that pleasant to the ears.

Ganjawala gets to croon the finest numbers on the soundtrack. After Bebasi, he makes a smashing comeback for Har manzar, a heady combination of catchy rhythm and charged emotionality. DJ Suketu, in its remix spruces the already zingy composition with haunting retro and pop music elements, to rocking results.

BaabulA husky Richa Sharma carefully captures the sentiments and sensitivity of a bride leaving her paternal home in the Bidaai song.

Sonu Nigam poignantly conveys the turmoil of loss and grief in the semi-classical Baawri piya ki. Shrivastava cleverly lets Nigam? singing do all the expressing and keeps a minimalist arrangement.

Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh aims at the heartstrings with Kehta hai baabul, which articulates (through Sameer? moving lyrics), a father? mixed feelings of anxiety and satisfaction, over letting go of his daughter after marriage.

The good thing about Baabul? soundtrack is its wide appeal. The album has something for all age groups and is mostly pleasant.

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Rediff News

Mallika leaves little to the imagination
November 06, 2006 18:12 IST

Missing Mallika Sherawat?



Even though Pyaar Ke Side Effects was a success and the actress received warm reviews, we haven't seen Mallika around for a while.

Which is why it was refreshing to see her at one of the season's most high-profile weddings (Avni Patel, daughter of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, tied the knot with Prashant Deshpande, younger son of senior Congress leader RV Deshpande on October 4) in Mumbai.

Especially since Madame Mallika chose to dress in her typically eye-catching style, in a sari that left very little to the imagination.

Wow.

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Abhishek goes the Ambani way
November 6, 2006



Villager. Visionary. Winner.
That's the poster-friendly summary of industrialist Guru Kant Desai's life.

Who's that? Well, the lead character in Mani Ratnam's Guru, played by Abhishek Bachchan and supposedly based on the life of late industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani.

Also starring in the film are Aishwarya Rai, Vidya Balan, Mallika Sherawat, Mithun Chakravarty and Madhavan.

The stars came together in a Mumbai function on Sunday, November 5. Hosted by none other than Amitabh Bachchan, the function saw Bollywood's filmmakers coming together to catch up with (and pay salutations to) 'Mani sir.'

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Rediff News

Abhishek goes the Ambani way
November 6, 2006



Directors like Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Nikhil Advani, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rohan Sippy and Shaad Ali breezily chatted the evening away, in a celebrity-studded function.
The event was puzzlingly called a music launch, but the film's soundtrack will only hit stores on November 15.

Guru is an eagerly awaited soundtrack, reuniting Mani with composer A R Rahman and lyricist Gulzar after 10 years. Their last collaboration yielded one of Rahman's most critically acclaimed albums, Dil Se.

Those present had a teasing taste of things to come as Gulzar read out a couple of lines from one of the songs, and Rahman accompanied him on piano.

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Abhishek goes the Ambani way
November 6, 2006



In the film, the life of Guru spans a 30-year journey, from ambitious bachelor to wealthy industrialist.

The quiet director preferred to let his stars do the talking. Amitabh Bachchan asked Abhishek how he felt when Mani approached him for the role. "The first reaction was 'Thank God, he called me for this role,'" smiled Abhishek.

"It was one of the toughest roles in my career and Mani sir discussed it with me for nearly 10 months before we went ahead to shoot the film," he revealed.

But that was all one would get from the leading man, sealing his lips saying his director had forbidden him from saying anything else about the movie.

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Abhishek goes the Ambani way
November 6, 2006



Aishwarya Rai, who plays the role of Guru's wife in the film, said she was ecstatic to work with Ratnam once again.

"I made my debut with Mani Ratnam," Ash gushed, "with the Tamil film Iruvar, so it's nice to be associated with him once again."

"Mani sir is my guru, so for me to do this film was like coming back home," she added.

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Rediff News

Abhishek goes the Ambani way
November 6, 2006



While Mallika Sherawat wasn't around, Madhavan talked about matters of weight. "I had to lose weight for this film because Mani sir told me to," he laughed, "while Abhishek had to put on 10 kilos of weight for his role."

"I went to London to sweat it out in a fitness institute for a month. I burnt my calories to be in shape and believe me," Madhavan grinned, "it is more difficult to lose weight than to put it on."

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Rediff News

Summer may have left us, but this year's hottest action spectacular is coming up in November.
Here are some stills from Dhoom:2.



John Abraham was the bad guy last time around, but the sequel sees Hrithik Roshan step in.
With Aishwarya Rai as his partner in crime!



Hrithik plays international supercriminal, Mr A.
The mysterious character is well known for pulling off impossible heists, across the world. That, and he's a complete ladykiller.



And Abhishek Bachchan reprises his role as no-nonsense cop, Jai Dixit.
Jai's ready to fight crime, not just criminals. But the elusive Mr A seems like his greatest challenge yet...



Don't call her 'babe'. Bipasha Basu plays the stunning Shonali Bose, a ravishing seductress who just happens to be a top cop. A sharpshooter, she believes in shooting down any criminal in her sights. Nothing personal.



Aishwarya Rai is Sunehri, the girl who lives in the moment. Seizing life by the horns, she throws caution to the winds.
But nothing's going to be the same after Mr A walks into her world.



What can be said about Ali? Uday Chopra reprises his role as the incorrigible lout with an eye for candy -- all the time.
So he's a cop now, and Jai constantly shouts him down, but Ali is, well, Ali.



The story is set in the world's oldest desert, the Namib. There is a solitary railway line, with a royal family on a journey.
But then, there's a flash as the robber strikes, and the ancient Royal Crown is stolen!




Jai and his loyal buddies are all out to nab the thieves, in a high-stakes chase that spans the world from Namibia to Goa, Rajasthan to Brazil. It's no holds barred in this thrilling game of cat-and-mouse.

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Rediff News

Shahid: Arranged marriage is alien to me
November 10, 2006 15:39 IST



He's trying to step into Salman Khan's shoes. Shahid Kapoor plays Prem, the classic Sooraj Barjatya leading man in Vivah. Here are the actor's thoughts:

Love & Marriage:

Arranged marriage is an alien concept to me. I have never met a girl for a rishta, but it's not something I've never seen around me. Essentially, whether arranged or love marriage, it's about companionship, being there for each other unconditionally, and about the promise you make to your partner that through good or bad, you will stand by each other.

In my opinion, a good film always works. I don't think the concept of arranged marriage is outdated. If you see the statistics, a large part of our country still gets into an arranged marriage. It doesn't happen in only small towns, but in cities as well. The film is about the courtship period all of us go through before marriage, whether love or arranged. There is a certain beauty about the period. It's about those unforgettable moments.

The film says something very poignant: no marriage is perfect. There are going to be problems, but when they do come it is up to the partners to hold each other's hand and walk through them rather than separate. The film conveys a socially relevant message told in contemporary ways which youngsters will be able to connect with.

Playing Prem:

Vivah depicts the courtship period between two people who are complete strangers. There have been so many films based on two people falling in love. But while the majority of Indians still opt for an arranged marriage, not many films have been made on the subject. When I heard the script, I loved the sequences, the moments, the way in which the relationship develops. I saw all that in a different light.

My character, Prem, is from a rich business family in Delhi, who has just returned home after finishing studies abroad. He's a sensitive, well-behaved family guy who hasn't yet decided which career to choose, and what he wants to do in life. I think every youngster goes through this stage; I did, a few years back. But as the film progresses, the boy matures from a boy to a man and takes up the responsibility of being a husband. So there is a certain maturity graph the character goes through.

Sooraj Barjatya:

I have been a fan of Sooraj Barjatya, and have seen all his films since my childhood. So I was happy when I got the film. Soorajji is a certain kind of filmmaker and represents a certain sensibility. Therefore, as an actor it was very important to understand where he is coming from and why he is making Prem the way he is.

My focus was to understand the feelings and thought processes of my character, which is why we spent a lot of time together before we started shooting for the film. There is so much goodness in him as a person, and his simplicity is genuine. This reflects in his films, hence the audience can connect. This film will always hold a special place in my heart.  

Dancing:

People ask me why I chose Vivah even though there is no dancing in this film. My character in the film does not need to dance, and I can't force a director to include dances just because people think I am a good dancer. The focus should be on getting the character right rather than do things that we think the public wants to see us doing.  

Priorities:

I don't look at films as multistarrers or single hero films. The important thing for me creatively, as an artist, is to be a part of good stories and get good characters to play. Even if you see it from a 'star' point of view, the biggest stars in the country do films with other heroes. The focus should be on trying to be a part of good films, working with good directors and improving oneself as an actor. That's how I look at things.

The soundtrack:

The music is not the kind of music one would hear in discotheques. It's not the thumping music that people are used to. It is very emotional and melodious; very Indian and very traditional. I think that's where the appeal of the music lies, because it stands out from the others. It goes with the flavour of the film.

Constant co-star Amrita Rao:

Amrita and I are lucky that our first film was appreciated. People liked our work in Ishq Vishk. When people like a couple, there is a positive outlook towards the on-screen pair. This is our second love story together, and fourth film together. Amrita and I have both grown since then.

As told to Priyanka Jain

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Rediff News

Katrina dazzles at Cape Town celebration

November 09, 2006



When the Ram Lakhan collaborators throw a party, Bollywood attends.
Subhash Ghai and Anil Kapoor joined forces to welcome dignitaries from Cape Town, South Africa to Mumbai on Wednesday, November 8. The glitz was around at the fancy hotel ballroom, and here are some snapshots from the event.

Here we see Boney Kapoor and his lovely wife Sridevi smiling for the cameras.

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Rediff News

Katrina dazzles at Cape Town celebration

November 09, 2006



Anil Kapoor, one of the most punctual to arrive at the event, played a perfect host: ushering in guests, escorting them to their tables, and even serving them their first drinks. The actor was in fine form, and looking fresh as ever.

Here, he's seen with pretty Dor actress Gul Panag.

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Rediff News

Katrina dazzles at Cape Town celebration

November 09, 2006



A candid shot of Subhash Ghai sharing a joke with Riya Sen. Riya stars in Mr Ghai's Friday release, Apna Sapna Money Money.

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Katrina dazzles at Cape Town celebration

November 09, 2006



But while lots of glamorous Bollywood faces were around, the spotlight was stolen by the breathtaking Katrina Kaif.
Kat swooped in and made everyone in the ballroom gasp. Interestingly, she spent a lot of time chatting up Salaam E Ishq director Nikhil Advani. Is a movie announcement on the cards?

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Katrina dazzles at Cape Town celebration

November 09, 2006



Celina Jaitley, also one of the stars of Apna Sapna Money Money, made a show of camaraderie by refusing to leave her co-stars' sides. Wearing a bright pink sari, Celina sat with Koena Mitra and laughed at Ritesh Dekhmukh's jokes. All while director Sangeeth Sivan hovered warmly in the frame.

Lets see what Friday brings for the young actors.

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Rediff News

Vivah needs Salman and a script
November 10, 2006 19:59 IST



Indian weddings, as Sooraj Barjatya discovered long before Mira Nair, are irresistibly elaborate parties, grand shindigs mixing cocktails with culture, and rituals with remixes. They translate perfectly to our screens, and all a director really needs is to keep the camera tightly closed on a shaadi. Bas.

But Barjatya's Vivah is far more ambitious than just letting a good cinematographer make a wedding video. The director has earnestly tried his hand at a full-blooded Bollywood movie, using his recurrent wedding theme merely as a backdrop.

Now if only he'd followed this idea up with real actors, something close to a plot, and someone who could write one line of actual dialogue.

Vivah is a nightmare. With a storyline and background score making you feel like you're trapped in a sadistically put-together marathon of soap operas, this isn't just a bad movie. There are lots of awful films out there, and one would ignore this, label it avoidable (wise course of action) and move on, but this is much worse than a mere bad film.

Vivah is unforgivably regressive. Under the guise of 'old-world charm,' the film paints an India that makes you wince, a disastrously worded world whose characters are not just saccharine but suicide-provoking. Alright, people in small towns are simple and charming, and yes, they are more prone to tradition than most of us, but in no way are they... what's the word? Ah yes, pathetic. Vivah is shameful simply because it makes you glad to be in a big city, and like another big release this year, it really makes you wanna give marriage a rethink.

There is precious little to be said for the story. Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao, an engaged couple almost wholly unacquainted with each other, have fallen in love -- the coldest, least passionate love you've seen in a while, by the way � and there is much rejoicing among their families as the wedding nears, except she's Cinderella. An orphan raised by her aunt and uncle, suddenly Amrita finds herself on the receiving end of hostility -- largely because her wedding dress costs too much.

The background score hammers cliche as tension takes over the narrative. With typically Barjatya style, people roll down staircases, Mohnish Bahl pops up (as a truly mean doctor), and the 'moments' are subtle enough to knock you into a snore. And while the lead pair can't act, the dialogue hurts even more than they do.

Picture Shahid mooning wistfully on a verandah. Amrita, ghoonghat covering her head, pops up behind him with a brass tumbler full of water, and mousily asks him if he'd like some "jal." That's right, these folk are inadvertently mean caricatures of the heartland, talking like absolutely nobody does. He sniffles, takes the glass and reaches for some ice when she cuts in. 'People with a cold,' she smiles at his sneakers, 'shouldn't ice their drinks.' Amrita smiles 'coyly' and scoots off, even as Shahid skips the ice and stands wondering how she realised he had a cold. While this rough translation from the unbelievable Vivah tongue might not have quite the same impact, it exemplifies the horror this film is packed with.

The only good thing that one can say about Shahid Kapoor is that he isn't awful. He isn't offensively bad, doesn't ham it up like crazy, or speak in a weird accent. Having said that, he isn't an actor at all, standing around working on his boyish grin, simply chewing up the scenery. No screen presence at all.

Amrita Rao plays a cow. Docile to a fault, the pretty girl ponders around the film, constantly getting in the way of the story. Her character is not just conservative but excessively given to world-pleasing. She sobs, she smiles, she scampers -- she does anything anyone wants her to do, making you wish someone tried asked her to be subtle. Her painful performance coupled with the horrible lines she's given singles her out as the film's weakest point -- so her having the maximum screentime isn't a positive.

Damn, how this film makes us miss Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

Sooraj Barjatya is responsible for some very fine films. While simplistic and given to melodrama, his films are usually peopled by great characters. Believable folk walk through Maine Pyaar Kiya, and get much better by the time Hum Aapke Hain Koun comes along. The films featured good side-characters, and brilliant lead actors who made even their extreme earnestness and nobility believable. Cynics may scoff, but those films had heart. And lots of warmth.

This one pretends to be sweet. And ends up leaving a bad taste in your mouth.

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Rediff News

Umrao Jaan hits New York

November 1, 2006



The movie version of Jhumpa Lahiri's bestselling novel The Namesake will reach American cities only in March. November 1 is when some lucky people can see if the Mira Nair-directed film (left) is as moving and thought-provoking as the book.
The film will commence the sixth edition of the annual IAAC Film Festival in New York on Wednesday.

November 2 is when a privileged few hundred people see the much-discussed Umrao Jaan, and decide if the film directed by J P Dutta lives upto its hype. It is to be commercially released November 3.

The November 1-5 festival, organized by the Indo-American Arts Council, has, in a short time, become the most successful event of its kind in North America. Films shown here are invited to many festivals across Canada and America.

"We surely must be doing the right things," mused Aroon Shivdasani, the founder of IAAC, "Otherwise why would eminent filmmakers like Deepa Mehta (whose Water was screened first by IAAC much before its American release) and Mira Nair support us wholeheartedly?"

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Rediff News

Umrao Jaan hits New York

November 1, 2006



The festival will screen over 70 films, shorts and documentaries. "It is a phenomenal growth," said Shivdasani.
"The festival is much more than screening of interesting films for New York audiences. It is also an informal film lab," she said.

Madhur Jaffrey, the eminent actress echoes those thoughts.

"The festival never ceases to impress me, especially because of the young talent that comes to it," says Jaffrey, who plays a mentally disturbed person in Hiding Divya, (above) directed by Rehana Mirza.

The film starts with 33-year-old Palini 'Linny' Shah (played by Pooja Kumar) who returns home with her 16-year-old daughter Jia to attend his funeral of her father. Estranged from her mother Divya Shah (Jaffrey) since her teenage pregnancy, Linny has been resisting renewing her relationship with her mother.

Linny discovers that she is entitled to an inheritance of $20,000, but must wait two weeks before she can collect it. Penniless, Linny has no choice but stay on at her mother's home. Life becomes complicated for her when Divya faces serious mental illness.

Linny prefers to keep a distance between her mother and herself and her daughter. But Jia bonds with the grandmother and, in trying to understand her problem, sets a challenge for her own mother.

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Umrao Jaan hits New York

November 1, 2006



Among the lighter fare at the festival is the feature film directed by documentary maker Pratibha Parmar (Warrior Marks). Her new film Nina's Heavenly Delights, (left) is described as a 'comedy that is a sizzling combination of family, food and surprises.'

It is a love story where Scottish humour meets Bollywood spectacle, says Parmar. It revolves around Nina Shah, a feisty and independent-minded woman who had left home under a cloud. She returns to the family-owned Indian restaurant following her father's death. Her return brings many surprises and a meeting with Lisa, who now owns half the restaurant.

Nina soon has to fight not only to keep the family business but also fulfill her father's secret wish of winning the 'Best of the West' curry competition.

Then there is Vanaja, which had a successful screening at the recent Toronto International Film Festival. Its writer and director Rajnesh Domalpalli, a former computer engineer, made the feature film his master's thesis at Columbia University.

He describes the film as being set in a place in his home state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where social barriers are stronger than fort walls. It explores the chasm that divides classes as a young girl comes of age. Vanaja (Mamatha Bhukya) is the 14-year-old daughter of a poor, low caste fisherman. When a soothsayer predicts that she will be a great dancer one day, she goes to work in the house of the local landlady, Rama Devi (Urmila Dammannagari), hoping to learn Kuchipudi while earning her keep. But unplanned events bring about a sea change in her life.

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Umrao Jaan hits New York

November 1, 2006



Aditya Bhattacharya says his third feature film Dubai Return is a bittersweet tale about lovable losers, of identity crises, dashed hopes, misfired bullets. and bad biryani.

The comedic film focuses on Aftab who made his debut as a hit-man over a decade ago and saw the credit going to someone else.

Now he returns to India from Dubai to set the record straight and regain his 'lost glory' with the help of his gang-mates Khilji and Johny. The cast, led by Irrfan Khan, includes Divya Dutta, Razak Khan, Ritu Shivpuri, Vijay Maurya.

The movies are not all made by filmmakers from India or Indian origin. Some of the creators happen to be mainstream Americans or Britons.