Videoz

Arjun Rampal and Chitrangada Singh will pair opposite each other

2011-07-25T04:56:00.000-07:00

Arjun Rampal and Chitrangada Singh will pair opposite each other for the first time in Prakash Jha's yet-untitled flick. The film deals with sexual exploitation at the workplace. both were blown away by the script and even the proposed intimate scenes have their approval!

This year's IIFA Award saw a new Jodi of its own

2011-07-25T04:54:00.000-07:00

This year's IIFA Award saw a new Jodi of its own - Sonakshi Sinha and Ranveer Singh. While Shotgun Jr already fessed up to finding the ‘newbie' quite hot on Koffee With Karan, she shed her inhibitions to add that one thing Anushka had and she didn't was none other than Ranveer!

Ex-Miss Sri Lanka Jacqueline Fernandes

2011-07-25T04:52:00.000-07:00

Ex-Miss Sri Lanka Jacqueline Fernandes will be paired opposite John Abraham for Housefull 2 which would be directed by Sajid Khan

Anushka romanced Ranveer in the well-recieved Band

2011-07-25T04:51:00.002-07:00

Anushka romanced Ranveer in the well-recieved Band Baaja Baaraat and the romance seems to have continued ever since

After romancing Aamir's 8-packed body,

2011-07-25T04:48:00.000-07:00

After romancing Aamir's 8-packed body, Asin's now moved onto another buff actor. She was 'Ready' to romance bad boy Sallu in the Aneez Bazmee film.

Bollywood Lara dutta learns secret stunts with Akshay

2011-07-25T04:46:00.000-07:00

Want to know who is the latest stunt guru in town? Well, it’s our very own khiladi Akshay Kumar! At a time when most heroes are spending their time perfecting their stunt moves, this hero has started to dole out free advice to his heroines on how to do a stunt properly — irrespective of whether or not he is starring in the film.
And actress Lara Dutta got a dose of this recently. Says a source, “There was a stunt sequence in the film Chalo Dilli where Lara had to get inside a moving train. Now this was a sequence that required her face to be seen by the audience and hence the use of a body double was ruled out. The director, Shashant Shah, clearly told Lara that the scene has to be done by her because of this technicality,” says a source.
It was then that Lara decided to call up Akki, with whom she has previously worked in Housefull for some tips. According to sources, the first thing that Akshay did was to calm down Lara because she was very anxious that the stunt may go wrong.
“Lara and Akshay had a good 20 minute chat and Akshay decided to explain the scene step-by-step and told her about the kind of safety measures that she should adopt for the scene. However, Lara felt that she needed to prepare more for the shot and not do it immediately,” says a source.
Also, the main reason behind Akshay helping Lara outwas apparently because the film is also her first home production and she wanted to get everything right.
Apparently, Lara went back to Akshay to get some more tips and then returned on the sets to request that she be allowed a few practice shots and a couple of re-takes before she went in for the final shot.
“Akshay also gave a Lara a to-do list and a check-list that he told her to follow before she attempted the stunt. Lara was seen reading the piece of paper and ticking the check-boxes in her mind before attempting the stunt,” the source adds.
However, thanks to all the coaching, the scene was completed without a hitch! “Lara enacted the scene perfectly and the director was very happy with the result. Of course, he didn’t get the opportunity to thank Akshay at that point for the help but he sent a text message thanking him the very next day,” the source concludes.

2011-07-25T04:41:00.000-07:00

Vidya's going places! SRK and Vidya's mutual admiration seems to have summed up to a first time ever pairing in Two States. We'd love to see these two together in this 'filmi' drama.

sonakshi-kamal

2011-07-25T04:31:00.000-07:00

And now she's all set to charm the South with none other than Kamal Haasan. In the movie, reportedly inspired by Sir the role originally essayed by Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal, Sonakshi has been asked to play Julianne Moore.

Deepika is in high gear these days and guess what she's managed to

2011-07-25T03:56:00.000-07:00

Deepika is in high gear these days and guess what she's managed to get for her kitty? A role opposite Rajini in his next, Rana. Huge deal!

Who looks best in blue trousers- Katrina Or Deepika

2011-07-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

Kareena Goes Out With Imran khan

2011-07-25T02:52:00.001-07:00

Did you know that Imran Khan took Kareena Kapoor out for dinner while shooting in Las Vegas some time ago? Now, there is a perfectly innocent explanation for it and the newlymarried hero’s wife and Saif have nothing to worry about.
When they were shooting in Vegas, Imran, who knew the city’s hot spots, took Kareena for out for dinner. Kareena was totally bowled over by his charm and on their return, invited him to dine with her and Saif.
Apparently, even Saif was curious to know what was it about Aamir Khan’s nephew that had Bebo go gaga every time they met. But after meeting him and now that he is married to Avantika, Saif is not expecting any competition from Aamir Khan’s nephew.

Priyanka Chopra Getting Cozy With Shahid Kapoor

2011-07-25T02:31:00.000-07:00

Signing up actors who are dating in real life is often good for the film. Perhaps, that’s what made Kunal Kohli sign Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor for his forthcoming venture together. Little did he know that the actors would end up splitting, that too before his film goes on the floors.

And now, that very romance Kohli had been counting on is proving to be a bit tough to handle on the sets of the film. While the extremely professional Kapoor and Chopra are doing their best to put up a good act of love in front of the camera, things aren’t going that smooth once the camera stops rolling.

A source reveals, “The relationship is over. And though Kunal Kohli had full faith in Shahid and Priyanka’s professionalism he was wondering what the aftermath of the breakup would be for his film. He needn’t have worried. The pair is absolutely professional on camera. It is off-camera that the aloofness between the two becomes easily discernible.”

Apparently Priyanka and Shahid don’t even hold rudimentary conversations between shots. “The interaction between them is minimal, almost nil. Once they give their shots they are strangers to one another.

Considering the film has essentially two characters-Shahid and Priyanka-running through a gamut of emotions and spectrum of characters, the effort required to share a mutual passion on screen is a task,” adds the source.

In fact, Shahid and Priyanka are not even rehearsing together. “The passion on screen seems to almost mock the lack of feeling between the two off-camera,” remarks the source.

This however, is not new in Bollywood. Starting from the days of Dilip Kumar and Madhubala who during the shooting of Mughal-E-Azam decided to bury their mutual passion, actors through the decades have come together for a film after having gone their separate ways.

And if Mughal-E-Azam is anything to go by, some surely have been rather successful in pulling off their on-screen romance even after the love had faded. Now, we have to wait and see whether Shahid and Priyaka are able to repeat it for Kohli.

Love lost, film didn’t

Akshay Kumar and Shilpa Shetty: During the making of Dhadkan, Akki decided to make his affair with Twinkle Khanna official. And hence, a honeymoon smooch between him and his ex-lover, Shilpa was dutifully deleted from the film.

Dilip Kumar and Vyjanthimala: They were not on talking terms when they did Sungharsh together. Though on screen, it hardly ever showed.

Ajay Devgn and Karisma Kapoor: Though they never dated, their friendship had gone kaput by the time they did Suhaag. This made the filmmakers replace them with Akshay-Nagma in a romantic song.

Sushmita Sen and Randeep Hooda: When they started shooting for Karma Aur Holi, they were together. By the time it was done, they weren’t. Thus the many fights, regarding promotions.

Aarakshan Music Reviews

2011-07-22T05:16:00.001-07:00

Aarakshan

Music Directors: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonca

Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi

Singers: Mohit Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal, Pt.Channulal Mishra, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Raman Mahadevan, Tarun Sagar, Gaurav Gupta, Rehan, Shankar Mahadevan

Rating: **

Music director trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is famous for their foot-tapping fast numbers and heartwarming slow songs, but with "Aarakshan" the talented composers failed to churn out another blockbuster album. Only one song in the film stands out and offers something worth appreciating.

The album offers six tracks.

The first song itself gives a feeling of dejà vu. "Achha Lagta Hai", crooned by Mohit Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal sounds like an amalgamation of two of the music directors' old songs - "Aachhi lagti ho" ("Kuch Naa Kaho") and "Agar main kahun" ("Lakshya").

The love song is not very impressive and is more like a conversation. Not a great start to the album.

Next comes "Mauka" that has been sung by a host of singers, including Mahalaxmi Iyer, Raman Mahadevan, Tarun Sagar, Gaurav Gupta and Rehan. This one doesn't excite the listener too much and is quite ordinary.

The fast-paced number seems to be a celebratory song and might look more appealing on screen. There is a lot of variations in the song in terms of pitch, tempo and vocal style, yet it doesn't hold the interest for very long. The track has a remixed version too.

"Kaun si dor" is the best track of the album and truly a gem. The semi-classical number has been effectively voiced by Pt. Channulal Mishra with ample support from Shreya Ghoshal.

The totally Indianised track touches the heart from the very beginning and is a welcome break from the more westernised songs nowadays. Totally likeable and a sure shot winner with music buffs.

The song also has a solo version by Pt. Channulal Mishra called "Saans albeli", which is equally enchanting.

Finally, there is "Roshanee" by Shankar Mahadevan himself. An inspirational track, it is neither bad nor brilliant. The instrumental pieces in between the song are very impressive but in totality the song is not that great and will not be able to garner immense praise.

On the whole, the album of "Aarakshan" doesn't have much to talk about musically.

Delhi Belly (Music Reviews)

2011-07-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

Delhi Belly

Music Director: Ram Sampath

Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya

Singers: Sona Mohapatra, Ram Sampath, Keerthi Sagathia, Suraj Jagan, Chetan Shashital and Tarannum Mallik

Rating: ** and 1/2

After a light, youthful album for "Luv Ka The End", composer Ram Sampath goes all experimental with his next soundtrack for the film "Delhi Belly" and from the compositions he has created, the song "D.K. Bose" stands out, becoming quite a rage these days among youth.

The album offers 10 tracks of diverse kinds.

It opens with the song that is on everyone's lips nowadays - "D.K. Bose". Crooned by Sampath himself, the track with quirky, interesting and double meaning lyrics has already become quite popular. With a rock-infested composition and an energetic, pacy feel, the song has become a favourite of youth and has become an instant chartbuster.

Next is "Nakkaddwale disco, udhaarwaley khisko", a very different kind of track with unusual lyrics. It has been sung by Keerti Sagathia and is only an average number.

"Saigal blues" brings back the era and style of legendary singer K.L. Saigal. The track that has Chetan Shashital behind the mike is sung in Saigal's style but with a contemporary touch. The composition is under the genre of blues that bring about a certain poignancy in the song. On the whole, it's a mix of today and the eras gone by.

"Bedardi raja" by Sona Mohapatra is a rustic, masses song and seems to be an item number in the film. It's a simple composition and offers nothing great.

The track also has a grind mix, which has more beats than the original but the basic character and the pace of the song remain the same.

Another eccentric track "Jaa chudail", sung by Suraj Jagan, is a rock track from the word go. It might be liked by hard rock lovers.

"Tere siva", the only soft, love track of the album, has been voiced by Sampath and Tarannum Mallik and is a simple romantic number with a touch of rock. However, the orchestration is not very strong. A good hear.

"Switty tera pyaar chahida" is a Punjabi music lover's delight. Strong beats, Punjabi lyrics and lots of energy make this track a total dance number. Crooned by Keerthi Sagathia, this song gets the listener hooked and is quite likeable.

It also has another version called "Switty punk" that has the addition of Sampath and is higher in energy and fun.

Then there is "I hate you (like I love you)" that is a song by Keerthi Sagathia again with ample support from Sona Mohapatra. It is a mix of various genres of music and multiple influences.

Starting as a slow-paced Indianised track, it goes on to become fully Western in its feel, music and lyrics, then takes the guise of a typical Bollywood song in the 1970s and finally ends like a qawwali. Very experimental and energetic at the same time.

On the whole, the music is unusual, breaks monotony and is far from being typical.

Zindagi Na Milege Dobara (First the good news. "Zindagi…" is one of the most nuanced,)

2011-07-22T05:14:00.000-07:00

Zindagi Na Milege Dobara

Actors: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akthar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif

Director: Zoya Akhtar

Rating: ***1/2

First the good news. "Zindagi…" is one of the most nuanced, evenly paced and well executed films in commercial Indian cinema.

This cross between "Dil Chahta Hai" and "Sideways" is funny and honest, but it is marred by one fundamental flaw - it has nothing important to say.

Yes, to a select few, neo-rich one percent of its audience who find nirvana swimming under Spanish seas or for whom freedom is feeling the wind in your hand from a high speed car, the message is loud and clear - you only live once so live it full.

But one has to wonder, should a commercial film be made keeping just one percent of the audience in mind?

Yes, it is a message that everyone else needs as well, but should that message ride on a pleasure trip through Spanish landscape where there is beauty but no 'zindagi' or should it have been closer home, in the squalor and madness and 'life' of this nation.

Three old friends - Arjun (Hritik Roshan), Imran (Farhan Akthar) and Kabir (Abhay Deol) - go on a three-week bachelor's road trip through Spain before Kabir's marriage, only to come face to face with their own fears and insecurities.

Globally there are too many road-trip films for Zoya Akhtar to bring anything new to the cinematic table.

What she could have done was to have enough emotional pull for the viewer to empathise with the characters.

But would you empathise with the fatherly, marriage-related and heartbreak problems of three rich men who really have everything going for them? Besides its one percent audience, the rest would find the existential angst of these three men, a creation of their own vanity.

Yet, besides its many flaws, dishonesty is not one of them. It's an honest film about the type of people the filmmaker interacts with daily. Sadly, that is perhaps the only cross section of society that Zoya Akhtar has known in her urban living.

The problem with the film is thus the problem in the worldview of its maker, which is extremely limited in scope.

And that is a shame because Zoya is a nuanced and refined filmmaker. She could do wonders with a story that is real and about real men and women.

"Zindagi…" thus actually ends up being like a big-budget film with the heart and audience of a small-budget indie. And that mismatch will perhaps do the film in at the box office.

Cinematically though, Zoya does try desperately to transcend the obvious, to mean the message rather than say it, like say a "Sideways" or "Lost in Translation" does. And though she knocks on the door of this transcendence, she is unable to pass through.

Commercial filmmakers in the past, either came from the grassroots like a Mehboob or Guru Dutt, or were concerned about it like Raj Kapoor.

Their films hence reflected - sometimes directly - and often in the films written by Zoya's father Javed Akthar, allegorically, the angst, pain and the struggle for survival of the nation's teeming masses.

Sadly, as their world ended up becoming cocooned from life around, the connection their kids had with reality, became limited. The result are some really well made films, but ones with 'zindagi' only in their titles, not in their guts.

Murder 2 (The sequel to "Murder" is nothing like the first part )

2011-07-22T05:09:00.001-07:00

Murder 2

By Subhash K. Jha

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Prashant Narayanan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sulagna Panigrahi

Directors: Mohit Suri

Rating: ***

The sequel to "Murder" is nothing like the first part of the frenetic franchise. And Jacqueline Fernandez who has been built up in "Murder 2" as the next Mallika Sherawat is nothing like the overrated Mallika…. Thank God for that! Fernandez exudes an unbridled sunniness even when pouting in the bare minimum. Alas, she doesn't have much to do in "Murder 2" except swathe the dark drama in a spot of sunshine.

God knows this film about the devil-unleashed, surprisingly written by a woman (Shagufta Rafique) needs that little of sunshine. It is a desperately dark film. The characters are wretchedly unhappy. No matter which side of the moral line they are positioned they are standing screaming into the abyss that is suburban life. These people need serious help.

This then, is the world Mahesh Bhatt has bequeathed to us. Take it and bleed it.

Director Mohit Suri who earlier took us on a jolting trip through the world of prostitution, pimps and desperate cops in "Kalyug" takes the same route again. On this occasion the journey is far more ruthless and rigorously implemented to create horror repugnance and hatred for a word that we've created for coming generations.

In the typical Mahesh Bhatt style "Murder 2" doesn't waste time in back-projections and story build-up. He goes straight for the kill.

With trenchant immediacy director Mohit Suri (back in "Kalyug" form after the misfire that was his last film "Crook") tells us the story of a psychopathic killer who kills prostitutes with the pleasure that makes your stomach churn and look anxiously towards the future about your daughter who is just stepping into the big wide world.

Who knows if the man sitting next to her in the movie theatre is a closet-nutcase with a collection of hacksaws in his house, and not to carve up the Christmas turkey.

Prashant Narayanan as the psychopath plays the character at such an even pitch he makes your blood freeze in fear and revulsion. Here's a man who could be that ghoul who butchered all those kids in the Nethra killings and then ate them up without a burp.

The 'hero' in "Murder 2" is a burn-out suspended cop who makes money out of criminals, stays sullen and haunted throughout the film except when he goes for the kiss, and offers his girlfriend a wad of notes after making love. To buy the fridge, he says. Naturally the lady freezes.

Force of habit, we say. Hashmi has done this kind of a role repeatedly. The kissing and vigorous bedroom activities are quickly taken care of in the first 15 minutes. Wouldn't want the lovers of the serial kisser to feel they're being cheated in favour of the serial killer.

The wacked-out killer in "Murder 2" doesn't eat his victims. He just cuts them down to sighs…and groans and shrieks of pain and records their dying voices to get his rockers off….

The plot seems original. The narration is clenched and the characters driven by a desperate urge to assert themselves before death rings their doorbell.

The savagery with which the college-going call girl (Sulagna Panigrahi) is brought to her gruesome death becomes a metaphor for the loss of innocence and the triumph of diabolism that is often garbed in designer labels these days.

"Murder 2" is not a pleasant film to view. The psychopath's killings are done in graphic detail. The storytelling offers no respite from the brutality. Most of the time we are looking at happenings that we would rather not see. But see, we must.

"Murder 2" is a mirror of our amoral venomous times when no relationship is sacred anymore. Mohit Suri remains in command of the murky material and traumatized characters. While most episodes hold together in a riveting rhythm of life's most unsavoury truths, the sequences featuring Prashant Naraynan work better than the rest of the film. He lends the proceedings a credibility that is unsettling.

Will Aamir play a gymnast in 'Dhoom 3'?

2011-07-22T05:08:00.001-07:00

Will Aamir play a gymnast in 'Dhoom 3'?
Aamir Khan will be playing a gymnast in Dhoom 3. After he wraps up Reema Kagti's film, he starts working on his body to make it as flexible and agile as possible. Didn't he bulk up for Ghajini and lose weight for 3 Idiots in which he played a college student? Mr Perfectionist can slip into any role. Courtesy: Mid-Day.com