There is a growing friendship between Aamir Khan and Karan Johar.

With Aamir Khan agreeing to be a part of the success party of I Hate Luv Storys, there are speculations of growing friendship between the Bollywood star and producer-director Karan Johar.

A source said, “Karan and Aamir were hardly associated with one another till very recently. And they have now become close pals. After Karan made his appearances at Aamir’s party for Gustavo and attended the music release of Peepli Live, things are changing between the two by the minute. Now Karan has invited Aamir to I Hate Luv Storys success party.” 

Aamir getting an invitation to this party and agreeing to attend it means something special for two reasons. First, Karan has organized the party only for the cast and crew of the film and Aamir is the only outsider, who despite having nothing to do with the film, will be a part of this party. Secondly, having strong opinion about his likes and dislikes, Aamir has decided to be a part of this party despite the fact that he did not like I Hate Luv Storys a lot.

Reports suggest that initially Aamir was not very comfortable with the idea of attending the party because the party is being arranged for the cast and crew of the film and having nothing to do with the film, he would feel like an outsider in the party. But, when Karan personally called-up Aamir and asked him to be a part of the party, Aamir had no option but to say Yes.

Reports suggest that the growing friendship between Aamir and Karan may have something special to offer. The two may be working together in a film. Now, that will be something to look forward to.     

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir  Kapoor may be romantically paired against each other.

In the most unconventional pairing in Bollywood, real life cousins Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor may be seen as a romantic couple in the film.

Reports suggest that two producers Sajid Nadiadwala and Rohit Jugraj have approached the two for their respective films, where they will be paired as a romantic couple.

If things work out and the two come together as a romantic pair, the most interesting film will be the one made by Rohit Jugraj. Though the film in which the director is keen to have the two will be called Cousins, the director has offered them roles, which will see them romancing on the screen.

Though Rohit Jugraj is confident of signing them, the two actors may be apprehensive because he is not a known figure in the industry and it is unlikely that both Kareena and Ranbir will take the risk of sharing the screen space for the first time under a failed director.

Casting the two as a romantic couple will also be not easy for Sajid Nadiadwala because despite the good equation Kareena has with the director, she refused him when a similar offer was made by him to Kareena at the time of Anjaana Anjaani.

This is a very difficult situation for both Kareena and Ranbir. Being talented and famous actors, both know that it is worth taking a chance by working together but at the same time they are worried about the public acceptability and reaction about such a pairing.

It would be interesting to see what decision the two stars take in this regard. After all, their family may also feel uncomfortable with such a pairing.

Image Source: bharatwaves.com

Abhay Deol and Sonam Kapoor

Abhay Deol is excited about promoting Aisha.

Though it is being promoted basically as a Sonam Kapoor film, Abhay Doel is said to be very excited about Aisha and is hoping that the film really does well at the box office. He therefore wants to do all he can to promote the film.

Reports suggest that though despite being associated with commercial cinema, Abhay Doel is known more for film, which despite not being parallel cinema are closer to different kind of films. But now with Aisha, Abhay is believed to be getting a chance to portray roles,  which can be considered as pure commercial cinema characters.

So, whereas Abhay is keen that Aisha does well at the box office and helps him establish as a commercially successful actor, he is upset that he cannot do his bit to promote the film.

Whereas Anil Kapoor and his family has started promoting the film, which is expected to hit the theatres early August, Abhay is feeling sad that he is not being able to lend a helping hand in the promotional process of this film, which is so important in his acting career.

Abhay is right now in Spain where he is shooting for Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

A source close to Abhay said, “Abhay is trying to wrap things for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, so that he can come back for Aisha’s promotions. He is very disappointed that he could not be part of the film’s promotions at its initial stage. But then again he had already given the dates to Zoya.”

Abhay is expected to return to India very soon and give all his time to promote Aisha so that he can do his bit in the promotion of the film which has such great significance in his acting career.

Image Source: Bollywoodhott.com

Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan

Jaya Bachchan encouraged Amitabh Bachchan during the first season of Kaun Banega Carorepati (KBC).

Amitabh Bachchan, who is about to return as the anchor of Kaun Banega Carorepati says that when he first host the show way back in the year 2000, he got a lot of encouragement from Jaya Bachchan, who really praised the show after watching the first episode.

Since he was a totally new to the world of Television when he first host the show and the concept of Kaun Banega Carorepati was also new for the Indian Television audiences, Mr. Bachchan was quite nervous when the first episode of the show was to go on air.

Recalling the day when the first episode of the show was to go on air, Mr. Bachchan recently wrote on his blog that he was so scared that he completely isolated himself at the time of the show. Mr Bachchan wrote "I was scared and nervous because I had no idea what the public would have to say about the show, about my involvement and its eventual result."

Though, M r. Bachchan did watch the episode, he wrote that instead of sitting with the family, he locked himself in his office and watched it all alone because he did not want his family to know that he was watching the show.

Mr. Bachchan further wrote that the one hour when the show was on, seemed to be very long for him, as he wanted the episode to end quickly so that he could get people’s reaction about the show.

The first reaction, when Mr. Bachchan came out of his office after the episode got over came from his wife Jaya, who said the show was a hit and she loved it.    

It was Jaya’s encouragement that made Mr. Bachchan put in that extra effort in later episodes. The result is well-known to everyone as the show helped Mr. Bachchan come out of the huge financial crises he was facing at that point of time.    

Image Source: topnews.news

Star Cast of Tere Bin Laden: Seema Bhargava, Sugandha Garg, Barry John, Chinmay Mandlekar, Piyush Mishra, Nikhil Ratnaparkhi, Pradhuman Singh, Raahul Singh, Rahul Singh, Chirag Vohra, Ali Zafar

Just imagine that the most wanted man in U.S.A, Osama Bin Laden, is seen walking down the road, running after chickens, looks at ongoing women or gives you his visiting card.

The very thought of looking at the man, whose name is associated with the 9/11 incident in USA, in this manner, puts a smile on your face or even makes you laugh. And that is the precise aim of Tere Bin Laden, which is a wild comedy. Though, the only difference between this film and the usual Bollywood comedies is that apart from making you laugh, it also has a good story to tell, which peeps into the mind of the youth of today.

Tere Bin Laden is a comedy about a young reporter from Pakistan (Ali Zafar), who wants to go to the USA to improve his living standards but can’t do so after his visa application gets rejected repeatedly. When his life is going through a very bad phase, he comes across a man who resembles Osama Bin Laden. Ali then come up with a plan to shoot a video of this man and sell it to news channels as breaking news saying he had shot a video of The Osama Bin Laden.

But just when the things were getting back to normal and the video was doing its bit to bring the young man to limelight, on hearing the news, the White House and American secret agencies send their agents to follow Ali, the man who shot the video of Osama Bin Laden.

The concept of the film is unique because after the 9/11 incident, Osama’s name is only linked to serious issues. The very fact that someone thought of making a comedy with Osama as the central character itself is very surprising and amusing. If that was not enough the makers of the film have ensured that even the sequence of events are equally funny to make you smile and laugh throughout.

Further, as a comedy film should be, the director ensures that you keep laughing till the end. Tere Bin Laden, does not get serious at climax or tends to preach like many other comedy films do.

Director Abhishek Sharma needs to be congratulated for taking a totally off-beat subject and making a comedy film, which apart from making you laugh is also interesting. The director has handled the film beautifully and done complete justice to the subject. He has also made sure that you keep laughing throughout the film.

Apart from the above factors, there are other aspects of the film for which the director needs to be applauded. Though the film has been shot in the Hyderabad city of India, he has managed to give distinct Pakistan look to some scenes. The way people speak and even their dresses have been carefully chosen to show as if those scenes have actually been shot in Pakistan.

The dialogue and cinematography of the film are good. The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is also excellent.

Ali Zafar is excellent in the film. Apart from having good looks, he also knows how to act. 

Pradhuman Singh as a replica of Osama Bin Laden looks terrific in the film. The two have got good support from Piyush Mishra, Sugandha Garg, Nikhil Ratnaparkhi, Rahul Singh, Barry John, Chirag Vohra, Chinmay Mandlekar and Rajendra Sethi.

So, if you are in a mood to enjoy and laugh, go and watch Tere Bin Laden.

Katrina Kaif is likely to perform at opening ceremony of Commonwealth games.

Reports suggest that Bollywood star Katrina Kaif is scheduled to perform at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth games to be held in New Delhi, later this year.

Just like the closing ceremony of previous Commonwealth games, where Bollywood stars like Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had performed, it seems that the organizers of the games are again hoping to rope in Bollywood stars to make the opening ceremony of the upcoming Commonwealth games a success.

Reports further indicate that Katrina is going to perform in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth games at the games anthem, which has been composed by A R Rehman.

Though the reports have not been confirmed, sources say that the organizing committee has contacted Katrina in this regard.

Katrina is also not ready to say anything on this issue. When asked, she preferred to keep quite on this issue.

If such an offer has been made to her, it would be very interesting see what decision Katrina eventually takes in this regard. By performing at the opening ceremony of the event, Katrina will get a chance to showcase her talent at an international event and get noticed. Katrina must be hoping that her performance at the opening ceremony of the games brings her the kind of appreciation and popularity, which Waka-Waka brought to Shakira, when she recently sung the song for FIFA soccer world cup.

Off late Katrina’s magic has worked in Bollywood with almost every movie of her doing well at the box office. Lets see if she can do the same for the opening ceremony of Commonwealth games.

Image Source: Zimbio

Aamir Khan has denied cheating a music group in Peepli Live song confusion.

Clearing confusion in this regard, Aamir Khan has denied the reports that he cheated a musical group that wrote and composed the song on price rise in Peepli Live, which is creating waves across the country.

After the concerned group that wrote and composed the song alleged that producer of Peepli Live, the film in which the song has been used, did not pay them their dues, Aamir has said that the Rs. 1100 he had paid to the musical group is just the signing amount.

Aamir said that when his production house decided to use the song in the film, he had approached the residence of Badwahi, the village where the song was first heard, with a proposal to buy the song. But that proposal did not materialize because the villagers told his team that the song actually belonged to musical group. It was then that Aamir’s company identified the group and got this song from it.

Aamir added that the process of legally buying the song from the musical group is on with the necessary paper work being finalized in this regard.

The issue is said to have come to light after members of the group that has written and composed the song, apart from singing it, had alleged that Aamir had cheated with them by paying only Rs. 1100 as a lump-sum payment for their work.

The musical group alleged that Aamir had promised them due recognition after the song gets recorded, something which has not happened even as the date of release of the film comes close.

Meanwhile, whereas the song may not have benefited the group, it has surely benefited Aamir and the main opposition party of India, Bhartiya Janta Party. Reports suggest that in times when the country is badly hit by inflation,  Bhartiya Janta Party is thinking of buying this song from Aamir and use it against the government.

Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor has issued an apology to Shoba De.

Putting an end to a war of words, Bollywood lead lady Sonam Kapoor has issued a public apology to writer and columnist Shaba De for getting personal with her and criticizing her.

While issuing an apology to Shobha De, Sonam wrote on Twitter, “Mrs. De, I am sorry for getting personal.  I am ashamed of my lapse in judgment.  Every writer and journalist is entitled to his or her opinion and I respect that.”

The issue came to light when after watching I Hate Luv Storys, Shobha De not only felt that the film was quite ordinary but also criticized Sonam’s performance in the film.

Interestingly, it was not Sonam but the director of the film Punit Malhotra, who made some harsh comments about the journalist. Later, Sonam made a post on social networking site Twitter, where she extended her support to whatever the director said about Shobha De.

This made the writer hit back at not only Sonam but also her father Anil Kapoor saying that it was flaw in Anil’s upbringing, which had not taught Sonam to take criticism gracefully. Criticizing Anil, Shobha said that he needs to learn from Amitabh Bachchan and Rakesh Roshan, who have taught their kids to handle failure and criticism with grace.

This made Anil interfere in the matter and ask his daughter to apologize to Shobha.

Acting on her father’s  advise, Sonam has deleted her post regarding Shobha, which she made on Twitter.   

Anil and Sonam must be hoping that with the post being deleted and Sonam issuing an apology, the matter with Shobha now stands closed. 

Image Source: Zimbio

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan is angry with a Television journalist for his remarks against Akshay Kumar.

Amitabh Bachchan has come out strongly against a well-known Television journalist, who had recently made some unpleasant remarks against Bollywood star Akshay Kumar.

Mr. Bachchan said that the journalist should not say anything to film stars, which he would not like to hear himself.

Calling Akshay with some unkind name, the concerned journalist had termed the recent visit of the Bollywood star to the ailing cartoonist R L Laxman at the Breach Candy hospital as a means of gaining publicity for his upcoming film Khatta Meetha. The journalist while writing a post on his Twitter account had said that Akshay needed to come up with more innovative ideas to promote the film. He said that Akshay going and getting a picture clicked with an ailing cartoonist is just not in good taste.

Mr. Bachchan criticizing the journalist, goes to show that despite their difference, when it comes to dealing with journalists, the Bollywood stars stand as one.

Image Source: Zimbio

Star Cast of Red Alert: Suniel Shetty, Sameera Reddy, Naseeruddin Shah, Vinod Khanna, Gulshan Grover, Seema Biswas, Bhagyashree, Murli Sharma, Makrand Deshpande, Ayesha Dharker, Ashish Vidyarthi, Ehsaan Khan, Sunil Sinha, Zakir Hussain

Red Alert is a very different movie. The fact that it is a different movie is established by the makers of the film right at the stat itself. While most movie makers dealing with a realistic and controversial subject tend to call their film a work of fiction, diverting from the usual trend set by the film makers, the makers of this film have started it by acknowledging the fact that it is based on a true story. Further, Red Alert is also different because it revolves around and highlights the difficult issue of Naxalite, which is soon becoming one of the serious problems in the country.

If you actually think of it, the idea of making a film on poor villagers of Andhra Pradesh for whom even surviving itself is a challenge, in itself is very dull. At the same time, it is also a very  risky idea because who will want to see a film on this issue when by reading and watching news repots in newspaper and Television on a daily basis, we know all about it.

But, that is precisely the point where the makers of the film need to be complimented. They have made an ordinary subject look extraordinary and have made sure that with a good screenplay, which is then carried out equally beautifully, they give you a film that hold your attention throughout. The film, which starts on the issue of Naxal, soon turns story of a man, who is struggling to get food for his family and send his children to school. You then start seeing a little bit of yourself in him and even sympathize with him.

The film is a story of a man Narsimha (Suniel Shetty), a farm laborer, who to earn some money for sending his children to school, starts delivering food to Nasxals based in jungles. He then has to undergo training in weapons, and despite not wanting to do so, helps the Naxals in illegal activities like killing and kidnapping. The situation gets worse for him when his relations with Naxal leaders get sour and he is on the hit list of both the police and the Naxals.

Director Anant Mahadevan needs to be congratulated for the fact that though he has tried the difficult task of making a different kind of film with the usual Bollywood actors, he has succeeded to a large extent by bringing them out of their typecast images. A perfect example of this is Suniel, who has an image of a bold action hero, but in this film plays a helpless and timid man, who runs for cover and faints after watching two opposite fractions firing at one another. Sameera Reddy also bears a totally different look in the film.

The film becomes better and more powerful as it moves ahead. The second hour of the film takes it to a new height and grips all your attention. But the climax of the film is weak and at the end you feel that the director has somehow lost his way in the final bit or so.

But despite this falter at the end, director Anant Mahadevan has managed to handle a difficult subject in a matured manner. He has been also supported well by Aruna Raje’s screenplay, K. Rajkumar’s cinematography and Allan Amin’s action.

Suniel Shetty has given one of his finest performances of his life in this film. Suniel has shown that his success in Bollywood was no fluke and he is a good actor. Apart from Suniel, the film also includes powerful performances by Sameera Reddy, Seema Biswas, Ayesha Dharkar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Gulshan Grover, Bhagyashree, Makrand Deshpande and Zakir Hussain. The film also has Naseeruddin Shah, in a guest appearance.

The film may not be promoted all that well but still if you want to see thoughtful and relevant cinema, go and watch this film.