Station Hollywood

Happy birthday to Shilpa Shirodkar.

2009-11-11T12:41:00.001+05:30

Happy birthday to Shilpa Shirodkar.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shilpa Shirodkar on 20th November, 2009. She was a prominent actress of bollywood films during the 90s.

She had been remembered the most for her performance in the film Gopi Kishen. Sunil Shetty played a double role in the film. Shilpa Shetty played the role of a simple city girl who was married to a funny constable. She delivered her dialogues with broken English and reality created sensation. Karishma Kapoor played the role of the smart girl who was cast opposite the smart Sunil Shetty. Shilpa Shetty in fact balanced the callousness of the character Gopi in the film.

Shilpa Shetty did extremely well in the film Hum opposite Govinda. In that film she played the role of daughter of military major played by Kader Khan. Although she loved Govinda, her father never allowed her to get married to Big B’s family as they were involved with India’s military, air force or naval service. Shilpa Shetty married Govinda against the wishes of her father Kader Khan.

She did a great job in the film Kishen Kanhaiya. Anil Kapoor played a double role in that film. The film was based on the same story line as that of Dilip Kumar’s film Ram Aur Shyam. The twin brothers played by Anil Kapoor had contrasting characters like Dilip Kumar’s characters in Ram Aur Shyam. Shilpa Shetty acted opposite the docile Anil Kapoor who was beaten up by Amrish Puri. Shilpa Shetty had suffered due to the oppression of Amrish Puri in the film.

Shilpa Shirodkar also acted in serious fllms like Prakash Jha’s Mrityudand. She kept her mark opposite Shabana Azmi, Madhuri Dixit and other actresses in the film. Shilpa Shirodkar added weight and stopped acting after 10 years.

The viewers expect her to make a comeback in character roles in future.

Happy birthday to Meenakshi Sheshadri.

2009-11-10T08:39:00.001+05:30

Happy birthday to Meenakhi Sheshadri.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Meenakshi Sheshadri on 16th November, 2009. She had been one of the leading actresses of bollywood films of the 80s.

She started her career in Subhash Ghai’s film Hero. Meenakshi acted opposite Jackie Shroff in the film who also started his career with the film Hero. After that Meenakshi acted opposite all the leading actors of bollywood films. She was very successful in the film Meri Jung opposite Anil Kapoor. In that film Anil Kapoor contested against Amrish Puri in a keenly contested case.

Meenakshi was successful opposite Big B in the film Shahenshah. Big B played the role of a police officer who did his duty during the day and attached criminals at night with the name of Shahenshah. Meenakshi acted in successful of Raj Kumar Santoshi one after the other.

She was at her best in the film Damini. In that film she had seen a girl being raped. When she went and testified before the court about the happening she was considered to be an insane person. But she did not care about the allegation and testified before the court about the happening. Sunny Deol and Rishi Kapoor also did extremely well in the film opposite her.

Sunny Deol and Meenakshi formed a deadly combination especially in the films of Raj Kumar Santoshi. Their other hit films included Ghayal and Ghatak which did fantastic business. In Ghayal Meenakshi played the role of a dare devil character, the journalist who did not fear to write the truth related to a corrupted businessman played by Amrish Puri. Sunny Deol was falsely implicated in a case and fled from the jail to kill Amrish Puri. Meenakshi also acted opposite other actors like Vinod Khanna.

Meenakshi also acted in South Indian films. She left films at a time when she was very matured. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in character roles in future.

Happy birthday to Kamal Hassan.

2009-11-09T08:40:00.001+05:30

Happy birthday to Kamal Hassan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to versatile actor Kamal Hassan on 7th November, 2009. He had been a versatile figure both in bollywood films and South Indian cinema.

In the early 80s, his film Ek Duje Ke Liye stormed bollywood. It was a teenage love story where Kamal Hassan and Rati Agnihotri reached their performance to huge number of Indians. Kamal Hassan also showed his exceptional dancing skills in songs like “hum bane tum bane ek duje ke liye”. He followed it up with his brilliant performance in the film Saagar.

In Saagar, Ramesh Sippy experimented with a triangular love story with Kamal Hassan, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. The songs of the film composed by RD Burman became super hit. Some of them included “o maria”, “chehera ho”, “saagar kinare”, “jane do na”, etc. Kamal Hassan brought tears in the eyes of his audience through his sacrificing performance as died at the end of the film to save Rishi Kapoor.

From that time onwards he acted in different types of films, both having commercial significance and also art value. He acted in the film Geraftaar opposite Big B and Rajnikant. The viewers remember his comedy film Chachi 420.

Kamal Hassan used all the legendary actors of bollywood in the film Chachi 420 as a director and emerged victorious. Om Puri, Paresh Rawal, Amrish Puri, Tabu were balanced by the brilliant performance of Kamal Hassan himself who played the role of lady Chachi. He took a brilliant make up and created a hilarious script and Om Puri, Amrish Puri, did their best to make the film super hit.

In 2009 also Kamal Hassan came up with ten roles in the film Dasaavatharam. He had acted opposite Asin, Mallika Sherawat and others. He played ten different characters and all the roles were played with different dimensions. Besides he had played many daunting characters in Tamil films and bollywood films like the one in the film Hindustani.

The viewers expect him to show the dynamism in future too as they still know that Kamal Hassan still has a lot of acting left in him.

Deepika Padukone had a silent year 2009.

2009-11-08T09:20:00.003+05:30

Deepika Padukone had a silent year 2009.

Deepika had a very quite and silent year in 2009. Deepika Padukone, the daughter of International Badminton player Prakash Padukone, was born on 5th January, 1986. She accomplished her studies from Mount Carmel College in Australia and pursued her career as a super model. She had modeled for famous Indian brands like Limca, Dabur Lal Powder, Close Up Toothpaste and Liril.

She won the Model of the Year award at the Kingfisher Fashion Awards, became one of the models for Kingfisher Swimsuit Calender 2006 and won two awards at the Idea Zee Fashion awards. She became the brand ambassador of Kingfisher Airlines, Levi Strauss, Tissot SA. After impressing the judges of the modeling world she featured in private album Aap Ka Suroor of Himesh Reshamiya. She got one of the biggest breaks of her life in Farah Khan’s film Om Shanti Om.

She astonished the viewers of bollywood films with her all round performance in the film Om Shanti Om which was the first film of her life. Farah Khan’s film ended up being the greatest blockbuster of the year and created a room for Deepika Padukone to be a super star. She acted in a double role, one having an old background with the name Shantipriya, while the other Sandy having similarity with the looks of Shantipriya. The success of the film with the brilliant performance of superstar Shahrukh Khan created the spirit where Deepika Padukone had a greater challenge of balancing the standard in her following films.

Her next film Bachna Aye Haseeno, opposite Ranbir Kapoor created sensation as well. Deepika acted opposite Bipasha Basu and Minissha Lamba. So she had the additional challenge of balancing their beauty with her own screen presence. Some way or the other she stood out as the leading actress of the film and the film became super hit. The songs “sazde”, “bachna aye haseeno”, etc., composed by Vishal Shekhar became super hit.

But 2009 had been a silent year. Her film Chadni Chowk To China opposite Akshay Kumar flopped. The other film Love Aaj Kal opposite Saif Ali Khan did mediocre business. She has a challenge of giving a hit film very soon before her image is forgotten. The viewers expect her to bounce back in style.

Sharon Stone and Hollywood films.

2009-11-07T11:32:00.002+05:30

Sharon Stone and Hollywood films.

Sharon Stone had remained one of the powerful actresses of Hollywood films and became indispensable in the 90s. Born on March 10th, 1958, Sharon Stone had the craze for films during the time when she lived in Meadville, Pennysylvenia.

In the 70s, Sharon won the crown of Miss Crawford County in Meadville. Then she shifted to New Jersey and worked in Ford Modeling Agency in New York. She featured in advertisements of Burger King, Clairol and Maybelline. She started her acting with the film Stardust Memories in 1980.

But she got proper role in the film Deadly Blessing in 1981. She got a notable role opposite James Caan in the film Les Uns et Les Autres in 1982 as she was discovered by French director Claude Lelouch. In 1984, she also acted in the film Irreconcilable Differences opposite Ryan O Neil, Shelley Long and Drew Barrymore. Her other films in the 80s like Action Jackson, King Solomon’s Mines did mediocre business.

She rose to stardom with the film Total Recall in 1990 opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger. She balanced the action skills of Arnold with her own soft style of dialogue delivery. Then she acted in the role of her lifetime of that of Catherine Tramell in the film Basic Instinct. She was a serial killer in the film who was identified by Michael Douglous. She agreed to give bold scenes in the film due to request of the director Verhoeven, specially the scene where the police interrogated her.

Her other hit films of that period included The Quick and The Dead. She received Golden Globe Award for her best performance in the film Casino, opposite Robert De Niro. Her film If These Walls Could Talk 2 in 2002 also created attention. She played the role of a lesbian in the film. Her film Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction was released in 2006 after being held up for litigation purposes. But this time it did not get that amount of attention.

Her films should be restored. The viewers are waiting anxiously for her next releases Satisfaction and The Guest Room this year.

Pamela Anderson and Hollywood films.

2009-11-07T08:35:00.002+05:30

Pamela Anderson and Hollywood films.

Pamela Anderson had remained as one of the successful actresses of bollywood films. Born in July 1st, 1967, she became popular before the viewers with her TV serials Baywatch, VIP and Home Improvement.

She was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia. After graduating from Highland Secondary School in 1985, Anderson moved to Vancouver. She decided to model for Playboy Magazine. She went to Los Angeles and bagged the role of CJ Parker in Baywatch.

In 1996, she acted in the film Barb Wire. The film as modeled on the same storyline as that of Casablanca. So it did not get the box-office that was expected. In 2004, she released the book Star, co-written by Eric Shaw Quinn, which was related to the story of a teenager who wanted to become business.

In respect of her Hollywood films, she got scope of mainly thriller films like Snapdragon and Raw Justice in the early part of her career. After showing her potential in the films and TV shows, she was made an automatic choice in the thriller films Raw Justice and Naked Souls. Along with acting she had also shown her acrobatic stunts in these films.

Pamela had also acted in comedy films like Pauly Shore is Dead, Blonde and Blonder. Pamela was also involved in many forms of social work. She had been active member of animal protection organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, (PETA). She also received the Linda McCartney Memorial award for animal rights protectors in 2003. Her protest was against the use of fur which was an animal product.

She had married famous drummer Tommy Lee. After divorce with him she married Schenkenberg and then Kid Rock after she got the divorce for the second marriage.

The viewers expect her to storm Hollywood films again with her film Hollywood and Wine in 2009.

Happy birthday to Juhi Chawla.

2009-11-06T10:54:00.001+05:30

Happy birthday to Juhi Chawla.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Juhi Chawla on 13th November, 2009. Juhi Chawla stormed bollywood films in the 90s.

Her first film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak became super hit in the late 80s. Her pair with Amir Khan was well accepted by the audience. The songs in the film became very successful. The landmark songs included “aye mere humsafar”, “papa kehte hai” sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and others. From that time many producers and directors did cast her opposite Amir Khan in many films. Her comedy andaz in the film Ishq opposite Amir Khan was well appreciated. The film did great business.

Juhi Chawla acted in romantic films opposite all the leading actors of bollywood, including Rishi Kapoor in Bol Radha Bol and Eena Meena Dika, Anil Kapoor in Deewana Mastana, Jhoot Bole Kowa Kate, Amir Khan in Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke, to name a few. In the mid-90s she acted in a number of films opposite superstar Shahrukh Khan.

Her major films opposite Shahrukh Khan included Duplicate, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, etc. She started her production house Dreams Unlimited along with Shahrukh Khan and produced many films. One of the hit films included Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. Both Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla acted in the film.

Juhi Chawla also acted in films opposite other actors. Her performance in character roles in the recent times had also impressed the crowds. Some of her recent films included Salaam-E-Ishq opposite Anil Kapoor. She played the role of a middle-aged woman whose husband got attached with another woman.

Juhi Chawla acted in action films like Darr as well. She performed opposite Sunny Deol and Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan acted in a negative role in the film who was killed at the end by Sunny Deol. Juhi Chawla’s dance performance in the film in songs like “tu meri saamne” still haunts the viewers.

The viewers expect Juhi Chawla to continue the quality work in future.

Happy birthday to Mala Sinha.

2009-11-05T11:58:00.002+05:30

Happy birthday to Mala Sinha.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mala Singh on 11th November, 2009. She had been a legendary actress of bollywood films and contributed in both bollywood films and Bengali films for more than 40 years.

In the 50s, Mala Sinha had acted in classic films like Parvarish, Phir Subah Hogi opposite Raj Kapoor. These films became immortal for their unforgettable songs like “anshu bhari hai”, “woh subah kabhi to ayegi”, etc. Mala Sinha was sublime opposite Dev Anand in the film Love Marriage. The music of the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan was equally grand. The hit songs included “dheere dheere chal”, “kahan ja rahete”, etc.

Mala Sinha contributed well in Guru Dutt’s classic film Pyaasa. The romantic andaz displayed by Mala Sinha was very significant in the film in the songs “hum aapke aankho me”, sung by Rafi and Geeta Dutt. Mala Sinha continued her dream run in the 60s by performing in historical films like Jahanara opposite Bharat Bhushan. The film was a musical block buster. The songs “baad muddar key eh ghari aye”, “kisi ki yaad me”, etc., composed by Madan Mohan created history. The biggest achievement of Mala Sinha lies in sustaining in bollywood industry amidst high competition from other leading actresses like Nargis, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Vaijayantimala, etc.

Mala Sinha also acted with the next generation of actors like Rajender Kumar and Dharmender. Her successful films opposite Rajender Kumar included Dhool Ka Phool, Lalkar and Geet. Her successful films opposite Dharmender included Ankhen, Neela Akash, etc. which did great business. She did very well in films opposite Biswajeet like Night in London and Shammi Kapoor in Dil Tera Diwana.

Mala Sinha played a very long innings in Bengali films as well. Her successful films opposite Uttam Kumar included Khelaghar, Shaharer Itikatha, Bandhu, Putrabadhu, Saathihara, to name a few. Her other notable films include Dhuli, Abhaya Srikanto, etc.

She even featured in modern films in the 90s like Khel where she had played character roles opposite Madhuri Dixit. The viewers expect her to continue in character roles in films in future.

Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani is going to be a super hit film.

2009-11-04T11:21:00.003+05:30

Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani is going to be a superhit film.

Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani is going to be a super hit film. It is the first time that two hot actor and actress Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif had acted together.

It is after a long time that director Raj Kumar Santoshi had come up with a comedy film after the hit film Andaz Apna Apna. In fact Raj Kumar Santoshi had been known for making successful action films like Ghayal, Damini, Ghatak, etc. In this film Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif had performed in exotic locations of Turkey ,Goa and Ooty . The music of the film had been composed by Pritam and most of the songs had already become popular.

In this film Raj Kumar Santoshi had made Ranbir Kapoor play the role of a depressed lover boy who had crossed all the roads possible to reach his mission which was the affair with Katrina Kaif. The love story was full of crazyness of Ranbir Kapoor towards Katrina Kaif.

The other actors and actresses who had contributed in the film included Darshan Jariwala, Asrani, Salman Khan in a special appearance, Govind Namdeo, Smita Jaykar, Navneet Nishan and others. Most of the performers had given their natural performance.

Besides this year had been a successful year for Ranbir Kapoor, with his film Wake Up Sid opposite Konkona Sen Sharma being appreciated by big section of viewers. The comedy sequences in the film had amused everyone. Katrina Kaif is maturing as an actress day by day.

There is no doubt that the film is going to do excellent business.

Happy birthday to Shahrukh Khan.

2009-11-04T11:01:00.001+05:30

Happy birthday to Shahrukh Khan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shahrukh Khan on 2nd November, 2009. He was the ruler of bollywood industry in the 90s. Right from Baazigar, Shahrukh Khan gave blockbusters one after the other.

Shahrukh Khan had a grand combination with Director Karan Johar, and most of the films directed by him ended up being super hit. The notable films include Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, etc. Shahrukh Khan also gave able lips in hit songs of these films including “kuch kuch hota hai”, “suraj hua madhyam”, etc.

Shahrukh Khan also succeeded in negative roles. The greatest example includes Darr. There he played a negative character opposite Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. On one hand he gave good lips in the songs “tu mere samne”, on the other hand his attack on Juhi Chawla made the viewers understand that he could act in any type of films. He was played a challenging role in Mani Ratnam’s film Dil Se. The film was related to terrorism in North East India and Shahrukh Khan died with Manisha Koirala in the film.

Shahrukh Khan has the record of bagging 7 filmfare awards for best actor, which is the second best record after Dilip Kumar who had won it 8 times. Shahrukh Khan, better known as King Khan, had acted in the films of almost all the leading directors of the country, including Amol Palekar’s Paheli with Rani Mukherjee. Besides he had acted opposite different actresses like Kajol in the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Preeti Zinta in the film Veer Zara, Anushka Sharma in the film Rab Ne Bana Di Jori, to name a few.

Shahrukh Khan opened own production house titled Dreams Unlimited with Juhi Chawla, and the films produced by such combination like Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani also did good business. Shahrukh Khan had ruled the industry for more than 15 years.

The viewers are waiting for his next film My Name Is Khan and expect him to continue the great work and entertain everyone.

Kalyanji Anandji cared for Rafi in the 70s.

2009-11-03T11:11:00.001+05:30

Kalyanji Anandji cared for Rafi in the 70s.

Mohammad Rafi was the uncrowned king of bollywood music in the 50s and 60s. After the composers like Naushad, Shankar Jaikishan, Roshan, Madanmohan, Ghulam Mohammad, OP Nayyar, and others realized the range of voice of Rafi, they made him the first choice during a period when able singers like Mukesh, Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood, and others were at the top of their career. But Kalyanji Anandji’s association with Rafi in the 70s require special mention considering the fact that RD Burman and SD Burman sidelined Rafi to promote Kishore Kumar and with the death of Jaikishan, Roshan and many composers the only challenge that could be put forward before RD Burman was done by LP and KA.

Kalyanji Anandji started their career at that time. The film industry was not moved to that extent with his film Samrat Chandragupta in 1958. In Raj Kapoor’s film Chalia and Dulha Dulhan, KA gave decent music, with songs like “chalia mera naam”, “humne tumko pyar kiya hai jitna” sung by Mukesh becoming big hits. It was difficult for Kalyanji Anandji to get the scope of composing films of leading actors of the 60s who were associated with Rafi, for the sole reason that most of the actors were associated with established composers. Pradeep Kumar was associated with Roshan, Guru Dutt was associated with OP Nayyar, Shammi Kapoor and Rajender Kumar was associated with Shankar Jaikishan, Dilip Kumar was associated with Naushad, to name a few.

But wherever he got scope of composing music in the films of such big shots, he used Rafi very well. Rafi’s songs in Shammi Kapoor’s film Bluff Master (with hit song of Rafi like “govinda ala re”) and Joy Mukherjee’s film Ji Chahta Hai (the title song “ji chahta hai” require special mention) were very melodious. KA’s music in Shashi Kapoor’s film Jab Jab Phool Khilen created sensation in the mid 60s.

Each song of Rafi including “pardesiyon se na”, “mai yahan ek ajnabee hoon”, “na na karke pyar”, etc., entertained the audience. KA Rafi struck gold in Shashi Kapoor’s film Haseena Maan Jayegi. All the songs of the film were hits including “bekhudi me sanam”, “chale the saath milke”, “dilbar dilbar”, etc. Besides, KA also used Rafi in duet song “gulaabi raat gulaabi” with Asha in the film Upkar, where Mahendra Kapoor’s song “mere desh ki dharti” and Manna Dey’s song “kasme wade” made everlasting impact in the minds of the listeners.

KA Rafi combination was very successful in Rajesh Khanna’s film Raaz, with notable songs “akele hai chale ayon”. In the 70s, KA continued with their loyalty with Rafi. In Dilip Kumar’s Gopi, KA gave landmark bhajan “sukh ke saab saathi” which still remains one of the adorable devotional songs. KA and Rafi created storms with the film Geet.

Each and every song of Rafi in Rajender Kumar’s Geet became super hit including “aja tujhko pukare meri geet”. The compositions of KA involving folk flavor of the mountains always enchanted the Indian audience. Right from Himalay Ki Godme to Maryada, KA maintained the consistency.

KA Rafi combination created gold in Raj Kumar’s Maryada as well. Although KA gave songs to KK like “gussa itna hasin hai to” for Rajesh Khanna, they maintained the Raj Kumar Rafi combination by giving the song “dhol sajni dhol jani”. KA kept the Dilip Kumar and Rafi combination intact in the film Bairaag with hit songs like “peete peete”, “sari shahar me aapsa koi nahi”, etc. KA continued with Rafi in Feroz Khan’s films as well. One of the hit songs include “kya dekhte ho” from the film Qurbani.

Due to huge demand for KK to sing for Big B, KA had to comprise with KK in films like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, but KA used Rafi to sing the same title song “rote hue ate hai sab” which was sung by KK. KA showed their respect for Rafi without doing injustice to Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore, Mahendra Kapoor and others. It is not possible to cover the Rafi KA combination in a small article as KA had contributed in more than 250 films over a period of 40 years. The songs and the films should be restored.

Haappy birthday to Aishwarya Rai.

2009-11-03T10:26:00.003+05:30

Happy birthday to Aishwarya Rai.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai on 1st November, 2009.She had been the first woman in India whose wax Statue had been made in Madam Tussadd’s Museum in London , UK.

After winning Miss World Crown she stormed Bollywood films with Jeans. Her film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan became super hit. Her screen presence in traditional Rajasthani dress flabbergasted the viewers. She gave elegant lips in the songs “nimura nimura” and “dhol baaje”.

She gave the best performance of her life in the film Taal. Her softness in the film opposite Ashay Khanna and Anil Kapoor charmed the viewers. AR Rehman’s music in the film was sensational. All the songs in the film became super hit including “ishq bina kya jina”, “rabba jogi”, etc. Ash in that period was at the top of her career.

She also did well opposite Anil Kapoor in the film Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai. In that film she was raped by Puru Raj Kumar and was given shelter by Anil Kapoor. After that her docile image balanced the strong performance of Anil Kapoor in the film. The film got huge box-office. Ash created spark in item numbers as well. The best example can be “kajra re kajra re” in the film Bunty Aur Babli. Gulzar wrote the lyrics which was sung by Alisha Chinoi. The music was composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. In fact the best dance performance of the film was related to the song which pulled the crowds. Aishwarya’s other hit films include Josh, Kuch Na Kaho, Sarkar Raaj, etc.

2008 was a great year for Ash. After success in the film Dhoom 2 opposite Hrithik Roshan, she amazed the viewers with her powerful performance in the film Jodha Akbar, again opposite Hrithik Roshan. If Dhoom 2 showed her westernized dimensions, Jodha Akbar proved her royal andaz. That was the best film of the year and of her career till now.

Aishwarya Rai played a very notable role in the films Bride and Prejudice and other Hollywood films. Articles after articles can be devoted on Aishwarya Rai’s Hollywood performances. Presently the viewers are waiting anxiously to see her performance in the role Sita in Mani Ratnam’s film Ravan. She will feature opposite her husband Abhishek Bacchan who will play the role of Ram in the film. The viewers expect Ash to continue the great work that she had started 15 years back.

Priyanka Chopra was amazing in What's Your Rashee.

2009-10-31T16:22:00.004+05:30

Priyanka Chopra was amazing in What’s your Rashee.

Priyanka Chopra was absolutely amazing while playing the girls of 12 rashees in the film What’ Your Rashee. The movie contained 12 character of 12 different Rashee(zodiac sign) and 1 eligible bachelor. Harman Baweja as Yogesh Kumar Patel was an eligible bachelor working as a waiter in Chicago University and doing MBA. He was also a dj at night bars.

He was called to India out of the blue and was to be married in a matter of days, the reason being that his maternal grandfather on his marriage would be bestowing him 30 crores worth of property and his family need this to survive ruin- their elder son Jeetu (Dilip Joshi) having borrowed and squandered 4 crores of wealth including 1.5 crores of wealth from a local underworld don Moolraj (Yuri) and now running the risk of facing a prison sentence. Yogesh's father's brother Debu (Darshan Jariwala) took charge of showing him the eligible girls. But Yogesh after reading a book on sun signs insisted on seeing only 12 girls, one from each Raashee and then decide whom to marry.

In reality there was 12 different girls from 12 different zodiac signs played by Priyanka Chopra. Two days before the marriage Yogesh was unable to decide the perfect woman for him. He got confused about Sanjana and Hansa, as he liked both of them. In between the don pressurized his family and his parents pressurized him. At the wedding Debu uncle came with a girl and yogesh was confused about the girl and her rashee(zodiac). Ultimately Yogesh got married with Sanjana (aquarian girl) and his Debu uncle revealed the truth that 2days ago. Sanjana was dumped by her boyfriend and she made her decision changed and said yes to marry Yogesh.

Priyanka showed 12 different characters right from docile, soft feminine characteristics to aggressive characteristics. Ashutosh Gowarikar had utilized the talent of Priyanka Chopra to its full potential. This will remain as one of the greatest work of Priyanka Chopra till now.

Feluda Team in Dadagiri

2009-10-30T07:43:00.005+05:30

Feluda Team in Dadagiri

The different teams of Satyajit Ray's immortal creation Feluda series appeared in Sourav Ganguly's program Dadagiri in Zee Bangla. The team included old Feluda team like Soumitra Chatterji (Feluda), Siddharta Chatterji (Topse) and Kushal Chakravarty (Mukul). The new Feluda team included Sabyasachi Chakravarty (Feluda), Saswata Chatterji (Topse) and Bibhu Bhattacharya (Jatayu).

While quiz questions were asked the nostalgia relating to Satyajit Ray's immortal creation Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath reflected across everybody's mind. Soumitra admitted the classic shooting in the romantic landscapes of Rajasthan in Sonar Kella gave a new dimension to the film.

It was mentioned that after the death of Santosh Dutta who had previously played the role of Jatayu, Satyajit Ray declined to make any other film on the Feluda series. Jatayu's daughter was called in the program to share her experience.

Sabyasachi Chakravarty reflected about the fact when Satyajit Ray made the films on Feluda within one year of writing the story the picture of Kolkata did not change. But When Sandip Ray made the same films after 20 years of creation of the literature he had to make alterations in the film considering the change of lifestyle of people in Kolkata. During Ray's time Green Ambassador of Jatayu showed status. During Sandip Ray's time BMW cars are common in Kolkata.

Sourav Ganguly conducted the program with brilliance. The viewers expect Sandip Ray to make more films relating to Feluda Series written by Satyajit Ray.

Mubarak Begum Program.

2009-10-29T09:56:00.004+05:30

Mubarak Begum program.

Rafi Lovers Circle organized a musical concert Remembering Melody Queens with Mubarak Begum to confer Mohamed Rafi Memorial Award 2009, on Mubarak Begum, reputed Playback Singer of yesteryears . The programme was held on 25th Oct, 09 at the Satyajit Ray Auditorium, Rabindranath Tagore Centre, of The Indian Council for Cultural Relations Kolkata. First of all rich tributes were paid to the incomparable Rafi Saheb by Calcutta's famous aspiring singer Debajit Dutta of Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma fame, who sang Kabhi Na Kabhi To Kahin Na Kahin and Hui Shaam Unka Khayal Aa Gaya.

The Programme took off with a Rafi Saheb and Mubarak Begum Cutain Raiser song....... 1966 film Sushila. Noorjehan, Suraiyya, Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt were fondly remembered by crooning their hit songs by the local artists and circle members, as well as by Smt Ruhi Khan, Founder of the Circle who concieved and executed the 3 hour audio visual event. Some of the other songs which cast a slow mesmerising spell on the audience are listed below :

Awaaz De Kahan Hai - Noorjahan ( Anmol Ghadi )
Dil-e Nadaan Tujhe Huva Kya Hai - Suraiyya ( Mirza Ghalib)
Milte Hi Ankhen Dil Huva - Shamshad Begum ( Babul )
Rim Jhim Ke Tarane Le Ke - Geeta Dutt ( Kala Bazar )
Sun Sun Sun Sun Zalima - Geeta Dutt ( Aar Paar )
Mehlon Mein Rehne Wale - Mubarak Begum ( Shabab )
Mujh Ko Apne Gale Laga Lo - Mubarak Begum ( Hamrahi )

When the singers begun the song Meri Neendon Mein Tum, Mere Khwabon Mein Tum... the hall was amused and enthralled. The Hamrahi song "Mujhko Apne Gala Laga Lo..." was the centre of all discussions even during personal talk. Members in audience used to humm this song several times as if it was the Signature song to remember Mubarak Begum. She fondly remembered this song and sang it on the stage. She also sang Bemurrawwat Bewafa, and Kabhi Tanhaiyon mein, Hamari Yaad Aayegi, which also got similar weightage and applause from the well attended concert.

After tributes were paid to the Melody Queens of yesteryears, The Rafi Lovers Circle Founder President Ruhi Khan conferred the Mohd Rafi Memorial Award, along with a stream of gifts by the Executive Committee members, Circle members. Many of the Guests who were invited also came forward and presented her gifts.

A documentary on Mubarak Begum produced by Film Division was also shown during the programme which went very well with the proceedings When asked to speak about her association with Rafi Saheb, Begum Saheba said that Rafi Saheb was a very pious and simple person, during song recordings his focus and committment was divine. he used to be self absorbed, oblivious of his surroundings and totally immersed and in command of the song. He performed Hajj multiple times including Hajj-e-Akbar. At the end of the concert, on behalf of the Circle, Begum Saheb presented to the entire orchestra, all the singers and technicians, a replica of the Mohamed Rafi Memorial Award 2009.

Truely a vintage evening, and after Music Director Ravi Sb ( 2005 ), Music Director Omiji of the Sonik - Omi team ( 2006 ) Music Director & Playback Singer Shardaji ( 2007 ) and Mahendra Kapoor Sb, posthumously in ( 2008 ) another well deserved Mohamed Rafi Memorial Award given to an artist of Rafi Saheb's era who had the good fortunate to rub shoulders with him. Subha Na Ayee, Shaam Na Ayee.... Jis Din Teri Yaad na Ayee. The program had been compiled by Sudershan Pandey of Shankerjaikishen.com Forum.

Blue did not get the opening it expected.

2009-10-29T09:43:00.004+05:30

Blue did not get the opening it expected.

The film Blue was expected to be the year’s greatest blockbuster with crores and crores of money being invested behind the film. While the film All the best ended up being super hit, Blue received a very mediocre response.

Director Anthony D Souza got inspired by Hollywood films Jaws and The Deep and made a film related to underwater life. There was treasure hidden underneath the sea, which the three friends Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar and Zaid Khan tried to find.

Lara Dutta’s efforts in learning scuva diving had gone in vain. She had taken very daring stunts in the film Blue. She had learned underwater diving and showed the skills in the film. Even Akshay Kumar’s acrobatic stunts had gone in vain.

The main reasons for the film not doing going business is related to the negative attitude of the audience towards action films. Besides the Indian audience had not been matured enough to embrace adventurous films.

The failure of the film will have no impact on the career of Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Kumar. Sanjay Dutt already got a hit film this year that is All the Best. Akshay Kumar can cover up the loss with his next film De Dana Dan.

The major impact of the film lies on the career of Lara Dutta. She did not get the recognition for her hit films. This time when she had really performed with her physical fitness, her effort had also gone in vain.

Whatever may be the box-office report of the film, the camera work of the film had been excellent and can influence other filmmakers in making daring films in future.

Happy birthday to Raveena Tandon.

2009-10-27T15:40:00.002+05:30

Happy birthday to Raveen Tandon.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Raveena Tandon on 26th October, 2009. She was a versatile actress of the 90s. Initially when she joined films her performance opposite Akshay Kumar and Govinda attracted the attention of many viewers.

Her films Mohra opposite Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty, Aatish and Vijeta opposite Sanjay Dutt, Vinashak opposite Sunil Shetty got great box-office success. In Vijeta she played the role of an honest police officer who loved a lawyer Sanjay Dutt. Sanjay Dutt took law in his own hands to punish the killers of his senior lawyer played by Aloknath. Raveena realized that her superior police officer Amrish Puri was a criminal himself and sided with Paresh Rawal. The performance of Raveena in a daring role in Vijeta amazed the viewers. She also showed her comedy skills in the film Andaz Apna Apna opposite Ami Khan ad Salman Khan.

But later on in her career she got challenging roles. She got the national award for the best actress for her brilliant performance in the film Daman. It was related to ill-treatment of women. She was sublime in the film Shool opposite Manoj Vajpayee, where the corruption in politics was at issue.

She gave landmark performance in the film Jago opposite Sanjay Kapoor. Her daughter was raped by miscreants in local train in Mumbai and she prayed for justice in court of law. Manoj Vajpayee, the police officer in the film faced the resistance from different members of the society in proving the case.

Raveena Tandon was brilliant in the film Daava opposite Akshay Kumar. It is a pity that when she was at the peak of her career that she left films after getting married and begetting children. The viewers want her to make a return to bollywood films in character roles as she still has a lot of acting left in her.

Happy birthday to Sunny Deol.

2009-10-27T08:21:00.001+05:30

Happy birthday to Sunny Deol.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to action star Sunny Deol on 19th October, 2009. He had been a sensation in bollywood films. Being the son of successful actor Dharmender, he had the pressure of proving his capability the early part of his career.

Although he started with romantic films like Betaab in the early 80s, within short period of time he built a macho body and acted in action films one after the other. He became the lead actor in most of the films of Raj Kumar Santoshi. Most of those films were anti-establishment films where his anti-establishment image amazed the viewers.

He received the filmfare best actor award for his brilliant performance in the film Ghayal. He took revenge against smuggling don Balwant Rai played by Amrish Puri. He got awarded for his brilliant performance in the film Damini opposite Meenakshi Sheshadri. He played the role of an upright lawyer who helped a lady like Meenakshi who was threatened by her inlaws against giving testimony in a rape case. The film became the greatest hit of the year.

Sunny’s film Gadar Ek Premkatha, based on hindu-muslim vengeance during partition broke the record of hit films in India. He went to Pakistan to bring his wife Amisha Patel and small son, and faced the resistance of orthodox muslims under the leadership of Amrish Puri. He fought his way out and brought his family to India.

His other hit films included Ghatak, Samandar, Darr, Joshilay, Tridev, Vishwaatma, to name a few. He was considered to be one of the best body-builders of the country in the 90s. Other than Sanjay Dutt, no other actor was as successful as Sunny Deol in action films.

The viewers expect him to continue the strong performance and contribute in bollywood films in future.

Mubarak Begum was remembered by Rafi Lovers Circle.

2009-10-26T16:00:00.001+05:30

Mubarak Begum was remembered by Rafi Lovers Circle.

On 25.10.09 Rafi Lovers Circle organized Remembering Melody Queens with Mubarak Begum to confer Mohamed Rafi Memorial Award 2009 to the Singer of so many nice songs.

The programme started at around 6.10 pm at Satyajit Ray Auditorium, Rabindranath Tagore Centre, ICCR, Kolkata with a brief introduction by Shri Hashim Khan, one of the founder members and Chief centre of all these enthusiasm.

First of all rich tributes were paid to Noorjehan, Suraiyya, Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt by crooning their hit songs by the local artistes as well as by Smt Roohi Khan, Founder of the Circle.

And here at this point viewers were compelled to think whether in their attempt to promot or use Lata Mangeshkar, Shankar-Jaikishan did injustice to themselves as well towards those beautiful female singers who were in demand that time, except Noorjehan who had left India by the time SJ stepped in. They should have exploited potential of other female singers as well and would have introduced / experimented with new voices like they did with Subir Sen, CH Atma, etc etc.

In the programme most of the songs chosen were composed by OP Nayyar, Naushad and others. When the singers begun song “Meri neendo mein tum mere khwabon mein tum...” the hall was amused and enthralled
For SJ+Mubarak Begum fans, only relieving factor was the Hamrahi song "Mujhko apne Gala Laga Lo..." which was the centre of all discussions even during personal talk members in audience used to humm this song several times as if it was the Signature song to remember Mubarak Begum. She also fondly remembered this song and sang it on the stage. Though her, "Kabhi Tanhaiyon mein, hamari yaad aayegi..." got similar weightage.

A documentary produced by Film Division was also procured by Shri Hashim Khan. An edited version of the docu was shown during the programme in which few of her photographs with Rafi Sahab and others were depicted, but I did not found any Shankar Jaikishan photograph there in the docu. I will have to check it with Hashim Khan Sahab whether in the documentary there any photograph of SJ or either of them is depicted in the documentary.
The report was compiled by Sudershan Pandey of Shanker Jaikishan dot com.

Happy birthday to Shammi Kapoor.

2009-10-26T09:29:00.001+05:30

Happy birthday to Shammi Kapoor.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to rock and roll star Shammi Kapoor on 21st October, 2009. He had remained a dancing sensation in the 60s.

Although in the early part of his career he had mediocre films like Laila Majnu, he bounced back in style with the film Tumsa Nahi Dekha in 1957 and Dil Deke Dekho in 1959. His stylish andaz and dancing mannerisms like Elvis Priestley created a separate image before the viewers. He in fact modernized Indian films.

His combination with Shankar Jaikishan and Mohammad Rafi was very grand. SJ composed music in almost 22 films of Shammi Kapoor and the songs of those films are still considered musical gems. Hit songs include “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” sung by Rafi, composed by SJ in Junglee, “tumse accha kaun hai” sung by Rafi, composed by SJ in Janwar, “aye gulbadan” composed by SJ sung by Rafi in the film Professor, “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye” composed by SJ, sung by Rafi in the film Raj Kumar, “aasmaan se aya farishta” composed by SJ and sung by Rafi in the film An Evening in Paris, “mai gayun tum so jayo” composed by SJ sung by Rafi in the film Brahmchari, to name a few. The list can go on.

Shammi Kapoor received filmfare award for best actor only once, for the performance in the film Brahmchari in 1968. But that cannot show his dominance in bollywood films in the 60s. If Rajender Kumar portrayed the sophisticated style of romance in the 60s, Shammi Kapoor portrayed the westernized dimension. Actors like Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet followed the Shammi Kapoor style and got success in contemporary films like Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Mere Sanam, etc.

Shammi Kapoor acted opposite all the leading actresses of bollywood films in the 60s, including Sharmila Tagore in Kashmir Ki Kali, Sadhna in Raj Kumar, Asha Parekh in Teesri Manzil, Saira Banu in Junglee, Rajashree in Janwar, Hema Malini in Andaz, etc. After the 70s, he switched to character roles and there also showed his skills.

Some of his memorable films in old age include Betaab, Bidhata, Prem Rog, Parvarish, etc. His films and songs should be restored to remember the golden age of Indian films with colourful music.

Sanjay Dutt was unparallel in the film All The Best.

2009-10-23T17:38:00.002+05:30

Sanjay Dutt was unparallel in the film All the Best.

Sanjay Dutt was unparallel in the film All the Best. Whenever the viewers have thought about him they had cultivated an action image with him. He was successful in films like Sadak, Aatish, Kurukshetra,
Daag-the Fire, Vaastav, etc. , which were action-pact films.

These days his image in comedy films had amazed the viewers. He had already shown his excellence in comedy films in the film Munna Bhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munnabhai. The film All the Best also showed his brilliance in this form of acting.

He came to stay in Fardeen Khan’s house in the film All the Best, just because his flight got late and he required a halt of 4 hours. But when he came to his house he got the wrong image of Bipasha Basu being the wife of Fardeen Khan instead of Ajay Devgan.

Besides he faced the person who had paid rent for the house and came to live there, and also Johnny Lever’s men who came to his house to collect their dues. Sanjay Dutt went on slapping one person after the other, but did it with witty flavor.

Sanjay Dutt played the drums to perfection when Ajay Devgan, Fardeen Khan and their team played music in Goa under a band. Their drummer was absent and Sanjay Dutt filled the gap. He was brilliant in the comedy sequences relating to the maid servant of the house as well.

In the last few years, whenever Sanjay Dutt had acted in comedy films like Dhamaal or Shaadi No. 1., the films ended up being hits. The film All The Best also got a great opening. It will be a hit in the long run.

The viewers expect Sanjay Dutt to continue to show his versatility in acting in the years to come.

All the best got a good opening.

2009-10-22T12:06:00.002+05:30

All the best got a good opening.

To the amazement of most of the viewers of bollywood films, the film All the best got a brilliant opening, when released on the same date with the film Blue and Mr. Aur Mrs Khanna. Most of the viewers thought that the other two films would have got a greater opening.

In this film Sanjay Dutt had been shown as a businessman in London. His brother Fardeen Khan always wanted money from Sanjay Dutt. Sanjay Dutt did not marry anyone but pretended to have married Mugdha Godse.

Ajay Devgan was a dealer of cars. He was married to Bipasha Basu. Due to financial debts both Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt borrowed money from the local gangstar Johnny Lever. From there the problems of both the gentlemen started.

The rest of the film was related to the story of how the two individuals Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan managed to face Johnny Lever in relation to their debts. The film had been directed by Rohit Shetty. Ajay Devgan produced the film along with acting in it.

The character actors and actresses in the film did exceeding well including Asrani, Mukesh Tiwari, Ashwini Kalsekar, Sanjay Mishra, to name a few. Pritam had composed the music of the film and one of the songs titled “All the best” had already become a hit.

There are two reasons for the success of the film All the best over Blue and other films. One reason is that the lives of most of the middle-class Indians had been stressed out. They find relief in seeing comedy films over other types of films. So action films and romantic films do not have the same market as comedy films.
The other factor had been the combination of Rohit Shetty with Ajay Devgan and other group of actors. He had used them in Golmaal which was a hit, and therefore knew how to make the best use of their acting talent.

Do not Disturb was related to old subject.

2009-10-21T08:58:00.003+05:30

Do not Disturb was related to old subject.

The film Do not disturb was related to old subjects already dealt with by David Dhawan. He had made a number of comedy films in the past and the storylines in the present films appear to be almost the same.

Govinda had been shown to be a husband who is scared with his wife Sushmita Sen. Sushmita Sen was the owner of the company and commanded respect in the office where Govinda also worked. The other character Lara Dutta had an old boyfriend played by Sohail Khan. Govinda spend time with her to avoid his wife.

Once she saw Govinda in a photo with Lara Dutta and from that time the suspicion developed. The other person in the snap was Ritesh Deshmukh. Govinda blackmailed him to tell his wife that Lara Dutta was his girlfriend. His mother was sick. Govinda gave the money for her treatment.

Ritesh compromised for mother’s sickness. Then he had tell lies one after the other. He got beating from Sohail Khan also. The story had a lot of similarity with films made in the past.

Just because comedy films had done a great business in the last few years, most directors had devoted their energy in making comedy films.

But the films can only do good business if the story is new. David Dhawan’s films also had different box-office results. If films like Biwi No. 1 or Partner had done fantastic business, films like Ek Aur Ek Gyarah and others did mediocre business.

Business there is strong competition for comedy films. Do Not Disturb has to compete against All the Best and other films where there is chance of the film getting lesser recognition. The performance of Govinda, Lara Dutta, Ritesh Deshmukh, Sushmita Sen were fine.

Mai Aur Mrs. Khanna got a slow opening.

2009-10-20T12:15:00.003+05:30

Main Aur Mrs. Khanna got a Slow Opening.

This year 3 of the bollywood films were released on 16th October, 2009, including Blue, Mai Aur Mrs Khanna and All the best. The directors and producers purposely released it during the period of diwali to allow the viewers to watch the film during festival time.

Although Blue and All the best got a fantastic opening, Mai Aur Mrs Khanna lagged behind. Director Prem Soni had used Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor in a love story titled Mai Aur Mrs Khanna. Salman Khan married Kareena Kapoor against the wishes of his parents and settled in Melbourne, Australia. There he had a successful career of a stock-broker. The moment he lost the job, the internal differences between the couple played by Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor had forced Kareena Kapoor to stay with Sohail Khan.

Salman Khan’s friend Govinda tried to patch up the things so that the marital relationship could be restored. The film had been produced by Ronnie Screwala and Sohail Khan. Kareena Kapoor’s visa expired in Australia before she was working in a watch shop. Due to insistence from her friends she married Sohail Khan.

In the mean time Deepika Padukone also entered the scene and made the play more dramatic. Inspite of good performances from Kareena Kapoor, Salman Khan and Sohail Khan the film did not have a good opening. The music of Sajid Wajid was impressive with Sonu Nigam’s song “don’t say alvida” becoming hit.

Some way or the other the luck is not going in Salman Khan’s favour. Although his TV program “10 ka dum” had been extremely successful most of his films including Wanted are doing mediocre business. He has one last film this year titled New York to prove his stardom. But the film Mai Aur Mrs Khanna should be watched by viewers considering the cameos played by even guest artists like Preeti Zinta and seasoned performances from Kareena Kapoor, Salman Khan, Sohail Khan and others.

Wake Up Sid will do average business.

2009-10-16T11:36:00.001+05:30

Wake Up Sid will do average business.

The film Wake up Sid is destined to do average business. Ayaan Mukherjee, the director of the film experimented on a very dry subject. Karan Johar had produced the film and the film had been shot in sensible locations.

Ranbir Kapoor had been shown as a very lazy person who never had any goal in life. His father Anupam Kher got irritated about his carefree life. His mother Supriya Pathak tried to shield his mistakes and when Anupam Kher found him failing in his exams he asked him to leave the house and build his career.

He met Konkona Sen Sharma, who was an aspiring writer from Kolkata. She came all the way from Kolkata to Mumbai to shine in the field of journalism. She was given an opportunity by Rahul Khanna, the editor of the publication house where Konkona got a job.

Konkona met Ranbir Kapoor, became friends and took his help in finding a rented house in Mumbai. She allowed Ranbir Kapoor to stay in her house. Both of them fought together at times. Konkona told Ranbir Kapoor that he did not grow.

She introduced Ranbir Kapoor to a photo developing personality who gave him a job. Both of them worked together. Lastly Ranbir Kapoor told his father Anupam Kher about his development and his father allowed him to return back and stay in his house. Konkona was in her tears to know that Ranbir was returning back. She realized for the first time that she got attached. Ranbir also understood that he loved Konkona Sen Sharma. The story ended here.

The trouble with these films is that only a certain section of the audience has the patience to understand the off-beat subject inspite of star cast of Ranbir Kapoor. Shankar Ehsaan Loy also gave very soft music as opposed to their innovative style of music given in films like Don or Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. Wake Up Sid will do average business but can get appreciation from the critics.