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Monday, December 6, 2010

Freida Pinto Says: I am not disinclined to Bollywood

Freida Pinto Says: I am not disinclined to Bollywood: Freida Pinto has moved on from Slumdog Millionaire. She is playing a Palestinian girl in Miral and a lady in red in Woody Allen’s latest. At the International Film Festival of India in Goa, where You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger was screened, she speaks to Alaka Sahani about the Hollywood circuit and keeps quiet about Dev Patel.Did you discover something about Woody Allen during the filming of You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger? Many people think Woody is very shy. But he is not. He just speaks as much as is necessary. The most remarkable thing about him is his sense of humour. That kind of sharp wit and sarcasm is very typical of New York.

Why are you wearing only red costumes in the movie? It was Woody’s idea. It worked fantastically in the film. Since most of the film was shot against the grey or brown backdrop of London, the red worked wonders. Woody has given my character, Dia, this interesting trait. He also shot me from beautiful angles like through the glass window.

Deepika Padukone: What's her perfect romantic picture?

Deepika Padukone: What's her perfect romantic picture? Deepika Padukone loves romantic movies and says her ultimate aim is to do what Kajol did in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ). "I loved DDLJ and my dream role is Kajol's role in that film," said Deepika, who has done romantic comedies since her debut Om Shanti Om in 2007. "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge came at a time when I was growing up and watching a lot of Indian cinema. At that time parents used to oppose (lovers in the film) and the couple used to go all out to get together...but the parents were there to stop them. There was so much drama on screen. Song sequences were shot in Switzerland. I used to love it," she added.

Deepika says she has enjoyed acting in romantic comedies like Bachna Ae Haseeno, Chandni Chowk To China, Love Aaj Kal, Housefull and the just released Break Ke Baad and relishes mushy stories. "As audience I have always enjoyed watching rom-coms which is why even as an actor I enjoy doing love stories," she said. But for Ashutosh Gowariker's just released Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, the 24-year-old has taken a departure from her routine genre to play freedom fighter Kalpana Dutta, who was a part of the Chittagong Uprising of 1930.

Vidya Balan poses similar to a magician

Vidya Balan poses similar to a magician: Vidya is not a regular cover girl for magazines. So, her new photoshoot comes as a pleasant surprise as the gorgeous female, who strictly wears traditional clothes at public events, has gone for western dresses. Well, she is also the hope for many females whose figures are not like sticks or size zero; the fuller the better.When designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee gave her organic saris to wear, he knew the world will notice her because she is the lady with a charismatic smile and endearing personality.

Katrina Kaif & Sachin Tendulkar top of the Yahoo 2010

Katrina Kaif & Sachin Tendulkar top of the Yahoo 2010: In cricket, Sachin Tendulkar led as the top cricket icon on the Yahoo! India network. Kaif hogged the limelight for reasons both professional and personal — a critically acclaimed performance in the film Rajneeti, existing cheek by jowl with a mystery stomach ailment that had the nation on tenterhooks, to her breakup with long time beau Salman Khan and her more recent, still ‘alleged’ romance with the latest Kapoor scion Ranbir.Yahoo said people followed all these developments closely across the Yahoo! network from Yahoo! News to Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo! India announced its 2010 Year in Review, the annual Yahoo! look back that identifies the top trends of the year from millions of consumer searches and the top stories and topics of the year from the Yahoo! network.

The Year in Review is a distinct way to look at people’s interests and a society in motion. This year, online activity on Yahoo! India was dominated by the public’s transfixion with a fair share of controversies and comebacks, triumphs and disasters, clashes of personalities and clashes of interests, spread over the arenas of news, politics, current affairs, cricket, finance, entertainment in general and movies in particular. As Katrina emerged at the top of the popularity charts, Sachin Tendulkar led as the top cricket icon of the year.

Like each of his previous 20 years in the game, Sachin made national news by breaking records. The highlight, of course, was his emerging as the first player in the history of the game to score 200 runs in a one-day game.

Cricket fans across the nation renamed Sachin as “God” and the frenzy reflected across the web with consumers commenting on and sharing cricket stories on the Yahoo! Network. The calendar year also saw him score 1396 Test runs at an average of 82 with two double hundreds and four other centuries — a phenomenal run that saw Tendulkar end the year as ICC Cricketer of the Year.

Veena Malik & Ashmit Patel act togather in Jism2?

Veena Malik & Ashmit Patel act togather in Jism2?The controversy of Veena Malik caught on camera is finally revealed as the images being used for the celebrity are very much the same which were hyped when she joined the Tinsel Town and were later proved that they were not of Veena but of someone who looked like her. As she is getting popular at Big Boss4 and the Indians had thought that they would just invite her to their part of the world and humiliate the Pakistanis through her, their plans are failing, so the given controversy is resurfacing.However, the latest buzz is that actress turned filmmaker Pooja Bhatt has delivered one of the most sexiest Bollywood movies in 2003, Jism, starring Bipasha Basu and John Abraham. A perfectly in shape model John debuted in Bollywood with this movie and became a craze among the youth. The sizzling chemistry between Basu and Abraham rocked the viewers and the film was a roaring hit.

There were talks regarding a sequel of the film earlier but nothing materialized. It is probably because they could not bring John and Bips together anymore for repeating their seductive act. Now again, the talks are rife about Jism 2 and Pooja Bhatt is seriously thinking about the lead cast, who can replace the hot couple.

There was a buzz that Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez of Aladin fame has been approached to enact the leading lady. But this did not go well with the Jism and they openly expressed their displeasure over her name on a microblogging site. Pooja Bhatt also rubbished reports saying that they never thought of Jacqueline. However, fans have suggested a very good option for Jism 2. Most of them have suggested the name of Pakistani actress Veena Malik, who has been popular in Bigg Boss 4 for quite a while, to star against Ashmit Patel. Their proximity on camera has grabbed many eyeballs and is being considered as perfect couple to replace Bipasha and John.

Veena might be the perfect seductress but Ashmit needs to improve a lot as all he does is oggling and drooling over sexy girls, let that be Pamela or any girl for that matter. John Abraham is a great actor and Veena is a damn good actress. Whoever would have to act against her would have to have talent in acting, otherwise, Veena shouldn't agree to the project at all

Yana Gupta show off her Black Lingerie on facebook

Yana Gupta show off her Black Lingerie on facebook: A facebook user who goes by the name the Purple Punk Prince has created a Facebook Page titled Black Lingerie for Yana Gupta. The idea is to send lingerie to Yana Gupta to ‘cover her up and preserve her chastity’.We managed to track down the Purple Punk Prince and asked for his views. Says the Purple Punk Prince via email, “Yana Gupta went panty less and even admitted that she didn’t wear panties because they would get stuck in her ass, making it uncomfortable for her. She is a talented, intelligent, hot and sexy woman. We understand that it was an error of judgement on her part. She just shot off the hip and ended into further trouble with the law. The entire controversy has created a negative image around Yana Gupta with some calling her publicity crazy and even terming the entire episode a publicity stunt. She has to now appear in a court in Lucknow which has issued summons against her. All this was unnecessary.

After Yana Gupta’s no panty pics which were the talk of the town for almost a week, making her the most searched Bollywood personality on Google, an apparently fake Yana Gupta sex hard core porn video is now doing the rounds on the net. Yana Gupta seems to be the flavour of the month.

Salman Khan & Sanjay Leela Bhansali work togather on 'Right Ya Wrong'

Salman Khan & Sanjay Leela Bhansali work togather on 'Right Ya Wrong': Last week, when curtains were totally down for Guzaarish, Salman Khan reportedly took a dig at the film as well as its maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Of course there has been clarification in this regard coming both from him as well as the news channel on which the comments were made, what with the video of the event clearly establishing that Salman was primarily hitting upon the genre of such films (which are message based) rather than Guzaarish in particular.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that there has been uproar ever since the news piece broke out. Some believed it on the face value and threw brickbats at Salman for 'supposedly' making such comments. Others felt that he was just being himself and it was something that can anyways be expected from Salman. In this week's 'Reflections', let's extend the debate further on.

Asin & Neil Nitin Mukesh getting personal

Asin & Neil Nitin Mukesh getting personal: The whispers about a bond developing between Neil Nitin Mukesh and Asin are growing. Apparently, the two actors have become very close friends and they share a passion for films.A source close to the actors revealed, “Both, Neil and Asin are passionate about films. Plus the two are absolutely comfortable in each other’s company.” Interestingly, Neil and Asin will be seen in a film together. “Though she had not revealed any details or names, Asin had said that she was soon going to be a part of two films. One of the two is a film with Neil called Pocketmaar being made by Ravi Chopra.” The duo are being tight-lipped about their work together but their newfound bonding has become a topic of conversation everywhere.

Amitabh Bachchan join film awards in Dubai

Amitabh Bachchan join film awards in Dubai: The charismatic Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan will be part of an awards show in Dubai this month showcasing Indian films from the state of Maharashtra in its regional language, Marathi. Bachchan, known popularly as "Big B", is to be a guest of honour at the Marathi International Film and Theatre Awards (Mifta) on December 17 in Dubai Media City.Holding the awards in Dubai is seen as signifying the growing importance of Indian cinema produced outside of Bollywood. Many films are already shot partially in Dubai, or premiere there. Manoj Patil, the Middle East representative for Mifta, said Dubai was chosen as the first city to showcase Marathi cinema abroad because of its historical ties with Mumbai.

"The Maharashtrian community is strong here," he said. "This is an event not only for the people from Maharashtra, but also for those who speak Marathi."The show will honour films including Vihir (The Well), which was produced by Bachchan’s company, Amitabh Bachchan Corp. Writing in his blog, bigb.bigadda.com, on November 30, Bachchan mentioned his upcoming trip to Dubai to promote the film, along with Mahesh Manjrekar, the co-producer of Vihir.

He wrote: “Mahesh Manjrekar, that consummate artist and director … he is also forming a group called Mifta, a group of people that shall promote and encourage Marathi cinema overseas. But for the moment, they inform me that they have a tie-up with Dubai for a programme and I have given my consent to it. Apart from honouring our presence there, they also wish to honour our film, Vihir, which is in competition.”

More than 150 celebrities from the world of Marathi film and theatre have been invited, including Nana Patekar, a Bollywood actor who also appears in Marathi productions.

“For me, Mifta in Dubai is a big honour,” Mr Patil said. “To bring such a huge event with so many celebrities and all the Marathi societies in the Middle East under one umbrella, such a thing has never happened before for the Marathi community.”

Although Maharashtra has a vibrant arts scene that includes theatre, Bollywood films overshadow productions in any language other than Hindi. Bollywood’s epicentre is in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra.

Manjrekar, who helped produce Vihir, spoke at a news conference in Dubai on Saturday. “We want to give Marathi cinema and theatre a platform and make audiences aware,” he said. “We hope one day Marathi films are as popular as Bollywood.”Organisers expect up to 3,000 people to attend the awards show. Candidate films and theatre productions were selected from 2008 onwards.

Katrina Kaif sexier and more sweltering than her?

Katrina Kaif sexier and more sweltering than her? The war between Katrina Kaif and Malaika Arora is still on. Bollywood is still in debate over who is the best among Sheela and Munni. Bollywood’s most popular item numbers this year are inarguably ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’ and ‘Sheela Ki Jawani’.
If Munni jhatkas are for rural masses, Sheila seduces the youth and upper class with her hip shakes. Both of them have their plusses, but when it comes to who is the best it is tough to declare a winner. Right now every alternate Bollywood media source is conducting a poll or discussion on this topic. We go with Katrina Kaif, the Sheila, as this is her very first raunchy number and hence having a fresh appeal. Who do you go with?

Anil Kapoor surpriseed by Tom Cruise's commitment

Anil Kapoor surpriseed by Tom Cruise's commitment: Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, fresh from filming Mission Impossible 4 with Tom Cruise, marvels at the Hollywood superstar's dedication and hard work. Kapoor, who plays an Indian in the action film, praised his famous co-star, saying, "Tom Cruise is very dedicated and hardworking. Some days he slept for just three hours. That is the kind of drive and dedication which makes you so successful. It (Hollywood) is like a Premier League," he said.

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol is likely to hit theatres in December next year. The 50-year-old actor, who starred in Oscar-winning movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' and went on to play the president of a fictitious Islamic country in US TV show '24', said, "Working at the international arena is altogether a different experience."

Talking about his journey as an actor so far, Kapoor said, "I had the opportunity of working with (British filmmaker) Danny Boyle. I learnt a lot from him. They have a different way of working and different work culture. In addition, I also had the opportunity of working with some of the great Indian directors and co-stars," he said.

"You should be like a blotting paper and absorb whatever is good. It has been a wonderful journey and God has been kind to me," he added. Kapoor is currently focusing on his home production 'No Problem', a light-hearted comedy in which the actor himself stars as an inspector. Akshay Khanna and Sanjay Dutt play thieves while Paresh Rawal runs a bank. Suniel Shetty is a don in the film. "We have tried our best to make No Problem entertaining for every section in terms of its music, action, etc. I would say it's going to provide wholesome entertainment," said Kapoor.

"I think the most difficult thing is to make people laugh and that's precisely what this film is going to do," he added. The Anees Bazmee directed film, which also stars Sushmita Sen and Kangna Ranaut, is set to release on December 10.

Rani Mukherjee marks suspense dramatization inverse Aamir

Rani Mukherjee marks suspense dramatization inverse Aamir: Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee has signed a new movie with Aamir Khan and is all excited to be paired opposite her favourite co-star after a gap of five years. The actress said she is on board Reema Katgi's suspense drama opposite the 45-year-old actor. The film will go on floors in February nextyear.
"Aamir and Shahrukh (Khan) are my most favourite co-stars. They worked with me when I was a newcomer and I have learnt a lot from them professionally as well as personally. I can do anything for them," Rani said. "After Ghulam and Mangal Pandey: The Rising, I am extremely excited to work with Aamir again," she added. Though she has not done a film with Shahrukh for a very long time, the 32-year-old actress said they will be doing a concert together on December 10 in Dhaka. Her new film No One Killed Jessica is all set for a New Year release.

Ajay Devgan act his new flick ‘Toonpur Ka Hero’

Ajay Devgan act his new flick ‘Toonpur Ka Hero’: Ajay Devgan looks disappointed and that’s because the first look teaser of ‘Toonpur Ka Hero’ has disappointed him. The actor having completed a successful hat-trick spell with ‘Rajneethi’, ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai’, ‘Aakrosh’ got through favorable results with his Diwali release ‘Golmaal 3’. Ajay has been scrupulously concentrating into his experimental project ‘Toonpur Ka Superhero’ that has been under making for a long time.

TKS is a Live action animation movie that revolves around a successful actor (played by Ajay Devgn) and his happy family of wife (Kajol) and two children. As situations demand the actor to become a real life superstar, he lands in a world of cartoon character and combats against the baddies.

Ajay Devgn was reportedly unhappy with the teaser as he felt it too ordinary and lacked liveliness. Now the actor starts emblazoning this project by creating new and attractive promos. Toonpur Ka Superhero is scheduled to hit screens on Dec 24 for the occasion of Christmas.

Katrina Kaif appreciated shooting for Shiela ki Jawani

Katrina Kaif appreciated shooting for Shiela ki Jawani: Katrina Kaif has lost oodles of weight to get that oomph factor. According to the film unit of Tees Maar Khan, Katrina has never looked so sexy ever before. Katrina is very excited with the release of movie Tees Maar Khan featuring the hot song Shiela ki Jawani. She has even not made any Christmas holiday plans as the film is scheduled for Christmas release. Katrina said that constant support of her film director Farah Khan and co-star Akshay Kumar helped her to forget all the inhibitions and enjoy the shoot of the song to the fullest.

Madhuri Dixit says it was not demanding to state farewell to fabulousness

Madhuri Dixit says it was not demanding to state farewell to fabulousness: Her bewitching smile could give Bollywood's young things an inferiority complex, and as she effortlessly moved to the beats of “Ke Sera Sera”, Madhuri Dixit sent young pulses racing and the oldies gasping. For an event that was two hours behind schedule, nobody was complaining.
In Delhi to promote Sony's Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, where she is one of the three judges, Madhuri descended with starry paraphernalia. Rikku Rakesh Nath, her secretary for 27 years, was making his presence felt and Mickey Contractor was around to keep her make-up fresh as Madhuri charmed the media. In fact, Mickey and Rikku eagerly looked at the LCD monitors of the cameras to gauge the impact madam was making at 43.

Quite a contrast from the homemaker she is in Denver, Colorado! Madhuri says it was not difficult to detach herself from the glamour world. “The credit goes to my upbringing. I was never treated as a star at home. For me acting was just a profession…I was like a working woman who loved to dance and perform in front of the camera. At home my parents never gave me ‘starry' treatment.”

Was it really that easy? “Yes, there is always an exception to the rule!” says Madhuri, confidence glinting in her eyes. Madhuri adds that because of this upbringing, she always wanted to ensure the man in her life should not be overawed by her status as a Bollywood star. “I wanted him to love me as a person. And Shriram turned out to be that person. Being from a disciplinarian Marathi family, he had very little clue about cinema. And when I went to the U.S. after marriage I could do things which I hadn't done for years. I could drive down to buy groceries. It was liberating. I still love to drop and pick up my kids.”

A role model for working women? “I am no one to advise working women because of the ‘luxuries' I have, but I strongly feel every working woman should believe in her talent and her family.”

Vanishing purity

She has come back at a time when innocence is vanishing from our screens, every heroine giving the impression she has seen it all, done it all. “It's a reflection of our society. Even the kids seem to know everything. You tell them a story of the moon and stars and they will start talking about satellites and galaxies. What was once called fantasy is real today.”

Similarly classical dance, which was once the backbone of Bollywood dance, is on the wane in our cinema. Madhuri, who still practises Kathak as part of her fitness and spiritual regimen, says younger actors don't seem eager to put in the effort required to master the classical art forms. “You can't learn Kathak overnight, Hip Hop you can.”Isn't she the one who started the trend of raunchy stuff with “Ek Do Teen”, “Dhak Dhak” and “Choli Ke Peeche”?

“But why do you forget that I have done a lot of classical stuff as well? And I was not the first one to dance to westernised songs. Vyjayanthimala did it much before me. ‘Ek Do Teen' was crucial to the story because it was a make or break condition for the character. She had to win crowd support to survive.”

When she came at the time of Aaja Nachle, the press accused her of losing touch with fashion, and one must say her saris still look dated. “But it didn't prevent me from coming again,” Madhuri gets a little caustic.

Was Aaja Nachle's box office performance a reason for this long break?

“See, my kids are still small. I can't take three-four projects at a time. For the last two years I am being pursued for films and reality shows including Jhalak… and I agreed when I watched the original Dancing With The Stars being shot in Los Angeles. The producers have promised that this time they are going to take Jhalak to the same level.”

Rikku says industry people keep on tapping him about her plans and that six-seven scripts are pending for Madhuri's nod. “I keep on sending DVDs to the States so that she could understand the changing trends.”

But Madhuri says she gets very little free time. “I have seen Ishqiya only after coming here. I liked Vidya Balan. Then I saw Raajneeti. It has no songs and very little commercial trappings but I have been told it worked well. I am not in a hurry. I will sign only when I get something really different.”