‘Bollywood is so important’

He’s a prince and he’s a nonconformist. He’s a man of courage and convictions. Manvendra Singh Gohil, prince of the erstwhile royal family of Rajpipla is the only royalty ever in India to come out with his homosexuality in the open. And that is why he has become such an icon, and a world wide one at that. Be it the Oprah Winfrey show or appearing on Undercover Princes, he’s done it all.
Manvendra who divides his time between Mumbai, Rajpipla and Vadodara talks about issues of homosexuality addressed in Hindi cinema. “These days Bollywood is pushing the envelope and I am glad that things that were considered taboo before are now out in commercial cinema. I have watched Dostana as well and when I was on a talk show that had Karan Johar as an invitee too, I told him that while the movie helped bring this topic to the average movie-goer, I was disappointed. That is because the general perception about gay men is that they are effeminate and the movie stereotyped it. The truth is so different,” says Manvendra. And that is why, continues Manvendra, “Bollywood is so important. The right portrayal can change a million perceptions overnight.”
So how is his love life? The last time, we saw Michael Lower, a man from Brighton who was also on the reality show expressing romantic interest in Manvendra. “Well, we are in touch through emails and chats but he’s not my lover. I am single. Here I am, travelling the globe but my love life is not getting any better!,” he laughs. He adds, “You see, after I became a sort of a celebrity many men don’t want to be romantically involved with me. They don’t want to be in the limelight. I tell them, that they could be my love without being in the limelight but I guess everyone is afraid of the public scrutiny.” But says Manvendra, “I am young and life only begins at 40. Besides, I have so much work on hand. I have my advocacy, I am fighting for gay rights and this is my life’s mission. Every where I go, I try to stir up a momentum, a consensus that will help gay men in our country to face life with dignity and I hope that one day we will decriminalise homosexuality in India.”
Has he ever thought about being in politics? “Recently, I met Sunil Babu Pant, the first gay MP from Nepal who is a path breaker in his own right. He’s a wonderful man and he suggested that I should give politics a try. But I have never considered it. I would rather do my work. What I would do however is to lend my support to an appropriate candidate. A candidate who can ensure us our rights. But for that, a man needs guts. And we are a country of hypocrites,” he laughs again.
So can the community of gays be a vote bank of sorts and garner for themselves the support that they need? “It could be done but it hasn’t been done as yet. What I also want to do is to write on the lesser known topics about our culture, religion and history. Each of these three has accepted homosexuality but it is only now that we have become so rigid and blocked our minds to what is so natural and what has always existed,” says Manvendra.

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif latest Barbie

Mumbai, Mar 27 (ANI): Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif on Friday walked the ramp as a Barbie at Lakme Fashion Week here.
Designers had put together a special show to showcase 50 years of the Barbie doll.
Barbie, the iconic doll that has helped young girls pass countless hours in a make-believe world that mirrored real life glamour, turned 50 on March 23.
Katrina Kaif said that she would always cherish the memory of walking the ramp as a Barbie.
“It will always be very special memory for me because a doll is
something which will be in the archives for ever,” Kaif said.
Indian designers competed in a contest to dress Barbie, with the winning designs being showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week.
Throughout her life, Barbie’s hair and fashions have reflected real life haute couture and fashion trends.
Country’s premier fashion event, Lakme Fashion Week is being held from March 27 to 31, 2009. (ANI)

"I play a famous star in 'Bollywood Hero'" - Neha Dhupia

She has not had a Bollywood release in 2009 as yet, but this lass has made it big time with her latest in West. After giving some memorable performances in Bollywood films, Neha Dhupia is all set to take the western world by storm with the mini series titled 'Bollywood Hero'. Bollywood Hungama caught up with the elated and ecstatic actress to find out more about the series…
From Bollywood you will now be moving west… what was the catalyst for this change? Well to be frank this has been on since January. I auditioned for the miniseries then and got the part. Almost all Hollywood productions go through an audition and screen test no matter how big a star you may be, and that is what makes the difference.
What about the series how did you get to know about this particular audition? I was contacted by Tabrez Noorani, who was a line producer for Slumdog Millionaire. Tabres is a friend of mine and he was the person who told me about this. First I was a bit sceptical but then he said that the guys out there were pretty keen on having me play the part of Alima Lakhani. So I did the screen test and got the part. I was contacted by Tabrez Noorani, who was a line producer for Slumdog Millionaire
About the series could you brief us a bit on it? Bollywood Hero, stars Chris Katta from Saturday Night Live and Julian Sanda. The series is about Chris whose ambition is to be an actor in a Bollywood film. As for my role, I come in when Chris comes to Mumbai and lands a role in a Bollywood film, I am his co-star in that.
What about your role of Alima, what is she like? Alima, is this famous star when it comes to Hindi films and she is cast opposite this newcomer from the west who has come to India to act in a film.
What about the dates of the series, when will be hitting the screens et al?As I said earlier, I did the auditions in January and we started the shoot only in March. Currently the production process is still on and is scheduled to be completed by the 22nd of April. As for the release date we are looking at somewhere in August may be around the 7th. Besides that we are also planning to have a lot of media coverage done in July around the American Independence day.

‘Bollywood drama’ before unemployed duo claim trial

KUALA LUMPUR: A Sikh policeman yesterday turned court interpreter for two Hindi-speaking foreigners charged with committing gang robbery and wrongful confinement after they insisted on speaking the Bollywood language.
“It is like Bollywood,” Sessions Court judge Zainal Abidin Kamarudin said before asking Sjn Sukhbir Singh for help to interpret their pleas.
Sjn Sukhbir Singh immediately interpreted the content of three charges in Hindi to each accused, Pakistani Muhd Shoaib Nisa and Indian national Maharaj Singh, both 26.
Upon hearing their charges yesterday, the two unemployed men started to ask Sjn Sukhbir Singh loudly about the contents.
When the judge asked about their lawyer, the two quickly explained to Sjn Sukhbir Singh that they were supposed to be charged for the offences on March 28.
To this, the judge told them that it would be a Saturday, which is an “off day” for the courts.
The two accused then said they have a lawyer known as “Reena”, to which the judge asked if the name referred to an actress, which got people in the courtroom laughing.
The foreigners quickly claimed trial to all charges.
Muhd Shoaib and Maharaj Singh pleaded not guilty to robbing air steward Mohammad Fayrouz Abd Rashid, 35, of RM19,650 using a knife.
They are said to have committed the offence with four others still at large at a hotel room in Jalan Pudu at about 11am on Feb 23.
The judge did not grant bail and set April 1 for mention.

Hollywood catches Bollywood fever [SEXPOT: Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat.]

INDIA is calling. And the West is heeding its call.

As far as Hollywood is concerned these days, Bollywood is the next big thing.
Several international stars are heading to India, the latest being Aussie singer Kylie Minogue.
Despite the economic crunch, the 40-year-old recently pocketed ?100,000 ($220,000) a day for a week's work in Mumbai for an Indian movie, Blue. The Caribbean-set actioner is being touted as one of Bollywood's biggest blockbusters, with a ?20 million budget.
It also stars Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif.
Minogue will soon be followed by veteran action hero Sylvester Stallone. The 62-year-old Rocky star is believed to have been paid ?350,000 for a cameo role in Kambakht Ishq (Incredible Love).
His co-star Denise Richards, who apparently has a larger speaking role, was paid ?208,000 for the same movie.
It's not just Mumbai-made Hindi movies that are seeing an influx of foreign talent.
Late last year, Indian newspaper Mid-Day reported that Fantastic Four hottie Jessica Alba may be signing on to star in a Tamil film.
Director Venkatprabhu had approached Alba, 27, for a significant role in his film Goa.
So why is India looking so attractive now?
It is partly what can be called the Slumdog effect. Ever since Slumdog Millionaire - the British film set in the slums of Mumbai - hit Oscar gold, Hollywood has been looking to the sub-continent.
Mr Vin Bhat, the American-born co-founder of Saavn, a New York-based company that is the largest digital distributor of Bollywood movies, music, videos and ringtones, told USA Today that there is more interest in Indian titles now.
'We're seeing a tremendous impact...a lot of people purchasing tracks and albums by (Slumdog composer) A R Rahman.
'People are buying Slumdog - it's an access point for people to explore other movie and musical content from India.'
There is also the lure of cutting costs.
Cheaper alternative
As the economic crunch bites, Hollywood production companies are finding India a cheaper alternative.
Actor Will Smith has long courted India, by being a regular on Indian TV.
The 40-year-old also shows up at Mumbai parties and croons Hindi songs on chat shows. And it has paid off - an Indian studio backed two of his movies for a hefty US$15 million ($23 million), reported The Guardian.
Also in line are A-listers Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Bruce Willis, who are all said to be working out deals with Indian entertainment firms, according to a report in USA Today.
After all, Bollywood churns out more than 1,000 films annually. India's film industry, now worth US$2.2 billion, is expected to grow to US$3.3 billion by 2013, according to a study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
This month, Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG signed a US$1.2 billion deal for 36 movies over six years with Reliance Big Entertainment, reported the Washington Post.
Reliance, one of the most aggressively expanding film companies in India, will have 50 per cent control in this tie-up.
Its chairman Amit Khanna told the newspaper: 'There is a natural synergy between the film industries in India and the US.
'India is a democracy, has a massive movie-going market and an open entertainment policy with no government restriction.'
Hollywood studios such as Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, Sony and Fox are already co-producing movies in India.
Last month, the international arm of the Motion Picture Association of America set up an office in Mumbai to represent the growing interests of Hollywood studios and try to tackle the US$400 million pirated video market.
But all that enthusiasm doesn't necessarily translate into dollars or rupees.
Naysayers are quick to point out that the Indian film is no longer a novelty.
Way before Slumdog Millionaire, the West was already quite aware of movies on the Indian psyche.
Back in 1999, Indie flick East Is East, about an Indian family in London, scored four Bafta nominations.
Two years later, Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding pulled in a Golden Globe nomination.
In 2002, Gurinder Chadha's Bend It Like Beckham became a box-office smash and gave British actress Keira Knightley her breakout role.
But there have also been duds.
Gurinder's next two projects - Bride & Prejudice (a Bollywood remake of the Jane Austen classic) and The Mistress Of Spices (which she co-wrote) - bombed.
Never mind that both featured former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, who has been invited to Cannes as a judge.
The cross-cultural fusion doesn't always work.
Marigold, released in 2007, boasted Heroes babe Ali Larter and Bollywood hunk Salman Khan, but wilted on both sides of the Pacific.
So perhaps this projected India boom may be limited.
Box-office analyst Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com, told USA Today: 'The people who go to see (a slapstick comedy like) Paul Blart: Mall Cop aren't going to start watching Bollywood films.'
East-West balance
The key, say observers, is finding the right balance between East and West.
Mr Uday Shankar, CEO of Star India, a group of entertainment and news channels owned by Fox, told the Washington Post: 'If Slumdog was made by an Indian director, would it have made the same splash?
'When an Indian makes a movie for an international audience, he has to first sell himself and then the movie. A few Indian investments here and there will not shake Hollywood into accepting Indian content and talent.'

Britney Goes Bollywood — Again

Britney Spears, who puts a Bollywood spin on a song in her latest concert tour, has been in the news recently over an “is she or isn’t she?” affair with Mumbai choreographer Sandip Soparrkar.
Spears wears Indian clothes to perform “Me Against the Music” on her current “Circus” tour, which will hit Sacramento April 11, San Jose, Calif., April 12 and Los Angeles April 16.
Spears reportedly started dating Soparrkar last fall, but the Mumbai Mirror published a quote from Soparrkar’s girlfriend, model Jesse Randhawa, saying the rumors weren’t true.
“Britney did come over to India and she and Sandip went away for a few days, but it was purely professional. They were busy rehearsing. I really do wish she’d just leave us alone now,” Randhawa told the Mirror.
The singer, a longtime fan of Indian music, liberally sprinkled bhangra beats into her 2003 album “In the Zone.”
In related news, one of the hottest singles off the “Circus” album, “If U Seek Amy,” has been cowritten by an Indian American lyricist. Songwriter Savan Kotecha, 30, of Austin, Tx.,has put out a press release stating that his lyrics also appear on albums by Celine Dion, Enrique Iglesias, and Carrie Underwood.

The Birthday Boy Is Here - Happy Birthday Emran Hashmi

In an industry that’s ruled by the heavyweights like the Khans, the Kapoors, the Kumars and the Bachchans, here is a man who has single handedly taken the entire industry, not just by a mere storm but a lethal combo of tornado cum whirlpool! He is none other than Bollywood’s eternal blue-eyed boy Emraan Hashmi, our today’s Birthday Boy.
Having started his career with ‘Mahesh’ Bhatt’s Footpath, this dude with an attitude, soon earned the infamous tag of ‘Serial-Kisser’ courtesy his on-screen shenanigans in films like Murder, Zeher, Aashiq Banaya Aapne etc However, his last few films like Aawarapan, Jannat have portrayed the latent talent that this actor possesses. A recent survey revealed that almost 95% of the cinegoers flocked in to see his last release Raaz-The Mystery Continues, only for him!
We at bollywood.ac wish Emran a very happy birthday and wish him all the success in his career.

AB Corp takes 30% stake in Jaya Bachchan film

Amitabh Bachchan’s production company AB Corp Ltd has become a 30 per cent partner of the Jaya Bachchan-starrer Phir Tum Mil Gaye, being directed by Revathy S Verma and produced by Preya Arora.
Formed in 2001 from Bachchan’s earlier production company ABCL, AB Corp’s last release was Family: Ties of Blood (2006) directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and starring Big B and Akshay Kumar.
Jaya’s author-backed role and the strong emotional content of in Phir Tum… is what prompted AB Corp to get involved, reveals our source.
It’s a remake of the Tamil film June R (2005), directed by Revathy S Verma herself. It tells the tale of an old woman (played by Jaya Bachchan) adopted by a motherless young girl (played by Ayesha Takia). The film, to go on the floors on April 10 in Mumbai, also stars R Madhavan and Suniel Shetty, and marks the comeback of Raveena Tandon, who plays a no-nonsense lawyer.
Apart from Phir Tum…, AB Corp is also making Kunal Avadana starring Big B himself alongside Tabu, Arjun Rampal and Amrita Rao. It is being directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi.
Incidentally, Katrina Kaif’s make-up man was very much interested in producing this film, with hopes of casting Katrina in Ayesha Takia’s role.

Deepika Padukone walks the ramp for Tarun Tahiliani @ Delhi Fashion Week, 09

Bollywood film festival opens in Poland

Warsaw, March 24 (IANS) Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is already a household name in Poland. Now fans eagerly await another star Aamir Khan’s directorial debut “Taare Zameen Par” during a seven-day festival of Hindi films that opened here Monday and will travel to 12 Polish towns.

The festival, Experience the Real Taste of India, is being organised by the Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI) along with Epelpol Entertainment.
The festival opened Monday with Deepa Mehta’s “Water”.
At least seven new Bollywood films will be shown in 12 towns during the next seven days. Apart from big towns like Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk, the films will be shown in some smaller towns like Koszlin, Lodz, Szezecin and Bydogosz.

“Let the mountain come to Mohammed is the main purpose. Normally people from the smaller cities are left out for the release of important Bollywood movies. This time we saw to it that we should encourage more and more people to watch our successful movies in the length and breadth of the Polish nation,” J.J. Singh, president of IPCCI, told IANS.
“Poland has become an important destination for Bollywood in eastern Europe. What the Soviet Union was for Raj Kapoor in the 1950s and 1960s, Poland is now for Shah Rukh Khan in the first decade of the 21st century. No wonder, the organisers have included Shah Rukh’s latest successful movie, ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’,” said Janusz Krzyzowski, president of the India-Polish Cultural Committee.
Shah Rukh Khan has become a household name in Poland. For the past four years his movies, such as “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”, “Kal Ho Na Ho”, “Kabhi Alwida Na Kahna”, “Main Hoon Na”, “Dil Se” and many others, have been shown in Poland.
This time Aamir Khan’s “Taare Zameen Par” will be featured.
“The chances are that Aamir will leave a great impression on us. After all he commands a great respect everywhere. And why not in Poland!” said Anna Bem, an Indophile who has lived in India for many years.
Tarun Mansukhani’s “Dostana”, John Jeffcoat’s “Outsourced”, Atul Agnihori’s “Hello”, and Vijay Krishna Acharya’s “Tashan” will also be screened during the festival.
“The set of films will present the true and various colours of a contemporary India to a Polish audience. We await the verdict of Polish audience,” said Srikumar Menon, head of the commercial wing at the Indian embassy here.

Asin spills the beans on Salman, Ajay

Asin Thottumkal said she had great fun shooting for London Dreams. She calls it a one of a kind experience. There were numerous pranks, rambling tongue twisters, mugging up of one liners and so on...

Asin said that she has learnt some interesting new things and Salman Khan and especially Ajay Devgan made it even more interesting.

“Ajay used to come up with some funny one-liners and tongue twisters which I got to learn from him. It’s one of my best shooting experiences. But I am not in a position to judge but yes as co-stars I feel they all are fabulous to work with. Both are very different actors and different people,”said Asin.

Ajay actually seems to have impressed the Southern dame quite a bit.

“Everyone knows that Salman is very chilled out but for Ajay, I thought he is a very serious and reserved person. But he is a complete surprise package. He is a complete entertainment channel on the sets. Ajay is a prankster and I wasn’t aware of that. He actually tried playing a prank on me but it didn’t work so Ajay now has to think of something tougher,” Asin added.

After coping up with somber Aamir Khan and his perfectionist ways, this sure would like a vacation for Asin. Not bad at all

Bollywood film festival opens in Poland

Warsaw (IANS): Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is already a household name in Poland. Now fans eagerly await another star Aamir Khan's directorial debut Taare Zameen Par during a seven-day festival of Hindi films that opened here on Monday and will travel to 12 Polish towns.
The festival, 'Experience the Real Taste of India', is being organised by the Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI) along with Epelpol Entertainment.
The festival opened on Monday with Deepa Mehta's Water.
At least seven new Bollywood films will be shown in 12 towns during the next seven days. Apart from big towns like Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk, the films will be shown in some smaller towns like Koszlin, Lodz, Szezecin and Bydogosz.
"Poland has become an important destination for Bollywood in eastern Europe. What the Soviet Union was for Raj Kapoor in the 1950s and 1960s, Poland is now for Shah Rukh Khan in the first decade of the 21st century. No wonder, the organisers have included Shah Rukh's latest successful movie, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi," said Janusz Krzyzowski, president of the India-Polish Cultural Committee.
Shah Rukh Khan has become a household name in Poland. For the past four years his movies, such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhi Alwida Na Kahna, Main Hoon Na, Dil Se and many others, have been shown in Poland.
"The set of films will present the true and various colours of a contemporary India to a Polish audience. We await the verdict of Polish audience," said Srikumar Menon, head of the commercial wing at the Indian embassy here.

Bollywood divas go deglam

Their style and oomph set the screen ablaze last year. But in 2009, they are headed in the opposite direction.

Back then, Katrina flaunted mini skirts as Saif's enticing secretary in Race; Aishwarya was a picture of elegance in lavish jewellery in Jodhaa Akbar; and Priyanka looked her hottest in Fashion and Dostana. All that glamour is being scaled back as Katrina appears as a politician—modelled on Sonia Gandhi, it has been speculated — in Prakash Jha's Rajniti; Aishwarya goes plain Jane (if that’s possible) in Mani Ratnam's Ravana; and Priyanka plays a Marathi mulgi in Kaminay.

“It felt like I was naked,” says Priyanka of her no make-up look in the Vishal Bhardwaj film, which sees her dressed like a traditional Maharashtrian woman. “One is so used to make-up. But Vishal was adamant. Seeing his vision, I drew confidence and agreed.” Her character doesn’t have the glamourous setting of Dostana's Miami condo, since in this film, she lives in a Mumbai chawl.

Priyanka’s stylist, Chandigarh-based Dolly Ahluwalia, recalls how the actress shrieked on hearing about her look. “What all do you guys want me to do,” Priyanka had said in disbelief. “But once convinced, she was all for it,” says Dolly.

If Priyanka was spooked by the no make-up look, Prakash Jha, who has put his heroine in plain cotton saris, does not see what the fuss is about. "Sirf acting hi toh hai, koi pataal se paani toh nahi nikalna hai,” says Jha. But he applauds Katrina’s dedication and discipline. “It is courageous to take up such a role. We have shot in real circumstances, with crowds, under the harsh sun, but she never threw a tantrum.”

Mani Ratnam, meanwhile, has given the shapely Ash loose kalidar suits and put her hair in a tight plait. Look closely and you do see a hint of make-up, but only just.

Not easy, no sir
Making these women look unglamorous is not easy, considering they are all known for their style quotient. “Last year, Priyanka ruled the screen with her style and attitude. This year, Kaminay would be her first release, and we had to take all that [glamour] away from her,” says Ahluwalia. Toning down measures include “clipping their nails” and “decolouring their hair”, says Nikhar Dhawan, who styled Ash’s deglam look in Guru. For Kaminay, Priyanka is wearing clothes that are dirt cheap by Bollywood standards. Her costliest outfit came for Rs 3,000, including the tailor’s fee. Katrina’s stylist reveals, “She herself co-ordinated her saris and chappals.”

Hollywood catches a bit of Bollywood film fever

Last year a posse of Indian actresses — major celebrities — were observed behaving like hyperactive teenage fans at the Venice International Film Festival. The object of their attention? George Clooney. Bollywood celebrities who would ordinarily be mobbed by their adoring fans at a coffee shop in downtown Mumbai certainly know their place in the pecking order.
Until recently, Bollywood stars would consider it an enormous privilege to get a five-minute slot on an American talk show. Aishwarya Rai’s appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and the “Late Show with David Letterman” a couple of years ago received much attention from the Indian media. The country had entered the global consciousness, the western media reported smugly.
Then, “Slumdog Millionaire” transformed Freida Pinto from an Indian model to an international superstar — a genuine celebrity who now hobnobs with the likes of Scarlett Johansson and receives career advice from Kate Winslet. She is exotic and, as far as she is concerned, the new Penelope Cruz.
But there were other forces driving the Mumbai film industry’s sudden rise in prominence. An Indian company financed a couple of Will Smith movies to the tune of $15 million, and before you knew it, Smith was in Mumbai doing the talk show rounds and making the right noises about wanting to work with Rai.
Kylie Minogue is the latest commercial pop symbol to appear in an Indian mainstream movie, and Sylvester Stallone is next in line. “Shantaram,” a film that is set in the Mumbai underworld, is being adapted from the novel and is currently under production; it features Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan, Indian cinema’s biggest icon.
The success of “Slumdog Millionaire” has not necessarily made Bollywood any more popular among American audiences, but according to Hollywood’s power brokers, the Mumbai film industry has gained currency. Sony and Warner have begun collaborations with Indian production houses, though most haven’t been successful. Bollywood, once a pejorative term, today represents enormous opportunity for American film companies.
And, we all know who wants to be a billionaire.

Bollywood can take Faiz to youth, daughter Salima Hashmi

New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI) Legendary Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz has been an integral part of Indian cultural psyche and his daughter Salima Hashmi believes that Bollywood can take Faiz's poetry to the youth.
"Gulon Mein Rang Bharay", a popular poem written by Faiz while he was in jail in Pakistan, has been used in the upcoming film "Sikandar" by director Piyush Jha. The film revolves around the life of a young boy growing up in violence torn Kashmir.
"Poetry is a powerful tool to bring people together just like Bollywood and in times of strife, artistes like Faiz become bridges to unite people from both sides of the border," Hashmi, who is in India for talks regarding a cross-cultural theatre festival for peace, told PTI in an interview.
Hashmi, who owns the copyright to all her father's work, said, "My father believed that once a poem is published it is people's property and I believe the same. Faiz is being used in India in films and theatre and it reflects how revered he is here." Jha, who took special permission from Hashmi to use the song in "Sikandar", said "Gulon Mein" was one of his favourite poems while growing up and the poem kept coming to him while writing the story of the film. PTI

Bollywood smiles after IPL moves out of India

New Delhi: With Indian Premier League (IPL) matches being shifted out of the country, film producers are optimistic of recovering 10-20 per cent of revenue as cinemas are expecting better occupancy especially for evening and night shows.
"Now this has become a routine for us. Every year, we postpone some of the releases due to IPL, exams or elections. But the shifting of the tournament may give a chance to films to make money. Not many big-budget films are expected to be released during IPL," says film producer K C Bokadia, adding that elections are a major worry for the industry.
Film critic Komal Nahata is quite optimistic with the difference in time zone if IPL is shifted to England or South Africa.
"I don't see POL matches being given any less attention for the fact of it being shifted to another country. Viewers will still enjoy the match on TV. However, due to time zone difference, evening and late night shows in theatres have better prospects over morning and afternoon shows, he adds."
Another film critic Taran Adarsh says that the new development may provide Bollywood a sigh of relief. "IPL shifting to a foreign land might provide little respite to Bollywood releases from bombing at Box Office, since a viewer would prefer watching Cricket matches for free on TV. The excitement level will be much more in the case of matches. Besides, no big release is expected during IPL season," he says.

Triple failure of CC2C, Billu, D-6 alienating audience from Bollywood?

I am pained. First quarter of 2009 is turning out to be one of the worst seasons for Bollywood in the current decade. At least in the earlier years, there weren't too many movies releasing at the beginning of January (Bollywood jinx factor) and then late February/early March (school/college examinations). However, 2009 has been an exception with not one, not two but multiple films releasing practically every week. Not worrying at all about the Board examinations being underway and the target audience i.e. youth keeping away from the theaters, Bollywood is witnessing dozen odd releases practically every month.
I am pained because the result has been hardly heartening, as evidenced in the fate of five films that released over the weekend gone by - Firaaq, Aloo Chaat, Barah Aana, Straight and Lottery. None of the films has done well at the box office and performance of some of these films has been pathetic to say the least. Collective theater occupancy of these five films has been less than 50% if one looks at the opening and poor reviews and reports have further marred the prospects.
I am pained because Firaaq got some good critical response coming its way but collections were shocking all over. The film has hardly been seen by the audience which otherwise could have helped it grow with word of mouth. Other than Firaaq though, none of the other films could even gather any good reviews. While Straight and Aloo Chaat have been ripped apart by most, Barah Aana has seen somewhat better response from the critics but equally poor response from the audience. Frankly, there were hardly any out there who had even heard of this Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz and Arjun Mathur starrer. As for Lottery, it didn't see a decent multiplex release and worse, wasn't even reviewed by the critics.
I am pained because there is something really going wrong with the film releases this season. And there is one simple reason for this - 'Money saved is money gained'! Audience is looking at saving money for a film that seems promising from the very onset. On a regular weekend, at least a couple of these five films could have taken a favorable start. However, complete disinterest of audience in movies is stemming from the fact that they are just not in mood of watching small films at theaters.
I am pained because based on my conversations with 'aam junta' as well as industry insiders, I have realized that the absolute turnaround amongst audience when it comes to Bollywood flicks has stemmed from the triple failure of highly hyped films like Chandni Chowk To China, Billu Barber and Delhi 6. 'Aisa lagta hai jaise sabka Bollywood films se vishwas hi uth gaya hai' - is the sentiment amongst all. When one film is a hit, audience loves to visit theaters and watch the next one in subsequent week. And so on and so forth. This was evident in August/September last year when success of Singh Is Kinng followed by Bachna Ae Haseeno had made way for multiple small and medium budget films week after week like Rock On, Welcome To Sajjanpur, A Wednesday, Phoonk, 1920 etc. The free for all run of hits was too good to be true but that was a fact. Of course each of the films, were well made as well but the fact is that audience was 'willing' to spend money in theaters week after week even as the term 'recession' was making a loud announcement all over.
The subsequent months saw a dip with the failure of Karzzzz but 2008 end saw a grand revival with huge blockbusters like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Ghajini. Audience was willing to give Bollywood another chance but as stated earlier, the biggies in Jan/Feb 2009 spoilt the show and it was back to square one.
It's not the audience to be blamed, it's the films!
Junta has given its verdict loud and clear. It has to be really very high quality films that have to arrive at theaters to entice audiences back. And it won't suffice to see just one or two good films coming in; there have to be a line up of interesting projects. No wonder, the months of May/June become crucial because there is a lot riding on films like Kambakkth Ishq, Kaminey, Luck, Love Aaj Kal, Life Partner, Shortkut - The Con Is On and Kal Kissne Dekha, each of which would be arriving one after another.
Here is looking forward to a better season ahead with some quality projects that would make the audience wake up to the magic of Bollywood. Once again!

Bips- learning to move her belly

Till now have we seen any beauties of Bollywood doing belly dancing?
The answer is – “No”
But the dusky lady Bipasha Basu might soon take the credit for being the first leading lady of B-Town to be seen doing this Egyptian dance form.
Do not expect to catch up the bong beauty doing it on the big screen soon.
It will take time as the actress has just started her classes and mastering the difficult art of moving the tummy in sync with the music is not an easy task.
Bipasha got a break from her shooting commitments when a production schedule of the realistic film ‘Lamhaa’ was postponed.
The gap in time was totally unexpected and came as a blessing for the actress.
An exited Bipasha said “A month- long holiday fell into my lap. I am using this time to do what I always wanted to. I am learning belly dancing. I have wanted to do this for a long time. I love dancing. I wanted to learn a kind of dance that did not require too much pressure on my knees, which are not in the best of condition. So Salsa and other dance forms were out”.
She also added “I am learning this for myself. Of course I would love to do belly dancing on screen too. And I will incorporate it into my roles for sure”.
We too hope that u do it soon, Bips.

Ashok’s Bollywood innings

Actor Ashok, who has done Tamil films like Murugaa, and Pidichirruku, is now all set to
try his luck in Bollywood.

“I may be a known name in the south, but Mumbai is my home. I have acquired everything that’s needed to be an actor in Mumbai. Tamil films gave me the opportunity and I am grateful to them, but my heart lies in Mumbai,” says the actor. Well, let’s see if Ashok’s Bollywood dreams come true soon!

Aishwarya Rai to be model for new Bollywood Barbie doll

Rai sprung to fame when she won the Miss World contest in 1994, which spawned a lucrative modelling and acting career.
She made the transition to Hollywood with starring roles in Bride and Prejudice, Mistress of Spices, The Last Legion and more recently in Pink Panther 2 alongside Steve Martin.

She became the face of L'Oréal cosmetics in 2005 and is one of only two Indian film stars to have their waxwork image displayed at Madame Tussaud's.

She formally became a member of Bollywood's "royal family" when she married actor Abhishek Bachchan, the son of India's most popular star Amitabh Bachchan.

Now she is set to join the ranks of Hollywood immortals and pop divas like Beyoncé Knowles, Elizabeth Taylor, and Diana Ross, who have all had "celebrity Barbies" modelled on them.

Rai's representatives were yesterday reported to be in negotiations with the toy manufacturer as it plans to transform the iconic doll into a Bollywood star and sell it throughout India.

If successful, the new Barbie will have Miss Rai's striking green eyes, and wear outfits created by India's top designers.

All actors back the producers

March 23, 2009
With the Producers’ Body in Bollywood deciding stop the release of new films in multiplexes from April 3 onwards, the actors have also pledged their allegiance to the producers. Top stars like Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan and the likes have sent a letter to the producers’ body that they will support them and not the multiplex owners in this issue.
It is worth mentioning here that it is not a surprise
considering the fact that most of the actors have their own production houses. The rift between the producers and the multiplex owners is stemmed from the profit sharing issues.

Salman doing cameo role in Katrina's film

And as the 'tradition' goes, we once again bring you one of the biggest news regarding this film. After having discovered that APKGK has Ranbir playing a depressed lover-boy hopelessly in love with his character inspired by the one played by his late grandfather Raj Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker, we went one notch further and found out that the Salman Khan will be seen in a guest appearance in the film. The source also added that Sallu bhai comes only towards the end of the film.

In order to confirm the news, we spoke to producer Ramesh Taurani of Tips and he was totally taken aback with this info. Initially he exclaimed, "Where did you guys get this information from?" On further probing, he confirmed the news by saying "Yes, Salman is indeed there in the film, but only as a cameo."

Salman Khan had earlier worked with Rajkumar Santoshi in the cult comedy Andaaz Apna Apna which also starred Aamir Khan.

SRK is bringing Bollywood to his IPL matches

Shah Rukh Khan, who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders team of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is not losing sleep over the change in venue for the second edition of IPL, which will be played outside India. Far from being skeptical about the change in venue, Shah Rukh perceives it as a good sign and is also confident about all his friends, who were with him last year at different venues for the IPL, making it to the yet-to-be decided venue.
Talking about the change in venue, Shah Rukh said, "Of course, the buzz would be missing here but I guess the elections will take care of it."
When asked if his Bollywood friends would join him at the venue, he replied, "Yes, of course they will. Even I will try to be present at the maximum number of matches."
When we probed further whether his kids will also join him at all the matches, he said, "As far as my kids are concerned, I will request Lalit Modi (Chairman of the IPL and vice-president of the Indian cricket board) to reschedule the matches at the weekend, so that my kids can attend it."
But all said and done, the fact remains that the glamour quotient added by Shah Rukh Khan's friends may not be the same with most actors being busy with their respective shooting schedules.
Some of SRK's friends who were seen cheering SRK's team last year were Karan Johar, Arjun Rampal, Farah Khan, Aziz Mirza, Juhi Chawla, Vivek Oberoi, Sajid Khan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Chunky Pandey and Arbaaz Khan.

Shriya’s last chance in Bollywood!

Can Shriya Saran make it big in Bollywood and fulfill her dreams? The answer will be known this Friday (March 27), when her long in the making Ek- The Power of One will be released.
Shriya has done 35 odd films mainly in Telugu and Tamil and only four films in Hindi. But all her Hindi releases including the last Mission Istanbul were colossal flops.
Now everything is riding on Ek- The Power of One, the remake of Mahesh Babu’s Telugu Athudu. The film has Nana Patekar, Bobby Deol and Shriya in the lead and is directed by Sangeet Sivan, the younger brother of Santosh Sivan. It looks like a slick action film with some romance and music of Pritam.
This is the Punjabi girl’s last and final chance in Bollywood. So let us hope the film clicks and she makes it big in her home state. Shriya need not be worried as she has the pick of films in Kollywood- Kanthasamy, Jaggubhai, Kutty, Thoranai, Chikku Bukku, and is all set to be the number one in 2009!

Bollywood film reviews - March 23, 2009

AA DEKHEN ZARA: Ray Acharya (Neil Nitin Mukesh), a struggling photographer has nothing going for him… until he inherits a special camera from his grandfather, which changes his life in a way that he could not have imagined. Aside from becoming an overnight success, he meets the love of his life, Simi (Bipasha Basu), who is a DJ. But happily ever after isn't an ending destined for him as he is forced to deal with the responsibility that comes with his inherited power. Aa Dekhen Zara is a fast-paced, romantic musical thriller with some great edge-of-the-seat action.

VILLU: Prabhu Deva's interpretation of the Bollywood hit, Soldier. The story centres on a son avenging his father's murder. The cast is headed by Vijay, Nayanthara and Vadivelu. A masala offering that, although entertaining, features a plethora of
truly incredulous action and comedy scenes.

DELHI 6: Roshan travels from the US to India with his ailing grandmother. Little does he know this trip will turn into the longest journey of his life. The story is told against the backdrop of the ancient walled city of Delhi. Stars Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Om Puri and Rishi Kapoor. Delhi 6 offers a melange of funny, dramatic and playful moments… don't go looking for more as Mehra has gotten quite whimsical with the plot.

Bollywood’s full support for Sanjay

The contestants preparing to fight it out against Sanjay Dutt at Lucknow in the coming Lok Sabha elections will have a tough time.
Being a B-Town celebrity, his ability to pull in the crowds during election campaigns will be hard to match for his opponents.
Then there is going to be a battalion of top stars who have come forward promising their support for Sanjay.
According to reports, Anil Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Ajay Devgan, Suniel Shetty and Amisha Patel have already assured their presence during the campaigns in Lucknow.
CEO of Sanjay Dutt Films- Dharam Oberoi says that all these actors have come forward to help Sanjay of their own.
He also adds that soon after the court clears the star on March 30 to contest elections, several other B-Town popular figures will be approached to be there for Sanjay in Lucknow.
Sanjay Dutt has always been known as a man who has been there for his buddies in B-Town whenever they needed him
He is also regarded as a “Big Brother” by many of his contemporaries.
There is also a prevalent feeling now around in the film industry that if Sanjay wins, he will definitely become a voice of Bollywood in the parliament.
So it will not be a surprise if we get to see the largest number of film stars coming in support of a candidate in the history of elections in India.

The man Bollywood calls 'sir'

Roshan Taneja is the Dronacharya of Hindi Cinema, the man who taught some of the biggest superstars to act. He is such an institution that even veteran actors call him 'sir'.
On March 21, some of the biggest stars in the industry came together to celebrate Taneja's 45 years as a teacher.
The guest list included Shatrughan Sinha, Subhash Ghai, Jaya Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Anil Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Kanwaljeet Singh with wife Anuradha Patel, Rakesh Bedi, Raza Murad, Asha Sachdev, Asrani, Baldev Khosla, Benjamin Gilani, Kiran Kumar, Kumar Gaurav, Mukesh Khanna, Paintal, Parmeet Sethi, Poonam Dhillon, Rita Bhaduri, Romesh Sharma, Satish Shah, Shailendra Singh, Shashi Ranjan, Sudhir Pandey, Tom Alter, Tushar Kapoor, Zareena Wahab, Anil Dhawan, Rameshwari, Luv Sinha, Vivek Mushran and Shakti Kapoor.
In the picture: Baldev Khosla, Shatrugan Sinha, Roshan Taneja, Raza Murad, Jaya Bachchan, Subhash Ghai and Anil Dhawan

A new Bollywood website attracting thousands of people

Dubai: A new bollywood website, Bollywood Popat (http://www.bollywoodpopat.com/), was recently launched with more than one thousand subscribers; the website’s managing director, Mr Aman Rana, told us today at the website’s first press release.
The website was under construction for the past eight months. The editorial team together with the website’s web designer, Miss Ciana Rawji, put their heart and soul into it to make it innovative and attractive for its audience, so as to give the best service that is always looked-for by the fans of the hottest bollywood and tv stars.
The director said that it had been a very tough journey but the wait was worthwhile.
He was really happy to declare that about 10,000 people joined the website on the day it was launched and more people are still continuing to subscribe. The subscription is for free and the marketing manager, Mr Sam Andrew, said that the website is very good for those who are bollywood fans and would like to know what their favourite stars are doing and all the mirch masala of bollywood was going to be the spice of the site.
He further stated that the good news for the fans was that they could also communicate with their favourite movie and tv stars of bollywood through the site’s latest segment, the B-Town, which is a social networking section and hence create a true bollywood family.
People would simply have to register and invite their friends and relatives to join in and get a chance of talking to their favourite bollywood movie and tv stars and share ideas, opinions, as well as make friends.
Also, under the B-Town sector, the subscribers can watch over five hundred thousand videos including daily television shows, music videos, movie trailers and much more.
“This will be an advantage for those who can not reach home on time for their favourite tv shows due to work constraints and hence can later on watch these shows on their laptops connected to wireless internet wherever they are”, said Mr Andrew. He further continued saying, “It would be great especially when they are commuting from work/college to home, they can refresh their minds and watch the shows or just simply listen and watch music videos to refresh themselves”
News on the latest movies and movie reviews, television, music, gossip, controversies and much more are also be some of the most attractive and exciting features of this website.
The director and his team hope that the site will reach its target in providing maximum satisfaction to its subscribers and users and hence create a world of bollywood family.

Kalki- in no mood for commercial stuff

Kalki Coechlin is among that new breed of actors in Bollywood who give more importance to quality than quantity.
So the Chanda of ‘Dev D’ believes that characters destined for her will come seeking her.And there is no need to unnecessarily worry about the future and join the mad run searching for new roles.
Kalki says “I feel settled in life and at peace with myself. Life changed after ‘Dev D’, but I am not keen on commercial cinema or any rat race of such sort”.
This is what the 26 year old actress has to say about the role in ‘Dev D’ that brought her attention.
“The role was special, it had to be done. It just could not be refused. And I am not looking for a career in commercial cinema, so it does not matter”.
A couple of years back, an actress with this attitude would have never been able to survive in the B-Town.
But thanks to the advent of the era of Multiplexes, things are different.
Now there is space in the film industry for varied styles of movie making as well as enough work for performers like Kalki.

Amisha Patel not contesting elections!

With Bollywood stars jumping the political bandwagon, it came as no surprise when a newspaper on Saturday carried a report stating that Amisha Patel will contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Rajkot seat in Gujarat, on a National Congress Party (NCP) ticket.
In the news report, Jayant Patel, the NCP chief for Gujarat is quoted as saying, “I called up Amishaji… and sought her consent (to fight elections). She agreed immediately.”
However, the actress who is currently shooting at the Filmistan studio in Mumbai is aghast at the ‘news report’. She denied any political aspirations vehemently and said, “No no no! I am not… I repeat I am not contesting elections.”
Ask Amisha why she is shying away from politics considering her lineage and she concurs, “Yes, my grandfather was the eminent lawyer, Rajni Patel.
He was the right-hand man to the late PM Mrs Indira Gandhi. He was also the treasurer of the Congress. But I am an actor with my hands more than full with film assignments.
In fact, I am currently shooting two back-to-back projects, so where is the time for politics?”

2009 a de-glam year for Bollywood babes

Mumbai, March 23: Bollywood heroines exploited their gorgeous looks to the hilt last year. This year the in-thing is being realistic and deglamorised.

While Katrina is playing a politician (reportedly Sonia Gandhi), Aishwarya is also shedding that killer mascara and lip-gloss for Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ravana’. The same is true for Priyanka Chopra, who is playing a Marathi mulgi in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Kaminey’.

Sans make-up, Priyanka said, “It felt like I was naked. One is so used to make-up. But Vishal was adamant. Seeing his vision, I drew confidence and agreed.”

Dolly Ahluwalia, Priyanka’s stylist reveals to a news daily, “‘What all do you guys want me to do’, Priyanka had asked in disbelief. But once convinced, she was all for it.”

Katrina’s director was nonplussed about the vanilla look. He deadpanned, “Sirf acting hi toh hai, koi pataal se paani toh nahi nikalna hai.”

However, he did appreciate Katrina’s dedication and discipline. “It is courageous to take up such a role. We have shot in real circumstances, with crowds, under the harsh sun, but she never threw a tantrum,” he said.

Mani Ratnam has had Ash dress in loose kalidar suits and had her hair put in a tight plait.

Ahluwaliya also stressed on the tough job of deglamorising such stunners. He stated, “Making these women look unglamorous is not easy, considering they are all known for their style quotient. We had to take all that [glamour] away.”

“Toning down measures include ‘clipping their nails’ and ‘decolouring their hair’, says Nikhar Dhawan, who styled Ash’s stylist in ‘Guru’, Nikhar Dhawan.

As an eye-opener, for ‘Kaminay’ Priyanka is wearing clothes that are dirt cheap by Bollywood standards. Her costliest outfit came for Rs 3,000, including the tailor’s fee. Katrina’s stylist reveals, “She herself co-ordinated her saris and chappals.”

Akki in Supernatural Film

Akshay Kumar’s Tasveer 8x10, a supernatural thriller, will be released on April 3rd. Luckily, for Akshay, the prodcuers’ associations have banned the film releases in the multiplexes from April 4th and Tasveer has managed to squeeze in a day before. With the ban on film releases in multiplexes owing to the profit sharing issues between the distributors and the multiplex owners, the release of Tasveer 8x10 is a fans’ delight.The film is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and deals with the psychic powers of Akshay to read into the past of the people. Akshay is upbeat about this film because of the failure of Chandni Chowk to China Gate release early this year.

Shriya Charan’s only and one hope in Bollywood

actress hasn’t been successful in the recent years across Tollywood, Kollywood and Bollywood. Merely, after ‘Sivaji – The Boss’, Shriya Charan didn’t make any great hits on her row. Well, this year she has whole lot of releases in Tamil including the big tickets like Kandasamy and more. Also she has all hopes mounted on Deepa Mehta’s film starring opposite Akshay Kumar.

But then, Shriya is so nervous about her this week’s release ‘EK – The Power of One’ starring Bobby Deol and Nana Patekar in lead roles. The film is a remake of Telugu movie ‘Athudu’ and is directed by Sangeeth Sivan, younger brother of Santhosh Sivan….

Arjun Rampal to star with Kidman

After Hrithik Roshan starred opposite Barbara Mori and Akshay Kumar with Kylie Minogue it’s the turn of The Rock On actor Arjun Rampal to act with a bedesi actor. He was shocked when British producer-director, Sir Ridley Scott approached him to do an ad with famous Hollywood actor, Nicole Kidman.
It would be a five days shooting in Udaipur and Arjun who is busy with his films Rajniti, Housefull and Kunal will fly off to Udaipur today. Arjun is at cloud nine to work with Kidman. “Working with Nicole Kidman is going to be fun,” admitted Rampal before leaving for Udaipur. “This is a dream team to work with. I really appreciate Nicole Kidman as an actor, she’s very, very good, and I’m excited to be working with her.”
Ironically, Nicole has no idea that Arjun is an actor. “But she will once she is here,” said Rampal hopefully.
Before Arjun Rampal ventured into films, he was in the modeling world. He left behind ramping and ad commercials nine years back.

Shah Rukh, Akshay refused to play gay

Have you ever heard Shah Rukh Khan being offered the role of an eunuch and Khiladi Kumar Akshay offered with the role of a gay.
Well, few years back Rituparno Ghosh had approached Akshay Kumar with a gay man’s character.
Even Kalpana Lajmi had offered Shah Rukh Khan the role of a eunuch in Darmiyaan, when the actor was making his foothold in the industry.

Its Kyle Kyle Everywhere!

Ever since the Australian hot celebrity Kylie Minogue came and left, the folks in the tinsel town have been in awe. Top among the list seems to be, is our very own hot star Akshay Kumar and he is heard heaping all praises over her. Apparently, Akki said that Kylie has been one of the most professional stars that he has ever come across and recalled that it was really a fantastic experience. He also added that she was a very down to earth person, wonder what Kylie feels about our Akki boy.
The deadly Sanjay Dutt has been one man who has often been laid back when it comes to competition but now his friends and well wishers have been forcing him constantly for one thing- to host a party for the hot shot celebrity Kylie Minogue who is currently under the hospitality of Akshay Kumar. Apparently, it is the cold war that has been brewing between Akki-Dutt that has prompted this and it is now heard that Baba will soon be hosting a major bash for Kylie.
It was with great hype that the Australian pop star Kylie Minogue made her entry in India and while many thought she would be around to oblige her admirers, Kylie felt otherwise and she left after wrapping up her job. Apparently, there is also news that the pop diva did not even care to spend few moments with none other than Shahrukh Khan despite the superstar expressing his interest to meet her. Same is the case with many fans who thronged the studios where she was working. Wonder what SRK will do about it now…

Bollywood’s hit machine gets candid

In an interview to TIMES NOW”S Archita Kashyap, the hit machine of Bollywood, Akshay Kumar gets candid about his hits, flops and how he isnt running the race to be the king of the industry.
Another spate of Film awards went by. ‘Singh in Kinng’ was majorly nominated. Did any of it come down to you as being unfair?
When you dont win you start saying “Yes thats biased.” There are times when there are some awards which are very biased to some of the actors. Awards just come, and if you’re performing you perform and then just take your money and go back home. Thats all. I do not believe in that.
Were you disappointed that Chandni Chowk to China didnt do as well as you expected it to?
I was a little bit upset that it did not do well because I gave a lot to this film. Whenever I go back and remember all my films that have done well, there are so many films which were quite pathetic and they’ve done well. Then there are films that are very good that have not done well. At the end of the day I have come to this conclusion that films do well if it’s your destiny.
Do you believe in the numbers game at all?
I feel very uncomfortable with the numbers game. I do not want to be on that side. It’s a shame that some people do play it. I hate that kind of number games. I hate the king-queen game.
( Post is from independent author. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed

Advaita Kala writing maiden Bollywood script

Best-selling chick lit writer Advaita Kala, author of 'Almost Single', is writing a script for a Bollywood film.

"It is a romantic comedy and will be ready in April," the novelist told us. "It has a good star cast, but I can't divulge the names now."

The author is working with a director she likes. "He is my kind of person, in the same age group. He has written a part of a movie recently, which I liked. The writer in him captured my attention and I realised that the story would matter to him. I had earlier said no to several directors from Bollywood," Kala said.

She refused to name the director. "I do not have his approval."
Kala, whose debut novel 'Almost Single' was published by -Harper Collins-India in August 2007, is just back from the US after the launch of her book there by the - Bantam-Dell Publishing Group.
The book sold more than 40,000 copies, a record number for any first-time author, according to Harper Collins sources.
"I am writing the script in English. I don't watch movies and that's what makes it so interesting. The story, about the Indian Gen Next, is not based in India. It is like the stuff I write," Kala said. The author said writing a script was a new way of expressing herself. "I love developing characters and dialogues. I have been writing plays since childhood, but have never written film scripts before. I sent my director something I had written and he liked it."
The writer devotes four to five hours to her script every day.
The guest relation executive-cum-novelist developed her skills as a writer in her boarding school. "It was on a hill and was full of stories," she said.
Kala is an avid reader of Ruskin Bond books.
The novelist is receiving conflicting responses to her book from readers in the US. "Some feel that it is a very Indian story. But single women in their twenties and thirties can connect to it," she said.

Stumbling Toward Bollywood

MUMBAI AS studio chiefs are wont to do, Jim Gianopulos, co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, decided to do some schmoozing during a commercial break at this year’s Golden Globe Awards ceremony. The target of his table hopping, however, was not Leonardo DiCaprio or Tom Cruise, to whom he merely waved as strode across the opulent ballroom at the Beverly Hilton back in January. No, he was making a beeline for Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar, two of Bollywood’s most influential players.

Mr. Gianopulos’s gesture captures the courtship dance currently being conducted between Hollywood and its Mumbai counterpart. While the triumph of “Slumdog Millionaire,” which captured eight Oscars and has taken in nearly $250 million globally so far, has given Hindi cinema a new cachet, the Hollywood studios have been enamored of the market for a decade. But even as talent and money cross borders, the studios are finding out that negotiating the distance between Burbank and Bollywood is trickier than expected.

India is a movie-mad country. More than three billion tickets are sold a year, and in 2008 the country’s film industry registered a 13.4 percent increase over 2007. In India, in contrast to most international markets, foreign films are an afterthought, accounting for only 5 percent of the total. As a result the only way for the Hollywood studios to grab a bigger chunk of the market is to make local-language films. Since 1999 Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Brothers, the Walt Disney Company and 20th Century Fox have all set up shop for local-language production.

The first Hollywood-produced Bollywood extravaganza appeared in November 2007, when Sony released “Saawariya” (“Beloved”), an operatic $7 million reworking of Dostevsky’s “White Nights.” The same day “Om Shanti Om,” a star-studded extravaganza that Mr. Khan both produced and starred in, was also released.

The face-off between the two movies consumed the local news media. Mr. Khan, the only film star to make Newsweek’s recent list of the 50 most powerful people in the world, pitched it as a battle between the local David and the global Goliath and vowed that he would destroy the competition. He made good on his promise: according to industry estimates “Om Shanti Om” took in more than $27 million, demolishing “Saawariya,” which made $9 million.

Disney chose what seemed a safer strategy for its debut. The studio co-produced an animated film with one of Bollywood’s most enduring production houses, Yash Raj Films, whose brand of feel-good family entertainment rivals Disney here. But that film, “Roadside Romeo,” made for an estimated $3.5 million, sold only about $3.5 million worth of tickets.

Warner Brothers fared even worse with two commercial and critical duds. A small budget prevented “Saas Bahu aur Sensex” (“Mother-in-Law, Daughter-in-Law and Sensex”) from causing too much damage to the bottom line. But “Chandni Chowk to China,” in which the A-list star Akshay Kumar returned to his action roots, opened on Jan. 16 to scathing reviews and moviegoer indifference. Estimated to have cost $11.5 million, it barely recovered half its cost at the box office.

Indian companies, of course, are equally adept at making flops — Bollywood’s hit-flop ratio stands at 1 to 9 — but the Hollywood studios’ collective faltering is seen by the industry here as symptomatic of more intricate issues.

“I think the studios have adjustment issues, cultural issues and inadequate human resources,” Mr. Johar, a leading Bollywood filmmaker, said in a telephone interview. “They understand the business, but how well do they understand the pulse of this audience?”

The Hindi film industry and its consumers have their own peculiar dynamic. Though the industry has become more corporate and organized over the last 15 years, it is still very much about relationships and family. Aditya Chopra, an owner of Yash Raj Films, produces movies starring the actor Abhishek Bachchan; 20 years ago Aditya’s father, Yash, was directing Mr. Bachchan’s father, Amitabh.

The production houses continue to function largely as one-man studios. The labyrinthine layers of studio hierarchy and the complex process of greenlighting films is not the norm.

“You can’t take eight months to approve a script after every board member in Burbank has read it,” said Sandeep Bhargava of the Indian Film Company, a leading studio. “The sensibilities are a mismatch, and to top it all they don’t have strong local teams.”

Audiences are also getting harder to please. The old-school, formulaic Hindi movie — a good-versus-evil drama with larger-than-life characters who have a habit of breaking into song and dance — is no longer a safe bet. After more than 15 years of satellite television, multiplexes and economic liberalization, Indian viewers, especially the urban, affluent, educated ones, have become more discerning. Last year many of the biggest successes here were smaller, more independent-minded films. And yet Bollywood’s star system remains firmly entrenched, with the leading actors still demanding hefty payments.

The studios entered the market when “it was very expensive and frothy,” said Michael Lynton, the chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “It became uneconomic at the time to make and distribute movies. So we did smaller films as a place holder and waited for things to cool down.” Sony’s local-language production division is currently without a chief executive.

Bollywood may be a problematic conquest for now, but Hollywood is still in wooing mode.

Warner Brothers has a dozen projects in the pipeline, including two more with Nikhil Advani, the director of “Chandni Chowk to China.” Disney is developing four live-action movies and a second animated film with Yash Raj Films. Sony is looking to build a slate of six films a year. Fox has signed a two-picture deal with the filmmaker Vipul Shah and has four other films under production.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” said Richard Fox, international executive vice president at Warner Brothers. “You can’t pound your chest when you have success any more than you can hang your head when you have a disappointment. We don’t regret anything.”

Thriving in India will ultimately require the studios to display a little more humility than they’re accustomed to showing. “We have no pretense of marching into Mumbai and pretending we know how the business works,” Mr. Gianopulos of 20th Century Fox said in an e-mail interview.

As Mr. Fox of Warner Brothers put it: “There is professionalism, passion, work ethic and talent among the production houses in India, and in reality they don’t need us at all. We want to be there, and we will adjust our ways to be in line with theirs and not the other way around.”

The studios, however, have also learned one immutable truth about the movie marketplace in India, according to Mr. Lynton of Sony, the studio behind “Saawariya”: “You don’t go up against Shah Rukh Khan, no matter how good your product is.”

Asin: Mollywood Star at Bollywood

The hot Malayalam beauty Asin may well be the most sought after new face in the Bollywood circuit but then there seems to be some issues that are currently making rounds. While some are saying that Asin has got success into her head and her attitude has been quite unbearable, there are those who say that her repeated denials of many projects are the cause for this misunderstanding.
Reliable sources say that Asin insists on speaking Malayalam only and that too with her father only which makes her quite aloof and extremely difficult to reach. Wonder what she has to say to this.


This hottest bird in Bollywood, right now, is said to have been slimming down greatly. While it has nothing to do with gym or anything, Asin says that the secret behind that is she gets to have her food at home and even when she is on the shooting, she tends to get her box from home.
However, that has not stopped her from having a bite or two of the sweets. Asin says that she has a heavy breakfast and this works out for her.

Sanjay Dutt’s Bollywood friends offer campaign help

Mumbai, March 21 (IANS) Sanjay Dutt is yet to get the green signal from the Supreme Court to contest the Lok Sabha elections, but many of his friends in Bollywood have already volunteered to campaign for him.
Among the leading stars who have already put a sizeable chunk of their time aside to follow Dutt on his campaign trail in Lucknow are Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi and director David Dhawan.
“You’ve got the names right. The people you’ve mentioned are already on. We didn’t even have to ask them,” said Dharam Oberoi, CEO of Sanjay Dutt Films.
“We will approach other friends as soon as Dutt is cleared by the court. All his life Dutt has been there for the film industry and I’m sure the industry would love to come forward for him now,” Oberoi told IANS.
“We feel Sanju will be the first Bollywood star in parliament who will work selflessly for the improvement of the film industry. The others have had divided interests or none at all,” said a source close to the “Munnabhai” star.
Dutt is the Samajwadi Party’s nominee for the prestigious Lucknow Lok Sabha seat. But his entry into politics awaits the Supreme Court nod, necessary because of an anti-terror court convicting him under the Arms Act for stocking arms ahead of the 1993 Mumbai bombings.
Dutt, who is currently camping in Lucknow, is enjoying his hectic political schedule.
“It’s a hectic schedule. I’ve rallies and meetings from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. But I’m enjoying myself. Yes, I’m learning to be comfortable addressing crowds,” the actor said.
Another star game to rally behind Dutt is his close friend Suniel Shetty.
“Anytime Baba wants me I’m there for him. He just has to tell me when to come to Lucknow,” said Shetty.
Shetty is also ready to campaign for Shatrughan Sinha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Patna Saheb in Bihar,
“For sure. All he has to do is ask. Sanju and Shatruji are the film industry’s 3 a.m. friends,” the actor said.

NCP to field Bollywood actor Amisha Patel from Rajkot

Ahmedabad, Mar 21 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Gujarat unit president, Jayant Patel, on Saturday said the party has decided to field Bollywood actress Amisha Patel from the Rajkot parliamentary constituency in the general elections.

"I called up Amishaji yesterday and sought her consent. She agreed immediately," Patel said.

The NCP leader said the actress has her roots in Gujarat, which would help to secure victory for the party.

On Friday, the NCP had earlier declared that it could field either cricketer Ajay Jadeja or Bollywood actress Amisha Patel from Rajkot.

Patel said fielding Amisha would be a winning proposition for the party.

"I have known the family of the actress for years and can say with confidence that her contesting will be a winning proposition for NCP in the Saurashtra region," he added.

Patel said the party could also field another celebrity from the Ahmedabad (East) constituency.

Ahmedabad (IANS): Bollywood actress Amisha Patel will contest the Lok Sabha election from Rajkot in Gujarat on a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket, a party official said Saturday.

"I called up Amishaji on Friday and sought her consent. She agreed immediately," NCP chief for Gujarat Jayant Patel told IANS.

He said Ms. Amisha has her roots in Gujarat. She hails from Sarsa assembly segment near Anand district.

"I have known the family of the actress for years and can say with confidence that her contesting will be a winning proposition for NCP in Saurashtra region," Mr. Jayant Patel said.

Fearful players can pull pin: IPL owner

INDIAN Premier League team owner, the Bollywood movie star Preity Zinta, has promised to respect any player's decision to pull out of the competition this year as concerns over player safety continue to grow.

Zinta and her partner, Ness Wadia - great-grandson of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan - are the major stakeholders in the $110 million Kings XI Punjab club, which is based in Chandigarh, near the border with Pakistan. Zinta said she expected the team's overseas stars, including Sri Lankans Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara - who were involved in the recent attack in Lahore - as well as Australians Brett Lee, James Hopes, Shaun Marsh and Simon Katich, to "be just as enthusiastic this year as they were last year".

However, she added: "As an Indian and an IPL team owner, I completely respect any concerns they may have and, if they made the decision not to come, I would respect that, too."

After a highly successful inaugural competition last year, the IPL is facing big challenges, including the threat of terrorism and global financial problems.

However, Zinta believes IPL organisers must be resolute because the competition is so important to India.

"There has been a lot of confusion and panic, especially since the attack in Pakistan on the Sri Lankan players," Zinta said.

"We're going to have to confirm a revised schedule … The BCCI and the government have been very particular that they don't want it to coincide with the election. But it is going to happen and just as security was our No.1 priority last year, it will be this year, too.

"Terrorism today is a universal problem, not just limited to certain countries … The objective of terrorism is to make people panic and stop them from living the life they want to live.

" If you live in fear you let them win."

Asked if she was confident international players would return, Zinta said: "Absolutely. I think the international players, including in our team, will be just as enthusiastic as they were last year. I've been in touch with Mahela and his family and they are looking forward to coming to India. I think everyone's going to be there.

"There's an old Indian saying: 'The one that saves you is greater than the one that kills you'. I think it's written and in your destiny what's going to happen. You cannot stop living your life."

However, she added: "If there is a one-off situation where a player decided not to come, we would respect that. It's an individual's decision. But, as an Indian, I do have faith in India."

On the financial crisis, which has struck team sponsorships, Zinta said: "Obviously there are big problems financially. But recession is also a time when alcohol, entertainment and sport always go up. This year when the IPL is played, films will stop coming out because last year the cinemas were empty during the tournament.

"Also no new television shows will be released during the IPL. People in India love the IPL and are really excited about it. It's so important to India.

"Of course there will be some companies that will cut down on their budgets. But as we get closer to the IPL, a lot of companies are looking to the competition as a platform to launch new campaigns and strategies because they know it will be the biggest event on TV and on the ground.

"I don't think anything can get in the way of the IPL."