Monday, December 26, 2011

‘Don 2′ grosses Rs 15 crore on first day


‘Don 2′ grosses Rs 15 crore on first day
Sunday, Dec 25, 2011

Shahrukh Khan’s “Don 2 – The King is Back” has earned Rs.15.3 crore on the opening day, which is the highest first day collection on a non-holiday Friday.

The film is a sequel to Farhan Akhtar’s 2006 “Don”, which was a remake of the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan starrer of the same name.

In overseas markets, “Don-2..” broke the record for the highest single day gross for a Hindi film in Australia with estimated earnings of US$82,000 Friday. The earlier record was Reliance Entertainment’s “Bodyguard” at US$74,000.

“Don 2″, also starring Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Kunal Kapoor and Lara Dutta earned $550,000 in North America, beating “My Name is Khan” opening day gross of $445,000

“Don 2″ released with 3,000 movie prints in the domestic market and a 3D release on another 550 screens. – IANS

Mysterious Veena Malik materialises in Mumbai


Mysterious Veena Malik materialises in Mumbai
FHM India's 'naked' cover girl reappers after going mysteriously missing amid death threats
Published Monday, December 19, 2011

The mystery surrounding missing Veena Malik seems to be solved for now - Veena Malik found in Mumbai.

The Pakistani model at the center of the FHM India naked cover girl row, who was reported missing on Friday has turned up safe in a hotel in Mumbai, India.

Veena Malik, who posed nude for the Indian version of FHM magazine, apparently vanished last week, causing her manager, Pratiek Mehta, to report her missing.

The actress was supposed to be in Hyderabad on Sunday for a fashion show for designer Riyaz Gangji. But India's Central Bureau of Investigation did not allow her to leave Mumbai.

A citizen from Pakistan needs to have a visa to visit another city. In Veena's case, Riyaz did manage to get her a visa to come to Hyderabad for the show but was not allowed to leave Mumbai.

Her manager also got worried when the actress did not turn up for her shoot. The actor has been untraceable since December 16 and hasn't been in touch with family and friends ever since.

The model-turned-actor was shooting for a Bollywood horror film, “Mumbai 125 km”, at Film City in Goregaon. Mehta said that Malik left in a car after pack-up on Friday and has not been reachable since.

She was supposed to report at Film City (Mumbai) on Saturday morning but did not turn up. Her mobile phone is also switched off and no one has been able to reach her for over two days.

Pakistani media have been reporting that Veena Malik has gone back home through Wagha border. She returned home clad in burqa to avoid fuelling further controversy. According to Pakistani TV Network Geo TV, the actress secretly returned to her home country to renew her visa.

Despite all such reports designer Riyaz confirmed to the Indian daily The Times of India that the actor is in India.

He spoke to the actress who seemed very depressed about the entire nude shoot scandal. She also apologised for her absence from his show. Riyaz also disclosed that she has been getting threatening calls, emails and someone has filed a case of indecency against her.

Veena checked into a hotel in Mumbai and hasn't been in touch with anyone. She wanted to be left alone for some time.

The actress completed all her formalities at the hotel desk by submitting her Pakistani Passport and filing up an information form, which is handed over to the (SB) 2 Side Branch of Mumbai Crime Branch, a must for foreign nationals.

Reportedly, officers stationed at Juhu police station discovered Veena.

It won't be long when we will see the controversial Veena Malik resurface again.

10 Most Notorious Bollywood Scandals


10 most notorious Bollywood scandals
2011: Photo shoots and photoshops, bimbos and bombshells, casting couches and court cases...
By
Bindu Rai
Published Monday, December 26, 2011

Bollywood has grown a year older, but we are still on the fence if anyone has grown any wiser in tinseltown since the start of 2011.

The stars simply don’t learn from their past mistakes, with almost the same set of celebs producing the same set of gasps, shocks and horrors from all those who dished the dirt on the scandals that rocked the Indian film industry in the past year.

The warring Khans, Salman and Shah Rukh (who else), kicked off the new year with a wham bham war of words; while Priyanka Chopra rounded off 2011 with allegations of being a homewrecker once again, this time allegedly frolicking with the latter Khan with whom she works with in the upcoming “Don 2”.

Smoke and mirrors were indeed aplenty, but if you are looking for a recap of all that fodder, 'Emirates 24|7' has it by the bucket in yet another scandalous year for Bollywood.

Khan vs Khan: The saga continues…



While Shah Rukh Khan was ringing in the New Year at his mansion, Mannat, on The Palm, Jumeirah, his one-time friend was frothing at the mouth when news reached Salman Khan’s ears that SRK had tendered a public apology on Karan Johar’s talk show, “Koffee With Karan”.

For those who can’t recall, the brawl between the two superstars erupted nearly two years ago at Katrina Kaif’s birthday bash, where the verbal sparring almost headed towards fisticuffs before Aamir Khan intervened and broke them apart.

Nearly a year later, the media savvy Shah Rukh shot up the TRPs when he spoke about his fight with Salman on his director-producer friends chat show, which was aired first week of January this year.

As soon as Salman got wind of it, the actor refused to take this laying down. He took to the press with his own version of the state of their affairs, saying: “He (SRK) did that on the show so that I’m hounded by this question throughout the year. I’ll not accept such drama.

“If he really was sorry and wanted to apologise, he could’ve called me or dropped by at my place. Expressing regret on a chat show makes no difference to me or anyone.”

Salman was clearly in a chatty mood or simply to angry to what he said next: “Since he chose the media to communicate, he should also divulge the entire conversation that caused the trouble that day.

“I don’t think he’ll do that. Forget about me pardoning him, should anyone hear that conversation even they’ll not pardon him.”

Scandal has never been more delicious. And before you ask, the war still continues.

Bipasha Basu: Single and scandalous


The bong bombshell made it to the news in 2011 for all the wrong reasons.

The first shocker (well, for some maybe) was her split with long-time beau and actor, John Abraham, shook tinseltown. After eight years together, the nasty break-up saw quite a few snidey comments flung at each other from both parties.

But what really kicked up a ruckus was not her single status but rather a seemingly innocent picture that was anything, which she posted on microblogging site Twitter that cause outrage amongst child activists.

The photo in question featured her legs encased in boots with a girl on either side tying her laces. The accompanied tweet read: “I need to learn to tie shoelaces asap. Embarrassed that I can’t. No patience grr. Promise I am not spoilt. Will learn soon [sic].”

Minutes into that tweet, the actress was bombarded with criticism for promoting child labour. Basu immediately claimed that those two girls are her sister and friend but by then, the damage was done.

Vidya Balan: Morphed into a victim


The world sat up and took notice when a morphed bikini-clad picture emerged on the web, featuring actress Vidya Balan on the magazine cover of “Maxim”.

‘The dirty picture’ shocked the actress so much so that she was prepared to file lawsuits against those who would dare to circulate this image in cyperspace.

Her spokesperson immediately denied that it was indeed Balan on the cover, adding: “The concerned magazine has been contacted and they have clarified that they have nothing to do with it.

“She is not going to sit tight if such a thing happens again. We are exploring legal options to stop this malice against actresses of Bollywood.”

While almost a year on, not much have emerged on this front, Balan is sure to get support and sympathy from actresses Katrina Kaif and Sonakshi Sinha who have both been victimised earlier in such a way.

Poonam Pandey: Dares to bare


A handful of industry folks had ever heard the name: Poonam Pandey. But all that changed when the Cricket World Cup rolled around this spring season.

The things people do for five minutes of fame, and this aspiring model milked it for all its worth by promising to strip down to her birthday suit if Team Blue won the World Cup. She even wrote to the sport’s governing body, BCCI, requesting permission to treat the boys in the locker room, but naturally, she was denied the honour.

But the notoriety was enough to secure her a spot on the hit reality TV show, “Big Boss 5”, along with garner a larger fan following with some scandalous images on her Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Drop it like it’s hot


Come summer and India’s cricketing World Cup victory was all but forgotten when grandpa B, aka Amitabh Bachchan, took to Twitter (where else) to announce to the world that his darling daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, was pregnant.

It almost seemed as the world and its aunt were basking with glee with the news, but all clearly wasn’t fine with a certain film director and a production house that had announced their magnum opus, “Heroine”, with the star in question in May at the Cannes Film Festival.

Director Madhur Bhandarkar and UTV Motion Pictures were in a tizzy it seems when they heard over the news that their star, Aishwarya was being paid a visit by the story, mere days after she had commenced shooting more the highly expensive film.

A war or words ensued, with Bhandarkar saying that she hid the news of her pregnancy when signing for “Heroine”, while the Bachchans maintained a stoic silence for the most part.

After a month of rumours and stories in the press, the distressed director finally dropped Aishwarya from the film and took to his blog to say: “Today I am sitting alone in my office after the plugs being pulled off from my film “Heroine”...

“My conscience stands clear as I have been honest to my craft irrespective of the repercussions...

“My inherent belief is that motherhood is pious and I am humbled by it. I must also add that I salute every woman who chooses to work in this extremely delicate state.

“To put things in perspective, I am a man who is surrounded by women in my family. My wife, my sister, my mother and my daughter.... These are the people that make my life!

“In fact my wife when she was carrying my daughter worked through her pregnancy.... but in the same breath I would like to say that I will never knowingly put a woman in harm’s way knowing the delicate nature of her health.”

Today, Kareena Kapoor is Bhandarkar’s new “Heroine” and the Bachchans, well, we do wonder if they will ever work with him or UTV again.

The Bachchans and IVF?


Once the dust settled on the “Heroine” saga, speculation over the baby’s sex soon followed, with husband Abhishek Bachchan saying on record that he hoped it was baby girl.

With the media frenzy surrounding the pregnancy, a certain Bhairavi Goswami – the actress from “Bheja Fry” in case you were wondering – decided she needed her share of the limelight.

So, in a blink of an eye, Goswami also took to social media to say: “Nauseating to read superstars giving interviews about wanting a girl baby when she has gone to Bangkok to an IVF clinic which specialises in boy babies.

“Height of hypocrisy. They know damn well it’s a boy; after all she has to produce a male heir at any cost. Typical UP mentality, no wonder that state has such high female foeticide. [sic]”

However, the egg was smack in Goswami’s face when November 16 saw Aishwarya give birth to baby girl.

Oh well, better luck next time we guess.

Minissha Lamba: Yes she Cannes


While the small-time Minissha Lamba was all excited over her trip to the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, the playground for international celebrities proved to be an expensive trip in the end when her return to Mumbai saw the actress hauled in by the airports customs department.

The “Bheja Fry 2” actress was detained for a tiresome 16 hours courtesy her undeclared jewellery, worth well over Rs500,000.

When news broke, the drama continued over Twitter between Lamba and Indian author and columnist, Shobhaa De, who drew out her claws to slash the poor actress’ image to smithereens.

De’s tweet went something like this: “Poor Minissha: Lamba race ki ghodi (someone in for the long haul) or lame duck? Warning to other Bollywood wannabes to leave those borrowed rocks at home. Dazzle with your talent. [sic]”

However, Lamba is not one who ever takes things laying down. The actress got her own back, responding: “Ms De, real writers write books. Slandering on #Twitter is a job of the less gifted. ‘Dazzle with your talent’ Ms De, not your slander.”

The drama died down between the two shortly after, but it seems Lamba’s bad luck didn’t, with the actress being detained at Dubai airport a few months later over a passport issue.

Priyanka Chopra: Aspiring homewrecker, again?


We love a good old love triangle. And we love it more when there's a fourth person involved.

Tinseltown's been buzzing overtime with rumours of King Khan secretly dating Priyanka Chopra. The question in everyone's mind when SRK openly planted a kiss on Piggy Chops at the Just Dance finale was, 'is it true?'

What adds fuel to this fire is a report on what allegedly took place at a party in Mannat, King Khan's home.

Apparently, Mehr Jessia, wife of SRK's best bud Arjun Rampal, took it upon herself to admonish the Badhsah of Bollywood for his 'inappropriate' behaviour. At this party that was also attended by Priyanka Chopra, Mehr took SRK aside and told him that it wasn't fair to the Missus as he's invited his leading lady home.

And that was that! King Khan unleashed his temper and told Mehr to mind her business. She also received a mouthful from hubby dearest for playing nosey parker.

It's all just hearsay. But it's definitely beeped into vision on our scandal radar.

Veena Malik: In the mood for nude


Five minutes of fame have stretched to 15 and still going strong as controversy queen Veena Malik continues to hog the limelight weeks after her nude photoshoot appeared in FHM magazine, with the initials of the ISI, Pakistan’s spy agency etched on her arm.

Film stories are made of the intrigue that followed with Malik accusing the magazine of photoshopping her bikini off to make her seem nude, while the
magazine has denied such accusations.

She was quoted in the media as saying: “The things I have done in life, I have the guts to stand by.

"This is my body, and I will take advantage of it if I want to. And it’s a very beautiful body. But I will not allow any man out there to morph my pictures and put it on the cover, just to sell their magazine. They are gaining. I’m losing.”

The magazine and Malik are reportedly suing each other for £3m in a bitter exchange of lawsuits.

Rina Golan and the Bollywood casting couch


A small-time model and struggler created a sensation when she dared to expose the Bollywood infamous casting couch in her new book, naming a few names that shook up the film industry.

Rina Golan and her book, “Dear Mr Bollywood: How I Fell In Love With India, Bollywood And Shah Rukh Khan” ruffled quite a few feathers when she mentioned celebrity filmmakers such as Subhash Ghai and Anees Bazmi, along with singer Anoop Jalota, all propositioned her.

In an interview with Mail Today, the lady said: “I wonder why people get shocked at the mention of casting couch. I have witnessed numerous young girls and boys getting exploited.

Golan talks about how Ghai tried to take her to his bedroom and then it was Bazmee at a later stage who asked her out to dinner when she approached him for a role in his movie “Thank You.”

“We would have some fun,” she said was what he had told her.

Bazmee and Jalota have both denied the allegations.

Bollywood conquers the world: Globalisation according to Don II


Bollywood conquers the world: Globalisation according to Don II

Dec 26, 2011
by Shiv Visvanathan

Don II is a startlingly impressive film. Superbly edited, it is slick, quick and audience-friendly with a wonderful cast of actors and a simple, almost bare, plot.

An Indian don, based in Thailand, wishes to extend his activities to Berlin. He is being hunted by European mobsters who are desperate to eliminate him as he is underselling them — and by his old and lovely nemesis, Roma. The wily Don weaves a plot of his own, anticipating their every move, to justify the oft repeated slogan: Don ko pakadna thoda namumkin hai (It is a little impossible to catch the Don).

There are no memorable characters in Don II. The actors play types. Shah Rukh, Priyanka, Lara, Boman are no more than masks, script roles mouthing dialogue. The movie is a genre film, utterly professional, and underlines Bollywood’s mastery of the global crime thriller. Move over Tom Cruise, Don II is here.

It is therefore not the plot that intrigues, but the film’s underlying messages about globalisation.

Don II shows that globalisation first began with crime, and is viewed best through its annals. Criminal organisations relocate as rationally and easily as corporate firms and their decisions are just as eventful and consequential.

Raju Shelar/Firstpost

More critically, the criminal mind knows that its real mirror is the corporate brain. Nothing is more corrupt and corruptible than the banking system. Don realises that all he has to do is subvert a few banking officials; skeletons in their cupboard are metaphorical keys that can open any vault. Inevitably, the vice-president of Deutsche Bank is an Indian.

The globalisation game played out in Don reveals that it is crime that benefits from speed, technology and the information revolution. Investigative justice is like a Stegosaurus, a dinosaur with two brains with messages moving slowly between the brain and the tail. By the time the police take a decision, the plot has raced past them. Oddly this comic vulnerability provides a sense of a lag, of twentieth-century minds desperately trying to adapt to a twenty-first century rule game.

Globalisation is also writ large in the more usual ways. In Don II, Bollywood signals its ability to absorb and mimic the best of Hollywood. Here Farhan Akhtar combines a collage of scenes from Die Hard, Mission Impossible, Thomas Crown Affair, and The Transporter to produces a fast paced film with original Indian touches.

If crime is global, so now is the female body. Desire has no nationality and woman’s bodies circulate faster than currency. The feminine body is now acquiring a global chic, a style which is common to all metropolitan centers of the world.

Bollywood is cheeky in signaling its mastery of the international thriller genre. In one scene, James Bond appears as a silhouette, evoking Russia With Love or Gold Finger. Bond is deeply embedded in the global psyche and the intelligence agent of yesterday has evolved into the present-day criminal hero. But Bond is also passe, an ultra nationalist creature, held captive to a high-ranking bureaucrat like M, a man who cannot sustain relationships and substitutes brash sexuality for love.

Our criminals are more nuanced, more global, shrugging Bond off as an ancestral back drop.

Don II also attempts to establish continuity with the original Don starring Amitabh Bachchan. When Shah Rukh Khan acted in part I, critics waxed nostalgic, slamming his efforts and the film. Nothing rose to the level of the evergreen Amitabh Bachchan classic, not even Kareena Kapoor in the Helen-inspired item number, Yeh Mera Dil. This newer and slicker sequel includes quotes from its distant ancestor but moves light years ahead, reducing Amitabh and Helen to anachronisms. The effect is achieved through speed: razor-sharp editing and a script that races as fast as a Ferrari.

There is no better symbol of Bollywood’s global coming of age than the car chase. The legendary plots where the horse (Basanti) chases a car or jeep are now passé. Now honour and horsepower belong to the Porsche, Jaguar and the Maserati. To drive anything less is to be reduced to the parochial.

Speed is now the index of civilisation.

Shiv Visvanathan is a social science nomad.

The BIG Bollywood releases in 2012


The BIG Bollywood releases in 2012
2011- a mixed bag for Indian cinema
By
Ajanta Paul

Published Friday, December 23, 2011

Hrithik Roshan opens 2012 with the much awaited ‘Agneepath’ (AFP)

The jam-packed international cricket calendar kept movie goers away from cinema halls in the first half of the year 2011. But like a true champion, Bollywood made a comeback in the second half.

Salman Khan hit the jackpot with his record-breaking 'Bodyguard' and 'Ready', followed by Aamir Khan’s home production 'Delhi Belly'.

Small budget movies like 'Tanu Weds Manu', ‘Dou Dunni Char’,'Ragini MMS', 'Murder 2' again proved to be fruitful for the producers.  But leading the band wagon was Vidya Balan's unconventional, 'The Dirty Picture'.

It was an action packed year with 'Ready', 'Bodyguard','Force' and 'Singham'.  However Hindi cinema’s superhero Shah Rukh Khan with his $20 million science-fiction didn’t quite live up to the expectations.

Bollywood coming-of-age film directed by Zoya Akhtar's 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' was "a beautifully scripted journey of catharsis" as film critic Pratim D. Gupta puts it. She hits the nail on its head with a perfect combination of irresistible Hrithik Roshan, carefree and fun-filled Farhan Akhtar and the easy going Abhay Deol.

Young turk Ranbir Kapoor garnered many accolades through his soulfully musical 'Rockstar' but the movie received harsh reviews from several critics.

With more than 100 releases, for the first time in Indian cinematic history three films crossed the Rs 100 crore mark.

But it’s time now to see what 2012 holds for the viewers.

The opening innings is led by Hrithik Roshan. Dharma Production’s much-awaited ‘Agneepath’ will be Hrithik Roshan’s baptism by fire. A remake of Amitabh Bachchan starrer that took the audience by storm in 1990s will hope for an encore at the box-office. Meanwhile the father-son duo of Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik will come together again with ‘Krish 2’.

The Khans have become the figure head of Hindi cinema in India and Salman Khan will roar in with 'Ek Tha Tiger'. Meanwhile Aamir Khan will play a baddie in 'Dhoom 3'- the third part of the successful 'Dhoom' franchise from the Yash Raj Films bouquet.  Aamir's 'Talaash' along with leading lady Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukherji, has raised expectations from a powerful script by Reema Kagti.

Bollywood’s own Kungfu Panda - Akshay Kumar will enter the frame with his action flick 'Rowdy Rathore', 'Khiladi 786' and Sci-fi flick 'Joker'.

While the big boys will give you your action does Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor will bring some romantic relief with 'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu'. Junior Khan will finally get to showcase his work with his favourite actress in this Karan Johar production.

Next year's draw looks pretty strong with Abbas Mustan's multi-starrer thriller 'Players',  Anurag Basu's 'Barfee' with Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and 'Kahaani' with the bold and beautiful Vidya Balan.

Kareena Kapoor vows to give her best performance in Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Heroine', starring opposite Arjun Rampal, while Abhay Deol with his 'boy-next-door' image prepares for another hit with 'Shanghai'.

Other line-up includes, ‘Student Of The Year’, ‘Bol Bachchan’, ‘Agent Vinod’ and ‘Son Of ‘Sardar',

The sequels too are coming back with a vengeance- 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbai 2' , 'Race 2', 'Raaz 3', 'Dabangg 2', 'Dostana 2', 'Housefull 2' and 'Jannat 2'.

So for all the movie lovers there's plenty to look forward to in 2012.

Bollywood Banks On South Indian Showbiz


Bollywood banks on south indian showbiz

It's only fitting that 2011 should see a song from the Tamil film factory ending up as the pop anthem of the year. If Dhanush's Kolaveri Di has broken all records on the Internet, the trend only defines showbiz fads of our times. Popular culture in India, particularly Bollywood, is increasingly banking on south Indian showbiz for inspiration when it comes to raking in big moolah.

Take a stock of Bollywood's 2011 box-office roster, and you know what we mean. The year's three biggest hits so far - Bodyguard , Ready and Singham - are all remakes of south Indian blockbusters.

Interestingly, the only film that looks like a close contender for top honours this year is The Dirty Picture. Though the Vidya Balan-starrer is an original film, its script is based on the story of Tamil sex bomb Silk Smitha and set amid the backdrop of the south Indian film industry.

Look closely, and you realise the fad of remaking south Indian hits has also directly affected the Bollywood rat race. If Salman Khan is at the forefront of buying the rights of southern hits and then Bollywoodising them to north Indian taste, he is also Hindi cinema's most popular hero right now, having recorded the top two hits of the year.

Salman's Bodyguard, which opened on Eid and went onto create a new opening day and first-week record in Bollywood, is the remake of a Malayalam hit by the same name.

The Rs.60-crore film netted Rs.102.86 crore in its first week - an all-time record - and went on to gross Rs.229 crore worldwide. The film has turned out to be Bollywood's second-highest grosser of all time after 3 Idiots.

Salman's other release this year is Ready, incidentally, the second highest Bollywood grosser of 2011. The film, which cost Rs.40 crore, is a remake of Telugu blockbuster of the same name. Ready is 2011' s second highest opening-day grosser and has grossed Rs.179 crore worldwide.

Salman's super success is almost matched by Ajay Devgn's 2011 biggie Singham, a remake of the 2010 Tamil blockbuster, Singam , dubbed in Telugu as Yamudu. The Rs.20-crore Singham has grossed over Rs.150 crore worldwide and re- affirmed Ajay's status among Bollywood's most saleable stars.

That apart, John Abraham managed to garner an elusive hit with Force this year. The action thriller was a remake of a Tamil hit, Kaakha Kaakha, released in 2003.

"These films have good subjects and great potential. Only a few people down south have seen these films so we can take them to a larger audience by making them in Hindi," Salman summarised the trend recently.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Move over 'Sheila', 'Chikni chameli' is here


Move over 'Sheila', 'Chikni chameli' is here

Katrina Kaif can move, and how! The Britain-born actress might have taken time in perfecting her Hindi accent, but Bollywood's latka-jhatkas is something she has mastered, and proves with her latest item song "Chikni chameli".

Industry members are smitten with the song. They feel it will definitely be a USP of Karan Johar's remake of his father's classic "Agneepath", and overshadow "Munni", "Sheila", "Shalu" and "Jalebi bai" item numbers.

Composed by national award-winning duo Ajay-Atul, the spicy song, sung by Shreya Ghoshal, is the Hindi version of their own Marathi hit "Kombadi palali".

The lyrics of the number, penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya, are as cheesy as they could get, but the rhythm is extremely peppy and catchy. And Katrina's vigourous moves and sensual expressions, choreographed by Ganesh Acharya, go in total sync.

The 26-year-old had set a benchmark with "Sheila ki jawaani" last year, but with this song, she has surpassed it with her killer desi look.

"Agneepath" director Karan Malhotra is all smiles and believes Katrina has done full justice to the song.

"I think the way the song was made, it was so wonderful, that only a topmost actress could have done justice to the song. And as far as Katrina is concerned, her USP is that she has never been seen in any film in that kind of zone that 'Chikni chameli' is in...which is why she also stands out in that atmosphere and that is why the song is catching a lot of eyeballs," Malhotra said at the music premiere of "Agneepath".

As much as he avoids talking in media about Katrina, even Salman Khan, her former beau, couldn't stop raving about the song.

"I love the song! I saw it a few days back and I am completely smitten by it. A lot of hard work has gone behind it and it is visible on the screen. Hats off to Katrina. She has come a long way," Salman said at a recent event in Mumbai.

A 30-second promo of the song was first launched, followed by an over two minutes-long video on YouTube. The video has registered over 3 million hits so far, and producer Karan Johar is ecstatic.

"The nation is singing and dancing to 'Chikni chameli', so I am really excited about it. It is already an established big hit song," Johar said.

According to Atul Gogavale, "Katrina spent eight days in rehearsal before starting to shoot the song. It took nine days to finish the shoot, and her energy levels never saw a dip."

"This song has a very high tempo and requires speed in steps. Even if I or someone else wants to dance to it, you cannot match up to the tempo for more than two minutes. But Katrina just took it to another level. She has left us speechless," he said.

Celebrities from the film fraternity feel Katrina has raised the bar of item numbers with her energetic dance steps.

Writer Milap Zaveri tweeted: "Katrina's dance steps in 'Chikni Chameli' are too brilliant and energetic! But there should be a disclaimer saying 'Don't try this at home!'"

"'Chikni chameli' from 'Agneepath' is just outstanding. I have never seen an actress dance like Katrina does - she raises the bar to another level," tweeted Ritesh Deshmukh, who recommended Ajay-Atul as composers for the film.

Even choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant, who has choreographed item numbers like "Kajra re" says she is in awe of Katrina's effort.

"Katrina is looking very good in 'Chikni Chameli' and I told Karan (Johar) about it. I really loved it and whenever Katrina comes and does a song like this, you know what the effect is," she said.

The action-drama slated for a Jan 26, 2012 release, features Hrithik Roshan as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, originally played by megastar Amitabh Bachchan in Chandan Barot's directorial venture of the same name.

Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt and Rishi Kapoor will also be seen in key roles in the movie.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Bollywood woman power: Vidya, Ekta carry the baton


Head-turners, showpieces and glamour girls are some of the common descriptions used for actresses in male-dominated Hindi filmdom. But feisty producer Ekta Kapoor and her discovery, the bold and talented Vidya Balan, have proved to be game changers with The Dirty Picture.

"The Dirty
Picture had a shocking opening of Rs.32.62 crore. This has put the film in the enviable list of top 10 first three days ever," Girish Johar, head of distribution of Balaji Motion Pictures, which has produced the film, told IANS.

Even a filmmaker like Ram Gopal Varma, who has so far made only male-centric movies, can't stop raving about the film by Ekta, who seems to have a knack for picking real stories and turning them into box office wonders.

"I want to give 2 million 15 lakh 17 thousand 3 hundred and 26 and a half kisses to Ekta for proving that Dirty is Clean and Clean is Dirty," he tweeted.

Ekta has always been a trailblazer - when she entered the TV business, she was crowned television czarina following her long-running successful soaps like Kyunki...Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kasautii Zindagii Kay and made saas-bahu sagas the staple diet on TV.

When she forayed into the moviemaking business, she left the small screen melodrama far behind and carved a niche by doing real life stories with films like Shootout At Lokhandwala, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Ragini MMS and now The Dirty Picture.

And she has also brought forth Vidya. In a way, Vidya is Ekta's prodigy as she brought the actress into the limelight with her comedy show Hum Paanch as Radhika,  a geek, in 2000.

After featuring in song videos, the actress enjoyed a dream debut in Bollywood with Parineeta, but she was jolted back to reality by mishaps like Kismet Konnection and Heyy Babyy.

But just like her mentor, Vidya bounced back as a single mother in Paa and took her boldness a step further with her sensuous avatar in Ishqiya.

The Dirty Picture is her boldest performance so far - she sheds clothes and inhibitions to play a sex symbol.

Though critics are not so happy with director Milan Luthria's treatment of the subject and too much focus on Vidya's skin show, the 32-year-old actress has no regrets.


"I am not coy or 'chui mui' type," said the actress in an interview and persisted that she is "unapologetic" about her dare bare act and that "she loves the limelight and enjoys the attention she gets."

An unofficial biopic of southern sex symbol Silk Smitha, The Dirty Picture, which released with an A-certificate, may not fit the bill of a family watch, but critics are raving about her performance.

It won't be an exaggeration to say that just like her dialogue in the film "itihaas awah hai ki mardon ki duniya rahi hai, aurton ne aa kar hungama macha diya", she has created a furore in the male-dominated arena as Silk.

Usually male actors are seen in the commanding position during film promotions, but here Vidya singlehandedly marketed the film and played the 'hero'.

In fact, Vidya's co-star Emraan Hashmi too feels that the film has broken stereotypes about actresses.

"Can't thank all of you enough for the overwhelming response to The Dirty Picture. The film's emerged a real game changer," he tweeted.

Echoing the same, writer-director Saurabh Shukla told IANS: "Vidya Balan is no doubt a marvellous actress and she has proved it once with The Dirty Picture. Bollywood is indeed a male-dominated industry, and even society is; hence fewer woman-centric films are made. But with The Dirty Picture, Vidya is likely to turn the tables."


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Bollywood heroines who bared all uninhibited


WITH more than a hint of cleavage and more than a suggestion of sex, Vidya Balan turns it on in The Dirty Picture like few other Bollywood heroines have ever managed to do. A t2 list of power women on the Bolly screen who have used their bodies as weapons of mass attraction. can you add to the list? Tell t2@abp.in

VIDYA BALAN IN THE DIRTY PICTURE

Vidya’s Silk knows the power that her body wields and she uses it uninhibitedly and unerringly. She lays herself bare (Vidya shows more cleavage in an hour than most leading ladies have shown in their whole careers) on the ogle buffet, manipulating men with a wink or a glance. Silk is willing to do all it takes — from writhing in front of the camera to indulging in a quickie in the backseat of a car. She taunts and she tit-illates, she rules the box office and causes bed-lam in the world of men.

BIPASHA BASU IN JISM

The dusky Ballygunge bombshell dropped a bomb with her bare-back seductress act in her debut film. Bipasha’s Sonia was an irresistible cold-hearted schemer who used her killer curves to lure men. Playing with her eyes as much as her body, Bipasha and John Abraham’s lovemaking scene in Jism finds a place in Channel 4’s list of the top 100 sexy scenes of all time.

REKHA IN UTSAV

Playing the sensual courtesan Vasantasena, Rekha took screen eroticism to a new high in the Girish Karnad-directed Utsav. Using her body as a totem of sensuality, Vasantasena lures a string of men, with the young Charudutt — Shekhar Suman in his first film — falling prey to her charms. Two erotic sequences, er, stand out: he slowly stripping her of her jewellery; he, she and soap suds in the bathing scene.

konkona sensharma & Raima Sen IN MIRCH

This 2010 film looked at what women want — in bed. Themed on a woman’s right to have sex — and refuse it — this Vinay Shukla film comprised four shorts starring Bong belles Konkona Sensharma and Raima Sen. If the first was about how a wife convinces her husband that she needs to have sex with another man for her husband’s long life, the second dealt with a queen making love to another man even while the king watched. The third focused on a wife having an affair to teach her philandering husband a lesson, while the fourth was about a wife fooling the husband into believing that she was at a seedy hotel to catch him in the act! Woman power, Bong-style!

PAOLI DAM IN CHATRAK

She may have gone under the sheets and bared a bit for previous films, but Tolly trendsetter Paoli Dam truly shed her inhibitions for the yet-to-release Chatrak. Directed by Sri Lankan filmmaker Vimukthi Jayasundara, the dusky actress engaged in an oral sex scene in the nude with co-star Anubrata doing all the hard work. This is what Paoli had told t2 about taking it lying down: “In the scene, the girl is getting all the pleasure.” The downside? You may never get to see the scene and the film.

SHABANA AZMI & NANDITA DAS IN FIRE

Director Deepa Mehta made her central protagonists — neglected by their respective husbands — turn to each other, mentally and physically. Playing sisters-in-law, Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das turned it on — under the mosquito net. Condemned at the time of release, Fire is today widely regarded as a breakthrough film on female empowerment. With basic instincts playing a vital role

ZEENAT AMAN IN SATYAM SHIVAM SUNDARAM

Wet, wet, wet.... Zeenat Aman — easily the boldest actress of her generation — in an itsy-bitsy choli and a navel-flaunting sari in this Raj Kapoor flesh fest. Suffering from a facial disfigurement, Zeenat’s Roopa seduced Shashi Kapoor — and the audience — with those curves. As the camera caressed every inch of her body, Zeenat scored with that dare-bare cleavage in the Bhor bhaye song. And the steamy kiss with Shashi remains one of Bollywood’s boldest yet.

MANDAKINI IN RAM TERI GANGA MAILI

Yet another Raj Kapoor film. Yet anotherwell-endowed leading lady on a titillation trip. Mandakini in nothing but a flimsy white sari under a raging waterfall, baring more of herself than any heroine in mainstream Bollywood had (or since has), is the enduring image of this watershed 1985 romp. She followed it up within an hour with a breastfeeding scene.

INDIRA VARMA & SARITA CHOUDHURY IN KAMASUTRA

As the saying goes, Mira Nair caused ripples by showing nipples. This visually compelling tale of female empowerment through sex and lesbian love saw Indira Varma and Sarita Choudhury play childhood friends wrestling for the same man. Lovemaking was central to this film that celebrated female sexuality as a healing and liberating force.

NANDANA SEN IN RANG RASIYA

Ketan Mehta’s historical piece focusing on the life of painter Raja Ravi Varma has Nandana playing Sugandha, a sensuous devdasi who is, at heart, a child-woman. Trained to be irresistible to men, Nandana’s Sugandha goes topless in the film, taking a brave stand to bare her body for the sake of art. Rang Rasiya has been languishing in the cans owing to distribution problems, but it remains a significant film on woman power.

MALLIKA SHERAWAT IN MURDER

If her 17 kisses in her debut film Khawahish set the boldness ball rolling, Mallika Sherawat in Murder went where no Bollywood heroine had gone before. Cheating on her husband and neglecting her son as she hooked up with a former lover, Mallika got down and dirty everywhere — bed to couch, backseat of car to building ledge. The sexually liberated Bolly heroine was born with this one.

KIMI KATKAR IN TARZAN

The sex symbol of the ’80s bared it all in her debut film playing Jane to Hemant Birje’s Tarzan. Prancing around in bare essentials, Kimi Katkar gave Tarzan — and the men in the audience — sleepless nights. Who can forget a wide-eyed Birje exploring her body with his fingers and the erotic bathing scene in the pond?

Bollywood Protests Against Censorship Of Internet


Union telecom minister Kapil Sibal has received a lot criticism from Bollywood celebrities following his actions on the censorship of social-networking websites.

Minissha Lamba tweeted: 'On 1 hand India is prepping 2b a superpower.On d other myopic 'leaders' parade their state-run-censorship stance.China or USA. Be 1 nt both'

Shekhar Kapur wrote: 'In a democracy Govt has 2 publicly define wht is offensive, n prove it libelous in court before it can b taken off. Technolgy fr google facebook n twitter is so simple now tht thousand sites will replace 1 thats taken down.'

Kunal Kohli didn't sound too happy either. 'India is the greatest democracy. Kapil Sibal wants to curb this freedom of speech/expression.it won't & can't happen.wake up know your people. Instead of attacking rising prices, inflation, corruption, terrorism, unemployment, why is Kapil Sibal attacking Facebook, twitter & google ?! Wasn't content 'screened' in the late 70's too ? What was that dark period called ? Oh ya ... Emergency ! History we don't want to repeat!' he updated.

Sandhya Mridul tweeted: 'Hahhaha Idiot Kapil Sibal trending I just love Twitter at times like this.'

R Madhavan feels he is doing for attention. 'Okey-Mr. Kapil Sibal is seriously trying to get some silly attention by trying to curtail and regulate the net. Seriously. What is the intent? Do we really want to be like China or North Korea. Look at the personality of these govt. They are ruthless and rule with a iron hand.'

Shobhaa De tweeted: 'Sibalsaab,such outrage 2 protect privacy of one 'Madam' in a country of 100million internet users?We like our freedom and we shall have it!'

Vishal Dadlani thinks it will end democracy. 'How long before they make the short hop from censorship to fascism? If we allow this, say goodbye to democracy, + all that India stands for,' he wrote.

Ranvir Shorey tweeted: 'Anyone who would riot over anonymous content on the web is someone who would riot anyway. I think Freedom is without Conditions, but with Consequences.'

Monday, December 5, 2011

Meet Bollywood's 'bravest Star'

Meet Bollywood's 'bravest Star'


Meet Bollywood's 'bravest hero'
Bollywood has joined Vidya Balan's legion of fans after The Dirty Picture released last weekend. Filmi folks are going gagag over her acting prowess. Shruti Seth even named her the 'bravest hero' of the film industry.

Here's what stars had to say about the film:

Minissha Lamba was impressed. 'Standing ovation 2 VIDYA BALAN! History is made by those who dare 2b different.. Congrats Tusshar, Emraan, Milan Luthria n Ekta Kapoor!!!' she wrote.

Shabana Azmi tweeted: 'Its difficult to believe that d actor who played in NKJ is d same as d 1 in TDP.What a brave unabashed performance.more power 2 Vidya Balan.'

Shruti Seth tweeted: 'Just saw Dirty Picture. Kudos to Vidya Balan for being the bravest hero of the film industry. Great performance. Must watch.'

Sameera Reddy thanked Vidya for bringing back the oomph factor in films. 'so glad Vidya Balan had bought the OOOmph factor back! was so sick of this Size Zero bullshit! im sure the boys dont like skinny chicks!' she updated.

Payal Rohtagi tweeted: 'Vidya vidya vidya. Omg. I love her in the dirty picture. There were whistles and whistles even with multiplex crowd. I could see the pain. Love u vidya. U have guts and hats off to you. Mwah. Vidya balan rocks. Period. And I cried when silk died. Yes our industry is so lonely. I have felt it. And that's why I begged my nani to with me. Here there are no friends. Its just success and money that matters. Only u can trust your blood with your emotions.'

Gul Panag also went all gaga about her. 'And it is fantastic!! Vidya Balan ROCKS! What a performance and what a film! Kudos to Milan Luthria. And Vidya is outstanding- head and shoulders above her contemporaries,' she wrote.

Neetu Chandra tweeted: 'Saw Dirty Picture yesterday... Vidya Balan is fab. An Inspiration for all the actors.. Great going Ekta..'

Arjun Rampal was speechless. 'Dirty Picture super film, everyone is fab,congrats Ekta,Milan,Emraan,Tushar,Naseer Sir,but OMG Vidya Balan just makes u speechless. Bravo,' he updated

Friday, December 2, 2011

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