Thursday, December 31, 2009

"What were Jaideep & Shimit thinking while doing Rocket Singh?" - Abbas Tyrewala


Abbas Tyrewala who directed one of 2008's biggest successes is also a writer of great repute, having written among other things, the prophetic dialogues of Munnabhai MBBS and the screenplay of Maqbool.

Abbas went to see the latest Yashraj production Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year not only as a writer and director but also as an eager fan of the films that the banner comes out of.

"I love Jaideep Sahni's writing and Shimit Amin's direction. But what were they thinking while doing Rocket Singh? Where is the payoff in the screenplay? Where is the hero? Ranbir plays a timid Sardar who steals phone lines and computer hardware from his work-place to start his own business. And we are supposed to accept him as a man of integrity! Would he be able to start his own business if it wasn't for the nefarious support he gets from his work-place? In other words the 'hero' resorts to those very underhand tactics that he claims to abhor and takes the help of that very organization which has disgraced him!"

Most damaging of all, Abbas couldn't see a hero in Ranbir's character. "The boss (Manish Chowdhary) is so over-the-top he belongs to another sensibility altogether, calls Ranbir a 'bastard' several times, humiliates and disgraces him publicly. We wait for our hero to have his revenge on the boorish boss. I completely believe in the old-fashioned Hindi film formula where the hero gives his tormentor tit for tat. But Boss, where's the comeuppance for the villain? In fact the story comes across more as the boss' redemption story as the hero's."

Read more from HERE

"What were Jaideep & Shimit thinking while doing Rocket Singh?" - Abbas Tyrewala


Abbas Tyrewala who directed one of 2008's biggest successes is also a writer of great repute, having written among other things, the prophetic dialogues of Munnabhai MBBS and the screenplay of Maqbool.

Abbas went to see the latest Yashraj production Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year not only as a writer and director but also as an eager fan of the films that the banner comes out of.

"I love Jaideep Sahni's writing and Shimit Amin's direction. But what were they thinking while doing Rocket Singh? Where is the payoff in the screenplay? Where is the hero? Ranbir plays a timid Sardar who steals phone lines and computer hardware from his work-place to start his own business. And we are supposed to accept him as a man of integrity! Would he be able to start his own business if it wasn't for the nefarious support he gets from his work-place? In other words the 'hero' resorts to those very underhand tactics that he claims to abhor and takes the help of that very organization which has disgraced him!"

Most damaging of all, Abbas couldn't see a hero in Ranbir's character. "The boss (Manish Chowdhary) is so over-the-top he belongs to another sensibility altogether, calls Ranbir a 'bastard' several times, humiliates and disgraces him publicly. We wait for our hero to have his revenge on the boorish boss. I completely believe in the old-fashioned Hindi film formula where the hero gives his tormentor tit for tat. But Boss, where's the comeuppance for the villain? In fact the story comes across more as the boss' redemption story as the hero's."

Read more from HERE

First Look - Karthik Calling Karthik


First Look - Karthik Calling Karthik


16th Star Screen Awards Nominations 2010




Best Film
3 Idiots
Dev D
Kaminey
Love Aaj Kal
Paa

Best Actor
Aamir Khan (3 Idiots)
Amitabh Bachchan (Paa)
Ranbir Kapoor (Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani)
Ranbir Kapoor (Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year)
Saif Ali Khan (Love Aaj Kal)
Shahid Kapur ( Kaminey)

Best Director
Rajkumar Hirani
Vishal Bhardwaj
R. Balki
Imtiaz Ali
Anurag Kashyap

Best Actress
Priyanka Chopra (Kaminey)
Priyanka Chopra (What's Your Rashee?)
Vidya Balan (Paa)
Kareena Kapoor (3 Idiots)
Katrina Kaif (New York)
Deepika Padukone (Love Aaj Kal)

Best Supporting Actor
Rishi Kapoor (Love Aaj Kal)
Rishi Kapoor (Luck By Chance)
Abhimanyu Singh (Gulaal)
R. Madhavan (3 Idiots)
Sharman Joshi (3 Idiots)

Best Female Supporting Actor
Arundhati Nag (Paa)
Divya Dutt (Delhi 6)
Gauhar Khan (Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year)
Neha Dhupia (Raat Gayi Baat Gayi)
Shahana Goswami (Firaaq)

Best Actor in a Comic Role
Om Vaidya (3 Idiots)
Paresh Rawal (De Dana Dan)
Sanjay Mishra (All The Best)
Vinay Pathak (Raat Gayi Baat Gayi)

Best Actor in a Negative Role
Boman Irani (3 Idiots)
Kay Kay Menon (Gulaal)
Mahesh Manjrekar (Wanted)
Manish Chaudhari (Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year)

Best Music
Pritam (Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani)
Pritam (Love Aaj Kal)
Pritam (Tum Mile)
A. R. Rahman (Delhi 6)
Vishal Bhardwaj (Kaminey)

Best Background Score
Amit Truvedi (Dev D)
Shantanu Moitra, Atul Raninga and Sanjay Wandreker (3 Idiots)
Vishal Bhardwaj (Kaminey)
Illayaraja (Paa)
Salim Suliaman (Rocket Singh Salesman of The Year)

Best Female Playback Singer
Kavita Seth (Iktaara, Wake Up Sid)
Rekha Bhardwaj (Genda Phool, Delhi 6)
Shreya Ghoshal (Zoobie Doobie, 3 Idiots)
Shilpa Rao (Mudi Mudi, Paa)
Sunidhi Chauhan (Mere Sang Chal Zara, New York)

Most Promising Debut Director
Ayan Mukjerjee (Wake Up Sid)
Nandita Das (Firaaq)
Pankaj Advani (Sankat City)
Zoya Akhtar (Luck By Chance)
Shivajee Chandrabhushan (Frozen)

Most Promising Newcomer Male
Amole Gupte (Kaminey)
Chandan Roy Sanyal (Kaminey)
Navin Kaushik (Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year)
Om Vaidya (3 Idiots)

Most Promising Newcomer Female
Mahie Gill (Dev D)
Kalki Koechlin (Dev D)
Jesse Randhawa (Gulaal)
Gauhar Khan (Rocket Singh Salesman of the Year)
Giselle Monteiro (Love Aaj Kal)

16th Star Screen Awards Nominations 2010




Best Film
3 Idiots
Dev D
Kaminey
Love Aaj Kal
Paa

Best Actor
Aamir Khan (3 Idiots)
Amitabh Bachchan (Paa)
Ranbir Kapoor (Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani)
Ranbir Kapoor (Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year)
Saif Ali Khan (Love Aaj Kal)
Shahid Kapur ( Kaminey)

Best Director
Rajkumar Hirani
Vishal Bhardwaj
R. Balki
Imtiaz Ali
Anurag Kashyap

Best Actress
Priyanka Chopra (Kaminey)
Priyanka Chopra (What's Your Rashee?)
Vidya Balan (Paa)
Kareena Kapoor (3 Idiots)
Katrina Kaif (New York)
Deepika Padukone (Love Aaj Kal)

Best Supporting Actor
Rishi Kapoor (Love Aaj Kal)
Rishi Kapoor (Luck By Chance)
Abhimanyu Singh (Gulaal)
R. Madhavan (3 Idiots)
Sharman Joshi (3 Idiots)

Best Female Supporting Actor
Arundhati Nag (Paa)
Divya Dutt (Delhi 6)
Gauhar Khan (Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year)
Neha Dhupia (Raat Gayi Baat Gayi)
Shahana Goswami (Firaaq)

Best Actor in a Comic Role
Om Vaidya (3 Idiots)
Paresh Rawal (De Dana Dan)
Sanjay Mishra (All The Best)
Vinay Pathak (Raat Gayi Baat Gayi)

Best Actor in a Negative Role
Boman Irani (3 Idiots)
Kay Kay Menon (Gulaal)
Mahesh Manjrekar (Wanted)
Manish Chaudhari (Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year)

Best Music
Pritam (Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani)
Pritam (Love Aaj Kal)
Pritam (Tum Mile)
A. R. Rahman (Delhi 6)
Vishal Bhardwaj (Kaminey)

Best Background Score
Amit Truvedi (Dev D)
Shantanu Moitra, Atul Raninga and Sanjay Wandreker (3 Idiots)
Vishal Bhardwaj (Kaminey)
Illayaraja (Paa)
Salim Suliaman (Rocket Singh Salesman of The Year)

Best Female Playback Singer
Kavita Seth (Iktaara, Wake Up Sid)
Rekha Bhardwaj (Genda Phool, Delhi 6)
Shreya Ghoshal (Zoobie Doobie, 3 Idiots)
Shilpa Rao (Mudi Mudi, Paa)
Sunidhi Chauhan (Mere Sang Chal Zara, New York)

Most Promising Debut Director
Ayan Mukjerjee (Wake Up Sid)
Nandita Das (Firaaq)
Pankaj Advani (Sankat City)
Zoya Akhtar (Luck By Chance)
Shivajee Chandrabhushan (Frozen)

Most Promising Newcomer Male
Amole Gupte (Kaminey)
Chandan Roy Sanyal (Kaminey)
Navin Kaushik (Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year)
Om Vaidya (3 Idiots)

Most Promising Newcomer Female
Mahie Gill (Dev D)
Kalki Koechlin (Dev D)
Jesse Randhawa (Gulaal)
Gauhar Khan (Rocket Singh Salesman of the Year)
Giselle Monteiro (Love Aaj Kal)

My Name is Khan song - Sajda (Video updated)




Thanks to Khanabadosh on KhitPit for this!


My Name is Khan song - Sajda (Video updated)




Thanks to Khanabadosh on KhitPit for this!


Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The long road from Gulaal to Rakta Charitra - Abhimanyu Singh



Those who have watched Anurag Kashyap's brilliant film Gulaal will not be forgetting its terrific actor Abhimanyu Singh any time soon. Abhimanyu played a powerful Rajput student-leader, who gets shot to death.

Abhimanyu will be seen at the marquee once again in this week's release Accident On Hill Road.

But it has been a long wait for the actor, who spent 10 struggling years in Mumbai [ Images ] before he bagged a decent role.

"It hasn't been easy," Abhimanyu admits, talking about his long struggle. "Gulaal gave me a chance to channelise my restlessness into a character that had layers of complexity," he said.

Abhimanyu studied in St Stephen's college in Delhi [ Images ] and decided to join the IAS (Indian Administrative Service) or IPS (Indian Police Service), as his parents wished. But he realised that he was not cut out to be a public servant, where he would be required to 'just follow orders.'

"The passion was fading away and I realised that I cannot work somewhere where I will have to say 'yes sir' to every person above me in the hierarchy, even if I don't agree. I wanted freedom to do what I wanted," he said.

His parents were quite upset with his change in career plan. Yet, they supported him and gave him money from time to time.

Read more from HERE

The long road from Gulaal to Rakta Charitra - Abhimanyu Singh



Those who have watched Anurag Kashyap's brilliant film Gulaal will not be forgetting its terrific actor Abhimanyu Singh any time soon. Abhimanyu played a powerful Rajput student-leader, who gets shot to death.

Abhimanyu will be seen at the marquee once again in this week's release Accident On Hill Road.

But it has been a long wait for the actor, who spent 10 struggling years in Mumbai [ Images ] before he bagged a decent role.

"It hasn't been easy," Abhimanyu admits, talking about his long struggle. "Gulaal gave me a chance to channelise my restlessness into a character that had layers of complexity," he said.

Abhimanyu studied in St Stephen's college in Delhi [ Images ] and decided to join the IAS (Indian Administrative Service) or IPS (Indian Police Service), as his parents wished. But he realised that he was not cut out to be a public servant, where he would be required to 'just follow orders.'

"The passion was fading away and I realised that I cannot work somewhere where I will have to say 'yes sir' to every person above me in the hierarchy, even if I don't agree. I wanted freedom to do what I wanted," he said.

His parents were quite upset with his change in career plan. Yet, they supported him and gave him money from time to time.

Read more from HERE

3 Idiots: Aim excellence, saali success jhakk maar ke aayegi




I am (Shahrukh) Khan fan, and I liked 3 Idiots. OK, make it loved.

When we saw 2 of the biggest stars of our generation trying to do this movie, we knew that there has to be something special in it, and sure there was, too bad only one could do it, saala, lucky dog (no pun intended). Is it best of the decade, best ever? I have no idea, I have never ever been a good judge of movie, I liked Race after all. But then for me core of every movie lies in the "fun" factor, entertainment value, and then if you sprinkle enough of, what you call, "message", it becomes a movie not to be missed. In this regard, folks, 3I is a darn good one.

Coming to the movie, yes, jahapanah gag is overdone a bit, and caricatures don't exist in real. But then its not about that, right? Its about having fun while watching a movie, and take something along with you, if you can, which can be a joke, smile, or just a simple thought. Yes, every movie has a message, message of peace over war, love over hatred, freindship over animosity, and this movie has its fair share of points as well, which it tries to get across the table, but there are not many which puts in the way 3I does. If the movie is not entertaining enough, I think that whatever "message" it has is lost, and 3I has enough of funny, jokes, and punch lines, even though with the help of caricatures and gags, that never for once you feel that you are being preached or bored.

I have seen so many times how such and such movie's script is discussed as coursework for some college or something, this is one movie I would definitely want to be shown to every student out there. And see, its not about changing the system, like many would like you to believe, even VVC, its about changing your mentality, which in turn can change the system. How parents don't guide, but "force" them to walk on the path they think is right for them, sometimes by force, sometimes by emotional blackmailing of sorts. At the same time its a lesson to kids to try and learn for the sake of learning, not passing. Aim should be attaining the excellence, not degree. Degree might land you a job, nice car, bigger house, but success, the real big success, comes with excellence. Do not compete others, but aim to be excellent in what you are doing. If you are making a blog, don't try to outdo someone else's try to make your own so good that it gets the notice by itself. What a movie, what a motivation it can give to students trying real hard to make their name in this rat race of sorts.

It depends upon you what point you bring home, the loud, repetitve, stupid line, aal izz well, or the the point about doing what you love and loving what you do. After all, you are the viewer, you take the call. As such i am seldom interested in BO stuff, but this movie should break all the record, and deservingly. Big star, good movie, great marketing, has all the components right, hope it does that. This is a true DDLJ moment for Aamir, I don;t htink Ghajini ever was, but this sure is.

Performance wise, Aamir made the character his own, though some times he did look like forcing himself to be a kid, like when Boman is dragging him. But all in all, he nails it, the way he talks, reassures and motivate his friends and audience, is really worth watching. Maddy, Sharman are good in whatever is given to them, which is not exactly much. Loved the scnes of Sharman's family, how they were done in humor, amazing. Kareena is almost non existent. Lot has been said about Boman, but I think he did pretty good, like all Hirani movies, he was a caricature once again, and he did pretty well as that caricature. Gave laughs, played a bad guy, but still never a villain. I am not saying that the plot doesn't have loopholes, or its own fair share of unbelievable ridiculousness, but it is more to make the movie more entertaining, which it does. Also, I am sorry, I am not exactly an Oscar jury, and that too for a reason. I look for entertainment in the movie. Neither was I judging some Science journal that I comment on feasibility of a vacuum cleaner as a suction cup.

Yes, 3I is a collection of Munnabhais, TZP, at some points, even Mohabbatein. but it is a novel effort, and a good movie with enough of fun to make ou remember the point of " Attain Excellence, success saali jhakk maar ke aayegi".

My rating? Catch is as soon as possible, and show it to kids, and tell them how important it is to take interest in what they are doing, and do what they have interest in. Lets have few more Abdul Kalams than Kunals.

Once again, I might go to hell for saying that, still,

I am (Shahrukh) Khan fan, and I LOVED 3 Idiots.


PS: One note to bloggers as well. See this movie and you will understand the importance of being simple. I understand that you want to increase my vocab by using big words, and i appreciate that. But after a while it starts sounding as gibberish, not interesting anymore. And if you fail to explain your point, I think you failed as a writer, now I know I am not the smartest student/reader myself, but you won't be judged as a smart writer if you fail to put your point across. Am I making any sense? I hope I am.

3 Idiots: Aim excellence, saali success jhakk maar ke aayegi




I am (Shahrukh) Khan fan, and I liked 3 Idiots. OK, make it loved.

When we saw 2 of the biggest stars of our generation trying to do this movie, we knew that there has to be something special in it, and sure there was, too bad only one could do it, saala, lucky dog (no pun intended). Is it best of the decade, best ever? I have no idea, I have never ever been a good judge of movie, I liked Race after all. But then for me core of every movie lies in the "fun" factor, entertainment value, and then if you sprinkle enough of, what you call, "message", it becomes a movie not to be missed. In this regard, folks, 3I is a darn good one.

Coming to the movie, yes, jahapanah gag is overdone a bit, and caricatures don't exist in real. But then its not about that, right? Its about having fun while watching a movie, and take something along with you, if you can, which can be a joke, smile, or just a simple thought. Yes, every movie has a message, message of peace over war, love over hatred, freindship over animosity, and this movie has its fair share of points as well, which it tries to get across the table, but there are not many which puts in the way 3I does. If the movie is not entertaining enough, I think that whatever "message" it has is lost, and 3I has enough of funny, jokes, and punch lines, even though with the help of caricatures and gags, that never for once you feel that you are being preached or bored.

I have seen so many times how such and such movie's script is discussed as coursework for some college or something, this is one movie I would definitely want to be shown to every student out there. And see, its not about changing the system, like many would like you to believe, even VVC, its about changing your mentality, which in turn can change the system. How parents don't guide, but "force" them to walk on the path they think is right for them, sometimes by force, sometimes by emotional blackmailing of sorts. At the same time its a lesson to kids to try and learn for the sake of learning, not passing. Aim should be attaining the excellence, not degree. Degree might land you a job, nice car, bigger house, but success, the real big success, comes with excellence. Do not compete others, but aim to be excellent in what you are doing. If you are making a blog, don't try to outdo someone else's try to make your own so good that it gets the notice by itself. What a movie, what a motivation it can give to students trying real hard to make their name in this rat race of sorts.

It depends upon you what point you bring home, the loud, repetitve, stupid line, aal izz well, or the the point about doing what you love and loving what you do. After all, you are the viewer, you take the call. As such i am seldom interested in BO stuff, but this movie should break all the record, and deservingly. Big star, good movie, great marketing, has all the components right, hope it does that. This is a true DDLJ moment for Aamir, I don;t htink Ghajini ever was, but this sure is.

Performance wise, Aamir made the character his own, though some times he did look like forcing himself to be a kid, like when Boman is dragging him. But all in all, he nails it, the way he talks, reassures and motivate his friends and audience, is really worth watching. Maddy, Sharman are good in whatever is given to them, which is not exactly much. Loved the scnes of Sharman's family, how they were done in humor, amazing. Kareena is almost non existent. Lot has been said about Boman, but I think he did pretty good, like all Hirani movies, he was a caricature once again, and he did pretty well as that caricature. Gave laughs, played a bad guy, but still never a villain. I am not saying that the plot doesn't have loopholes, or its own fair share of unbelievable ridiculousness, but it is more to make the movie more entertaining, which it does. Also, I am sorry, I am not exactly an Oscar jury, and that too for a reason. I look for entertainment in the movie. Neither was I judging some Science journal that I comment on feasibility of a vacuum cleaner as a suction cup.

Yes, 3I is a collection of Munnabhais, TZP, at some points, even Mohabbatein. but it is a novel effort, and a good movie with enough of fun to make ou remember the point of " Attain Excellence, success saali jhakk maar ke aayegi".

My rating? Catch is as soon as possible, and show it to kids, and tell them how important it is to take interest in what they are doing, and do what they have interest in. Lets have few more Abdul Kalams than Kunals.

Once again, I might go to hell for saying that, still,

I am (Shahrukh) Khan fan, and I LOVED 3 Idiots.


PS: One note to bloggers as well. See this movie and you will understand the importance of being simple. I understand that you want to increase my vocab by using big words, and i appreciate that. But after a while it starts sounding as gibberish, not interesting anymore. And if you fail to explain your point, I think you failed as a writer, now I know I am not the smartest student/reader myself, but you won't be judged as a smart writer if you fail to put your point across. Am I making any sense? I hope I am.

Reema Lagoo excited about playing a Muslim


She has played various roles in her three-decade-long career, but never a Muslim woman. Now Reema Lagoo has got a chance to do it in her yet-to-be-titled film and says she is excited about it.

"I'm playing a Muslim character for the first time in my career in a film being directed by Rahul Kapoor. The movie is based in Lucknow and Dubai. It is about a boy and his mother," Reema, who is making her small screen comeback with NDTV Imagine's "Do Hanson Ka Jodaa", said in an interview.

"The film shows how the son goes to Dubai, gets into wrong company and with what difficulty his mother brings him back. I've never played a Muslim character even in my theatre career. The entire get-up of my character is different; I had to wear Punjabi style salwar kurta and I even had to speak in Urdu," she added.

According to the 51-year-old actress, the movie also features Aftab Shivdasani, Gauri Karnik and Rituparna Sengupta.

Read more from HERE

Reema Lagoo excited about playing a Muslim


She has played various roles in her three-decade-long career, but never a Muslim woman. Now Reema Lagoo has got a chance to do it in her yet-to-be-titled film and says she is excited about it.

"I'm playing a Muslim character for the first time in my career in a film being directed by Rahul Kapoor. The movie is based in Lucknow and Dubai. It is about a boy and his mother," Reema, who is making her small screen comeback with NDTV Imagine's "Do Hanson Ka Jodaa", said in an interview.

"The film shows how the son goes to Dubai, gets into wrong company and with what difficulty his mother brings him back. I've never played a Muslim character even in my theatre career. The entire get-up of my character is different; I had to wear Punjabi style salwar kurta and I even had to speak in Urdu," she added.

According to the 51-year-old actress, the movie also features Aftab Shivdasani, Gauri Karnik and Rituparna Sengupta.

Read more from HERE

My movie reopens old wounds: Nikhil Advani


Director Nikhil Advani says his next movie "Patiala House", about cross-generation cultural assimilation among the Sikh community in Britain, is partially based on the infamous Southall racial riots of 1979 and is like reopening old wounds.

Advani shot a few scenes in the much-revered Southall Gurdwara of London. Cameras are not usually allowed there, but once the Southall Gurdwara committees heard the idea behind the film and that Rishi Kapoor and Akshay Kumar would feature in it, they were all for the project.

"They just threw open the doors of the Gurdwara and offered to help in every way to make 'Patiala House' authentic. Many of the Sikh elders at the Gurdwara had lived through the infamous Southall racial riots of 1979 where my film is partially set," Advani, who made it big in filmdom with "Kal Ho Naa Ho" (2003), said.

"When I narrated my theme to them, they had tears in their eyes. 'Patiala House' is like old wounds being re-opened for them. But it's a story that must be told."

But at heart, says Advani, "Patiala House" is a father-son story.

"Like 'Billy Eliott' where the father is a coal miner but the son wants to be a dancer. In my film, Rishi Kapoor feels his dreams as a Sikh immigrant in England are being destroyed by his son. But the son Akshay Kumar has his own dreams to pursue."

Read more from HERE

My movie reopens old wounds: Nikhil Advani


Director Nikhil Advani says his next movie "Patiala House", about cross-generation cultural assimilation among the Sikh community in Britain, is partially based on the infamous Southall racial riots of 1979 and is like reopening old wounds.

Advani shot a few scenes in the much-revered Southall Gurdwara of London. Cameras are not usually allowed there, but once the Southall Gurdwara committees heard the idea behind the film and that Rishi Kapoor and Akshay Kumar would feature in it, they were all for the project.

"They just threw open the doors of the Gurdwara and offered to help in every way to make 'Patiala House' authentic. Many of the Sikh elders at the Gurdwara had lived through the infamous Southall racial riots of 1979 where my film is partially set," Advani, who made it big in filmdom with "Kal Ho Naa Ho" (2003), said.

"When I narrated my theme to them, they had tears in their eyes. 'Patiala House' is like old wounds being re-opened for them. But it's a story that must be told."

But at heart, says Advani, "Patiala House" is a father-son story.

"Like 'Billy Eliott' where the father is a coal miner but the son wants to be a dancer. In my film, Rishi Kapoor feels his dreams as a Sikh immigrant in England are being destroyed by his son. But the son Akshay Kumar has his own dreams to pursue."

Read more from HERE

Special screening of 'Harishchandrachi Factory' at Rashtrapati Bhawan


A special screening of Marathi film "Harishchandrachi Factory", India's official entry to the Oscars, will take place at the Rashtrapati Bhawan Jan 16.

The film, that will hit theatres Jan 22, will be screened at the President's Estate Auditorium.

Co-produced by Paprika Media and Mayasabha Production, the Dadasaheb Phalke biopic is the directorial debut of Mumbai-based theatre actor-director Paresh Mokashi.

Read more from HERE

Special screening of 'Harishchandrachi Factory' at Rashtrapati Bhawan


A special screening of Marathi film "Harishchandrachi Factory", India's official entry to the Oscars, will take place at the Rashtrapati Bhawan Jan 16.

The film, that will hit theatres Jan 22, will be screened at the President's Estate Auditorium.

Co-produced by Paprika Media and Mayasabha Production, the Dadasaheb Phalke biopic is the directorial debut of Mumbai-based theatre actor-director Paresh Mokashi.

Read more from HERE

Abhishek opts for metrosexual look for debut TV show


Dressed in a bright yellow coat over a pale yellow shirt and white trousers, Abhishek Bachchan sports a metrosexual look for his debut TV show "National Bingo Night" to be aired on Colors.

Apart from that, the actor sports a baby pink jacket for the promotional photo shoot for the show.

However, this isn't the first time Abhishek is flaunting the metrosexual look - he made similar style statements in movies like "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" and "Dostana".

He is extremely excited about the show, being produced by Fox Television Studios India Pvt. Ltd.

"It's a fun-filled show where the whole country will be my guest without applying any brains or answer any difficult questions. This is such a chilled out concept and something that has never been done before in India. The sheer simplicity of the idea and the fact that this show is highly interactive is what attracted me to it," Abhishek said in a press statement.

The game show will have two fast-paced rounds of the popular guessing game 'Bingo'.

Read more from HERE

Abhishek opts for metrosexual look for debut TV show


Dressed in a bright yellow coat over a pale yellow shirt and white trousers, Abhishek Bachchan sports a metrosexual look for his debut TV show "National Bingo Night" to be aired on Colors.

Apart from that, the actor sports a baby pink jacket for the promotional photo shoot for the show.

However, this isn't the first time Abhishek is flaunting the metrosexual look - he made similar style statements in movies like "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" and "Dostana".

He is extremely excited about the show, being produced by Fox Television Studios India Pvt. Ltd.

"It's a fun-filled show where the whole country will be my guest without applying any brains or answer any difficult questions. This is such a chilled out concept and something that has never been done before in India. The sheer simplicity of the idea and the fact that this show is highly interactive is what attracted me to it," Abhishek said in a press statement.

The game show will have two fast-paced rounds of the popular guessing game 'Bingo'.

Read more from HERE

After '3 Idiots', I may do a fantasy film: Rajkumar Hirani


After making three back-to-back feel-good films, the latest being "3 Idiots", director Rajkumar Hirani says he may venture into the world of fantasy or animation.

"I like films belonging to the fantasy and animation genre. In fact, I may end up making one myself. Biographies interest me a lot as well; so I could even pick up one such subject as well," Hirani said in an interview.

But the maker of "Munnabhai M.B.B.S" and "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" promises to keep things simple in his future projects too.

"That's the basic thought process that I have always applied. Now look at '3 Idiots', there were quite a few complex and emotional scenes in this film as well. However, credit it to the writing and execution by the team that they didn't appear to be heavy and passed off seamlessly," he said.

Hirani says he is looking at exploring a new world altogether in cinema, but not action or horror movies.

"Now action is something that I don't really enjoy directing. For that matter even horror. Just in order to showcase my versatility, I don't want to pick up something which is not really my area of interest," he said.

Read more from HERE

After '3 Idiots', I may do a fantasy film: Rajkumar Hirani


After making three back-to-back feel-good films, the latest being "3 Idiots", director Rajkumar Hirani says he may venture into the world of fantasy or animation.

"I like films belonging to the fantasy and animation genre. In fact, I may end up making one myself. Biographies interest me a lot as well; so I could even pick up one such subject as well," Hirani said in an interview.

But the maker of "Munnabhai M.B.B.S" and "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" promises to keep things simple in his future projects too.

"That's the basic thought process that I have always applied. Now look at '3 Idiots', there were quite a few complex and emotional scenes in this film as well. However, credit it to the writing and execution by the team that they didn't appear to be heavy and passed off seamlessly," he said.

Hirani says he is looking at exploring a new world altogether in cinema, but not action or horror movies.

"Now action is something that I don't really enjoy directing. For that matter even horror. Just in order to showcase my versatility, I don't want to pick up something which is not really my area of interest," he said.

Read more from HERE

Teen Patti Preview


Teen Patti Preview


Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The 3 Idiots – it is about the message, stupid!



Any review of a film like Three Idiots must needs be undertaken at a few levels. At the most superficial level, the film is a simple comedy about life in an engineering college hostel, full of gags and puerile humor - but films like Singh is Kinngg and Kambakht Ishq have shown us that this kind of humor works! Three guys meet, one is UNIQUE and smart without trying, GENIUS even - Rancho or Ranchoddass. They bond over lots of time spent in the hostel bathroom and drinking on the rooftop. The headmaster is a tartar and in an attempt to foil him they get into trouble, are nearly thrown out except that Rancho miraculously fashions a baby vacuum device to deliver the headmaster's grandson on the college ping-pong table. Then Rancho mysteriously disappears, and the other two Idiots go on a search for Rancho, find him and ALL IZZ WELL.

Well that is the story in a nutshell and it is simplistic, like most efforts by Raju Hirani, and it is full of moments that you will laugh at. But Raju Hirani is not like Hrishikesh Mukherjee - he is not happy simply serving us a slice of everyday life. The slice has to be garnished with a message, some life changing message that will make us go WOW! He tried it with the two MunnaBhai films and tries to top that effort with his latest film.

So after JAADU KI JHAPPI and GANDHIGIRI, what is the message this time around? It is actually something we saw in TZP, to let a student (child there, adult here) do their thing! In the age of scientific innovations and inventions, the main message to parents is to stop forcing the kids to be engineers. The message to the teachers is to teach differently - to stop teaching theory and to teach engineers how to make baby-suction machines, little choppers with cameras, and so on and so forth. The message is that these hard-ass professors are forcing students to commit suicide, that deadlines are meaningless and that deadlines force students to suicide. Three times students attempt suicide, twice successfully, and the headmaster is told it was MURDER. I am reminded of a cousin telling us that kids were not being allowed to be kids - the HATYARA master hired to get us to complete our homework was eating into our playtime! I just saw a Tweet from someone who was inspired by 3 Idiots to go and kill all his teachers from Engineering school!! How much does parental expectation weigh a 19 or 20 year old down? The message of Joseph Campbell telling people to follow their bliss is one to keep in mind here. I found this part the hardest to swallow as I was able to forge my own path and make my own choices despite strong parental pressures and directives. Not once did any of it make a thought of suicide flit across my consciousness. Parents do try to live their life vicariously through that of their children, desperately trying to make sure their child does not make the same mistakes they did, BUT each generation has to make its own mistakes and learn from them! Hirani's message is too ham-fisted to even register as anything meaningful. Coming to teachers - innovating in teaching is indeed necessary. BUT in 3 IDIOTS all we see are two teachers, and nothing there about exactly WHAT is wrong with the teaching methods. If we are to believe the headmaster, this is the premiere engineering institution - so can we compare it to the IITs? And then can we say that teaching is useless and by rote there? Do students come out having accumulated useless knowledge?

At the next level we can examine if the message in 3 Idiots is practical, and responsible. This is an era when enrollment in the pure sciences has seen a drop across the globe. And it is not because of lack of demand, the challenges to innovate in physics, math, chemistry and biology continue unabated. BUT today children of the elite are going into management - it represents instant and good money. And the ordinary working class kids who can speak the speak want to work in call centers, again instant money - so engineering seems a soft target! But what the film-makers forget is that the Indian engineering colleges created the brain power that is running technology in many a country, it has given us a sort of intellectual superiority in the tech game. Is it practical to deem it all useless? What exactly is wrong? Is it teaching by rote? Can innovation and practical knowledge be absorbed without theory? What is the way to teach a populace that has come through a school system where memorizing is the way to excel? These obvious questions need to be answered, but before that they have to be posed, and they never are! Grades are deemed unimportant but in situations where 300 apply for campus interviews - even selection for interviews based on grades! One wonders how the Sharman Joshi character ever got to the interview table after coming last in class CONSISTENTLY!

Next I want to examine the script of 3 Idiots. The film is full of comic gags, many of which are so stale as to not even be funny anymore. The Astronaut pen thing is old as the hills. The late exam scene is copied from an ad film, Rancho is a gardener's son and a genius who is discovered by the teachers doing math well above his level on the board, just as Will is a janitor and genius who is discovered solving high level math problems in Good Will Hunting! Sloppy writing not expected from Mr. Hirani's team. There are coincidences galore, a student dies just as his project is completed by Rancho, sent soaring to his room height and the camera sees him hanging from the ceiling. Boman's own son has committed suicide from parental pressures! And while evoking a 60s B and W film in Sharman's near destitute family is good for some laughs, the family is really that way and is used in several gags in a near tasteless way. The prime one is taking the paralyzed father to the hospital strapped to a scooter, and then telling the comatose Sharman that his mother has a new sari., father is well now and sister is getting married without dowry. Was this supposed to make me laugh or cry? Replacing chamatkar with balatkar was good to hear about twice - at the 15th time it began to pall. An why was replacing "dhan" with "stan" even funny at all? The cool and laughing minister quickly lost his cool at that one! The teaspoon peeing + electrocution gag seems to have been a favorite of Mr. Hirani's, as he uses it twice! And baring the butt at the slightest provocation, peeing on the headmaster's door, and stealing an exam all seem to be fair game in the film. Give me Rocket Singh's candid admission of pass with 37% after grace marks ANY DAY!

More on acting, music etc. here

The 3 Idiots – it is about the message, stupid!



Any review of a film like Three Idiots must needs be undertaken at a few levels. At the most superficial level, the film is a simple comedy about life in an engineering college hostel, full of gags and puerile humor - but films like Singh is Kinngg and Kambakht Ishq have shown us that this kind of humor works! Three guys meet, one is UNIQUE and smart without trying, GENIUS even - Rancho or Ranchoddass. They bond over lots of time spent in the hostel bathroom and drinking on the rooftop. The headmaster is a tartar and in an attempt to foil him they get into trouble, are nearly thrown out except that Rancho miraculously fashions a baby vacuum device to deliver the headmaster's grandson on the college ping-pong table. Then Rancho mysteriously disappears, and the other two Idiots go on a search for Rancho, find him and ALL IZZ WELL.

Well that is the story in a nutshell and it is simplistic, like most efforts by Raju Hirani, and it is full of moments that you will laugh at. But Raju Hirani is not like Hrishikesh Mukherjee - he is not happy simply serving us a slice of everyday life. The slice has to be garnished with a message, some life changing message that will make us go WOW! He tried it with the two MunnaBhai films and tries to top that effort with his latest film.

So after JAADU KI JHAPPI and GANDHIGIRI, what is the message this time around? It is actually something we saw in TZP, to let a student (child there, adult here) do their thing! In the age of scientific innovations and inventions, the main message to parents is to stop forcing the kids to be engineers. The message to the teachers is to teach differently - to stop teaching theory and to teach engineers how to make baby-suction machines, little choppers with cameras, and so on and so forth. The message is that these hard-ass professors are forcing students to commit suicide, that deadlines are meaningless and that deadlines force students to suicide. Three times students attempt suicide, twice successfully, and the headmaster is told it was MURDER. I am reminded of a cousin telling us that kids were not being allowed to be kids - the HATYARA master hired to get us to complete our homework was eating into our playtime! I just saw a Tweet from someone who was inspired by 3 Idiots to go and kill all his teachers from Engineering school!! How much does parental expectation weigh a 19 or 20 year old down? The message of Joseph Campbell telling people to follow their bliss is one to keep in mind here. I found this part the hardest to swallow as I was able to forge my own path and make my own choices despite strong parental pressures and directives. Not once did any of it make a thought of suicide flit across my consciousness. Parents do try to live their life vicariously through that of their children, desperately trying to make sure their child does not make the same mistakes they did, BUT each generation has to make its own mistakes and learn from them! Hirani's message is too ham-fisted to even register as anything meaningful. Coming to teachers - innovating in teaching is indeed necessary. BUT in 3 IDIOTS all we see are two teachers, and nothing there about exactly WHAT is wrong with the teaching methods. If we are to believe the headmaster, this is the premiere engineering institution - so can we compare it to the IITs? And then can we say that teaching is useless and by rote there? Do students come out having accumulated useless knowledge?

At the next level we can examine if the message in 3 Idiots is practical, and responsible. This is an era when enrollment in the pure sciences has seen a drop across the globe. And it is not because of lack of demand, the challenges to innovate in physics, math, chemistry and biology continue unabated. BUT today children of the elite are going into management - it represents instant and good money. And the ordinary working class kids who can speak the speak want to work in call centers, again instant money - so engineering seems a soft target! But what the film-makers forget is that the Indian engineering colleges created the brain power that is running technology in many a country, it has given us a sort of intellectual superiority in the tech game. Is it practical to deem it all useless? What exactly is wrong? Is it teaching by rote? Can innovation and practical knowledge be absorbed without theory? What is the way to teach a populace that has come through a school system where memorizing is the way to excel? These obvious questions need to be answered, but before that they have to be posed, and they never are! Grades are deemed unimportant but in situations where 300 apply for campus interviews - even selection for interviews based on grades! One wonders how the Sharman Joshi character ever got to the interview table after coming last in class CONSISTENTLY!

Next I want to examine the script of 3 Idiots. The film is full of comic gags, many of which are so stale as to not even be funny anymore. The Astronaut pen thing is old as the hills. The late exam scene is copied from an ad film, Rancho is a gardener's son and a genius who is discovered by the teachers doing math well above his level on the board, just as Will is a janitor and genius who is discovered solving high level math problems in Good Will Hunting! Sloppy writing not expected from Mr. Hirani's team. There are coincidences galore, a student dies just as his project is completed by Rancho, sent soaring to his room height and the camera sees him hanging from the ceiling. Boman's own son has committed suicide from parental pressures! And while evoking a 60s B and W film in Sharman's near destitute family is good for some laughs, the family is really that way and is used in several gags in a near tasteless way. The prime one is taking the paralyzed father to the hospital strapped to a scooter, and then telling the comatose Sharman that his mother has a new sari., father is well now and sister is getting married without dowry. Was this supposed to make me laugh or cry? Replacing chamatkar with balatkar was good to hear about twice - at the 15th time it began to pall. An why was replacing "dhan" with "stan" even funny at all? The cool and laughing minister quickly lost his cool at that one! The teaspoon peeing + electrocution gag seems to have been a favorite of Mr. Hirani's, as he uses it twice! And baring the butt at the slightest provocation, peeing on the headmaster's door, and stealing an exam all seem to be fair game in the film. Give me Rocket Singh's candid admission of pass with 37% after grace marks ANY DAY!

More on acting, music etc. here

Monday, December 28, 2009

AVATAR – a sumptuous feast for the senses!



Caught Avatar on IMAX 3D in a packed auditorium. Sitting next to me was an 8 year old wriggling in his seat with excitement - waiting for the film to begin. Down the row three teenagers were taking pictures of themselves in the 3D glasses, and people had lined up 2 hours before the show started to grab the best seats in the huge theater. By standing in line for an hour I managed to score reasonable seats that were not in the front row side! So what did Cameron and IMAX serve up?

From the word go the moon Pandora sucked me in! There was lush tree life and we soon saw hexapods of every shape and size that vaguely resembled animals we see on earth. There were flying dinosaurs, lumbering terra-bound dinosaurs, six limbed fierce canines, and the Na'vi. These BLUE "people" were pure of heart and connected in a giant Gaia-like web to all other living creatures - animal and vegetal - on the planet. Did Cameron deliberately make them take on the BLUE hue of our avatars of Rama and Krishna? But of course the real Avatars were the hybrid bodies created with evil earth technology by fusing the Na'vi and human DNA. These AVATARS are controlled by the human mind that shares DNA with them. Strangely enough, in an environment with this technology of ESP or non-physical connections, people still scoff at Na'vi minds being connected through a large network of "nerves" that run through trees!!

Since many have poked holes in the story of Avatar, I want to talk about that first. Yes, it is all we expect from a big budget Hollywood studio film. The corporates have fucked up the home planet and Earth is not even green anymore. Now they are at Pandora and want UNOBTAINIUM, the mineral that will change semiconductor business, and are aided by the evil military types who are now guns for hire. (Unobtainium makes it sound more like a radioactive element!) Into this mess is co-opted Jake Sully, a paralyzed war veteran whose twin brother shared DNA with an Avatar but died in an accident. The scientists are the usual Hollywood geeks but Cameron does them a favor but not casting them as evil doers who have destroyed the planet. The love story is subdued but works as the reason why Jake Sully decides to let go of his military loyalties and protect the Na'vi way of life.

Cameron also gets a surprising amount of the science right, except for the floating mountains, and the fact that most of the imagined life on Pandora was very Earth-like, particularly the Na'vi. Even more scientifically troubling is the idea of melding genetic material from the Na'vi and the humans. This suggests that all life has chemically similar genetic material, a panspermia or Chariots of the Gods type of scenario! But giving the animals 6 limbs does make them unique and a different evolutionary trajectory from that we see in large earth life. The glowing life that responded to tactile stimuli was a great touch and here Cameron seemed heavily inspired by ocean life - the floating seeds of the "mother" tree were like jellyfish, and the glowing extensions of vegetation like see anemone tentacles! The animal-vegetal neural networks on Pandora are a flight of the imagination that is a little breathtaking! And dragons and horses that need to bond with their riders goes with the theme and seems a little less outrageous in comparison.

All in all Avatar soars into flight and is a breathtaking ride that keeps one engaged for the almost 3 hour run time. The cliched story is still several notches above what Titanic served up, and the no star cast does a good job of keeping us engaged in the characters they play. The exception (to the no name bit) is Sigourney Weaver, and she can never be less than engaging! Even the bad guys are not cardboard cutouts. The wrench I felt in my heart as the giant tree went down, was more than what I felt as DiCaprio drowned among the debris of the sinking ship. And the exhilaration one shared with Jake Sully as he soared on the orange red dragon was worth the price of admission.

Read more here

AVATAR – a sumptuous feast for the senses!



Caught Avatar on IMAX 3D in a packed auditorium. Sitting next to me was an 8 year old wriggling in his seat with excitement - waiting for the film to begin. Down the row three teenagers were taking pictures of themselves in the 3D glasses, and people had lined up 2 hours before the show started to grab the best seats in the huge theater. By standing in line for an hour I managed to score reasonable seats that were not in the front row side! So what did Cameron and IMAX serve up?

From the word go the moon Pandora sucked me in! There was lush tree life and we soon saw hexapods of every shape and size that vaguely resembled animals we see on earth. There were flying dinosaurs, lumbering terra-bound dinosaurs, six limbed fierce canines, and the Na'vi. These BLUE "people" were pure of heart and connected in a giant Gaia-like web to all other living creatures - animal and vegetal - on the planet. Did Cameron deliberately make them take on the BLUE hue of our avatars of Rama and Krishna? But of course the real Avatars were the hybrid bodies created with evil earth technology by fusing the Na'vi and human DNA. These AVATARS are controlled by the human mind that shares DNA with them. Strangely enough, in an environment with this technology of ESP or non-physical connections, people still scoff at Na'vi minds being connected through a large network of "nerves" that run through trees!!

Since many have poked holes in the story of Avatar, I want to talk about that first. Yes, it is all we expect from a big budget Hollywood studio film. The corporates have fucked up the home planet and Earth is not even green anymore. Now they are at Pandora and want UNOBTAINIUM, the mineral that will change semiconductor business, and are aided by the evil military types who are now guns for hire. (Unobtainium makes it sound more like a radioactive element!) Into this mess is co-opted Jake Sully, a paralyzed war veteran whose twin brother shared DNA with an Avatar but died in an accident. The scientists are the usual Hollywood geeks but Cameron does them a favor but not casting them as evil doers who have destroyed the planet. The love story is subdued but works as the reason why Jake Sully decides to let go of his military loyalties and protect the Na'vi way of life.

Cameron also gets a surprising amount of the science right, except for the floating mountains, and the fact that most of the imagined life on Pandora was very Earth-like, particularly the Na'vi. Even more scientifically troubling is the idea of melding genetic material from the Na'vi and the humans. This suggests that all life has chemically similar genetic material, a panspermia or Chariots of the Gods type of scenario! But giving the animals 6 limbs does make them unique and a different evolutionary trajectory from that we see in large earth life. The glowing life that responded to tactile stimuli was a great touch and here Cameron seemed heavily inspired by ocean life - the floating seeds of the "mother" tree were like jellyfish, and the glowing extensions of vegetation like see anemone tentacles! The animal-vegetal neural networks on Pandora are a flight of the imagination that is a little breathtaking! And dragons and horses that need to bond with their riders goes with the theme and seems a little less outrageous in comparison.

All in all Avatar soars into flight and is a breathtaking ride that keeps one engaged for the almost 3 hour run time. The cliched story is still several notches above what Titanic served up, and the no star cast does a good job of keeping us engaged in the characters they play. The exception (to the no name bit) is Sigourney Weaver, and she can never be less than engaging! Even the bad guys are not cardboard cutouts. The wrench I felt in my heart as the giant tree went down, was more than what I felt as DiCaprio drowned among the debris of the sinking ship. And the exhilaration one shared with Jake Sully as he soared on the orange red dragon was worth the price of admission.

Read more here

It's a Wonderful Afterlife - by Gurinder Chaddha



Release Date: April 2, 2010
Starring: Jimi Mistry, Shabana Azmi, Goldy Notay, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Danny Dyer, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Zoe Wanamaker, Mark Addy (TBC), Sally Hawkins
Directed by: Gurinder Chadha
Written by: Gurinder Chadha
Certificate: TBC
Running Time: TBC
A killer comedy from the director of Bend It Like Beckham.

With a cast featuring the best of British comedy talent, It's A Wonderful Afterlife tells the story of a British-Asian mother whose obsession with marrying off her daughter has hilarious results.

As each potential suitor meets a sticky end, in a series of curry-themed murders, policemen Mark Addy (The Full Monty) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes) are brought in to investigate...

See trailer here:

http://www.iconmovies.co.uk/itsawonderfulafterlife/film_profile.php#

It's a Wonderful Afterlife - by Gurinder Chaddha



Release Date: April 2, 2010
Starring: Jimi Mistry, Shabana Azmi, Goldy Notay, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Danny Dyer, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Zoe Wanamaker, Mark Addy (TBC), Sally Hawkins
Directed by: Gurinder Chadha
Written by: Gurinder Chadha
Certificate: TBC
Running Time: TBC
A killer comedy from the director of Bend It Like Beckham.

With a cast featuring the best of British comedy talent, It's A Wonderful Afterlife tells the story of a British-Asian mother whose obsession with marrying off her daughter has hilarious results.

As each potential suitor meets a sticky end, in a series of curry-themed murders, policemen Mark Addy (The Full Monty) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes) are brought in to investigate...

See trailer here:

http://www.iconmovies.co.uk/itsawonderfulafterlife/film_profile.php#

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Kishore Kumar and his insanely funny songs




Yes, the man was a genius who died before his time. He was a comic par excellence and if you have not seen films like Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, Padosan, New Delhi then do yourself a favor and watch them immediately. Of course he sang romantic melodies, sad songs, and rod songs and children's songs and sung them all with unmatched talent. BUT today I need to laugh and will focus on his uproariously funny songs. To start with I want to include songs in which we saw Kishore both on screen and off screen as the voice. But of course many a comic song was done by him in playback mode.

Let us start with the gem of a number from Chalti Ka Naam Gadi:

Kishore is woken up by a rain drenched Madhubala who has car troubles (this one is mildly funny and full on melody - do not worry, the comedy will only ramp up in a bit):


Our friend spends too much time girl-gazing and forgets to ask her for the repair money - and big brother (Asho Kumar) is a tartar, so off he is sent to get the money back. Now the comedy gets hilarious as the girl wil not let go of her black purse with the cash!


Now the fun really begins! Boy meets girl, there is romance, and the middle brother wants to know the whole story - this is a priceless comedic moment, and it is hard to pick which of the Ganguly brothers does a better act!


Next up is a trio of songs from Padosan. Kishore now is mentoring a rather "simple" Sunil Dutt in the art of love, and being his voice! This song created an insane buzz when it fiorst played on Al India Radio, but to see it on screen is a special delight!


Of Course the girl is not so easily won, especially since her music teacher is a tenacious fellow who will not let her give up the fight!


But the boy must not lose heart, so he has to be told he is this close to winning her over, and here Kishore has us in splits!


This one where Kishore sings in both voices in Half-Ticket is a classic song!


Let me end this post with Kishore in top form in Suniye suniye aaj Kal ki ladkiyon ka program!


Please feel free to add your favorites to this post! And laugh!

Read more about Kishore here!

Kishore Kumar and his insanely funny songs




Yes, the man was a genius who died before his time. He was a comic par excellence and if you have not seen films like Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, Padosan, New Delhi then do yourself a favor and watch them immediately. Of course he sang romantic melodies, sad songs, and rod songs and children's songs and sung them all with unmatched talent. BUT today I need to laugh and will focus on his uproariously funny songs. To start with I want to include songs in which we saw Kishore both on screen and off screen as the voice. But of course many a comic song was done by him in playback mode.

Let us start with the gem of a number from Chalti Ka Naam Gadi:

Kishore is woken up by a rain drenched Madhubala who has car troubles (this one is mildly funny and full on melody - do not worry, the comedy will only ramp up in a bit):


Our friend spends too much time girl-gazing and forgets to ask her for the repair money - and big brother (Asho Kumar) is a tartar, so off he is sent to get the money back. Now the comedy gets hilarious as the girl wil not let go of her black purse with the cash!


Now the fun really begins! Boy meets girl, there is romance, and the middle brother wants to know the whole story - this is a priceless comedic moment, and it is hard to pick which of the Ganguly brothers does a better act!


Next up is a trio of songs from Padosan. Kishore now is mentoring a rather "simple" Sunil Dutt in the art of love, and being his voice! This song created an insane buzz when it fiorst played on Al India Radio, but to see it on screen is a special delight!


Of Course the girl is not so easily won, especially since her music teacher is a tenacious fellow who will not let her give up the fight!


But the boy must not lose heart, so he has to be told he is this close to winning her over, and here Kishore has us in splits!


This one where Kishore sings in both voices in Half-Ticket is a classic song!


Let me end this post with Kishore in top form in Suniye suniye aaj Kal ki ladkiyon ka program!


Please feel free to add your favorites to this post! And laugh!

Read more about Kishore here!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Three Idiots Box Office




http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=1358&nCat=news

Indore Barometer Paid Previews Three Idiots v Ghajini

Friday 25th December 2009 18.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Three Idiots saw a bumper response for paid previews at Indore multiplexes. The collections were lower than Ghajini as only the high end PVR theatre did better while other theatres recorded lower collections. Below is a comparison figures for paid previews at Indore multiplexes.

PVR
Three Idiots -1,89,795
Ghajini - 1,43,500

Inox Sapna
Three Idiots - 1,29,705
Ghajini - 1,97,000

Big (Adlabs)
Three Idiots - 1,85,520
Ghajini - 1,93,000



Velocity
Three Idiots - 1,22,200
Ghajini - 2,45,000

Inox City
Three Idiots - 1,16,745
Ghajini - Not Released

Totals
Three Idiots - 7,43,965 (5 Theatres)
Ghajini - 7,78,500 (4 Theatres)

http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=1356&nCat=news

Three Idiots Starts On Historic Note At Multiplexes

Friday 25th December 2009 09.30 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Three Idiots has taken a historic opening at multiplexes this morning. The first shows were held as early as 6.00 am this morning and some shows were 80% full which is phenomenal for shows that early in the morning at multiplexes. The first day business is likely to humungous as shows from late morning are likely to be showing a 95-100% turnout.

The paid previews yesterday had a bumper response of 90-100% on around 700 paid previews across the country.

There have been films lately like Kurbaan and Paa which have been good in paid previews but taken dull starts on Friday but Three Idiots is totally different and looks set for a huge run at multiplexes if early morning shows are any indication. Most single screens across the country will be having there first shows around 10.00 am and it remains to be seen what is the response.

Three Idiots Box Office




http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=1358&nCat=news

Indore Barometer Paid Previews Three Idiots v Ghajini

Friday 25th December 2009 18.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Three Idiots saw a bumper response for paid previews at Indore multiplexes. The collections were lower than Ghajini as only the high end PVR theatre did better while other theatres recorded lower collections. Below is a comparison figures for paid previews at Indore multiplexes.

PVR
Three Idiots -1,89,795
Ghajini - 1,43,500

Inox Sapna
Three Idiots - 1,29,705
Ghajini - 1,97,000

Big (Adlabs)
Three Idiots - 1,85,520
Ghajini - 1,93,000



Velocity
Three Idiots - 1,22,200
Ghajini - 2,45,000

Inox City
Three Idiots - 1,16,745
Ghajini - Not Released

Totals
Three Idiots - 7,43,965 (5 Theatres)
Ghajini - 7,78,500 (4 Theatres)

http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=1356&nCat=news

Three Idiots Starts On Historic Note At Multiplexes

Friday 25th December 2009 09.30 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Three Idiots has taken a historic opening at multiplexes this morning. The first shows were held as early as 6.00 am this morning and some shows were 80% full which is phenomenal for shows that early in the morning at multiplexes. The first day business is likely to humungous as shows from late morning are likely to be showing a 95-100% turnout.

The paid previews yesterday had a bumper response of 90-100% on around 700 paid previews across the country.

There have been films lately like Kurbaan and Paa which have been good in paid previews but taken dull starts on Friday but Three Idiots is totally different and looks set for a huge run at multiplexes if early morning shows are any indication. Most single screens across the country will be having there first shows around 10.00 am and it remains to be seen what is the response.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Masand's year in review: Hits & Pits of 2009



HITS -

KAMINEY
LUCK BY CHANCE
WAKE UP SID
GULAAL
ROCKET SINGH : SALESMAN OF THE YEAR

PITS -

BLUE
CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA
LUCK
WHAT'S YOUR RASHEE
KAMBAKKHT ISHQ

For more details please click HERE

Masand's year in review: Hits & Pits of 2009



HITS -

KAMINEY
LUCK BY CHANCE
WAKE UP SID
GULAAL
ROCKET SINGH : SALESMAN OF THE YEAR

PITS -

BLUE
CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA
LUCK
WHAT'S YOUR RASHEE
KAMBAKKHT ISHQ

For more details please click HERE

A very short review of 3 Idiots



Sorry, can't write a detailed review right now, so here is my very short review of 3 Idiots -

3 Idiots has some genuine funny moments, but overall the film is very illogical. The main problem of the film is the writing. Though the dialogs were good, but the script as a whole was nothing but illogical. Hirani got confused on how much the film should be according to his Munnabhai reputation and how much of it should be Five Point Someone. In the end he makes a film which is a bit of Munnabhai and a bit of Five Point Someone. Hirani yet again tries to do a Hrishikesh Mukherjee but ends up making a David Dhawan kind of film .Tries to make Bawarchi but ends up making Hero No. 1.

Aamir Khan yet again disappoints. Does well in senti moments, but overacts in trying to show that he is still young and cool. Maddy, Sharman and Kareena were very good, but Boman Irani was the best IMO.

6/10

A very short review of 3 Idiots



Sorry, can't write a detailed review right now, so here is my very short review of 3 Idiots -

3 Idiots has some genuine funny moments, but overall the film is very illogical. The main problem of the film is the writing. Though the dialogs were good, but the script as a whole was nothing but illogical. Hirani got confused on how much the film should be according to his Munnabhai reputation and how much of it should be Five Point Someone. In the end he makes a film which is a bit of Munnabhai and a bit of Five Point Someone. Hirani yet again tries to do a Hrishikesh Mukherjee but ends up making a David Dhawan kind of film .Tries to make Bawarchi but ends up making Hero No. 1.

Aamir Khan yet again disappoints. Does well in senti moments, but overacts in trying to show that he is still young and cool. Maddy, Sharman and Kareena were very good, but Boman Irani was the best IMO.

6/10

Pyaar Impossible promos - Updated with You And Me video










Priyanka looks simple awesome in it that wet white shirt :D who knows Uday may get a hit here as its low budget film .

Pyaar Impossible promos - Updated with You And Me video










Priyanka looks simple awesome in it that wet white shirt :D who knows Uday may get a hit here as its low budget film .