jiteshpillaai ->[Filmfare]
Saw the I'm Khan promo. OH MY GOD! This is International stuff. Awesomeness. SRK and Kadsoo best in the world
correction: My name is Khan. Sorry if I sounded breathless, but it's so unlike kran Johar territory. Fab
all you super excited guys, hold on to yr horses...it might be out in december
Red Chillies worker
Dude, it is the Khan promo, and man, meri batti gull ho gayi. Was I
watching parts from a Tom Hanks or Brad Pitt upcoming film? Trust me, it will be the talking point for a whole week when it comes out. Life would be difficult for Aamir if it comes just before 25th December. Indian Cinema takes the biggest leap ever"
by Sarita Tanwar[Editor]
sure it will be Karan's career-best"
The Stardust magazine Column writer says,-
Saif Ali Khan is going through a great phase, both personally and professionally. Earlier this year, his first home production Love Aaj Kal went on to create magic at the B.O. and now Saif is eagerly awaiting the release of yet another biggie Kurbaan.However it's not just film offers that are raining in Chhote Nawab's courtyard. Saif is also bagging the best of endorsement deals, the latest being the one with OCM Suitings. Yes... Saif Ali Khan has been appointed as the brand ambassador of OCM Suitings and has even shot a commercial for them.
So after endorsing a wide variety of products, right from chips (Lays) to shampoos (Head and Shoulders) it would be interesting to see Saif endorse a suiting range. Considering the fact that he is considered as a style icon, it is rather apt that the brand managers of OCM Suitings decided to sign Saif as the brand ambassador for their product.
In possible good news for a faltering animation industry in India, NASSCOM has forecasted that the industry will grow to USD 1 billion by 2012 from an estimated USD 494 million in 2008.
The report, released at the NASSCOM Animation & Gaming Summit 2009 in Hyderabad, outlines the key challenges for the animation and vfx markets. Noteworthy among them are: 'the limited demand for animation due to limited promotional budgets and restricted theatrical distribution, scarcity of long-term financing for animated films, competition from foreign animation and restricted use of vfx in Bollywood.'
Interestingly, the animation entertainment segment (which includes feature films, direct-to-DVD, advertising and TV) accounted only 22% of the total market in 2008; while vfx accounted for a mere 13% of the pie. As of today several animation films are in the pipeline for release next year. Biren Ghose, Chairman of NAGFO, who recently joined Paprikaas as General Manager, said, "Not many of the 15 or so animation films that have been announced will release next year."
On a positive note, he said, "Visual effects (vfx) is an emerging market. About 8-12% of a movie's budget is spent on vfx. Despite questions raised about the failure of vfx-heavy movies, it has to be noted that Aladin's vfx budget was only 16% (10-20 crores) of the total cost. In other countries, box-office revenues are small chunk of total profit made by a feature, but in India box-office collection plays a major part in the revenues."
He also added that animation industry should adapt to Bollywood's example of having restructured to a higher profitability model, post recession.
As per the report, the gaming industry in India would grow at a CAGR of 49% to reach USD 830 million.
Madhur Bhandarkar is synonymous with thought-provoking, hard-hitting films. Right from CHANDNI BAR to FASHION, the expert storyteller has made movies that hold tremendous shock-value. In turn, Madhur has cultivated a rich fan-base for his films.
With JAIL, Madhur not only makes you visit a prison, but also makes you peep into the psyche of a prisoner. In the recent past, Sriram Raghavan's EK HASINA THI [2004; Saif Ali Khan, Urmila Matondkar] and Nazim Rizvi's UNDERTRIAL [2007; Rajpal Yadav] narrated the travails and anguish of innocents who were falsely implicated in a case. Besides, Nagesh Kukunoor's TEEN DEEWAREIN [2003; Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Nagesh Kukunoor] too narrated the story of three convicts. But JAIL is different from the above-named films.
Besides watching a thought-provoking story on celluloid, one has also come to expect incredible performances in a Madhur Bhandarkar movie. And JAIL too is embellished with superb performances from its key actors.
In a nutshell, JAIL mirrors a reality in true Madhur Bhandarkar style. It's hard-hitting, it's compelling, it's thought-provoking. The efficient storyteller has the courage to speak a new language in every film and for that very reason, JAIL should be on your agenda. Parag Dixit [Neil Nitin Mukesh] is living a dream life -- a great job and a loving girlfriend [Mugdha Godse]. However, things take an ugly turn when, after a series of unfortunate events, he suddenly wakes up in jail. Parag is perplexed. The only salvation he finds is in Nawab [Manoj Bajpayee], a convict, who believes that Parag is innocent.
Soon, Parag is left with a choice, to either live a life with hordes of broken hearts and shattered souls amidst the prison walls or hope to see freedom some day.
JAIL involves you from the very start. The inmates, their crimes, their individual stories... you get drawn into a world that's very real. So real that you feel it's happening right in front of your eyes.
Madhur has a knack of narrating stories and he narrates the story of Parag Dixit with razor-edge sharpness. Besides, JAIL also enlightens you of the legal process, which also acts as an eye-opener.
At the same time, the legal procedures and also the behavioural pattern of the inmates tend to get repetitive after a point and that's when you start feeling restless. Nonetheless, the post-interval has some interesting twists-n-turns, like the convicts' escape from the police van; prior to that Neil and Manoj exchanging stares before Neil perches himself in the van; Neil getting thrown in a dark cell, spending the next few days in solitary confinement; a convict using the garbage van as the means to escape; another convict realising that his wife is now a cop's mistress. Also, the climax is touching and moves you.
Madhur hits the right note yet again. Madhur, Manoj Tyagi and Anuradha Tiwari's script involves you in most parts. Raghuvir Shekhawat's dialogues are true to life. There's no scope for music in a film like JAIL, but the three songs are smartly integrated in the storyline. Kalpesh Bhandarkar's cinematography is top notch. Special mention must be made of Nitin Chandrakant Desai's prison set, where the film is entirely shot. Not only does Neil Nitin Mukesh deliver his finest performance to date, but the performance would easily rank amongst the finest this year. He conveys the pathos and helplessness that this character demands with amazing understanding. He deserves all praise for his extra-ordinary portrayal.
Manoj Bajpayee pitches in a memorable performance. In fact, the supremely talented actor is in form after a long, long time. He's subdued all through, which only goes to prove that he knows the craft so well. Mugdha Godse underplays her part beautifully. Also, she carries the non-glam look well.
Aarya Babbar is fantastic. This film should make people sit and notice this young actor. Chetan Pandit is first-rate. Rahul Singh is excellent, especially in the sequence when he confronts his wife. The actor who plays the part of Joe D'Souza is effective.
On the whole, JAIL is a well-made film from an expert storyteller. At the box-office, the film will appeal to those with an appetite for hard-hitting, realistic fares, but its clash with AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI will affect its business to an extent.
Rajkumar Santoshi has changed lanes. Known for intense, hard-hitting movies [with the sole exception of ANDAZ APNA APNA], Santoshi now attempts a rom-com in AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI, his new endeavour. That's something we all know by now, right?
But not many of us know that Santoshi is equally at home handling a comedy. And AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI proves it.
If you're attempting a rom-com, you need to get a few things right...
One, the romance should be livewire. Ditto for the chemistry between the on-screen pair.
Two, the film should make you laugh. As simple as that!
I've often said that comedy is serious business and the audience has moved over from banana peel humour in movies. The comedy in AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI - though it borders on absurdity - is funny in most parts. Sure, there're times when you feel that the humour looks forced [climax fight especially], but you don't grudge it since Santoshi's intentions are crystal clear from Scene 1 onwards: Entertainment ke liye kuch bhi karega.
Another factor that goes in its favour is Pritam's music, who belts out a couple of lilting tracks. On the flip side, the film could've done with a fresh plotline. When you talk of 'Ghazab Kahani', it has to be ghazab by all means. It shouldn't fall prey to predictability, but the second hour succumbs to mediocrity occasionally.
Yet, despite the blemishes, AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI is a full-on entertainer. One thing is for sure, you'd fall in prem with Prem and his antics. An ideal date movie that should connect with the youth.
Prem's [Ranbir Kapoor] fundas in life were very simple - be happy, make others happy. A case of mistaken identity leads Prem to almost kidnap Jenny [Katrina Kaif], who was brought up by indifferent and uncaring foster parents.
Prem falls in love with Jenny, but realizes gradually that Jenny is in love with someone else [Upen Patel], the son of a conniving politician [Govind Namdeo]. Prem decides to sacrifice his love and get the lovers married.
In the first sequence, Santoshi makes it loud and clear that AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI is very unlike his previous ventures; this one harbours on illogical situations. Right from the time Ranbir sets his eyes on Katrina [the yellow outfit episode], the film is a roller coaster ride.
A few sequences entertain you thoroughly. Sample these: Katrina slaps Ranbir when he stammers as well. She feels he's imitating her; Ranbir's sequence in the church; Salman Khan's cameo; the love-hate relationship that Ranbir and his father [Darshan Jariwala] share; the sequence at the party; the interval point when Ranbir falls on the ground literally... the first hour of the film simply rocks!
But the second hour makes you a little grumpy. The third angle of the triangle [Upen Patel] isn't convincing, while his father's [Govind Namdeo] track is beaten to death. Even the villain [Zakir Hussain] is a sore point. Watching the second hour makes you feel that the film may've had a longer running time and in order to bring down the length, a number of scenes must've been chopped off, which, in turn, must've resulted in continuity lapses. For instance, Katrina's kidnap by the villains looks too sudden. When and how did it occur?
Yet, there're two sequences in this hour which are remarkable and which should bring the house down. One, when Ranbir wears Katrina's top to hide her presence in the house and the climax fight, when Katrina mistakenly bangs Ranbir a couple of times.
Directorially, Santoshi proves the naysayers wrong and bounces back with a film that the youth would relate to. You can't write off the maker and AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI proves it. Pritam's music has 'Hit' written all over it. S. Thiru's cinematography is first-rate.
Ranbir Kapoor is the next big thing and AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI proves it yet again. He's charismatic, emotes exceptionally well and tickles your funny bone without making faces. It's a fantastic performance all the way. Katrina Kaif continues to surprise. She surprised you in NEW YORK. She surprises you again in this film. She scores in both emotional and light scenes. Also, Ranbir and Katrina make a wonderful on-screen couple.
Darshan Jariwala is exceptional. Smita Jaykar is very good. Upen Patel is decent. Govind Namdeo is getting typecast. Zakir Hussain is fair. Navneet Nishan is alright. On the whole, AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI entertains majorly. At the box-office, the fantastic pre-release campaign coupled with the terrific chemistry between Ranbir and Katrina, excellent music by Pritam and tremendous appeal for youth should ensure a big start for the film at the ticket window. The business prospects seem excellent, thus ensuring handsome returns for its investors.
After having worked with some of the biggest of directors in Bollywood, superstar Akshay Kumar is now all set to go west. Apparently, Hollywood director David Ellis, who has directed films like The Final Destination, is very keen to work with Akshay Kumar after seeing portions of his latest film Blue.
David happened to get a chance to see some rushes of Blue when director Anthony D'Souza was doing the final mixing of the film in Los Angeles recently. David loved what he saw and was blown away by the sheer magnitude of the film. Confirms Anthony, director of Blue, "David was highly impressed when he saw some portions of Blue .He was of the opinion that such stunts could not be possible in movies outside Hollywood. He simply loved Akshay's work and truly that believes Akshay has huge potential to make it big in the West."
The buzz is that David has already chalked out the storyline of his film in which Akshay will be playing the main lead. The film will be a mainstream film catering to both the Indian as well as international audience.
"That's true," Siddharth Roy Kapur of UTV [that holds the rights of KURBAAN], confirmed to this writer, "Haven't we noticed time and again that such clashes don't benefit anyone? So instead of battling it out with each other, we decided to re-schedule our release and bring it one week before [20th November]. That way we won't be eating into each
Two days after the tepid response to the latest Salman starrer Main Aurr Mrs Khanna, its shell-shocked debutant director Prem Soni was bracing himself to be written off as one-film wannabe-wonder.
Salman Khan restored Prem's trust in his abilities when on Sunday night at a private family gathering, he embraced the shaken director and announced, "No matter what people say aboutKhanna, you are doing our next film."
Relieved beyond belief, Prem Soni is now a bigger Salman fan than ever before. "The way Main Aurr Mrs Khanna has been received, I thought no one would want to touch me with a bargepole. So many announcements go down the drain if the first film doesn't work."
Relieved, Soni is still bewildered by the savage response to his maiden effort. "It was almost as if we made the worst film on this earth. I could smell the resentment against the film. There was definitely an attempt to write it off on the day of release."
Salman who had just delivered a grand hit in Wanted showed his full faith in Main Aurr Mrs Khanna.
Says the director, "He completely believed in my film and his character. But since he was already so visible for Wanted, we decided to go easy on the publicity for Mrs Khanna. We were wrong. This was a different Salman and a different film. Not that aggressive promotion helps. But aggressive anti-publicity surely damaged my film."
Whatever the response to the film at home, Main Aurr Mrs Khanna has been warmly received in Australia where the film is set and where a number of prominent Hindi films have been lately shot.
Says Prem Soni, "Melbourne is not just a location in my film. It's one of the characters in the plot. Has anyone commented on how hard we worked on getting the locations right? Main Aurr Mrs Khanna is the first Indian film to be shot on an international airport. When I wrote my script a major part of drama was situated on an international airport."
Salman, Sohail and Soni were very clear on the fact that they wanted to shoot on an international airport. "We didn't want to erect a set depicting an airport. A set looks like a set no matter how authentic. I made contact with the authorities at several airports. We had the choice of shooting on the airport in three cities Geneva, New York and Melbourne. We chose Melbourne because after much discussion they offered us the best deal."
And shooting on the bustling international airport in Melbourne was allowed absolutely free of cost. "Can you imagine? All we were told was to shoot in the nights when the air traffic was less dense. We paid nothing and we got complete and free access to shoot in the most restricted areas on the airport. We shot in an area past the immigration, so any of us could take an unauthorized flight to any part of the world. But all of us Kareena, Salman, Sohail, Yash Tonk, Nauheed Cyrusi and Bappi Lahiri, were very careful of our responsibility. We had been given a huge privilege and a diplomatic immunity. It wasn't just us. It was India's reputation at stake."
Sighs Soni, "Has anyone noticed that Main Aurr Mrs Khanna is the only film to be shot on an airport since Steven Spielberg'sThe Terminal? It's so easy and so much fun to be clever at a film's expense."
By Taran Adarsh, October 16, 2009 - 11:22 IST
We love drama. That's the staple diet of Bollywood films. Even television shows, till a few months ago, relied too heavily on dramatic moments and twists-n-turns, especially the saas-bahu shows. Of late, the reality shows rely on drama to boost the TRPs.
MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA, directed by debutante Prem Soni, could've been an interesting story had the drama quotient been a bit stronger. What comes across is too simple and ordinary.
Actually, the problem lies in its writing. It wouldn't be erroneous to say that Prem Soni, the director is letdown by Prem Soni, the writer. The writing gyrates from interesting to ordinary to unconvincing and that bogs the film down. The inconsistency is evident all through.
Raina [Kareena Kapoor], Samir [Salman Khan] and Akash [Sohail Khan] are three people whose lives get entwined at an international airport. Samir has to decide whether he wants to stay in the same city [Melbourne] that gave him so much and then took away everything or fly away to a new city [Singapore], to a new life.
Raina has to decide whether her love and loyalty for her husband Samir, who left her to pursue success, is more justified than her faith and trust in her new-found friend, while Akash has to decide whether what he feels for a married woman is lust or true love and whether he's justified in trying to win her at all costs, even at the cost of her marriage. Now let's analyse…
MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA makes a promising start. The cracks in the relationship are evident when the husband starts facing problems on the professional front. He tries to re-locate to Singapore, but decides to send his wife to Delhi, to his parents' home. Convincing!
The wife decides to stay back in Melbourne and suddenly meets an 'angel' [Sohail Khan] and a friend's friend [Mahek Chahal], who gets her a job at the airport [within hours of meeting her] and a few scenes later, Mrs. Khanna shifts into a palatial mansion. Wowwwww! How can she afford a palace-like home in Melbourne from the salary that she gets, while working in a shop at the airport? Not convincing!
The wife and angel become friends. The angel is well aware of her marital status, yet loves her dearly. The woman trusts him as a friend. Convincing!
The husband re-surfaces [very quickly]. He's now settled in Singapore, has even bought a house there, he returns to Melbourne to fetch his wife back. Complications arise when the marriage registration letter surfaces. Not convincing! The question is, why didn't the wife confide in her husband about it? That she had to do it for the work permit? Of course, she states subsequently that she didn't want to complicate things further, but didn't she ever realise that the truth would be out sooner or later?
Also, when the husband is in Singapore, there's scant or zilch communication between the couple, which looks so unreal. There's just one sequence of the wife calling her husband, but the husband isn't responding to the call. Again, not convincing!
The ending is interesting, but the surprise appearance of Deepika Padukone looks forced in the script. Perhaps, it was incorporated so that Sohail doesn't come across as a loser. Strangely, Deepika's name is also Raina [also Kareena's name in the film] and she too was in a relationship with a Samir [also Salman's name], which looks fake.
Prem Soni has handled a few scenes well, but the writing is ineffectual. Dialogue, also by Prem, are wonderful at places. Sajid-Wajid's music is tuneful. 'Don't Say Alvida' and 'Rabba' are melodious compositions. The cinematography is striking. The locales of Melbourne give the film a perfect romantic setting.
Salman handles his part with maturity, but it's a Kareena show all the way. She is remarkable and delivers a winning performance yet again. Sohail contributes to some light moments. Yash Tonk is alright. Mahek Chahal is perfect. Nauheed Cyrusi doesn't get any scope. The film has several star appearances: Deepika Padukone, Preity Zinta [okay], Dino Morea [hardly there for a few minutes] and Bappil Lahiri [yes, the veteran music composer has a proper role in the film].
On the whole, MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA is weak in merits. At the box-office, the BLUE wave, followed by another strong opposition in ALL THE BEST will sideline MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA completely. It's a non-starter!
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan
Rating:
Blue is the perfect example of a good 100 crores going down the drain ( sau karod paani mein daal diya ). Sure the film promises some brilliant visuals and underwater images never seen before in Indian films thanks to one of the finest underwater cinematographers in the world (Pete Zuccarini). But sadly the credit list literally lacks the mention of a screenplay writer.
The scene opens in post-independence era of 1949 when a ship from Britain to India is bringing back its long looted riches. Strangely as per goofed-up geography, the shipwreck happens in Bahamas (that figures nowhere on the course of voyage). The treasure lies deep inside oceans untouched for more than half a century.
The scene opens in present-day Bahamas with good-friends Aarav (Akshay Kumar) and Sagar (Sanjay Dutt) fishing and fighting together. The latter addresses the former as Sarkar for being filthy-rich. But the former more aptly addresses the latter as Sethji (not for his possessions but perhaps his paunch). The fatigued seth with a potbelly pet romances a bikini babe (Lara Dutta) half his age.
Sagar’s brother Sam (Zayed Khan) is estranged from him for strange reasons. He races bikes rapidly and romances babes vapidly. Fleeing from mafia men, he returns to Big Brother house. By interval point you only relish the sight of fish but sadly get to see no meat in the plot.
In absence of a sane screenplay, the viewer is subjected to burnout action sequences and bike chases. By the time the oceanic treasure-hunt initiates in the climax, you see blue since the film is ‘in deep water’. Sadly the authentic aquatic life is put to no active use as even the sharks seem to be harmlessly herbivorous. Rather the regular hero-villain combats are replicated in the oceans to no groundbreaking effect with the marine life playing passive spectators to the proceedings.
Mayur Puri’s casual conversational dialogues sans any cinematic significance and the minimal background score fail to induce depth to the drama. The supposed suspense in the narrative is almost obvious from the start. A R Rahman’s musical score is plain passable this time. The art design by Narendra Rahurikar is decent. Laxman Utekar’s cinematography is fascinating as he captures the Bahamas beaches beautifully in his lens and uses effective close up frames on the cast. Designer Rina Dhaka deserves special mention for styling Lara Dutta at her sexiest best in those white, red, pink and bejeweled bikinis.
The introductory action sequence of a shark attack has been credibly choreographed by James Bomalick. But after a perfect startup for an underwater adventure, the action takes the regular ‘road’ until the climax while the adventure isn’t scripted thrillingly. Blue has munificent footage of marine world which has been stunningly shot by underwater expert Pete Zuccarini ( Pirates of Caribbean ). But the conventional storytelling doesn’t elevate its outcome beyond the visual brilliance of a National Geographical documentary.
Akshay Kumar is decent. Zayed Khan isn’t bad but doesn’t go beyond his regular self. Sanjay Dutt looks dreary and uninterested. With a perfect toned body, Lara Dutta looks desirable and adds grace to her liberal beachwear, not looking one bit vulgar. Katrina Kaif gets no scope. Rahul Dev is regular. Kylie Minogue’s item number comes out of the blue.
Director Anthony D’Souza deserves applause for testing water with entering an entirely new territory, not attempted before this side of Pacific. The logistics of such filmmaking are extremely demanding and he hasn’t compromised on the standards. But his storytelling certainly lacks the finesse which could have made this project a more entertaining fare.
Blue doesn’t glue you to the seat. Rather its corniness can make you see red
Mr and Mrs Khanna (Salman and Kareena) are forced to go their separate ways when financial insecurity strikes their marriage. Will the temporary
Film: Main aurr Mrs Khanna (Drama)
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sohail Khan
Direction: Prem Soni
Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes
Critic's Rating:
Matrimonial discord does make for some high drama on screen. But only when there is a plausible reason behind the banter and break-up. Main aurr Mrs Khanna seems to fall short in this department since Mr and Mrs Khanna (Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor) squabble and separate for no reason at all. Seriously, is financial insecurity and joblessness reason enough to go your different ways, despite the fact that you are desperately in love? Also, why would an unemployed husband force his employed wife to pack her bags and return to her sasural, while he goes job hunting in distant shores?
Yet, that's exactly what Salman does. Failing to find re-employment in Melbourne after a financial goof-up, he tells his much-in-love waitress wife, Kareena, to go back to Dalhousie, while he flies off to Singapore in search of rozi-roti. Naturally, Kareena doesn't comply. She sheds a silent tear and stays back in Melbourne after a bunch of newfound friends help her find a new job and a work permit too. All she has to do is pretend to marry the friendly bartender (Sohail Khan) who whiles away his time befriending pretty belles at the airport. The bartender of course falls in love with Mrs Khanna, even though she makes it clear where her loyalties lie: solely with her long-distance pati, Salman who must return someday. Return, he does, only to find his devoted wife talking a bit too much about the bartender and his benevolent ways. Jealous, did we say?
Not really. For, Main aurr Mrs Khanna seems to have no passion at all. Neither love, nor anger, nor pain, nor envy. In an attempt to create a low key drama, debutant director, Prem Soni divests his film of all energy. Truly, this must be Kareena's most thanda performance which fails to strike a single chord. So unlike the feisty actor! Salman too seems to have slipped into somnolent mode, creating a laid-back Mr Khanna who fails to convey the frustrations of a jobless husband. And so infectious is the lethargy, it even manages to curb a usually effervescent Sohail Khan who prefers to play it over the top in most of his cameos. Here, you hardly can make out whether he is heartbroken, happy or couldn't care less.
Wish the Khannas had more EQ
Sanjay Dutt knows the secret of a hidden treasure in a sunken ship but is reluctant to ferret it out, despite buddy Akshay Kumar's pleas. It is
Film: Blue (Adventure)
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan, Lara Dutta
Direction: Anthony D'Souza
Duration: 1 hour 58 minutes
Critic's Rating:
Bollywood goes underwater and comes up a winner. Blue is fresh and fulsome, boasting of some great deep sea shots ( by Pete Zuccarini, cinematographer, Pirates of the Caribbean fame), stunning above sea level action sequences, a crackling background music score and sound design by India's two Oscar winners (AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty), a short and engaging reel length that keeps the proceedings pithy, two hot girls (Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif too in a glam guest role) and a whole lot of guy stuff....Like, bare-bodied Akshay swimming with the sharks and stingrays, lean and mean Zayed blasting away on designer bikes, Sanjay Dutt, sadly with a paunch, sparring with Akshay in the boxing ring and the threesome donning their diving gear to discover a hidden treasure in picture postcard Bahamas.
All this, when they are not pumping up the adrenalin with some rumbustious chiggy wiggy with Kylie Minouge who gets to shake a leg to the quintessential bhangra beat too, with our desi Singh is King.
Yes, Blue, touted as Bollywood's most expensive film (Rs 100 crore) dazzles with style more than substance. More than the storyline, it is the action sequences, the chases, the marine splendour and the opulent canvas of the film that gives you bang for your buck. Of course, you do wish the sharks were meaner, the treasure hunt more perilous, the danger more palpable instead of a climax that wraps up tamely. But the underwater ease with which the trio discovers the sunken loot is compensated with some stunning biker mayhem, atop trains, forests and the alleys of Bangkok and the Bahamas. Add to this, some neatly choreographed song-dance sequences, coupled with moodswings between dosti and dushmani amongst the main protagonists and you have a film that keeps the popcorn crunchy till curtain call.
Most of the drama springs from the unpredictable friendship between fisherman Akshay Kumar and his employee Sanjay Dutt who happens to be the best diver in the Bahamas. Is Akshay truly his buddy or does he need his diving skills to unearth a treasure that lies hidden in Lady in Blue, a British ship that sank in 1949 enroute to India? The entire first half is spent by Akshay in cajoling a reluctant Sanjay Dutt to jump into the ocean and retrieve the treasure. But Dutt has a sordid past which precludes him from taking the big leap, until it becomes imperative to do so...He must fish out the moolah to save his errant kid brother, Zayed Khan, from a biker gang that is desperate for its pound of flesh. Needless to say, the happiest person in this troika is Akshay, the archetypal gold digger who believes greed is truly good. Or does he have another motive up his dapper sleeve?
Amongst the lead players, Sanjay looks a bit out of shape, Zayed is fresh and adequate, while Akshay keeps you guessing about his ethical moorings. The girls, Lara and Katrina, sashay down the screen with aplomb, adding the requisite oomph in this high-on-visuals drama. Go, feast your eyes on brawn and cheesecake.
By Taran Adarsh, October 14, 2009 - 08:08 IST
Roll out the red carpet.
Blow the conch shells.
Beat the drums.
It's time to pop champagne...
BLUE, the most awaited movie of the year, with its canvas as huge as the ocean, comes alive on the Hindi screen this Friday. Like every biggie, this one also comes with the baggage of monumental expectations. With tremendous hype surrounding it, the inescapable question that crosses your mind is, will BLUE live up to those colossal expectations?
Let me keep it concise and to the point. You haven't watched something like this on the Hindi screen before. Never ever!
Final word? Go, grab a ticket, if you haven't booked one yet. This under-sea treasure hunt is a kickass film. A must-see for all those who love adventure flicks.
BLUE is set in the sun-soaked white sand beaches of Bahamas. Sagar [Sanjay Dutt] is a simpleton, while his friend Aarav [Akshay Kumar] is a rich, ambitious businessman.
Sagar's brother Sameer aka Sam [Zayed Khan] has inadvertently managed to rankle the mafia in Bangkok [Rahul Dev]. He flees Bangkok and arrives in Bahamas. But the dangerous men reach Bahamas too. Sagar is the sole person who can bail him out from this crisis, but to save his brother, Sagar has to wrestle with the ghost of his dead father. If you're a die-hard moviegoer, you'd draw parallels with a lot of international projects [especially THE DEEP] that were set in the ocean. In Bollywood, flashes of the Dharmendra - Jeetendra starrer SAMRAAT cross your mind instantaneously, but comparing the two is akin to comparing chalk and cheese.
BLUE grabs your attention from its opening titles itself. The marine life, which you may've watched on National Geographic Channel or Animal Planet, comes alive in all splendour at the start itself.
The story is uncomplicated and Anthony D'Souza garnishes it beautifully. If the aquatic life keeps your eyes wide open, the action sequences are sure to make your jaws drop to your knees. The bike chase at the start, yet another chase subsequently, the chase soon after the interval [atop a running train] is simply astounding.
Anthony's expertise comes to the fore in several sequences. One sequence that needs to be singled out is when Sanju narrates the tragic past, how he was responsible for his father's death. It's simply incredible!
Major portions of the film have been filmed in the ocean and you can't stop admiring and appreciating the enormous contribution of the underwater cinematographer [Pete Zuccarini]. The lighting in those sequences deserves special mention. Also, the underwater sequences, which feature aquatic life like puffer fish, stingrays and sharks, hold tremendous appeal. Cinematography [Laxman Utekar] is gorgeous. On the flip side, the climax could've been more impactful. The villain's track looks cliched, but you tend to overlook the minor aberration since the film never falls prey to mediocrity.
Anthony D'Souza is a director to watch. This film has style as well as substance. Also, it requires courage and conviction to think out of the box and most importantly, execute the material with panache. There's not much scope for music in an action thriller, yet A.R. Rahman's score suits the requirements. The Kylie Minogue track - 'Chiggy Wiggy' - is already popular. Sanju and Lara's romantic track - 'Aaj Dil' - is sensuous. The song at the end credits - 'Fiqrana' - has a lot of energy.
Sound design [Resul Pookutty] is fantastic. Action scenes [James D. Bomalick and R.P. Yadav] are a treat and, in fact, one of the mainstays of the film. Dialogues [Mayur Puri] are effective, while the screenplay [Anthony D'Souza and Jasmine D'Souza] is well thought-out, especially towards the second hour.
Sanjay Dutt carries his part well, although he looks very well-fed in some scenes. Akshay Kumar steals the show with a sterling performance. This would easily classify amongst his best works. Zayed Khan is highly competent. This, despite the fact that he's sharing the screen space with two hugely experienced actors. Lara Dutta has never looked so good before. Though the story revolves around the guys, you can't overlook Lara's small but significant contribution to the film. Katrina Kaif [sp. app.] looks gorgeous and performs exceedingly well. The feminine charm [at the start specifically] would send the youth in a frenzy. Rahul Dev is first-rate. Kabir Bedi is hardly there.
On the whole, BLUE has style as well as substance. The film has everything going in its favour, right from its incredible star cast to the superb action scenes to the hitherto unseen marine life to the tremendous hype and hoopla. At the box-office, BLUE will strike like a hurricane in the festive week. It should set new benchmarks in days to come. In short, the business will be humungous.
FARAH KHAN, who is now getting ready to direct her third venture Happy New Year for producer Shah Rukh Khan tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that she had shot SRK like Ramgopal Varma shoots his heroines…
Was it always your dream to be a director?
I confess that I had joined the industry as Mansoor Khan’s assistant in direction on the sets of his film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander only to learn the ropes of the trade as a director, almost a decade ago. However every evening, I used to ask all the dancers to practice the steps that I had devised, to know in what way the dances were different from the ones choreographed by Saroj Khan. One evening, director Mansoor noticed the session.
How did you bag your first assignment?
I shot to fame as a choreographer with the slow motion number Pehla Nasha thanks to Saroj Khan by default. It so happened, that Saroj had left Mansoor’s unit high and dry one day and flown down South to do choreography for a South Indian film, leaving Mansoor Khan with no other alternative but to ask me to step in and rescue him by taking up the choreography for his film. A choreographer was born that day.
Is it true that your mother had acted as Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan’s heroine?
Yes. Not many are aware of the fact that my mother had actually acted as the heroine opposite Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan four decades ago. In fact I, Sajid Khan and Salman Khan had almost grown up together during our childhood and our families have known each other for donkey’s years.
Why do you say that it would be tough for you to direct a film for any other producer after working with King Khan?
I feel that Shah Rukh is the best. After working with an actor like Shah Rukh Khan, it is very difficult for me to work with any other actor. Just imagine I had to take a three second shot and I had told Shah Rukh Khan that I’d require 98 cameras for it. Shah Rukh spent 20 lakhs and got those 90 cameras flown in from London. Though I had told him not to splurge unnecessarily as we could easily do away with it, Shah Rukh told me that he did not believe in compromising on quality.
Is it true that Main Hoon Na was titled The Outsider initially?
Yes. It is interesting to note that the working title of Main Hoon Na before it went on the floors was actually The Outsider, for almost two years. I had written the script in English and every time there was any untoward incident on the sets, Shah Rukh would say Just Trust me. When Abbas Tyrewala started translating the dialogues, there was this line Main Hoon Na coming up in the place of Just Trust Me. When I told Sajid that the title of my film would be Main Hoon Na he told me that it sounded like a Sudhir Mishra film. Karan said that Main Hoon Na was a horrible title while Shah Rukh told me bahut kharab title hai. However I insisted on the title since I wasn’t into K titles like Karan and Ekta Kapoor. My gamble paid off and every one agreed that Main Hoon Na was the apt title after I went ahead and recorded the title song with Anu Malik as the composer.
What do you think about the actresses of today?
Frankly I feel that the actresses of today do not have the poise and the dignity which the girls in 70’s have had. In Om Shanti Om, Deepika fitted the role well, like Hemaji in the 70’s. To prepare Deepika for the role, we gave her voice training and dance classes, besides the three month training in acting course with Anupam Kher.
How tough was it for you to get Shah Rukh Khan to shed his excess weight and get into his six pack abs for Om Shanti Om?
Shah Rukh asked me to give him three months and he worked hard and told me that if he did not get at least six packs he would not remove his shirt in front of the camera, though I felt that at least once he should do an item song. I think it is a great change- over at the age of 42 when others become too old. I shot Shah Rukh like Ramgopal Varma shoots his heroines.
What do you like the best about being a director?
I enjoy being a director the most because as a director, I get to decide each and everything connected with the film, including recording only the songs which I want. I feel that direction is the most fulfilling job. The worst job is writing for the simple reason that it does not come easy to me.
Which episode of Tere Mere Beach Mein touched you the most?
The best thing about Tere Mere Beach Mein was that nothing in the show was actually scripted. After we decided on the theme of each episode, I asked questions randomly.
I was touched by the episode on Hrithik. There is this comfort factor with each of my guests which I think will not come if they do not have a personal equation with you. Trust factor works a lot in a talk show like this. If they feel that they are uncomfortable answering any particular question, I readily offer to edit it out, because the idea is that the audiences should identify with what the stars had gone through in their lives and have a connect.
Tell me about your kids!
I have two daughters and one son. I have named my son Czar. Czar means an emperor. I have named my two daughters Diva and Anya. Diva is an Italian word for prima Donna, the main singer in the opera. Anya means inexhaustible in Sanskrit and graceful in Russian. Diva and Czar are similar looking but not identical. Its is said that one in two million triples are identical My daughters are maa ki laadlis and are chipkoos whereas my son is dad‘s laadla. He is elder by two minutes.
From virtual to reel, the Facebook fancy of our film folks goes a step further, as Shah Rukh Khan gears up to produce and act in a movie on the popular social 
networking site.
The film is produced by Khan's Red Chillies Productions in association with the Morani Brothers of Cineyug, and marks the directorial debut of TV anchor and radio personality Roshan Abbas. Confirms Mohammad Morani, "We are coming up with a film on Facebook and similar social networking sites in collaboration with Red Chillies, and Shah Rukh might act in it. The talks are still on"
The film is based on Abbas play, Graffiti - Post Card From School, which deals with the problems of teenagers and adolescents. Zoa, daughter of Karim Morani, also makes her acting debut with the film. Zoa has been working as an assistant with directors like Farah Khan and Rajkumar Santoshi. She was seen in a bit role as one of the aspirants for the Shantipriya lookalikes in Om Shanti Om.
Elsewhere, Hollywood filmmaker David Fincher is in advanced talks with Columbia Pictures to direct The Social Network, a film based on the true story of the founding of Facebook. The screenplay is based on the book The Accidental Billionaires.
The film will see actor Jesse Eisenberg playing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, pop star Justin Timberlake as Napster co-founder/Facebook president Sean Parker and Andrew Garfield taking on the role of Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
| ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ seems to have made India one of the hottest backdrops for projects of top notch international filmmakers. | |
 Even as Danny Boyle is readying to return to Mumbai to produce ‘Bombay Velvet’ to be directed by Anurag Kashyap, legendary Hollywood screenplay writer Paul Schrader has written a film with the city’s infamous underworld as the backdrop.Schrader, writer of all-time classics like ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘American Gigolo’, has tied up with screenwriter Mushtaq Shiekh and producer Anubhav Sinha to make a reportedly $10 million-budgeted cops ‘n’ mafia film titled ‘Xtrme City’. The film has been announced by ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ fame David Weisman’s Vanishing Cinema LLC in conjunction with Shiekh and Sinha, who have announced a financing deal with Newport Beach real estate entrepreneur Dwight Manley. The cast of the film has not been announced yet, with the announcement only saying that a Bollywood ‘mega-star’ and a Hollywood star will share top billing in the film. Going by Shiekh’s well-known proximity to superstar Shah Rukh Khan, guessing games have already begun whether it will be the King Khan who will be the ‘Bollywood megastar’ in the film. Shiekh has done the screenplays of Khan’s films like ‘Om Shanti Om’, ‘Billu’ and the under-production sci-fi thriller ‘Ra – the One’, apart from writing more than one book on him. To be targeted at both domestic and international markets, ‘Xtrme City’ will be an action thriller set in the “brutal, impenetrable, criminal orbit of Mumbai”, say its makers. The protagonist will be Curtis Hawkley, a former US Ranger, who is forced to return to Mumbai when his father-in-law’s youngest daughter is kidnapped by a powerful underworld don. In order to save the girl he must first find his old friend Raj Rangan, an Indian Special Forces Commando who became a crime world enforcer. After reuniting and saving the girl, the two men are drawn deeper into the ‘bhai’ underworld of Mumbai than they expected. “Xtrme City is cross-cultural entertainment that merges the cinematic traditions of Bollywood and Hollywood,” Schrader said in a statement. “Spending time in India and working with a Bollywood talent like Shiekh has inspired and excited me to make a film accessible and meaningful to both Indian and American cultures,” said the director, who has directed films like ‘Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters’, which was executive produced by Francis Coppola and George Lucas. | |
So, what happens when you go and watch a life story you are living? When you could possibly relate each and every instance of it? Yes! 'Wake Up Sid' is story of Me, You and many roaming around here and there with just no aim.Now one could think is it 'Lakshya' again? Well not really, if 'Laskhya' was a cover page of book, 'Wake Up Sid' is inside story. I liked 'Lakshya' but i seriously loved 'Wake Up Sid'.
Wake Up Sid is a story of two contrast figures of today's world, Sidharth Mehra aka SID[Ranbir Kapoor] & Aisha[Konkana Sen Sharma]. Sid with no aim and Aisha with lots of dreams, but strange as life is, they became friends.The story developed with failures and realizations of both characters about themselves, life and others. First half was 'Fun' that went through in a blink of an eye.Second half is what i call an 'Inside Story' of a young guy of today, may be of cities in particular.
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By Taran Adarsh, October 2, 2009 - 11:02 IST
Recall those years when partying hard was the only agenda on your list. Recall those years when staying awake at nights, chatting away with friends became a habit. Recall those years when bunking college and sneaking into movie halls was more exciting than books. Recall those years when you were completely clueless and aimless about the vocation you wanted to pursue once you graduated… That indecisive phase when you were hesitant to take that first big step in life can never be erased from your memory.
WAKE UP SID, directed by debutante Ayan Mukerji, is like revisiting those years that lay at some remote corner of your mind, after you moved on in life.
Actually, WAKE UP SID is a slice of life film. It's not merely real in concept, but has also been told most realistically, so much so that you can't help but draw parallels with your life or with someone you know. But what really makes WAKE UP SID most believable is Ranbir Kapoor, who's mastered the craft at such a young age.
| Write your own movie review of Wake Up Sid |
WAKE UP SID tells the story of Siddharth aka Sid [Ranbir Kapoor], a lazy, unmotivated slacker from Mumbai whose life undergoes a series of changes after taking his final year college exams. Sid's world is breezy, carefree and without any true responsibilities.
Sid thrives around his two best friends, Rishi [Namit Das] and Laxmi [Shikha Talsania], very rarely communicates with his mother Sarita [Supriya Pathak] and takes his father Ram Mehra [Anupam Kher] and all his hard-earned wealth for granted. Despite all these traits, Sid is an honest boy; sweet, funny and above all, a good friend. Aisha Bannerjee [Konkona Sen Sharma], an aspiring writer from Kolkata, learns this soon enough when her path crosses with Sid's on her first day in Mumbai. Ambitious, well-read and driven, Aisha has come to Mumbai to realize her dreams as a writer. Despite their contrasting personalities, Sid becomes Aisha's first friend in the city.
As Aisha sets up her life in Mumbai, with the help of Sid and his gang, Sid allows for time to fly by over long drives, parties that stretch well into dawn, and endless hours doing absolutely nothing. But a series of circumstances and events compel him to take stock of his life and take a hard look at himself.
Let's not compare WAKE UP SID with anything you've watched before. Not DIL CHAHTA HAI. Not LAKSHYA either. Debutante director Ayan Mukerji narrates a story that you can relate to instantly and treats it with utmost care. A few moments linger in your memory and evoke bitter-sweet memories.
Ayan Mukerji packs in a solid punch in most parts of the film. The emotional moments especially gets you all moist-eyed. The humour too is well integrated in the sequences. Even the confrontation between the father and son is superb. Prior to that Konkona's birthday sequence is amongst the finest sequences of the film. Music [Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy] is melodious. Anil Mehta's cinematography is top notch. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are just right.
There's no denying that Ranbir Kapoor is a supremely talented actor, but in WAKE UP SID, he proves that he's amongst the best in the business today. No one could've portrayed Sid as effectively as Ranbir has enacted, that's for sure. This is an award-worthy performance. Konkona is natural to the core and the best part is, she's so effortless. Here's another winning performance from this incredible performer. Anupam Kher is wonderful. Ditto for Supriya Pathak. Both shine in their respective parts. Namit Das and Shikha Talsania are perfect. Rahul Khanna doesn't get any scope.
On the whole, WAKE UP SID is a well-made film that should strike a chord with the youth mainly. A metro-centric film, the film should attract its target audience and should also prove to be the first choice of the elite/urban audience this Friday. Its distributors [UTV] have very rightly released the film at plexes of metros and mini-metros [instead of flooding the market with physical and digital prints], which in turn should only make this small film talked-about in days to come. Thumbs Up!
