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.

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 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!

Mr and Mrs Khanna (Salman and Kareena) are forced to go their separate ways when financial insecurity strikes their marriage. Will the temporary

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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

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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!

It requires courage, willpower, fortitude, vision and of course, the financial backing to accomplish a project of this magnitude. And debutante director Anthony D'Souza puts his skills and the financial resources to best use. BLUE is not merely a stunning looking film, it's also a well structured film. Most importantly, it's a solid entertainer that packs in so much in those 1.58 hours.

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.

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'.

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.

The first hour, right till the intermission, sweeps you off your feet. You get drawn into Sid's world instantaneously; you react to everything he does. But the post-interval portions slackens, courtesy the writing. The Rahul Khanna track, for instance, looks half-baked. Also, the story stagnates after a point and hence, the pacing gets very slow. It's only towards the finale that things perk up. Ideally, the film could've done with some trimming in this hour.

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!