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Aishwarya heading south for greener pasture!

2010-04-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

We have had South Indian stars doing Bollywood films and vice versa. Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Bachchan is reportedly planning to do a couple of Kollywood films. The stunner is no stranger to Tamil having debuted in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar in 1997. She was raw debutant then. Today, she is a sophisticated star and one of the Bollywood's top heroines.

The actress has come full circle since those times. After almost a decade, two of Aishwarya’s upcoming projects will have Tamil versions. Raavan and Robot will be dubbed in Tamil as Ravana and Endhiran respectively. These are her most ambitious Kollywood ventures so far, though she has done films like Jeans and Kandukondain Kandukondain.

In Raavan, she teams up with hubby Abhishek and mentor Ratnam while in Robot, she will be seen with Rajinikanth. A Tamil coach tutored her on the language and diction for Raavan. She wooed everyone by dubbing for her own lines. She also got the tone and accent right! For Robot, it was Rajini himself who gave her lessons. A source revealed that Ash is a fast learner. Though she found it difficult at first, she was able to rattle off lengthy dialogues with ease!

This has made the diva more confident about doing Tamil projects. She loves Tamil films as they are technically and script-wise very rich. When asked about it, she stated that she has to understand the dialogues before delivering them. She dislikes mugging dialogues without knowing what she is saying. So she made special efforts to learn the nuances of Tamil before embarking on these projects. The results are there for everyone to see! Vannakam anyone?

Kristen Stewart will not be a Bollywood Bella

2010-04-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Contrary to recent reports, Kristen Stewart is not Bollywood bound to star in Paani.

Speculation was mounting after it was ‘revealed’ that Paani’s director Shekhar Kapur had offered the Twilight star the role and she had supposedly accepted.

Bollywood movie fans were said to be excited at the prospect of K-Stew starring opposite Hrithik Rishan in a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ style story, but this will not happen.

Stewart’s rep told celebrity gossip website Gossip Cop, “She is not set to star in this movie.”

Kristen is concentrating on promoting rock biopic The Runaways and her summer schedule will be filled with press appearances for Twilight Eclipse.

She will then go on to work on Twilight Breaking Dawn, which is believed to be going into production this winter.

Kevin Spacey denies reports Kate Moss will appear in his theatre work

2010-03-31T08:40:00.000-07:00

Actor/director Kevin Spacey has denied reports of him approaching supermodel Kate Moss to appear in one of his upcoming London plays.

Spacey, 50, who serves as artistic director at the city's Old Vic theatre, is said to have taken Moss, 36, out to dinner earlier this month in a bid to convince her to take on a stage role.

But the American Beauty star has insisted on his Twitter.com page that there's "not a grain of truth" in the rumours.

"Great to hang w/ (with) Kate Moss last wk (week) but not sure where stories of her treading boards at the Old Vic came from. Not a grain of truth in it!" the Daily Star quoted him as writing.

Hema Malini, Esha Deol walk down Wills India Fashion Week ramp

2010-03-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

Bollywood actress Hema Malini and her daughter Esha walked the ramp for designer Rocky S at the 15th edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WLIFW) Autumn-Winter 2010 here on Friday.

Designer Rocky S, who is among the Bollywood's most popular designers, showcased his bridal collection, a collection that he described in one word as ‘Grace.’

Rocky used bright colours with eclectic combinations like blue, red, teal, pink, peach, burgundy and green with a heavy use of borders, motifs and tassels used with all the bright hues.

The fabrics used included silk, georgette, chiffon and brocade.

The collections included all the traditional Indian lehenga cholis, saris, churidaar kurtas for women and brocade long coats known as sherwanis for men.

The designer said he created these keeping in mind the mother and sister of a bride.

"Well this is a very simple and traditional collection. I wanted it more for family… for a woman who is getting married; her sister can buy something, her mother can buy something. I wanted to keep it very traditional. So the colours are very pure…Indian colours. The fabrics are Indian… traditional embroidery is being used. I just wanted to stay away from black for a change," said Rocky S.

Actor Esha walked the ramp flaunting her heavily embroidered maroon and green bridal lehenga-choli, whereas Bollywood's veteran 'Dream Girl' Hema Malini accompanied her with grace in a similar coloured sari teamed with an embroidered burnt orange coloured blouse.

Hema Malini, who stole the show with her grace, praised Rocky's collection.

"It was wonderful working on the ramp with Esha for Rocky…it's a beautiful colour combination …2-3 colours are there in this sari with a striking bright blouse. So it looks very nice," said Hema Malini.

Designer Payal Jain also showcased her collection.

She titled her creations Solitary Monk, saying it was inspired by the mystic allure of the historical textiles and bewitched lifestyle of the monks in Laos.

The most inspiring features of the collection were the unorthodox usage of colour, print, texture and fabrics.

The fabrics ranging from linen and cotton jersey to hand-woven khadi to self-jacquards and soft flowing silk jerseys were draped and styled into clean and simple ensembles.

Attractive models stood tall and pretty in draped dresses, flowing tunics, structured jackets, bias skirts, prayer pants and draped shells in a colour palette of indigo, burnt coral, warm chocolate and slate black.

"This is a fall winter, you have to have warm colours. This collection is inspired by monks and monasteries, as you could see the bells, the music, the chanting and all," said Jain.

The WLIFW-AW 2010, hosted by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), will witness the participation of 130 designers, 75 of them also presenting shows and among whom 19 are debutants.

The fashion extravaganza will feature 43 shows.

Sandra Bullock decides not to return home

2010-03-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

Sandra Bullock reportedly has no plan to return to the home where she lived with hubby Jesse James while the man who cheated on her is still there.

The Oscar-winning actress, who has avoided the public glare for the past two weeks, has no intention of sleeping at their home while James is there and so she has moved out, it has been reported.

"Sandra is such a classy woman.... To have her husband cheating on her and cheating with so many women, it's just something she doesn't deserve," The New York Post quoted an insider as telling RadarOnline.com.

The site also reported that Bullock, 45, is currently staying at her Hollywood Hills home, which she bought before she married James nearly five years ago.

The source added: "She has always conducted herself with dignity.

"A lot of people never understood her attraction to James, but she was loyal to him. And not only did he cheat, but he cheated with these women that just make you shake your head. Not that it matters anyway — the only thing that matters is [that] he cheated."

Bullock has been avoiding the public glare after allegations of James, 40, romping with tattoo model Michelle 'Bombshell' McGee emerged nearly two weeks ago.

Spider-Man star James Franco eyes PhD

2010-03-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

Spider-Man star James Franco has been accepted into the prestigious Yale University, where the actor will study for his doctorate.

The actor has already done a film-making course from New York University, and also took writing classes at Columbia University, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts diploma, reports The Daily Express.

A representative has confirmed that Franco was accepted into Yale, in Connecticut.

He will begin courses for his PhD in September if he accepts his place, according to the esteemed institution's student newspaper The Yale Herald.

Shakira wants to start a family after her next tour

2010-03-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Shakira is looking forward to starting a family with her long-term fiance Antonio De La Rua. The singer is hoping to settle down but needs to fulfill her commitments first.

"Do I have any plans for children? Little wolves? Yeah, of course. I'd really like to have kids, but first I need to go on tour and release this new album - and then we can sit down and talk about it," Contactmusic quoted her as saying.

The 33-year-old star told the Big Issue magazine that even though she and Antonio got engaged over four years ago, marriage is no longer high on her list of priorities.

"Maybe 15 years ago, I'd dream about wearing a white gown, a wedding cake and a room full of guests and me feeding them canapés," she said.

Stars take the hit after films flopped

2010-03-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

It’s official. With film producers pressing for a reduction in their movie’s budgets, many leading actors have taken a cut in their fees. In fact, the cut in salaries has percolated down to all levels including directors, technicians and even extras.

Shailendra Singh, managing director of Percept Pictures, says, “The fees of stars had reached unprecedented levels. In some cases, even 90% of a film’s budget went into paying the stars. We have been lobbying and pressing for a correction for a long time. So now I am glad that it is happening finally. The stars are finally getting to learn that a fee cut is the only option left for everybody to survive in this volatile market.”

Confirming the development, a senior official at IDBI Bank says, “The film fund size was Rs500 crore (last year) and we had increased it to Rs1,000 crore (for this financial year). Again, we are thinking of reducing it to the original size (Rs500 crore) as film budgets have shrunk. This is because around 80 per cent of the cost of making a movie is acting fees. We are hearing that these have come down to reasonable levels now.” IDBI is one of thebanks in India that maintains a substantial corpus of funds to be invested in Bollywood.

Producer Vipul Shah says, “Some corporations in their bid to nudge out the independent producers had made obscene payments to a few stars. The stars were obviously happy to take the money home. Now, after most of their films have flopped, they have been left with no other option but to reduce their fees drastically. I know this for a fact that Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn have dropped their prices by several notches to help producers.”

During the course of an earlier interview, Salman had said, “I am always there for my friends. If I think that me doing something will help them then I am willing to go that extra mile. I always try to accommodate a request and I will not charge exorbitant prices ever.” Salman was speaking before his last film Veer’s release.

MGR's birth anniversary celebrated in Chennai

2010-01-17T22:01:00.002-08:00

Processions, garlanding of statues and distribution of sweets marked the 93rd birth anniversary of founder-leader of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and late Tamil Nadu chief minister MG Ramachandran (MGR), in the state today.

AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa garlanded MGR's statue and distributed sweets at the party headquarters.

Deputy chief minister MK Stalin paid floral tributes to the late leader.

MGR, who died 23 years ago, was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1917, and his family moved to India a few years later. Poverty compelled him to join theatre at the early age of seven, and then enter the movie business as an actor.

Depicted in his films as saviour of the underprivileged which endeared him to the masses, MGR was the numero uno of Tamil cinema before he took the plunge into politics in 1953, joining the DMK.

He floated the AIADMK in 1972, and became Tamil Nadu chief minister in 1977, defeating the Karunanidhi-led DMK, and continued in the post till he died following cardiac arrest in 1987.

The leader is remembered by people for many of his social welfare schemes, including the free mid-day meal scheme for school children.

MGR's death saw his party split into two factions, one led by his widow Janaki and another by Jayalalithaa, who had acted as his heroine in over 50 movies. After the 1989 assembly polls, both factions merged under Jayalalithaa's leadership.

James Cameron eyes Australia for next film

2010-01-17T22:01:00.001-08:00

Hollywood director James Cameron is set to make Australia his next stop to oversee his ongoing film project after the phenomenal success of Avatar.

The Oscar-winner is presently involved with the $30-million psychological thriller Sanctum that is being shot in Gold Coast.

The Titanic filmmaker, serving as executive producer, praised Australian director Alister Grierson for his talent with the lens.

"I am actually coming down to the set in a couple of weeks, and I am going to stay there through the underwater shoot," Herald Sun quoted Cameron as saying.

"They are doing great. Alister Grierson is a really talented director – his first film was Kokoda. I would be proud if that was my third film," he added.

Satyajit Ray's private eye Feluda enters new arena

2010-01-17T22:00:00.000-08:00

Satyajit Ray's super detective Feluda is going great guns.

Created in 1965, the Charminar cigarette-puffing private eye, whose real name is Prodosh Kumar Mitter, will now feature in an animated series.

This is another stint for Feluda, who has had a successful stint on the silver screen, besides being a novel and comic book hero.

Hyderabad-based production and distribution group DQE will produce an animated tele-movie and TV series based on the adventures of Feluda, who teams up with his cousin Topshe and friend Lalmohan Ganguli to capture devious culprits and solve puzzling mysteries.

According to DQE chairman and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti, "We have confirmed acquisition for Indian broadcasting in several languages from a leading global broadcaster, and this has been a huge affirmation that these stories will be received well by audiences."

The Kathmandu Caper is the first animated tele-movie being adapted and written for animation in London by famous children's writer, Charles Hodges.

The tele-film revolves around the kidnap of a stranger in the neighbourhood which leads Feluda, Topshe, his friend Jatayu and Bones, their wily dog, to Kathmandu.

Last year, publishers Penguin under its Puffin imprint brought out the exploits of Feluda in comic format.

The titles were A Bagful of Mystery, Beware in the Graveyard and Murder By the Sea.

The comic strips were scripted by Subhadra Sen Gupta with illustrations by Tapas Guha.

"These great stories deal with eternal themes – loyalty, greed and courage... all we did was make them visually contemporary, so that kids relate to them better. We have not touched the plots, they are all Ray's," says Subhadra.

According to her, beyond occasionally changing the location from inside to outside, no changes to the original scripts were made at all. "Ray being a filmmaker and artist wrote very visually, giving detailed descriptions and also taking the stories to all sorts of locations, and that made the stories ideal for a comic strip," she says.

"We grew up reading Feluda, and the miracle is that he is now a part of our lives, and he and the other characters feels very real to us."

In A Bagful of Mystery, Feluda's client Dinanath Lahiri has a strange problem. On a train from Delhi to Kolkata, someone has taken his bag and replaced it with an identical one. The action-packed search by Feluda and his sidekicks take them through the busy streets of Kolkata and Delhi and into the final dangerous climax on the snowy slopes of the Simla hills.

Haunting music for Celina Jaitley's upcoming thriller

2009-12-30T05:56:00.002-08:00

The eerie sound of rushes of water amidst the melody and haunting music is the stamp of genius of Magna Film’s midas composer Raju Singh. Who developed the sound, music, mood, backdrop and energetic harmony in Magna Film’s latest release Accident on Hill Road. The latest Magna Films production, promises to entertain, thrill and ignite emotions of passion, danger and lust in this fast-paced murder scenerio.

The music for the film composed by Raju Singh is energetic, emotional and supremely melodious.The music is composed by Raju Singh (who has done most of the background scores for Mahesh Bhatt's productions as well as Anurag Basu's films).
“There is only one song in the film — ‘Nasha Nasha', sung by Sonu Nigam, with lyrics by Sandeep Nath. The song is integral to the storyline — it is played in a lounge club where Celina and Abhimanyu are drinking and dancing. It is the drinking that causes the accident,” says Mahesh.

Celina to perform at Country Club on New Year's Eve

2009-12-30T05:56:00.001-08:00

Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley will be performing at Country Club here on New Year's Eve, and not at JW Marriott as per earlier reports.

As per Celina's representative there was some mis-communication about the venue.

"There have been confusing reports recently about my performance on Dec 31. I would therefore like to clarify that I will be performing at Country club and not JW Marriot,"

Katrina in London with Ranbir 30 Dec, 2009 11:15 am ISTlTNN Print EMail Discuss Share Save Comment Text: Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif I

2009-12-30T05:53:00.000-08:00

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif If sources are to be believed Katrina is recuperating in London with her family, but a reliable London source informs that to everybody’s surprise she is actually in New York. Coincidentally Ranbir Kapoor is also in New York shooting for Sajid Nadiadwala’s Anjaana Anjaani.

Post her surgery in Mumbai, Katrina flew off to London claiming to spend New Year’s Eve with her family. Katrina, who ushers in the New Year with her mother and siblings each year, was thrilled about the family reunion because she was looking forward to playing with her sister’s little son. But with Katrina in London, it surely raises questions about their relationship.

There is a huge debate as to how her visit to New York wasn’t out and how everybody knew that she was in London. When called up in London at her grandmother’s place, a relative informed that Katrina is in New York.

However Katrina said that she was very much in London. It is just a joke in about me being in New York because she is harassed by many calls.

Kaif also skipped her ex- boyfriend Salman Khan’s birthday in favour of New York. Ranbir and Katrina met on the sets of ‘Raajneeti’ but their friendship really took off when they shot Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. Ranbir has been in an ‘on-off relationship’ with Deepika Padukone while Katrina’s relationship with Salman Khan has slowly taken a setback.

Akshay Kumar won't charge a single penny for two of his films

2009-12-30T05:51:00.000-08:00

Trade circles say that Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar was reportedly signed for as high a fee as Rs 71 crore for a film, has had a change of mind.

Reliable market sources say that the entire completion cost of Akshay’s next two films –‘Khatta Meetha’ directed by Priyadarshan and ‘Tees Maar Khan’ directed by Farah Khan will reportedly not exceed Rs 35 crore.

According to one trade source the cost of making ‘Khatta Meetha’ and ‘Tees Maar Khan’ won’t include the actor’s fee.

The same source adds that when Akshay realised that his films ‘Chandni Chowk to China’, ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ and ‘Tasveer’ lost money because of his individual fee as an actor, he decided to make a market correction.

Having studied the current Bollywood trade scene, the actor has decided not to charge a single penny for his films.

However, Akki’s banner ‘Hari Om Productions’ is a co-producer of the films ‘Khatta Meetha’ and ‘Tees Maar Khan’.

The actor explains the logic behind this drastic move of not charging his market fee. He said that for both the films his fees will be Rs.0. If both films are hits, then the production house will stand to benefit by getting a part of the profits. If the film is average, the profit margin will automatically be reduced. And if the film flops, no one will lose money because the budget has been controlled. By not charging his personal remuneration as an actor, he has made sure that these films will at least romp home with no losses.

Trade sources say that the Akshay is being closely watched by all actors who have home productions.

Gulzar set to direct a film in 2010

2009-12-30T05:50:00.000-08:00

Noted lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar’s last offering as a director was Hu Tu Tu (1999), starring Tabu and Sunil Shetty. Since then, friends and family, especially his daughter Meghna have been urging him to return to direction. However, no idea seemed to inspire him enough to make that effort. That is until now. Gulzar is set to direct a film in 2010. The film’s subject will be women-centric like his earlier films and will star Vidya Balan.

Without divulging details, Gulzar says, “My next film will star Vidya for sure. I saw portions of Ishqiya and she is truly an outstanding actress.

The fact that Gulzar’s daughter Meghna and Vidya are close friends only enhances the director’s fondness for the actress. “I have known Vidya from the time she used to drop in with Pradeep Sarkar during Parineeta. She is a lovely girl. Do you know, when an Oscar was announced for Jai Ho, Vidya came home and gave me a trophy? Yes, an actual trophy! I am happy to see her friendship with my daughter. In Vidya, my daughter has found a soul mate. It’s very rare to see two people in the film industry reaching out to one another without ulterior motives. Vidya visits Meghna more than me. In fact, my daughter’s next also stars her. So both father and daughter are working with her,” adds the filmmaker. Apparently, Meghna’s next is a hard-hitting, marital drama.

As for Gulzar, Vidya has made a promise to herself. “I will keep sending him notes to start his film with me. I still remember that one shot in Parichay where the song Beeti na beetayi raina is going on and Jaya Bhaduriji is pleating her hair. That moment has stayed with me. No one captures everyday moments with such tenderness. I will do anything to work with Gulzarsaab. To me there are three people who are the epitome of culture and grace - M S Subbalaxmiji, Waheeda Rehmanji and Gulzarsaab.”

Shahid to play Tom Cruise 'Top Gun' role

2009-12-30T05:47:00.000-08:00

Shahid Kapoor, as Tom Cruise did in 1986 with Top Gun, is all set to wear a uniform and take to the skies in Mausam — his father Pankaj Kapoor’s directorial debut. Pankaj, who felt Shahid needs a change of image after playing roles like an aimless student in Ishq Vishq, a gangster-social activist in Kaminey, a struggling dancer in Chance Pe Dance and an entrepreneur before that in Jab We Met and Vivah, decided a uniformed soldier’s role would give his son a mature man’s image.

According to a source, the uniform has virtually been written into the script. Pankaj first toyed with the idea of making Shahid an Army officer. Then it was decided to cast him as an Air Force pilot. The last real big star to play an Air Force pilot in Hindi cinema was Rajesh Khanna in Shakti Samanta’s 1969 hit Aradhana, which itself was a copy of the 1946 Hollywood film To Each His Own.

Shahid’s role is being modelled on the lines of Tom Cruise’s from Top Gun, in which the actor played a Navy pilot training in the US Navy Fighter Weapons School known in the Pentagon as ‘Topgun’. The film was a super hit and had great music and songs apart from scintillating dogfights in mid-air and other action.

Shahid is taking the film seriously and has decided to train for the role after the release of Chance Pe Dance. Permission is being sought to make the film at the Air Force Academy in Dindigul, outside Hyderabad, much in the manner Top Gun was actually shot at the US Navy school in Miramar, California.

Avatar beauty Zoe Saldana in hot photoshoot

2009-12-30T05:46:00.000-08:00

Avatar actress Zoe Saldana has won more admirers after shooting for a hot magazine photoshoot.

The 31-year-old, known as the computer-generated warrior Neytiri in James Cameron's latest blockbuster, posed for Complex magazine.

"Neytiri is blue, she's 9ft tall and she has bigger **** than I do," News of the World quoted the star as saying.

"But it's me - my face, my facial muscles, my expressions. And Jim captured that," she added.

Aamir Khan's '3 Idiots' beats his own 'Ghajini'

2009-12-30T05:45:00.000-08:00

Aamir Khan starrer '3 Idiots' has surpassed his last year's release 'Ghajini' in terms of weekend collection with 30% more profit at the box office.

The Rajkumar Hirani directed film, which released last Friday, has grossed Rs93 crore worldwide till Sunday.

Even the paid previews have garnered over Rs9 crore gross worldwide in collection which is above 'Ghajini's collection of Rs7 crore gross worldwide.

"Response has been overwhelming from all over the world. Aamir, Raju and I knew from the responses earlier on that people liked the film but this is something else," said Vidhu Vinod Chopra, producer of the film.

'3 Idiots', which the producers claim is the most widely released Hindi film till date, opened in India with 1550 prints in over 1760 screens and overseas 342 prints in over 366 screens in over 40 countries.

The figures from USA and Canada show the biggest opening weekend ever for a Hindi film.

"We have got reports from places like Australia that they have reduced 'Avatar' shows and increased ours. '3 Idiots' is the highest grossing Hindi film ever in Australia on its
opening weekend. Similarly in US, I have been told that 3 Idiots would be highest ever for a Hindi film," Chopra added.

In the UK, '3 Idiots' is claimed to have surpassed all other Hindi films and reached just below Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna', even though all theatres were shut down for Christmas and business has been for two days.

The art of turning a film into a script

2009-12-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

Nasreen Munni Kabir has emerged as an indefatigable chronicler of popular Hindi cinema. From her early breakthrough book on Guru Dutt to the Movie Mahal series which introduced Britain to Bollywood, Kabir has documented Hindi cinema's great personalities and movies.

She has also pioneered the documentation of the film script, which involves painstakingly noting down the dialogues of a film and translating them into English. She tried the experiment with Mughal-e-Azam and now she is back with the dialogue of Awaara which she calls 'Raj Kapoor's Immortal Classic'.

There is no denying Awaara's place in the Hindi film pantheon of greats, though the film can be a bit emotionally overwrought. For my money, Shri 420 is a more deeply satisfying film and is as good if not better in parts. But that is a moot debate. Awaara had a philosophical idea at its core: do genes decide a person's character or does upbringing matter, which formed the background to a love story between a rich girl and a petty thief.

All the usual ironies of Hindi cinema were present but the end result was not cliched and the credit for that goes to the then 27-year old Kapoor.

Awaara had terrific songs, stupendous acting, superb sets, breakthrough photography and most of all, bold and strong dialogues which held a deep resonance. Writer KA Abbas had imbued it with his leftist ideals, which gelled well with Kapoor's own sensibilities, and resonated with a young nation just out of the trauma of Partition. Yet questions do arise. Does the dialogue deserve a book of its own? Does the idea of printing these dialogues in four different ways -- in English, Hindi, Urdu and finally in Roman script but in Hindustani -- work?

In an industry not known for pre-scripting, any such effort can only be post-facto, i.e. taken off the film since so much is written right on the set. That shows because the cinematic instructions are few and far between and any commentary is the author's (Kabir) own comments drawn from her extensive knowledge and research. This is a strength and a weakness. In the end that really doesn't matter, because Kabir is an excellent guide and a veritable storehouse of information. The opening essay and the end notes have lovely trivia and also analyses of several scenes, including the famous dream sequence.

Awaara became a worldwide phenomenon, a cult film in Russia, Turkey and many other countries. Students and lovers of Hindi films, especially from the Golden Age, should read and imbibe from this book. It reminds us about an era when Hindi films had style, content and heart and were not simply a gigantic marketing exercise.

3 Idiots is cinema at its best

2009-12-30T05:40:00.000-08:00

Title: 3 Idiots (U/A)
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, and others

Caution: The following review may strike you as gushy, overzealous, or exaggerated in praise. But films like these are made once in a while and, so, superlatives are in order.

Rajkumar Hirani is the best filmmaker Hindi cinema has produced in a long, long time. It's not that there aren't other mavericks, geniuses, and talented storytellers who give us some fabulous movies from time to time. But Hirani has, one film after the other, proved his mettle as a writer/director who does not believe in giving you entertainment the easy way -- he ensures that you take back home a few lessons about life, too.

Three Idiots has one of the most relevant issues of Indian society at its core, a heartwarming story woven around it and a narrative that takes you through the film effortlessly, leaving you happy, moved, and thoughtful in the end. Yes, the film has certain hard-to-digest moments -- like engineering students helping a woman to deliver a child in the campus with the help of some 'skills' -- but if the oft misused term 'cinematic liberty' has ever been put to apt use, it is here.

Ranchhoddas Chhanchad aka Rancho (Khan), Farhan Qureshi (Madhavan), and Raju Rastogi (Joshi) have got admission in ICE, the most prestigious engineering college in India. "You'll have to beat your competitor every step of the way if you want to be successful in life," dean Viru Sahastrabudhhe aka Virus (Irani) tells students on their first day in college.

While the others just follow orders, Rancho defies rules. He raises questions in class his teachers can't answer, refuses to complete assignments unless he really enjoys them, and infuriates the dean, who is a stickler for perfection. "You have the best college in the country, yet none of your students has ever invented anything of note," Rancho tells the dean straight-faced, enraging him further.

To make matters worse, he falls in love with the dean's daughter (Kapoor). The dean is out to make Rancho's life hell but is baffled how Rancho deceives him every time. The most laidback of all students, he surprises everyone by ending at the top of the class, year after year, confounding even his two friends. "We learnt an important lesson," says Farhan. "When your friend fails an examination, you feel bad. But when he tops it, you feel worse."

Rancho explains to his friends that the only reason he excels at everything he does is because he enjoys doing them. He coerces the two to follow their goals without worrying about the end result, and by the end of the four-year period, the two feel more confident of what they want to do in life than before they entered college and met Rancho. While the institute asked them to chase success, Rancho asked them to chase excellence, assuring them that success would follow.

But soon after teaching them life's most valuable lesson, Rancho disappears. Why does Rancho leave without telling anyone of his whereabouts? Where does he go?

The film starts with Farhan and Raju renewing their search for Rancho after five years, following a lead they get on his whereabouts from one of their closest competitors in college, Chatur. The movie then moves into flashback mode, returning to real time every now and then. Starting with the first scene, the screenplay moves in one fluid motion, interweaving scenes and sequences one after the other in brilliant, seamless fashion.

Writers Hirani and Abhijat Joshi (story, screenplay, and dialogues) and Vidhu Vinod Chopra (screenplay associate) have worked painstakingly on every sequence, each of which stands out for its brilliance. There are so many 'highlights' and scenes that impress you that pointing out a few would be unfair to the others. Three Idiots is, in every way, a complete film -- one that works in its entirety, be it storytelling, dialogues, acting, music, cinematography, art direction, editing, etc. At the helm of it all is the captain of the ship -- director Rajkumar Hirani.

Madhavan puts in a restrained performance and brings both the maturity and confusion that his character requires. Joshi is good. His character undergoes immense change in the film and the actor brings across those subtle differences beautifully. Kapoor, in a smaller role, does a good job. Irani's performance ranges from competent to caricaturish, but works with the mood of the film. Omi as Chatur aka Silencer gets ample screen space and performs well as the grades-hungry student everyone hates in class.

Shantanu Moitra's music blends into the film perfectly and the songs are extremely hummable. Hirani is impeccable with his editing and CK Muraleedharan's cinematography is easy on the eyes.

Aamir Khan and Rajikumar Hirani coming together was always going to be special. Three Idiots sure is. In fact, the film blends elements of Khan's Taare Zameen Par with Hirani's Munnabhai series, making a comment on the education system without going down the documentary route, but the film stands out on its own.

Even as you have come to accept Khan's genius at ensuring a good product for audiences every time, this one is a Rajkumar Hirani show all the way. And it becomes easy to say that because even if you take Khan out of the equation, the film would probably make a similar impact.

That is not to say having Khan doesn't help. The character of Rancho is the voice of the film, innocent yet intelligent, and the script demanded an actor of Khan's calibre to take across the film's message to audiences. As a younger man, Khan springs the kind of performance you associate him with. For the three hours that you are watching the film, Khan ceases to exist and Rancho takes over.

But the real hero of Three Idiots is the guy who gave us jaadu ki jhappi and Gandhigiri. Raju Hirani, you are the man! After all the terrible films and flops this year, you have ensured that in the end, Aall Izz Well.

My Name is Khan selected for Berlin Film Festival

2009-12-30T05:39:00.000-08:00

In a major coup, Karan Johar's My Name is Khan has been selected in the Berlin International Film Festival. What's more, the film has been picked for the Official Selection of the festival, which takes place from February 11-21, 2010. Karan Johar is jubilant. "It will be my first time in Berlin, and I'm so excited," he says. "Of course, I'll be going with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol! There's nothing as prestigious as presenting my film at the Berlin film festival's official selection. Even more than awards, it's getting eyeballs at such a festival that is important."

Not many Indian films have made it to the official selection in Berlin the last decade except for Farah Khan's blockbuster Om Shanti Om was - it was part of the Berlinale Special. My Name is Khan will play in the 'Out of Competition' section. Johar said that Fox (which is distributing the film), is comfortable with the 'Out of Competition' slot, as it fits into their international release dates.

My Name is Khan raises the bar for a Karan Johar film, with a love story layered with two key non-romantic issues: Shah Rukh Khan plays Rizvan Khan, a Muslim living in the US post-9/11, and he suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.

"Regardless of the issues, I hope the film will find wide acceptance on the humanitarian aspect," Johar says. "Rizvan Khan makes very large points in the garb of simplicity and innocence. Only emotions connect, and they are universal, and I hope Rizvan Khan touches hearts everywhere. I try to raise the bar for Indian cinema with every film I make. I am young, I've got the infrastructure. Weekend box office numbers are no longer enough, I want to be acknowledged. My first concern will always be my domestic base. But within the parameters, we should try to reach a global audience by using our content, keeping the storytelling plausible, and syntax sensible."

As Hollywood major Fox Searchlight is distributing the film in the US, and Fox Star Studios in India, Johar had told the press, "This is the first time such a deal has been inked, where the film will release beyond the mainstream diaspora, and that is exciting."

As for Berlin, he adds, "I can't wait to be in Berlin, walk the red carpet, watch the film with the audience and interact with it afterwards!"

The Berlin film festival has already selected two more Indian films, Umesh Kulkarni's Vihir (The Well), produced by Amitabh Bachchan's AB Corp, and Laxmikant Shetgaonkar's Paltadacho Munis (Man Beyond the Bridge). Their selection is not yet closed.

Rahul, Katrina top in cyberworld in 2009: Google survey

2009-12-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

The young ruled in the Indian cyberspace in 2009, with Rahul Gandhi emerging as the most popular politician and Bollywood star Katrina Kaif the most popular celebrity, according to a Google India survey.

The new survey--The Google 'Zeitgiest'(Spirit of the times) 2009--based on Google India search queries in a reflection of what Indians were searching throughout the year, found that tennis star Sania Mirza held the top position in popular sportspersons category for the third year in a row.

The Saif Ali Khan-Deepika Padukone starrer 'Love Aaj Kaal' was the most searched movie, the survey, which was released today, said.

The results, based on a study of aggregation of billions of queries people typed into Google search in 2009, showed that global economic downturn and local implications were clearly on India's mind as 'Budget 2009' and 'Satyam share price' emerged as the fastest rising queries.

Young politicians like Congress leaders Rahul and Sachin Pilot made their mark among the netizens. Rahul was the most searched politician in India, his grandmother and late prime minister Indira Gandhi was at the second position.

At the third spot was Pilot, followed by Sarah Palin, P Chidambaram, Mayawati, Barack Obama, Sonia Gandhi, Rajesh Pilot and Maneka Gandhi. Interestingly, Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate for the 2008 elections in America, was searched more than Obama, the US president.

Review: Magnificent Anime Wonder

2009-12-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

Film: Avatar (U/A)
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez
Director: James Cameron

It took him 12 years (after Titanic)and many dreams to create this technological marvel and the long wait, I must say,was definitely worth it! Cameron kept himself occupied in the intervening years with underwater explorations, lending his name to several other movie productions, while nurturing this baby to completion. His coming back to the helm, as director with Avatar, is definitely a moment worth rejoicing. The story is basically a reverse of the aliens invading earth plot

Avatar, set in year 2154 has earthlings as the aliens invading a lush, beautiful and serene Pandora, a planet several light years away from Earth, hoping to mine it for its rich deposits of unobtanium - a much sought after energy source mineral that sells at several thousand dollars per kilo, on Earth. A paralysed Marine veteran confined to a wheelchair, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who was not supposed to be part of the Avatar project, is roped inwhen his scientist twin brother is killed. To add teeth to the story, there's a scientist Dr Grace (Sigourney Weaver) researching the planet and its species and the usual warriors led by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who are looking for all-out massacre while Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribbisi) retains the guiding influence. Matters are further complicated by the developing relationship between a fierce Na'vi beauty Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and the virtualised Jake Sully.

The movie kicks off with glimpses of intergalactic spaceships, weightless crew members and avatars floating in liquid-filled cylinders. The story has shades of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, dollops of philosophy, spiritualism and psycho-babble thrown in for added measure, but these elements never really get the full-on treatment. They are just relegated to the backburner, while the narrative gets fuelled into a brilliant fire by some astounding visuals of breathtaking majesty.

As a viewer, you are bound to be completely entranced by the technique that the story itself is almost rendered redundant. The detailing is exquisitely layered while the background story development is wonderfully crisp and believable. The Na'vi speak, the creatures inhabiting the planet, the flora and fauna, the history of the race, are all remarkably entrenched within the narrative. Not for a minute do you doubt the veracity of such a unique world. Even James Horner's background score and Leona Lewis' 'I See You' lends romance to the visual grandeur.

The technological transitions are seamlessly incorporated - live-action, CGI backdrops, animation, performance capture and post-production effects conjure up imagery that makes every frame look even more beautiful and exciting than the previous one. The 3D imagery has incredible depth and finesse and the action especially when seen on Imax 3D renders close-in experiences like never before. This is by far the most expensive, technically ambitious and superbly realized film ever made. James Cameron's creation simply boggles the mind with its amazing virtuosity and unalloyed beauty. He must be congratulated for having pulled it off so splendidly!

Rush is one 3-D Avatar Bangalore city had not seen

2009-12-17T07:24:00.001-08:00

Director James Cameron's 1998 film Titanic bagged 11 Oscars; with science-fiction epic Avatar, set for release in city theatres this Friday, will he score even better? That's the question Bangaloreans are asking, as they queue for tickets. Multiplexes and theatres in the city have been flooded with advance booking requests.

Vishal Vikram, manager, Priya Village Roadshow (PVR) said, "About 75% of the tickets have been booked till the weekend. For paid reviews, the tickets are already completely sold out. We are installing a three-dimensional screen only for the gold class; so the cost of tickets in that class will be higher -- Rs700 each for a weekday, and Rs1,000 for the weekend." Other screens at the PVR will be playing the movie on the two-dimensional screen, and you can watch the film there at Rs250 on a weekday and Rs450 on a weekend.

Owner of Urvashi theatre, Amit Gowda, said, "We have already sold 4,500 tickets for Avatar. We've received a tremendous response, and tickets here will cost Rs200-Rs250, and the tickets will come with some freebies too -- popcorn and coke."

Monish Nipani, unit manager, INOX, said, "About 95% of the first-day shows are booked; 80% of the tickets are already booked for the weekend shows. We will have one 3-D screen; cost of the tickets there will range from Rs120-350. We will also be providing a special glasses to our viewers. These will be sterilised and packed. We will be collecting Rs200 as a refundable advance for the use of these glasses, just to ensure their safety."

Amit Gowda, owner of Urvashi theatre, said, "For the first time, we will be getting the 3D screen from the US; we will also be providing what are called 'active shutter glasses' with the LCD crystalline glass, which will prevent bacteria from entering the eye. We are equipped to sterilize the glasses after each use."

Gowda added that at Urvashi, booking for the film opened on Tuesday, and nearly 30% of the tickets have already been sold for the first three days.

"We will be charging Rs100 extra for the 3D glasses," he said.

Don't let Avatar leave you poorer. Watch out that you return the special glasses you are provided for the 3-D effect in good shape. You might end up paying much more than the price of the ticket for a damaged pair of glasses--theatres are planning to impose a
fine of Rs2,500 for any damage. Urvashi theatre is even equipped with a device to identify the extent of damage.

The film will soon play in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu at city theatres. Meanwhile, it has already been nominated for four categories of the Golden Globe awards.

Both stars were camping in the village on Tuesday as part of their clandestine promotional tour when impoverished weavers of the village sought their

2009-12-17T07:23:00.001-08:00

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan says his upcoming film 'My Name is Khan', which pairs him with co-actor Kajol after an on-screen hiatus of eight years, does not have terrorism as its main theme and is mostly a love story.

"This film is first and foremost a love story. In fact this is one of the nicest love stories I have ever participated in – and I have participated in some of the best love stories that have been made here," Khan told reporters on Wednesday night after the first look of the film was released.

Directed by Karan Johar, 'My Name is Khan' tells the story of an autistic man Rizwan Khan (played by Shah Rukh Khan), who is caught in the aftermath of the September 11 militant attacks in the United States.

Khan, co-actor Kajol and Johar are teaming up after more than eight years, in what has been billed as one of the biggest releases to come out of Bollywood in a while.

The film is widely anticipated by fans of Khan and Kajol, whose great on-screen chemistry have helped deliver several hits in the past.

Fox Star Studios has signed a deal to finance and distribute the film, which unconfirmed media reports have pegged at 21 million USD.

However, both Johar and Fox have refused to confirm the figure, which, if true would be the highest ever for a Bollywood film.

"This film will be a step towards Indian cinema reaching worldwide," Khan said. India, home to the world's most prolific movie industry, has long tried to draw wider audiences, including by forging ventures with Hollywood studios looking to offset sluggish box-office sales with new markets and cheaper production costs.

My Name is Khan releases worldwide on February 12, 2010.

Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor weave some magic

2009-12-17T07:20:00.000-08:00

It was a call that Sabyasachi was definitely not expecting this Tuesday. On the other hand, both Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor were trying desparately to get across to the rest of the world from the remote village of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh.

Both stars were camping in the village on Tuesday as part of their clandestine promotional tour when impoverished weavers of the village sought their help to help save their endangered traditional art. The weavers of this non descript village are synonymous with the famous Chanderi saree that is a dying art thanks to faulty marketing plans, numerous middle-men and no government support. Aamir in fact was the guest of a weaver couple Kamlesh Koli and Hukum Koli.

"Aamir discussed the matter with Kareena and they both agreed that it would be a good idea to get a known designer who speacialises in ethnic wear to lend synergy to market Chanderi sarees. It was Kareena who suggested Sabyasachi's name," says a source.
So after struggling with bad network, Aamir managed to speak to Sabyasachi. "On Aamir's insistence, Sabya will design these sarees and market them internationally.

Kareena, on her part, has promised to wear the hand woven saree at public events," the source added. It is understood that Sabyasachi is already planning his trip to the village with his close associates to get a first-hand idea of the handloom cloth and figure out how it can be used for creating designer ensembles.

Apparently Aamir and Kareena also tried their hand at weaving sarees. They managed to weave a little piece which will now be auctioned for charity to benefit the weavers there. Aamir is also reportedly going to start a trust for the local weaver community with a personal donation. When messaged, Kareena SMSed back, confirming the development.

Ileana back to Kollywood

2009-12-17T07:18:00.000-08:00

Ileana, one of the leading heroines in Tollywood, has at last signed her second Tamil film. She will play the heroine to Vikram in the movie 24. Ileana's first Tamil movie Kedi was a flop. Since then she refused to sign any Tamil films. Is spite of refusal, she was having numerous offers from Tamil to pair with prominent actors like Rajinikanth, Vijay, Ajith, Suriya and Dhanush.

In an interview director says, “ We have signed Ileana for 24. It will be her re-launch in Tamil. She has given us dates from February for the second schedule of the film.” According to Vikram she is one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen, and her pairing with him is will be one of the highlights of the film.

Producer refused to reveal Ileana’s salary in the film, though she is rumoured to be getting around Rs 1.50 crore in Telugu. Tamil industry sources confirmed that Ileana has been paid a little more than a crore to do 24, making her one of the highest paid actors in the industry.

Taylor Swift eyes Hollywood career

2009-12-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

Taylor Swift hopes to land bigger roles in Hollywood after her cameo in new movie Valentine's Day.

The singer shares the screen with real life 'boyfriend' Taylor Lautner in the film.

"It's a small role, but it's something I'm really excited about. I'd love to explore the possibility of maybe going down that path (acting)," Contactmusic quoted her as saying.

Avatar premier: stars gather at Hollywood Boulevard

2009-12-17T07:16:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of fans gathered at the Hollywood Boulevard Wednesday to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars at the opening of the most-awaited sci-fi project, Avatar.

Avatar, which is set to hit cinemas Friday, is a 3-D motion picture strongly acclaimed by its critics.

Hollywood stars gathered at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, in the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Directed by James Cameron
, of Titanic fame, the movie had an enormous budget of $310 million!

Cameron considers himself an innovative storyteller
Cameron, who has been called a visionary, was accompanied by his wife Suzy Amis. He talked to the reporters for half an hour after which the film was scheduled to screen.

The director believed the success of the film will be due to the emerging technologies and the storyline, which he considers to be innovative.

“I'm a techno geek and I love the innovative processes, but I never put that before telling a story,” said the 55-year-old.

“I spent a lot of time in the writing; I spent a lot of time thinking about the characters. I love working with the actors finding the characters. I love the casting process, finding the actors that will bring those characters to life,” he added.

The cast
The 3-D film is expected to take cinema to newer levels. The whole cast came to support it.

Sam Worthington came with girlfriend Natalie Mark, while Sigourney Weaver, who plays Dr. Grace Augustine, came with Giovanni Ribisi.

Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, Bill Paxton and Tom Arnold, also came to support the movie. Esteemed Fox co-Chairmen Jim Giannopoulos and Tom Rothman were also seen.

The story
The story of the multi-million project is centered around Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who is wounded in combat on Earth. He is selected to participate in the Avatar program, which could enable him to walk again.

Jake travels to Pandora, an extraterrestrial planet filled with incredible life forms. Pandora is also where the Navis (a race stronger than humans) live.

When the humans attack them, the Navis’--who are otherwise peaceful--harmony is disturbed.

Jake, however, falls in love with a young Navi girl, Neytiri, and thus gets caught in the battle to save his planet.

The term Avatar is a Sanskrit word which means “descent” or “form of oneself”.

'American Idol' creator to launch 'If I Can Dream'

2009-12-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

"American Idol" creator Simon Fuller has a new project: a Web-based series that also will explore the desire of ordinary people to become Hollywood stars.

Fuller's "If I Can Dream," which is being billed as the first of "a new generation of post-reality entertainment," will document the story of five young people who dream of success in Hollywood. The show will allow viewers to interact with the individuals and narrative in real time, and will be seen live 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.ificandream.com.

The series is scheduled to launch multiple platforms including online, radio, TV and mobile handsets early next year.

Taylor Swift was unlucky in love at school

2009-12-14T05:45:00.000-08:00

Taylor Swift has revealed that she was unlucky in love with boys at school.

The Love Story hitmaker, who admits her songs are laced with feelings of rejection from her days at high school in Nashville, Tennessee, said that she used to give her crushes advice on gifts for their girlfriends.

The singer, recently linked to Twilight hunk Taylor Lautner, still remembers her bad luck with boys during her formative years.

"I used to say I had a condition called girl-next-door-itis. I'd always be really good friends with the guy and then he'd ask me what to get his girlfriend for Valentine's Day and I'd hide my feelings and smile and give him great ideas," Contactmusic quoted Swift as saying.

Another mind game in the offing

2009-12-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

Films having psychological manipulation as the concept are not new in Tollywood. Be it Missamma, Nandanavanam or the recent Katha, such films have their niche market.

Yet another film on the subject is going to come before the audience. Titled Koffi Bar, the film stars Sashan and Biyanka Desai. It is simultaneously being made in Tamil and Kannada too. Produced and directed by Geetha Krishna of Kokila and Keechurallu fame, the film was launched in the month of January in this year, but took time to complete.

Then the director-producer said that the film will set a new trend and that it belongs to a separate genre. Reportedly, the film also stars Girish Karnard, Atul Kulkarni and others.

A multi-talented guy, Mr. Krishna is also scoring the music. Vanamali has written the lyrics. So, will Koffi Bar prove a break for Sashank?

Many can expect Geetha Krishna to become more popular with this one in the mainstream category, which so far has been limited.

Africa and Bhutan on Tollywood radar

2009-12-14T05:40:00.000-08:00

Tollywood is heading for an African Safari. Soon, exotic African locales could become a feature of Bengali films and Tollywood blockbusters might ramp up the heat in African movie
markets, a la big brother Bollywood.

Priya Entertainment, one of the leading entertainment companies in Tollywood, has initiated discussions to acquire movie halls at Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, the east African country bordering the Gulf.
It is also working on a proposal of the Ethiopian government to set up an integrated film city near Addis Ababa, a five-hour flight from Mumbai. The overseas plans of Priya Entertainment include a multiplex in Bhutan’s capital Thimphu — the first for the city.

The group operates six entertainment complexes in West Bengal that include Star Theatre and Priya Cinema in Kolkata and Geetanjali in Bolpur. Each complex has a movie theatre, restaurants, banquet and conference halls.

The managing director of Priya Entertainment, Arijit Dutta, feels that Ethiopia and its neighbouring African countries, like Somalia and Kenya, could be ideal locations for outdoor shooting. “These are exotic locations and quite cheap compared to South-East Asia or even Mumbai. Ethiopia could be a distribution hub for Hindi and Bengali films in Africa as well,” he said.

Elaborating on the plans, he said that the Ethiopian government has earmarked 6,000 hectares of land for a film city near Addis Ababa. “They have asked us to set up the film city. We have two meetings scheduled with Ethiopian minister for culture, Mohd Darir. If things materialise, it could be a good location for Bengali films,” he said, pointing out that Bollywood is doing good business in Africa. Tollywood could replicate this, he said.

“We can make double version films in Bengali and Ahmaric (the Ethiopian language) and I believe that it will make good business sense to utilise some African locations also,” he said.

The company is acquiring seven cinemas in Addis Ababa for a start, the Priya MD said. “These are all owned by the government. The scope of business is quite good. The average movie ticket in Addis Ababa is around Rs 70-80 (in Indian currency) and there is a good movie crowd in the capital city,” he said.

Commenting on Bhutan, he said that Priya is joining hands with Kolkata-based Tai Industries for a multiplex in Thimphu. Tai has business interests in Bhutan. A Bhutan consulate official said there are only two single screen cinema halls in Thimphu. If the multiplex comes up, it will be the first in the Bhutanese capital.

This is HOW Amitabh Bachchan became PAA......

2009-12-09T21:41:00.000-08:00

The most Herculean task about the latest release PAA was transforming a 67-year old Amitabh Bachchan into 13-year old child Auro, suffering from a rare disorder called progeria. So come let's take a short run-through over how Amitabh became Auro.

The prosthetic makeup, as we know, has been done by Hollywood's Christien Tinsley (THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, CATWOMAN) and Dominie Till (THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY).

According to the reports Bachchan's make-up cost 10 per cent of the total budget.

Naai Kutty gets A Certificate

2009-12-09T21:30:00.002-08:00

After Renigunta another movie in Kollywood gets an A certificate. Sadhaji directed movie Naai Kutty starring Selvan and Nicole was given the same due to its brutal and bloody climax. The film was released after many difficulties.

Naai Kutty is a tale of a youth brought up in a Chennai slum. Realism and commercial elements are in a right mix. The film has been facing problems right from the initial stage. Selvan has a matured performance
, while Nicole sets the screen on fire. Vijaya Bharthy is the music director.

The producer of the film VA Dorai says, “ Naai Kutty is a brave and bold film which tells the story of a youth brought up in a Chennai slum. It is a realistic film within the commercial parameters

Asin plans return to Kollywood

2009-12-09T21:30:00.001-08:00

After almost two years and two films in Bollywood, Asin is thinking of making a comeback to Tamil cinema. And it is learnt that Vijay has approached her with a project suited for her and that she has given the nod for it. Asin and Vijay had acted together in superhits 'Sivakasi' and 'Pokkiri'.

'Dasavatharam' was her last release in Tamil. Post Hindi 'Ghajini', starring Aamir Khan in the lead, the bubbly actress became one of the most sought after leading ladies in Bollywood and she found it hard to spare time for Tamil films. But, her second film in Hindi, 'London dreams', sank without a trace at the B.o and that would have made her rethink her priorities.

At a recent function in Chennai, at which she was conferred the 'Kalai Mamani' award by the Tamil Nadu State Government, Asin made it clear that she would accept Tamil offers, if the script was good.

Namitha wishes to appear in Half Saree - Skirt!!

2009-12-09T21:29:00.000-08:00

The hot babe of Kollywood, Namitha was the cynosure of all eyes in the audio launch of Nil Gavani Ennai Kathalai that held on Sunday at Four Frames theatre. The speakers at the event were praising and admiring Namitha.

When Lyricist Snehan came to the stadium, he urged Namitha to wear the traditional costume of Tamil girls, half saree and skirt. "Yes... it is our cultural dress and if Namitha wears this dress, it will become the favourite dress of young Tamil girls soon", he added. In her reply, Namitha said, "I'm ready and wish to wear the dress mentioned by Snehan. Definitely I will try to wear the same in any one of my future film...".

She was also replied to the allegations made against her for not attending the music launch of her earlier movies. "People should understand that actors too are human beings. There must be a genuine reason when we are not attending events related to a film which we are also a part. We also have health related issues and unavoidable emergencies at home. So please trust us and accept our apologies if we can’t make it to any of the film functions...”

Hollywood Christmas Parade reveals the small town in L.A.

2009-12-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

On the Sunday night after Thanksgiving, a parade ran down Hollywood Boulevard, as it had many Thanksgiving weekends before that. This year, and in some other years past, it was called the Hollywood Christmas Parade, but growing up here I knew it as the Santa Claus Lane Parade. Gene Autry, the singing cowboy and media mini-magnate, wrote a song about it: "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)."

You can see it, time-shifted on television tonight, and again on Christmas Eve, in an edited program with additional musical performances -- shot pre-parade and at the Grove's Christmas tree lighting -- airing nationally on MyNetwork as “The 2009 Hollywood Christmas Parade/Live Positively Presented by Coca-Cola.” (Coke had six floats in the parade, spaced like commercials.) Soap star Susan Lucci was the grand marshal.

There is a certain magic in turning a street from its usual traffic. It promises something special, a departure from daily business: a holiday, a party. On that Sunday night, floodlights shone from high upon the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel down to where a boulevard-wide red carpet ran the long block west from Highland Avenue, past Grauman's Chinese Theatre to the north and the El Capitan on the south. For $35 you could buy a grandstand seat there; otherwise there were 2 1/2 miles of free curbside along the route, which ran east to Vine Street, south to Sunset Boulevard and back west and north to approximately where it started. The evening was unseasonably warm and pleasant; it was a nice night to be outside with people.

Although the parade did have something of a star-studded golden age, when Hollywood the place and Hollywood the industry were more congruent than they are now, among big-name holiday parades it has for a while been something of an underachiever. Apart from sitting city officials, it relies on second- and third-tier celebrities to fill the slowly driven classic convertibles that alternate with the marching bands, big balloons, equestrian troops and floats. It nearly died in 2007, when the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, its longtime producer, decided it was too much of a money-losing proposition to continue; City Hall stepped in to keep it afloat. But its modesty is part of its charm: It remains fundamentally a local, community event; indeed, its appeal is rooted in the romantic notion of Hollywood as an extraordinary ordinary place just going about its business.

I sat in the bleachers for a while, but it was hard to get into the spirit of things there, with the distracting patter of the hosts coming through the loudspeakers -- "These toys soldiers are often made of wood," co-host Erik Estrada said of a Macy's-style balloon, "but obviously not in this case" -- even while the bands played. And so I left the stands and went back around to the street.

Crowded only in spots, the pavement was easy to navigate, and Hollywood went about its business, wearing a Santa hat and snap-on elf ears. Paradoxically, the decline in the Christmas Parade's fortunes inversely mirrors the area's ongoing makeover into a Times Square-style retail theme park. But the sanitizing aspirations of the burghers have not yet conquered the random bumptiousness of the boulevard, with its smoke shops, tattoo parlors and flashy underwear stores; if you turned your eyes from the street to the sidewalk, there was a parade there too.

A tall man dressed as Jesus, drinking coffee from a takeout cup, posed for pictures with passersby, like the Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson clones who gather with the Elmos and Spidermen in front of the Chinese Theatre. Portable grills served Mexican food; cotton candy vendors worked the crowd. The Scientologists, who have made their Winter Wonderland diorama a holiday fixture, set up loudspeakers and, before the parade, presented singing children and peppered the vicinity with quotations from Chairman Ron's "nonreligious" "The Way to Happiness." (Galaxy Press, which publishes Hubbard's pulp fiction, had a float in the parade as well.) Shaggy-haired buskers played guitars in front of a smoke shop; teenagers passed cigarettes.

As time passed, and I walked farther from the grandstand, the parade grew increasingly diffuse -- I suppose because of the start-and-stop around the grandstand for TV interviews, the space between floats and bands and celebrity-carrying antique cars became greater and greater down the road. Minutes passed when there would be nothing on the street at all -- you might have popped in to have a tattoo between floats. If you had stumbled upon the boulevard then, you might easily have thought that people on one side had gathered expressly to stare at people staring back from the other, as across a river.

In any case, the lack of event didn't seem to bother anyone. A parade is defined not only by the paraders but by the people the paraders pass, and they did not seem particularly restless. It was a nice evening, and they had already decided they had nowhere better to be. Once in a while something would happen -- a big balloon would float by, a high school band would pass, smiling their serious smiles, or a car would crawl by carrying someone you might have heard of, waving at the crowd, maybe getting a reaction, maybe not, and pass back into the night like a dream.

I had walked to Sunset and Vine by the time Santa Claus caught up with me, after a long gap in the parade, riding the last of the Coca-Cola floats -- you could tell it was him coming by the police cars that flanked the float, lights flashing. A woman next to me said as he passed, "That was kind of a weak float for Santa," and she was right. But kids around us cried his name.

Regardless of what came by, or what didn't, the street itself had been transformed -- not even decorated, as in many Christmases past, but changed by a shift of purpose that made it for a few hours a common possession, a people's park.

Hollywood Eyes Record $10 Bln Box Office for 2009

2009-12-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

Film box offices were poised on Wednesday to eclipse 2007's record $9.68 billion in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales with Hollywood eyeing more than $10 billion this year as audiences flocked to theaters during the recession.

Movie studios began the year with January crossing the $1 billion mark for the first time ever, and box offices this month are counting on help from highly anticipated films such as "Avatar," "Sherlock Holmes" and "It's Complicated."

So far, moviegoers had snapped up $9.67 billion worth of tickets at domestic -- U.S. and Canadian -- box offices through Tuesday, said tracking firm Hollywood.com Box Office.

The firm said 2007's record was expected to be surpassed on Wednesday, as Hollywood reaps returns during a recession that, as in past downturns, has seen consumers showing up in theaters for relatively cheap entertainment.

Last year's domestic box office came in at $9.63 billion.

"The global economy is taking a major hit, and when these conglomerates that own movie studios are having a tough time, it's at least one bright spot in the equation," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com Box Office. "People are still, in 2009, going to the movies in big numbers."

For the entire year, Hollywood.com Box Office expects movie ticket spending in the United States and Canada to hit $10.6 billion.

The year has been helped by major releases such as "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," the year's biggest hit with $402 million in domestic ticket sales, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

At No. 2, so far, was "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which made $301 million. Also, vampire romance "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" had the third biggest movie opening of all time for the United States and Canada.

Surprise hits have included Paramount Pictures' "Paranormal Activity" raking in $107 million. Warner Bros. put out two unexpected smashes, "The Hangover" ($277 million) and "The Blind Side" ($131 million and still counting.)

Bollywood's Big B 'deeply humbled' in Dubai

2009-12-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan said on Wednesday he was "deeply humbled" as the Dubai International Film Festival honoured him with a lifetime achievement award.

“It is a wonderful recognition ... and I am deeply humbled by it," said Bachchan, whose 40-year career in the world's largest film industry has won him several accolades.

Bachchan, 67, in Dubai for the spectacle, said he had no plans for the Arabic film industry as yet but was open to fresh ideas and talent.

Despite an alarming debt crisis, Dubai's sixth international film festival rolled out the red carpet on Wednesday with a mix of Bollywood, Hollywood and Arab celebrities. The fest will feature 168 films from 55 countries, with some being shown for the first time.

Bollywood film ‘Black’, in which Bachchan plays a teacher taking care of a challenged student, will also be screened at the festival.

The star, who has acted in more than 180 films, told reporters that the secret of his "undying energy" was chyawanprash, an ancient Ayurvedic herbal preparation - a sticky, brown, edidle paste - used across India to boost health.

Bachchan, who does not like the term Bollywood to describe India's film industry, said the moniker "was phrased by some eager journalist to please his boss ... but now has gone into the Oxford dictionary" and become a part of history.

"We are happy doing what we do in India," he added.

Kamal launched Gouthami's tele - serial!

2009-11-29T22:30:00.000-08:00

Actor Kamal Hassan has launched a new TV serial Abhirami in which Gouthami makes her re entry! Produced by Abhirami Ramanathan under his banner Abhirami Mega Mall, Kutti Padmini plays the role of creative head in this serial. The grand inauguration of the serial was done Monday morning at a function held at the Abhirami Mega Mall. Kamal Hassan switched on the camera while Rama Narayan, president of the powerful producers council gave the first clap.

Present on the occasion were dignitaries Amirtham of Kalaingar TV, Khushboo, Kasturi Raja, Kutty Padmini, Kalpana, VC Guhanathan, TV actor Srinivasan, KRG, Kalaipuli Thanu and Kalaipuli Sekar amongst others. Abirami Ramanathan announced his future projects in small screen and explained why he had made the inaugural function in cinema puja style. "Earlier we had made serials like Devathai, Maayavi Mareechan and a few others but now we have decided to go into serials in a big way since the reach is enormous.”

Gauthami was happy about this re entry and says, "Many people have been asking me when I am not returning to acting and this is my step in that direction. More details of my role will be announced later." Kamal says that small screen is the best medium to promote cinema. The actor urged to implement the copy right plan in small screen too.

Prakash Raj to produce Radha Mohan's next project

2009-11-29T22:28:00.000-08:00

Finally Prakash Raj has come to the rescue of his friend and director Radha Mohan. Yes.. he will produce his next directorial venture titled Payanangal. According to the sources, the film is a Tamil and Telugu bilingual thriller, loosely based on the book Buy Flight into Fear written by Devi Saran, who was the captain of the ill fated Indian Airlines flight IC 814 involved in the 1999 Kandhar hijack.

Nagarjuna will play the role of the pilot while Prakash Raj is going to do the role of Union Home Secreatary. The script has been changed to suit local nativity with the flight taking off from Chennai instead of Kathmandu, and some local flavour added.

Aparna Nair to make her debut in Tamil

2009-11-29T22:26:00.000-08:00

Aparna Nair, famous as a stage performer, is making her debut in Tamil. Sources say that she has almost finished shooting her film titled Ethuvum Nadakkum. One of the main location for the film was in Cochin, Kerala.

Aparna has performed in many stage shows of actors like Mammootty and Mohanlal. The movie
is a love-story and will be seen in screens soon.

106 Chandi Homams for Rajini

2009-11-29T22:25:00.000-08:00

The 60th birthday of Superstar Rajinikanth falls on December 12 and his fans are busy gearing up to celebrate their Thalaivar’s Big Day with huge fanfare and various charity activities, including blood donation, organ donations camps.

But before that there’s another one — Rajini’s star birthday falls on November 23 and Veteran film maker Ramanathan has come up with an out-of-the-box plan to mark the occasion. The director of Bollywood and Kannada movies, who also produced Rajinikanth’s blockbuster Dharmadurai few years ago, has planned to perform a 106 Chandi Homams at the famous Kamakshi Amman Temple at Kanchipuram on November 23.

Sources also say, it is believed that the homam will bring prosperity and good health to Rajini and his family. Vedic scholars from various parts of Tamil Nadu are expected to take part in the ceremony, which one hears will be performed on a grand scale. Fans also plan to perform special poojas and homams and pray to god to bring Rajini in politics!

Sneha to appear in her bikini

2009-11-29T22:24:00.000-08:00

Once again Sneha becomes sensational in ... This time not for any controversial act, but for her hottest ever appearance in the forthcoming Soundarya Rajinikanth produced film Goa. The actress is appearing in a wet bikini suit for the first time in this film and of course
she has been paid hefty for this glam coup.

She wore the suit on the condition of not releasing the stills to the media. But now it seems that she has changed her mind and allowed the producer and director to release the glam pics. The secret behind her change is hiking her pay for her future projects

. Yes...she has given the green signal to all that she is getting ready for skin show in others films too, but if paid high!

Kollywood discovers international film fests

2009-11-29T22:22:00.000-08:00

It is pack up' call of a different kind from Tamil film directors. They are busy packing their bags, as they head towards Goa, Dubai and other venues where international film festivals are being held. Tamil film directors are turning into globetrotters.

"Directors and producers of Tamil films are waking up to the world of international film festivals, numbering 1300 in 80 countries, ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe," says director Ameer. And with good result. "International movie merchants are asking for Tamil film DVDS ," say directors Arun Vaidyanathan and Ameer.

Arun Vaidyanathan, whose film Achchamundu Achchamundu' has been selected for screening at the Indian Panorama of the Indian International Film Festival (IIFF). Director Pandiraj, whose film Pasanga' has also been selected for the Panorama, has entered the same film the Indian Film festival, Los Angeles . He is surfing the Net for information on other festival entry deadlines.

Yogi', featuring director Ameer, as the hero will enjoy a world premiere in the competition round of the Dubai International Film Festival. Ameer's earlier directorial ventures, Raam' and Paruthiveeran' made it to some of the prestigious film fests such as the ones at Cyprus and Berlin, and walked off with a couple of awards. Two other Tamil films, Aval per tamizhaci' and Rettachuzhi' have also made it to the screening round of the Dubai International Film Fest. (from November 15).

The recent trend among young filmmakers to take their films abroad, not merely to satisfy the Tamil diaspora, but also to gain a foothold in the competitive world of international cinema, and earn both revenue and respect for Tamil filmmakers is long overdue, says director Vasanth. "The world of cinema has seen a perfect marriage between commercial and parallel movies, and awareness over world markets and the importance of taking Tamil cinema to a world audience is growing, " says director S m Vasanth, who headed the jury for the international documentary and short films of the forthcoming IIFF.

"Global merchants are looking at the biographies and career graphs of our directors and this upswing is good for our cinema, " says producer K S Sivaraman, who has sent his Naan Kadavul' to the Cairo International Film Festival. Tamil cinema has had pioneers like Mani Ratnam in this field, but it is only now that other film makers are waking up to the outside world, beyond box office collections, says Pandiraj. Mani Ratnam himself is a regular at the festivals of UCLA, California, Berlin, Toronto, Venice, Amsterdam and Washington DC. "There is a huge demand for DVD rights of his films in many of those countries, " say a spokesperson of Madras Talkies, the director's production house.

"The benefits of being part of such events are huge, " says Ameer. "You can earn as much as you do in Indian markets, and the brand value of Tamil cinema has consistently gone up in recent years, " he adds.

While entering a film, directors and producers need to ensure quality sub titling, sleek editing (running time not above 2 hours) and keeping to the deadline. The cost of entering a festival may range between Rs 20, 000 to Rs one lakh, depending upon the work involved. While the top draw festivals do not offer money, others such as the Taipei and Washington film festivals may offer a film maker between $ 500 to $ 1000.

However, making it to such fests is still a part of the learning curve for many directors, says Pandiraj. "Many of us do not know how to package our films for a global audience as yet, " he adds. Ameer agrees. "It takes a lot of effort to send a film to a festival, and it is time policy makers appoint a separate jury at a national level to screen and send Indian films to such venues," he adds.

Ravikumar to direct Kamal's next project?

2009-11-29T22:21:00.000-08:00

K S Ravikumar, popularly called the commercial king of Kollywood, is to direct Kamal Hassan's project again, is the new buzz in Kollywood. The director is currently busy with the release of his Jaggubhai in which Sarathkumar- Shriya Saran play the lead roles.

Ravikumar says, "Jaggubhai has come out well and the trade is very happy with the final cut. It is a clean family entertainer. Originally the story was written for superstar Rajinikanth." Now our sources confirm that the director is holding talks with Kamal Hassan to direct Kamal's next venture after the release of Jaggubhai.

Genelia opposite Dhanush?

2009-11-09T06:20:00.001-08:00

South India's tantalizing damsel Genelia is reported to be the heroine of Kollywood's upcoming remake king Dhanush's new film, a remake of super hit Ready (Telugu). Notably, Genelia was the heroine in the original version, directed by Srinu Vytla. This is the first time Genelia will share screen space with Dhanush.

Directed by Dhanush’s favourite director Mithran Jawahar, the Tamil version of Ready will be produced by Appa Rao and Ramesh. Director Mithran Jawahar will make some basic nativity changes and retain Sri Devi Prasad’s original music track. The film will start rolling soon.

Ready is the story of a final year engineering student. One of his friends falls in love with a girl, whose father arranges her marriage with some other person. So his friends kidnap the bride out of the marriage hall to arrange their marriage. However, Chandu's gang mistakenly rushes into another marriage hall and kidnaps Pooja. Later, Chandu falls in love with Pooja. What happens next makes up the rest of the film.

'Ninja Assassin' misses the target

2009-11-09T06:18:00.000-08:00

Humorless, preposterous, and soaked in blood, "Ninja Assassin" turns out to be thinly-plotted schlock from a team of pedigree filmmakers who should have known better.

"The day Rain did his first scene in 'Speed Racer,' the Wachowski brothers called me and said 'This guy is unbelievable. He's a natural, our dream come true.' We began to plan 'Ninja Assassin' immediately afterward," producer Joel Silver said in an earlier interview.

Unfortunately for "world star" Rain, what was to be his breakout film falls way short of what "Enter the Dragon" was for Bruce Lee. No doubt, that was what the Wachowski Brothers were aiming to do by gambling on someone who was a relative unknown in the Western world.

Rain plays Raizo, one of the world's deadliest assassins trained by the Ozunu Clan -- an underground band of killers that has remained hidden for generations by posing as a mythical organization.

Robbed of his childhood, Raizo is transformed into a merciless Katana-wielding killing machine. Breaking free from their mountain lair, he plans to exact revenge on the clan for killing his first love.

In his quest for revenge, he gets help from a Europol agent Mika Coretti -- played by Naomi Harris -- who stumbles upon a money trail connecting a slew of high profile political assassinations around the world committed by the Ozunu.

As she begins to uncover the truth behind the murders, she too, becomes their target and is saved by Raizo when assassins emerge to kill her in Berlin.

By now, plots like these have become the silver screen version of painting-by-numbers in the same manner as Tom Clancy inspired techno-thriller novels.

But the plot does have all of the makings of a straightforward pulp action thriller, as its opening set-piece suggests it would be. In it Raizo ambushes a gang of Yakuza members, with heads and limbs severed and buckets of blood everywhere.

The level of over-the-top ultra-violence established through this opener is unfortunately juxtaposed with a serious tone devoid of much irony.

The film is not a nod to pulpy B-grade kung-fu genre of the 70s, nor is it a polished action flick geared towards a mainstream audience. Instead it's stuck in the middle ground, in an area unlikely to appeal to fans of either genre.

When production on the film was announced, anticipation was high, as it was written and being produced by the makers of The Matrix trilogy, with directing duties falling on James McTiegue, the veteran director who scored both a critical hit and modest box office success with 2005's V for Vendetta.

But it seems somewhere down the line the creative vision of the producers and the director clashed, without either camp realizing.

Perhaps they realized during post-production they had a potential turkey on their hands -- the film's marketing has focused on Rain and the physical transformation he underwent during six months of grueling training with the stunt and fight team that trained the actors in the film, "300."

And the result is there on the screen. The 28-year-old actor is shown sans shirt as if he's allergic to fabric except for a leather jacket.

He's ripped. His female fans will love him -- as long as they don't get too squeamish from seeing all the blood.

He does a decent job with the few lines he has throughout the 98-minute running time.

The verdict is still out on whether this will be his breakthrough role and it will be interesting to see if his star power alone will be able to generate enough revenue in Asia to warrant future high-profile roles.

Rain's ninja role draws inspiration from Lee, Chan

2009-11-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

South Korean pop star Rain says he drew inspiration from fellow Asian stars who successfully crossed over to Hollywood when he prepared for his first leading role in an American film.

"I watched a lot of action films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan to create a different, unique character in the movie," the 27-year-old actor-singer said Monday at a press conference in his home country to promote "Ninja Assassin."

Jeong Ji-hoon, who goes by his stage name Rain, was first recognized in the region for his singing and slick dance moves. He first gained exposure in the West when Stephen Colbert parodied one of his music videos on his show, "The Colbert Report," in May 2007, which led to a second spoof — a "dance-off" with the U.S. comedian. He made his Hollywood debut alongside Emile Hirsch in Andy and Larry Wachowski's 2008 thriller "Speed Racer."

In "Ninja Assassin," Rain plays an orphan adopted and trained into a deadly assassin by the secret society Ozunu Clan, only to turn against it when he finds out that the group's leader executed his friend.

"Speed Racer" posted mediocre box office numbers and all eyes are on whether Rain can carry "Ninja Assassin," which will hit theaters on Nov. 25.

The South Korean star said for now, he's just glad if he can pave the way for more Asian faces in Hollywood.

"I hope the movie reaches the No. 1 at the box office, but regardless of the numbers, it will open doors for more opportunities in Hollywood not only for myself but for other Asian actors," he said.

"Ninja Assassin" director James McTeigue said in a press statement the Wachowski Brothers, best known for "The Matrix" trilogy, eagerly recommended Rain to him.

"The day that Rain did his first scene in 'Speed Racer,' the Wachowski brothers called me and said, 'This guy is unbelievable.' And we began to plan 'Ninja Assassin' immediately," McTeigue said. The Wachowski brothers produced "Ninja Assassin."

Rain was equally grateful to the Wachowskis, saying Monday meeting them was "one of the life-changing experiences in my life."

Documentary Puts Old Hollywood Pros in Spotlight

2009-11-09T06:15:00.000-08:00

Documentaries have been made about such below-the-line Hollywood talent as stunt performers and cinematographers so it's only fitting that one finally got made about production designers.

Daniel Raim's "Something's Gonna Live" is absolutely infused with profound admiration and respect for the people who can make real or imagined worlds come alive. Although the focus is on Hollywood, "Something's Gonna Live" is a natural for festivals everywhere and should be a useful, if not essential, teaching tool in any cinema course.

Rain did make an Oscar-nominated short doc, "The Man on Lincoln Nose," about his professor at the American Film Institute, Robert Boyle, who worked with Hitchcock as a designer on "The Birds" and "North by Northwest" among hundreds of credits. In fact, Boyle still teaches at the AFI -- at age 100!

When Raim located footage of an interview he conducted with famed cinematographer Conrad Hall not long before his passing, footage he believed lost, he decided to embark on a feature about the men -- and indeed they are all men -- who played such a vital role in the Golden Age of the studio system. Good thing he did for only two of the men he focuses on are still with us -- Boyle and cinematographer Haskell Wexler.

Raim's approach is to stage reunions of these "old farts," as they like to call themselves, so they can reminisce. Boyle re-visits Paramount Studios with his pals Henry Bumstead ("To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Sting") and Albert Nozaki ("The War of the Worlds," "The Commandments"). Or Boyle and Harold Michelson ("Star Trek: The Motion Picture," "Catch-22") journey to Bodega Bay north of San Francisco where they worked on "The Birds" together.

Hall attends a film revival with Boyle, then in a later exchange reflects on the demise of the storytelling art in current movies. He says he hopes for a "renaissance" in cinema, although one he doesn't expect to live long enough to see.

Burglary Gang Found Doors Unlocked at Celeb Homes

2009-11-09T06:10:00.000-08:00

While some Hollywood stars are vigilant about guarding their private lives, others are apparently leaving doors wide open.

Suspects in the teen burglary gang – who allegedly made off with more than $3 million in jewelry, clothes and other luxury goods from the homes of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Megan Fox and at least five other celebrities – gained entry to the homes mainly by finding doors unlocked, according to a search warrant released in the case.

The stars' security was lax in other ways: At Lohan's residence, the suspects broke in by prying open a window using a screwdriver, the documents say. The gang allegedly used basic internet research to figure out where celebrities lived, when they weren't in town, and then watched the homes for the opportune moment to break in.

Recovered Loot
The search warrant shows that suspect Nicholas Prugo, 18, confessed to pulling off the crimes and implicated a list of other suspects including Rachel Lee, 19, whom he said was the "driving force" behind the crime spree. Lee wanted to "own the designer wardrobes of the Hollywood celebrities she admired," the document states.

The search warrant also says that Prugo and Lee broke into Paris Hilton and Rachel Bilson's homes several times.

The burglary victims include Orlando Bloom, Audrina Patridge, Brian Austin Green, and Ashley Tisdale. Some $2 million in stolen goods has since been recovered, but police said much more has yet to be found.

Other suspects are Diana Tamayo, 19, Alexis Neiers, 18, Courtney Ames, 18, Roy Lopez, 27, and Jonathan Ajar, 27. An attorney for Lee hasn't returned calls for comment. Sean Erenstoft, an attorney for Prugo, stated his client's role in the crimes was limited, while lawyer Jeffery Rubenstein said he believes his client, Neiers, will be cleared of all charges.

Katrina Kaif shares chemistry with co-star in much-awaited flick

2009-10-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif hails the energy levels of her co-star Ranbir Kapoor on the sets of their much-awaited film Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani (APKGH).

After delivering some serious films, director Rajkumar Santoshi is all set to provide the audience with a breather with his upcoming romantic comedy APKGH.

With a title that is too long, and quite unlike a typical Bollywood name, the forthcoming movie has already made its presence felt.

And the other thing making news is the on-screen chemistry seen in promos and off-screen chemistry seen in media briefings between actor Kaif and Kapoor. The actors have been paired for the first time for this romantic comedy.

Kaif, while talking to reporters at a promotional event here on Friday said that they gelled well with each other because of their similar working style of keeping the energy flowing on the film set.

Kaif recalled the entertainment on the sets of the film and said that when the filmmaker is passionate, then the energy level on the sets is much better.

"When we were shooting this film, we had the cameraman, assistants and the lighting guys, all playing baseball between shots. I think I was wearing some heavy dress but still I managed to play. It's just the matter of wanting to be on the film set. If you are working with someone who wants to be there and passionate about making films because that's what they love doing, then the energy is so much better."

The film is a romantic tale of two youngsters, Prem and Jennifer, played by Kapoor and Kaif.

Shot in Ooty, Goa, Mumbai and Turkey, Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani is slated to release on November 6.

It's payback time for Aishwarya Rai

2009-10-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's business manager of 12 years - Hari Singh - is making a movie revolving around the story of a war widow and After Hrs has learnt that Ash is helping him out by doing a special cameo in the movie without charging a single penny. It's Ash's way of giving back to Hari Singh who has been by her side as she grew from a beauty queen to one of the most recognised Bollywood stars in the world.

The yet untitled movie is set to be directed by Jagmohan Mundhra who earlier directed Ash in Provoked. In Hari Singh's film, Ash is supposed to play the character of a lawyer who makes an appearance at the end of the movie - a courtroom climax - to make a case for the war widow.

Says Jagmohan, "Hari Singh approached me to direct a film that tells the emotional and heartrending tale of a war widow, and I have agreed to do it. Ash has a special appearance in the film and it will certainly be the USP of the movie. It can't be called a cameo as it is an extremely crucial character that gets all the attention in the courtroom drama. We are expected to shoot next year as soon as the rest of the cast is finalised. I'm thrilled to team up with Ash again." Hari's daughter Bhumicka Singh is expected to play the lead in the movie.
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I would love to do Rock On 2: Farhan Akhtar

2009-10-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

He rocked through the hearts of the youth with his memorable act in Rock On!! and Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar hopes that he will get a chance to reprise his role in future.

"I would love to do another Rock On!! if given a chance," Farhan told PTI.

Farhan, who made his directorial debut with Dil Chahta Hai in 2001 has come up a long way in Bollywood and has tried out his hands at everything coming his way being a script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer, and a television host.

"Rock matches my identity, and I have over 18, 000 songs on my iPod. I listen to classics like Pearl Jam and Guns N' Roses for inspiration.

"My mind is open to everything and I do everything with equal amount of passion. I have tried acting and singing, maybe after one or two years you will see another asset of mine," Farhan said on the sidelines of his rock performance as the brand ambassador for Maruti A-Star on its first anniversary.

However, Farhan who followed up Dil Chahta Hai with Lakshya and Don is perturbed by reports that he is not interested in making films any more as his last movie Positive, a short film on AIDS starring Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani came way back in 2007.

"I feel bad about such reports; I was ready to direct Don 2 this year but Shah Rukh had to undergo a surgery so we had to postpone it. I am also also working on a movie called Sid but it is in a very initial stage and we are still putting it together," says the 35-year-old director.

The son of scriptwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, Farhan will next be seen in Karthik Calling Karthik opposite Deepika Padukone.

"It was an extremely enjoyable experience working with Deepika. My character in the movie plays with the Rubik's cube and now I am mastering it to solve it in minimum time," says Farhan who also learnt how to ride a bike for the film.

"As a kid, I was told by my mom that she will disown me if I ride a bike. So I was always into cars and I once covered my whole room with cuttings of sports cars," he adds.

Farhan, who also starred in his sister Zoya Akhtar's directorial debut Luck By Chance this year dismissed reports that she is making a film Gulel this year starring Hrithik Roshan and Abhay Deol alongside him.

"I have heard this name very often now but I have no idea what this is about. As far as I know there is no movie like this," he says.

Farhan is awaiting the release of his first movie as an actor The Fakir of Venice (2007) directed by Anand Surapur's which has not hit the silver screen yet.

"It is the first thing I worked in as an actor, but I am not the producer of the film. I hope it releases soon," he says.

Farhan feels there is no need to draw a line between realistic and commercial cinema.

"Look at Taare Zameen Par and Rang De Basanti; they are intelligent movies and yet they entertained the audience. You should not mix comedy and entertainment," he says.

India not nominating right movies for Oscar: Resul Pookutty

2009-10-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Oscar winning sound technician Resul Pookutty says the film federation of India is not nominating right movies for the Oscar.

"Why are we not figuring ourselves in the foreign film category is a good question that we should ask filmmakers of the country. Why are we falling behind. We should ask the film federation why we are not sending the right films", Pookutty told PTI.

Stating that there was a misconception about the Oscars, he said Oscar is not for Indian movies. "Oscar is for American movies that had been shown in American theatres. ''The only way Indian films can appear is in the foreign category.We are competing with so many other countries that are making fabulous movies for many years.''

Pookutty, who also will be a part of the elite 6,000 member organisation (Academy of Motion Pictures) that chooses the winners of Oscars, said media plays an important role in making people aware of movie making.

"Media is giving so much attention. In a way it (media) makes people aware of my trade", he said. Pookutty, also a member of jury in the recently concluded India International Disablity Film Festival, organised by Ability Foundation, said films on differently-abled people should make a positive change in society.

"My capacity this year is a part of the Foundation as a jury member.Whatever the foundation asks me to do in future I will continue to do in my own capacity as a person and also a technician". From making his debut in a small budget film 'Private Detective' in 1997, Pookutty has come a long way.Pookutty had won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing for the film 'Slumdog Millionaire.'

Resul Pookutty will join compatriot, music maestro AR Rahman, as a voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and hopes that the new role might attract Hollywood's attention.

This is It features stand-ins, not MJ, claims family

2009-10-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson's family claims that the late singer's film This is It features stand-ins, not the real star.

The documentary's promo posters boast MJ "like you've never seen him before".

However, the late King of Pop's father Joe and sister La Toya accuse Sony Pictures of "fooling" fans by using his impersonators.

Joe, who has seen 12 minutes of This is It, said, "This movie features body doubles, no doubt about it. I think people will tear this movie apart."

And La Toya's business partner Jeffre Phillips told News of The World, "I see all these great movements in the trailers but I don't believe most of those shots were Michael. He wasn't well enough. I've seen clips where I even thought, 'That's not Michael's voice.'" It's very upsetting for La Toya."

US concert promoter Terry Harvey said, "From what I can see, Michael wasn't even singing live in a full segment. He was struggling. I was told he had his vocals sequenced on stage so if he didn't want to sing live, they just switched on the tape."

Essex Jacko impersonator Navi Parasram, 36, turned down an invite to appear in the film.

He said: "They asked me to do long shots, visuals, placements."

Kalabhavan Mani in 'Yanthram'

2009-09-22T05:55:00.001-07:00

The versatile and talented Kalabhavan Mani is a popular Malayalam actor who has impressed many in other languages as well. He is known for his talented performance and his mimicry. Many in Tollywood still remember him for his role in 'Gemini' which starred Venkatesh in the lead.

According to reports, he has been roped in for 'Yanthram'. This flick being directed by Shankar is the talk of the town since it stars superstar Rajnikanth in the lead. It also stars Aishwarya Rai as the female lead.

The shooting has been going on at fast pace with a huge budget but then it is not sure as to what is the role that Kalabhavan would be seen in.

Title singer changes for Rajini

2009-09-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

Superstar Rajinikanth has one of most enviable fan following in the industry. His punch dialogues and style of acting has wooed many people across the globe.

One of the highlights of his movies are the title songs which have been targeted at the masses. These songs have usually been sung by popular playback singer SP Balasubramanyam.

However there seems to be a change in the latest Rajni flick 'Yanthram'. Sources indicate that it will be the talented and fusion based singer Hariharan who will render his voice to the title song composed by A R Rahman.

Well let us see the impact of Hariharan’s voice for Rajini this time.

Jayanth shoots Deepika for the special song

2009-09-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

It is known news that the long legged beauty Deepika Padukone has been roped in for a special song for the new movie ‘Love Forever’. This is directed by Jayanth C Paranje and the choreography was done by Ahmed Khan.

Deepika said that she got many offers from south but since she is busy in Hindi she is unable to commit. She also added that Jayanth is her good friend and was impressed when she heard the story from him.

So she wanted to be a part of it by doing this special song. Jayanth from his end was happy that Deepika accepted his proposal immediately.

The film has Randeep and Mrudula in lead, dialogues – Rajasimha, music – Ram Sampath, photography- Vincent, editing – Marthand K Venkatesh.

Aishwarya Rai grabs the 9th place

2009-09-22T05:50:00.002-07:00

It’s been more than a decade that she won the crown. But this former Miss World is still literally reigning the world!

The popular International Harpers and Queen magazine had listed 100 beautiful women and among them was our Aishwarya Rai Bachchan! Not only that! She has taken the ninth rank in the list, reports say.

Meanwhile, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie is said to be topping the list, followed by Supermodel Christy Turlington. Among other beauties, Queen Rania of Jordan has also found her place in the chart.

Gandhiji’s great grandson visits audio release

2009-09-22T05:50:00.001-07:00

Gandhiji’s great grandson, Tushar Gandhi graced the occasion of “Mahatma” audio release recently. Many from the film industry including Mohan Babu, Venkatesh, Nagarjuna and others were present on the occasion.

This took place at Novotel. Most of them even spoke during the audio launch. When Mohan Babu took the mike, he asked everyone to stand up and pay homage to the deceased leader YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Everyone including Tushar Gandhi did the same for a minute.

He later wished the best for Srikanth and Krishna Vamsi who were also present at the venue and thanked Tushar for his presence.

'Love 4 Ever' in the making

2009-09-22T05:49:00.001-07:00

As the title suggests 'Love 4 Ever' is a complete romantic entertainer. Two new faces Randeep and Mrudula are making their debut in this movie.

According to sources, the shooting of the movie is going at the moment. It is being directed by Jayant C Paranji. He is also producing the movie and the highlight of the film is that it has a special song by the long legged Bollywood beauty Deepika Padukone.

Meanwhile news is that the movie is being shot on the backdrop of a grape garden. Ram Sampath is composing the music for this love story and soon the audio release is expected to take place.

Nayantara goes Mumbai for Prabu Deva

2009-09-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

Prabhu Deva’s ‘Wanted’ is grabbing grave reviews and much appreciation. This Salman Khan-Ayesha Takia starrer movie is Prabhu Deva’s first Hindi venture as a director. And so his lady love, Nayantara, seemed to have gone a flight ahead to support her man.

Sources had it that the actress had flown to Mumbai on Friday morning, to see Wanted’s first-day-first-show. Before that, Nayantara was said to be shooting in Kolkota for Telugu movie ‘Adurs’ with NTR.

Once in Mumbai, Nayantara straight away from airport, headed to watch the movie. It is said that Nayantara didn’t see the movie in any preview theatres; instead saw it in one of the local multiplex to get the feel of public’s reaction directly. ‘Wanted’ really impressed our lady and she specially liked its punch dialogues and Prakash Raj in villain’s role. Well-versed in Hindi, Nayantara is heard to be an ardent fan of Salman Khan.

Birdies say that Nayantara had believed that the movie will be a superhit and so had congratulated Prabhu Deva. She even said to the producer Boney Kapoor that ‘Wanted’ will surpass the success of ‘Pokkiri’, its Tamil version.

However, Nayantara declined Prabu Deva’s invite for Boney Kapoor’s Eid party and rushed to airport in the evening. It seems she had to be in Hyderabad for a shooting on Saturday morning. Psst, birdies revealed that Prabhu Deva had accompanied her to the airport to see her off.

‘Wanted’ is reported to be going well in the markets and expected to be as hit as ‘Ghajni’ in Hindi. And one wonders whether this lady luck has favoured for its success… Hmm, can’t say.

Meena celebrates her first birthday!!!

2009-09-17T02:56:00.000-07:00

Don’t be surprised by the headline but then the sparkling beauty Meena celebrated her first birthday after marriage yesterday.

While this was more of a private affair as per sources, it is heard that wishes were flowing to the pretty starlet from both the Tollywood and Kollywood film circuits. Friends and well wishers were also said to be sending their wishes to the birthday girl.

Meena from her end was said to be busy with her husband and family. Soon, the birthday girl would be making her comeback into movies and this would be in the Tamil circuit.

T4 a Tamil film by woman debutant director

2009-09-17T02:55:00.000-07:00

Quite different from the action and thriller genre common to Kollywood comes a Tamil film by a woman debutant director which tells the story of two conflicting fun-loving characters, who discover each other while ‘unravelling a mystery.’

“Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru (T4) is a small and cute comedy film that will appeal to all sections,” said J S Nandhini, who earlier assisted Priya V. in Kanda Naal Mudhal. Besides direction, Nandhini has also done the story, screenplay and dialogue. It was always her dream to become a film director and it came true when her script and a few trailers she shot were approved by the producers; Real Image and Sathyam cinemas.

“I struggled for this opportunity. It came as a great relief and it was a long awaited chance,’ she told media. Upcoming actor Ajmal and new face Rupa are playing the main roles. She wanted fresh faces since the story is about two perky youngsters, the comic situations they get into and how their relationship develops as they travel together to unravel ‘a mystery’.

Nandhini had doubts about Ajmal as he had already acted in a mature role as a ‘30-something with moustache’ in Anjaathey. She wanted a youngster to play the role of Arjun, ‘a playful, wacky guy.’ “But when I saw him, I realised he was the right person to fit into the role of Arjun,” she said. “Rupa, on the other hand, is a newcomer. I selected her after conducting 25-30 auditions. One good thing about her was that she was able to mimic my expressions. Both Ajmal and Rupa blended into the roles of Arjun and Archana,” Nandhini said. Asked if it is tough being a ‘woman director’, she laughed. “Listen, people do not have many expectations (if you are one). They expect you to make mistakes. But then, when you come up with good work, they will be impressed.”
On a serious note, Nandhini said she did not have problems once she wore the director’s hat. People co-operated with her. ‘Maybe it could have been different ten years ago. But now people have an open mind...”

Actor and director Mouli is also enacting a role in the movie, shot in digital format. The work on the movie, which was shot in Chennai, Udhagamandalam (Ooty) and Puducherry, started in 2007. “We went on fine tuning the film and it is slated for release on September 25,” she said. The film’s audio launch was done by Kamal Haasan in August.

Ajmal said he enjoyed working in the movie. Till now he was doing serious roles. “This is the first time I am doing a comedy and I really enjoyed each and every minute.’

Vikram excited about his role

2009-09-17T02:54:00.000-07:00

Chiyaan Vikram is one of the superstars of Kollywood. Some of his movies dubbed in Telugu have done well but his last flick “Mallana” did not live up to the expectations.

Meanwhile he is also busy with the shooting of “Raavan” which is being made in Tamil and Hindi. This is being directed by one of the most talented and popular directors Mani Ratnam.

Speaking about the same, he said that he was delighted when Mani asked him to do double roles of entirely different nature. While he is doing the role of a hero in one, the other version will show him as a villain.

Vikram added that working with Mani was a dream come true.

Bollywood moves hit Nanaimo

2009-09-17T02:53:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that dance is becoming very popular these days, both as a social activity and as a form of fitness.

Bollywood is a relative newcomer to the North American dance scene, but with hit movies like Slumdog Millionaire offering audiences a taste of the popular Indian dance, interest in learning this dance style is growing.

Soul Sister Studio will present a Bollywood workshop for women with Victoria's Raji Basi this Saturday. The first workshop scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. filled almost immediately, so a second session has been added from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Both sessions will be the same, and will included both the slower, gentler Bollywood dance style, as well as the more energetic Bhangra style. The workshops will be held at Soul Sister, 210 Fourth St. in Harewood.

Born in the Punjab State of India, Basi taught herself to dance watching Bollywood films. Raji's passion are choreographing and dancing to Punjabi/Hindi songs, which she has performed in many local variety shows and for television programs. She has also taught dance to children and adults in Victoria. Raji was recently in Nanaimo to present a dance workshop at the Multicultural HealthFest and is excited to return to share her love of this dance form with Nanaimo.

Bollywood set to enthral audience with fantasy flick 'Aladin'

2009-09-17T02:52:00.000-07:00

The classic tale of 'Aladin and the Magic Lamp' has undergone a modern-day transformation at the Bollywood studios and is all set to weave its magic around the audiences in the form of a new fantasy flick.

One of the best loved children stories, which first appeared in 'The Book of One Thousand and One Nights' has been adapted by film maker Sujoy Gosh to cater to the audience.

'Aladin' boasts of a commendable star cast, including Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and Sri Lankan beauty queen Jacqueline Fernandez.

'Aladin' is the story of an orphan, Aladin, played by actor Riteish Deshmukh who lives in the city of Khwaish and is bullied since childhood by Kasim and his gang.

How his life takes a turn when he meets Jasmine played by Jacqueline, who gives him a magic lamp and what happens after that, forms the basic plot of the film.

Riteish Deshmukh, who has made a mark in comic roles, sounded quite excited to take a break from comedy and do something different.

"Aladin primarily is fun. It has romance, action and adventure, so it is complete family kind of a film. There will be funny bits, but it's not the kind of stuff that I've done before," Riteish said.

For Jacqueline, who is making her debut with this film, acting in a Hindi film was quite a tough thing to do.

"I would say its possibly one of the most challenging thing I've done in my life. It definitely was difficult to learn any language but I had a great team working with me. I had very cooperative co-stars and very cooperative director. It just made it all the more easier," said Jacqueline.

The film seems a good mix of magic and action and promises to floor the audiences with its new storyline.

The film will release on October 30.

Bollywood 'bad boy' Salman Khan eyes comeback

2009-09-17T02:51:00.000-07:00

After two years lying low following a string of box office flops, Bollywood's enigmatic "bad boy" Salman Khan is set for a comeback, in three new films about to hit the big screen.

The first, "Wanted", is out on Friday. The comedy "Main Aur Mrs Khanna" (Me and Mrs Khanna) and "London Dreams", about two friends who try to become rock stars in London, are set for release in the next two months.

Khan, 43, said he was confident "Wanted" would succeed. The movie sees him play a gangster on the run from police -- including a top cop played by veteran actor Om Puri -- and from fellow gang members who want him dead.

"It's the script of the film," he said. "It has all the ingredients of a Bollywood potboiler. When I read the script, I was 100 percent that it will click."

Khan has been a controversial figure since he first broke into Bollywood in the late 1980s in the family drama "Biwi Ho To Aisi" (A Wife Should Be Like This) and the romance "Maine Pyar Kiya" (I'm In Love).

He cemented himself as one of Bollywood's leading stars with hits such as "Bhaaghi: A Rebel For Love", "Patthar Ke Phool" (Stone Flowers), "Saajan" (Hearthrob) and "Hum Aapke Hain Kaun" (Who Am I To You?) in the 1990s.

But in 1998, he spent more than a week in prison for killing endangered Indian gazelles in the northern state of Rajasthan, and four years later he was alleged to have killed a man in a drink-driving case in Mumbai.

After the runaway success of 2003's "Tere Naam" (In Your Name), the last five years have seen more misses than hits for Khan, yet he has kept his high profile and fans through regular appearances on television game shows.

Khan, with his trademark slicked-back hair, two gold earrings and t-shirts designed to show off his bulging biceps, puts down his appeal to a lack of pretence.

"I don't behave like a star when I'm on television. I look like a common man and also behave like them, therefore the serial is popular," he said.

Asked what went wrong with his career in the last two years, he added: "I feel it was the length of the films that went against me.

"Today, Indian audiences don't have the patience for long films and therefore the films flopped because they were lengthy films."

Khan's three new films have been accompanied by a blizzard of pre-publicity, astounding the Indian media who have become accustomed to their requests for interviews falling on deaf ears or being accepted only reluctantly.

"I have realised that it is important to talk to the media," said Khan.

"I feel if I keep silent, the media starts inventing stories about me, so it is better that I come out and talk on what kind of person I am rather than they telling others what kind of person I am."

But Monday's Hindustan Times newspaper speculated that there may be another reason behind what it called Khan's "over-exposure", suggesting that he might have "a lot more to lose" if "Wanted" flops.

ReprintPrint Email Font Resize Owner says priceless art lost in Hollywood fire

2009-09-17T02:50:00.000-07:00

Fire has engulfed a Hollywood Hills mansion whose owner claims he lost priceless art, a Faberge egg, a 600-gallon fish tank and a Stradivarius violin.

The owner, attorney Brian Witzer, estimates damage to the home and its contents at up to $14 million.

Los Angeles city fire spokesman Erik Scott say he can't immediately confirm the contents of the home.

The four-story house above Sunset Boulevard was wreathed in flames when nearly 100 firefighters arrived Wednesday morning. Scott says the fire was doused in 38 minutes.

Nobody was hurt and nearby homes weren't damaged.

Televised news reports say a Ferrari and other pricey cars were saved.

If Atanu Ghosh's Chhobi becomes Houseful

2009-09-14T03:46:00.000-07:00

The title says it's a film about a film. Houseful? It too concerns reels within reels. Tolly Lights, yes, was also about producers, directors, actors, exhibitors, gossip columnists... About
men and women who live off cinema. Tollywood, in short, is the protagonist of films showing in theatres near you.

Tollygunge, once home to Utttam-Suchitra, may be surviving because of megaserials but the very name evokes celluloid memories. It still inspires the young to fight celluloid battles. The dreams and struggles, emotional crises and financial conflicts, of those inside the industry and those outside, is firing directors like Atanu Ghosh, Bappaditya Bandyopadhyay, Arjun Chakraborty and Rituparno Ghosh. Take a look.

Atanu's protagonist Angshuman returns from studying cinema in Italy to make his first feature. He fights obstacles to make a film with an actor who's lost the will to act, and an actress who's disillusioned with silly stereotypes and jatras that's her bread-earner. But the message at the end of conflicts and crime? There's a tomorrow, for Tollygunge too!

Nikhil, the hero of Houseful so sensitively played by Prosenjit, is a director who wins neither awards nor moolah. "Why not remake Tamil hits?" well wishers suggest the shortcut to Tinseltown success. But when Nikhil sets out to make a love story, somehow the reality of a terror-infested world takes over and his lovers acquire sinister shades.

The autobiographical overtones in these films are not accidental. Though Rituparno himself is screaming from a title, "every character is fictional," he has regularly sourced characters from studios and bylanes of Tollygunge. The Last Lear showcased a director's obsessive desire to have a certain actor play his protagonist. Khela was about a director who kidnaps a child to act in his film against the parents' objection. Bariwali projected a director who plays on the emotions of a forlorn landlady. Mithun in Titli, Debasree in Asukh, Sharmila Tagore in Shubho Muhurat... they're all stakeholders in Tollywood.

Tolly Lights, that launched Arjun Chakraborty as a director, also turned the arclight on the underbelly of showbiz where greed for glory drives mothers away from kids; where the casting couch is a bigger villain than Gabbar; where scripts fail and audiences don't show up.

Please note, Tollywood alone isn't smitten by itself. Short Kut: The Con is On had a struggling actor and a wannabe director. Luck By Chance had two Bollywood aspirants, one makes it, another falls by the wayside. Om Shanti Om had you've said it! the multicoloured megascreen world that's giving Hollywood a run for its money.

So, what's on? Why're directors suddenly holding a mirror to themselves? Is this a sign of soul churning about creative mediocrity? If so, how're audiences responding to the trend? Let's turn on the sound track.

"Houseful is a very personal film," says Bappaditya. "How long shall we point fingers at copyright violations but discourage original attempts for fear of box-office failure?" he asks. Then he quotes Bunuel and Fellini to prove there's no better circus than cinema. "The cross-section of individuals who come to the film industry is unique. This provides for a range of interpersonal relationships between men and women, men and men, women and women..." Why not tap these for real drama and surreal dreams?

"Filmmaking takes a backseat and human relationship becomes the real concern of Tolly Lights," Arjun says of his film, sourced from Suchitra Bhattacharya's Rangeen Prithibi. The novel had commented on today's heightened desire to make it in glam world without thinking of the baggage that accompanies it. "But whenever I wanted to show the characters' inner world, I showed it as film-within-film." And audiences had no problem making out the real from the reel.

"That's one reason why directors no longer shy from showing films within films," says Atanu. "Audiences know enough cinema today to differentiate between actors and characters. This helps us to pack in message with entertainment." His film can, then, talk about the disillusionment of a seasoned actor like Soumitra Chatterjee when he's stereotyped as a father. Or of a leading lady whose Swarna Kamal gathers dust as she does item numbers.

The real winner, though, is the audience. No page 3 can offer such entertainment.

Sana Khan eyeing Telugu

2009-09-14T03:45:00.000-07:00

The sensuous beauty Sana Khan has already set the screens on fire in Kollywood. She is considered to have lot of sex appeal and made her mark opposite Simbu.

According to sources, she is already busy with few more assignments in Kollywood. Meanwhile she seems to be setting her eyes on Tollywood as well.

Sources indicate that she is in talks with some of the producers here and also with few big banners. The buzz is that she might get her breakthrough soon and a formal announcement would soon be made on that.

Let us wait and see how she is accepted in Tollywood by the audience. For now, it is good luck to Sana and her Tollywood entry.

Tollywood loses out once again

2009-09-14T03:43:00.000-07:00

Once again, the year 2009, will go down as an immensely forgettable one for Tollywood, as the local film industry draws a blank at the 55th National Film Awards.

Why have the National Awards been so elusive to an industry which churns out the biggest money-spinners in southern cinema? The last films to have bagged national honours were: Kamli (Best Feature Film at the 54th National Awards) and Hope (Best Feature Film for social issues at the 54th National Awards).

The Telugu entries for the 55th National Awards, Happy Days and Mee Shreyobilashi failed to make any impact on the jury. Earlier Telugu films have won the National Award in categories like best regional film, playback singing and music. Only three actresses Sharada (Nimajjanam in 1977), Vijayashanti (Karthavyam in 1990) and Archana (Daasi in 1981) have won the coveted Best Actor (female) Award. The top three honours — best film, best actor and best direction—has not come to Tollywood yet!

“It’s very unfortunate. We’ve been getting National Awards on and off, maybe it’s time to get them more frequently and in more important categories,” feels actor Venkatesh who’s won several state film awards and popular film awards. He says, he’ll make a “serious effort” to grab the big one. Filmmaker Neelakanta who won two National Awards including best screenplay for his debut Telugu film Show says, “It’s sad that our film industry didn’t win anything at the 55th National Film Awards. I think a potential award winning film should have a tight script and wholesome entertainment like Chak De! India or Taare Zameen Par.”

A couple of Tollywood bigwigs say that Malayalam filmmakers have lobbied for the national honours and ensured a richer haul of awards for Mollywood. But filmmaker Chandra Siddharth feels otherwise. “It’s better to dish out refreshing plots and experimental films than indulging in the blame game,” he confesses. He feels that at the “national level”, competition is “tough”. “I had no regrets when my film Aa Nalaguru didn’t impress the national jury while it bagged awards everywhere else,” he reasons. Supporting his view, filmmaker Mohana Krishna Indraganti also feels that Telugu films have “earned” enough “prejudice” by churning out sub-standard films for years. “We have to undo all that,” he says, going on to add that filmmakers should “introspect and see where the local film industry stands vis-à-vis Indian films and world cinema. It’s wrong to bifurcate films as art and commercial, since awards are given purely for ‘artistic’ excellence.” Indraganti’s Grahanam was the best film of a debutant director at the 52nd National Awards. “One can’t make a film on a social issue and force it on the audience,” he says.

Unfortunately, even the Telugu film audience seems to have no fascination for award-winning films. Even after bagging national awards, films like Kamli, Show, Grahanam, and Hope did not the set box-office on fire, unlike award-winning Malayalam and Tamil films which were well received. “Telugu audiences don’t watch award-winning films because they feel these films are ‘art-house’ and not entertaining enough,” laments filmmaker Arunprasad. He elaborates, “For the Telugu audience only entertainers
work, not realistic stuff.”

Seems like, Telugu filmmakers still have long way to go to before they get consistent national recognition.

I blasted Priyadarshan: Prakash Raj

2009-09-08T07:41:00.001-07:00

Prakash Raj, the 'Chellam' of Tamil cinema, is on cloud nine. The actor, who won a National Award for his role of Vengadam, a humble silk weaver in Priyadarshan's 'Kanchivaram', has swept aside the likes of Shah Rukh and Aamir Khans in the race.

"When Priyadarshan narrated the story, I was shaken and stirred. My hands were shivering, I was in tears and I simply walked out. After a cup of coffee, I was able to call him and blasted him for keeping the story to himself for 12 years," he says.

Interestingly, the actor did not take any money for the film. "It was a painful role. It was mind blowing professionally as well as personally. I had to unlearn all that I had to learnt as an actor," he says.

On winning the National Award, he says, "all credit should go to Priyadarshan and his team. He was hitherto called as commercial filmmaker. Had he wanted, he could have gone ahead and done some commercial ventures and made enough money. But he had the guts and conviction to do meaningful movie. I dedicate this award to Priyan, our art-director Sabu Cyril and cinematographer Thiru".

Saying that the award has encouraged him to do more realistic movies, Prakash adds: "It is what my production house 'Duet Movies' is striving for. The joy of doing such films is great. I want my contemporaries in the industry to experience it".

Prakash Raj’s Fights Without Dupe

2009-09-08T07:40:00.001-07:00

Prakash Raj has set a standard for character and villain roles. He is known for hard working and meticulous job. He also never minds taking peril into his lap to act in any risky shot.

Vishal, the lead role in Pista said that Prakash Raj acted in climax action episodes without any dupe. Although many denied him not to take the risk, Prakash Raj left deaf ear and performed successfully.

The dare devil attitude of Prakash Raj is known for entire unit members with those shots, said Vishal. The film is directed by Sabha Ayyappan while the producer is Vikram Krishna.

The music for the film has been composed by Mani Sharma.

Priyan happy, Adoor double happy

2009-09-08T07:38:00.002-07:00

Filmmaker Priyadarshan is thrilled with the fact that his 'Kanchivaram' has managed to won two National Awards-one in the Best Film category and the other for Prakash Raj (Best Actor).

He says: "People call me comedy director. Form now on, they can call me a ‘comical serious’ director. We made the movie with a purpose. All the artistes, crew and technicians gave their best effort and the result is here to see".

"Doing such films gives one immense satisfaction. When it is recognised with such awards, it motivates and encourages one more", he adds.

Malayalam filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan has won his seventh National Award. For 2007, he was adjudged the best director the movie 'Naalu Pennungal'.

"I am happy on winning the honour, my seventh overall and fifth for my direction skills," he says.

"When we made the movie we had no such aspirations. It was screened at various international film festivals and was welcome with glee and joy. The recognition goes on to prove that masses do accept movies that touch their heart and are close top reality", Adoor adds.

‘Aarumugam’ comes to Tollywood!!!!!

2009-09-08T07:38:00.001-07:00

Noted director Suresh Krishna who has been known for his commercial ventures with good messages comes up with ‘Aarumugam’ this time. The film has the talented Bharath and the buxom beauty Priyamani in the lead and it will be released in Tamil and Telugu simultaneously.

Currently, it is in post-production stage and the dubbing process will be happening soon. There is also news that popular Telugu producer E V V Sathyanarayana has bought the Telugu rights.

This will be Bharath’s second film in Tollywood after ‘Premisthe’. The film also has the ravishing seductress Ramya Krishna doing a role that she did in ‘Narasimha’.

Tollywood gets another reason to smile

2009-09-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Big enough to have become one of the crucial revenue generators for Tollywood. Pushed to the wall with escalating budgets, the Telugu film industry seems to have found a new avenue of fetching revenue — satellite rights to television broadcasters — offering the producers a dependable source of income and a lifeline to the industry. In fact fancy satellite rights have enabled small films to recover their production costs even. In Andhra, film-based programmes/content fetch high TRPs on entertainment channels. Satellite rights of some films are sold before the film’s release— acting as a source of finance. A small-to-mid budget movie can fetch anywhere between Rs 60 lakh-1crore today, while big-budget films like Magadheera and Arundhati can earn up to Rs 7 crore.

The mushrooming of TV channels and the race to grab high TRPs has fuelled severe competition among the channels, who in turn shell out hefty pay cheques to production houses to buy the latest films. Satellite rights usually enable production houses to recover 10 to 30 per cent of the film’s budget. Earlier only flop films were sold to TV. Now, besides blockbusters, even yet-to-be released, untitled films’ satellite rights are being sold at astronomical prices.

Says Srinivas, head of an entertainment channel, “We look into the content of films carefully before buying them. Things like comedy content, songs, actors and actress are important for us. After all, buying films is a long-term investment for a channel,” he says and goes on to add, “For instance, if a movie has enough of comedy scenes we generate one episode of a programme.”

Arun Prasad whose Yagam (starring Bhumika Chawla) has been already sold out for more than Rs 1 crore even before the film hits the screens, says the trend kickstarted after “Tollywood started taking lessons from Hollywood and Bollywood. The satellite rights of some Bollywood films touch the Rs 10 crore mark. Even the Telugu film industry is seeing sky-rocketing prices and blockbusters could earn very big bucks. Some medium-budget movie producers earn a sizeable amount of their production cost with the satellite rights.”
In fact, small budget movies like Happy Days, Vinayakudu et al have churned out huge revenues for a channel which bought its satellite rights. K Sai Prasad, vice president of the movie channel admits that films like “Aatadu, Pokiri which were shown on our channel in recent times enjoyed good viewership and shot up the GRPs (gross rating points) during the week.

I was a little immature: Chitrangada Singh

2009-09-07T08:45:00.002-07:00

She'd surprised everyone by suddenly disappearing to Delhi after a critically acclaimed debut in Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi amidst reports that her hubby, golfer Jyoti Randhawa, didn't quite like the intrusive trappings of Bollywood. And now, just as suddenly, she's back, looking for a house with the intention of settling in Mumbai.

"Since I will be working here, it's logical to buy a place here," Chitrangada told . She's been shuttling between Delhi and Mumbai for some time now to balance her work and family life. "I have two sisters here, one lives in Yari Road and the other at Powai. Whenever I am in Mumbai, I stay with them. But this time I am quite serious about buying a place here, so I am checking out flats one after another." Her preferences are clear too. "I'd prefer a house either in Versova or Juhu."

She's gung-ho about her projects, which include the sequel to Is Raat Ki Subah Nahi opposite Irrfan Khan and Dhruv opposite Farhan Akhtar.

"Dhruv is an interesting film as I am playing a seductress in the movie. The character is quite sensuous and has a unique charm." But since the film also stars Kareena Kapoor, does it mean she's playing second fiddle? "I don't think it's a supporting role, I'd say it's a parallel character," she counters.

Her sudden exit was assumed to be because of her husband, but Chitrangada says she herself made the move -- which she regrets now. "I think I was a little immature to take that sudden decision. I guess a lot of things were circulated in the industry and I didn't know how to deal with them. Moreover, my family is not a part of this industry and they don't know how the industry functions. But I guess things are better now."

Is she ready for link-ups and assorted gossip? "I guess Jyoti and I are rock solid now. I am here to work and I want to concentrate on that. But in the end, I don't want to blame the media because in the stories, there is some truth most of the time, except a few occasions when completely bizarre things are written," she ends.

Prasoon Joshi wins his first National Award

2009-09-07T08:45:00.001-07:00

Meri Maa, the song from Aamir Khan's directorial debut 'Taare Zameen Par' has won lyricist Prasoon Joshi his first National award. Joshi, who has penned songs for some of the biggest Bollywood hits in recent times, won the award in the 'Best Lyrics' category at the 55th National Awards announced here today.

The song, which was picturised on Darsheel Safari and Tisca Chopra in the movie, also won the Best Playback Singer award for Shankar Mahadevan.

"It is a great feeling. 'Tare Zameen Par' is a film very close to my heart and the song is really special. After an appreciation from the audiences, getting the National award it is like 'Sone Pe Suhaga'," Joshi told PTI.

A beautiful piece of poetry, the song echoes the dedication of a child towards his mother. Joshi's soulful words give a glimpse of a child's sensitivity and emotions. He has already won the 2008 Filmfare Best Lyricist Award for the song.

When asked what was the inspiration while penning the lines, Joshi said, "It is my truth. I feel if someone writes with total honesty it will strike a chord. I told my genuine feelings in the song which is why I think it touched many hearts." "When I heard the song I felt that it is a great piece of work which should be acknowledged," Joshi added.

When Adam Sandler dressed like a 'princess'

2009-09-07T08:44:00.001-07:00

Actor Adam Sandler dresses up as a princess when he reads fairytales to his kids at night.
he 42-year-old star is father to two daughters with his wife Jacqueline -- Sadie Madison, 3, and the 10-month-old Sunny Madeline.

Sandler reveals he entertains his kids by donning the attire of the lead in their bedtime fairytales.

Contactmusic quoted him as saying: "I often slip into costume as the lead character in whatever bedtime story I am reading. My daughters love Disney princesses."

Award a recognition for passion behind film: Prakash Raj

2009-09-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

Actor Prakash Raaj, who won the National Award in the Best Actor category for his role in Priyadarshan's Tamil film Kanchivaram, said that the honour is a "recognition for passion" that went behind the movie.

"I am very elated. More elated for the fact that Kanchivaram is a Tamil film and it is a recognition for not only the film but the entire passion behind it," Raaj, who played a Left-leaning, debt-ridden weaver in the period drama, told PTI over phone from Karnataka.

An actor-producer known to essay his characters with ease, Raj said, "I am very very happy," on being adjudged the Best Actor for his role in the film, which also bagged the Best Film trophy at the 55th National Awards announced today.

A pupil from the school of noted Tamil film maker K Balachander, who also introduced Tamil film icons Rajnikant and Kamal Hassan, Raj made his debut as villain in the former's Duet and later acted in several of Balchander's films.

Having won the Best Supporting Actor for his role in the Maniratnam-directed Iruvar (1998) which was believed to be a celluloid remake centered around the political stalwarts of Tamil Nadu -- AIADMK founder MGR and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.

Raaj has also acted along with Kamal Hassan in "Vasool Raja MBBS", a remake of Hindi film "Munnabhai MBBS". He played the arrogant Doctor's role played by Boman Irani in the Hindi version. He recently ventured into production with critically-accalaimed movies including "Mozhi", a tale of a deaf and mute girl and her tribulations.

This award proves all the naysayers wrong: Priyadarshan

2009-09-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker Priyadarshan whose social drama Kanchivaram bagged two awards at the 55th National Awards including the nod for the Best Film, says that the recognition has proved his detractors wrong.

The filmmaker, who is known for his commercial superhits like Hera Pheri and Hungama, is delighted with his first national award.

"It has to feel great, because I am a commercial filmaker and it proves those wrong who though I could do nothing but comedies," the filmmaker said.

Priyadarshan's Kanchivaram a period drama revolving around the weaver community of the famous temple town in Tamil Nadu, also won for actor Prakash Raj, the National award for the Best Actor.

The movie, which was premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, is set in the 1920s and revolves around the life of a weaver who finds himself in the middle of communist movement in the state.

The Malayalam director is also pleased about the fact that he beat off competition from none other than film legend Adoor Gopalakrishnan, also from Kerala, who won his seventh National Award, the Best Director nod for his film Naalu Penungal.

"Adoor is a legend and the fact that I will receive an award in the same ceremony itself is a thrilling thing. And to top it off I also beat him as a competitor, What could be better," says Priyadarshan who said that the awards came as a surprise.

"I was not surprised by Prakash's win, because he was superb in his role, but mine came as a bit of a surprise. I make films to make people laugh and this was a completely different film and I had my doubts whether it will pay off," said the director during a television interview.

Priyadarshan who was born in Thiruvanathapuram is a close friend of Malayalam superstar Mohan Lal who was a junior of his at college and both entered the film industry at the same time.

Their partnership has produced many cult films including, Chitram and Kilukkam.

Belly up for Priyanka Chopra!

2009-09-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

She was the unsung perfectionist of the film industry till it started taking a toll on her health. But playing 12 different roles in her next film was probably the last straw.

After several bouts of exhaustion that have led her in and out of hospital, Priyanka Chopra finally admits she needs to take care of herself now or risk a burnout.

"This film (What's Your Raashee?) has been very difficult for me personally. Doing so many things has been thoroughly wonderful but equally exhausting. I haven't been able to take care of myself and that's why I have been falling ill regularly. But now I'm doing quite fine," Priyanka told

But the pay-off has been learning many new skills, and topping the list is her new found love for bellydancing.

"I think belly dancing is one of the most sensual dance forms. I'm not a trained dancer, but it was good fun to learn," says Priyanka. But the masterstroke, feels the actor, was her decision to learn Gujarati -- all the 12 roles she plays are Gujarati girls.

"I had a Gujarati teacher on hand all through the shoot so I could deliver the dialogues with just the right accent as Gujaratis do!" Saru karyu.

Kanchivaram wins best movie at National Film Awards

2009-09-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker Priyadarshan's Tamil film Kanchivaram, a period drama about silk weavers of the south, was chosen as the best movie at the 55th National Film Awards announced here.

Tamil actor Prakash Raj beat off competition from Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan to bag the Best Actor award for his role in Kanchivaram, which depicts the lives of silk weavers of Kanchipuram during the pre-Independence era.

Raj had earlier won the Best Supporting Actor award for his Iruvar in 1998 and also a special Jury Award in 2003.

Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan has got the Best Director's award for his Malayalam film Naalu Pennungal. This will be his seventh national award.

He was named among the host of other winners of the National Film Awards announced for the year 2007 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting here today.

Actress Umashree has bagged the Best Actress award for her performance in Girish Kasaravalli's Kannada film Gulabi Talkies, which depicts the transformation of the people of a small fishing village after their exposure to colour television.

The Best Child Actor award has gone to Sharad Goyekar for his role in the Marathi film Tingya.

Actor Darshan Zariwala has won the best supporting actor award for his role in Feroz Abbas Khan's film Gandhi- My Father, which is the only Hindi film to bag two more awards for Best Screenplay for Khan and Special Jury award.

Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak De India bagged the national award in the Wholesome Entertainment Category, while Aamir Khan-directed Taare Zameen Par won the award in Family Welfare Category.

Playback singer Shankar Mahadevan won the award for the song Maa in the film Taare Zameen Par, while Prasoon Joshi won the award for the Best Lyrics for the same song.

Filmmaker Sai Paranjpe headed the jury for feature film category, documentary filmmaker Ashoke Viswanathan chaired the jury for the non-film category and writer Namita Gokhale chaired the jury for best writing on Indian films.

The winners were selected from among 102 films and 106 non-feature films.

Sources in the ministry said though the list had been finalised last week, the announcement was deferred due to the death of Andhra Pradesh chief minister YSR Reddy.

Among other notable winners was Hindi film Frozen, which won the Indira Gandhi award for the Best Debutante Director for Shivajee Chandrabhushan. The film also won the best cinematography award.

Another Hindi film Dharm won the Nargis Dutt award for Best Feature Film on national integration. The film was directed by Bhavna Talwar and starred Pankaj Kapoor.

Foto (Hindi) won the Best Children's Film award, while Inimey Naangathaan (Tamil) won the Best Animation Film award.

Actress Shefali Shah won the Best Supporting Actress award for English film The Last Lear and Shreya Ghoshal won the Best Female Playback Singer award for the film Jab We Met. The movie also won the award for best choreography for the song Yeh Ishq Hai....

Om Shanti Om won the award for Best Art Direction. Malayalam film Naalu Pennungal won the Best Editing award.

Hindi film 1971 won the best audiography award and the Best Film in Hindi under the language specified in schedule VIII of the Constitution category.

In the same category, Bengali film Ballygunge Court won the best film award, while Gulabi Talkies was named the best Kannada film.

Ore Kadal won the Best Malayalam film, Nirop won the award for Best film in Marathi. Periyar got the award for Best film in Tamil, while The Last Lear won the award for the Best film in English.

Emma Watson charms classmates with magic trick

2009-09-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

'Harry Potter' star Emma Watson had magic tricks up her sleeves to charm her classmates on the first day of her college.

She showed how from a sitting position to magically raise yourself to standing without putting your hands on the ground, reports the Sun.

The 19-year-old beauty's friends apparently had a hearty laugh on seeing the trick.

Watson is pursuing a degree in Literature at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island.

Sneha chills out with children!

2009-08-25T03:56:00.001-07:00

Sneha, one of the most sought-after actresses in the South, made a bunch of kids happy when she happily spent a break in shooting to play bat and ball with them! Reportedly the actress was shooting for an important sequence for one of her upcoming movies at the YMCA grounds in Nandanam, Chennai.

During a break, the actress' attention was caught by a bunch of cricket-playing kids. She made their day by joining them for a few minutes, before she was called back to the shoot! The kids could hardly believe their luck and savoured every moment spent in the company of the beautiful actress!

Three biggies in a row for Vikram

2009-08-25T03:54:00.002-07:00

Kanthaswamy is very much in the news how spectacular it looks and how well Vikram has performed. Vikram's next release is Raavan, directed by Mani Ratnam, and after that is a movie with Selvaraghavan. Vikram is in perpetual good spirits now because these big banners and great films are really challenging and should improve his popularity! 'If my performance is appreciated in Kanthaswamy as my best yet, it's thanks to the entire team.

Their dedication spurred me on, encouraging me to do more', he says. Likewise, working with Mani Ratnam must also be quite exhausting. 'Definitely, but it's a pleasure to work with the likes of Mani Ratnam. He is like a warrior on the battleground while shooting is on. He has his mission to complete it clearly charted out. This perfectionist will not settle for anything less',he exclaims. Adding, 'Ravanan has taught me alot and earned me new friends as well. Working with Abishek and Aishwarya has been a great experience.

On the sets, they contrast each other. He is quite jovial, while Aishwarya keeps it professional. But they are both very encouraging'. Coming to his flick with Selvaraghavan, once again he is very excited about getting that role! 'Without saying more, all I can say is that the story is very unique and my role even more so. I can't wait to get started on it! I have watched all his films, and admire his style of movie-making.

This is sure to be a good experience', he says. Then he hints that having worked with so many big names in the industry, he has learnt quite a bit, which he might put into use when he directs his own movie! And when will that be? Within the next five years!

NRIs celebrate Chiranjeevi's birthday

2009-08-25T03:54:00.001-07:00

The US-based Pravasa Chiranjeevi Organization NRI Praja Rajyam Party organized a grant birthday celebration of mega star Chiranjeevi in association with Seera Theatres Management and Blue Sky Cinema (distributors of Magadheera in USA) on Vinayaka Chaturthi on Sunday at Seera Theatres, Milpitas. More than 400 NRIs attended the celebrations, which started with big fanfare of attendees wearing Chiranjeevi T-shirts and entering Seera Theatres to view the super hit Magadheera starring Chiranjeevi's son Ram Charan Teja. During the intermission, a mega cake was cut by kids, singing the birthday song for Chiranjeevi.

Winning dance group gets rousing welcome in Orissa

2009-08-25T03:52:00.000-07:00

Members of Orissa's victorious Prince Dance Group, all daily wage earners and none with professional dance training, got a rousing welcome in Berhampur railway station early Tuesday morning after winning the hotly-contested TV reality show 'India's Got Talent'.

The artistes reached Berhampur station by Konark express from Mumbai at about 1.30 a.m., a senior district police official told IANS. They won the grand finale in Mumbai Saturday night.

Residents of Berhampur and fans, including senior district government officials, were present at the station to welcome the contestants with flowers. The artistes were later taken to Berhampur town in a grand procession, the official said. Many of the fans burst crackers and shouted slogans praising the dancers.

The Prince Dance Group from Berhampur town, nearly 180 km from here, was selected out of 45,000 competitors to perform at the grand finale.

The group, comprising 26 artistes all below 22 years, held the audience and the judges spellbound with their performance, which was based on episodes from the Mahabharata.

Led by their 26-year-old dance teacher Krishna Mohan Reddy, who never had any formal training in dance, the group won the Rs.50 lakh (Rs.5 million) cash award and a Maruti Suzuki Ritz car.

Reddy, who arrived separately Monday, said all the artistes would now concentrate on dance.

'We are now planning to participate in international competitions,' he told reporters.

Reddy also thanked people of the state, the corporates, media and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for encouraging them throughout the competition.

LOVE AAJ KAL joins prestigious club

2009-08-25T03:51:00.000-07:00

Saif Ali Khan has hit a sixer with his maiden production. Saif's first production, LOVE AAJ KAL has managed to enter the prestigious Rs. 30 crore nett collections mark.

Till date only 18 films in Hindi film history have managed to cross the 30 crore mark. Mind you we are not talking here about the gross collections which the producers generally like to pom pom about.

A trade source says, LOVE AAJ KAL crossed the 30 crore distributor share mark in its third weekend itself. The only other super hits that have successfully hit the 30 crore mark are GHAJINI, GADAR, HUM AAPKE HAIN KAUN, DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE, DHOOM 2, RAB NE BANA DI JODI, KRISSH, OM SHANTI OM, WELCOME, RAJA HINDUSTANI, KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI, SINGH IS KINNG, KABHI KHUSHI KABHIE GHAM, LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI, PARTNER, KAHO NAA PYAAR HAI AND KOI MIL GAYA.''

Jet Li returns to Chinese film after 3 US movies

2009-08-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

Jet Li is returning to Chinese film with a reportedly non-kung fu movie after three Hollywood productions, a publicist said Tuesday.

Li is due to start shooting the movie — tentatively called "Ocean Paradise" in Chinese — Edko Film publicist Zhang Hongyan told. The film, due to be released next year, will be directed by a newcomer, Zhang said, declining to give further detail before the official announcement at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Hong Kong-based Edko Film is the Chinese distributor for the movie.

The Chengdu Shangbao newspaper reported Tuesday that Li will not fight in the movie, but Zhang declined to confirm the report, only saying, "It's a movie that's very different from his previous movies."

Li's last three films were all American productions. His two most recent releases are "The Forbidden Kingdom" — which marked his first on-screen collaboration with Jackie Chan — and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." The 46-year-old action star just finished shooting the action thriller "The Expendables."

A former national martial arts champion in China, Li first made his name in the Hong Kong film industry with the "Once Upon a Time in China" series before moving on to Hollywood, where his credits also include "Lethal Weapon 4," "Romeo Must Die" and "Kiss of the Dragon."

Shaam’s Tamil movie to be remade in Telugu

2009-08-25T03:48:00.000-07:00

Shaam started off with lots of promise in Kollywood but could not sustain the success he garnered. He made his Telugu debut with “Kick” and the movie went on to be a smash hit. Many feel that he has the opportunity to make up in Tollywood.

His last Kollywood venture “Anthony Yaar” was also average. However according to latest news, this Tamil flick will be remade in Telugu as well but with more masala. This will also star Shaam and Mallika Kapoor in the lead. Will this movie turn out to be successful in Telugu needs to seen when it arrives.

For now, Shaam is said to be quite happy with the response he has been getting from the Telugu folks.

Ajay's act in 'London Dreams' modelled on Bono

2009-08-25T03:47:00.000-07:00

Ajay Devgan as a rock star strumming away the heated strings on stage is a hard act to swallow. Not for Vipul Shah who has modelled the Bollywood star's act on the Irish singer Bono in his forthcoming movie 'London Dreams'.

'So far we've only seen him in a sedate or comic image, never as someone who can cross the frontiers and do something outrageous,' Shah, who hasn't quite converted the actor in an outrageously punky rock star, told IANS.

'No, not quite the reckless renegade. I've modelled Ajay's rock act on Bono, the Irish lead singer from U2. Bono was never your quintessential rock star. He had a more sober and a less wild image. When Ajay gets on stage in 'London Dreams', he replicates the curbed tempered-down rock-star's image of U2. Yes, I modelled him on Bono.'

The gritty sweaty ambience, the riveting guitar licks, the angst-filled vocals and the screaming hysterical fans... Ajay goes through the rock motions in the film with elan.

Interestingly, Salman Khan has no particular image in 'London Dreams'. 'He plays a more improvisational musician whereas Ajay plays a more professional rock musician,' said Shah.

The director has already shot all the on-stage performances except one. 'I wanted to see how the other stage performances look before shooting the last one. I was afraid they'd all look the same. But they've all come out differently. And Ajay looks like a rock star in the truest sense of the word.'

Bhoomika to be Prabhu Deva’s heroine

2009-08-25T03:46:00.000-07:00

Prabhu Deva has made a long but successful journey in the cinema industry. He has been a successful choreographer and then went on to be an actor. Later he started directing and has already delivered few hits in Telugu and Tamil.

However, ever since he started directing, he has been staying away from acting. Now according to reports, he is making a comeback of sorts. He will be seen in an important role in a flick to be made by Thangar Bachchan.

Interestingly, the glowing beauty Bhoomika will playing the role of heroine while the highly talented and versatile Prakashraj is also playing an important role.

Bollywood on self-healing path with four hits

2009-08-25T03:44:00.002-07:00

Energetic openings to Bollywood's four recent releases, 'New York', 'Kambakkht Ishq', 'Love Aaj Kal' and 'Kaminey', have succeeded in getting the business perk up. Wounded by a long strike earlier this year, the film industry is perhaps on a self-healing path now, say trade pundits.

The two-month-long stand-off between the producers-distributors and multiplex owners over revenue sharing, which was resolved June 5, led to a whopping Rs.300 crore (Rs.3 billion) loss to the Hindi film industry.

The dry spell was broken by Kabir Khan's 'New York' that released June 26 followed by the other three films -- 'Kambakkht Ishq' that came July 3, 'Love Aaj Kal' July 31 and 'Kaminey' Aug 14 -- raking in a net profit close to almost half the losses so far this year.

'These four films will do a net business of Rs.150 crore (Rs.1.5 billion) put together,' revealed an industry insider.

Said trade analyst Taran Adarsh: 'The industry is definitely on a recovery path... it is getting better now, but we do need a big number of hits to follow as even an A-list movie like 'Luck' bombed.

'Every movie has a luck of its own. For example, a small-budget film like 'A Wednesday' had a moderate release last year but proved to be a dark horse. At the end of the day it's the content that will win.'

Film critic Omar Qureshi had something similar to say.

'The industry is healing. Everyone was deprived of movies. There was a desperation to watch films and the audiences couldn't handle it. So they took multiplexes by storm once good movies hit the screens and the result is worth watching,' said Qureshi.

'But that doesn't mean mediocre movies will win the race too... it'll only take big-budget and big-banner movies with a good story to make up for the losses and bring in footfalls,' he added.

The stand-off between producers-distributors and multiplex owners started in February over revenue-sharing. While the producers demanded a flat 50 percent share of all film revenues irrespective of the stars, budget and box-office collection, the exhibitors stressed on sharing profits based on the movie's earnings.

As a result the producers declared a strike from April 4 onwards, which saw no big Bollywood releases in multiplexes across the country.

Now all eyes are set on an array of big releases after the lull.

The line-up includes Shahid Kapoor-Rani Mukerji starrer 'Dil Bole Hadippa', three movies of Salman Khan -- 'Wanted', 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna' and 'London Dreams' -- two Ranbir Kapoor-starrers 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani' and 'Rocket Singh - Salesman of The Year', and Aamir Khan's '3 Idiots'.

Apart from these, there are also Hrithik Roshan's much-talked-about action thriller 'Kites', Priyanka Chopra's 'What's Your Raashee?', two movies starring Amitabh Bachchan -- 'Aladdin' and 'Pa' -- Akshay Kumar's 'De Dana Dan', Govinda's 'Hook Ya Crook' and Neil Nitin Mukesh's 'Jail'.

Gopichand pairs with Anushka again

2009-08-25T03:44:00.001-07:00

Aggressive hero Gopichand who has been scoring hit after hit is currently busy with the wrapping up of his new movie ‘Sankham’. Meanwhile, there is news that he has been roped in for a new venture by the famous RR Movie makers of ‘Kick’ fame.

The producer of this happens to be Venkat and he has announced that Gopi would be pairing up with none other than the luscious beauty Anushka. Both Gopi and Anushka have already delivered a hit with ‘Lakshyam’ and right now, the RR Team is working on deciding the other cast and crew for the film.

The movie is presented by K Atchi Reddy while Co- Producer is V Suresh Reddy.

Heroines in the one crore club

2009-08-25T03:42:00.000-07:00

The whole world is harping about recession which seems to have affected our film industry as well. The producers are trying their best to cut costs and make movies with certain budget constraints.

However our heroes do not seem to be affected by what is going on and they are remuneration packages are sky high. Even our heroines are not left far behind.

According to sources actresses like Ileana, Anushka and Genelia charge more than a crore for their movies. Actresses like Trisha, Nayanthara and Hansika are not far behind. Wonder how the producers are going to address this issue and before that, how do they even manage to generate such sort of amounts.