Review : Mr White Mr Black

Mr White Mr Black (comedy)
Cast: Arshad Warsi, Suneil Shetty, Rashmi Nigam, Sandhya Mridul
Direction: Deepak Shivdasani


SOMETIMES, it surprises you with the choices that men make, specially actors. If, last week, it was Anil Kapoor who aggrieved you with his incoherence as Bhaiyyaji in Tashan, this week Arshad Warsi makes you wonder wassup mister! Now why would an actor who has already proven his calibre, both at the box office and with the fastidious cineaste, say yes to such a brainless film? As Kishen, the small time trickster who leaves his village in Hoshiarpur to earn the title of Mr Fraud in Goa, Warsi is whiny, woe-begone and completely wasted. All his attempts to tickle your funny bone and kick up a storm end up as desperate measures to seek meaning in the mess. And if that's not enough despair, there's Ashish Vidyarthi, another talented actor, trying to make a comeback in Hindi cinema with a parody of himself. Surely, considerations of quality must be more important than quantity in Bollywood too!

For the no-brainer script, there is just this: Mr White (Suneil Shetty) comes to Goa to take Mr Black (Arshad Warsi) back to Hoshiarpur to take possession of a land bequeathed by his father. In between, he meets an oversexed hotelier who cries ‘Kiss me, kiss me,' and gives him a chance to play Mr Bharat to the un-Bharatiya lady. Meanwhile Mr Black is not ready to give up his life as a dirty rotten scoundrel, specially when he overhears some talk of some diamonds somewhere... Again, a heartbreak in store, as you watch sensible actress, Sandhya Mridul make a fool of herself as a tapori girl.

Really, why would anyone want to end up brain dead, even if comedy is the flavour of this silly season.

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Review : Sirf

Sirf (drama)
Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Manisha Koirala, Sonali Kulkarni, Ranveer Shorey
Direction: Rajaatesh Nayar


PLEASE, don't we know what life in a metro is all about by now. Haven't we done the Mumbai salsa several times now. Just let big city blues be, unless, there's still an undiscovered Woody Allen out there to do a New York diary on amchi Mumbai, saddi Dilli, namma Chennai.

Sirf is again a city document, which encapsulates the unfulfilled longings of a bunch of characters who try to fulfil their dreams in the vast, abyss-like metro. There's Manisha and Kay Kay: a rich, successful couple who have everything but quality time for each. There's Sonali and Ranvir: a hard-pressed, middle-class couple with a love story that's losing out on the struggle to earn money. There's Pravin Dabbas and Rituparno Sengupta: a small town couple, struggling with the culture clash of permissive cosmosexuals. And there's a young couple dreaming of finding a roof in the unaffordable city in order to get married. Somewhere down the sleepy comings and goings, their lives get intertwined and salvation does lie round the corner. But for that, you'll have to sit up and shake the yawns, since the director fails to invest energy in his drama. What's more irritating is the sudden twist in the seemingly normal tale about a bunch of happiness seekers. Nah! Kay Kay couldn't get crooked, ekdum se, could he? And a Jabalpur girl (Rituparno) couldn't be such an old-fashioned nag, could she?

Watch out for Manisha Koirala. It's a comeback that calls for a bunch of better roles.

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Review : Tashan

Tashan (drama)
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor
Direction: Vijay Krishan Acharya

DESPERATELY seeking some scriptwriters for Yashraj Inc. After the no-brainer Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, get ready for another plot-dead film that tries to score on presentation alone. Sadly, there isn't even a zany, new age tashan to boast about here. There is a pathetic attempt to exploit the Nostalgia Inc, but unlike Om Shanti Om which made an art of retro, Tashan fails to whip up old-is-gold sentiment, despite rendering Amitabh Bachchan's seminal Deewar soliloquy before Bhagwan in tootie-frootie Angrezi and milking good old Gabbar dry. More importantly, the film fails to capitalise the Saif-Kareena chemistry completely and almost relegates Saif as a sidekick, a role he has ably played against Akshay Kumar in the 1990's with films like Main Khiladi Tu Anadi, etc. But what saddens you the most is the gangster act by Anil Kapoor. As the English-loving Bhai, hailing from small-town Kanpur, Kapoor is absolutely unintelligible and ends up a pale copy of Jaaved Jaafrey's rib-tickling cameo in Salaam Namaste. Now that from an actor of his calibre is absolutely heartbreaking.

So what's worth a dekko? Akshay Kumar as a small-time thug who dreams of becoming a big-time ‘sooter' (shooter) and a zero-size Kareena Kapoor in a bikini, recreating the oomph of Ursula Andress in Dr No. Akshay has progressed into a natural scene-stealer by now and simply walks away with the applause, be it action, comedy or emotion. As Bachchan Pandey, the goonda who is pulled out of Kanpur to work as a ‘recovery agent' for Bhaiyya ji (Anil Kapoor), Akshay creates a tashan that actually works. His job is simple. He must find the two fugitives, Saif and Kareena, who have walked away with Bhaiyya ji's moolah. And he does it with a pizzazz that makes the film work, in bits and pieces. Watch him jump around like Hanuman (or is it Keanu Reeves in Matrix) in a death-defying fight sequence or ward off the slutty con-girl Kareena and then get goofy and giddy in love: you'll join the audience as it applauds his antics with taalis and seetis.

That's it. After that, it's khallas. All the conmen and their crooked acts fail to create a jagged edge, even though you have Saif and Kareena trying to dupe any and everyone, including each other, in the frame. Truly, it's the season of wickedness in Bollywood. Yet, unlike the bhai versus bhai treachery of Race, this roulette of deceit and upmanship lacks sophistication. Stylistically, it is loud and gaudy and peppered with strange lyrics that make a mockery of Hinglish. No, this one's not really a film that lives up to the repute of YRF productions and can be viewed merely for moments of pleasure, whipped up by a manic Akshay.

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Riya Sen- The hottest Bollywood actress and model!

This 5"1 Bollywood actress was born on January 24, 1981 in Kolkata, India. She belongs to a famous family clan of West Bengal. She is the grand daughter of Suchitra Sen, a legend in Bengali cinema, and daughter of Moonmoon Sen, a former actress. Before moving to Mumbai, she lived with her parents and sister Raima Sen, also an actress, in Kolkata. Her father Bharat Dev Varma belongs to the illustrious royal family of Tripura. Her paternal grandmother Ila Devi, was the princess of Cooch Behar, whose younger sister Gayatri Devi is the Maharani of Jaipur.

This gorgeous lady first stepped under the arc lamps at the tender age of 15 when she faced the camera for the famous Tamil flick "Taj Mahal", directed by Bharati Raja. And this is how her acting career started blooming.

Her Bollywood film debut was supposed to have been in Love You Hamesha, opposite Akshaye Khanna. Soon after that it was her comedy movie Style that took her to the success.

Well, most of her other films have not done well on the box office. An exception is Jhankaar Beats, another comedy in which she co-starred with Shayan Munshi, Juhi Chawla, Rahul Bose, Rinke Khanna and Sanjay Suri. Most of her appearances have been item numbers and cameos. Her few leading roles have been in low-budget films.

She has also made her career in modeling, where she appeared in numerous music videos for songs by popular singers, including Asha Bhonsle, Falguni Pathak, Jagjit Singh and Sonu Nigam. She was one of many Bollywood stars who appeared in Haath Se Haath Mila an anti-HIV/AIDS music video.

She is also a successful advertising model. The high point of her modeling career was started when she replaced Lisa Ray as the Lakmé Girl. Her other notable assignments include Colgate, Limca, Vatika, Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, and Margarita King.

After doing her last movie "Apna Sapna Money Money" this young and charming lady has lost again- there is no other fourth coming movies in the row that shows her-Might be she will come back with a new style and passion again.

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Aishwarya Rai And The Lotus Flower: Symbols Of India

Aishwarya Rai is one of the latest beauties to come out of India. She burst into the spotlight twelve years ago when she competed in the 1994 Miss World pageant as a representative of India. After winning the pageant, she went on to become a very successful model and actress who has been dubbed "The Queen of Bollywood." But, Rai isn't the only beauty to come out of India; the gorgeous and exotic lotus flower is an ancient flower so revered in India that it was named their national flower.

The lotus flower has been given a sacred place in Indian culture. It plays a huge role in the art and mythology there and has done so for centuries. In Indian society, the lotus represents divinity, fertility, wealth, knowledge, and enlightenment. Perhaps the reverence of the flower stems from the fact that is an unquestionable beauty despite the fact that it grows out of murky waters and mud. Because of its ability to grow in the water, the lotus is often referred to as the water lily.

Though they have an exotic look, lotuses are actually fairly simple to grow. However, first time lotus gardeners should be aware that the lotus is a very invasive plant that can take over your entire water garden if not tended to carefully. Also, you'll notice that lotus plants may not bloom during their first year-don't be discouraged, the plants will almost surely blossom in the second year. As you watch your lotus plants grow and blossom, watch for yellowing foliage and faded blooms; you'll want to remove them to allow other leaves and blossoms to grow healthy and strong.

Lotuses come in a variety of types that include small plants with one-inch blossoms and larger ones with blossoms as big as your face. Lotus colors include red, yellow, white, peach, violet, and cream.

The lotus plant loves the heat-the hotter the better! In fact, the hotter it is at night, the bigger the flowers will be. During the winter you'll need to make certain the lotus tuber doesn't freeze or it will die. If you're growing them in your garden pond, the pond will need to be at least three feet deep so that it doesn't freeze solid, which will jeopardize the tubers. If you're growing them in pots, bring the pots inside for the winter.

With proper care, your lotus flowers will grow to exotic and fragrant flowers worthy of their status in India. They're exquisite beauty will rival that of fellow Indian Aishwarya Rai.

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Bollywood Film Dance & Bollywood Choreographers

Bollywood dancing is becoming popular everywhere in the world. People in cities like Los Angles in California are crazy about bollywood dance steps. They take private classes or join a bollywood dance academy to learn bollywood classical dance Kathak, Bhangra and other dances.

Bollywood Choreographers make it easy to understand Hindi or bollywood film dance. A choreographer of Indian origin can better assist you learning bollywood dances.It’s always eye-pleasing to see bollywood dances and probably you will think to learn bollywood dancing yourself because it looks very simple. But an experienced bollywood choreographer knows the dances steps and how to learn them easily. It is easy to join any Bollywood Dance School in your area or take a private class.

Any bollywood dance company academy can be of great assistance to learn bollywood dance lessons, like NDM dance productions school in Los Angles. The school is established by Nakul Dev Mahajan to provide dance classes in Los Angeles, California. Its bollywood dance troupe is continuously delivering award winning performances. Recently they won 4 beauty pageant titles. If you reside around or in Los Angles, this bollywood dancing academy is the best available option to learn Hindi dance lessons from.

Indian bollywood dance has come a long way in popularity and technique. Bollywood dancing works out your entire body, its hand eye co-ordination at its best. Many dance competition are being held in India where Farah Khan, Saroj khan and other big choreographers are present as judge. People like to enjoy the dances but altogether they want to see the professionalism and perfection in the performances. Any bollywood dancing school/studio can help you to become a dancing professional or occasional performer. If you are a dance lover, I would recommend joining NDM Dance Studios or contact Nakul Dev Mahajan for a private lesson. You can hire them for private dance lessons, pageant training, TV show production choreography, wedding first dance and any other social event training.

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The Soul Of Bollywood Dance!!

Most Indian dances are based on the treatise Natyashastra by the sage Bharata Muni, which explains the Indian art of acting. Acting or Natya is a broad concept which encompasses both drama and dance.

The Natya Shastra was written by the sage “Bharata Muni” who, it is claimed, was directly inspired by GOD Brahma. The Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope. It consists of minutely detailed precepts for both playwrights and actors. Bharata describes 15 types of drama ranging from one to ten acts. In addition, he lays down principles for stage design, makeup, costume, dance (various movements and gestures), a theory of aesthetics (rasas and bhavas), acting, directing and music, each in individual chapter.

Though its main theme is drama, Natyashastra deals with dance also at considerable length. On one hand, it elaborates various gestures of hands, and on the other, classifies such gestures and movements as either graceful or vigorous; the former, defining the 'lalita' form of dance - 'lasya'; and the latter, its vigorous form 'tandava'. Dance is classified under four categories and into four regional varieties.

The bollywood dances is a jumble of all these gestures and movements, and as per current trend. Hindi film dance steps are easy to learn. If you are a newbie then you can better take bollywood dancing lessons classes from Hindi film dance choreographers or join any classical dance academy/school. It’s easy for you to learn bollywood dance steps if you are a born dancer with the blessing of almighty GOD.

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How To Learn Bollywood Dance

There are many options available where you can learn dance steps from. You may prefer online dance videos, learning dance with videos/cassettes, hiring dance choreographers for home learning, joining academy dance school etc. Having a dancer/choreographer with you when learning dance steps will make you feel comfortable and help you learn the depth of the dances.

Bollywood dances are gaining popularity around the world. People are passionate to learn bollywood dance steps as they are easy to learn and entertaining as well. Hindi Film Dances vary depending on events and occasions. You can see performances like ‘Dandiya Dance’ on Navratra occasion and ‘Bhangra Dance’ during ‘Lohri & Besakhi’. Any classical dance academy or bollywood dance school should be your first choice to learn Hindi dancing; you may also opt for a choreographer for in-home classes.

Dancing is difficult if you want to be perfect. But as said ‘nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it’. Many great dancers start learning since their early childhood, even Nakul Dev Mahajan from www.ndmdance.com started dancing as early as five years of age. He is now running the most acclaimed academy dance school ‘NDM Dance Studio’ in Los Angeles , California . He is a renowned choreographer here and providing bollywood dance lessons for Kathak Dance, Bhangra Dance, Folk Dances and others.

Whatever is your choice to learn bollywood dance, it should be conveniently located and suit your budget. Using dance tutorials, video learning is not as much helpful and in-home dance lessons is an expensive affair. Joining a dancing academy gives you the opportunity to learn dance steps in groups and improve your chemistry of dancing with different people at different locations. You will make friends in the process and it will boost your energy and confidence.

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