Avatar : Movie Review

Film: Avatar
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver
Genre: Action
Direction: James Cameron

Duration: 2 hours 43 minutes

Critic Rating:

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Shruti in sexiest Asian list

Who is the sexiest Asian girl of them all? Well, it may be Katrina Kaif, who topped the annual World's Top 50 Sexiest Asian Women list published by Eastern Eye, a UK magazine.

But one name that made it into the list for the first time is none other than our Ulaganayagan's daughter Shruti Haasan, who has been given 49th place in the list.

The gorgeous star child, who debuted in Bollywood with Luck opposite Immran Khan, has shown off her multitasking skills time and again.

She is a singer, actor and with Unnai Pol Oruvan, a music director too. Now the actress is busy in a Telugu film opposite Siddharth, directed by National Award winning director Prakash Rao. Like father, like daughter!

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Movie Review : What's Your Raashee

What's Your Raashee

Film: What's Your Raashee (Romantic Comedy)
Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Harman Baweja, Anjan Srivastava, Dilip Joshi, Darshan Jariwala, V Badola, Manju Singh
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Duration: Three hours and 30 minutes
Critic's Rating:

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Akshay madness spreads over

Recently, the Khatron Ke Khiladi-Fear Factor Level 2 girls along with host Akshay Kumar decided to come out of the screen at an event held by Colors.


Rupali Ganguly said, “There wasn’t any time for groupism as we were all so bothered about our performance. ” Shveta Salve and Anushka Manchanda jokingly cut in, “She’s lying! There was a lot of groupism but then that happens everywhere especially when so many girls are there.” Nauheed Cyrusi, Bruna Abdullah, Rosa Catalano, Sushama Reddy and Jesse Randhawa, too, were there and it was a tussle when it came to getting pictures clicked with Akshay. Everyone wanted to stand beside him! Lucky Akki!

Missed: Though Mandira Bedi was supposed to attend, she couldn’t as she had to be rushed to the hospital with a fractured ankle.

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‘Rekha was ego trip for Amitabh’

Susmita Dasgupta finds Amitabh Bachchan an interesting subject to study. Here, she decodes the superstar, the subject of her PhD and a book
 
Is there an Amitabh ‘before’ and ‘after’ ABCL?  
There is definitely a before and after ABCL Amitabh. The ABCL tragedy, like all stupendous failures have split Amitabh into a before and after image. The trauma of having failed appears to have drastically changed the person whose image was that of the invincible.

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He’s alive in each word of his songs

Manoj Kumar remembers Gulshan Bawra, who gave us the legendary song Mere desh ki dharti.

Average-wise, Gulshan Bawra was the Don Bradman among lyricists. We had the pleasure of knowing each other before we entered the world of cinema. He was almost a family member for me. Meri desh ki dharti from the film Upkar happened when we had gone to a shrine to pay our respects. When we returned to the car, he was singing Mere desh ki dharti sona ugle… jawanon bhar bhar lo jholiyan… khushi se bolo boliyan… I had remained quiet as he hummed these lyrics.

A couple of years later when I made Upkar, I went to music composer Kalyanji and narrated the script. I called up Gulshan at home and told him the situation from the film. I recalled the lyrics I had heard him hum as we were returning from the shrine. They had stayed in my mind… I thought that it was a great idea for my film, given a bit of improvisation. I did not like the lines: jawanon bhar bhar lo jholiyan… khushi se bolo boliyan. I had them removed from the song finally. Instead, I insisted on: Mere desh ki dharti sona ugle ugle heere-moti. Both, Kalyanji and Gulshan were hesitant about the change. They advised that the mukhda of a song cannot have just one line. But I remained adamant about the song and suddenly, an hour later, Gulshan jumped in his room where he was sitting. ‘This is great!’ he exclaimed with joy.

Every filmmaker, while writing the screenplay arrives at a landmark point in the plot where he believes that the scene can be narrated musically. The situation is then explained to the lyricist and that’s exactly how Mere desh ki dharti happened.

Gulshan had written another song, Har khushi hai wahan tu jahan bhi rahe for Upkar. Now, he could not finish writing the whole song because he had to escort my brother to a college in Ajmer. Later, Gulshan himself confessed to the media that the second stanza of the song was not written by him, but was penned by Aziz Kaifi and me.

Gulshan was a jolly good fellow. I got to know about his illness some two-and-a-half months ago. He had told me that he was undergoing the last radiations and was all right otherwise. When we had met at Shakti Samanta’s chautha ceremony, he had said that he was doing absolutely fine. In fact, he was truly excited about a new car he had purchased after 27 years. He was proud to have paid the money to buy the car. I was thankful to God that my friend was doing well then… But again, he’s alive in each word of Mere desh ki dharti. That song is imperishable!

When Mahendra Kapoorji, who sang Mere desh ki dharti, passed away, our Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said that he would always be remembered for the song. It hurts to know that so many people associated with the song — Kalyanji, Mahendra Kapoor and Gulshan Bawra — are no more. Gulshan worked very well with Prakash Mehra on songs like Yaari hai iman mera. Before he became well-known, Gulshan wrote songs under a pseudonym.

Gulshan was also an entertaining comedian. Hardly brooding, he always had everyone in splits with his act of mimicry. I don’t understand when he used to sit and write. He always seemed on the move. When I would ask him how he was, he would often hum the lines of his hit song, Iss gulshan ko ujde huey ek zamaana beet gaya… Gulshan and I were from the same village near Lahore, Pakistan. My chief assistant Sikandar was Gulshan’s cousin. So we bonded on much beyond just cinema. Filmmaker Kewal Sharma, cricket player Manmohan Sood, Gushan and I we were good friends.

Gulshan has only gone away physically. He was a wonderful man. He was a friend to everyone and would never spread gossip. God bless his soul. My love to his wife.

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Shiney Ahuja gets judicial custody till July 2

In a relief of sorts for Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja who is facing a rape charge, a Mumbai court Thursday did not extend his police custody and sent him to judicial custody till July 2.
Shiney was arrested Sunday after his teenaged housemaid complained to police that he had raped her. His police custody ended Thursday.

Making a plea for extending his police custody, the police lawyer said it was necessary to carry out further investigations and to prevent the accused from tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.

However, Shiney's lawyer Shrikant Shivade argued that since the investigations were almost completed, there was no need for his further police custody.

Accepting the defendant's contention, the magistrate of the Andheri court sent him to judicial custody.

Shivade later told mediapersons that he would appeal against the court order and seek bail for the accused actor.

The lawyer clarified that Shiney has not made any confession of rape as speculated in a section of the media.

The actor's wife Anupam, who was present in the court, expressed her satisfaction with the court ruling and said: 'Shiney's one step closer home.'

Anupam had put up a spirited defence of her husband Wednesday, telling the media that Shiney was being framed in the rape case as he is a celebrity and a soft target. She, however, declined to name who was behind the frame-up.

Under judicial custody, the actor will be lodged in the high-security Arthur Road Jail in south Mumbai.

The jail also houses Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab and the Special Court where the Mumbai terror attacks trial is being held by Special Judge M.L. Tahilyani.

The Oshiwara police late Sunday picked up Shiney from his Versova home after his maid lodged the rape complaint.

Later, the investigators searched Shiney's house and sent him and the victim for medical and DNA tests.

The complainant-victim hails from Kokbaan village in the coastal Konkan region of western Maharashtra, and lived in Vasai suburb of neighbouring Thane district. She commuted daily by train from Vasai to Andheri to work at Shiney's residence for the past one year.

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Movie Review : Ek: The Power of One

Ek: The Power of One (Drama)
Cast: Bobby Deol, Nana Patekar, Shriya Sharan
Direction: Sangeeth Sivan
Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes Critic's Rating:**

Someone's suddenly woken up, pulled this out of the cans and peddled it as brand new cinema. Sad. The ruse doesn't work. For the viewer immediately sees through the stale plot and narration and wonders why Bobby Deol would do something he's done before: sleepwalk through a role as an assassin who suddenly gives up his trigger-happy ways for a change of heart and role. Actually, he wasn't too bad in films like Baadal and Bichoo, which showcased his bleeding heart once the bullets had all been fired. But here, he simply chooses to do a ramp walk through the rough and tumble of a mercenary's life, complete with designer glares, guns and goth make-up.

Nandu, the man from nowhere, is hired by a CM aspirant to fake-out an assassination and help garner the sympathy votes. But the killing turns out to be real and before you can say whodunit, Nandu is on the run, ending up in distant Hoshiyarpur. He enters a pucca Punjabi household as their long-lost son and begins on his arduous journey of remorse and redemption, with the large extended family gorging him with sarson ka saag and sermons. Of course, he gets enough time to flex his muscles here too, as there are a whole bunch of bad farmers ready to usurp his adopted dadaji's land. But bone-crunching is relatively easy for our crook-turned-saviour compared to the nosey investigations of the CBI officer (Nana Patekar) who is determined to nab the politician's killer.

It's Nana Patekar's tapori act as the hard nosed cop which actually saves the day for this dismal film which keeps drifting into schmaltzy family business, whenever the action revs up. Watch it only if you want to see what old-fashioned Bollywood looked like, before the smart new wave swept away the cobwebs.

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Deepika sizzles on ramp

It’s a model arrangement – with so many models making the jump to films,the Bollywood showstopper at designers’ shows already knows the ropes.

And Deepika Padukone, who walked the ramp for Tarun Tahiliani at the Delhi fashion Week, was in her element. The looker was a natural on the ramp, and she felt at home on it, too. “Delhi is the hub of fashion and where I started modelling,” she said.

So, has a lot changed since her days as a model? “The scene backstage was almost the same. The only new thing was the many international faces, which is encouraging,” she says.

Deepika is now based in Mumbai, but she’s all for Delhi designers. “The clothes that they make are wearable and very creative,” she says. Maybe that’s why she’s coming back to walk the ramp again this week – at the Wills Lifestyle India fashion Week, for Ranna Gill and Rina Dhaka, and she says she’s going to catch up with friends in Delhi.

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Leave me alone

A harassed Rahman, fed up of non-stop felicitation, seeks peace and solace in Bengaluru

Post-Oscars it's not been an easy time for A R Rahman. He returned home to a kind of hysterical fanfare that exhausted and alarmed him. Rahman has been beleaguered by a blitzkrieg of attention. He is finding it tough to cope with all the adulation. Suffering from serious fatigue the maestro has decided to go completely underground for a while.

After cancelling his work-related trip to London, Rahman has now disappeared from his home in Chennai to destinations unknown. Presumably he has surfaced in Bengaluru . But none of his close family and friends are telling his fans, admirers and the media about his whereabouts. A close friend, on condition of anonymity, spilled the beans. “All the international and national attention finally got to Rahman. He is essentially a very very shy artiste. All he cares about is God and his music, in that order. He doesn't talk about anything else. Going on stage and being the cynosure of thousands of eyes is death for him. He went into hiding with only his God and music for company.”

Inaccessible at the moment to all but his closest family members, Rahman reluctantly replied to persistent queries about his health. He said, “I am just recovering from all the exhaustion.”

The question is, how will this media-shy genius cope with all the demands on his time and attention that are bound to be showered on him? A producer who has worked with Rahman followed him all the way to Bengaluru to sign him for his next project, but he refused to meet him.

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Salman Khan loses his temper once more

Salman Khan once again loses his temper. The incident happened early this morning (March 6), when Salman attended Amrita Arora and Shakeel Ladak's wedding sangeet. Salman who was enjoying himself a little too much was pacing about and then suddenly decided to take off his shirt.

Also attending the party was Shah Rukh Khan. The two actors reportedly had an argument several months ago at Katrina Kaif's birthday bash. As Salman was about to leave reporters asked him about patching-up with SRK. This was when Salman flew off the handle.

And soon after getting furious with reporters Salman Khan who had come to the party in a Mercedes, left instead in an autorickshaw.

(With inputs from Times Now)

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Movie Review : Dhoondte Reh Jaoge

Film: Dhoondte Reh Jaoge (Comedy)
Cast: Kunal Khemu, Sonu Sood, Soha Ali Khan, Paresh Rawal
Direction: Umesh Shukla
Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes
Critic’s Rating:**

True. Dhoondte hi reh jaoge, for that side-splitting comedy that's supposed to give you paisa-vasool entertainment. Though, to be honest, if you still keep looking -- and manage to sit through the tedious first-half -- you might glean a few laughs in the second half, when the film actually tries to spoof all the successful Bollywood films from Sholay to Lagaan.

Paresh Rawal is an unsuccessful film producer who is desperate to make a film and strike a comeback. He gets his chance when Kunal Khemu, a frustrated chartered accountant, decides to junk honesty for char-sau-bisi (fraud), because his behenji-type girlfriend (Soha Ali) is hell bent on settling down. Now behenji, being a fan of Biswajit and other Bengali actors, also dreams of being a big star herself. So her CA boyfriend wants to kill two birds with a stone. He wants to make Rs 100 crore by making a flop film and he wants to cure her of her Bollywood ambitions by casting her as the heroine who will never get a role after the dismal show. The devious duo also manage to rope in the reigning star, Sonu Sood and happily sound the clapper board for their dream venture.

But hey, what's this. The premier show, which was supposed to be a tryst with tomatoes and eggs, turns out to be a heavily applauded affair, with the audience rolling in the aisles at this ungodly mix of Sholay, Gadar and Lagaan. Now that would have been okay, if you were applauding too. Ironically, you end up lamenting the great loss, for the film actually had a great potential and comes loaded with some fine actors. They all try hard but the juvenile script terribly lets them down.

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Bollywoos the black lady

At the 54th Idea Filmfare Awards, the night was forever young at Yash Raj Studios — even at 1.30 am yesterday when the dance floor pulsated with the energetic feet of GenNext’s stars , Ayush Khedekar, Tanmay Chheda, Azharuddin Mohammed, Ashutosh Lobo, Rubina Khan and Tanvi Ganesh. Recognise them?

The Slumdog kids of Mumbai, new to Bollywood, but world-weary already after their trip to Hollywood for the Oscars. All smiles and bubbling with enthusiasm, they had superstar Shah Rukh Khan earlier describing them as the fresh and new talents of Bollywood’s future”. The Bollywood Badshah generously included emcees Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan, who replaced Karan Johar and himself at the glittering function, in his felicitation of the Slumdog Millionaire team and said pointing at the duo, “They are the future, we must nurture them.”

You could see that onscreen rivalry was replaced for Bollywood bonhomie at the 54th Idea Filmfare Awards. Ranbir and Imran, with a wicked sense of humour, ran through the audience like liquid fire, poking fun here, making a jibe there, pulling a leg, raising laughs all the time. When they hit the ‘gay’ note, Dostana filmmaker Karan Johan joined in, with the stunning Deepika Padukone and Konkana Sen Sharma adding the glam bit to the onstage compereing. But it wasn’t only about fun. There were feel-good themes and moments — the need of the recession-hit hour. Hope was the underlining theme and underdogs really stole the show.

Hrithik Roshan and the most deserving Priyanka Chopra bagged the Best Actor and Best Actress award respectively, and Jodhaa Akbar was declared the Best Film, but small budgeted films like Mumbai Meri Jaan (Best Film for Critics Award and Best Screenplay), Oye Lucky Lucky and Rock On also made the grade and took away several honours. Then there was Oscar winner and veteran costume designer Bhanu Athaiya going up at 82 with much grace to collect the Lifetime Achievement Award. “It’s better late than never,” she smiled adding, “costume designers were never taken that seriously in Bollywood even after we got the Oscar home. But young designers are changing that.” The Lifetime Achievement Award was also given to Om Puri by Amitabh Bachchan. And Puri, on a emotional note, recalled his days as “scrawny, long-haired, funny-looking fellow” who dared to dream.

Image via Wikipedia

The nail-biting moments onstage were challenged by scenes offstage that couldn’t be caught by the camera or emcees. Like the Bachchan clan walking in majestically and heading for the front row where already was sitting Bollywood’s grande dame Rekha! And Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan discreetly going backstage when Shahid Kapoor stepped out front to dance; then, sneaking out when he returned to his seat after the performance. Also, the audience thinking Kangana Ranaut in her Best Supporting Actress speech meant boyfriend Adhdhyan when she mentioned “someone special”... only to find the hot actress was describing her sister Rangoli!
Performance wise, Abhishek Bachchan, the lovely Katrina Kaif, newcomer Jackie Bhagnani and Shahid Kapoor set the stage on fire. Bipasha, Rekha and Katrina complimented Shahid. “You rock,” Bips told him. And Rekha added, “You’ll come to collect your Best Actor Award in ten months’ time.” The entire audience put in a performance for double Oscar winner A R Rahman by giving him a standing ovation: he won the Filmfare Award for Best Background Score. Anil Kapoor missed the event but daughter Sonam made up as she came, gave an award and quietly left.

Shah Rukh Khan summed up the feeling of the moment at the 54th Idea Filmfare Awards when he said, “Om Puri recalled his struggling days, and I remember my days when I was also scrawny, long-haired and funny-looking ... but we dared to dream and we made it. So there’s hope for everyone who dreams.”

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Filmfare: 'Jodha Akbar' bags top awards

The 54th Idea Filmfare Awards draws to a close with 'Jodha Akbar' making a clean sweep taking home the Best Movie, Director, Actor, Lyrics and Background Score awards. Priyanka Chopra wins the Best Actress award for 'Fashion'.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO

Best Movie : Jodha Akbar

Best Director : Ashutosh Gowarikar for Jodha Akbar

Best Actor in a Leading role (Male): Hrithik Roshan for Jodha Akbar

Best Actor in a Leading role (Female): Priyanka Chopra for Fashion

Critic Awards

Best Actress : Sahana Goswami for Rock On!

Best Actor : Manjit Singh for Oye Lucky! Lucy Oye!

Best Jury Award : Nishikant Kamat for Mumbai Meri Jaan

Special jury mention to Prateik Babbar and Purab Kohli for Jaane tu ... and Rock on! respectively.

Lifetime Achievement Award : Bhanu Athaiya, Om Puri

Best Actor in Supporting Role (Male): Arjun Rampal for Rock On!

Best Actor in Supporting Role (Female) : Kangana Ranaut for Fashion

Best Dialogue : Manu Rishi for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!

Best Screenplay : Yogendra Vinayak Joshi, Upendra Sidhaye for Mumbai Meri Jaan

Best Story : Abhishek Kapoor for Rock On!

Best Music Director : A R Rahman for Jaane tu...

Best Lyrics : Javed Akhtar for Jashn-e-Bahara (Jodha Akbar)

Best Playback Singer (Male): Sukhwinder Singh for Haule haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)

Best Playback Singer (Female): Shreya Ghoshal for Teri ore... (Singh is Kinng)

Best Sensational Debut (Male): Farhan Akhtar and Imraan Khan

Best Sensational Debut (Female): Asin Thottumkal for Ghajini

Sony Filmfare Best Scene Award: Rab Ne Banadi Jodi

R D Burman Upcoming Talent: Benny Dayal for Ghajini

Technical awards

Best Background Score: A R Rahman for Jodha Akbar

Best Costume : Manoshi Nath for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!

Best Cinematography : Jason West for Rock On!

Best Sound Design : Vinod Subramanyam for Rock On!

Best Choreography : Longines for Pappu Can’t Dance Sala . ( Jaane Tu...)

Best Editing : Amit Pawar for Mumbai Meri Jaan

Best Production Design : Vandan Kataria and Monica Angelica Bhowmick for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!

Best Action : Peter Hein for Ghajini

Best Visual Effects Award : John Deitz for Love Story 2050

ON-STAGE ACTION

And the Blush Award goes to...
Well, this is not a new category but a special award discovered by the hosts Ranbir and Imraan. The nominations for the category were Rekha, Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif , Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta and Shreya Saran.

And the cool dudes chose the eternal beauty Rekha as the deserving candidate for the award.

SRK takes the stage
Deepika and Konkona invite SRK, who’s wearing a cream jacket gifted by friend Karan Johar. The man takes the opportunity to thank Big B, Dharmendra and Govinda, who visited him when he was not well. SRK talks about India’s Oscar win, Rahman and Resul Pokutty’s achievement and honoured the entire Slumdog... team. He also mentioned that he loved Anil Kapoor for his child-like excitement at the Oscars.

Ranbir and Imraan proved to be true brave hearts, when they enacted last years’ hosts SRK and Saif.

Life time achiever talks
Here’s what an elated Bhanu Athaiya said as he received the Lifetime Achievement Award, “This award belongs to my father who introduced me to the world of art. This award goes to those directors who gave me beautiful films. This award goes to the actors who put faith in my work. It’s a beautiful award. I am very happy. Thanks Filmfare.”

Shahid grooves on stage
Shahid Kapoor gets on the Filmfare stage not to present or receive the award but for a cool performance after a long gap. The man grooves on his popular numbers including Aai Pappi , Tum He Ho, Mauja hi Mauja and Nagada Baja from Jab We Met .

“I got all emotional. It is my first award in all these years. It’s special,” says a happy and sentimental Arjun Rampal as he takes home the award for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category.

Producer Vashu Bhagnani’s son Jaccky Bhagnani is performing takes the center stage for a performance.

Meet the new hosts: Konkona and Deepika
Konkana Sen Sharma and Deepika Padukone take over the show as the new hosts of the evening.

Jovial and charming Ranbir and Imraan bow down to music maestro A R Rahman as he takes his first Filmfare award for the evening for Best Background score in Jodha Akbar.

The hosts fort the evening, Imraan Khan and Ranbir Kapoor leaves the audience stunned as the dudes arrive on the stage riding on cool bikes.

The evening opened with a patriotic feel with the Bollywood brigade standing up to the National Anthem.

And soon it’s the time to rock, as the Rock On! man, Farhan takes over the stage. The multi-talented Farhan is performing on the popular Laundry song from Rock On!

THE LATE COMERS

King Khan’s here!
Still recovering post his shoulder surgery, Shah Rukh Khan arrives at the event in a cream suit and black trousers. The man is wearing a sling to support his left shoulder.

When Saif played Bebo’s boy
Just in time comes tinsel town’s hottest couple – Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. The sight to watch was when Saifu stopped on the red carpet only to tie-up Bebo’s blouse.

John-Bipasha get candid
John Abraham walked in with the bong beauty Bipasha Basu. John is sporting a Narendra Kumar black suit, while the lady looks ravishing in a golden saree by Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Gili jewellery. John says, "Bips is just nominated, I hope she wins." I’m very happy, excited...Filmfare is very special...it;s here that I got my best debut award,” quips an elated Bipasha.

Better late than never! Well, Priyanka Chopra is finally here dressed to kill in a gorgeous blue off-shouldered gown. The lady nominated in the Lead Role (Female) category for Fashion quips, "The only similarity that I see in myself and my character in the movie (Meghna Mathur) is that she hailed from a small town and so do I. Though I have been nominated earlier also and had won awards too, but this being my first ever nomination for the Best actress category makes it all the more special.”

Bachchans are finally here!
If you had been missing the Bachchans from the scene, they have arrived just now, with Senior and Junior Bachchan wearing black suits and Bahu Bachchan inan elegant Black and golden saree.

Nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, Abhishek Bachchan expresses, “It's not really about the nomination but about the recognition that an actor gets for his work. Though it's great to be nominated and I'm glad to see my name in the same sentence as that for best actors.

Taking over from hubby, Aishwarya adds, "I completely agree with what Abhi said, it's always nice feeling to be here at this award night among the film fraternity and see everyone applauding for your work.

OFF-STAGE ***-BITS
Hugs all round: Sushmita bumps into Saif and Kareena backstage. The lady is all praises for Kareena and gives a warm hug to the hot couple.

Serious talking: Director Madhur Bhandarkar, Retiesh Deshmukh, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Asha Bhonsle spotted discussing the awards.

Ranbir-Sonam just-friends?: If the excitement is soaring high on the stage, back stage is no less steamy. Just spotted chatting and giggling were ‘just friends’ Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. Where’s Deepika?

THE RED CARPET
The glistening red carpet is already studded with stars as Bollywood's most sought after names make an entry to witness the most coveted award's night - that's full of fun, entertainment, glamour and of course suspense to know who’ll take home the Black Lady tonight!

First to be spotted on the red carpet was the musical trio of Shankar Ehsaan and Loy in all black attires.

Next making an entry was choreographer, singer Shiamak Dawar. So, what’s the man looking forward to? “Well, the highlight of today’s celebrity performances has to be Shahid and Abhishek Bachchan.” But who’s your favourite? “Shahid is my student and is my favourite. Junior AB is full of energy and both are hard workers. Not that others aren’t good but they are very special to me,” shared Dawar on the red carpet in the middle of directing the star performances.

The Rock On! effect
The Rock on! man Farhan Akhtar is already here dressed in a black tuxedo designed by Arjun Bhasin. He is all set to open the starry night with a rocking performance. “ Jodha Akbar and A Wednesday are the toughest competitors for my movie Rock On!, ” shares Akhtar. And what about his nomination in best play back singer category, the star says, “I am simply amazed to be nominated for the singer act,” added an elated Akhtar.

The golden couple, Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi is the next to make an impressive entry. Hear what mom Shabana has to say about son’s nominations? “We are proud of Farhan and his work. Now, let the best movie win,” says Shabana. Akhtar who’s sporting ethnic attire has two nominations in Best Lyrics category for Jashn-e-Bahara (Jodha Akbar) and Socha hai (Rock On!) Shabana is wearing an Anuradha Wakil’s outfit.

Arjun Rampal, who is nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for Rock On! , arrives with wife Mehr Jessia is wearing a Muskino. “It’s really good to be nominated for Rock On! It’s a very special film for me and it’s nice to see it getting acknowledged with such a nomination.”

Love birds on red carpet
The much-debated host of the evening, Imraan Khan is here with girlfriend Avantika.

Kangna Ranaut, who has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for Fashion walks in with beau Adhyayan Suman. The lady looks gorgeous as usual in a black gown.

Hosts: Ranbir, Imraan and...
Karan Johar joins the starry league with mom Hiroo Johar. The buzz around says that, Karan will join the stage with Ranbir Kapoor and Imraan Khan as the hosts of the show.

The Jaane tu ...brigade
Prateik Babbar, who is nominated in Best Supporting Actor category, for his role in Jaane tu... enters in Paul Smith outfit. “I’m feeling good and I am pretty confident about my nomination,” says Babbar. The young actor is also sporting a black shimmery cap, which he intends to wear throughout the evening to keep the luck on his side. Well, it seems the man definitely needs lady luck!

Jaanu tu... star Genelia D’Souza is next to make an impressive style statement in a beautiful black gown. Though the girl doesn’t have a nomination, she is cheering for Jaane tu ... bagging the Best Film nomination. “I have come here to enjoy the evening. It feels great that Jaane tu ... has been nominated

The debut faces make an impact
SRK’s Tani partner from Rab ne..., Anushka Sharma is the next to grace the red carpet in a golden one-shoulder gown designed by fashion designer Gaurav Gupta, while Tabu is wearing a Gavin gown. Sounding modest about her nomination Anushka says, “I have done my best and given my best performance. Now, I want to enjoy the night. I will miss Shahrukh, I wish he was here.”

The babe from the South, who took Bollywood with storm with her role in Gajhni wore the hue of the season –purple. Ask her about her expectations from the night and comes a modest reply, “No expectations really. I am here to have a nice time. It was my first movie and now it’s my first nomination, I’m feeling good.”

Slumdog... sensations
After sweeping off the International award scene with adulations, Slumdog... kids are here on Filmfare red carpet. Before we could wish, legendary music maestro A R Rahman walks the red carpet.

And there are others too...
Keeping with the all black tradition, comes the beautiful Sushmita Sen in an elegant black gown. Alka Yagnik, who is nominated in the Best Playback singer category for Tu muskura... (Yuvvraj)

Preity Zinta enters the starry venue in a black gown, in which she appeared to be a bit uncomfortable. The lady seems to be in a sporty mood, as IPL was all that she crooned for here as well. “This year we are looking forward to a stronger team,” said Preity when asked about her next move in the field. But where’s Ness Wadia? Well, the lady preferred to make a quiet exit.

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Cohen praises Katrina

Rob Cohen met Katrina Kaif at a private dinner party recently. 

The director who has directed movies like The Fast and The Furious, Dragon Heart, Stealth and XXX, was all praise for the beautiful actress. An eyewitness said, “Cohen kept praising her and also showed a lot of interest in the work that she had done so far.” Now will that translate into a role in his film? Over to you, Mr Cohen. 

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Bollywood Box Office

Bollywood Box Office - For the week 6 /02//09 - 12 /02/09
Rank	Movie	No. of weeks	Current Weeks Collections	Total net Gross
1	Dev D	1	8,30,00,000	8,30,00,000
2	Luck By Chance	2	2,93,00,000	13,49,00,000
3	Chal Chala Chal	1	1,40,00,000	1,40,00,000
4	S Crorepati (Dub)	3	1,39,00,000	9,33,00,000
5	Raaz TMC	3	1,17,00,000	25,72,00,000

Hollywood Box Office - Feb18, 2009
Rank	Movie	No. of weeks	Daily Collections	Total net Gross
1	He's Just Not That Into You	2	$1,174,386	$60,291,452
2	Friday the 13th	1	$1,106,198	$46,113,883
3	Taken	3	$996,620	$82,688,256
4	Coraline	2	$975,171	$41,290,322
5	Confessions of a Shopaholic	1	$862,218	$19,726,060
6	Paul Blart: Mall Cop	5	$604,490	$113,720,998
7	The International	1	$575,564	$12,003,985
8	Slumdog Millionaire	14	$569,061	$89,316,895
9	The Pink Panther 2	2	$475,113	$25,175,885
10	Gran Torino	10	$388,260	$130,390,410

Source : www.mid-day.com

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Movie Review : Siddharth: The Prisoner

Film: Siddharth: The Prisoner (Thriller)
Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Sachin Nayak
Direction: Pryas Gupta
Duration: 1 hour 34 minutes
Critic’s rating:***

There's a whole new breed of filmmakers who are trying to find a foothold in Bollywood with their different background. These are the cine-literate folks who have learnt their craft from French, Italian, Iranian art house cinema and their philosophy from existentialists like Kafka and Camus. Small wonder then, director Pryas Gupta chooses to pay tribute to Albert Camus' 1942 classic, The Stranger (L'Etranger) by having our hero pick up a copy from the footpath and walking off lovingly with it. Only this time, the book has been written by Siddharth Roy (Rajat Kapoor), the hero who missed the Booker and somehow ended up in jail. Don't know why. Don't need to know, perhaps.

Having paid his tribute, the director gets on with the business of storytelling. Again an ambiguous, teasing exercise that sees you following our protagonist on his silent jaunts in the streets of Mumbai, as he tries to rebuild his life, after a stint in prison. Having been separated from his wife, he lives in a decrepit room and pounds on a typewriter, creating the new Booker-winning manuscript. Unfortunately, the manuscript gets exchanged for an ungodly wad of notes in a cyber cafe. While the cyber cafe boy (Sachin Nayak) desperately hunts for the underworld's moolah, our writer launches a frenzied search for his manuscript. In between, he takes a break to rebuild bridges with his three-year-old son, only to realise that despite being free, he has carried his prison within him.

A metaphorical film about freedom and desire, the film keeps you engrossed. Firstly, by its explorations on the leitmotif of greed. And secondly, due to Rajat Kapoor's nuanced, almost minimalist act of a man in torment.

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Will our Freida be the next Diane Keaton?

Freida Pinto

Less than a day after Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars, winning eight statuettes, Freida Pinto, has firmly entrenched herself in LA culture. The lady is on her way to acting in a film with Woody Allen.

Confirming this, her sister, Sharon Pinto, who works as a television producer, said, "Yes, Freida has been cast in a film to be directed by Woody Allen, but she is also very busy with her agent in Los Angeles to work out her acting agenda. Currently she is overstressed with all the interviews, the media barrage."

Woody Allen, one of America's iconic directors has made such classics as Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanours, Husbands and Wives and Bullets Over Broadway.

Once married to Mia Farrow, the couple had a messy divorce, when Allen was discovered to be having an affair with one of their adopted daughters.

Despite the scandal, Allen has always been considered one of Hollywood's maverick filmmakers, known for his wit, his zany take on urban relationships, and his eccentric dialogue writing.

Woody Allen

Despite this casting coup, Pinto is shying away from the Indian media currently. "The last two weeks have been difficult for Freida with all the speculation about her personal life in the media.

Some details have been very unsavoury and traumatic for her, and the family at large. Currently she is sleeping and catching some rest in Los Angeles. Also it being Oscar week, she has been in and out of interviews.

We try to keep in touch with her, but then I always have to Google what the LA time is, for she might be asleep! I think it's time to let her be," said sister Sharon, insisting that Freida have some privacy. Well, Los Angeles is miles away from Goa, Freida. Chill out. And congratulations.


•    Freida has been cast in a film to be directed by Woody Allen, but she is also very busy with her agent in Los Angeles to work out her acting agenda. Currently she is overstressed with all the interviews and the media barrage – Sharon Pinto

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Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Kumar haven’t forgotten their past clash; are creating trouble on the sets of Blue

Ego clashes between two co-stars on the sets of a film is a director’s worst nightmare. And that’s just what is giving Blue’s director Anthony D’Souza sleepless nights.

Actors Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Kumar’s ego battle is proving to be hazardous to this film they have surprisingly consented to do together.

We hear that owing to Sanju’s demands, the shoot scheduled for Feb 22 had to be canceled. While some claim that Sanju is putting off shooting with Akshay, many say that Akshay too hasn’t done anything particular to make Sanju comfortable.

Little does everyone remember that the Sanjay-Akshay jhadga dates back to 1994, owing to an incident while working together on Raj Sippy’s Amaanat.

Recalls our reliable source, “Akshay was relatively new in the industry then and Raj was planning to picturise a song on him.

When Sanjay got to know about this, he managed to convince Raj to do the song with him instead of Akshay. And Raj had consented.

15 years down the line, Akshay is still nursing a grouse against Sanjay. He tactfully skirted around the topic and even reminded Sanjay of the Amaanat episode. Things get really difficult when the two are together on the sets.”

Director Anthony though prefers to put a brave face and says, “I don’t have any issues on my shoots.

Sanjay and Akshay will be shooting together only from March 1 and our sets are bring readied. The story about whatever happened on Feb 22 isn’t true.”

From Sanjay’s side, Dharam Oberoi, CEO of Sanjay Dutt productions, says, “Akshay and Sanjay have no issues. The two exchange hugs every time they bump into each other.”

However, a source close to actress Lara Dutta, who is also a part of Blue says, “We were informed that there’s a shoot on Feb 22. But just a few days before the shoot, Lara was told that the shoot was canceled.”

Phew! We wish Anthony all the best.

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Movie Review : Billu

Film: Billu (Drama)
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, Shah Rukh Khan (cameo)
Direction: Priyadarshan
Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes 
Critic’s rating: 

You cast Irrfan Khan in your film and you have half your work already done. The actor takes a role and interprets it in a way that is purely his own. So much so, you begin to wonder where does Irrfan end and Billu begin. Or maybe still, perhaps, there never was a duality between the two. Perhaps Irrfan and Maqbool, Irrfan and Ashoke (The Namesake), Irrfan and Monty (Life in a Metro) are one and same: the actor and the character being perfectly in sync with each other. And no, Irrfan doesn't play it the same always. With his mercurial craft, he has the ability to pitch it high, low, hysterical, restrained, violent, genteel...any which way the script demands.

Here, he plays Billu, the barber (hair dresser, hair stylist or what you will) with an easy charm and an exquisite finesse. As the archetypal Sudama (poor friend), he brings to life a throbbing picture of dignity and restraint, as he tries to cope with his abject poverty on one end and the arrival of his flashy superstar friend, Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) on the other. Sahir is his childhood buddy, going back to those carefree days when the two shared their deprivation with brotherly warmth and care. Billu, the marginally better-off buddy, not only shared his tiffin but also sold his gold ear rings to send showman Sahir to Mumbai for a career in films. And once their paths diverged, he quietly crept back into the shadows with his crumbling barber's shop and his frugal family life, while Sahir got cloistered in his ivory tower that results from too much fame and glamour.

Now that Sahir's back in the picturesque village for a corny film shoot, life doesn't remain the same for laid-back Billu. Everyone gets a whiff of their legendary friendship and wants a slice of the Sahir pie. Everyone, except Billu who doesn't want to embarrass his friend with his decrepit state, despite the fact that the village almost threatens to boycott him and his broken barber's chair.

The film may not have done well in its Tamil version (Kuselan), but Priyadarshan has suitably peppered it with some heart-tugging moments to make it a moving ode to friendship and ordinariness. Of course, Irrfan manages to invest the ordinary with kingly glow, even as Shah Rukh lends the glamour quotient with his filmy naach-gaana. Surprisingly, Lara Dutta too manages to fit in with her deglamourised avtar as the lowly barber's better-half, in crumpled cottons and low-back cholis.

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