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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I haven't lost faith in love: Shahid

The past two years have been one roller-coaster ride for Shahid Kapoor — on a professional high in one instant, on a personal low in the next. Even in 2009, it is promising to see Shahid on a high, both personally and professionally. “Yes, life’s good and I am really enjoying this phase of my life,” says the actor.
After all, it’s hard not to be happy when you’ve been voted the youth icon in an online poll, got six films in hand and a bagful of endorsements. All that in spite of missing from the scene for almost a year now. “I’m all set to make up for my long absence. Being voted as a youth icon is both an honour and very encouraging too. The year has begun on a good note and I don’t want to look back at all,” says Shahid flashing a smile that convinces you that Kareena Kapoor’s indeed a thing of the past. And, never mind that, the duo only recently completed the dubbing for Milenge Milenge, the film that the two had shot when still a couple, Shahid insists he’s moved on and is happy for Bebo too.

However, what he’s not been able to put behind him are the rumours of numerous link-ups, the latest one being with hottie Priyanka Chopra, his co-star in Kaminey. “Well, what can I say? It’s very sweet of people to keep linking me up with somebody or the other. I think they just hate to see me single,” laughs Bollywood’s Prince Charming.

Has the past experience left a bitter taste? “Life throws googlies at you. You catch some, you miss some! But, I haven’t lost faith in love. I am like any normal guy. I would love to fall in love again. But, as of now, I am single,” Shahid sets the record straight. And adds quickly, “I would rather have people talk about my work.”

That shouldn’t be difficult considering his interesting line-up of work — Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey, that sees him play a double role for the first time; Ken Ghosh’s dance film; Yash Chopra’s untitled where he’s paired opposite Rani Mukerji; Ahmed Khan’s Paathshala in which he’s done a cameo; and finally his dad Pankaj Kapoor’s directorial venture. “I am nervous about that one,” he says.
Looking fitter than ever before, and his shirt giving away the slightest indication of the eight-packs he’s been hiding under it, Shahid insists that it’s got nothing to do with hitching on the eight-pack bandwagon. “I’ve always been keen to experiment with my looks as well as my characters on screen, but it’s only of late, that I’ve finally got a chance to do so. And, I’m making the most of it,” says the actor, who’s unwary of moving away from his romantic hero-image.

The young heart-throb is also unfazed when it comes to competition that the new talent coming in every year brings with it, and the over-forty-six-pack-brigade that seems to have almost turned back time. “For me, the only competition every actor has is from his own self and his last performance. As long as an actor’s improving, he’s on his way up already. The seniors have set the bars so high that it’ll ensure that only the best and the most deserving make it to the top. So, more than pressure, it’s inspiring. And I’m really looking forward to this journey,” smiles Shahid. And, it looks exciting.

(Courtesy: The Times of India)

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Love Story 2 : Hurman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra get back together

All those who were glad that Priyanka Chopra was single again after her break-up with Hurman Baweja, there’s news for you. Priyanka and Hurman are trying to get back together. Their dead relationship got a chance to renew itself earlier this month while the two were shooting together in the snowy landscapes of Chicago. Reveals a source, “It seems Priyanka realised how important Hurman is to her life. They were together constantly in Chicago.”

But in such a scenario, where does Priyanka and Shahid Kapur’s growing ‘friendship’stand? A close friend of Priyanka and Hurman jumps to their defence, asking, “Would it mean that Priyanka is dating Shahid if they exchange friendly banter on a social networking website like Facebook? Well, Hurman did ask her about this and that’s when they realised how deeply they care for each other.”

Apparently, the reason for the break-up was Priyanka’s two hits, Fashion and Dostana, and Hurman’s two flops, Love Story 2050 and Victory. Their friend rubbishes such reasons and says, “People forget that Priyanka knew the Baweja family before Hurman took to acting. They’re both working hard on getting back the magic in their relationship, especially Hurman.”

When contacted about their patch-up, Priyanka didged a direct answer by saying, “I will always stand by Hurman.”

She added, “I enjoyed Victory immensely. He came across very well as a cricketer.”

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Wall Paper : Delhi 6

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Return of the Don

SRK-starrer Don 2 to be made with Priyanka Chopra, Arjun Rampal and Boman Irani

Excel Entertainment had put Shah Rukh Khan starrer Don 2 on the back burner because Amitabh Bachchan might soon be part of the sequel to his yesteryear classic Don, to be produced by Nadeem Irani and Nasir Irani, sons of the producer of 1975 Don. SRK's recent shoulder injury had made matters worse. But now everything is sorted out and Excel Entertainment is going ahead with Don 2.

According to our source, Farhan Akhtar will direct the film starring all the four actors who were in Don - Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Arjun Rampal and Boman Irani. On the other hand, the Iranis have made no headway as yet in their plans to make the sequel with Bachchan.
While Shah Rukh, Arjun and Boman had given their consent to Excel Entertainment a long time ago, Priyanka was signed a few days before she went to the US to shoot for Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Rashee?

Our source from Bollywood says, "Authorities at Excel Entertainment were not too sure if they should go with Priyanka, but lately Priyanka has become a big name after delivering back-to-back hits - Fashion and Dostana and winning the best actress award recently. The decision confirming Priyanka's presence in Don 2 was taken only recently."

A source close to Excel Entertainment told Mumbai Mirror, "Don had done rather well with Shah Rukh. Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar (partners in Excel) were very keen that they make the sequel. Things were not falling in place initially, but now everything is sorted out."

Sidhwani confirmed the story and said, "We start shooting Don 2 in January 2010. The entire film will be shot in Berlin and Ireland. Now that we know that Vijay is dead and Shah Rukh is just Don in the film, the remaining part of the story is going to be very interesting."

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I don't want to hurt anyone: Shah Rukh Khan

An interview of Shah Rukh Khan with CNN-IBN on issue of the title of Shah Rukh Khan's film Billu Barber.

The title of Shah Rukh Khan's Billu Barber has upset the salon and hairdressers union. Now with no option left before the release, King Khan has decided to take off the word 'barber' from its publicity posters.

CNN-IBN: It's too late to change the title of the film Billu Barber, but Shah Rukh you're doing everything to not upset anyone?

Shah Rukh Khan: I had a discussion with the association of hair dressers and salons in Maharashtra. And I've pokes to the associations in other cities on the phone. I don't think we were wrong in ever using the word 'barber' and that is what be stand by. But they have their own take on that. The film has been made with a good feeling. So, I'd rather not hurt anyone, because it's not going to affect my film.

CNN-IBN: So what will be your next step since the prints are out and the posters have been put up?

Shah Rukh Khan: We will put a piece of paper on the word 'barber' on the posters and hoardings which belong to the production which is Red Chillies, wherever it can be done. It's a little expensive to try and change the posters which we couldn't have done.

CNN-IBN: The censor cleared your film, so didn't you try to negotiate with these associations? Did you try to make them understand that the term 'barber' isn't a derogatory one?

Shah Rukh Khan: If they understood that they wouldn't have had an issue with it. In this case I was very clear that there is no legality involved and I would just like to make sure that people aren't unhappy. I think I'm also a little mellow since I'm going for my surgery, so I don't want to hurt anyone.

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Movie Review : Dev D

Film: Dev D (drama)
Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahi Gill, Kalki Koechlin
Direction: Anurag Kashyap
Duration: 2 hours 52 minutes
Rating: ****

THANK God for the mavericks, the non-conformists, the infidels, the les enfant terribles. They make things happen when kitsch becomes king; when creativity crumbles; when formula pervades, fungus-like. Imagine a world without rule breakers. And then imagine, like Anurag Kashyap: unbridled, unbounded, ungrounded....

Indeed, Dev D is one such flight of fancy from the filmmaker that definitely defies all conventions and demolishes all moulds. Not only does it rewrite the technique of the artistic medium, with its unusual cinematography, dizzy editing, non-linear plot narration, turn-of-the-century dialogues and breathtakingly bizarre audio track (music: Amit Trivedi, lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya), it completely revises the ancient text which has already made its mark in its various avtars , the latest being the high-pitched rendition of the self-destructive hero by Shah Rukh Khan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas.

Kashyap has always been a contrarian filmmaker, consciously steering away from traditional Bollywood with films like Black Friday, Paanch, No Smoking. However, while his earlier films were an innovative search for his groove and rhythm, Dev D is like that heady cocktail which has the vodka pitched perfectly with the tang. (Incidentally, Dev D likes his vodka with thumbs up, washed down in unlimited portions, morning, noon and night!) Set against the rich rural backdrop of Punjab and Paharganj (Delhi), the film traces the self-destructive sojourn of a young, contemporary hero who mirrors the existential angst of the proverbial outsider, made legendary in the writings of Satre, Camus, Kafka, Kerouac and the ballads of Kurt Cobain.

But Dev D (Abhay Deol), unlike Devdas, isn't a blast from the past. In his rootlessness, his lack of purpose and his complete disconnect with the real (read traditional) world, he reflects the mindset of the archetypal new millennium 20-something who doesn't know how to blend tradition with modernity, permissiveness with orthodoxy, Oxford with Bhatinda. And so, he asks his childhood sweetheart, Paro (Mahi Gill) to send him her nude photographs through e-mail, yet can't handle the quandary about her virginity and pronounced sexuality. In a fit of aggrieved machismo, he spurns her wild sexual adventurism which sees her cycling to the neighbouring fields at the break of dawn with a mattress meticulously rolled up on the carrier for a clandestine tryst with him. (Ever seen the bharatiya naari do this in Indian cinema? Bravo, brave new Bollywood!) Little does he realise that Paro isn't mere putty in his hand and is unwilling to subject herself to any kind of ‘emotional atyachar', in the name of love.

Having given vent to her anger and pain, she simply moves on while the already disconnected Dev becomes even more dysfunctional with his alcohol and drug addiction. He moves to a seedy hotel in Paharganj and ends up after a drunken stupour in young Chanda's (Kalki Koechlin) pink and purple boudoir. Once again, Kashyap reinterprets the self-sacrificing courtesan, Chandramukhi in completely post-modern terms. Here, she is Lenny, the schoolgirl who ends up as the sex worker, Chanda, after being disowned by family and friends because she featured in a lewd MMS, that sent the whole nation in a lustful tizzy. `And they call me a slut!' exclaims the feisty escort who attends college by day and plays Florence Nightingale in shorts by night.

The relationship between Dev and Chanda begins with hate, scorn and derision with the decadent Dev unleashing his chauvinism and me-centrism on the hooker. But when the haze of cocaine lifts, the heartburn begins, once again. After having stooped to unimaginable lows, our hero dreams of a second chance. Will he get it or is Devdas destined to waste away forever? The last we saw him was at a non-descript momo joint in the seedy by-lanes of Paharganj, waiting for nirvana. Of course, he's all by himself, since proud little Paro's moved on and survivor Chanda's too strong to play doormat, willing to give up her slutty ways, for love alone.

Dev D is indeed a coming-of-age film, not merely for the protagonist, Devender Singh Dhillon, but it is a brilliant breakthrough for Bollywood too. It really doesn't matter whether the film ends up as a box office scorcher. What matters is the fact that for the discerning viewer, Dev D is a tryst with milestone cinema, reminiscent of Baz Luhrmann's Shakespeare-shaken-and-stirred in Romeo and Juliet. Kashyap, however, gets even more adventurous and adds a progressive flourish to both the plot and the characters which are played to perfection by the three lead players. If Mahi and Kalki are riveting new finds, assured of a long innings in cinema, then Abhay Deol adds a whole new meaning to the term `Unconventional Hero'. Manorama Six Feet Under, Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye were just teasers. Dev D is the class act from the Deol who cleverly flew over the cuckoo's nest. Don't miss this film which completely reinvents the musical love story, with zany numbers like ‘emosanal atyachar', ‘saali khushi', ‘nayan tarse' and the rest. More importantly, it might just go down in history as one of the most radical Indian films, at least in its delineation of male and female sexuality.

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She's ready for action

Asin saves a little boy from being run over

Asin jumped from her car to save a child on one of the busiest road in Andheri. A source said,"Asin was in her car near Infinity Mall, Andheri, when she saw a little boy standing right in the middle the road. The poor boy seemed lost and looked complately puzzled with all the cars whizzing by. So much so that he didn't notice a car rushing towards him.

Asin simply ran out of her car, jumped across the barrier, lifted the child and in the process, lost her balance and fell with a thud. The child fell on Asin and was saved. Asin, however suffered severe bruises on her arm and wrist. She did not feel any pain at that moment but was shocked to find swollen hands on the following day. Her arms were wrapped in bandages for several days and Asin had to wear full sleeve costumes for her photo shoots."

Asin confirmed but refused to divulge any other details, she said, " this is somthing personal, I don't want to talk about it."

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Movie Review : Luck By Chance

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Dimple Kapadia, Isha Sharwani, Rishi Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Hrithik Roshan
Writer-Director: Zoya Akhtar
Rating: ****

It is easy to fall in love with every performance in this intimate yet generic insider's look at the workings of the entertainment industry.

But the one that I carried home with me was Sheeba Chadha. A marvel of subtle writing, Sheeba plays a podgy, cunning but simple-hearted producer's sister-in-law whose husband (Aly Khan) is carrying on with a struggling starlet right under her naïve eyes.

One not-so-pleasant afternoon, Sheeba barges into her husband's van and sees a red-nosed bleary-eyed Konkona Sen Sharma (who has just been told she doesn't get a role she has been waiting all her career for). Sheeba senses what's going on. But she quickly digresses her mind from her husband's extra-marital affair.

The industry is filled with such deliberately desensitised people who function within the fickle and frighteningly flamboyant film industry with gut-wrenching self-delusion.

"Luck By Chance" -- a truly out-of-the-box outstanding work of subtle, sly, satirical and whispering art -- is filled with people whom you're bound to have met in the fetid corridors of Bollywood or the Hindi film industry, as the star-mother Dimple Kapadia insists on calling it.

Never before has the film industry been perceived with such intuitively internalised abundance. A subtle splendour galvanised by performances that range from the credible to the incredible takes the narrative to pinnacles of expressiveness.

The performances help to ignite the characters into states of subtle yet vivid shades. The ambitious mother-daughter (Dimple-Isha Sharwani) pair, the strugglers, wannabes and losers...oh yes, every character in "Luck By Chance" possesses a luminously lived-in quality, bringing to the surface feelings, thoughts and images that are normally not brought out on screen.

Every player -- parodic, poignant and pitched perfectly -- makes savage fun of the very foibles that they probably practice with masterful manipulative hands in real life.

Zoya Akhtar gets into the star space without a moment's aggression in her storytelling. The moments that define the relationships are built stealthily. This is a world that every person in the Mumbai film industry (for Dimple's sake, let's not call it Bollywood!) knows first-hand.

The debutante director occupies that space with unostentatious spirit, nurturing interludes between characters (the two strugglers Farhan Akhtar-Konkona, producer-wife Rishi Kapoor-Juhi Chawla, ideologically separated co-actors Farhan-Arjun Mathur) with the cautious care of a mother who wants to bring up her child with the right values without drawing attention to her nurturing acumen.

This is a work of tender, subtle care with moments whose immense value strikes you after the wonderfully conversational dialogues (Javed Akhtar at his expressive best) have had their say.

At heart, "Luck By Chance" is a story of one man's plunge into the morass of compromise as he heads towards his dreams. Farhan gets what can only called another chance to do the histrionic dance. As he goes from wide-eyed wannabe to a morally devalued creature, the narrative charts his course with savage humour.

Farhan's scenes with the nakedly adulatory star daughter(Isha playing dumb dead-on) are designed as a blend of satirical erotica and ideological annihilation. Farhan gets it right.

This is a work that oozes outstanding acting talent from every nook and corner. Whether it's Aly as a on-the-move producer or Arjun as a struggling actor who would rather struggle in theatre than compromise, every character plays a person you've met if you've ever been a part of the Mumbai film industry.

Super stand-out performances by Rishi, Dimple, Sheeba, Hrithik Roshan(as a superstar on the skids) and of course, Konkona, whose best performance this is.

On the deficit side, (yes even a film of such high order must face the music) the narrative with its inbuilt jokes and references is too much a Bollywood insider's job, largely inaccessible to the common man who wouldn't know the name of Ranbir Kapoor's secretary and couldn't care less.

On most levels, "Luck By Chance" stands tall and luminous, portraying the world of arclights with a synthesis of style, sympathy and substance that is the opposite of the synthetic way the world of showbiz is generally portrayed in cinema.

What stays with you are moments like the one where the struggling hero approaches the once glamorous star mother at a party and wins her over... a moment that builds up into a muffled explosion of ambitious scheming achieved at a place where the sound of broken hearts is inaudible.

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Dev D - a punk and grunge version of 'Devdas'

Nine cinematic versions of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's immortal love story Devdas have been released since the first silent film in 1928. Now Anurag Kashyap is ready with the 10th version, titled Dev D releasing on Friday - a fresh, contemporary take on the romance that breaks all its typecasts.

"I scripted the film on the basis of news headlines on the Gen-X because I wanted to take the angle of today's youth in the film," Kashyap said over phone from Mumbai.

Produced by UTV Bindaas, the film has Abhay Deol in the title role. Newcomers Mahi Gill and Kalki Koechlin play the female leads.

While the previous adaptations were set in Kolkata and the protagonist was shown as a zamindar's son, Kashyap's film is set in rural Punjab and also explores the dingy, morbid and dark underbelly of Delhi. For a change, the protagonist Dev (Abhay) is a rich industrialist's son.

Dev, who was sent to London, returns to his hometown and his childhood sweetheart Paro (Mahi) after 12 years. But his life is turned upside down when he finds out that Paro is married off to someone else.

While Paro picks up the thread of her life and moves on with grit and dignity, Dev, soaked in self-pity, drowns himself in darkness and hopelessness.

While mourning his lost love, Dev comes across a prostitute called Chanda (Kalki) who lives life on the edge. After a disastrous MMS scandal, she is disowned by her family and is forced into isolation.

Kashyap captures the sensibilities, conflict, aggression and recklessness of youth today through these characters.

The music of the film can already be heard in discotheques and cars in cities. Its 18 tracks include Rajasthani, Punjabi and Awadhi folk numbers.

Abhay is very confident about the film.

"Devdas has been made before, but this one has a very new, fresh and out of the box approach. Nobody had ever thought of making Devdas in this contemporary way," said Abhay.

"Dev D adopts an unusual and contemporary approach and I think that is exactly what will work for the film because it will be like a revelation to the people. It's always good to turn a stereotype image and experiment with it," he added.

While the 1955 version by Bimal Roy and the last remake in 2002 by Sanjay Leela Bhansali won audiences' hearts, what is to be seen is whether Kashyap's modern version of the twisted Bengali romance manages to strike a chord with film buffs.

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