The Year 2010 Survey in Bollywood Eyes

The Year 2010 Survey in Bollywood Eyes: Is it accurate to say that you are joking? The letter 'R' continued repeating in 2010. The most gigantic setback of the year Raavan and one of the greatest hits of the year Raajneeti imparted the 'R' component. Undoubtedly Ranbir Kapoor was the star of the year while Rahman, the maestro from Chennai lost some of his sheen with reprehensible defers and average scores like Raavan and Jhootha Hi Sahi.

The largest chartbuster of the year originated from the flat profile Lalit Pandit whose 'Munni Badnaam Hui' right away united the ranks of the ritziest article songs in Bollywood, on a standard with 'Kajra Re' and 'Beedi Jalai Le'. It likewise launch the sizzling Malaika Arora to dizzying statures of magnificence. Malaika will now move just for her spouse maker Arbaaz Khan's films and will obviously support the mark of salve that the song so alluringly takes up conversation about.

Mark support and Bollywood ended up inseparably reinforced in 2010. When stars were not shooting emphasize films (and a hefty portion of the advancing women were not) they were shooting advertisements. And then when they weren't shooting advertisements they were shooting their mouths off to the media. Generally there were constantly the stage exhibitions.

Also AR Rahman's World Tour, there were no major planet-show tours from Bollywood in 2010. 2011 will see Ranbir Kapoor bring off for his first ever exist display onto every part of the universe.

In the event that A-lister stars were not heading to the stage they brought off for TV. Priyanka Chopra showed some luscious derring-do on Fear Factor. The Big B and Salman Khan chose to steerage Kaun Banega Crorepati and Bigg Boss, separately. Akshay Kumar selected to do a cookery indicate The Master Chef which unfortunately did not make be finger-licking exceptional.

In 2010, Ranbir loaned his cool clout remainder to Prakash Jha's blockbuster political acting piece Raajneeti. Later around the same time as the year came the unexpected clanger Anjaana Anjaani which gloated of the virgin Ranbir-Priyanka combine (Maybe the deficiency lay with the statement Anjaana. No films with that title Anjaana, Do Anjaane, Anjaan Rahein has ever done well).

Crowds leaned toward the attempted and tested Ranbir-Katrina jodi. That true blue-existence jodis don't tackle screen was again substantiated for the present year with the failure of Raavan carrying the smoking-and-desired true blue-existence jodi of Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The back-to-back good fortune and disappointment, individually, of Raajneeti and Raavan within several weeks of each one in turn came as a stun to the film industry. What precisely does the crowd need? Stars they adoration? Then how do we illustrate the appallingly level opening of Mani Shankar's and Rahul Dholakia's Sanjay Dutt starrer Knock Out and Lamhaa?

The create newcomers was shockingly sub-standard in 2010. Notwithstanding an Anaitha Nair in Nagesh Kukunoor's Aashayein and an Aditya Roy Kapoor in Action Replayy and Guzaarish, there was not a solitary revamped encounter crowds would be able to take home to Mom…or Dad.

Salman Khan, who presented the Katrina Kaif carbon copy Zarine Khan prior the same time as the year in the container-office disaster Veer, did a much preferred work of introducing Sonakshi Sinha in the year's crush hit Dabangg. Sonakshi was undoubtedly the revelation of the year.

In a year messed with immense catastrophes enjoy Anurag Basu's pricey Kites and Mani Ratnam's dicey Raavan, Dabangg was the encounter-saver. Maker Arbaaz Khan is still checking the benefits. The film impelled Salman in advance of the different Khan superstars for a brief period of time.

An additional Khan, Imran had a hit in debutant head Punit Malhotra's I Hate LUV Storys, which was in addition Sonam Kapoor's job's first bonafide good fortune. Later at the same time as the year her home preparation Aisha was pretty thanda and not so cool. The chief Rajshri Ojha was virtually lost in the film's originator chatter.

There were some critical debutant heads for the present year. Vikram Motwane blew our brain with his developing into an adult adventure Udaan. Siddharth Malhotra operated a unlikely throwing overthrow in his directorial make a big appearance We Are Family when he carried as a single unit Kajol and Kareena Kapoor. Abhishek Chaubey formed a unexpected acting piece of sex, desire, killing and unlicensed intercourse with Ishqiya set in the bovine cinch. Without alluring trappings Ishqiya was a sleeper hit about country India and its obsession for unfaithfulness. Later around the same time as the year debutant chief Anusha Rizvi's Peepli (LIVE) too did well enough for us to collect that country India was once more on the Bollywood guide.

Period films as a sort endured a setback with Veer and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey slipping up to draw in the swarms. By year-close it was clear that the disillusionments at the crate office far exceeded the triumphs.

In the interim Sanjay Dutt and Nandita Das, who once starred as one in a film called Pitaah, ended up being glad guardians. Sanju and his wife Manyata were favored with twins while Nandita and her businessperson hubby Subodh Maskara were favored with a toddler kid.

Vivek Oberoi got married in what he called an orchestrated-cum-adoration-zyada marriage. Vivek had several films to his credit for the present year unique head Kookie Gulati's Prince and veteran Ram Gopal Varma's Rakht Charitra. By year-close, the star framework was again at flat ebb. At the same time nearsighted makers kept on to pay them unheard-of costs.

Excluding Aamir Khan, no different performing artist Bollywood can tempt crowds into theatres. So why pay them in multi-crores?

Chance to pose these concerns everywhere on again in 2011.

Most Smarter Producer: Aamir Khan or Shahrukh Khan?

Most Smarter Producer: Aamir Khan or Shahrukh Khan?: Media has pitted Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan loads of times against each other. While some say that the debate as to who is greater is futile, there is nothing more delightful to a movie buff than comparisons.

Just like cricket lovers love to have their say on the issue- who, between Tendulkar and Bradman, is a greater batsman; similarly, the comparison between Aamir and Shahrukh is a fantasy for the film lovers.

If we talk of Aamir and SRK as producers, then one can say that Aamir has done what the King Khan has failed to do. Aamir has smartly carried out his films from the whirlpool of controversies and accorded them huge publicities which have lured the audience to the theatres.

Be it ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ or the non-starry ‘Peepli Live’ or the hearty ‘Taare Zameen Par’, there has been no dearth on his part. And no complaints! Viewers have relished what he has offered.

In fact, recently, Hindustan Kanojia Association objected to his naming his upcoming film ‘Dhobi Ghat’. But Aamir instead of bowing down to their stupid demands went ahead and won a court case. The court found nothing objectionable or insulting in the name ‘Dhobi Ghat’.

Unfortunately, Shahrukh had to scissor out the word ‘Barber’ from his film ‘Billu Barber’ which later released under the stripped name of mere ‘Billu.’ Perhaps, SRK needs to take a leaf or two out of Aamir’s books when it comes to stringent movie production.

Tees Maar Khan Masala Review

Tees Maar Khan Masala Review: Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om were smashing tributes to the wholesome entertainers of 1970s, Farah Khan's brand new outing Tees Maar Khan will make the most absurd, bizarre and wacky cinema of yore pale in comparison. Not just your cell phone, even your brain needs to be put on 'switched off' mode at the commencement of this film. Farah's fundas are very clear: Ask no questions and abandon all faith in logic, reason and rationale. Only then can you relish Tees Maar Khan.

Knowing Farah and her love and obsession for masala films of yore, it's foolhardy to expect thought provoking cinema from her. Tees Maar Khan belongs to the hardcore masala variety, which was savored with glee by the hoi polloi then and which continues to be hugely popular at single screens to this day. But unlike her past endeavours, Farah looks at the West for inspiration this time around.

Tees Maar Khan is the desi adaptation of Peter Sellers' 1966 Italian film After The Fox [CACCIA ALLA VOLPE], which now enjoys a cult following, but it bears the Farah Khan stamp in every frame. Like Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, Tees Maar Khan is also a formula-ridden outing with tadka-maar-ke entertainment.

Creating heist films is tricky and tough. The director should ensure that action, thrills and wit are mixed and merged in right doses and Tees Maar Khan amalgamates it all with charming results, mainly in the first half. In fact, Farah's distinctive style transforms the simple premise into a truly vitalizing thriller that can be replicated, but rarely matched. She chooses to once again make a film she is most comfortable making and sticks to the staple formula of action, comedy and full-on masala. What really stands out is the relative effortlessness with which she handles the material.

On the flipside, the film slips towards the second hour. You feel that way primarily because the first hour is thoroughly entertaining with a good number of laugh-inducing sequences and three solid songs and though the second half is engaging at times, it doesn't measure up to the first half in terms of the entertainment quotient.

Final word? Tees Maar Khan is a film that will see a big divide in opinion: The masses may admire it, while the hard-nosed aficionados and connoisseurs of cinema will loathe it. For me, Tees Maar Khan worked in parts only.

Only once in a blue moon is such a great criminal born who is fearless as well as shameless! Tees Maar Khan [Akshay Kumar] steals cons and cheats all with such alarming audacity that even shame shies away from him. He and his gang comprising of Dollar, Soda and Burger have managed to keep the police, world over, on their toes.

Then one fine day international antique smugglers, the Johri Brothers, assign Tees Maar Khan the biggest con job of his life. He must rob antiques worth Rs. 500 crores from a heavily-guarded moving train. Will Khan and his gang, with some unwitting support from his wannabe-actress girlfriend Anya [Katrina Kaif] and the Oscar-greedy Bollywood superstar [Akshaye Khanna], be able to pull off this heist?

Tees Maar Khan is a crazy ride. Nearly everything in this picture is amusing, riotous and over the top. It's loaded with many laughter-inducing moments, with everyone exhibiting immaculate and faultless comic timing. The slapstick quotient is on the higher side, but there's plenty of verbal comedy as well.

Ashmith Kunder and Shirish Kunder's script wastes no time in establishing the ways and means of the heist. Once you get a hang of the goings-on, once you throw logic out of the window, there's ample pleasure to seek in this humorous entertainer which does not claim to break new ground. I'd like to make a special mention of the film's dialogue [Ashmith and Shirish], which comes across as the perfect garnish to the proceedings.

Of course, Tees Maar Khan is not without its share of slip-ups. The film gets messy in the second half, especially since Farah and her team of writers attempt to pack just about everything in this hour. Also, a couple of scenes don't register well. The sequence involving the 'headless ghost' appears futile. The heist is plain ordinary and doesn't conjure up the magic on screen. The finale in the courtroom and the premiere of the film fall flat as well. Even the comic scenes fail to evoke mirth in the latter half. The tracing-paper-thin plot comes to the fore in this half, frankly.

Talking of its soundtrack, the expectations are humungous again, since Akshay, Farah and Vishal-Shekhar team up to create a mass-friendly soundtrack. 'Sheila Ki Jawani' is highly energetic and stimulating and has already made its excessive presence felt. 'Wallah Re Wallah' is another track that stands out. The presence of Salman Khan in this number will cast a spell on viewers. The title track, repeated throughout the film, is truly wonderful. The choreography of all songs is top notch. Background score [Shirish Kunder] is apt. The review would be incomplete without acknowledging the contribution by cinematographer P.S. Vinod. The titles during the end credits are lovely.

Farah plays it smart by choosing to cast actors who fit their roles perfectly. Akshay Kumar dominates the proceedings, as always. The requirement of the role was, he has to be loud and hammy and it works well here. In this one, he is neither a nerd nor a geek; he portrays a hero and does a swell job. Akshaye Khanna springs a big surprise. Enacting the role of an Oscar-hungry superstar, the film explores the funny side of Akshaye very well. He has a substantial role, which he carries off with conviction.

Katrina looks drop dead gorgeous and scorches the screen in the 'Sheila Ki Jawani' track. In fact, she has never looked so alluring. Raghu and Rajiv are superb. Akshay's three cronies compliment each other wonderfully well. Aarya Babbar is sure to be noticed. Murli Sharma and Aman Verma's try very hard to be funny, but fail. Apara Mehta is first-rate. Sudhir Pandey is fantastic. The villagers are mere props. Sachin Khedekar and Vijay Patkar are okay. Salman Khan makes an appearance in a song [electrifying], while Anil Kapoor appears in a cameo towards the end.

On the whole, every movie buff has humungous expectations from Tees Maar Khan since it's already very high on hype. Firstly, fulfilling colossal expectations is an arduous task and over-hyping makes the task even more complex. Tees Maar Khan is more of a tribute to old-school Hindi cinema, with a fabulous first half and a strictly average second half. The Christmas weekend and vacations across the globe will ensure a record start in its opening weekend. If only its content was powerful enough, it would've truly been a tees maar entertainer!

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif: Most downloaded stars of the year

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif: Most downloaded stars of the year: Bollywood’s pin-up boy Salman Khan and the most gorgeous actress Katrina Kaif have emerged as the most downloaded celebrities by Indian mobile users for 2010.

According to a study titled 'airtel Mobitude 2010' which is based on over 25 million images and wallpapers downloaded by airtel mobile users, Katrina is the most downloaded actress, followed by Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai to feature among the top five category.

In the male actor’s category, Salman Khan has beaten the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Shahid Kapoor to grab the top spot.

Toonpur Ka Superhero Preview

Toonpur Ka Superhero Preview: Toonpur Ka Superrhero, India’s first motion picture that combines animation with live action, promises fun for kids during Christmas this year.

The film stars Ajay Devgan and Kajol in lead roles. The movie is conceived and directed by Kireet Khurana and has music by Anu Malik.

Aditya (Ajay Devgan), a film superstar, and his wife Priya (Kajol) have achieved all the success they have dreamed of. But their children (played by Amey Pandya and Chinky Jaiswal) would rather have a father who is a real life hero, not just a reel hero.

Aditya wants to redeem himself in the eyes of the children when suddenly the opportunity comes knocking on his door and he finds himself in Toonpur.

Toonpur is the land of his children’s favourite cartoons, where he has to fight the toonasaurs (bad toons) to save the Devtoons (good toons).

Aditya meets a number of toon characters like the sexy Loveena, the music freak Guppy, the geeky Lappy, the sagacious Gyaandev, the big fat Beegben, the constable Pandu and a kid named Bolly.

Produced by Kumar Mangat and Krishika Lulla, Toonpur Ka Superrhero is set to release on December 24.

Ash, Bebo, Freida, Kim, Alicia or Fergie: who is the best in Yellow?

Ash, Bebo, Freida, Kim, Alicia or Fergie: who is the best in Yellow?: Celebs from Hollywood to Bollywood love to shine in gold, but from the East to the West; who wears the yellow dress best? Check out our pics of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Fergie, Freida Pinto, Alicia Silverstone, Kareena Kapoor and Kim Kardashian here to pick your favorite star in yellow.

Freida Pinto looks cute in pretty much anything but yellow is definitely her color as it matches her hair color perfectly. Hollywood hottie Alicia Silverstone shines on the red carpet in her yellow number and it looks like being vegetarian pays off!

Kareena Kapoor looks playful in her yellow number and she matches it nicely with a red bag and a colorful bracelet. TV reality star Kim Kardashian goes for the pretty look as she poses in a short, golden outfit.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan makes a glam statement with her yellow dress as she opts for a longer outfit with simple accessories. Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie does the same but adds a little sexy necklace.

So, let you decides that who is the beauty that most fit in Yellow Dress. Leave your comments bellow:

Aruna Shields, Sonakshi Sinha - the fastest growing celebrities on Google

Aruna Shields, Sonakshi Sinha - the fastest growing celebrities on Google: Who were the most googled celebs by Indian netizens in the year 2010? Amusingly the bikini-clad Prince - It's Showtime babe Aruna Shields tops the fastest rising personality category, according to the data released by google.

The second position is taken by the Dabangg girl Sonakshi Sinha.

It was not just for her spunky role in Prince that Aruna bagged the crown of the fastest rising personality on google, the credit also goes to her dare-bare scenes in Mr Singh Mrs Mehta.

The revelations are the results of 2010 online study by Google Zeitgeist.

If you are like these stars then leave comments below:

'Kaalo' Review

'Kaalo' Movie Review: Director Wilson Louis’s latest offering Kaalo is perhaps the first Indian horror film to be set and shot entirely in daylight. But does it scare the daylights out of you, the viewer? Sometimes it does, sometimes not.

The film is essentially the story of a witch named Kaalo who kills young girls to attain immortality. She lived in a Rajasthan village named Kulbhata about 250 years ago. But before she could attain immortality, she was killed by the villagers. But she returned from the dead and the scared villagers fled, leaving Kulbhata a ghost village. Anyone who ventures into the village faces the wrath of Kaalo who’s now an ugly creature with bear-feet, grotesque shape, bat wings, and a lot of icky stuff dripping from her limbs.

A bus carrying a bunch of passengers to a nearby village Kuldevi steers into Kulbhata, the witch’s killing field. In the bus is a little girl (Swini Khara), who becomes the prime target of the witch. In the course of the story, every one of the passengers is hacked to death by the blood-thirsty witch. One passenger (Aditya Shrivastav), who’s carrying a lot of explosive material, finally locks horns with the witch to save the girl.

Wilson Louis, who gave the dud Mallika earlier this year, manages to create some really scary moments in the film. But there are a lot of places where the pace slackens, something not good for a horror film. What’s most disappointing is the final showdown between Aditya and Kaalo. The ease with which the witch is slain makes you laugh out loud.

Still, Kaalo is watchable because of some spooky chills it gives and the excellent cinematography by Pushpank Gawde.

'Mirch' Review

'Mirch' Review: Let’s toss aside the lofty claim of ‘India’s first erotic film’ that has given the impression to many gullible movie buffs out there that director Vinay Shukla’s film Mirch is a sure-fire testosterone tickler. The film does have mild doses of eroticism, both visual and verbal, but what catches your fancy isn’t the romps of cheating wives or the obvious sexual innuendoes in the dialogues, but how cleverly and cunningly the women are shown to assert their sexuality.

Maanav (Arunoday Singh) plays a struggling writer-filmmaker who pens a script that has no takers. His girlfriend Ruchi (Shahana Goswami), who’s also a film editor, introduces him to a producer (Sushant Singh). The producer hears the script and doles out his nugget of wisdom: “Sex sells.”

So Maanav narrates a story from Panchtantra in which a wife (Raima Sen) is caught red-handed by her husband (Rajpal Yadav) while she’s making love to another man (Arunoday Singh). The tale’s not quintessentially about adultery but about how the wife manages to get out of the situation by using her subtle manipulations and wit.

Bingo! says the excited producer and tells Maanav to pen three more such stories that could be clubbed together in one film.

The second story is a period piece featuring Konkona Sen Sharma as the oversexed wife of a regal (Prem Chopra) giving rose petal baths to the senapati and making love to him on moonlit nights while her frail old hubby watches all the action live from atop a tree. The third story (Shreyas Talpade, Raima and Arunoday) and the fourth (Boman Irani and Konkona) are set in modern times.

Director Vinay Shukla tackles a bold subject with a mix of flair and fudge. He pitches the first two stories beautifully, but botches up the following two. There’s a thread of humour running throughout the course of the stories, but it peaks in the tale featuring Konkona and Ila Arun.

The leading ladies, Raima and Konkona, are the lifelines of Mirch. Raima exudes sensuality in her every move, gesture, coy smile, battling of eyelids, while Konkona falls back more on her acting and dialogues to do the needful. There’s more of Arunoday Singh in the film than you wish to see. He’s all beefed up - the very symbol of masculinity and virility. In supporting roles, Ila Arun is a treat to watch, while Boman Irani is over the top. Shreyas Talpade and Shahana do perform well.

‘Mirch’ has some very interesting moments in the first half. The second half is a bit of a drag. The song ‘Badra’ does stick to your tongue and so do some of the dialogues which are laced with obvious innuendoes. In one scene Rajpal Yadav lies prostrate on the bed after the day’s hard work while Raima gives him foot massage. She quips: “Kaam ki thakaan toh kaam se hi jaati hai.”

See, it offers this kind of gentle titillation.

Tera Kya Hoga Johnny Preview - Neil Nitin Mukesh in action

Tera Kya Hoga Johnny Preview - Neil Nitin Mukesh in action: Tera Kya Hoga Johnny is a thriller cum show where feelings like insatiability, lust, love, double-crossing and trust procure a brand new implication in a Mumbai that urgently needs to be Shanghai.

Composed and administered by Sudhir Mishra, the film stars Neil Nitin Mukesh, Shahana Goswami, Kay Kay Menon, Soha Ali Khan, Karan Nath and Sikander Agarwal in leading roles.

The picture tells the story of Parvez (Neil Nitin Mukesh) who desires to be a part of the 'India Shining' dream. His essence is torn in the middle of his distress to run distant with the love of his existence Divya (Shahana Goswami) who is married to a degenerate contact cop Chiple (Kay Kay Menon) and his responsibility to his clan. Parvez ought to get rich and actual snappy. The situation is that he has no idea how!

When Parvez chooses to steal Chiple's unwell gotten coin stashed in an even, it sets into motion a thrilling ride of passions that overwhelms not simply his essence but likewise of a cafe conveyance youngster (Sikandar Agarwal).

The film is also the story of Priti (Soha Ali Khan) and Vishal (Karan Nath). She is a small time model fighting the good fight and he, the typical cocaine snorting big dream loser on the invariable and inexorable spiral into crime. Intertwined in the lives of these characters are Chutta (Vijay Maurya), a drug dealer who wants to corporatize the trade, his eunuch sugar momma Begum (Saurabh Shukla) and a mysterious billionaire who gets drawn into their lives.

They are all playing a game called Life. They are all waiting to ride on that one wave.

Tera Kya Hoga Johnny has music by Pankaj Awasthi, Abhishek Ray and Ali Azmat. The film is set to release on December 17.

No Problem Review - Anil Kapoor's latest film

No Problem Review - Anil Kapoor's latest film: It’s more obnoxious than the thunderous fart of a gorilla! Mercifully, I haven’t been at the receiving end of one (so far), but having watched director Anees Bazmee’s latest claptrap called No Problem, I almost know how it feels like to be blown away by something as malodorous as an ape breaking wind.

Comedy - no, attempted comedy - plumbs to a new low in No Problem, and partners in this cinematic crime are as much the film’s leading stars as its overconfident director. Success shoots faster than champagne to some folks’ heads and No Problem indeed has Bazmee smugly reminding us that he is the man who’s given Bollywood comedies like No Entry, Welcome and Singh Is Kinng - as if they all were masterpieces.

In No Problem the director falls back on the same formula and cobbles together a threadbare plot, with an eye solely on making the audiences laugh any which way. So if it calls for a schizophrenic wife (Sushmita Sen) to love her hubby one moment and bay for his blood the next, so be it! If it calls for usual oddballs like a kleptomaniac thief (Sanjay Dutt), his reformed partner (Akshay Khanna), a reluctant hanger-on (Paresh Rawal), a bumbling cop (Anil Kapoor), his psycho wife (Sush), her vain sister (Kangana Ranaut), and a bunch of gun-toting robbers lead by the unshaven Sunil Shetty and his hideously dressed moll (Neetu Chandra), so be it. Bazmee grinds every grist in the mill to get laughs from you. He sets out to outdo his previous works, but only undoes them.

In case you care to know the story, rest assured there isn’t one to write about. The aforementioned circus of characters is vying to get their hands on a bunch of diamonds in South Africa. Gangsters, cops, thieves and their girlfriends - all are involved in the ruck. A mad melee follows in the end, with a gorilla stepping in for the cameo fart and the fish swallowing the diamonds.

Which brings us to the performances. Save for the gorilla and the fish, everyone’s over the top. Anil Kapoor is hung up on his mitti daal dialogue and does provide a laugh here and there, while Akshaye hams more often than not. Sanjay Dutt looks plainly uninterested and Sush is an image of overacting. Paresh Rawal plays to the gallery, so does Vijay Raaz in a brief role. Kangana’s botoxed lips catch your eye as much as Neetu’s waxed thigh.

Final word! If you have mistakenly watched this film and liked it, there’s a serious problem with you.

Movie Preview - 'Mirch'

Movie Preview - 'Mirch' : A cheating wife caught red handed with her lover by her husband! What will she do? Does she bring her subtle manipulations to bear to prove her innocence, or does she confess her guilt?

Mirch has already made news after its director Vinay Shukla hailed it as “India’s first erotic film”. It stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Raima Sen, Boman Irani, Shreyas Talpade, Arunoday Singh, Shahana Goswami and Sushant Singh. Special appearances are by Tisca Chopra and Mahi Gill.

Synopsis:

Maanav (Arunoday Singh) is a struggling filmmaker who is unwilling to compromise on the script he has written. His girlfriend Ruchi (Shahana Goswami), a successful film editor, arranges for him to meet Nitin (Sushant Singh), a film producer. Nitin likes the script, but is not very sure of its commercial prospects. Maanav then suggests a story from the Panchtantra: A woman is caught red-handed with her lover by her husband and yet, she manages to wriggle out of it scot-free!

Nitin loves the story, but finds it too short for a feature film. Maanav then creates three more stories based on the same premise: in a way, the Panchtantra story travels in different versions to the modern times through the film. The four stories are woven together by a common story. Mirch itself echoes this structure, with four stories mingling with the main narrative.

The message is simple - if you have your wits about you, you can salvage even the most impossible situation.

At a deeper level, Mirch is about the gender equality in relationship; and at a still deeper level, it is about how an artist finds creative freedom in today's mercantile world?

The film is slated to release on December 17.

Movie Review - Phas Gaye Re Obama lead with Neha Dhupia

Movie Review - Phas Gaye Re Obama lead with Neha Dhupia: From Osama to Obama, the world renowned figures are slowly creeping into the seldom fecund imagination of Indian scriptwriters. Unlike Tere Bin Laden which spoofed the world’s most wanted man unabashedly, Phas Gaye Re Obama doesn’t show that much cheek and only references the Nobel winning American president through posters, graffiti and, of course, his famous slogan ‘Yes We Can’.

From America’s swish corporate world to apna India’s squalid underworld, none was spared from the economic meltdown that made bankrupts out of many a millionaire overnight. One such unfortunate soul is the US-based NRI Om (Rajat Kapoor) who, having lost everything to recession, comes to rural India to sell off his ancestral property with the hope of taking back some money to the US to pay off the loan for his home.

To his utter misfortune, Om is kidnapped by a gang headed by Bhaisaab (Sanjay Mishra). Now the gang is facing severe financial crunch. No bullets for their guns, no petrol for jeep, and to top it all, no rich folks left to kidnap. Mandhi (recession) has hit everyone. Om seems to them a big catch. But when it turns out that he too is stony-broke like them, it’s Om who shows the way further.

Om is passed on to bigger gangs. There’s the female Gabbar, Munni (Neha Dhupia), the spitfire dacoit whose oversexed female underlings have Bollywood names like Deepika, Priyanka and Preity. And then there’s Dhananjay (Amole Gupte) who is the Animal Welfare Minister but runs a covert kidnapping racket so well organized that it even gives out proper receipts for ransom it extorts.

Apart from its delightfully offbeat story, Phas Gaye Re Obama boasts of goofball characters that leave you chuckling throughout. There’s the don’s America-loving sidekick Anni (Manu Rishi) who hears Obama speeches with mouth agape; or there’s this English school teacher whose English is as funny as flawed.

Kudos to writer director Subhash Kapoor for making a thoroughly entertaining satire with an interesting twist in the end. Performances are topnotch by almost everyone. But Sanjay Mishra, Rajat Kapoor, Amol Gupte and Manu Rishi deserve a pat on the back.

A potent black comedy like Phas Gaye Re Obama is a rarity in Bollywood. Do watch it even if you are broke and have to borrow or steal for the ticket money.

Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan meets tough competition: Shahrukh Khan

Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan meets tough competition: Shahrukh Khan: Rumour has it that Shahrukh Khan is pulling the strings to ensure that Tees Maar Khan meets tough competition at the box office.

There has been an uneasy chill between SRK and his once close friend Farah Khan ever since the latter roped in Akshay Kumar for her soon-to-release film Tees Maar Khan (TMK), dropping SRK like a hot potato. King Khan, who certainly commands respect from film frat, wasn’t pleased being snubbed.

Now, when TMK is set for release on December 24, the gossip mills are abuzz that SRK is using his clout to harm the film’s prospects at ticket windows. How?

SRK is a close friend of the people who head Eros International and he has persuaded them to postpone the release of their film Toonpur Ka Superhero, starring Ajay Devgan and Kajol, from December 17 to Dec 24. Which means that Farah’s TMK which was earlier the solo release on Christmas weekend will now have competition from Toonpur Ka Superhero.

It’s a development that surely won’t go down well with Farah and Akshay who had banked on the uncontested Xmas weekend to set the cash registers ringing.

The spokesperson of the Eros International is quoted to have said that Toonpur Ka Superhero was postponed because it’s a children’s film that can have more audiences around Xmas. Whether SRK had any influence in setting up this clash, no one is willing to stick their neck out and confirm.

Allah Ke Banday Movie Review - Naseeruddin Shah to take a lead

Allah Ke Banday Movie Review - Naseeruddin Shah to take a lead: In his first film as a director and actor, Faruk Kabir attempts to take an unflinching look at the sordid realities of life in a squalid, crime-infested Mumbai slum. Allah Ke Banday is a story about children without childhood as we know it.

The central characters are two preteens Vijay and Yakub who push drugs, pull off smash-and-grab robberies, and fire country-made guns with aplomb. As irony would have it they land up in a juvenile home for a crime they did not commit. Inside the reformatory they are physically abused and sodomized by senior inmates in complete connivance with the limping, evil warden (Naseeruddin Shah) who vows to make every day a living hell for the two ‘born killers’.

So what was to be a place of reformation turns out to be the breeding ground of the two juveniles to grow up as hardened criminals. Finally, when the doors to freedom are flung open after 11 long and tortuous years, Vijay (Sharman Joshi) and Yakub (Faruk Kabir) have their aims set - to rule the crime world. Vengeance is also on their mind, but takes a back seat as the film veers off into a needless romantic track and shootouts aplenty.

The two friends rear an army of children to run every sort of unlawful activity until an idealist teacher (Atul Kulkarni) butts in to thwart their progress.

The story is bleak, dark and somewhat disturbing because those who live by the gun find no light at the end of the tunnel. May be a black hole that sucks everything up.

Allah Ke Banday is a promising debut by Faruk Kabir but is not void of amateurish rawness in direction and acting. The writer-director can’t seem to decide if he wants to make a realistic arthouse film or a Bollywood masala caper. Shot quite well at locations that lend realism to the film, Allah Ke Banday loses credibility with its repeated stabs at exaggerated style and affected gravitas reminiscent of the Ram Gopal Varma films. The excessive use of background score - deafening at times - does no good either.

What stands out is the restrained performance by Sharman Joshi who’s pretty much under the skin of his level-headed Vijay as against the hot-tempered Yakub enacted by Faruk. Naseer has a very small role but he works his magic in those fleeting moments. Atul Agnihotri isn’t in form this time, may be because his character is just too idealistic. Anjana Sukhani does well in a miniscule role.

To sum it up, Allah Ke Banday could have been a riveting film and a telling statement about ‘children at war’. Alas, it’s nothing more than a flawed attempt at a tale about loss, revenge and redemption.

Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan or Aamir Khan: Who is the most loving?

Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan or Aamir Khan: Who is the most loving?: While Aishwarya Rai or Katrina Kaif (or even Priyanka or Kareena) may be the most admired woman of the B-town, Shahrukh, Salman and Aamir are the most loved actors, especially, when it comes to the roaring Khans. Now, who, amongst the trio is the most loved Khan?

While, Shahrukh has been carrying the title of King Khan for a long time now, Aamir is called the ace and the perfectionist. Salman has always remained a mega star despite the box office fate of his films. But, of course, post the colossal success of ‘Dabangg’, none is questioning Sallu’s box office prowess any more.

Shahrukh, being the king of romance that he has been (with films like DDLJ, Kuch kuch Hota Hai, Dil to Pagal Hai, Veer Zaara, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and so many others), he has always found a soft corner amongst the women. 7 out of 10 women would, instantly, hail SRK as their fav.

Similarly, Salman, too, being the handsome hunk that he is, has been an important part of the female fantasy. Aamir, on the other hand, is the original chocolate boy. Besides, the quality of films he has done, of late, has catapulted him to the Everest of popularity and there is no doubt that he is the darling of a huge chunk of movie buffs.

You being the reader and an epitome of the common Indian man are best to judge whom your heart aches for. Whom do you love the most? Who, in your esteemed opinion, is the most loved Khan?

Movie 'Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon' Review

Movie 'Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon' Review: Dunno what the heck in the name of cinema were the director Sanjay Sharma and writer Kapil Sharma trying to achieve in Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon. Were they trying to be bold and shock all the prude souls out there with their no-holds-barred depiction of everything related to sex, infidelity and homosexuality? Or were they aiming to make a statement about a dysfunctional family where the mom sleeps around with her boss and the young son is itching for an affair with his brother’s wife. The brother, meanwhile, finds sexual gratification with a male prostitute.

'Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon' Review

It’s all a hodgepodge of the most unpalatable kind. And the only message that comes across for the poor viewer is that there are utterly talentless writers and directors out there who still have a sway over gullible producers.

Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyon is populated with queer and quirky characters. Ashley (Yuvraaj Parashar) is married to Jenny (Rituparna Sengupta) but is a closet gay having an affair with Aryan (writer Kapil Sharma plonks himself smack dab in the middle of the mess). Ashley’s brother Sam (Maradona Rebello of the Pankh debacle) has his eye set on sis-in-law Jenny. Meanwhile, Ashley and Sam’s mom Rebecca (Zeenat Aman) is a single mother who is sleeping around with rich folks to make ends meet. Her husband (Kabir Bedi) abandoned them and went on his quest for the elusive enlightenment but came back with the cancer.

The story mostly keeps flitting between these characters but director Sanjay Sharma focuses more on the homosexual angle in the latter half without actually being able to tell anything of substance. Dunno Y is in English language and the writing is of the most pedestrian quality. Worse still, the actors (with no exception) mouth the English dialogues with such awkwardness and phoney accent that one feels they should be packed off for a speech and diction crash course pronto.

Not just in character sketches, there are jerks aplenty in editing as well. Performances are of the kind that gives a new definition to the word acting itself. Even the otherwise right-minded actors like Zeenat Aman and Rituparna Sengupta ham like their life depended on it.

All in all, Dunno Y is a disaster of a film. Period.

Great Ideas of Asin!

Great Ideas of Asin!: While some can rely on their friends and family for support, others count on their goodwill and professional equations in the industry.

Take Asin for example, the South superstar found it hard to get hear bearings in the industry despite Ghajini. Although Asin signed many lucrative endorsement deals, the same cannot be said about her movies.

So she’s gone back to doing films down South. She was given a Queen’s welcome by makers down South and this is when the lightbulb went off in her head.

She realised that many South blockbusters are being made into Bollywood Movies these days.

And Asin who has been a part of many of them is often the first choice for those films in Bollywood too. But other Bollywood Actresses often get the roles in the end.

So she is now busy convincing her contacts in the South to remake the films in Hindi with her.

Whether they will bite the bait or not, only time will tell but full marks to Asin for being enterprising.

Why Deepika Padukone as Heer onto Shahid Kapoor’s laps!

Why Deepika Padukone as Heer onto Shahid Kapoor’s laps!: Ex of Kareena Kapoor and the present of Priyanka Chopra chocolate actor Shahid Kapoor has landed himself onto the lap of the leggy bimbo Deepika Padukone. Of course, they are not dating. It’s all for a film’s cause.

Director Sabbir Khan is making the rom com ‘Heer and Ranjha’ and he has roped in the vivacious Deepika Padukone for the role of Heer. Shahid had already been pulled in to do the honours for Ranjha.


Reasons why Deepika has been cast for Heer:

   1. Sabbir was looking for someone who was young and dynamic and Deepika fitted the bill perfectly.

   2. Besides, Deepika is also a tad vulnerable with her share of emotional depth; something that was required for her character.

   3. Sabbir highly rates Deepika and considers her the finest actress of the new generation.

   4. Besides, the pairing of Deepika and Shahid would be the first of such kind and is bound to trigger some interest.

   5. And Deepika is not only a good actress but is also endowed with an unearthly beauty which makes her screen presence a riveting one.

The film, however, is some months away and would only go on floors in April, 2011.

Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar to draped fans in 'Tees Maar Khan'

Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar to draped fans in 'Tees Maar Khan': Tees Maar Khan that stars the ravishing Katrina Kaif and the hunky Akshay Kumar has now started doing the telly rounds in our idiot boxes.

After the trailer leaked online, now it has been released and its first look has dug up some serious interest.

Here’s why, Tees Maar Khan is generating so much furore:

1. Firstly, Katrina and Akshay meet again (on screen that is) and so crackling is their chemistry that the audience don’t seem to have enough of them. After their mushy romance in Namastey London, Singhh is Kingg and Welcome, Tees Maar Khan brings them back together and we can expect romance to drape us yet again.

2. Secondly, the film is helmed by the now-mighty Farah Khan who has previously directed the big ‘Main Hoon Na’ and the magnum opus ‘Om Shanti Om’.

3. Also, the storyline is seemingly interesting and intriguing. As per reports, Akshay plays a baddie in this caper with a generous heart (more like a Robin Hood) and has his own panache of eluding the cops. Going by the looks of it, this may well be a cross between ‘Dhoom’ and ‘Dabangg’.

The film is slated for a Christmas release of 24th December, 2010. No Aamir Khan this Christmas, guys! But Katrina and Akshay would be more than handfuls.