Osomatsu Kun – Osomat Su Kun on Hungama TV

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 07:17 AM PDT


Osomatsu Kun is the most popular Japanese manga series like Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Osomat Su Kun on Hungama TV is scheduled to air 6 PM in India. Osomatsu-kun TV series starts from 28th March, 2011. Osomatsu Kun Casts: Osomatsu: Osomatsu is the oldest and leader of the sextuplets in Osomatsu Kun. He is the best fighter also in his group. Name of Osomatsu derives from Japanese language which means lame or ill-prepared.

Beendh Banunga Ghodi Chadhunga – Beend Banoonga Ghodi Chadhunga TV Serial

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 09:09 AM PDT

Beendh Banunga Ghodi Chadhunga is a new TV series on Imagine TV starting from 28th March, 2011. Beend Banoonga Ghodi Chadhunga on Imagine TV is scheduled to air every Monday to Thursday at 9 PM in India. Beend Banoonga Ghodi Chadhunga TV serial talks about the situation and dream of young girls in Indian traditional family. Beendh Banunga Ghodi Chadhunga Casts: Sarika: Jayashree has played the character of Sarika Bansal in Beendh Banunga Ghodi Chadhunga.

Luteri Dulhan – Looteri Dulhan on Imagine TV

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 09:51 AM PDT


Luteri Dulhan is a new serial on Imagine TV starting from 28th March, 2011 on the same date of Beendh Banunga Ghodi Chadhunga. Looteri Dulhan on Imagine TV is scheduled to air every Monday to Thursday at 9:30 PM in India. You will watch marriages to deceive grooms in Luteri Dulhan TV serial. Luteri Dulhan Casts: Billo: Krishna Gokani has played the character of Billo in Luteri Dulhan. She is the main protagonist of this serial. She is adopted by a Haryanvi family.

Meri Toh Lag Gayi Naukri – Meri Toh Lag Gayi Naukri on UTV Bindass

Meri Toh Lag Gayi Naukri is a new comedy drama Show based on interns. Meri Toh Lag Gayi Naukri on UTV Bindass starting from 28th March, 2011 every Monday to Thursday at 7 PM in India. You will experience journey of interns in their new job through Meri Toh Lag Gayi Naukri TV Show. Meri Toh Lag Gayi Naukri Boss: Raghav Shetty CEO of Jhakass Harry Saadu Business Head of Jhakass Anahita Roy Programming Head of Jhakass There are three Khadoos bosses in Meri Toh Lag Gayi Naukri on Bindass TV

Life Goes On – Movie Review

Cast: Sharmila Tagore, Girish Karnad, Om Puri, Soha Ali Khan, Mukulika Banerjee, Neerja Naik and Rez Kempton Written and Directed by: Sangeeta Dutta


One of the many pleasures of watching this supple evocative family saga is to see the timeless Sharmila Tagore share screen space with her real-life daughter Soha, who by the way, has never looked lovelier.

That inner-glow comes from the company she keeps in this gentle drama suffused in melodious whispers and mellifluent suggestions of tunes long-forgotten and yet stored in the most inviolable chambers of the heart.

Luckily for us, and the film, the Sharmila-Soha togetherness is not harped upon. There are far bigger issues and virtues to do with family ties and cultural disaffection secreted in the storytelling, propelling our hearts to soar in ways that modern cinema doesn’t allow.

When did Indian cinema cease to be about emotions? You wonder as you watch the silken cascade of debutante director Sangeeta Dutta’s family secrets and emotions gush out in a Bengali family in London, when one fine morning the mother simply drops dead on the kitchen floor.

The mother-figure, a constant and non-negotiable pivot of every family, here seems to be much more in demand than usual. All her three daughters seem to be stricken with heart problems that no cardiologist can tackle. Blessedly, the mother of the family, Manju, is played by the gloriously imposing Sharmila Tagore.

“Life Goes On” captures the suddenness of bereavement in snatches of sounds, visuals and dialogues. There’s far more austerity in the expression of the anguish and despair after the sudden bereavement than in Mira Nair’s masterly study of coming to terms with death in “The Namesake”. At times, you long for more time between the members of the grieving family.

There are no big breakdown sequences after the mother’s death. Everyone gets busy trying to pick up the threads of life. Everyone is a bit selfish – that’s the family secret that the film doesn’t get judgemental about.

A lot of vignettes connecting the mother’s memories to the present times appear predictable, even pedestrian. The director, fearless in her maiden endeavour, doesn’t shy away from making her film look familiar.

From death to reconciliation, “Life Goes On” moves at a gentle pace.

The echoes and resonances of a life that lingers after death is created through a blend of sounds and visuals capturing the feeble but flamboyant light of London at dawn and dusk. The parks, bridges, two-storeyed residential areas and their incriminating quietude are ably captured in the film, as are the pain and postures of grief and mourning.

The Rabindra Sangeet in the original Bengali and a rather quaint Hindi translation suffuse a warm and endearing quality to the proceedings. The cross-cultural references resonate across the film’s somber skyline with unobtrusive emphasis.

The film creates a fine balance between real-life elegies and their cinematic rendition. A lot of Sangeeta Dutta’s mise en scene project a first-time director’s effusive affinity to creating a defiant poetry out of the prosaic rhythms of life.

Life for the Indian Bengali family in Britain never seemed more complex.

At times you feel the director has ‘Britain’ more than she can chew. The sub-plot, on Islam-phobia brought in through Soha’s boyfriend Imtiaz (Rez Kempton) and the rock band that he and his friends put together despite Mullahs’ objections, seems to go off into tangent away from the Bengali’s family’s bereavement.

But at the end, when we see the band playing a punk version of Hemant Kumar’s “Ganga Aaye Kahan Se” laced with a French rap section, you smile for the cultural shifts and translocations that the plot endeavours to establish without falling off the map of the human heart.

The performances by veterans Girish Karnad, Om Puri and Sharmila Tagore are uniformly skilled and supple. Among the younger members, Soha Ali Khan as the youngest Cordelia-like daughter to Karnad’s King Lear emerges strong and yet vulnerable. But it is the unknown young actress Neerja Naik who plays Soha’s lesbian sister, who proves a complete natural.

The subtle, delicate and utterly disarming play of light and shade, of mellow memories and the hard present-reality, of the various cultural cross-generation clashes – all these could have made any film heavy.

Not “Life Goes On”, it is a gloriously polished and a poised look at the chaos that rules the bereaved heart in our troubled times. This film is a triumph on many levels and layers. And you don’t have to be a Sharmila Tagore fan to realise how resonant her presence can be even when she is lost to the plot.
- IANS

Frenzy over India-Pakistan cricket match – Amitabh Bachchan

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is keen to watch Wednesday’s India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final, which he says has caused “unbelievable frenzy”.

“Pakistan is our neighbor. How we all wish that it were ’simple, warm in spirit and with togetherness’!” Amitabh posted on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com

The 68-year-old is keeping a tab on various details regarding the match to be played at Mohali.

“The winner goes to the final. There is unbelievable frenzy on this match. The entire country shall be coming to a stop while it is on. As will Pakistan.

“The stadium has been sold out long before the start of the game. Touts are making a killing on the tickets. TV channels are building this up to the hilt. Nothing on any channel is of relevance except the cricket to happen on Wednesday. There is nothing that occupies anyone’s conversation, but the game,” he added.
- IANS

Playing Asha Bhonsle’s daughter is a privilege – Padmini Kolhapure

Bollywood actress Padmini Kolhapure feels she has a role of a lifetime in debutant director Mahesh Kadiyal’s film “Maaee”, in which she plays singing diva Asha Bhosle’s daughter.

Said Padmini: “When the director came to me with this offer I had this strange feeling that it would be Ashaji who plays my mother. My hunch was proven right when the director told me Ashaji had been signed to play the mother.”

Padmini is especially happy since she is very close to the Mangeshkar family.

“I grew up in front of Lataji and Ashaji. I used to sing as a child, though now I’ve lost practice. So, to be facing the camera with Ashaji is a dream-come-true,” the 45-year-old actress said.

“When we met up about ‘Maaee’, Ashaji teased me: ‘You’ve to give me tips on acting for this film.’ I turned around and told Ashaji: ‘Fine I’ll give you tips in acting, if you teach me how to sing’,” Padmini said.

Padmini is getting ready for what she calls the role of a lifetime.

“There aren’t too many such opportunities for actresses these days. And definitely not too many opportunities for anyone to play Ashaji’s daughter. She is a great mother in real life and has tremendous nurturing qualities,” the actress said.

“So I don’t think playing a mother would be difficult for her,” she said.

Padmini has also completed her first Malayalam film, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, set in Kerala.

“These are not conventional roles. I guess this is a good time to be an actress of a certain age in Hindi cinema,” she quipped.
- IANS

Chitrangda turns mutant for Krissh 3

Chitrangda Singh is surely going places. And by that we don't just mean London, where she was shooting Rohit Dhawan's Desi Boyz recently.

The dusky damsel has been signed as Bollywood's first female mutant, yes, that's right, opposite Hrithik Roshan in the much talked about Krissh 3.

The actress from Delhi, who first got noticed in Sudhir Mishra's Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi in 2003, has come a long way since then.

Apart from her earthy beauty, which made her an overnight sensation, her off-beat roles have been much acclaimed.

Chitrangda, who landed in Delhi after her London shoot, on Sunday night, was expected to rush to Mumbai this week and finalise her clothes, hair, look and even language for the mutant's role in the Rakesh Roshan film.

Apparently Chitrangda's transformation will be so drastic that even she will find it hard to recognise herself.

A source close to the project confirms, "There are two leading ladies in the film. Priyanka Chopra, who starred opposite Hrithik in Krissh (2006), will be back in the same role. The other major female protagonist will be played by Chitrangda.

They needed someone who could look earthy and ethereal. Both Rakesh and Hrithik Roshan decided Chitrangda was the best bet for the part of the sizzling female mutant."

Apparently Rakesh Roshan decided on Chitrangda, after seeing her in Sudhir Mishra's Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011).

When contacted, Chitrangda said, "I'm really not allowed to talk about this. I've just returned from shooting Desi Boyz in London.

I got to do some serious Bollywood dancing for the first time. Akshay Kumar really helped me with my steps.

I am surprised at how much he understands cinema. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns director soon."

Well, we are sure, there's more of serious mainstream Bollywood coming her way soon. And with Hrithik Roshan in Krissh 3, she'd get to do more of Bollywood dancing than before.

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Shilpa Shetty pays a visit to ancestral home

MANGALORE: Two years after it was redecorated, Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty finally paid a visit to her 'moola mane' (ancestral house) at Mudaladi near the famous Durga Parameshwari Temple at Kateel.

Shilpa and her husband Raj Kundra made a flying visit to the city to see the house, which had got a facelift in November 2009, when the couple got married. Despite expectations that Shilpa would visit her ancestral home last year, this was her first trip here after the house got its new look.

Speaking to the media here, Shilpa said their busy schedule had prevented them from visiting Mudaladi earlier. She said her faith and affinity to her roots drew her back here. The couple visited the Druga Parameshwari Temple and the Jarandaya Temple, accompanied by Shilpa's mother Sunanda Shetty. Later they performed a naga pooja near Mudaladi.

In perfect Tulu, Shilpa said her mother had wanted her to visit the house after her wedding, but she had been unable to. She said her husband was also a religious person and added, in a lighter vein, "He comes along with me wherever I go!"

They had a meal prepared by Sunanda's aunt Kamala, consisting of kori rotti, seer fish fry, idli, rice and payasam.

The couple was in the city only for a few hours and left for Mumbai at 2.30pm

toi

Goa lawmakers to discuss 'Dum Maaro Dum'

Panaji: Already in the news for short skirts, bikinis and drugs, upcoming Bollywood flick Dum Maaro Dum (DMD) is all set to make waves in the Goa legislative assembly this week.

Lawmakers in Goa are likely to discuss a calling attention motion moved by former tourism minister Francisco alias Mickky Pacheco, who has said that the Rohan Sippy film, whose racy promos are making waves, projected Goa in a bad light.

"I have moved a calling attention motion before the speaker of legislative assembly, Pratapsingh Rane. The issue will be raised this week during the ongoing state legislative assembly session," Pacheco said.

"Dum Maaro Dum will badly dent the image of Goa. Our tourism season will be badly affected because of the film," said Pacheco, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator from Benaulim.

Starring Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, the film is all set for release April 22.

"We are looking at family tourism in the state. We don't want the tag of sex and drug tourism, which this film shows. It will kill the industry," said Pacheco, a controversial personality himself.

Over his chequered political career, Pacheco has been booked for a wide range of crimes, including extortion, assault, bigamy, forgery and money laundering. He was also in the news more than a year back after he called Goa "the rape capital of India", while commenting on the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

"Looking at the promos of the movie, it is clear that the movie portrays the bad image about the state. If the movie is fiction, then they should have avoided naming Goa in it. The entire state cannot be defamed just because of a filmmaker's imagination," Pacheco said.

In February, Goa Police as well as Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had said that they would be asking the film's director to have a special screening of the film, prior to its release, for the officials in Goa.

The tourism industry in Goa has also cited concerns about the projections of the state in the film, with a top tourism trade official saying that "the film could have bad repercussion for tourism in Goa, if it throws up scenes of prostitution and drugs".

Tamil filmmaker Gautham Menon is looking forward to Bollywood

Filmmaker Gautham Menon, who had previously directed Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein, Minnale’s remake for Bollywood, is as excited as a newcomer about directing a Hindi film again. “Bollywood is a different ballgame. I am quite used to Tamil and Telugu films. But there is this excitement when I think of my second Hindi film, which will be a remake of Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya. I am looking forward to Bollywood again,” says Menon, who believes he has a very competent cast.

“Prateik (Babbar) is a talented actor. He is passionate about what he does and he suits the role just fine. As for Amy, I think she was marvellous in her debut film Madarasapattinam,” says Menon.

While this will be the first time Menon is working with this cast, he has retained the original technical team. “I am very comfortable with my technical team. I’ve been working with them for so many years and I see no reason why I should replace them just because I’m doing a Hindi film,” he says.

Coincidentally, this implies that music composer AR Rahman returns to be a part of this film too. “Rahman’s tunes for Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya are still a rage amongst youngsters. I don’t think anyone else can create a soundtrack that will catch the audiences’ fancy like the way he does. And music is an integral part of this story,” says Menon, who is all set to kickstart his brisk schedule this summer.

Bollywood Has No Taste For Ghazals: Jagjit Singh

Ghazal king, Jagjit Singh says he keeps his distance from Bollywood because he feels Hindi filmmakers are money-minded and don't appreciate the genre any more.

"Filmmakers have no taste for ghazals. A lot of youngsters like soft music these days, but Bollywood has no interest in Ghazals... the industry is only about making money. Sab paise ke peechhe bhaagte hain (Everyone runs after money) " he said.

The 70-year-old singer, who has sung songs like Badi Nazuk Hai, Hoshwaalon Ko Khabar Kya, Kiska Chehra and Tum Itna Jo Muskua Rahe Ho in movies, added: "I do not say that Bollywood has become commercialised in recent times. It has always been about money-making, but earlier the taste was different. Cinema was a part of literature, but today's cinema has nothing to do with literature. That soul is lacking and it is only about entertainment nowadays."

Jagjit Singh has been singing for over four decades and has a repertoire comprising 50 albums. He has sung in languages as diverse as Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Sindhi and Nepali, and continues to enthrall with his new songs, albums and concerts.

But Bollywood is something he gives a miss now. "See, I hardly ever had a connection with Bollywood. All through my career, I seldom sang for movies. I was always focussed on my individual career as a singer, and concentrated on my bhajans and albums... something that I still do," he said.

The singer, who was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2003, is currently staging a concert, Ghazal Symphony, across different cities in India. He will perform live with 30 musicians in Gurgaon on April 24.

"I will sing around 20 ghazals - all of them being my old songs, but the musical arrangement will be a little different. There will be a lot of instruments like violin, flute, tabla and guitar that will be used; so it will add a whole new feel to my old numbers," he said.

Jagjit Singh is keen to lure youngsters with this initiative."I hope ghazals will start appealing to the youngsters with this effort. My product is the same, only the packaging is going to be new in this concert," he said.

In his 70th year, he has planned to stage 70 concerts worldwide, but he sees no hope of taking Ghazal Symphony across the shores.

"I haven't planned an international concert for Ghazal Symphony. It will be tough to take the local musicians there. Teaching the right notations and tunes to musicians abroad, and then rehearsing with them will be extremely time-consuming. So that is not falling into my scheme of things," he said.

In the meantime, he is also working on one ghazal and bhajan album each.


Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?Section=Movies&ID=ENTEN20110172478&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&keyword=music&nid=94878&cp

Kishori Amonkar won’t sing in Bollywood film again

Mumbai, March 25 (Calcutta Tube) Celebrated Indian classical singer Kishori Amonkar, who once ventured into playback singing in the Hindi film ‘Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne’, says that she would never want to tread that path again.

I wanted to experiment with words and rhythm and I wanted to see how these two would work with my notes. But then I discontinued because I wanted to do much more in the world of notes, I call my singing a language of notes,’ the Padma Vibhushan awardee told IANS at the launch of Saregama’s album ‘Rishi Gayatri’ by Yogiraj Siddhanath.

Jackman, Aishwarya bag top honours at FICCI Awards

Hollywood star Hugh Jackman and Bollywood's international face Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan have bagged the top honours at the FICCI Frames Awards here.

Jackman, known for his role as 'Wolverine' in the popular 'X Men' series, received FICCI Frames Excellence International Honour, while Aishwarya got the Decade of Global Achievement Honour for her accomplishments in Hindi cinema at the awards function held on Friday night.

"It is a huge honour and I am grateful to FICCI for giving me this award. I am humbled," Aishwarya said.

Shahrukh Khan-starrer `My Name Is Khan' and Salman Khan's `Dabangg' continued their award-winning spree at FICCI Frames also.

`Dabangg' bagged two awards, including the Best Film of the year. Its actor Sonakshi Sinha was adjudged the Best Debutant (Female).

Shahrukh received the Best Actor award for `My Name is Khan', while Karan Johar took home the Best Director trophy for the same film.

"The award is special to me," King Khan said.

For the second time, Vidya Balan walked away with the Best Actress award at the event, this time for her performance in `Ishqiya'.

One of the highlights of the event was when Vidya, Shahrukh and Jackman shook a leg together on stage.

The Best Debutant Award (Male) was won by Ranveer Singh for his performance in `Band Baaja Baarat'. Maneesh Sharma got the Best Debut Director trophy for the same film.

On the television front, Sushant Singh Rajput got the Best Actor Award (Male) for serial `Pavitra Rishta' and Rashmi Desai won the Best Actor Award (Female) for `Uttaran'.

Sony TV's `Indian Idol 5' was declared the most successful non-fiction show of the year. Best TV Series Fiction Award was given to `Pavitra Rishta' (Balaji Telefilms).

Best General Entertainment Channel Award was won by Star Plus, while `Radio Mirchi' got the Best Radio Channel Award.

FICCI-Frames is an annual global convention on the business aspects of the entertainment and media industry. It was organised here from March 23-25.

I want to speak Hindi like Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha: Sarah

New Delhi, Mar 26 (PTI) Former miss India world Sarah Dias Jane, who is making her debut in Bollywood with Abhishek Bachchan starrer ''Game'', says she is inspired to learn Hindi by Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha.

The young actor is working hard on her dialogue delivery but wants to be perfect in the language.

"When Amitabhji and Rekhaji speak in Hindi, you can see that it is so effortless and natural. I am sure though that they would have put in so much effort to get it so perfect. Right from my childhood I have been seeing them act and mouth dialogues. Now that I have started acting in Bollywood, I appreciate this fact more," Sarah told PTI.

A Mumbai girl who was born to a Catholic family, Sarah knows the language quite well but admits that English comes naturally to her.

"I know that the Hindi I speak is good for a Bollywood film. Still I am not quite content because the Hindi that we speak in real life is very harsh actually. It is such a beautiful language and I want to be fluent in it," she adds.

For Sarah, first step in that direction is to go through diction classes so that she can further perfect the art of dialogue delivery.

While her diction classes are continuing till date, it was during the preparation for her part in ''Game'' that she had Shabana Azmi as a mentor for some instant results.

"She was a great help with the language and that further made me confident that I could deliver the goods. I try speaking to people as much as possible in Hindi and ask them to correct me wherever I go wrong."

Sarah did have an inkling that she would be entering the world of films one day. A germ was sown way back during her childhood days when she was one of the front runners when it comes to stepping up on stage.

"I always wanted to be a performer. It could be anything, whether acting, singing or dancing but I really wanted to occupy the stage. This was one passion that continued right from my school to college days. After that it was modelling and then the beauty pageant happened."
Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Kangna Ranaut, Jimmy Sheirgill, Gauhar Khan, Shahana Goswami, Boman Irani and Anupam Kher as the other key players, ''Game'' is a Farhan Akhtar & Ritesh Sidhwani production and releases all over on April 1

Shah Rukh and Katrina in Yash Chopra's next?

Bollywood is all about permutations, combinations and exploring the unexplored!

Well, Shah Rukh Khan, after having starred with almost all the leading heroines of Bollywood, will now be seen with Katrina Kaif - if rumours are to be believed.

The news is that this duo will be seen in Yash Chopra's next directorial venture, which will be a romantic film.

Rafiq Ganjee of Yash Raj Films said, "YRF has an interesting slate of films for the coming year and we are in talks with various artists for these projects, including that of Yash Chopra's. We will be making an announcement as and when everything is finalised and would request you to wait for the same."

With SRK and Katrina's pairing in question, one sincerely hopes that this 'rumour' turns out to be true!

sify.com

Top 10 Movies

Top 10 Movies

1. 1Payanam (Tamil)
2. 2Drive Angry (English)
3. 3Singam Puli (Tamil)
4. 4Tanu Weds Manu(HIndi)
5. 5World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles (English)
6. 6The King's Speech (English)
7. 7Hall pass (English)
8. 8No Strings attached (English)
9. 9Black Swan ( English)
10. 10Here After (English)

Jackman, SRK groove to Dhak Dhak

The Wolverine seems to have set his sights on Bollywood and dropped more than broad hints about his intentions to Karan Johar, who is seen to be instrumental in getting Hugh Jackman to India.

"Indian cinema keeps getting bigger every year. Bollywood is very popular in Australia too they all know about it there. I'm looking forward to working here and I've even begun meeting directors. Karan, are you listening?" said Jackman at the concluding session of FICCI Frames on Friday.

And almost to prove that he's up to the song and dance routine required, when Shah Rukh asked him to match his steps to a desi Bollywood number, Jackman jumped up from his seat to accept the challenge.

He even got rid of his jacket to put his best foot forward in front of the cheering audience.

The number was Madhuri Dixit's 'Dhak Dhak' and everyone was in splits as they shook their booty in unison and twirled around on stage, Jackman managing to even match the lyrics word for word with Shah Rukh.

The Australian hunk even gave his dance partner something to think about when he went on to say that he had loved My Name Is Khan so much that he would even consider working in a sequel to it. "We'll call it My Name Is Jackman and I'm not a tourist."

The fact is that though he achieved international stardom for portraying the violent, steel-clawed character of Wolverine in the X-Men series, Hugh Jackman earned his first stripes in the performing world by singing and dancing in stage musicals.

It's a passion that continues to run parallel to his film career and took him from Melbourne to Broadway. In fact, now that shooting for Wolverine has been delayed, he's all set to stage a new show in San Francisco this May, where he will perform his favourite Broadway numbers.

While both Hugh and his wife have kept mostly to themselves since they arrived in Mumbai on Thursday afternoon, they are making the most of their first time in India. "Me and my wife have been longing to visit India and we're thrilled that we finally are here.

The colours, the history, the spirituality - all the things that make India what it is - are an inspiration to both of us."

To his credit, when Aishwarya presented him with a memento, Jackman immediately recognized its significance. "Thank you Ash, for the Ganesh," he said.

While there were reports that they took in the sight in South Mumbai on Thursday night, before retiring early to their room in Four Seasons hotel, they are expected to catch more of the colours and history of India during their two-day trip to Jaipur.

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Vidya Balan pledges support for Earth Hour 2011

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has urged Indians not just to switch off lights during WWF’s Earth Hour 2011 campaign, but to go beyond the hour and protect the earth from the issue of climate change.

The Earth Hour will be celebrated Saturday at 8.30 p.m.

“As the effects of climate change become more prevalent and more powerful, it is up to each one of us to take ownership of our collective future. WWF’s Earth Hour has inspired millions across the globe and has created mass awareness on the colossal issue of climate change. It is inspiring and encouraging to see how a step as simple as switching off lights for an hour can unite the entire world towards a single cause. I too switched off lights last year, and will do so this year as well,” Vidya said in a press statement.

The critically acclaimed actress, also added a plus sign to the ‘60′ logo of Earth Hour. The plus signifies a commitment to add a positive act in everyday life to benefit the environment beyond just the 60 minutes.

“For Earth Hour 2011, I pledge to not just switch off but to go beyond the hour. To be mindful of conserving resources, everyday, not just for an hour. From this year on, I pledge to use energy smartly. And urge you to do so as well.

“Each one of us has the power to make a difference. We just need to be conscious of it and make wise choices. When each of us take simple steps, together these actions add up. I am supporting the fight against climate change by adopting some of these steps. It’s time you do too,” she added.

Earth Hour 2011 is expected to be a culmination of over one billion people around the globe, in more than six thousand cities across 130 countries worldwide.
- IANS

Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya team up after 10 years for jewellery ad

Did you miss seeing Bollywood power couple Amitabh-Jaya together on screen? They have teamed up again after a decade, not for an film, but for a jewellery brand ad campaign.

“At Tanishq, the jewellery business of the Tata Group for their AV for endorsement. Jaya and I doing it together,” Amitabh wrote on his blog bigb.bigadda.com.

The two will be seen together after Karan Johar’s super successful family saga “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” in 2001 which also starred Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan Kareena Kapoor and Kajol.

Amitabh and Jaya are latest to join the list of celebrity couples coming together for endorsement. Their son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya teamed up for Lux soap comemrcials.

Other celebrity couple seen together are Ajay Devgn and Kajol in Whirlpool ads, Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan in D’decor and Saif Ali Khan and Kareena in Airtel ads.
- IANS

‘X-Men’ series inspired me to make ‘Ra One’ – Shahrukh Khan

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, a big fan of Hugh Jackman, Friday said the Australian star’s “X-Men” series inspired him to make sci-fi superhero movie “Ra.One”.

“I wanted to do something different for the kids, so I watched all the ‘X-Men’ movies, cartoons, read comics and honestly the ‘X-Men’ series inspired me to do ‘Ra.One’,” Shah Rukh said at the closing session of the 12th FICCI-Frames where he shared the stage with Jackman.

The two stars had an engrossing session on the mutual influence of the two film industries – Hollywood and Bollywood, and the prospect of studio culture.

Asked about his Hollywood aspirations, Shah Rukh said: “I truly believe that I should do what I want to do… make that one film the world would ever remember me for. That’s my dream. We have lovely stories here. I have been offered quite a few films by Hollywood filmmakers and would surely do one if Hugh ask me to do.” (Laughs).

The session was moderated by producer-director Karan Johar.
- IANS

Raima Sen moves South

South Indian films are in vogue. Raima Sen has just jumped on board. The Chokher Bali actor has signed her first Malayalam flick, Veera Putran, opposite Prithviraj. Director PT Kunjumohamm-ed’s film is a historical period drama. In 2005, Raima had been seen in Teja’s Telugu film,

“When I was approached, I asked the director if he really wanted me since I have been mainly been involved with commercial cinema,” says Raima. “He told me that he had seen Aparna Sen’s The Japanese Wife and was impressed.”

Raima is playing Prithviraj’s wife. A language expert will help her with her diction. “For me, language has never been a barrier, I am open to any project that appeals to me as an actor. My mother (Moon Moon) and sister (Riya) have acted in several South Indian films so I’m really excited.” Raima is also busy with Hindi and Bengali films. There’s Tanuja Chandra’s Raakh opposite Rajeev Khandelwal and Rituparno Ghosh’s Nauka Doobi with sister Riya. “We love and respect Rituda and it’s great that he was the one to get Riya and me together on screen,” she beams. Raima has also done a “very small but important cameo” in Ghosh’s Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish. “Since we share a good rapport, I just can’t say turn down any offer from him,” reasons Raima, who plays a dancer in the film.

10 Best Comedy Hindi Movies

1. "3 Idiots." The title of this 2009 hit speaks for itself. This film broke numerous box office records upon its release, including becoming the highest grossing Hindi film of all time in India, and it also won a few Indian film awards to boot.

2. "Munna Bhai M.B.B.S." This extremely popular 2003 comedy concerns the exploits of a gangster who ends up going to medical school. A truly unique spin on the fish out of water scenario, this film has garnered cult status in the world Hindi movie fandom.

3. "Chandni Chowk to China." This 2009 release is perhaps the most unique film to come from the Indian movie industry. While not as well regarded by many mainstream critics, the Akshay Kumar flick has an interesting tapestry that blends elements from Chinese cinema as well, yielding a comedy that is at once a Bollywood epic and a Wushu action movie.

4. "Tees Maar Khan." Another action comedy, this very recent 2010 release also features Akshay Kumar, as well as rising Hindi star Katrina Kaif. Look for special appearances by two other Bollywood icons, Salman Khan and of "Slumdog Millionaire" fame, Anil Kapoor.

5. "Gol Maal." This 1979 Hindi classic is the first of many films from the team of director Hrishikesh Mukherjee and star Amol Palekar, who went on to create many other Hindi comedies in the 1980's.

6. "Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi." This 1958 comedy gem featured legendary Indian singer Kishore Kumar as well as his two brothers.

7. "Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge." A 2000 release, this Salman Khan vehicle features many of the familiar elements of Indian cinema, most notably the theme of arranged marriage. However, in keeping with this list, this film takes a more hilarious look at the consequences of pursuing someone against the wishes of that person's family.

8. "Dum Kaata." While it did not fare well with critics, this 2007 release is unique in that the protagonist is a young boy. With many similarities to the American superhit "Home Alone," this movie succeeds more than fails.

9. "Lage Raho Munna Bhai." The sequel to the earlier entry on this list "Munna Bhai, M.B.B.S.," this movie follows the gangster protagonist from the first film as he adopts a non-violent and truthful way of life. Needless to say, his gangster mentality comes into conflict with this intention in a very comedic way.

10. "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi." This 2004 hit became the third highest crossing Indian film that year and has garnered huge popularity. Teaming up Indian superstars Akshay Kumar, who already has a flair for comedy, with Salman Khan, himself no amateur when it comes to switching from drama to comedy, this movie succeed on all fronts in telling the very funny story of a love triangle. It sounds cliche, but this film honestly puts a unique spin on the proceedings.

Sharman replaces 'Fido Dido' as 7UP brand ambassador

New Delhi, March 21 (IANS) Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi has replaced the cartoon character of Fido Dido as the face of PepsiCo's aerated drink 7UP.

Sharman has been signed up for two years, and sources said he has been paid Rs.5 crore for the endorsement deal.

The campaign for the drink, 'Gussa Hatao, Chill Machao', involves two television commercials and will focus on simple issues of anger management.

Sharman said he was excited about the commercials, which will be aired by the end of March.

'I have always enjoyed drinking 7UP, hence I believe this endorsement was meant to be. I am glad to be a part of this interesting and exciting campaign, which delivers a message I personally believe in, as anger leads to nothing but regret,' Sharman said in a press statement.

The actor, who has featured in films like 'Rang De Basanti', 'Golmaal', 'Life...In A Metro', 'Sorry Bhai', '3 Idiots' and 'Toh Baat Pakki', also admits he was quite upbeat about the campaign as he was getting to shoot with his '3 Idiots' director Rajkumar Hirani.

A PepsiCo spokesperson says Sharman has been roped in for his calm attitude.

'Sharman, with his calm, unruffled and extremely affable personality, is a perfect match to highlight the brand's positioning of a cool, refreshing drink,' said Alpana Titus, category marketing director (flavoured carbonated drinks), PepsiCo India Beverages.

Sharman's forthcoming projects include 'Ferrari Ki Sawaari' with Deepika Padukone, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

No roles to suit my age in Bollywood: Juhi Chawla

"Another film was 'Raja Hindustani'. I thought it was not my kind of stuff, it was too loud. But it turned out to be a blockbuster. So I made dumb decisions at times," she added.

The actress has learnt her lesson now and says that he tries to look at a script and story with the audience in mind.

"I listen to a script as an audience and if I like it and I know I can crack it I go ahead and do it," she added.

The actress said that she is extremely happy for Aamir Khan, with whom she has delivered many hits like 'Kayamat Se Kayamat Tak', 'Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke' and 'Ishq'.

"I'm very happy for Aamir. He was always extremely bright. He stuck out and said I don't want to do films which don't make sense to me. It has paid off," said Juhi.

Madhuri ups her fee for Jhalak season 2

Getting Madhuri Dixit to sign on the dotted line just got costlier. After the stupendous response to her presence on dance reality show " Jhalak Dikhla Jaa", it now appears that the channel would have to considerably upgrade her already-impressive, if not astronomical, fee if the star is to appear as a judge on the next season as well.

Apparently, Madhuri's fee is larger than any offered to a reality-show judge in the history of Indian television.

Says a co-star who has worked closely with Madhuri: "And why not? She brought so much to the table when she came on board. 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa' went to another level with Madhuri."

While Sony TV sources are tight-lipped about the re-negotiation, Madhuri is candid enough to admit that another season of 'Jhalak...' is being worked out.

"We're under negotiation. Nothing has been finalised as yet. Let's see...I really enjoyed my first stint on the show. I am not discounting a second season," Madhuri said.

But for now, she is looking forward to joining her husband and sons in the US.

"I don't know when I'll be back. This has been my longest stay in Mumbai away from my husband and kids. Though my sons joined me in Mumbai during Christmas, I still felt the distance. At the moment, I can't think of anything but going back to the people who matter the most to me," she said.

Madhuri also said she hasn't signed any film during this trip.

"I met directors and heard scripts. But nothing that would tear me away from my children," she said.

"I've to admit this was a very special visit to Mumbai. I felt extremely welcome. But right now, I can't say when I'm coming back," she said.

toi

Salman replaces Akshay as 'Khatron Ke Khiladi' host

Salman Khan ousts Akshay Kumar as reality show 'Khatron Ke Khiladi' host. Akki is stunned.

Akshay Kumar used to host 'Khatron Ke Khiladi'. Priyanka Chopra hosted one season of the show, and the channel decided to retun to their original host Akshay and even shot a promo of 'Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 4' with him. While all this happened, there's suddenly been a change of mind and heart. The channel, we hear, is very keen to get Salman Khan to do what Akshay was supposed to do.

If sources are to be believed, Salman has already shot for the promo pf the reality game show when he was in Bangkok shooting for the film 'Ready'. Akshay got to know of this through friends and was quite stunned. Apparently, Akshay had no idea about this new development whatsoever.

Talks also have it that Salman Khan was keen to host the next season of Bigg Boss 5, too, and actually offered Colors (TV channel) a great deal - a reasonable price for hosting two shows. With Salman's ever increasing popularity, this offer was considered to be quite a 'steal'.

Speculation is rife that while the channel head doesn't know how to inform Akshay, who has already shot one promo for the show earlier this year, about this change, Akshay isn't willing to believe anything that is being heard or said until an official communication is executed.

toi

Actor Bob Christo passes away

MUMBAI: Bob Christo, the man who played "gora" henchman in films of the eighties and nineties, including Amitabh Bachchan's " Namak Halal" and " Agneepath", passed away in Bangalore on Sunday afternoon. He was 70. His business partner and family friend, Khaleem Pasha, said, "He was hospitalised after a massive heart attack on Saturday afternoon. He passed away today."

Bob Christo first made waves when he was introduced by actor-filmmaker Sanjay Khan in the film "Abdullah". Says Pasha, "Bob came to India to meet actress Parveen Babi, but ended up getting a break in the film 'Abdullah'."

Bob was a qualified civil engineer, but his good looks got him modelling assignments. He even got a small role in a Marlon Brando-starrer but on a friend's advice let it go, and instead began building film sets. His modelling assignment made him travel to various countries. When he was waiting for a work permit for Muscat he came across an article in Time magazine about Bollywood and decided to come to India to meet Parveen Babi.

The actor of Australian origin went on to act in over 200 movies, including films like "Kaalia", "Mard", "Nastik", "Qurbani", "Mr India", "Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja" and "Gumraah".

Bob got typecast as a henchman, lead villain's sidekick or a British officer in period films. By early 2000, Bob shifted to Bangalore and started working as a yoga instructor Pasha says, "He had been to Mumbai two months ago to meet Dharmendra and Akshay Kumar. When he fell ill, all of them did call us to inquire about his health."

The actor's biography, "Flashback: My Times in Bollywood and Beyond", was to be released by Akshay Kumar in June. Bob was planning to return to Hindi films in an Akshay Kumar film. He had also signed a few South Indian movies, including one with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.

toi

Arshad, Vidya excited for Ishqiya 2

After the super success of Ishqiya, there have been speculations over a sequel from some time. However this proposed project had failed to take off despite the success of Ishqiya, for which its lead actress Vidya Balan won several awards.

However everything seems to be on track now ands last night at a party the producers of the film, Shemaroo and Vishal Bhardwaj, announced the sequel with the same cast and crew.

Our source said, "Ishqiya was a huge hit and was also critically acclaimed. The producers were very happy and were keen to make a sequel. However the film did not take off for a long time. Everything seems to be on track now and last night the film was announced at a private party at the producer Shemaroo's office.

Arshad and Vidya were present when the film was announced, while Vishal, his wife Rekha, and Abhishek Chaubey were also present. Abhishek has an idea and the script is currently under finalisation. The film will go on the floors in the middle of this year.

The last draft is being written and maybe one or two people might be added. Vidya and Arshad are equally thrilled to do the sequel."

Our source said, "Abhishek was being offered to direct a film from several production houses. He too was in talks and there was a strong buzz that he was going to make a film with John Abraham. But it seems nothing did materialise.

Abhishek took a long break to decide his next film script and what he wanted to direct. Finally after this break, he has decided to direct his debut movie Ishqiya's sequel."

When contacted, Ketan Maroo, the producer of the film, confirmed the news and said, "Yes, we have announced the film. However, I will be in a better position to give you details in a few days."

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Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala –Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla on Star Plus

Posted: 19 Mar 2011 09:16 PM PDT


Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala is a new humor TV Show on Star Plus starting from 19th March, 2011. Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla on Star Plus is scheduled to air every Saturday and Sunday at 9 PM in India. You will watch the biggest challenge of humor and wit in Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla TV Show. Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala Hosts: Jennifer Winget is seen in the first episode of Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala on Star Plus

Beauty and the Geek – Beauty And The Geek on Channel V

Posted: 19 Mar 2011 11:49 PM PDT

Beauty and the Geek is a new reality TV Show on Channel V starting from 19th March, 2011. Beauty And The Geek on Channel V is scheduled to air every Saturday at 7 PM in India. Akal Meets Sakal in [V] Beauty And The Geek TV Show. Beauty and the Geek Host: Beauty and the Geek host is Andy. He is the most popular host on Channel V. Andy was seen in Date My Folks, Gorgeous 6 and Dare 2 Date 2 also

Actor Navin Nischol passes away

MUMBAI: Film and television actor Navin Nischol passed away on Saturday. Manmohan Shetty, a close friend of the family, said Nischal, was travelling to Pune when he felt restless at Sion and a few minutes later passed away.

Nischol made his debut with the Hindi film 'Sawan Bhadon in' 1970. Victoria No. 203' and 'Dhund' were some of his hit films. His last film release was 'Break Ke Baad".

Nischol also starred in one of the most popular television serials 'Dekh Bhai Dekh'.

His last rites will be performed at 5 PM, Santacruz, Mumbai.

toi

Guinness World Records Ab India Todega

– The Biggest Achievement of Indian Will Be Exposed Through Guinness World Records Ab India Todega on Colors TV



Guinness World Records Ab India Todega is a new television Show about the achievement of Indian. Guinness World Records Ab India Todega TV Show on Colors TV is scheduled to air every Friday and Saturday at 9 PM in India from 18th March, 2011. You will watch the biggest achievement of Indian through the Guinness World Records Ab India Todega TV Show

Vipul To Do 'Namastey London' Sequel

Following the debacle of Action Replayy, director-producer Vipul Shah is planning to revive the story of Jazz and Arjun in a sequel of Namastey London.

The 2007 hit was a romcom drama about a Punjabi boy (Akshay Kumar) wooing and winning over a stuck-up British-Asian girl (Katrina Kaif).

"We are in the process of scripting. Akshay was keen to do a sequel to Namastey London. He felt the story has the potential to be carried forward. I am happy that we are doing it. Also, I feel if the story allows to take it forward then one must go for sequel," Vipul told PTI.

When asked if the sequel will have the original stars, Vipul said, "We would finalise it soon once we are done with the script."

According to reports, the sequel will carry forward the story of Arjun played by Akshay Kumar and Jazz played by Katrina Kaif into a marriage of inconvenience and the trials they face.

When asked about the sequel, Katrina told PTI, "I have no idea... have heard about from media."


Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?ID=ENTEN20110171796&keyword=bollywood&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&nid=92648&cp

Shah Rukh Shows Off His Abs, Talks Religion At Conclave

He is as known for his irreverent humour as his six pack abs and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan showed off both in front of a house-full crowd at the India Today Conclave.

The 45-year-old actor spoke about 'Movies, Magic and Life' but the conversation soon turned to his head-line grabbing physique.

When asked whether a six-pack was still "lurking behind that sharp suit", the actor quickly stood up and pulled his shirt up to give the audience a dekko at his abs.

"I don't know whether it is a six pack, but it is definitely a four," said Shah Rukh amid applause and cat calls.

The stage was flanked by a giant image of a shirt-less Shah Rukh who confessed that he did not know how to behave at "serious events" such as the Conclave which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"My wife always tells me, 'Please don't try to be funny at serious events, please don't speak too much'. And I am told this is a very serious event," said Shah Rukh.

In his speech, the actor took digs at the politicisation of the word 'Mumbai' and on a more serious note spoke about communalism and Indian cinema going global.

"Indian cinema is going from Mumbai to Melrose. Though I would have preferred saying Bombay to Beverly Hills, that kind of alliteration is not allowed to Muslim actors," said Shah Rukh.

The actor went on to say that religion and politics should never be mixed and he finds communalism "low down and deplorable".

"I truly believe that politicians should not use religion as an agenda. It is just not acceptable. The issues like education, development and women's upliftment, which are sidelined are the basic political issues which need to be looked upon," he said.

"I am a Muslim myself and I am married to a Hindu lady and my children know about all religions and its my conscious decision to make them aware of it. Religion is a personal thing and nobody in this world has the right to come between you and your God," he added.


Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?ID=ENTEN20110171799&keyword=bollywood&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&nid=92666&cp

SRK's three essentials to make Hindi films global

New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) Bollywood lacks three very essential skills - screenplay writing, technology and discipline - says superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has been in the industry for almost two decades.

'Hindi films lack in three very important aspects of filmmaking. The first amongst them is screenplay writing. We need to understand the format and adhere to screenplay writing technique like them (Hollywood). The sooner Indian filmmakers realise that screenplay writing is not an art form but a science, the faster our films will globalise,' Shah Rukh said Friday at the India Today Conclave.

'Secondly, I feel so odd that on one hand we have the biggest software developing industries of the world, but somehow we are lacking behind in it's usage in India. We have the means to buy the machines, but we don't have mechanics to stand by them. That is a big investment we are looking for from Hollywood.'

'We need our own people who can make us our own cheaper, better, faster software for visual-effect teams,' he added.

'The third important thing that we need to learn is the discipline with which they (Hollywood) do their business. It does exist in other sectors, but it is lacking in the film industry.'

'If our industry wants to thrive economically, we also need to figure out and learn ways of selling our dreams to the largest number of people in the shortest span of time. We need to learn the science of marketing from them,' he said.

The actor also felt that if one didn't understand the importance of these aspects, sooner our young audience will stop watching our own domestic product.

At the same time, Shah Rukh felt that Indian filmmakers need to maintain their own individuality.

Colourless? Holi songs vanish from Hindi films

NEW DELHI: Many iconic scenes and songs in Hindi films have been woven around the festival of colours. But now with Bollywood itself changing colours, Holi numbers have almost disappeared from mainstream Hindi cinema. As a result, radio stations and TV channels have no option but to keep playing older tracks.

Film director Madhur Bhandarkar attributes the vanishing of Holi songs to the overall changes in the entertainment industry. He says that the audience already enjoys an overdose of festivals in television serials. "They are not looking for festival songs in movies anymore," he says.

Storylines in Hindi films too have changed significantly. Hinterland family dramas were staple Bollywood fare. That scenario has significantly altered. As music director Aadesh Shrivastava says, "Festival songs used to be an integral part of storytelling in the past. No longer." Agrees Bhandarkar, "There are fewer Holi numbers because fewer scripts need them." The Holi dance in the Akshay Kumar-Aishwarya Rai flop, 'Action Replayy', is a rarity rather than the rule.
Many Holi songs have originated in the lanes of Awadh, Vrindavan, Barsana and Mathura. "But with so many films being shot abroad today, where will you fit in a festival number today," asks Aadesh, who composed Holi khele Raghuveera (Baghban, 2003).

The new millennium has witnessed a sharp dip in quantity as well as quality of Holi numbers. One of the more-recent Holi tracks, Do me a favour, let's play Holi (Waqt: The Race Against Time, 2005) was thumbed down by traditionalists for its usage of Hinglish. With every year, the number has declined further.

TOI

Bollywood lacks film-making skills: Shah Rukh Khan

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan stole the show at India Today Conclave 2011 in New Delhi with his charm and wit. Shah Rukh spoke about the shortcoming of the Hindi film industry.

During his session - 'Movies, magic, life - Making movies work in a brand new decade,' he presented his view on films and magic and discussed how Bollywood lacked the basic skills of film making. He said, "Bollywood lacks the 3 important film-making skills - Screenplay writing, special effects and science of marketing."

While discussing Hollywood and special effects in Bollywood, SRK said, "We need better visual effects & discipline in Bollywood."

"We don't need Hollywood investment as much as we need their knowledge," added Shah Rukh Khan.

INDIAN EXPRESS

Bollywood Movie Calendar 2011

Apr 1
F.A.L.T.U
Jackky Bhagnani, Pooja Gupta, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh Comedy Remo D'Souza Vashu Bhagnani

Apr 1
Game
Abhishek Bachchan, Sarah Jane Dias, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Sheirgill Action, Drama Abhinay Deo Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani

Apr 8
Naughty @ 40
Govinda, Uvika Chaudhary Comedy Jagmohan Mundhra Anuj Sharma

Apr 8
Thank You
Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Sunil Shetty, Celina Jaitly Comedy, Romance Anees Bazmee Ronnie Screwvala, Twinkle Khanna

Apr 15
Bhindi Baazaar Inc
Kay Kay Menon, Prashant Narayanan, Piyush Mishra Thriller, Drama Ankush Bhatt Karan Arora

Apr 15
Shaitan
Arshad Warsi, Kalki Koechlin, Jackie Shroff Thriller Bijoy Nambiar -

Apr 15
Teen Thay Bhai
Om Puri, Shreyas Talpade, Deepak Dobriyal Comedy Mrigdeep Singh Lamba Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Apr 22
Dum Maaro Dum
Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Aditya Pancholi, Prateik Babbar Thriller Rohan Sippy Ramesh Sippy

Apr 22
I Am
Sanjay Suri, Radhika Apte, Shernaz Patel, Anurag Kashyap Social Onir Onir, Sanjay Suri

Apr 22
Zokkomon
Darsheel Safary, Anupam Kher, Manjari Fadnis Children, SuperHero Satyajit Bhatkal -

Apr 28
Shor In The City
Tusshar Kapoor, Alok Chaturvedi, Sudhir Chowdhary, Sendhil Ramamurthy Thriller, Drama Raj Nidimoru, Krishna Dk Ekta Kapoor

Apr 29
404
Nishikant Kamat, Tisca Chopra, Imaad Shah Thriller Prawaal Raman Nameeta Nair

Apr 29
Bheja Fry 2
Vinay Pathak, Minissha Lamba, Amol Gupte, Kay Kay Menon Comedy Sagar Ballary Mukul Deora

Apr 29
Chalo Dilli
Vinay Pathak, Lara Dutta Drama - Lara Dutta, Mahesh Bhupati

Doraemon – Doraemon on Hungama TV

Doraemon is one of the most popular anime TV series like Shinchan and Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Doraemon on Hungama TV is scheduled to air every Monday to Friday at 4 PM in India. You can experience the futuristic gadgets in Doraemon TV series. Doraemon Casts: Doraemon: Doremon is the leading protagonist of this series. He is the titular robotic cat. He has been sent back in time by Sewashi to help Nobita.

Rana Daggubati shoots promos for his international English film

After his debut in Tollywood and Bollywood, Rana Daggubati is now acting in an English movie. The tall and handsome star entered film industry with his debut film 'The Leader' in Telugu which was a huge success.

The success of the film subsequently landed him a role in Bollywood film 'Dum Maro Dum' which is slated to release in April. Rana is now all set for his second Telugu film 'Nenu Naa Rakashasi' which is also hitting theaters in April.

The English project is directed by Aditya Bhattacharya who earlier directed 'Rakh' in Hindi. Rana confirmed saying that it is an English film and not a Hollywood movie. He added, promos are shot first and the actual shooting takes place later. The project is expected to go on floors either at the end of this year or at the beginning of next year.

Source: FilmySouth

Pooja Bhatt comes out to encourage old pal

She is not seen regularly, but actor-producer Pooja Bhatt made an exception for journalist friend S. Ramachandran and attended the launch function of his first production venture.

Titled " Imaandaari Ki Maa Ki Aankh", the film is about a SRA Scam (Slum Rehabilitation Authority Scam).

"The title of the film itself is so appealing that one automatically gets curious to know what the film will be about. I certainly wish the entire team of the film and hope they make a good movie," Pooja said.

Pooja and Ramachandran go a long way -- she knows him since her Bollywood debut with "Daddy".

To be co-produced by Irshad Khan of Black Stone Production, the film will directed by Rashid S. Khan. With the film Mudasir Ali will make his debut in Hindi films as the music director.

Omkar Nath Manikpuri, known as Natha of " Peepli Live", Hiten Tejwani, Rajesh Vivek, Roopa Ganguly and others form the cast of the movie.

toi

Khayyam launches Flavours Of Bollywood

Saregama India Ltd. launched a unique album with selected songs from the varied styles and genres of Hindi film music aptly titled Flavours Of Bollywood.

A compilation that covers songs across 12 different genres and will be a 12-CD pack that includes Classical music-based songs, ghazal, bhajan, qawwali and folk besides bhangra, wedding songs, patriotic and fun and children’s songs besides cabaret and disco numbers.

Indian express

Owners of single-screen cinema to go on strike

MUMBAI: About 650 single-screen cinema halls across the state will go on a week-long protest strike from March 25 to March 31. The cinema owners are demanding that entertainment tax be reduced in Maharashtra.

President of Cinema Owners' and Exhibitors' Association RV Vidhani said, "We have been appealing to the government for two years now to reduce the tax. We have even mailed several letters to the authorities but have received no response. We don't know if this pressure is going to work in our favour, but we only want the people and the government to know that single-screen owners are struggling for survival.

Multiplexes get concessions and we single screen owners have been paying entertainment tax since 1923 and no relief till today. We pay as high as 45 per cent. There used to be about 1080 cinema halls in Maharashtra which has now come down to just 650.''

Distributor and exhibitor Ramesh Sippy said that all single screen theatres will be remain shut for seven days.

He said, " Rajasthan has just abolished entertainment tax , Punjab too there is no entertainment tax even Tamil Nadu it is very low but here in Maharashtra which is the birthplace of cinema the entertainment tax is as high as 45 per cent which is killing our business.''

The single screen owners have been asking for reduction of entertainment tax from the time multiplexes came into existence and damaged their business


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Preity Zinta at Guniess World Records show for Colors

Bollywood beauty Preity Zinta at Guniess World Records show for Colors. Preity Zinta is the host of Guinness World Records – Ab India todega

Mahesh Manjrekar gets chic makeover for ‘Ready’

Bollywood Filmmaker-actor Mahesh Manjrekar has been known for his casual and unkempt look in films so far. But he has got a makeover for the role of a sophisticated businessman in Anees Bazmee’s “Ready”.He will be seen in three-piece suits, vibrant ties and stylish glasses to suit his role in the movie, produced by Bhushan Kumar and Rajat Rawail.

After playing characters like a local don in “Slumdog Millionaire”, a corrupt cop in “Wanted” and an alcoholic in “Dabangg”, “Ready” seems like a different challenge for Manjrekar.

Salman Khan and Asin Thottumkal play lead roles in “Ready” that also features Paresh Rawal and Arya Babbar. It will release June 3.
- IANS

I'm free to choose what I want: Sharmila

Bollywood veteran Sharmila Tagore's six-year tenure as censor board chief comes to an end this month and she hopes that the information and broadcasting ministry will appoint a "forward- looking and open-minded candidate" as her successor.

"I have worked as the censor board chief for six years and it has been a great experience. I think the ministry is quite forward-looking; with Ambikaji (Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni) at the helm, we have had a very good team. I believe once you start going forward, no one goes backward...so I hope they get a forward-looking and open-minded candidate," Sharmila told in an interview.

The 64-year-old actor has been serving as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson since 2004. It is during her term that experimental and bold films like " Tere Bin Laden", "Dev D" and " Love, Sex Aur Dhokha" were released.

Movies like "Omkara", "Kaminey", Ishqiya" and "No One Killed Jessica", with heavy usage of slangs too managed their way to the big screen, but with an A-certificate.

Sharmila's tenure should have ended at the beginning of March. But it was extended till March 31 as the ministry couldn't zero in on a suitable replacement. The name has yet to be finalised.

Her film career awaits too.

She is awaiting the India release of her British movie "Life Goes On", which will be in theatres March 25. Sharmila plays a mother of three, and the movie traces the changing relationship between her husband and their daughters after her death.

The actress played a mother in her last Bollywood film "Break Ke Baad" as well. But she says it isn't intentional.

"I don't have a fixed pattern in choosing my roles. I do a role only if I want to do something. At my age and stage, I am just having fun. I am free to choose what I want and I only do whatever gives me pleasure."

Though Sharmila is quite impressed with the range of Bollywood movies these days, she says she can't connect with the marketing gimmicks.

"I love the act of acting in films. I love each moment from start to cut! But after that I disengage myself from the project. In my time, marketing wasn't essential. Today, I know it is. It is important to promote yourself. But I have never done that because in our time, we never promoted ourselves," she said.

That is also a reason why she is unsure about how the Indian audience will take to "Life Goes On".

"The commercial aspect of the film doesn't affect me, but of course it affects the producer. The audience has to decide for themselves whether they like it or not. But I hope they do!"

"Life Goes On" has been directed by Indian-origin filmmaker Sangeeta Dutta, and features Om Puri, Victor Banerjee and Soha Ali Khan, among others.

toi

Big B, Aamir, Hrithik in Ranbir’s team

With the World Cup on, cricket enthusiasts are having a gala time. Ranbir Kapoor too, who is busy shooting for Barfee and Rockstar, catches up with the game whenever he can.

The actor also participates in all the celebrity cricket and football matches that have become a latest trend in Bollywood. In one of the recent interviews, Ranbir was asked about the three key players that a cricket team will never be complete.

Ranbir had to choose people strictly from Bollywood and after much thinking he said, "The three players who have to be on a cricket team are Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan."

When asked about the reason behind these, he said, "I will keep Mr. Bachchan near the boundary. He's so tall that he'll catch all sixes. I would place Aamir Khan as the wicket keeper for he is great at studying and analysing situations very well. Hrithik Roshan has to be the bowler. He moves so fast that he will confuse the batsmen."

Well, that was a funny take on cricket from Ranbir Kapoor. But if such a team comes by, we are sure it will be a treat for the eyes and full on entertainment. What say?

toi

Zarine Khan thanks Salman for small, glamorous role in ‘Ready’

Zarine Khan credits her “Veer” co-star Salman Khan for her cameo in director Anees Bazmee’s “Ready” and says she has got a very glamorous makeover for the role.

“It’s a cameo with a club song. Salman offered me to do this and I would never say no to Salman,” Zarine, who made her Bollywood debut with “Veer”, told IANS

This is a little role, would cause an image makeover after showing a traditional Indian look in “Veer”, maintains Zarine.

“I also found it quite exciting specially after ‘Veer’ because there I had a totally Indianised look, totally covered and after that it is like total 360 degree makeover, a very glamorous avatar,” said Zarine adding: “We shot for it for three days in a club in Bangkok. I’m really waiting for people reaction about this song.”

Her formal training in dance came in handy for the song.

“I have learnt different dance forms like Bharatnatyam and belly dancing. The latter really helped me to get the moves in this club song very easily,” said the 26-year-old.

Asked if she has signed any other project, she said: “There are two projects in the pipeline, which I am going to sign very soon, but I don’t want to talk about them, till I sign them.”

Konkana Sen, Ranvir Shorey blessed with a son

Bollywood couple Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranvir Shorey has been blessed with a son, says Rahul Bose. The child was born Tuesday.

Actor Rahul Bose announced it on his Twitter page saying: “Massive congratulations to Konkona and Ranvir! A boy it is. With those genes, the dynasty is secure.”

Tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi and actor Vivek Oberoi also congratulated the couple.

The couple, who were seeing each other for three years, got married last year in a private ceremony at their Goregaon residence in Mumbai.
- IANS

Mugdha Godse turns vegetarian

Model-turned-actress Mugdha Godse has turned vegetarian and says she has given up meat because she has started practicing the art of Ashtang Yoga.

The 24-year-old once was a hard-core meat eater and indulged in delicious home-cooked non-vegetarian dishes almost everyday. But for Mugdha, health was always a priority, so she decided to give up meat for good, said a source.

The actress practices yoga every morning and makes sure that she sticks to this routine.

She made her Bollwyood debut with “Fashion” and then featured in “Jail”. Her upcoming release is “Will You Marry Me?” that also has Shreyas Talpade and Rajeev Khandelwal.

No big stars shone on LFW ramp

No big names from Bollywood appeared on the ramp at the just-concluded Lakme Fashion Week (LFW). Rather, second-rung actors like Yuvika Chaudhury and Randeep Hooda were picked by the designers as showstoppers and it provided them an ideal platform to promote themselves.

Designer Sabah Khan had Yuvika as the showstopper for Tuk Tuk On Linen collection.

Primarily known for playing Dolly in Shah Rukh Khan starrer Om Shanti Om, Yuvika has also been part of films like Summer 2007 and Toh Baat Pakki. She will now be seen in upcoming Govinda-starrer Naughty @40.

'I have just graduated from INIFD (Inter National Institute of Fashion Design) so, from an emerging designer's point of view, I don't have the contacts and the backing where I can afford to give grand fees to a big star to be my showstopper. Yuvika is a very dear friend and fits in very well, so I decided on her,' said the 21-year-old Sabah, giving her reasons for going with the actress.

Apart from Yuvika, others that garnered publicity at the event were Randeep Hooda, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Perizad Zorabian, Geeta Basra and Riya Sen.

While Randeep walked for designer Rajat K. Tangri, Aditya was the showstopper for Debarun and Geeta strutted the ramp for Parvesh and Jai's creation.

Although these actors are yet to make a niche for themselves in the Hindi film industry, they are going all out to be in news by walking the shows.

'I think it's a good platform for these actors to show their presence. The designer also gets some mileage as well as the actors. Even though they are not stars, they still manage to get in some crowd, so I think its good,' said a guest on condition of anonymity.

Riya, who has done couple of films and walked for designer Arpan Vohra, is still not in the star bracket, but she did make shutterbugs flutter owing to thin Bollywood presence in LFW this time around.

The only bigger celebrities to walk the ramp were Dia Mirza and Zayed Khan for Rocky S and Kunal Kapoor for the brand Energie.

But yes, big names were seen in the guest corridor - Kareena Kapoor, Imtiaz Ali, Sonali Bendre, Shamita Shetty, Minnisha Lamba and Poonam Dhillon among others came to support their favourite designers.

This could also be the result of a debate among designers whether celebrities should be a part of fashion shows or not? While some call is ideal, others feel otherwise.

Pret wear designer Priyadarshini Rao said: 'I don't get celebrity showstoppers for my show because I feel that takes away the attention from the garments. People only see the celebrity and only talk about them while the clothes are sidelined. The purpose of a show is to showcase a collection, so I feel the entire attention should be on that and not a celebrity.'

But designer Gauri Karan has a different opinion.

'I wouldn't say it's important, but if it's something that goes with your brand then why not? Fashion goes hand in hand with cinema. Designers are always associated with actresses and it's a nice association because you are kind of helping each other,' said Gauri.

'All over the country, people aspire to dress like our actresses and for designers that's very nice because if an actress wears your outfit, you instantly get a lot visibility. On the other hand, the actress gets styled in a nice way so it works both ways,' she added.

Is Salman Back With Somy Ali?

After rumours of Salman falling for model-turned-aspiring Bollywood actress Hazel Keech, we have a bomb of our own here. The rumour mill is hot with news of Salman's ex-flame Somy Ali rekindling the romance between them.

For those of you who have no clue about her, Somy is a Pakistani model-turned-actress who had the Dabangg boy weak in the knees years ago. Head over heels in love with her, their whirlwind romance extended to different parts of the world. But unfortunately, his love, this time too, failed to remove his commitment phobia and he kept on postponing marriage. This was the major cause of the split which launched Salman into a roller-coaster ride of failed romances.

But unlike his current affairs, this relationship did not only remain confined to a romantic level. Even after their break up, their mutual love for charity brought the two together on many occasions and they managed to maintain friendly relations. So, with 'Being Human' in the bag, is the search for something else also on the go?

It sure seems so to the sources on the sets of Salman's latest project 'Ready', "Somy and Salman spent a lot of time together after the day's shoot would get over. They were seen shopping in various places in Bangkok and looked happy and comfortable like two people who have been with each other for many years. All through her stay Salman was very protective of Somy. She did not come on the sets but he was with her all the time after the shoot. They were discreet, he didn't want to be in the public eye."

Both Salman and Somy stayed at the luxurious Hotel Landmark, while the rest of the crew stayed at Hotel Sukumvit, in Bangkok. Somy Ali arrived in Bangkok end of February and stayed on till the star's return to Mumbai. Now, you can't blame us for wondering.

For the golden hearted boy, who was left heartbroken for the n-th time recently, we hope this one is a lasting love. With friends and family already pushing him to get hitched soon, we see real potential here.

Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?section=Movies&Id=ENTEN20110171603&keyword=bollywood&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&nid=92117&cp

Zoa Morani All Set To Debut With SRK

Zoa Morani, who makes her film debut with Shah Rukh Khan's Always Kabhi Kabhi, believes the movie is a perfect launch pad for her in Bollywood.

She worked as an assistant director to Rajkumar Santoshi for Halla Bol (2008) and Farah Khan for Om Shanti Om (2007) and also trained in acting from Anupam Kher's acting school Actor Prepares.

"I feel the movie is the perfect debut for me. It feels really good to be part of Shah Rukh's film. It's a great thing," said Zoa, after walking the ramp for designer Pallavi Mohan on Day Five of Lakme Fashion Week.

Directed by debutante Roshan Abbas, Always Kabhi Kabhi, which is produced by SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment, is based on the theme of high-school life.

About the film, Zoa said, "It is about children evolving from childhood to adolescence. It's a very good and new theme. We are sure everyone would like it."

The film also stars Giselle Monterio, who played the role of Harleen opposite Saif Ali Khan in hit film Love Aaj Kal.

About her association with SRK, Zoa said, "I just remember he had told us that we must work hard and if we work hard and are true to ourselves and our work, then we will make God
happy and eventually he will take care of everything."

The film is an adaptation of a play Roshan had written and directed way back in 1999 called Graffiti about life at high school.


Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?section=Movies&Id=ENTEN20110171608&keyword=bollywood&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&nid=92132&cp

Dibakar wanted to see my bare body: Payal Rohatgi

The issue of the casting couch in Bollywood seems to have reared its ugly head, if allegations by actress Payal Rohatgi are to be believed. The actress, who was seen in films like Plan, 36 China Town and Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai, claims that she was propositioned by Director Dibakar Banerjee, to get a role in his much anticipated project, 'Shanghai'.

In a case of reel to real life, Payal Rohatgi said that the Love, Sex and Dhokha director had reportedly dropped by her home and asked her to take her top off. She said, when she refused to do so, he nixed her from the film.

According to the version of events laid out by Payal, she had gotten in touch with the director after introducing herself to him through a message. They kept conversing and soon became friends, with the actress calling him her mentor.

Trouble in paradise apparently occurred when she talked to him about getting a role in the Emraan Hashmi – Abhay Deol starrer film. She was asked to give an audition for an emotionally tough role in the film. Later, Payal claims Dibakar dropped by her house.

Rohatgi said, “Dibakar commented I had gained weight. He asked me to lift my shirt and show him my stomach. I didn't like it. I told him I was in no mood for jokes. But he did not agree."

I hope next censor board chief is open-minded: Sharmila Tagore

New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) Bollywood veteran Sharmila Tagore's six-year tenure as censor board chief comes to an end this month and she hopes that the information and broadcasting ministry will appoint a 'forward- looking and open-minded candidate' as her successor.

'I have worked as the censor board chief for six years and it has been a great experience. I think the ministry is quite forward-looking; with Ambikaji (Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni) at the helm, we have had a very good team. I believe once you start going forward, no one goes backward...so I hope they get a forward-looking and open-minded candidate,' Sharmila told IANS in an interview.

The 64-year-old actor has been serving as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson since 2004. It is during her term that experimental and bold films like 'Tere Bin Laden', 'Dev D' and 'Love, Sex Aur Dhokha' were released.

Movies like 'Omkara', 'Kaminey', Ishqiya' and 'No One Killed Jessica', with heavy usage of slangs too managed their way to the big screen, but with an A-certificate.

Sharmila's tenure should have ended at the beginning of March. But it was extended till March 31 as the ministry couldn't zero in on a suitable replacement. The name has yet to be finalised.

Her film career awaits too.

She is awaiting the India release of her British movie 'Life Goes On', which will be in theatres March 25. Sharmila plays a mother of three, and the movie traces the changing relationship between her husband and their daughters after her death.

The actress played a mother in her last Bollywood film 'Break Ke Baad' as well. But she says it isn't intentional.

'I don't have a fixed pattern in choosing my roles. I do a role only if I want to do something. At my age and stage, I am just having fun. I am free to choose what I want and I only do whatever gives me pleasure.'

Though Sharmila is quite impressed with the range of Bollywood movies these days, she says she can't connect with the marketing gimmicks.

'I love the act of acting in films. I love each moment from start to cut! But after that I disengage myself from the project. In my time, marketing wasn't essential. Today, I know it is. It is important to promote yourself. But I have never done that because in our time, we never promoted ourselves,' she said.

That is also a reason why she is unsure about how the Indian audience will take to 'Life Goes On'.

'The commercial aspect of the film doesn't affect me, but of course it affects the producer. The audience has to decide for themselves whether they like it or not. But I hope they do!'

'Life Goes On' has been directed by Indian-origin filmmaker Sangeeta Dutta, and features Om Puri, Victor Banerjee and Soha Ali Khan, among others.

Manisha Koirala is back in town

Actor Manisha Koirala will be shuttling between Kathmandu and Mumbai, because she is finally looking forward to re-establishing her career both as an actor and a filmmaker here.

The actress admits that she has taken up a place in Mumbai, even though her marriage means a trip to Kathmandu every two or three months.

“I will have to keep travellingbetween Kathmandu and Mumbai. I will be charting out my professional life soon. But I don’t want to hurry into anything. I have always paced my life the way I wanted to. It doesn’t matter what the expectations are, I work according to my own plans. I am very happy in my space,” says Koirala.

The actress admits that she is very happy with her role in the Malayalam film Elektra where the director (Shyamaprasad) has explored the Freudian Elektra complex. Koirala says that she wants to make a Hindi remake of that film.

“It was a great role and I am glad with the amount of critical acclaim that has come in with the film. I am exploring the possibility of making the film in Hindi. Let’s see how everything shapes up,” adds Koirala, whose first Nepali film incidentally, has reportedly bombed at the box office.

But the actor is instead upbeat about her next film with director Onir where she plays a Kashmiri girl.

“The moment I read the story of the film, I knew that I wanted to do it. I was in US when Onir mailed me the story and it really clicked. It’s a story about the friendship of two girls one of them is a Hindu (played by Juhi Chawla). The way my character was drawn up, it was very hard to tell him no. I think everybody will appreciate the way he has looked at the film and the way he has portrayed human relationships,” she ends.

For Koirala, it’s been a good 20 years in the film industry.

“It has really been a great journey for me and I am sure that there’s lot more that I will be able to give back to the industry. I am looking forward to doing some really great work,” she ends.

DNA

Alam Ara Movie Review

The Movie Alam Ara is based on a king who has two wives competing with each other to give birth to the kingdoms heir. The story mixed with action and romance is also known for its evergreen songs. The song De De Khuda Ke Naam Parâ serves as a milestone for indian songs. The picture quality was just on start and lacked technical issues, but it was right as it was the start. The song, De de khuda ke naam par, was performed on screen by actor Wazir Mohammed Khan . It was before the days of lip-syncing to playback tracks. The film had total of seven songs, scored by Ferozshah M. Mistru and B. Irani.


The prints of this film were destroyed in a fire in 2003 at the National Film Archives, Pune. The entire country was searched for the prints but it was not found. The film Alam Ara starred master Vithal, Zubeida, LV Prasad and Prithviraj Kapoor. For audio, microphones were used which were hidden from camera, the film had a duration of two hours and four minutes

Mallika, Deepika aim to be this year's 'Munni' and 'Sheila'?

Raunchy and sizzling item songs have become the order of the day, yet again. It seemed for a while that they may have become extinct in Hindi films, but last year's chartbusters 'Munni' and 'Sheila' brought them back to centre-space.

Can the movies this year push that envelope further? If what is being heard is true, many movies would try to do so. Seeing how the first few shows of both Dabangg and Tees Maar Khan were sold out by the two chartbuster tracks, several filmmakers are reworking their scripts to ensure that there is scope for at least one such item number. What's even more surprising is the fact that the top league actors are more than enthusiastic when it comes to featuring in item songs, looking at the popularity of these numbers.

Two such stars this year are Deepika Padukone and Mallika Sherawat. News of Deepika's racy track in Rohan Sippy's 'Dum Maro Dum' is already the talk of the town, with stills of the actress featuring on the teaser posters of the film.

Sherawat, meanwhile, will be seen in the track 'Razia' in Anees Bazmee's next, Thank You. The actress has been seen in many item numbers till now in films like 'Guru', 'Dashavatharam' and 'Preeti Yeke Bhoomi melide', to name a few.

Sanjay Dutt's next, 'Rascals' will have an item number too, featuring the actor and Lisa Haydon, while Salman Khan will do a special number for his upcoming film, 'Ready'. There is also talk that Shah Rukh Khan will do a special number for his home-production 'Always Kabhi Kabhi', directed by Roshan Abbas.

Indian Express

Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan lend voices to Hollywood animation film Rio

Singers Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan have lent their voice for the 3D Hollywood animation film Rio which releases in India on April 8.

Apart from dubbing the dialogues in Hindi for the lead characters Blu and Jewel, the singer duo have also sung some songs for the film's Hindi version.

Shaan said he was a huge fans of animation movies and was impressed when he saw the movie's rushes.

"Associating with Rio was a very unique and exciting opportunity that I couldn't refuse. The film is super fun and will be enjoyed by people of all ages. I had a great time dubbing and singing for the film," he said.

Chauhan said she always wanted to do an animation film.

"Rio is such an amazing film that I just had to do it. Even though my character is a bird, Rio is a beautiful love story."

Producers Fox Studios had recently roped in comical duo of Ranvir Shorey and Vinay Pathak to do the Hindi voice overs for Blu's friends Nico and Pedro respectively.

Jesse Eisenberg who rose to fame after his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network has lent his voice for Blu in the original version of the film; whereas Anne Hathaway has lent her voice for Jewel.

Rs 40 cr for Ra.One satellite rights!

The film's satellite rights have been sold for Rs 40 crore -- the highest for a Hindi film

At R 40 crore, Shah Rukh Khan's Ra.One has set a record of sorts. That's the amount a channel has paid for the satellite rights to the film. And this, long before the film is even due for theatrical release! What's more, it is the highest amount paid for a Hindi flick's satellite rights.

Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots previously held that record at a commanding price of R 36 crore. It was bought by the same channel. Reveals a source, "Shah Rukh is completely involved with every area of the film's marketing and branding. He's not only sitting with experts and drawing out several strategies, but is also coming up with his own. The film has a huge budget, so obviously, as a producer, he wants to make as much money through pre-release distribution avenues."

Big scale
In the recent past, other Bollywood releases like Guzaarish, Dabangg and Tees Maar Khan were sold to different channels before release. Ra.One will be publicised in a huge way. Since it has multiple Hollywood talents working on it, the scale of promotions will match it.

source:http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2011/mar/160311-films-satellite-rights-Rs-40-crore-highest-Hindi-film.htm

Shaan, Sunidhi to give voiceover to 3D animation film

New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) Bollywood's well-known playback singers Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan will give the voiceover for the lead characters Blu and Jewel, respectively, for the English version of 3D animation movie 'RIO'.

'I wanted to do an animation film for years. 'RIO is such an amazing film that I just had to do it. Even though my character is of a bird, 'Rio' is a beautiful love story,' said Sunidhi in statement.

For Shaan too it was an 'unique and exciting opportunity'. 'I couldn't refuse. The film is super fun and will be enjoyed by people of all ages. I had a great time dubbing and singing for the film,' he added.

The duo will also be lending their melodious voice for some of the Hindi songs to be used in the film's soundtrack.

Fox Star Studio's 'RIO' is said to have splendid visual effects and it will hit theaters in India April 8.

New Movie Release Dates

The below-mentioned Bollywood films release dates have been given by the producers and distributors of these films.

March 18, 2011
Game

Tanu Weds Manu – Movie Review

Film: “Tanu Weds Manu”
Starring: R. Madhavan, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Shergil, Swara Bhaskar
Rating: 25star
Director: Anand L. Rai

Why should you watch “Tanu Weds Manu”? For R. Madhavan who will win you heart as a sweet lovable NRI doctor Manu who has the misfortune of falling in love with a Kanpur-girl Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) who not only rejects him as a suitor but also uses him to elope with her ruffian boyfriend.

Hiding his heartbreak and disappointment behind a smile, Madhavan fits into the role of a goody goody NRI like a glove. He is hopelessly in love with Tanuja who doesn’t miss a single opportunity to hurt him. Rules, they say, are meant to be broken and that’s what Tanu’s agenda in life is – to break all rules that a middle-class family swears by.

Well, an NRI coming home to find a suitable bride for him is very common in Indian society and director Anand Rai’s comedy opens with the same. He tries to be as close to reality as possible – from the backdrop, to clothes, to character artists – all bring out the element of a middle-class setup perfectly.

With a marriage in the background providing a perfect place for Tanu’s second chance meeting with Manu, the movie traces the relationship between the girl and the NRI. Surely, perfect material for sentimental romances with ‘comedy ka tadka’.

But there is something missing to make it a perfect romantic comedy. First, the script is punctured, then their is no chemistry between Madhavan and Kangana and if that was not enough, the narrative doesn’t flow at the desired pace – it’s slower than it should be.

Though the director picked up an interesting subject, he has not succeeded in executing his story effectively on screen – there are not enough laughs in the film. Whatever funny scenes are there, credit goes to the chemistry between Madhavan and Deepak Dobriyal who plays his friend Pappi.

Kangana’s dialogue delivery puts you off and she lacks the spunk and spark to play the free bird that she is in the movie. In fact, Swara Bhaskar, who plays her friend Payal, holds the fort as the Bihari girl who is marrying a sardarji (Eijaz Khan) who also happens to be Manu’s best friend.

Payal is impressed with Manu and even tries to drill some sense into Tanu’s head but Tanu, a rebel, doesn’t want to admit her feelings for the man who is picked by her parents.

Critics won’t appreciate the plot but Madhavan fans would find enough material to enjoy the film.

Music plays an important role in a wedding-based romantic comedy and the director could have got it right if he had opted for fast-paced peppy numbers.

In the performance department, full marks go to Madhavan, Deepak and Swara. The supporting cast of K.K. Raina, Rajendra Gupta and Navni Parihar don’t have much to do, but whatever role they have, they carry it well. Jimmy Shergill as Kangana’s ruffian boyfriend is wasted, so is Ravi Kishen as his sidekick.

If you are looking for a great romantic comedy, this is not the one, but watch it for Madhavan and his chemistry with Deepak.
- IANS

Gul Panag ties the knot with boyfriend Rishi Attari

Bollywood actress and former Miss India Gul Panag tied the knot with her longtime friend Rishi Attari in this Haryana town Sunday.

The Anand Karaj (wedding ceremony) was performed at a gurudwara here, followed by a reception at a hotel in Sector 5 in Panchkula, around 10 km from Chandigarh.

Panag, well known for her adventurous lifestyle and tomboyish attitude, chose an unique way to reach the reception venue after the weding ceremony.

Rishi arrived on a Royal Enfield motorcycle, with Gul sitting in the sidecar.

The marriage procession (baraat) consisted of riders on over 20 Enfield motorcycles, some of which were being driven by women.

Panag, 32, is also an expert in riding bikes, as was seen in her recent film “Turning 30″.

The marriage party was a personal affair with only family friends and selected guests being invited.

Rishi works as a pilot in a private airline. He belongs to an Amritsar-based family and is now settled in New Delhi.

Panag, daughter of a retired lieutenant general, won the Miss India title in 1999 and was also crowned Miss Beautiful Smile at the same pageant.
- IANS

Shinchan – Shinchan on Hungama TV

Posted: 14 Mar 2011 09:05 PM PDT

Shinchan is a Japanese manga and anime series on Hungama TV. Shinchan on Hungama TV is scheduled to air every Monday to Friday at 5:30 PM in India. There is a great fun with a naughty guy in Shinchan animated TV series. Shinchan Story: Story of Shinchan revolves around a 5-year-old boy. He has a natural affinity for trouble. He always turns a pleasant environment into a never-ending battle of wits