Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Sanjay Dutt moves from Gandhigiri to Freedom

Sanjay Dutt has opened a new chapter in his life. From playing a gangster in a dozen odd films to advocating 'gandhigiri' in Lage Raho Munnabhai, he would now be marching to a different beat with Freedom, a film which would take audience through the journey of India from the 70s to the current times. The film would be directed by Vivek Agnihotri and has already been given a nod of approval by Sanjay Dutt as well as Madhavan. Hunt for the remainder of the principal cast is on.

Confirms Vivek Agnihotri, the man behind Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, Bipasha Basu) and Chocolate (Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Tanushree Dutta), "Yes, Freedom is happening for sure. The principal cast is more or less finalised and talks with Sanjay Dutt and Madhavan are progressing quite well as they are in the final stages. Sanjay is out of town and I would be meeting him soon after his return to take a closure on the formalities. I am also keen on signing Mohan Lal for the film and have approached him as well. It would be great if he consents because the film will certainly befit his standing as an actor who only does meaningful cinema."

Looking at the subject of Freedom, it does hint of being meaningful cinema with a commercial appeal to it. Describing the film as a political thriller that gives a blow by blow account of modern day India during last three decades, Vivek gets emotional by calling Freedom as a dream come true, "This is a story that I have been waiting to tell for years now. Though Chocolate and Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal happened in the interim, I was always keen to bring Freedom for Indian viewers. The beauty of the subject is that it stays on to be as topical as ever as it starts in the 70s and takes us to the current times. Even if I had to make Freedom in 2020, it will still retain its charm because there would always be newer episodes to tell from the decade gone by."

Apparently, Vivek completely distanced himself from the outside world while writing the film. "I worked with Prasoon Joshi on the script for close to 6 months. After that I went to Himalayas for a couple of months and have just returned after locking the final draft. It has been over two years since Dhan Dhan Dhan Goal and I am raring to go. However, if you ask me whether I am tired then I would say 'No'. Writing Freedom has been such an enriching experience and even if I am required to spend a couple of more years to add more to it, I won't mind."

For Sanjay Dutt, it would be yet another saga other than his under production Lamhaa (directed by Rahul Dholakia) where he would be a part of a topical tale. Though in 2009 he saw success coming his way via a comic route (All The Best), 2010 could well open a new chapter in his life with Freedom following next. In the current decade, most of the films where he has been shown on the right side of the law (Shootout At Lokhandwala, Dus, Kurukshetra, Mission Kashmir) have been successful at the box office. Are we looking at him as a law keeper once again in Freedom?

"It would be too early to divulge his role though I can assure that it pretty much justifies his heavy weight presence", assures Vivek, "He would be present from start to finish of the film and would remain a part of the narrative through all the decades."

SRK on 'Ra-1', 'Don 2' and Yash Chopra's next

Everyone's aware that Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies and Karan Johar's Dharma Productions are producing MY NAME IS KHAN jointly. But not many are aware that when Karan requested SRK to step in as producer-partner, the tie up happened within a minute or two.

"I told Karan that he didn't need me [as producer-partner]. He has an efficient production house, but he insisted. So I said okay, we shook hands and I stepped into the project as producer-partner," Shah Rukh says.

Post MY NAME IS KHAN, SRK moves over to his home-production RA-1, a superhero film helmed by Anubhav Sinha. Reportedly, SRK's preference to RA-1 has strained his relations with Farah Khan. "That's untrue. Why should I be upset with Farah? Farah and I go a long way. Farah, Sajid, Shirish are family and there's no tension whatsoever," SRK rubbishes the rumours.

Meanwhile, SRK will also begin filming DON 2 later this year. Reportedly, he has also given the go-ahead to Yash Raj's next venture, to be directed by Yash Chopra. "They haven't approached me yet, but if Yash-ji or Adi do offer me a project, I'd gladly walk on the set any day," he smiles.

Lara Dutta signed up as brand ambassador for Colgate

If one has the smile that appeals to the whole 'Universe' and the other has that 'special something' that enhances smiles the world over, then, don't you feel that the coming together of the two is just inevitable?
Well, we are talking about the former 'Miss Universe' Lara Dutta, who, as per the latest buzz, has been signed up by the oral care major Colgate Palmolive as their brand ambassador. According to Bollywood Hungama's confirmed sources, "Lara's name was playing on the minds of the Colgate officials since quite sometime now. And there couldn't have been a better time to sign on Lara as their brand ambassador". True-Blue girl that Lara always is, this association is something that is bound to sparkle its way to (smiling) glory!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Shriya Saran's item number in Puli

Reigning Tamil actress Shriya Saran is not a typical item dancer, but has performed more than five item numbers in her career spanning nine years. Her latest will be in Power star Pawan Kalyan's upcoming Komaram Puli, directed by S.J. Suryah of Khushi fame. According to sources, Shriya Saran's item number to the tunes of Oscar Winner A.R. Rahman was recently shot in Hyderabad. Starring London-based model Nikisha Patel as the heroine, Komaram Puli is presented by S. Satyamurthi and produced by Singamala Ramesh under the banner of Kanakaratna Movies. Meanwhile, after doing over 45 films in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and English, Shriya Saran is making her Malayalam debut with Mammootty's Pokkiri Raja being directed by Vysakh. The film is progressing at brisk pace and expected to grace screens during summer.

Golden boy Rahman makes India proud with double Grammys

New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) Indians went 'Jai Ho' once again Monday when music maestro A.R. Rahman scored a double triumph at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, a year after bagging two Oscars for his foot tapping music for 'Slumdog Millionaire'.
The composer bagged the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture and another one for 'Jai Ho' for the best motion picture song at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
He won the award with veteran lyricist Gulzar and Tanvi Shah who wrote the Spanish lyrics for it.
'This is insane, god is great again,' a beaming Rahman said after receiving the award at the biggest show in the music world. The other Indian contenders, Zakir Hussain and Amjad Ali Khan, could not manage to win the golden gramophones.
'Insane eh? I never even dreamt about winning all these awards,' Rahman posted on his Twitter page shortly after receiving the award.
Just a year ago, Rahman's music for 'Slumdog Millionaire', a screen adaptation of Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel 'Q & A', had propelled him to the record books as India's first double Oscar winner.
Besides the Oscars and now the Grammys, the Chennai musician's composition for the film has also won him other prestigious international awards like the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Critics Choice Award and the Golden Globe.
'We all are very proud of him. This magical musician has brought more honour to India, his family, fans, friends and his entire team. Such a young man has made his mark on the music map of the world. All of us should put him on our shoulders,' said Gulzar who shares the prestigious award with him.
'I am proud of Rahman as a special friend and composer who made India proud in the world of music. It's his true dedication towards innovative music and his connection with divine energies. Bravo Rahman!' exclaimed filmmaker Subhash Ghai who roped in the composer for his films 'Taal', 'Kisna: The Warrior Poet' and 'Yuvvraaj'.
Director Imtiaz Ali added: 'It fills me with pride. Also makes me think if he is getting this much accolade for 'Jai ho', wonder what the reaction of the West will be when they discover the rest of Rahman? I'm waiting to see the man go from strength to strength.'
The composer's sister Reihana said winning awards was 'a way of life' for her 44-year-old brother.
'It's a good start of the year. It was Rahman's birthday on Jan 6 and now he wins Grammys. It's a way of life now since he has won so many,' Reihana told NDTV after her brother won the award.
'When he was going for the Golden Globes last year, he was doubtful about his win and so were we, but after he got that, it has been awards and awards for him, so we were quite sure that he will get the Grammy as well,' she added.
The song was crooned by Sukhvinder Singh, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Vijay Prakash with support from Rahman and Shah.
Global honours may have come his way only since 'Slumdog Millionaire', but the unassuming composer has been contributing to world music for quite a while. He composed music for the 'The Lord of the Rings' theatre production, for instance, as well as for Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Bombay Dreams'.
His talent first came to the fore with 'Roja' in 1992, and there has been no looking back since for the musician, who has just been awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award.

Katrina reveals her past


Katrina Kaif, Karan Johar's guest this week on 'Lift Kara De' on Sony, made some startling revelations about her past. (Text courtesy: Hindustantimes.com)

Sunday, January 31, 2010

St. Trinian's



Director: Oliver Parker
Actors: Talulah Riley, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Gemma Arterton

Random British movie! Thank heaven it made it's way to the states cause, honestly, my life is now complete. This movie is flippin awesome! I laughed so hard and so loud I think I woke my neighbors up. It was hysterically funny. I just can't say enough about the comedy.

Let me start with what I think made the movie more than just another misfit girl romp. Rupert Everett and Colin Firth. Rupert played two roles, one of them in drag. That in itself was jaw dropping. Although, the man does have a body that is unmistakably male. So, even though he had a fake nose, wig and boobs it was sometimes hard to remember that the character was actually a woman and not supposed to be a man in drag. I think that may be my only complaint. But I must admit that that obviously male body added a certain... comedic turn.... for certain scenes... with Colin Firth.

Colin Firth. Ah, my Colin Firth. He is so fantastic. And yet I think he's so under appreciated. He truly is a *great* actor. I once saw an article about him in a magazine (Entertainment Weekly perhaps?) where they asked him to portray certain characters in photographs. He did a washed up boxer thats taken one too many hits among others, but he was able to perfectly capture the essence of each mini-character with just a subtly different expression and body language. In a photograph. No words. That's how talented he is. And if you think that's easy, I challenge you to try doing that; capturing a feeling or an age in one photo. Not so easy.
Anywho, Colin is a priceless actor. He played his role marvelously, hysterically, and with such seriousness. I don't think I can praise Mr. Firth high enough. He's just that good.

The girls of St. Trinian's were awesome as well. They were adorable in their stereotypes and enviable in their individual styles. They wrecked havoc and had a grand old time. While they got the most screen time, I felt that they played second fiddle to the relationship between Everett and Firth. For me that was definitely the best part of the film and what stood out the most.

All in all: a hilarious movie, definitely worth watching. Highly recommended.

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