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Thursday, December 31, 2009

What are Bollywood Hotties doing this New Year?

What are Bollywood Hotties doing this New Year?

Beaches, mountains or just spending time with family and friends - Bollywood celebrities are all set to take a break from tinseltown to usher in the New Year. While Sushmita Sen and Shilpa Shetty are heading to the waters, Mugdha Godse and Minissha Lamba will be with their loved ones.

Minissha Lamba: This New Year I'm going to be with my close friends.

Shilpa Shetty: (I'm) really excited about the Mediterranean cruise we are taking with the family, my first ever, making it even more special. I will be out at sea for the next two weeks... (I) will be bringing in the New Year on the ship.

Jaya Prada: I will be in Hyderabad with my mother. I believe that New Year or any other festival is the time to be with your family. And next day, like all the previous years, I will be going to the Tirupati Balaji temple before returning to work.

Fardeen Khan: We are going to the mountains this year. I'm off on a romantic holiday in Shimla for five days with my wife (Natasha) to celebrate New Year. I haven't been there earlier; so I'm looking forward to it.

Mughda Godse: This New Year's eve I'll be working and spend the rest of it with my family.

Celina Jaitley: I will be performing at the JW Marriott in Mumbai which means that I am making money this New Year.



Sushmita Sen: I am going to Goa or the Kerala backwaters. I haven't decided yet. I can't go out of India because my younger daughter doesn't have a passport yet.

Manoj Bajpayee: I will be in Delhi with my family. I will welcome 2010 with them at home. I will chat, dance, play music and eat... I'll do everything that makes one happy.

Sukhwinder Singh: I'll be home with friends to welcome the New Year. I'll sing and dance and be merry in general. I don't like going out because on New Year, all places are over crowded. Fun is when you are with friends and nothing is better than home.

Purab Kohli: I plan to be in Mumbai this New Year as it has been eight years since I've been spending this time here...I'm looking forward to a great party in 2010.

Rannvijay: I am going to my hometown Jalandhar after a very long time. I'll be spending my Christmas and New Year there with my family and friends.

Revealed: Future of Bollywood's biggest films in 2010

Revealed: Future of Bollywood`s biggest films in 2010
My Name is Khan: One of the biggest films to come out this year, ‘My Name is Khan’ adds up to Number 37 which is Karan Johar’s strongest number. Even his ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ vibrated on the same number and that film remains one of the best to come out of Dharma Productions.

For SRK, the year 2010 is not bad plus his pairing with the charismatic Kajol will draw fantastic response. But the film releasing on 12th February is not a great date as Numbers 1 and 3 do not gel well at all. The business of the film may drastically come down after the initial euphoria subsides.

According to me, the film should be released a day or two earlier i.e. 10th or 11th February to make it the ‘biggest hit of the year’, else it may not turn out to be that way.

Rann: Starring Mr. Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh, this Ram Gopal Varma enterprise is releasing on 22nd January 2010. The title of the film adds up to Number 13 which is not considered much auspicious. But for RGV and Big B, Number 4 is amongst their better numbers and also for Riteish who is a Number 8 (December 17), the year 2010 is looking bright. According to me, Rann should do well at the box office.

Teen Patti: The title of the film is adding up to Number 37. The compound number 37 has a good meaning as per numerological texts, but the year 2010 does not support Number 1 in general and so the fate of the film looks dicey to me. Also as of now, the film is clashing with the much biggie Karan Johar’s ‘My Name Is Khan’ on 12th February 2010 and that can create further dent in it’s business.

Karthik Calling Karthik: One more attempt by Farhan Akhtar at acting, the title of this film adds up to Number 53. Number 8 is a very tricky number and is known to give extreme results.

Farhan is a Capricorn ruled by Saturn (Number 8) and even the release date has been fixed for 26th Feb. Luckily. the year 2010 supports Number 8 and it seems this film should sail safely and make it’s investors happy.


Kites: This international venture starring superstar Hrithik Roshan and Hollywood hottie Barbara Mori, can easily rank amongst the most awaited films of 2010. The release date is still not fixed but it may arrive sometime in March. The title of the film adds up to Number 15 which is a powerful octave of Number 6 but does not support Number 4 and 8.

Unfortunately, the film’s director Anurag Basu is a Numer 8 person (8th May) and so his previous work may be compared to this film. Luckily 2010 is a favourable year for Number 8 people and also for Number 6 – producer Rakesh Roshan.

For Hrithik, he may garner mixed reviews since 2010 does not support Number 1 people. Also he entering his 37th year (10th January 1974) may add to the pressure. He should take care that he does not create over hype for himself once the promotion of the film starts.

11) Shaapit: After singing and hosting various musical reality shows, Aditya Narayan finally jumps on to the bandwagon and debuts as an actor with this super natural thriller directed by Vikram Bhatt who has almost mastered in this genre.

The film name adds up to Number 23 which is a positive compound number of Number 5 and so is Aditya’s age (6th August 1987). The release date of 26th February 2010 also works in his favour as Number 8 usually benefits Number 6 people.


Rajneeti: Rumoured to be based on the life of Sonia Gandhi, this political saga by Prakash Jha has been in the news right from it’s inception and all through it’s making.

Starring an ensemble cast of Ranbir, Katrina, Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal and Nana Paterkar the film was supposed to release in the early part of the year but now has been pushed to 28th May 2010. The title of the film adds up to Number 25 which is a favourable octave of Number 7.

Luckily for most actors playing a part in this movie, Number 7 is amongst their best numbers and so the fate of the film is safe and that’s sealed. Also the release date of 28th May is a good one and everybody associated with film will benefit out of it.

Chance Pe Dance: As the title says it all, the film is purely based on dance and who better than Shahid Kapoor to play the part? The film name vibrates on Number 53 and the release date is set for 15th January 2010.

Shahid is running in his 29th year and will soon be entering his 30th. The film may not turn out to be a big success but may just about manage to do well since Number 8 can be pretty unpredictable at times. Shahid will garner great reviews and appreciation though.

Paan Singh Tomar: This historic war film based on the lesser known character of the same name, the title of ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ adds up to Number 50 which is a strong octave of Number 5. Starring Irrfan Khan in the title role and directed by the very talented Tigmanshu Dhulia, the film’s release date is still not fixed but may arrive in the month of March.

That is not very good news for the film or it’s makers. The film should ideally release after 20th May to see a better fate else a good film may remain unwatched by most people.


Koochie Koochie Hota Hai: The release date of this animated version of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ is still not fixed but the title of the film vibrates on Number 54. Number 9 is not amongst Karan’s weakest numbers but the year 2010 would support it as Number 3, 6 and 9 are like a family of numbers. Depending on the release date, the film should do just about average business.

Pyaar Impossible: Starring the unconventional pairing of Yash Raj scion Uday and Priyanka Chopra, this film was supposed to release in November 2009 but was pushed to 2010 to find a better placement. Now releasing on 8th January 2010, the title of the film adds up to Number 50.

Good for Uday who is also a Number 5 person (5th January) and he may receive appreciation for his role in the movie. But being a bigger star, the film obviously rides more or less on Priyanka Chopra’s shoulders and for her Number 5 is one of her weakest numbers.

Also she being in her 28th year will clash with the year 2010 which does not support anything to do with Number 1. So for that reason mainly, the film will meet with mixed results at the ticket window.

Salman's alcoholism caused us Rs. 60 lakhs

Salman`s alcoholism caused us Rs. 60 lakhs

Salman Khan’s alcoholism caused the makers of Veer a whopping Rs. 60 lakhs of Rupees. No it wasn’t the bill of his alcohol drinking on the sets mind you! Read on to know why it cost a bomb for them.

An unit source revealed, “During the entire making of Veer had Salman indulged in less alcohol, partied less and slept on time it would save his producers many lakhs of rupees. 

Believe it or not the producer of the film ended up spending around Rs. 60 lakh to only digitally improve his look. 

And digitally improving the look in the case of this handsome hero implies erasing the bags under his eyes and reducing the puffiness of his face, both results of his drinking binges and late nights. 

As if the alcoholic binges of the hero affecting the shift timing and shooting the following day and the consequent financial losses weren’t bad enough for the producer comes this huge expenditure on DI work.”

Why SRK & Karan Johar are not celebrating New Year

Along with being good friends and doing a lot of things together, it seems that Shahrukh Khan and Karan Johar are in sync with their new year’s celebrations as well.

Mannat, SRK’s Bandra residence seems to be the place to be for SRK in keeping with plans for a quiet family time. While Karan continues to move ahead with the editing and soundwork of ‘My Name is Khan’ in Mumbai, which compels him to abandon celebration.

Sources reveal that Karan’s initial plans were to ring in the New Year abroad with Dubai villa as the pit-stop for SRK over the holidays.

Now it seems that SRK will return from Dubai to spend a quiet new year at his house with Karan canceling his overseas plans as he did last year due to the November terror attacks in Mumbai.

Faces of 2009: Ek Katrina Thi, Lakhon Diwana Tha

Faces of 2009: Ek Katrina Thi, Lakhon Diwana Tha
By Subhash K Jha

It was a relatively quiet year for some of the icons of showbiz. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek spent of the year shooting Mani Ratnam’s Raavan in the wilderness. John, Bipasha, Preity and Shah Rukh also had a quiet year. Saif Ali Khan made waves with Love Aaj Kal and then vanished during the second part of year. So who were the most visible faces of the year?

Katrina Kaif: Ek Katrina thi, lakhon diwana tha…could be the song this wholesome lissome winsome win-all lass could sing to her grandchildren. With 3 blockbusters New York, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and De Dana Dan to her credit Katrina left the female competitors far behind.

At year-end she suffered a bout of ill health but was on her feet soon enough. You can’t keep a lucky-charm down.

Auro: He took a large chunk of the year off to be with his friend Amar Singh, faced a thundering failure in Aladin. But Amitabh Bachchan bounced back at year-end as the 12-going-on-80 prematurely aged child-man Auro in Paa. Then there was his return to television with Bigg Boss.

Once again at year-end the question is not, how long will Mr Bachchan continue to surprise us, but what will he do next? Buzz is, AB Corp Ltd back in booming business with Paa will be producing a film that will star all the four star-Bachchans together for the first time.

In the meanwhile Paa director Balki took off for the mountains for a 10-day retreat to write yet another startling role for Mr B. After courting Tabu and Progeria in Cheeni Kum and Paa, what next? Balki knows best.

Ranbir Kapoor: So okay at year-end Ranbir’s most precious film and the performance he was proudest of in Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year failed to take off. Rocket aborted, lekin kya missile doon Ranbir ke stardom ka?


The guy proved unstoppable with two back-to-back hits both with weird kinky titles Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and both featuring Ranbir in author-backed roles.

The quota of conviction and credibility combined with a star presence that we thought went out of vogue with Rishi Kapoor, makes Ranbir the most dependable star-actor of our times. He won’t bend to break the rules. He will just do what he wants, regardless of repercussions.

All through the year he remained in the news for his breakups linkups, and what-not though he swears he has no interest in being newsworthy. Neither did Tiger Woods.

Pritam Chakraborty: Every year it’s the same story. The hot-hit machine. Practically every chartbuster of 2009 was Pritam’s. No wonder he can’t stop grinning from year to year.

Pritam scored bull’s eye with songs in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Tum Mile, De Dana Dan, New York…The birth of a baby girl ensured that the goofy smile never left Pritam’s face.

Vishal Bharadwaj: While he lit up the pubs with Dan ta nan, his latest stab at direction Kaminey got the nation’s critics swooning in ecstacy. Yup, Vishal Bhardwaj clicked in both capacities as a music composer and a filmmaker. On the home front Vishal’s wife Rekha made headway as a playback singer of substance. This Bhardawaj sure has come a long way.

A R Rahman: He went off to get the Oscar for us. Came back to a cluster of pending assignments and then is now off to get Grammy for his Slumdog Millionaire. Not since Pandit Ravi Shankar has an Indian musician made such a grand impact globally. It would be no exaggeration to say that when it comes to our music Rahman is the global ‘band’ ambassador.


Akshay Kumar: He ran into some choppy weather during the earlier part of 2009 when three of his purported blockbusters Chandni Chowk To China, Tasveer and Kambhakkt Ishq under-performed.

But the second-half of the year with De Dana Dan and the singular honour of carrying the Olympian torch proved to be the high points of Akshay’s year. He’s all set for a year of big events ahead.

Salman Khan: With Wanted Salman proved that the oldfashioned larger-than-life hero still ruled the roost. Salman’s spate of non-starters at the boxoffice were quickly forgotten as he singlehandedly revived the sagging fortunes of Boney Kapoor’s production house.

The film had no star value except Salman.As though to prove he sells solo Salman’s home production Main Aur Mrs Khanna with the hot-and-happening Kareena Kapoor tanked during Diwali.

Working with SRK is a bad habit: Kajol

Working with SRK is a bad habit: Kajol

After Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham the trio of Shah Rukh, Kajol and will be back once again with Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan. Kajol is excited as she is back with a film after a two year gap.

Her last was her home production U Me Aur Hum. But the actress says working with Shah Rukh is a bad habit. “Once you work with him you are spoilt. When a lot of people saw Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge they believed in us.

It has set the standard for us. When you will watch this film too you will think of nothing but of Rizwan Khan played by Shah Rukh. The film is a humanitarian tale of love and sacrifice. It’s about triumph of human emotion.”

Kajol feels that nothing has changed in Shah Rukh, “Except for his six pack abs which he didn’t have during the making of Dilwale Dulhaniya.” 

But goes on to add further, “We have worked hard on this film and it has been an intense experience to go through it. I think Karan’s films completes us. I have worked with him earlier right from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to Kabhi Khush Kabhi Gham and every time it is a new and exciting experience for me and Shah Rukh together.”

Move over SRK, Salman-Akki are Farah's new friends

Move over SRK, Salman-Akki are Farah`s new friends
Shahrukh and Salman are not good friends, the exact opposite of Shahrukh and Farah- no secrets there.

With Farah’s new directorial venture, ‘Tees Maar Khan’, Shahrukh has been sidestepped by Farah for Akshay. At the same time, hubby, Shirish Kunder has signed Salman for this next movie planned to start after ‘Alien Sahib’ starring John Abraham.

The casting with Salman is certain as confirmed by both Farah and Shirish. At Salman’s birthday party in Panvel on December 24 Farah and her husband sealed this deal.

Speculation on where this casting call will leave Farah in her perpetual alliance with her mentor Shahrukh Khan remains to be seen in the coming months.

Katrina fooled Salman to be with Ranbir Kapoor?

Katrina fooled Salman to be with Ranbir Kapoor?

Katrina Kaif, who is supposedly in London recovering after her surgery, was actually in New York for a bit to meet Ranbir Kapoor, who is shooting for Sajid Nadiadwala’s ‘Anjaana Anjaani’. 

She is in London to celebrate New Year’s Eve with her family but looks like family is tangential when it comes to Ranbir. 

A family member of Katrina’s let slip that she is in New York. And while Katrina has denied it saying that it’s a family joke that she is in New York because she is harassed by many calls, it is just too coincidental.

Recently, Katrina skipped boyfriend Salman Khan’s birthday and their relationship hasn’t been going great. Ranbir split with Deepika but neither of them has really let go. 

Ranbir and Katrina’s friendship blossomed on the sets of ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ and they even worked on ‘Rajneeti’ together.

Aamir Khan is God: Kareena Kapoor

Aamir Khan is God: Kareena Kapoor

By Subhash K Jha

Kareena Kapoor has a lot to celebrate. Her film 3 Idiots is a runaway hit. And Kareena decided to run away to Delhi to be with her sister Karisma for New Year.

Sounding more relaxed than she did recently Kareena took time off from the very special family gathering to speak. “I’ve been running around frantically promoting my film. And then I was ailing for a week. I decided I had to be well for the festive season. 

Christmas was a very very special occasion for my mom and sister. But we never get to be together for the occasion. This time I was adamant. I made sure I took time off from work so all us girls could spend time together. My mom and I were here in Delhi to spend time with my sister and niece.” 

Laughs Kareena, “Karisma and I don’t get to spend that much time together. She has her home and husband in Delhi. My career takes me all over the place. Mom cribs we’re never together. This year-end reunion was something we had promised ourselves from long before.”

In Delhi Kareena is over -whelmed by the response to her new film. “Everywhere I go I am swamped by compliments for the role. The length of the role didn’t matter. I’m just glad to be part of a historic happening. 

When Raj Kumar Hirani and Aamir asked me to be part of their film I jumped at it. I knew the film would be special because of Raju and Aamir, and I was right. As far as our cinema is concerned, Aamir is God.” 

Reacting to the opinion that Kareena hardly has anything to do in her new film Kareena says, “Who says I’ve nothing to do? I’m very part of the main drama. Would the story forward if you remove my character? ”

Kareena is specially pleased by the compliments she has received for her pairing with Aamir. “Everyone in one voice thinks we look good together. I think Aamir and I make a fantastic pair. I’d love to do another film with him immediately, this time I don’t want share him with other pivotal characters.”

In fact talks are on with two leading filmmakers including Mani Ratnam who is apparently all set to revive his Aamir-Kareena project Lajjo. A R Rahman and Gulzar have even recorded the songs.

Looking back on the year Kareena feels happy by the response to her performances in Kurbaan and 3 Idiots. “Both films are very precious to me. Kurbaan was intense, 3 Idiots was more fun. In 2010 I did films with all the Khans…. Salman, Aamir, Shah Rukh (I had a song with him in Billu) and of course Saif.”

Katrina Kaif is jobless!

Katrina Kaif

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee
She may be one of the most sough after actresses in the industry, but believe it or not Katrina Kaif has no films on her hand after Prakash Jha's Raajneeti. The actress who is currently in London after undergoing an appendix surgery has no project officially on her hand. There are rumours that Katrina is calling all theproducers and directors from her contact list to consider her for their next projects but hasn't been able to strike any deal as yet There is buzz around the tinseltown that Katrina could have easily got a role in Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan which stars her favourite co-star Akshay Kumar but the the role has been offered to Sonam Kapoor. There are rumours that Akshay insisted on working with a new face in Tees Maar Khan which has left Katrina with no projects and plenty of time to kill. We wonder what her beau Salman Khan is doing?

Kareena relents to do Gol Maal 3 but as a solo hottie

Kareena relents to do Gol Maal 3 but as a solo hottie
By Subhash K Jha

Kareena Kapoor will break the jinx on leading ladies being a part of Bollywood sequels. In fact Bipasha Basu had recently commented on this regressive trend of getting fresh female faces for every sequel after she was declared out of Race. She had even threatened to ‘kill’ Rohit Shetty if he didn’t sign her for All The Best 2.

Rohit Shetty isn’t sure if he’s been scared by the mock-threat into signing Bipasha for the All The Best 2 in 2011.

But Kareena Kapoor is back in Gol Maal 3 which starts shooting in April 2010 and will be release next year Diwali.

Kareena who had earlier expressed reluctance to be part of the next instalment Gol Maal franchise, has apparently relented on hearing what Shetty had written for her.

Says the shy young director, “Kareena will be the only female lead along with the five boys Ajay Devgn, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Sharman Joshi and Shreyas Talpade. And she won’t be the romantic interest of any of the heroes. In fact Kareena will be one of the heroes!”

Apparently the Gol Maal producers Astvinayak were eager not to break the Gol Maal 2 team. And since Kareena is not keen on doing multiple-heroine director Rohit Shetty was asked to make sure Kareena was the solo heroine in the third Gol Maal film.

Says Rohit, “I’ve been working on innumerable drafts for Gol Maal 3. I’ve finally come up with the right spirit for the next instalment of Gol Maal.

Besides the fact that Kareena will not be the romantic interest but one of the heroes I’ve also made sure Gol Maal Part 3 is far more family-oriented than the other two films. The boys’ jokes in Gol Maal Returns won’t return.”

Rohit says he’s aware that Gol Maal is seen as a boys’ franchise. With Gol Maal 3 he wants to change that perception. “Through Kareena’s character I want to get the women audiences into the main action of the comedy.

She will be one of driving forces in the plot and not just there to sing and dance and add glamour. Like I said Kareena is the sixth hero of Gol Maal 3. There’s no point in doing sequels unless you build on and enhance the original audience-profile.”

3 Idiots has a Munnabhai hangover



Sonia Chopra
 
Let’s face it: this film is all about expectation. There is Rajkumar Hirani coming out with a film after three years and teaming up with Aamir for the first time; the Rang De Basanti cast reunion with Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman and, add to that, a creatively empty year with hardly any worthwhile films. Whoosh, you can actually cut through the pressure with a knife.You can hardly help yourself as you watch the film - you’d expect the best from the best, right? Not always, as you learn here. The film’s a good watch, but not great. And worse, you may be entertained, but you’re unlikely to internalise its core message. The film doesn’t convince you enough.
Special: All about 3 Idiots
Part Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone, part Dil Chahta Hai (the invincible friendship) and part Munnabhai, (it also had this writer think back to Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead that spoke about characters breaking the norm as opposed to those who follow the system), 3 Idiots seems a bhel puri of sorts. Like in Munnabhai, where Sanjay Dutt’s character pleads for simplifying and humanising medicine, here Rancho (Aamir Khan) openly challenges the education system that encourages learning by rote.
New students at a premiere engineering college, the three characters meet on their first day. Rancho, who we are told belongs to a wealthy family, upsets the higher-ups almost immediately. His two other friends Farhan (Madhavan) and Raju (Sharman) form the other two idiots. Their individual stories are fairly interesting.
Farhan belongs to a family where the parents sacrificed the sole family AC for his room so he could study better. Raju’s story, complete with a sick dad, teary-eyed mother and unwed sister is shown in black and white in the fashion of the ‘50s movies. You sympathise with his situation while smiling at the stroke of delicious black humour. The film trails their life during the four years in college and after.
A couple of scenes are truly memorable. Like the one where Rancho asks the examiner for five extra minutes to finish his exam paper and describes his reaction “as if he had just been asked for both his kidneys”. The part where we see students feverishly praying and “striking deals with God’ is also realistic. The ragging appears over-the-top, but it’s amusing nevertheless. The Aall iz well anthem, too, is pretty catchy.
From then on the film slowly disintegrates. Several portions immerse you, only to lead nowhere. Whether it’s the boring romance (and a clumsy kiss), or the few moments of suspense when we realise one of the characters is not what they seem. The portions that deal with pressure on students leading them to suicide is just touched upon. There’s no depth in the thrashing of this topic.
Images: The 3 Idiots and Christmas > | SRK, Salman attend 3 Idiots premiere >
The second half is totally cuckoo, complete with a never-ending scene around an emergency baby delivery that has zero relevance to the story and surprisingly loud melodrama. The finale is coincidence-driven and is too much of a stretch for the viewer to be delighted. And, yes, at three-and-half-hours the film is too long, especially since it’s laden with scenes like the ones mentioned above that could have been done away with.
The humour is average - most of it is juvenile and will tickle those who find the repeated mention of balatkar funny. Characterisation is sketchy and one-note. Aamir is the flawless do-gooder ‘hero’ who is a genius student, dependable friend and expert advice giver all in one. Heck, he can even look at a girl and magically guess that she’s wearing her late mother’s watch and is missing her at the moment.
Sharman plays a character that does a complete volte-face towards the end, good-naturedly blabbering about all his faults to a stern interview panel and impressing them with his honesty (unintentionally hilarious, this). This is the ending so we can also guess whether he lands the job or not.
Madhavan’s character we don’t learn about at all. Kareena’s med-school student act is just a shield – she’s rather brainless, ready to marry a man (twice) who insults her just because her romance with the boyfriend doesn’t work out.
Boman Irani does the grumpy principal act again after Munnabhai, this time with less charm. Despite the cast’s stellar performances, they don’t completely take you into their stories. Aamir playing a 20-something student is dependably good, though one can’t help question casting older actors to play roles half their age. Sharman Joshi gives an earnest performance and Madhavan, too, is impressive.
Omi playing Chatur, an ambitious student, has the best lines and is the source of most of the humour. The actor playing Millimetre leaves you with an endearing performance. Technically, the film is functional. The editing could have been more alert, of course. Music is alright - a slight disappointment as Hirani’s films always have memorable music.
Special: All about 3 Idiots
So there you have it. 3 Idiots is a film that appears borrowed from too many sources and the haphazardness shows. Editor-director Rajkumar Hirani can’t seem to shake Munnabhai out of his system and appears to have replaced the actor and the setting, while retaining the core formula. Unfortunately, 3 Idiots lacks the effortless simplicity, sweetness and honesty of theMunnabhai films. Though a bit too calculated and designed, 3 Idiots is still an ok option for the significant message, interesting cast and scattered breezy moments.
Rating: 3 stars


Accident On Hill Road

Film: Accident on Hill Road 
Cast: Farooque Shaikh, Abhimanyu Singh, Celina Jaitley 
Genre: Thriller 


Direction: Mahesh Nair
Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes
Critic's Rating: /photo.cms?msid=5400500




Story: Celina Jaitley hits pedestrian Farooque Shaikh on Hill Road and runs...She parks the car in her garage, with the still breathing victim wedged in the windshield and unleashes a cat and mouse game that heads towards a bloody climax. 

Movie Review: The film is based on a real-life incident and features Abhimanyu Singh. Remember the actor who walked away with your applause as the student leader in Anurag Kashyap's maverick movie Gulal? More importantly, the film provides a role of a lifetime to Celina Jaitley as the nurse who seems to lose all her humaneness in a freak situation. And if that's not enough, it marks another return of the talented Farooque Shaikh to mainstream cinema after the disastrous Saas Bahu aur Sensex.

Sadly, nothing seems to work in its favour. Abhimanyu Singh's drug peddlar act is too minuscule and poorly-crafted to actually make a difference. Farooque Shaikh as the hit-and-run victim spends too many awkward moments lying upside down on screen. And Celina Jaitley simply screams her lungs out or feverishly gulps down whiskey, vodka or what-you-will to display her fear, anger and desperation as the woman who might lose everything -- her future in London, her life with boyfriend Singh -- after some binge drinking.

All set for an interview with the Red Cross, Celina spends the evening partying with friends. But too much Ecstasy and alcohol send her into a tizzy and embroil her in an accident on her way back home. Instead of abiding by the law, the woman panics and drives off into her garage, with the victim (Farooque Shaikh) dangling and desperately begging for help. She tries to wrap up the sordid story with the help of her boyfriend, Abhimanyu Singh, who keeps popping some more pills into her. Naturally, the out-of-focus twosome can hardly control events which completely go out of hand. As does the film...

Raat Gayi Baat Gayi

Film: Raat Gayi Baat Gayi 
Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Neha Dhupia 
Genre: Drama 
Direction: Saurabh Shukla 
Duration: 2 hours 
Critic's Rating: /photo.cms?msid=5400478


Story: Rajat Kapoor and wife Iravati Harshe attend a party at night and wake up to a frosty morning. What has brought about the chill in the marriage? Did the husband have a one-night stand with the delectable Neha Dhupia? The husband can't remember.... 

Movie Review: Fundoo party at night. Fuzzy logic next morning. Commonplace situation, no? So, when was the last time you woke up to a grumpy spouse/partner, a splitting head and memory interrupted...All you remember of last night's wild party are stray vignettes of drooling over the dishy stand-out-in-the-crowd, following him/her, whiny dawg-like, and desperately trying your luck with your best pick up lines. Voila! One line seemed to have worked, for the last memory you have is of a remote corner and some rosy possibilities that may or may not have come true. Did they come true....So how do you resolve the mystery of the one-night stand? 

Director Saurabh Shukla makes a sassy attempt to tell you how. Yet sadly, the film that begins so smartly -- great characterisations, witty dialogues, funky situation -- peters off into a somewhat pheeka climax, with our protagonists being forced to do an Akshay Kumar (hide in a closet). Now that's unwarranted because Raat Gayi... isn't supposed to be a run-of-the-mill comedy like De Dana Dan, is it? And awkward situations in slice-of-life cinema are generally resolved more realistically. 

Nevertheless, the film does augur for interesting viewing, providing an opportunity for a roll call of the entire current art house ensemble cast. Rajat Kapoor and Iravati Harshe are the upmarket couple invited to a party full of stock people. There are the hosts, pseudo-intellectual writer Dilip Tahil and airhead wife Navneet Nishan, the soil-bound Vinay Pathak and his svelte missus, Anuradha Menon, the ekdum desi `Austraylian myte', Ranveer Shorey, the enigmatic artist, Aamir Bashir and the oomph factor, Neha Dhupia. Trouble begins when Rajat Kapoor has a drink too many and can hardly control his libido after spotting the mysterious single woman (Neha Dhupia) who agrees to play hide and seek with him in the overcrowded house. Nothing wrong with that, except that Rajat's a devoted husband and Dhupia's already got a boyfriend. Have the flirty twosome ended up jeopardising their core relationships? Did the one-night stand actually happen? Is Sex and the City more than a mere sitcom? 

Watch out for some fine performances by the entire cast. Veterans like Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey are eminently watchable as always. But it is Neha Dhupia who is fast emerging as the natty new wave girl with her newfound talent. Not forgetting her item numbers too which do set the mercury rising in mainstream masala. Don't go looking for a desi flavour of the screwball comedy, The Hangover and you might just enjoy this slightly heady potion too. 

Priyanka Chopra India's top brand endorser of 2009




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Indo-Asian News Service
After emerging as one of the leading actresses in Bollywood, Priyanka Chopra has been declared India's top brand endorser in 2009, says a report.
According to the report by TAM AdEX, a division of TAM Media Research, Priyanka, 27, has edged past endorsement giants like skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and actors Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.
Priyanka, who is awaiting the release of her next movie Pyaar Impossible, is all smiles.
"I have always strived to give my very best. It has been very fulfilling experience to be the face of some of the best brands. In my mind, the findings of the survey endorse the equal opportunity country that we are emerging. Being a woman is no longer a disadvantage," Priyanka told IANS.
"It is a humbling recognition and I am grateful for the adulation and unconditional support of millions across the world which is most integral constituent all the successes in every phase of my life," she added.
Currently, Priyanka endorses a variety of brands including Nokia, Lux, Sunsilk, Levi's, Hero Honda and Asmi.
These days the former Miss World is busy promoting her romantic-comedy "Pyaar Impossible", the story of a beauty and a geek. She has teamed up with Uday Chopra in it.
Apart from making her mark in ad world, she has also delivered hit film Kamineyand won critical appreciation for her performance in What's Your Raashee? She bagged a few awards as well.



Friday, December 18, 2009

Dear Santa: Would you bring a job for Dad?


Letters to Santa, Post Office elves report, are taking a realistic turn this year as kids wish for better fortune for their families.

RSAMUELS@MIAMIHERALD.COM

The glittery and crayon-scrawled letters to Santa can seem so whimsical as they pile up in postal bins. Then, you read a letter like Michael's and reality hits.
``His grandfather just lost his job,'' said Kelly Levy, a marketing secretary and the head elf of the Letters to Santa program in Pembroke Pines. ``So he's asking Santa to find a job for him.''
Wrapped inside the envelope was his grandfather's résumé.
For more than a century, the U.S. Postal Service has pledged to read and respond to every single one of the thousands of letters sent to Santa Claus, the bulk of which officials say will arrive this week. And although it is a cute tradition carried on by the country's most innocent civilians, it is a psychological sleigh-full.
There are sons asking for their mother's return from Afghanistan. Questions about Santa's technological know-how. Detailed job qualifications for their out-of-work relatives, with a crumbled up cookie inside.
And this year, for the first time, Broward and Miami-Dade post offices are participating in a national program that allows volunteers and organizations to sponsor some of the neediest children. The country's limping economic condition encouraged the district to start the program, said spokeswoman Debra Fetterly. Sponsors won't learn that much about the child more than their age, the child's first name and their Christmas wish.
``We only decided to start the program when we could ensure the privacy and security of the child,'' Fetterly said.
Privacy for Santa Letters became a national issue when a postal worker in Maryland recognized that one of the volunteers for the Santa program there was a registered sexual offender.
The Post Office stopped the individual before he answered, but the incident served as a reminder that even the most cheerful of traditions need modern precautions.
Such a philosophy was raised again when a small town in Alaska named North Pole -- yes, it's actually named North Pole -- declared it would no longer stamp their postmark on letters children sent to Santa.
People wondered why -- Was it the sex offender scare? Was it the added workload to a stressed work place? -- and their decision made national news. The outcry was so strong that the Post Office decided to restart the program days after The Associated Press reported it was canceled.
Each year, at least 2,000 letters to Santa are recorded at processing centers in South Florida. A bar code transfers them to a separate bin.
The bins are then taken to a Pembroke Pines office, 16000 Pines Blvd., where a committee of postal staff volunteers read them.
``They are the elves who help Santa because he's very busy,'' Fetterly said.
The Post Office took on the task in the early 1900s, but the goal seems even more important in the digital age. A few children ask for St. Nick's e-mail address, but Fetterly said the number of hand-written letters has remained steady over the years.
Every child who writes gets a post card from Santa in return. Sometimes, the staff will even personalize an answer.
That would please Eddie, a 6-year-old who wants to know if his mom is lying to him.
``My mom used to tell me that the lights up in the sky were Santa's lights,'' he said. ``I just don't think those are really your lights because they look exactly like the spotlights during concerts and other events. . . . Don't get me wrong I still believe that you exist. I am just not so sure about those lights.''
The vast majority of requests are typical: iPods, Nintendos, Disney princesses, toy cars, elves. Sometimes, the children will affix cut-outs from ads, Fetterly added.
They are even letting Santa know where the item is selling at a discount -- just in case times are tough for him, too.