Delhi happens to be the hub of masses and classes and ranks first in the promotional tour of films as it has the capability to attract media massively. And hence the team of “Do Knot Disturb” arrives at the capital city as part of promotional activity. Govinda, Lara Dutta, Ritesh Deshmukh, Director David Dhawan and Producer Vashu Bhagnani held a press-meet with print as well as electronic media in Delhi. During the afternoon time in Le Meridien the entire cast and crew gathered and interacted with media and disclosed aspects of the film.

Director David Dhawan went ahead to say, “I made this film to make people laugh and rejoice. All have done great job be it Govinda, Ritesh or female leads Sushmita Sen and Lara Dutta.” When asked to Actor Ritesh that he was convinced to do the film only for namesake of David and Vashu Bhagnani, He replied, “I have worked with Vashu Bhagnani in past but that was not the reason for me to day yes for the film. David Dhawan gave me the script to read and go through. I loved my character; it gives dimension to my comedy skills.” Hearing to this Govinda turned towards David and asked him, “David you made Ritesh to read the script and you never gave me any script. Why so? David replied, “Govinda do you need the script. I don’t think so.” Everyone busted out in laughter.

Govinda said, “I playing a rich business man in the film. He has a beautiful and sophisticated wife as well as a beautiful girlfriend. And he gets stuck between both of them.” During the press-conference, Lara Dutta was asked that David has titled her as ‘58’ what is this all about? Lara smiled and said that, “My height is 5 feet 8 inches and my weight is 58. Therefore, he named me 58.” Then she was asked thatis her name Dolly in the film which is repeatedly heard from Govinda in the film? She said, “Yes, I am only Govinda’s Dolly in the film.”

Producer Vashu Bhagnani said, “We three David, me and Govinda have worked several times together and hence the bonding and tuning is so strong that we know what is running in each other’s mind.” One of the reporter in the conference asked Director David Dhawan was asked that Bebo is Kareena’s name then why did you use this name in the song? He said, “In Punjab Bebo is a household name. So there is no crime in using Bebo in the song.”

Homosexuality in Bollywood Industry

Homosexuality is everywhere in the world these days since it has set its feet in every society around the globe. In west, it got stronger when years back the marriage between the gays was given the legal status. Following it, many gays tied the knot.. Joining this bandwagon, the coveted singer Elton John (who is a gay as well) got married to his gay buddy too. This marriage was given huge coverage in the media.

I got much dumbfounded when I heard from some friends in Bollywood industry that there existed the homosexuality in this swanky world of Hindi filmdom. Following to this bitter truth, I read a few articles on this subject published in the popular Indian newspapers, which clearly depicted the whole picture of this nail-bitingly sour fact in front of my eyes.

Some famous faces of the biggies of this trade of movies, who are involved in this evil practice, hit my mind when a very good friend of mine, who is a coveted model turned actress, revealed this fact to me. This is what happened that she was seeking a lead role in a film under a big banner project because her debut Bollywood flick had been shelved due to some unknown reasons (I too asked many a times to the director of this venture as to why this film was not being released despite the fact that it was complete and passed by the censor board. But he did not mention the reasons). This she expressed to me and I gave her the contacts of those filmmakers who were looking for the talented actresses. Among those names, there was one name of a director who I praised hugely since he had churned out the blockbusters and carved his place amongst the big wheels of the Bollywood filmmakers in a short span of time. The moment she heard the name, started to rebuke him by exposing him from tip to toe as to how this popular director’s actual face was! The minute I learnt about that filmmaker that he had been involved in homosexuality, I got simply shocked at the bitter fact, which was very difficult to swallow. He himself told to her his involvement in the practice of homosexuality when she approached to him to have a chance to do the role of a leading gal in his movie. But he asked her to come for a drink at night at some private place. And when she turned down his offer, he told her … “in order to enter into the ritzy world of Bollywood, one has to sleep with someone so you have to bed with me. Even I had to sleep with someone to direct a film”. She refused him and as a result he gave the central character to the big actress.

The person, with whom he shared the bed to do the homosexual activities to have a chance to direct a movie, is running a well renowned production house in Bollywood. His production abode has chewed up a very long list of flicks since his film company has been in filmmaking for last many decades. His father, a popular producer-director, had started the business of making films decades ago. And since then they have been conferring the moviegoers with mega hits. Theirs is the production house amongst a few banners, which have long list of blockbusters to their credit.

Gossips have also been chomped in film circles and in the media about the involvement of a super star with his filmmaker friend (who has hosted a TV show) in gay activities. This saga does not end here rather it unzips more facts about homosexuality in Bollywood. Some months back, there were stories about a famous homosexual Indian showbiz journalist about his sexual harassment to Bollywood stars in all the leading Indian newspapers and on popular Bollywood websites across the world.

The days when Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’ had hit the theaters, I got e-mail from some unknown person (who did not disclose his identity) laced with a picture showing that journalist getting close to a famous male model at the premiere of ‘Saawariya’. The person also mentioned in the e-mail that Bhansali gave him the J-Class ticket to attend the premiere. What attracted to me to that e-mail was the first line, which said, “he came…he saw…he touched”. And this narration very aptly fits to the picture, he sent along.

Sonu Nigam, the celebrated Bollywood singer, has also been the victim of this journalist. This fact oozed out before the world when Sonu Nigam himself wrote a letter to the media and sent it across to all the Bollywood journalists around the globe through his PR Manager. One copy was sent to me as well. The letter described that the journalist had interest in Sonu Nigam and when Sonu did not respond to his sexual advancements, he began to throw mud on him by writing negatively on the songster. Sonu Nigam also presented the text of the sms’s sent by the journalist to him, which said, “I miss you and love you Sonu” and “I am sorry”. Nigam even revealed the names of the big wigs of Bollywood who were on his hate list. They included the King Khan (Shahrukh Khan), Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Shiney Ahuja, Anu Malik, Adnan Sami, Ismail Darbar, Shilpa Shetty, Asha Bhonsle, Alka Yagnik and many more because they never allowed him to come to them.

Where there is homosexuality in Bollywood fraternity, there is another evil emerging rapidly in the industry called ‘casting couch’.

Despite being swathed with all of these evils, Bollywood is on high heels of success not only in India but also in each and every corner of the world because the people, associated with it, work really hard and their uphill struggle pays them in return.

- Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn

Kindly send us your valued thoughts on this story on the space below.

- The writer is a popular and experienced Bollywood and Indian TV Analyst and laced with a good rapport with both of these fraternities and the people associated with these entertainment worlds. He also shares a good rapport with the celebs of these swanky industries. You may contact him at the e-mails: goheriqbal@yahoo.co.uk, goher.punn@yahoo.com and goher.punn@gmail.com

Govinda’s lovely daughter Narmmadaa Ahuja will soon make her grand foray into the world of movies. She’s inherited beautiful looks from her mom Sunita with acting in her genes form her illustrious father. And now hear this!

Her publicist Dale Bhagwagar quips, “Narmmada is a sensational mix of Preity Zinta’s spunk and Deepika Padukone’s panache.” That’s a super-cool way to describe a client and the Bollywood PR guru surely knows what he’s talking.

After all, he’s the same guy who’s been instrumental in shaping the images of more than fifty film personalities including Hrithik Roshan, Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra and more recently, re-imaging Vivek Oberoi. Wonder how he’ll spin Narmmadaa’s stories next! Remember, ‘Brand Shilpa’?

It can be recalled that this lovely new entrant, unintentionally created quite a stir when she escorted Salman Khan during the IIFA Awards a year ago. Ever since, there has been speculation that she could create a rippling impact in Bollywood. Let’s wait and watch.

A journey of Pakistani artists to Bollywood

Mumbai, a city of dreams where the world’s mammoth entertainment industry is situated, welcomes every enthusiast who is laced with a talent to make a mark in the world of showbiz. A land of opportunities, the city sees people coming from every part of the country and the world to try their luck every day. Who get a chance to display their histrionics stay there and the rest whose luck does not support them pull the socks up to go back to their homes. The city certainly has power to help you become a star if you are passionate and determined enough to see the heights of success in life.

It’s not a new wave that Pakistani artists are making their presence felt in Indian entertainment industry rather they have been endowing them with their dexterity since quite long. In 80s, Reshma crooned the track, ‘Lambi Judaai’ in the legendary filmmaker Shubash Ghai’s blockbuster, ‘Hero’ and looted the music aficionados’ hearts not only in India and Pakistan but also across the world. The song proved to be the mega hit of that time. In that era, the ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali warbled the ghazal, ‘Chupke Chupke Raat Din’ for the film, ‘Nikah’ and pocketed huge popularity in Hindi filmdom. After that, he released many albums there. And till date, the music lovers have been soothing their ears with his mellifluous voice. The gorgeous actress Salma Agha, who gained film education in an institution in Mumbai where bad man Gulshan Grover and angry man Anil Kapoor were her classmates, too made her Bollywood debut in the movie, ‘Nikah’ opposite Deepak. Ghulam Ali’s ghazal, ‘Chupke Chupke’ had been picturized on both of them (Salma and Deepak) so artistically and creatively that even today’s moviegoer loves to watch and extols the cinematography of the track. One cannot forget the luminous works of the brother-sister duo, Nazia and Zohaib Hassan in the field of singing, which they contributed to Hindi film industry in 80s. Just unlock the box of your memories, the golden epoch begins to boogie in front of your eyes where you see Nazia and Zohaib Hassan trilling the foot-tapping numbers like ‘Disco Deewane’, ‘Dil Bole Boom Boom’, ‘Aap Jaisa Koi Mere Zindagi Mein Aaye’ and many others in various Hindi flicks.

After some space of time, the dashing cricketer Mohsin Hassan Khan who married to Reena Roy (the big actress of Bollywood of that time) made his journey to the glittering world of Hindi films. He appeared in many movies with the coveted stars. The notable films in which he showcased his deftness are: ‘Batwara’ and ‘Saathi’. But unfortunately he had to return to Pakistan after his divorce with Reena Roy. The showman, Raj Kapoor introduced the heart-hitting beauty Zeeba Bukhtiyar in his film, ‘Heena’. Post Heena, she stayed there in Mumbai and enacted in many films but returned back to the country eventually to pursue her showbiz career in Pakistan. Dev Anand’s discovery Anita Ayub too gave her manifestation in his flick but could not survive in Bollywood.

The legendary qawwal late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan got popular with the Indian film industry when he was invited by Raj Kapoor to sing in a specially arranged mehfil at the marriage ceremony of his son Rishi Kapoor. After some hiatus in 90s, Ustad Nusrat made his way to Bollywood to show his talents and released albums there. The soundtrack, which touched to heights, was ‘Awargi’ that he did with the famous lyricist Javed Akhtar. Nusrat’s compositions for the films were hugely admired. Many other coveted vocalists of Pakistan turned the face to India to prove their mettle as well such as Ali Haider, Sajjad Ali, Komal Rizvi, Junoon band and others. And their works were appreciated.

Adnan Sami, the world’s fastest pianist who has the record of playing the Indian classical music on piano, too packed the baggage and took the flight to Mumbai to show his talents of music and singing. When his album titled ‘Kabhi To Nazar Milao’ was released (which he did with Asha Bhonsle) in year 2000, his popularity graph soared sky-high in a jiffy. After that, there has been no looking back for the songster cum musician. And now he is today’s hot singer-musician of Bollywood amongst the biggies of the trade.

In recent past, we have witnessed horde of Pakistani artists going to Mumbai to make their career. The question arises in mind as to why they prefer making their career in India to Pakistan? The answer is very simple. Since the entertainment industry of Pakistan is too small to venture into and besides there are no resources available to churn out projects of international standards and above all the cinema industry has collapsed, the stars’ preference turns to Bollywood because it has a wide international market and the people, associated with it, get international fame and they are paid handsome amount as well. Over the past few years, the large number of Pakistani artists who went to India are: Muamar Rana (Who Sashi Ranjan gave a small role in his film, ‘Dobara’), Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (who had sung in many film functions in India but it was Pooja Bhatt who introduced him in her movie, ‘Paap’ to croon the very humable track, ‘Laagi Tumse Man Ki Lagan’), Amjad Islam Amjad (who has been reciting his poetry at adbi mushairas in India since long but Pooja Bhat helped him write the song, ‘Laagi Tumse Man Ki Lagan’ for the film, ‘Paap’. Earlier the late poet Qateel Shafai had also been penning lyrics for the Indian movies), Atif Aslam (who was launched by none other than Mahesh Bhatt to warble the energetic spongy number, ‘Woh Lamhey’ in the movie, ‘Zeher’), Meera (she was also introduced by Mahesh Bhatt in his film, ‘Nazar’), Javed Shiekh (whose launch pad was the film titled ‘Shikar’), Strings (they had released their albums in India earlier but their entry to Bollywood was with the flick, ‘Zinda’ made by Sanjay Gupta and Sanjay Dutt. Since the legendary litterateur-humorist Anwar Maqsood is the lyricist behind String’s songs, his contribution is also counted to Hindi film industry), Ali Zafar (Frankflin music company launched him in India), Jal band (Home Records released their first album in India), Jawad Ahmad (who trilled ‘Bin Tere Kya Hai Jeena’ in the film, ‘Woh Lamhey’), Zulfikar and Ainee (who sang the tracks ‘Tu Phir Aao’ and ‘Mahiya’ in Bhatt’s ‘Awarapan’), Sana (who was seen in ‘Kaafila’ opposite Sunny Deol) and many others made their appearance in Indian entertainment market. And also many are being seen currently venturing into the entertainment industry of India.

Did Pakistani artists succeed in Bollywood industry? Without any doubt, they have done brilliantly well over there. But of all the artists, it was the singers whom the people of Bollywood acknowledge and would like to continue work with. You have witnessed that Meera did only two movies there, Maumar Rana was offered nothing more after ‘Dobara’, Sana too has not been seen in any other film after ‘Kaafila’. It is only Javed Shiekh, who is still there in Hindi movies? But do you think, he is getting the kinds of roles, he deserves? No…absolutely not…! The superstar of Lollywood, who has rich experience to his credit and who is regarded colossally in the country, is not being given the status, he deserves. Although the Indian media name him ‘Pakistani Dilip Kumar’ but when it comes to cast him, they offer him small roles in the films. Look at the movies, he has done there such as ‘Shikar’, ‘Jaan-e-Man’, ‘Apne’, ‘Namaste London’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’ among others. His roles are of small importance. But the man is still standing there…don’t know what is in his mind?

Only the vocalists are gaining huge popularity, fan following, handsome amount and bright future in Bollywood. Atif Aslam has been signed exclusively by the music giant, ‘Tips Industries’. Tips Industries are also in talks with Ahmad Jahanzeb to sign a contract with him. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is singing in every second film. And the same is happening with all the singers of Pakistan. Music companies and the film production houses are after the Pakistani vocalists and they are ready to put the mammoth amount at stake for them since they have rock-hard confidence in their skills.

Now the question is…should all the Pakistani artists try their luck in Bollywood? The answer is… ‘Yes’ because if they succeed, the sky is the limit for the opportunities.

- Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn

Kindly send us your valued thoughts on this story on the space below.

- The writer is a popular and experienced Bollywood and Indian TV Analyst and laced with a good rapport with both of these fraternities and the people associated with these entertainment worlds. He also shares a good rapport with the celebs of these swanky industries. You may contact him at the e-mails: goheriqbal@yahoo.co.uk, goher.punn@yahoo.com and goher.punn@gmail.com

The Importance of the Photo sessions of Stars

No star is complete without the photo sessions. From high profile stars to celebrated models to low profile artists, all prefer to shoot a special photo session with the dexterous famous photographers. The importance of photo sessions is undoubtedly very high because when the viewers see them, their popularity graph soars to heights. Every movie buff likes to see and have the pictures of his/her favourite star in collection. The power of the photo session is very strapping because when one’s acting or work does not play good, they ooze out to provide the benefit to star’s worth amongst the people. Sensing its mammoth value, the whopping amount is consumed on them. Finally it is the media, which is used to showcase the special photos of the stars for the viewing and the pleasures of the masses.

The trend of ‘special photo sessions’, where stars munch through exclusive time for a magazine or a private shoot and go through five to six costume changes (or as many they want or the photographer likes to), was first started by the widely circulated Indian magazine, ‘Super’ decades back probably in late the 70s and the beginning of the 80s. In those days, the sessions lasted for hours – sometimes an entire day (the same is happening on today’s scenario rather it takes more than one day sometimes when the shoots are so special).

Earlier, the photo shoots of the celebrities were done only for the films’ promotion or for themselves so that they could promote them amongst the people using their own ways like PR managers or promotional companies. Now this trend has taken a step ahead, the business tycoons are using the stars and models to promote their products and make special calendars with them. Every year, the biggies like King Fisher (A wine company run by Vijay Malliya – a very coveted liquor magnate of India), Bombay Dying (A Nes Wadia venture) and many others shoot the special photo sessions with the famous stars and the models on the eye-pleasing beaches and locales of the world to make the calendars for their organizations. A huge amount is spent on this since the charges of the popular stars/models are so high and besides they rope in the noted photographers to click the shoots who also sell their services on handsome amount. Above all, to do the shoots for days on different locations of the world costs too higher as well.

Today to do a photo shoot, every star wants a photographer who has a healthy profile to his credit. Even the newcomer or the budding artists, who like to enter the stardom or make it big in the ritzy world of entertainment, too make rounds to the offices of the high profile photographers in order to have a photo shoot with them. This has added values to the photographers’ worth and this has happened due to the dexterity in their works, their easy approach to the film production houses and their ability to convince the filmmakers through the portfolio (pictures) of the star. There is no doubt at all in this fact that a classy and attractive portfolio plays a major role to snatch a work in the industry. And a good portfolio is ofcourse made by some intelligent photographer. And if a portfolio has been done by some renowned photographer, the chances become so bright to have a good work instantly, which is why a colossal amount is offered to the coveted photographers. The high profile celebrities do the photo sessions with the photographers, they are comfortable with. And with whom, they think that their photo sessions can bring lucrative results. Above all, they do it not occasionally rather very often because they know to be every time with their fans can play big for them. The big brigade from Big B (Amitabh Bachchan) to King Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) to Salman Khan and the bandwagon of the popular actresses from Madhuri Dixit to Aishwariya Rai to Amisha Patel to Bipasha Basu to Preity Zinta, all are found in front of the clicks of the camera.

Since obscenity is very common in films and everywhere in the entertainment abode, it has entered in the photo shoots too. Many newcomers/low profile actresses-models and even the coveted models and actresses have been witnessed to do the topless and semi naked photo shoots to gain the rapid popularity. Without any doubt, the nudity gets one popular because it attracts the people instantly. Often I receive such pictures by the PR managers/companies to get them published but I do not go ahead with publishing them in any publication, I work with because I do not like this cheap way and shortcut to fame. I believe in abilities and I really appreciate those who get success with their skills and talents. On the other side of the coin, even there are some photographers as well who get the stars ready to practice this peccadillo getting them convinced that this way your popularity graph will shove to heights. This kind of incident had happened last year with a popular Bollywood actress who simply denied going topless before the photographer (who is a very well-known in his field). This incident got the main leads in all leading newspapers, tabloids and online publications across the globe. But getting semi-naked and showing the deep cleavage for the photo shoots before the photographers are very common with the famous actresses of the Hindi cinema and eminent models.

The photographers shoot the photo sessions and the stars then send the pictures to the media people by themselves or through their PRs so that they can upload them in the galleries or publish them in the newspapers. I am also sent the pictures of the stars by stars themselves and through their PRs. The ones I think need to be published, I send to the publications.

Photo sessions appear to be compulsory because they no doubt add values to your worth and star power. But the point is that they should not be obscene.

- Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn

Kindly let us hear your thoughts on this story on the space below.

- The writer is a popular and experienced Bollywood and Indian TV Analyst and laced with a good rapport with both of these fraternities and the people associated with these entertainment worlds. He also shares a good rapport with the celebs of these swanky industries. You may contact him at the e-mails: goheriqbal@yahoo.co.uk, goher.punn@yahoo.com and goher.punn@gmail.com

Branded as Asia’s very own Las Vegas, Macau resides in the south eastern coast of China, offering a sky line of grandiose sky scrapers, neon lights and ancient temples.

The city oozes money and boasts 26 gambling facilities along the Cotai Strip, attracting high rollers from around the world – perfect for the Bollywood glitterati attending the ceremony who might fancy their chances on striking it rich.

Since the 2000 inaugural ceremony in London’s Millennium Dome (now the O2 Centre), the prestigious IIFA Awards have taken place in many sexy locations including South Africa’s Sun City (2001), Dubai (2006), [ahem] Yorkshire (2007) and Thailand (2008), therefore Macau seems the natural destination to host this year‘s event.

Big B himself sighted Macau as “a fantastic place, a great tourist attraction. It is perhaps one of the richest states in the world today. I’m quite certain that with the IIFA being held there, there will be a great amount of interest".

Alongside the announcement of the official venue for the 10th IIFA Awards, Amitabh Bachchan also declared the nominations for this year’s ceremony which are decided through a unique voting system. In praise of the ‘transparent’ voting process exercised by IIFA Mr. Bachchan professed the credibility of the awards:

"I know how this [voting system] functions and I think this is a very fair way of doing it. Everyone comes and casts their vote on a computer, no one is provoked, you have your own voting cubicle which is much like the voting which happens in a democratic society”.

The three day affair will commence on June 11th where the likes of Kareena Kapoor and current squeeze Saif Ali Khan, Karan Johar, Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif will be donning their poker faces as well as their designer gear for the celebrated event.

Until then this will give you something to chew over… the nominations are in – it’s now a waiting game to see who’s won what in which category and in true Brit-Asian fashion, we want to know your thoughts…who do you think should win a gong in each category? Are the nominees worthy of a nod and who do you think was snubbed?

The 2009 IIFA Nominations:

Best Film
A Wednesday
Dostana
Ghajini
Jodhaa Akbar
Race
Rock On

Best Director
A.R. Murugadoss – Ghajini
Madhur Bhandarkar – Fashion
Abhishek Kapoor – Rock On
Ashutosh Gowariker – Jodhaa Akbar
Neeraj Pandey – A Wednesday

Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male)
Aamir Khan – Ghajini
Abhishek Bachchan – Dostana
Hrithik Roshan – Jodhaa Akbar
Naseeruddin Shah – A Wednesday
Shah Rukh Khan – Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – Jodhaa Akbar
Asin – Ghajini
Bipasha Basu – Race
Katrina Kaif – Singh is Kinng
Priyanka Chopra – Fashion

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)
Abhishek Bachchan – Sarkar Raj
Arjun Rampal – Rock On
Irrfan Khan – Mumbai Meri Jaan
Sonu Sood – Jodhaa Akbar
Vinay Pathak – Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)
Bipasha Basu- Bachna Ae Haseeno
Ila Arun – Jodhaa Akbar
Kiron Kher – Dostana
Shahana Goswami – Rock On
Kangana Ranaut – Fashion

Best Actor in a Comic Role
Abhishek Bachchan – Dostana
Anil Kapoor- Race
Rajpal Yadav – Bhoothnath
Tejpal Singh – Jodhaa Akbar
Shreyas Talpade – Welcome to Sajjanpur
Tusshar Kapoor – Golmaal Returns

Best Actor in a Negative Role
Akshaye Khanna – Race
Imran Khan – Kidnap
Paresh Rawal – Oye Lucky Lucky Oye
Pradeep Rawat – Ghajini
Vishwas Badola – Jodhaa Akbar

Best Story
Abhishek Kapoor – Rock On
Haidar Ali – Jodhaa Akbar
Madhur Bhandarkar, Ajay Monga, Anuradha Tiwari – Fashion
Neeraj Pandey – A Wednesday
Shiraz Ahmed – Race

Best Music
A.R.Rahman – Jodhaa Akbar
A.R.Rahman- Ghajini
Pritam – Race
Shankar Ehsaan Loy – Rock On
Vishal Shekhar – Dostana

Best Lyrics
Anvita Dutt Gupta – Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Jaideep Sahni – Haule Haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)
Javed Akhtar – Jashn-E-Bahara (Jodhaa Akbar)
Javed Akhtar- Socha Hai (Rock On)
Sameer – Pehli Nazar Mein (Race)

Best Playback Singer (Male)
Atif Aslam – Pehli Nazar Mein (Race)
Farhan Akhtar – Socha Hai (Rock On)
Javed Ali – Jashn-E-Baharaa (Jodhaa Akbar)
KK- Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Sukhwinder Singh – Haule Haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)

Best Playback Singer (Female)
Bela Shinde – Man Mohana (Jodhaa Akbar)
Monali – Zara Zara Touch Me (Race)
Shilpa Rao – Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Shreya Ghoshal – Teri Ore (Singh is Kinng)
Sunidhi Chauhan – Desi Girl (Dostana)

The film will be a sure entertainer. Let’s hear this from the stars of this enterprise:

Aftab Shivdasani utters, “ALOO CHAAT is one film which will keep you thoroughly entertained with that constant smile on your face.  ‘The film is made for a family audience. I can assure that no one from the audience will have a single moment of embarrassment or discomfort when the film is on; it is so clean.”

Aamna Shariff shares her views, “I am playing a Muslim girl who falls in love with a Punjabi boy. The name of my character is also Aamna. My character is that of a simple, straight- forward and a fun loving girl. I totally relate to this character and I am sure every girl can relate to it”.

Anuj Saxena, CEO of Maverick Production says, “The film has been shot well on time. The film looks good and it is a realistic comedy which audience can watch with their family. The flavour of the film is so that audiences will connect to it instantly and when you come out of the theatre you will come out feeling light”

Robby Grewal, the director of the film feeds the kitty, “Aloo Chaat was conceived as a film with the objective of entertaining the audience, with a liberal dose of fun and laughter, but at the same time leaving a pertinent question regarding discrimination of people on the basis of caste and creed. It’s a film set in Delhi with all the trappings of a middle class Punjabi household. I seriously believe Punjabis are the funniest species on the planet, and I have attempted to capture that very essence of Punjabi humour in my film”.

So get ready to watch it on a screen near you on 20^th of March.

Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn

Please send us your valuable comments on this story on the space below.

- The writer is a popular and experienced Bollywood and Indian TV Analyst and laced with a good rapport with both of these fraternities and the people associated with these entertainment worlds. He also shares a good rapport with the celebs of these swanky industries. You may contact him at the e-mails: goheriqbal@yahoo.co.uk, goher.punn@yahoo.com and goher.punn@gmail.com

54^th Filmfare Awards finally happened on Saturday night and the event appeared vigorous at Yash Raj Studios even at that time when the clock told 1.30 a.m. The dance floor got thumbed with the boisterous feet of the Gen Next’s stars – Ayush Khedekar, Tanmay Chheda, Azharuddin Mohammed, Ashutosh Lobo, Rubina Khan and Tanvi Ganesh (from the Oscar winning movie, ‘Slumdog Millionaire).

These kids from the city of Mumbai, though new to Hindi cinema, but they have become already popular with the success of the film and after the Oscar statuette. Shah Rukh Khan described them as the fresh and new talents of Bollywood’s future. The awards’ function was hosted by the new blood of Bollywood – Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan (who replaced Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan).

Both Ranbir and Imran (who, before the show, rehearsed a lot to crack the jokes and make the audience smile at the event), with their wicked sense of humor, ran through the audience like a fire. They made everyone enjoy the fiesta with their fun-filled actions, taunts and pulling legs of the stars present there. They literally raised the laughs. When the duo hit the ‘gay’ note, the filmmaker of this movie (Dostana), Karan Johar along with sexy Deepika Padukone and Konkana Sen Sharma came to join on stage compering. It was fun everywhere.
Hrithik Roshan won the best actor award for his marvelous acting in ‘Jodha Akbar’. And the dusky Priyanka Chopra bagged the Best Actress award for the film, ‘Fashion’. Ashotoah Gowarikar’s ‘Jodha Akbar’ was declared the ‘Best Film’ of the year. The small budgeted flick too looted the black lady like ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan (Best Film for Critics Award and Best Screenplay), ‘Oye Lucky Lucky Oye!’ and ‘Rock On!’ also won several honours. The veteran costume designer and Oscar winner Bhanu Athaiya was graced with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.

Om Puri, the legendary actor of international repute, was also given the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by Amitabh Bachchan. The emotional Puri recalled his days of struggle, saying as, “scrawny, long-haired, funny-looking fellow who dared to dream.”

In spite of the onstage moments, what happened at the backstage appeared more interesting and nail-biting. Like the ones:

• When Bachchan family was arriving majestically to sit in the front row where Rekha was sitting already.

• When the lovers Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor inconspicuously went backstage when Kareena’s ex-lover Shahid stepped out of the front to perform on the stage. And after his performance when he sat on his seat, both Saif and Kareena ducked out.

• In her speech, when Kangana Ranaut won the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ award, everyone was thinking that she was mentioning her boyfriend Adhdhyan (as she mentioned ‘someone special’ in the speech) but it got cleared later that she was describing about her sister Rangloi.

The ones, who set the stage on fire with their dance movements, were Abhishek Bachchan, Shahid Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and newcomer Jackie Bhagnani. Bipasha Basu, Rekha and Katrina complimented Shahid for his wonderful performance. Bipasha told him, ‘You Rock’. And Rekha said Shahid, “You’ll come to collect your Best Actor Award in ten months’ time.”

The whole audience gave AR Rahman a standing ovation (for his winning two Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire) when he came to collect his black lady for ‘Best Background Score’. Anil Kapoor missed the function.

Shah Rukh Khan too recalled his days of struggle like Om Puri and said, “Om Puri recalled his struggling days, and I remember my days when I was also scrawny, long-haired and funny-looking … but we dared to dream and we made it. So there’s hope for everyone who dreams.”

It was really a heart-enticing show, which will go on air on Sony TV on 8^th of March.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND PICTURES FROM THIS LAVISH EVENT.

Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn

We like to have your thoughts on this story. Please give us your valuable comments on the space below.

- The writer is a popular and experienced Bollywood and Indian TV Analyst and laced with a good rapport with both of these fraternities and the people associated with these entertainment worlds. He also shares a good rapport with the celebs of these swanky industries. You may contact him at the e-mails: goheriqbal@yahoo.co.uk, goher.punn@yahoo.com and goher.punn@gmail.com

The music connoisseur A R Rahman won two Oscars Award at the 81^st Annual Academy Awards in Los Angles on Sunday night.

In the Best Original Score category, A R Rahman had to face very tough competition from other nominees of the night including: Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), James Newton Howard (Defiance), Danny Elfman (Milk) and Thomas Newman (Wall-E). But Rahman oozed out as a winner for his musical score in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

While collecting his statuette, he expressed, “Before coming, I was excited and terrified. The last time I felt like that was during my marriage. There’s a dialogue from a Hindi film called "Mere Paas Ma Hai," which means "I have nothing but I have a mother," so mother’s here, her blessings are there with me. I am grateful for her to have come all the way. And I want to thank the Academy for being so kind, all the jury members. I want to thank Sam Schwartz, I/D PR, all the crew of Slumdog, Mr. Gulzar, Raqueeb Alam, Blaaze, my musicians in Chennai and Mumbai. And I want to tell something in Tamil, which I normally say after every award, which is – ‘God is great’. Thank you.”

For the Best Song category, there was barely any competition. For this, Rahman had two nominations – ‘O Saya’ and ‘Jai Ho’. There was one other contender and that was ‘Down to Earth’ from ‘Wall-E’. And he earned the award for the song, ‘Jai Ho’.

While accepting this statuette, A R Rahman uttered, “I just want to thank again the whole crew of Slumdog Millionaire, especially Danny Boyle for giving such a great opportunity. And all the people from Mumbai. The essence of the film, which is about optimism and the power of hope in the lives, and all my life I had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I’m here. God bless.”
Resul Pokutty appeared to be the other Indian, who won for the Best Sound Mixing for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. He shared the Oscar statuette with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke.

Rahman, who has created history by becoming the first Indian to win two Oscars at one night, dedicates his awards to God (Allah). Besides God, he dedicates his awards to his mother Kareema Begum, who was there to attend the occasion at the Kodak Theater.

Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn

We like you to please let us have your thoughts on this story.

- The writer is a popular and experienced Bollywood and Indian TV Analyst and laced with a good rapport with both of these fraternities and the people associated with these entertainment worlds. He also shares a good rapport with the celebs of these swanky industries. You may contact him at the e-mails: goheriqbal@yahoo.co.uk, goher.punn@yahoo.com and goher.punn@gmail.com

Aalim gave Sanjay Dutt this new deadly look for Dhilin Mehta’s forthcoming flick, ‘Luck’. The movie is directed by Soham Shah. The whole unit has left for Cape Town in South Africa to shoot for the film after that they will be going to Bangkok in Thailand for the next schedule. The entire duration for the outdoor shooting is of 10 days.

On his new look, Sanjay Dutt says, “Soham is a very talented director and he has a very creative outlook. We both sat and discussed the look and I’m very happy that Aalim has styled me exactly as we envisioned”.

Aalim, the stylist utters his view, “This is one of Sanju’s most daring and dashing looks! It’s a very different sidelock with 3 triangles opposite each other. Sanju can carry off anything larger than life… his aura is really huge! He is looking really cool and sexy and will set a new trend with his facial hair!”

On this look, the director of the film expresses his views, “I wanted a look for Sanju sir, which he had never worn before. I designed a couple of looks on photoshop and Sanju suggested a particular style. Aalim took it to a different level with his international styling experience. Sanju sir is the only actor who can carry this style as he has an attitude that no one has. He is the best and has a larger than life screen image.”

The movie is the production of Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd and launches Kamal Hasan’s daughter Shruti Hassan in this film along with Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Danny Denzongpa, Ravi Kishen and Chitrakshi.

The maestro of stunts, Allan Amin dolls up the action sequences for the film.

Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn

Please share your views on this film with us and on Sanjay Dutt’s new look.

- The writer is a popular and experienced Bollywood and Indian TV Analyst and laced with a good rapport with both of these fraternities and the people associated with these entertainment worlds. He also shares a good rapport with the celebs of these swanky worlds. You may contact him at the e-mails: goheriqbal@yahoo.co.uk and goher.punn@yahoo.com

Columbia Pictures presents in association with Relativity Media a Blue Light/Weed Road Pictures/Overbrook Entertainment production, a film by Peter Berg, Hancock. The film stars Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, and Eddie Marsan. Directed by Peter Berg, the film is produced by Akiva Goldsman, Michael Mann, Will Smith, and James Lassiter. The film is written by Vy Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan. The executive producers are Ian Bryce, Jonathan Mostow, and Richard Saperstein. The director of photography is Tobias Schliessler. The production designer is Neil Spisak. The film is edited by Paul Rubell, A.C.E. and Colby Parker, Jr. The special visual effects are by Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. The visual effects are designed by John Dykstra, ASC. The costume designer is Louise Mingenbach. Music is by John Powell.

2) TASHAN leaves black ticket sellers jobless.

3) TASHAN makes JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM look like a classic

4) Do you know that TASHAN was initially named Three men and a Bebo !!!!!!

5) 99 % of the people reading this have not watched TASHAN

6) TASHAN flops Kajol and Ajay celebrate.

7) Even Ram Gopal Verma doesn’t want to remake TASHAN

Yash Chopra went into hiding after the release of TASHAN

9) The best part of TASHAN was the intermission

10) TASHAN has no TASHAN

11) If you want to spent some quality time alone, go watch TASHAN.

12) You know what is the only thing good in TASHAN that gives it an edge over DHOOM 1 & DHOOM 2 , it doesn’t have UDAY CHOPRA in it .

13) Saif , Kareena , Anil and Akshay are still trying to figure out , what is TASHAN actually about !!!!!

14) Stand up comedians refuse to crack jokes on TASHAN , helloooooooooo , you cannot make jokes on a joke.

15) Sanjay Leela Bhansali to remake Sawariya after watching TASHAN

Now all you people reading this , observe a 2 min silence in fond memory of TASHAN !!!!!!!!!

While Deepika has flashed those lovely eye-lashes at many-an-award function, has been linked with the hunkiest of men – from cricketers MS. Dhoni, Yuvraj and now actor Ranbir Kapoor, has bombarded your TV sets via several ad-commercials, the glam-doll may be leading the popularity charts, but the race is still on. And Sonam Kapoor, the silent, innocent talent, may just prove to be the dark horse and the deadliest competition for the Padukone girl.

The clash of Om Shanti Om and Saawariya is well-known. Though the latter film saw little or no success, Sonam garnered rave reviews for her performance. It’s just another thing that Deepika bagged all the best debutante awards that are usually influenced by box office records, and not just pure talent. After all Deepika didn’t even dub for her film.

And if Deepika prides herself in dating newfound hot hunk Ranbir Kapoor today, let’s not forget the rumours of a romantic liaison between Sonam and Ranbir sometime ago. Also, if Deepika boasts of some impressive offers under her belt – from Yashraj’s Bachna Ae Haseenon opposite beau Ranbir and Nikhil Advani’s Chandni Chowk To Chinatown, Sonam has Rakeysh Mehra’s Dilli 6 opposite Abhishek Bachchan, was even considered to play the lead in Rakesh Roshan’s Kites opposite the very popular Hrithik Roshan, and the icing on her cake is when she signed on Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi , a film in which she’ll share screen space with Shah Rukh Khan. Essaying the role of a 16-year-old Punjabi kudi paired opposite a forty year old man (SRK in the film) may make for an interesting story.

If Deepika acted with SRK in her debut film, Sonam acts with the Badshah Khan now, and if Sonam played Ranbir’s love interest in Saawariya , Deepika has him for a lover in Bachna Ae Haseenon .

So, if the more-exposed and in your face Deepika is your fast and favourite pin-up poster girl, let’s not mistake Sonam’s non-exposure to mean that she is the weaker actress. Both the girls are as great and busy with their respective ‘image building’ exercises. Deepika has managed to enter the bold-n-glam arena, while Sonam has done brilliantly as the sweet, innocent girl you can take home to your mommy. So, which of these two wears the crown is still not clear. In short, Aur picture abhi baaki hai mere dost !

India Times

We all are well aware of Shah Rukh’s down to earth attitude towards all, be it friends or foes, and Aamir Khan is no exception. When a member of the present media asked SRK for a response on the Aamir statement, Shah Rukh joked, “My wife has warned me. If I say anything about Aamir, she’ll beat me up. She is an Aamir Khan fan.” He further joked, “Aamir is a dear friend and if he says that I’m second to him then it’s a great compliment to him. Oops! That was a genuine slip of the tongue. I mean it’s a great compliment to me.” Talking about differences between the two, Shah Rukh explained, “We are complete opposites. He is an intelligent, intellectual person. I’m more physical. I do things, he thinks them out. I know his jokes, he knows mine. He is 100% No. 1.”

The media hype surrounding this issue didn’t rest, a few minutes later another journalist raised the issue. He asked Shah Rukh if Aamir was upset at him because of a statement that Shah Rukh made before the release of Don… “There’s Chengez Khan and then there’s Shah Rukh Khan.” To this, King Khan said, “There’s Aamir, then there’s me and then there’s Chengez Khan… I guess. That keeps changing. I’m proud of having learnt a lot from Aamir. One of my biggest desires in life is to do a film with Aamir. We should not belittle the importance of Aamir Khan by comparing him with someone like me. He is a standalone, one of the nicest gentlemen and actors in the country.”

Shah Rukh’s wife Gauri was also present at this Mumbai press conference along with his leading lady Juhi Chawla. Captain of his Riders, Saurav Ganguly posed for the cameras with fellow team-mates Ishant Sharma, Akash Chopra and Murali Karthik .

What are your thoughts on Shah Rukh’s light hearted response to Aamir’s hard hitting statement… do you think he put on a good face and joked but inside, he is hurting… or do you believe that King Khan has no issues with no one and is in a league of his own? If you were to decide between Aamir and Shah Rukh as to which was the better actor, which one would you pick and why? Please use the comments section below for your feedback.

Taare Zameen Par beat of Chak De! India, Guru, Jab We Met and Om Shanti Om for the Best Film award. That was after Aamir Khan was announced as Best Director for the same film, coming ahead of veteran craftsman Mani Ratnam. Anurag Basu, Farah Khan, Imtiaz Ali and Shimit Amin were all disappointed. Prasoon Joshi won Best Lyrics for Maa, Amol Gupte for Best Story and Darsheel Safary was honored with the Critics award for Best Actor. That gave December 2007 release Taare Zameen Par a total of 5 Filmfare awards.

However, Darsheel Safary and Aamir Khan lost out to Shah Rukh Khan and Irrfan Khan for Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male) and Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male) respectively. Shah Rukh bagged the coveted accolade for his superb performance in the sports flick Chak De! India and Irrfan for his magnanimous acting in Life In A… Metro.

As expected, Kareena Kapoor was given Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female) for her comedic scenes in Jab We Met. Konkona Sen Sharma, who was nominated twice in the Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female) category, for Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Life In A… Metro, winning it for the latter.

The big music award went to A R Rahman; his composition for Mani Ratnam’s Guru was Best Music. Hip and hop singer Shaan once again showed his prowess when it comes to playback singing, winning yet another Best Playback Singer (Male) for Jab Se Tere Naina from Saawariya. In the Best Playback Singer (Female) category, the competition was close, but in the end it was Shreya Ghosal… once again… for Barso Re from Guru.

The feel good factor awards had no surprises as Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone bagged Best Debut for Male and Female respectively. Deepika rubbed salt in fellow debutante Sonam Kapoor’s wounds a second time, when she also bagged Sony Head N Shoulders Fresh Face Of The Year Award. Sonam and her father had decided not to attend the event as they expected Deepika to get these awards.

Rishi Kapoor was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, Monty Sharma the R D Burman Award for his songs in Saawariya, and father-son Yash and Aditya Chopra got Power Awards. Tabu was named Critics’ Best Actress and Chak De! India Critics’ Best Film.

For a full list of the awards given, please scroll down to the end of the article.

The awards ceremony was held under tight security at Yashraj Studios but some of Bollywood’s big names failed to attend. Missing were the Bachchans, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapur. Hrithik Roshan, Govinda and Rani Mukherjee. But many of whom mattered were there… Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, John Abraham, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Akshay Kumar.

The show was co-anchored by Vidya Balan, Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan. The latter two managed to create raves with their double act and had the audience in laughs galore. Himesh Reshammiya may have failed to win any award but he did belt out a few of his most noted tunes, while ever-reliable Akshay Kumar danced enigmatically. New kids on the block Neil Nitin Mukesh and Deepika Padukone also performed, so did Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi.

Awards were given out by Neil Nitin Mukesh, Twinkle Khanna, Priyanka Chopra, Dimple Kapadia, Nirupama Rao, Shaimak Davar, Bipasha Basu, John Abraham and Kunal Kapoor. Saif Ali Khan came on stage to give out the award to his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor while Preity Zinta awarded Aamir Khan, his being accepted by Prasoon Joshi. Rekha gave out the big award of the day, to Shah Rukh Khan for Chak De! India.

Saif Ali Khan ad Shah Rukh Khan awarded their own ‘Na-Real’ awards, recipient of one was Vidya Balan, for her look in Heyy Baby – The Na-Real Award For Wardrobe Malfunction.

The highlight of the evening had to be Rishi Kapoor being bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement award, an hour after his son got the Best Debutante Award. “Twenty percent of my reason for being an actor was that I could win a Filmfare. I am overwhelmed,” said a jubilant Ranbir. Addressing his mother Neetu Singh, Ranbir joked, “Mamma, I am bringing home a girl tonight.” There were rumors running around that a film, starring both Rishi and Ranbir, could be announced… but this wasn’t to be.

The awards will be shown on TV on March 2nd on Sony.

Winners of 53rd Fair One Filmfare Awards

MAIN AWARDS WINNERS:

BEST FILM
Chak De! India
Guru
Jab We Met
Om Shanti Om
Winner: Taare Zameen Par

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Aamir Khan (Taare Zameen Par)
Anurag Basu (Life… In A Metro)
Farah Khan (Om Shanti Om)
Imtiaz Ali (Jab We Met)
Mani Ratnam (Guru)
Shimit Amin (Chak De! India)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (MALE)
Abhishek Bachchan (Guru)
Akshay Kumar (Namastey London)
Darsheel Safary (Taare Zameen Par)
Winner: Shahrukh Khan (Chak De! India)
Shahrukh Khan (Om Shanti Om)
Shahid Kapoor (Jab We Met)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (FEMALE)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Guru)
Deepika Padukone (Om Shanti Om)
Winner: Kareena Kapoor (Jab We Met)
Madhuri Dixit (Aaja Nachle)
Rani Mukerji (Laaga Chunari Mein Daag)
Vidya Balan (Bhool Bhulaiyaa)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (MALE)
Aamir Khan (Taare Zameen Par)
Anil Kapoor (Welcome)
Winner: Irrfan Khan (Life in a… Metro)
Mithun Chakraborty (Guru)
Shreyas Talpade (Om Shanti Om)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (FEMALE)
Winner: Konkona Sen Sharma (Life in a… Metro)
Konkona Sen Sharma (Laaga Chunari Mein Daag)
Rani Mukerji (Saawariya)
Shilpa Shukla (Chak De! India)
Tisca Chopra (Taare Zameen Par)

BEST MUSIC
Winner: A R Rahman (Guru)
Monty Sharma (Saawariya)
Pritam (Jab We Met)
Pritam (Life in a… Metro)
Vishal-Shekhar (Om Shanti Om)

BEST LYRICS
Gulzar…Tere Nina (Guru)
Javed Akhtar…Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
Winner: Prasoon Joshi…Maa (Taare Zameen Par)
Sameer…Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)
Vishal Dadlani…Aankhon Mein Teri (Om Shanti Om)

BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (MALE)
A R Rahman …Tere Bina (Guru)
K K…Aankhon Mein Teri (Om Shanti Om)
Winner: Shaan…Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)
Sonu Nigam…Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
Sukhawinder Singh…Chak De (Chak De! India)

BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (FEMALE)
Alisha Chinai…It’s Rocking (Kay Love Story Hai)
Winner: Shreya Ghosal …Barso Re (Guru)
Shreya Ghosal …Yeh Ishq Hai (Jab We Met)
Sunidhi Chauhan …Sajanaji Vari Vari (Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd.)
Sunidhi Chauhan …Aaja Nachle (Aaja Nachle)

OTHER AWARDS WINNERS:

Best Debut (Male): Ranbir Kapoor – Saawariya
Best Debut (Female): Deepika Padukone – Om Shanti Om

Sony Head N Shoulders Fresh Face of the Year Award: Deepika Padukone

Lifetime Achievement Award: Rishi Kapoor
Power Awards: Yash Chopra & Aditya Chopra
R. D. Burman Award: Monty Sharma (Saawariya)

Best Story: Amol Gupte – Taare Zameen Par
Best Screenplay: Anurag Basu – Life in a… Metro
Best Editing: Amitabh Shukla – Chak De India
Best Dialogue: Imtiaz Ali – Jab We Met
Best Special Effects: Red Chillies Entertainment – Om Shanti Om
Best Choreography: Saroj Khan (Barso Re Megha Re – Guru)
Best Background Score: A. R. Rahman – Guru
Best Action: Rob Miller – Chak De India
Best Art Direction: Samir Chanda – Guru
Best Sound: Leslie Fernandes – Johnny Gaddaar
Best Cinematography: Sudhip Chatterjee

CRITICS’ AWARDS WINNERS:

Best Actor: Darsheel Safary – Taare Zameen Par
Best Actress: Tabu – Cheeni Kum
Best Film: Shimit Amin – Chak De India

What to do you make of these awards… were the right people given the right awards… did Om Shanti Om deserve to win a major award… should awards be given to Aamir Khan if he doesn’t attend the ceremonies… have award shows now lost their edge… whatever you think, we would love to hear from you. Please use the comments section below for your feedback.

Accepting the job of guest editor of The Economic Times is among the more unwise responsibilities I have taken on in a long time. I can just about spell ‘economic’ and ‘time’ I never seem to have. Banking, investment, economics, corporates, business news are terms which bring a glazed look to my eyes. My contribution to some of the more serious articles in this edition is minimal. My forte remains entertainment and that’s what I have chosen to write about today.

The stories I’ve commissioned and the ET team has put together reflect some of the issues that I feel the Indian film industry needs to address. If this journey is to be a success, all the constituents, writers, technicians, exhibitors, distributors and not just stars, directors and producers, need to benefit from the expansion and growth of the film industry.

The business of films is the business of telling stories. By its very nature this business requires that we make a new and different product each time. Therefore, a new story each time or at least an old story told differently. Are we, and have we been, giving enough importance to the script and writer in a business which is all about telling stories? Think of your 10 favourite films… and try and remember the names of the writers.

With the advent of multiplexes, admission rates in cinema halls have gone up more than five times. However, the profit to the producer and distributor has gone down. Mysterious. Every release sees a battle between the exhibitor on the one hand and the distributor and producer on the other.

What would be a fair revenue sharing formula? Is there any logic to the current equation? When will the three sectors realise that each one needs the other? Another issue close to my heart is the failing rural economy. This is the only non-entertainment story that I’ve contributed — the sharply increased debt burdens among the poorer rural groups and increased distress. How long can we ignore this crisis?

Pakistan is a country we share a lot more with than just our boundary. With common languages, cultures, similar emotional keys, etc., it is supremely strange, and if I might add, foolish that we do not officially release our films to each others’ audiences. The Pakistan film industry has been consistently losing patronage.

Over the years, cinema halls in that country have greatly reduced in number and are seeing a reduction in admissions. It is now imperative for them to get audiences to start coming back to their theatres. What better way for that to happen than to release Indian films in their cinemas? Once audiences return to the theatres, the exhibition sector will get stronger and in turn the distribution, production and creative sectors.

The strong creative talent in Pakistan has great potential to entertain, and both countries will greatly benefit from co-productions and the meeting of minds. India can be a huge territory for Pakistani films, including the films made there in Punjabi. Likewise, Pakistan can be another huge territory for Indian films. But more than business and creative excitement, another big benefit is the cultural and social exchange which has a priceless impact on all of us.

Remember that most Pakistanis are familiar with us through our films — albeit watched on pirated discs. But all we know about them is through the news, and therefore our overwhelming impression is that they are a country which is riven with bomb blasts, terrorism and religious extremists. Strong social and cultural exchange between the two countries will go a long way in removing misconceptions, creating understanding and bringing us closer.

And now, having bored you stiff let me get back to my primary job, of entertaining you. I’m off to my film set. Happy reading. Love.

By Aamir Khan

The Max Stardust Awards stands out in the clutter of countless film awards as it showcases and recognises the relatively fresh talent with the promise to emerge as the superstars of tomorrow. The awards ceremony, this year, transformed the banal terra firma of the Bandra Kurla Complex into a spectacle of glitz and razzmatazz. Talented film director Kunal Kohli and the gorgeous diva Neha Dhupia were the perfect hosts for this special evening and kept the audience glued to their seats.

The glorious award ceremony, witnessed dazzling Lara Dutta perform on chartbusters such as ‘Move your body’ from Johnny Gaddar, ‘Deewangi’ from OSO among others while beautiful Kareena Kapoor enthralled the audience with ‘Nagada’ and ‘Its rocking’ form Jab we met and Kya Love Story Hai. The rockstar Saif Ali Khan performed on medley of hits from OSO, Salaam-e-Ishq, Hey Baby and Race – his upcoming movie. Govinda entertained the audience with his numbers from the movie Partner and Bhagam Bhaag. Neha Dhupia apart from her co-hosting the award ceremony moved danced on popular songs like ‘Namak Ishq Ka’, ‘Saiya re’, ‘Mayya Mayya’, ‘Kiya Kiya’ and ‘Naughty Naughty’.

Among the people who attended the event were the whose who of the tinsel town. Aadesh Shrivastav, Bappi Lahri, Alka Yagnik, Shreya Saran, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Bipasha Basu, Dharmendra, Rishi Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Suresh Oberoi, Irfan Khan, Gul Panag, Celina Jaitley, Dino Moreo, Madhur Bhandarkar, Raveena Tandon, and a host of others. The event had extravagant sets coupled with lasers, special effects, lighting and acoustics to create a magnificent audio and visual impact.

The MAX Stardust Awards are a salute to the young and dynamic Gen Next oozing with creative energy and passion in equal measure. MAX will telecast the MAX Stardust Awards on 16 February, 2008 at 8.00 pm.

THE WINNERS OF MAX STARDUST AWARDS

SUPERSTAR OF TOMMOROW —MALE
Ranbir Kapoor (Saawariya)

SUPERSTAR OF TOMMOROW— FEMALE
Sonam Kapoor (Saawariya)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE – MALE
Shreyas Talpade (Om Shanti Om)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE – FEMALE
Kangana Ranaut (Life… In a Metro)

THE NEW MENACE
Shilpa Shukla (Chak De India)

HOTTEST FILM — PRODUCERS
Gandhi My Father (Anil Kapoor)

HOTTEST YOUNG FILM MAKER
Shimit Amin (Chak De India)

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE BY LYRICIST
Sandeep Nath – Saawariya (’Yoon Shabnami Pehle Nahi Thi Chandni’)

NEW MUSICAL SENSATION – FEMALE
Anoushka Manchanda – Cash (Aye Chori)

NEW MUSICAL SENSATION – MALE
Krishna & Salim Merchant – Chak De India (Maula Mere)

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE BY A MUSIC DIRECTOR
Monty Sharma (Saawariya)

READER’S CHOICE AWARDS

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Tisca Chopra (’Taare Zameen Par’)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Irrfaan Khan (’Life… In A Metro’ / The Namesake)

BEST ACTOR IN A NEGATIVE ROLE
Arjun Rampal (’Om Shanti Om’)

STAR OF THE YEAR – MALE
Akshay Kumar (’Namastey London’ / ‘Heyy Babyy’)

ACTOR PAR EXCELLANCE
Viveik Oberoi (Shootout at Lokhandwala)

BEST ACTOR – MALE
Shahid Kapoor- Jab We Met

BEST ACTOR – FEMALE
Kareena Kapoor – Jab We Met

THE DREAM DIRECTOR AWARD
Farah Khan (’Om Shanti Om’)

BEST FILM AWARD
‘Jab We Met’

LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Dharmendra

You Say
I am not a very sceptical person. But I really have my doubts about Prachi making it big in Bollywood (she has been signed for ‘Rock On’ with Farhan Akhtar). Her fame with television has been in the saas bahu genre (and ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’), which may not work in Bollywood as well.
– Priyanka Desai, software programmer

I guess Prachi is a good actor but I really don’t know to what extent she will be able to cater to Bollywood needs. She would need a serious image makeover as well if she has to progress from the saas bahu category to other diverse roles.
– Pratik Kabali, engineering student

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MUMBAI: Think Bollywood mothers and you think about the devis of self-denial —ill-fated, woebegone, delighting in masochism right from Leela Chitnis, Durga Khote, Sulochna to Nirupa Roy. In fact, the dialogue ‘Mere paas maa hai’ in Deewar best endorsed brand Maa!

But with the reshuffle in societal dynamics, the filmi maa has unwittingly metamorphosed into mom. Draped in designer yards and even squeezing into jeans (Jaya Bachchan in Kal Ho Naa Ho, Dimple Kapadia in Pyaar Mein Twist), the new age film mum is not only unabashedly romantic (Hema Malini in Baghban) but also a confidante to her daughter who’s fallen in love (Reema Lagoo in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai).

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While actors like Raveena Tandon and Ravi Kishan say the star must have been provoked, Manoj Bajpai and Lillette Dubey feel one shouldn’t lose self-control.

Manoj Bajpai: I wasn’t present when the incident happened. But I suppose it all depends on the situation. There have been times when I’ve lost my cool at such intrusion during work. Other times, I’ve just let it go. I don’t like to lose my self-control.

Tusshar Kapoor: Why is no one talking about that guy who got slapped? Just because Govinda is a celebrity, everyone is focusing on his action. This guy, who was slapped, sounds like the goons near the J.W. Marriott Hotel on New Year’s Eve, who molested a girl. Slapping them would’ve been perfect.

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Shabana Azmi, a first-time runner, treated the marathon as a “social responsibility”. “I’m participating for the first time. I’m also flagging off the Harmony Silvers run for Tina Ambani. I’m doing it for the Rahul Bose Foundation. It is for tsunami-affected children who are studying in Rishi Valley.”

Ruslan Mumtaz and all his friends from the Shaimak Davar Dance School loved the thrill and the spirit of brotherhood that the run fostered. “To me, the marathon is all about unity. It’s about the coming together of every person who’s a part of Mumbai,” says the young celebrity. For him and his dancing school mates, it was a reunion party.

For television anchor-cum-anchor Rakshanda Khan, the marathon was an indication that the heart and soul of Mumbai is still on the right track. “I’m participating in the marathon for an NGO called Shraddha. People may think Mumbaikars have no time to spare for others, but the swelling number of participants at the marathon every year proves them wrong.”

Over 30,000 Mumbaikars – celebrities, corporate executives, students, social workers, housewives and even the man on the street – tested their stamina and fitness to drive home the message that running is not stressful for the heart. The chief sponsor of the run was the Standard Chartered Bank.

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Vivek’s faith in Ayappa probably stems from his mother’s South Indian background and Vivek reportedly places utmost faith in the powers of the deity.

“For this visit, he was even walking around barefoot except during shoots. It was part of the custom followed preceding a trip to Sabrimala,” revealed his father Suresh Oberoi.

Vivek, who doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke, has now also vowed to even refuse advertisements that promote liquor or cigarette brands. “While playing a certain character I might be seen toting a gun or smoking, but as a person I won’t endorse what I don’t believe in,” he had said earlier.

But what blessing could Vivek have asked for? With a lukewarm run of late, it could either be an award for his performance in ‘Shootout At Lokhandwala’ or a hit in his forthcoming ‘Mission Istanbul’.

Article from DNA INDIA

This is just one aspect of many that went into the making of what is probably one of the most expensive sets created in the history of Bollywood.

Art director Nitin Desai, while recounting the hours of research that went into constructing the ‘Jodha Akbar’ set says, “We had teams doing research for more than six months on the kind of 16th century architecture that would have been prevalent in those days. We built an entire fort in exactly the way that it was built in the 16th century, but what took them 33 years, we had to complete in 3 months.”

Obviously, something like this would cost a lot. The entire set is said to worth more than Rs 12 crore, which is around a fourth of the movie’s budget.

Jodha’s chamber itself, which is made with intricate wall carvings, heavy curtains and fibreglass paintings, is said to have cost over Rs one crore.

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The occasion marking the sun’s journey northwards and also the birth anniversary of Shabana’s late father was used to spread the message that “despite changes in society, we should carry forward our old, rich culture and traditions”, her husband poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar said.

Around 2,000 colourful kites with couplets of the famous poet inscribed on them were distributed at a function at Jawahar Kala Kendra organised by the three and Dharam Sajjan Trust.

Irrfan, who grew up here, said “usually despite my hectic schedule, I make it a point to come home on Makar Sankranti and from the terrace of my ‘mama’s’ house fly kites. But, this one is special as where ever these kites go, they will spread the message of peace through the immortal lines of Kaifi sahib”.

Irrfan and Shabana were seen on the rooftop of the Kendra enthusiastically flying kites and also lending a helping hand to some others.

Javed said, “people nowadays campare our traditions with the present culture but we should get the best of both worlds. We should learn new things, new customs, new music, everything but also preserve the older ones”.

Ajay Chopra of the Trust said the idea was to popularize values through the medium of kites.

Article from DNA INDIA

Aamir Khan had to share the best director award with Shimit Amin as Taare Zameen Par and Chak De India both won major gongs at the 14th Star Screen Awards.

Staged on a Thursday evening, which is becoming a norm for major events in India, the event once again proved that good quality films do indeed win awards. Chak De India got the major awards of Best Film and Best Actor while Best Director had to be shared between Shimit Amin (Chak De India) and Aamir Khan (Taare Zameen Par).

Best Supporting Actor went to Aamir Khan for his role as the art teacher in Taare Zameen Par, while the Hockey playing girls in Chak De India were collectively given the Best Supporting Actress award. There was hardly any competition in the Best Actress category with Kareena Kapoor bagging it for Jab We Met,

Best Story (Amol Gupte), Best Child Actor (Darsheel), Best Lyricist (Prasoon Joshi), and Best Dialogue awards went to Taare Zameen Par, a total of 6 gongs.

Mani Ratnam’s Guru got A R Rahman the Best Music Director award. Soham won the Award for the Best Playback Singer (Male) for his soong in Life… In a Metro and Priya Ghosal was Best Playback Singer (Female) for Guru.

In other categories, Deepika Padukone one two, one for Best Newcomer (Female) and second jointly with Shah Rukh Khan for Best Pair (Om Shanti Om). As expected, Ranbir Kapoor was judged Best Newcomer (Male). Irfan Khan was a surpirse Best Comedian for Life… In A Metro, while Anurag Basu won Best Screenplay Award for the same film. Lifetime Achievement Award went to Manoj Kumar and Pankaj Kapoor was awarded fir Best Negative Role.

Performances by Shah Rukh Khan, Shahid Kapur, Katrina Kaif, Urmila Matondkar, Riteish Deshmukh and Dia Mirza helped to enlighten the event further.

You can check out all the hot photos from this event by clicking here.

The Complete List:

Best Film: Chak De India

Best Director: Shimit Amin for Chak de India and Aamir Khan for Taare Zameen Par.

Best Actor: Shah Rukh Khan, Chak De India

Best Actress: Kareena Kapoor, Jab We Met

Best Music: AR Rahman for Guru

Best Story and Screenplay: Amole Gupte for Taare Zameen Par

Best Supporting Actor: Aamir Khan for Taare Zameen Par.

Best Supporting Actress: Chak de India girls

Best Child Actor: Darsheel, Taare Zameen Par

Best Pair of the Year: Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone

Lifetime Achievement Award: Manoj Kumar

Best Choreographer: Farah Khan for Om Shanti Om

Best Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi, Taare Zameen Par

Critics Award for Best Actress: Tabu for Cheeni Kum.

Best Newcomer Male: Ranbir Kapoor

Best Dialogue: Taare Zameen Par

Best Newcomer Female: Deepika Padukone

Best Negative Actor: Pankaj Kapoor

Best Female Singer: Shreya Ghosal

Best Screenplay: Anurag Basu for Metro.

Best Comedian: Irfaan Khan for Metro.

Movies sometimes have a strange impact on you and in this case, it has worked out something that even the jails could not. All it took for prisoner Laxman Tikaram Gole to see ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ and leaf through Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, ‘My experiments with truth’ to admit to his crimes.

The Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal (BSM) has been conducting a Gandhi Peace Examination – which tests the examinee’s knowledge on Gandhi and his works – for jail inmates across the state for the past five years. It also organised special screenings of the super-hit Bollywood movie in six major jails in the state last year. The BMS, which had sent him a copy of Gandhi’s famous book, now proudly refers to Gole as its ‘Brand Ambassador’ in the Nashik Central Prison in Maharashtra. After reading the book, Gole became a changed person.

He wrote to the special metropolitan magistrate, Vikhroli confessing to his crime in the only case pending against him. Gole had 19 minor and major cases slapped against him by Mumbai Police over the past few years. However, he was declared innocent in 18 cases. Gole made a simple handwritten plea in June 2007 that all court proceedings in the matter be stopped since he did not wish to waste the government’s time.

The magistrate, taken aback by this unusual plea, finally awarded him two sentences of two years’ jail term. All that was in August last year. Having already spent 18 months in prison as an undertrial, Gole will walk out a free man in February. “Because of him, scores of prisoners from across the country are demanding Gandhiji’s books, especially the autobiography,” says BSM trustee TRK Somaiya.

Article from DNA India

The film’s moving and poignant portrayal of how a childhood of carefree abundance is trampled by the dictates of a system putting premium of perfectionists and perfectionism has got it standing ovations from the audiences and great reviews from International critics.

Being distributed by UTV Motion Pictures in the overseas market, ‘Taare Zameen Par’ (’TZP’) has collected more than 1.45 million US dollars in the US and West Asia alone at the end of the second weekend, making it a bigger opener than ‘Chak De India’ in the US market.

The film, in the US, has raked in 850,000 US dollars with 71 prints on 66 screens in the first week. The excellent audience response led the film to be expanded to 69 screens on 74 prints in the second week.

UTV sources said the word of mouth is extremely strong on this film, which has sustained it during the weekdays showings.

There have also been reports of standing ovations all across North America.

”Looking at the response to the film, we assertain that it will be one of the top four Hindi films from India in the US,” Siddharth Roy Kapur, EVP Marketing, Syndicate and Distribution, UTV Motion Pictures, said.

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