Archives for June 2008

Her last film Mere Baap Pehle Aap bombed at the Box Office. But newcomer Genelia D'souza is hopeful about her next - Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

Therefore, July 4 will also be a big day for her as two major releases starring two debutant actors will hit the screens. While Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na introduces Imran Khan, Love Story 2050 introduces Harman Baweja.

Interestingly Genelia is the common link between the two young actors. She plays leading lady to Imran in Jaane Tu.. and months later will be seen sharing the screen with Harman in Anees Bazmee's comedy, It's My Life.

Even though Imran's hogging all the attention for Jaane Tu… currently, Genelia has no problems whatsoever.

“Nobody would be interested talking about me right now for sure. You know what I mean. It’s being practical. I wouldn’t have got this kind of buzz about my film. any newcomer goes through the grind to get noticed. So being cast opposite Imran Khan, it’s being his launch, and he being from Aamir and Mansoor khan family, people are excited to know what this film is about. And eventually Aditi is important part of this film,” she says.

Priyanka Chopra's sci-fi film, Love Story 2050, will see her wear red hair! Yes, the brand new look has been designed by Thea.

"We spent more than six months trying to figure out the right look," says Harry Baweja, the director of Love Story 2050. "The idea was to give them a look that people could imagine and relate to in future. We didn't want them resembling aliens or looking as if they've landed from Star Trek. The film is set in the future but it's not about space travel."

Being made on a lavish budget of Rs 40 crores, the film will introduce Baweja's son, Harman. (((Now romantically linked with Ms. Chopra, but that's the business for you.)))

"The biggest challenge was to push the boundaries of fashion and take it 40 years forward without losing the essence of the characters and keeping them in the believable zone at the same time," Thea explains. (((Hey, facing those artistic problems has magically turned my hair *gray*.)))

Love Story 2050 will release in June.

Sans godfather, sans the conventional pretty face, but with a freshness and charm that's unmistakable. Juhi brought it to the screen in the 80s and Kajol and Preity Zinta in the 90s. Genelia D'Souza is the new kid, nay the lady, on the Bolly block.

Playing the lead in an Aamir Khan production, opposite his nephew Imran Khan, and having impressed with Mere Baap Pehle Aap, the actress who found success down South is now making waves in Bollywood. With a slew of hits in Tamil and Telugu, just when Genelia looked set for a long innings down South, destiny transported her to the brink of Bombay dreams...

Bollywood calling

As the much-awaited Imran-Genelia starrer gets ready to hit the screens, Genelia looks ready for the limelight. "It's a fun film and we’ve all had a smashing time working on it. For now I am keeping fingers crossed and hoping for the best," says Genelia.
Armed with an expressive pair of dark eyes and a smile that could light up a room, Genelia has been the quintessential girl-next door, a tag that seems only too apt for her. But we wonder if she entertains any thoughts of branching out of that mould on the big stage of Bollywood. "Honestly, I am not in any hurry to do anything different just for the sake of it. Each character has different shades to it and as long as the role excites me in some way, I will take it up," she replies. It sure helps to keep things short and simple, doesn't it?

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Miss Pakistan World 2008, Natasha Paracha, has received several offers to act in Bollywood movies.

The 23-year-old beauty queen told NDTV.com that she is at present studying these offers and scripts and soon take a decision on them.

''I have received few offers from Bollywood. I want to look into them before taking a call,'' she said.

Natasha, who lives in New York and works at United Nations with International Energy Renewable Organisation, however, refused to divulge further details about the offers, because of confidentiality.

''Personally I want to do a movie, which deals with issues that are dear to my heart women's rights and children,'' Natasha said.

An avid fan of Bollywood movies, Natasha said she watches a lot and the recent super hit Om Shanti Om and Sarkar Raj are her latest additions to her favourites.

Of all the Bollywood stars, she admires Sushmita Sen a lot the former Miss World and wants to follow her footsteps.

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Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (TPTM) is not a great work of art. It doesn't cause ripples of revolution across the cinematic stratosphere. It does something even better. It makes you feel warm and comforted about the quality of contemporary life. No matter how awful things seem, there is always that core of goodness in the human heart to count on. This one makes you count your blessings.

Kunal Kohli taps that noble core, so elusive in our cinema. The last film, which was as nobly intended as TPTM, was Ashutosh Gowarikar's Swades. And Gowarikar for all his acute sensitivity and storytelling acumen was awfully out of breath dealing with the child actor in Swades. Kohli is delightly at-ease with his four child actors who have been selected not for their overt cuteness but their propensity to play the characters that they're allotted with restrain and understanding.

Each of the four brats, forced by law to come and live with the man who accidentally killed their parents, sparkle with a spontaneous credibility. Kohli treats the kids as young adults. And he treats the audience with as much respect. He gives us what we apparently want (emotions, laughter, drama). But he makes sure his plot doesn't become a slave to conventional prescriptions. It's not easy to desist from using a patronizing tone for the children when they are orphans trapped in an adult situation that they don't understand. Kohli does a fantasy-spin where the sassy and spiffy words and storytelling offset the quaint Arcadian story of the four orphans and a cantankerous tycoon who we soon discover is constantly unhappy on account of a girlfriend who only talks about designer clothes and Sunita Menon.

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John Abraham's last hit was Dhoom (2004) and since then he has given 14 flops in a row. And if that wasn't bad enough his Aashayein has been delayed again. The film which was earlier scheduled to release on May 9 and then June 20 has now been postponed to September 12.

Informs our source, "After the success of Jannat, we don't want to take any risk by releasing the film in July and August. Jaane Tu, which is a love story based on college life is a much awaited film while Love Story 2050 has lots of special effects. So these two films will divide the audience's attention."

Adds the source, "Our film is very serious and John plays an intense role so to fetch more money from the box-office we have decided that finally the film will be releasing in September. Also, John is busy shooting for Dostana in Filmcity so he was not able to give time for the promotion of Aaashayein."

Aashayein is the story of a compulsive gambler who faces a lot of trauma in his life as he suffers from cancer. The film is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor whose last hit film was Iqbal.

Yuvraj Singh`s Bollywood fixation refuses to end. After a series of link-ups with several leading ladies from Kim Sharma to Deepika Padukone and more recently Preity Zinta, the latest to catch swashbuckling southpaw fantasy is Riya Sen.

Yuvraj was seen with his new arm candy from tinsel town in a private party in Mumbai before Yuvraj left for the Asia Cup in Pakistan. And after some cozy moments, they reportedly left the gathering and quietly slipped into Yuvraj`s car.

Yuvi was also seen with Riya`s elder sister Raima at a fashion show, earlier this year. But while that may have been a platonic relationship, coming close on the heels of his rumored break-up with Deepika Padukone, his well known liaison with Kim Sharma was never in doubt.

A prince on the field, he surely knows how to bowl maidens over off it as well.

Once upon a time Amitabh Bachchan had the total copyright over the anger matters. Later on heroes like Sunny Deol and Ajay Devgan shared few bits of the losing control.

On screen sweeties like Salman and Chichi have even created off screen hunguma either by knocking ladies’ doors or by slapping news guys. But sweet babies ire-ing and firing in the industry is quite an offbeat catch.

Though hard to believe but it’s true that it hardly takes few seconds to ignite anger in Priety. We all are aware of this tamed lioness’ angry side. Once this pretty actress gets angry then she is not the one who would back out from the fight.

Recently producer Tito Juneja’s son Sonny Juneja had to face the storm from this lady when he dared to throw comment on Priety’s acting capabilities while she was dubbing for Tito’s film Har Pal.

Priety got so bugged up with the continuous comments from Sonny that she decided to quit dubbing session and took a seat in a nearby park.

In the end director Jahnu Barua had to arrive on the sets to convince the angry actress for resuming the dubbing. Preity did so but only after Sonny was asked to leave the studio.

Whether reports of cold vibes between films cast Shiney Ahuja and Preity Zinta or Shiney’s balding problems, Har Pal has always been associated with these kinds of negative stories. But as you say in Bollywood, negative or positive, B-town personalities always welcome free publicity.

Maybe the uncontrollable anger fuming in the babe is just a part of that!

Anti-pimple creams, credit cards, items at department stores now add Bollywood movies to the list of things with money-back guarantees.

The makers of “Mukhbir,” a new film, are so confident it will do well they are offering a refund (minus taxes, of course) to people who don’t like it.

The film, a spy thriller, doesn’t really have a major Bollywood star but this promotional offer might just help draw in audiences on the lookout for some free entertainment.

Maybe it will also set a trend for films in India. One where the audience is always right.

Consider a few fictitious examples -

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Ultimate Seductress

Getting noticed is one thing, making a mark is another! While the world discovered her through her sultry seductress avatar in Jism, it was her meaty roles in Raaz and No Entry that established her as a good actress in tinselville.

Different story, different role and an all new Bipasha! It seems that Bipasha is out to prove something every time she does a film. From a hot chic to plain Jane, Bips very convincingly steps into the varied mould of her film’s character and wows her fans and admirers. Here is a dekkho at Bipasha Basu’s contradictory avatars.