Hrithik - At a glance

Hrithik Roshan (born January 10, 1974), nicknamed Duggu, is aprominent Bollywood actor.

Hrithik's first movie role was as a child artist when he was six yearsold in the 1980 movie Aasha, when he appeared in a dance sequence asan extra. He went on to appear in Aap Ki Deewane (1980) and BhagwanDada (1986). He then became an assistant director for his father'sfilms Karan Arjun (1995) and Koyla (1997).

He made his debut as a leading man in the 2000 film Kaho Naa… PyaarHai opposite another debutante actress Amisha Patel. The film wasdirected by his father and proved to be very successful at the boxoffice: It was the highest grossing film of 2000 and winner of theFilmfare Best Movie Award. Hrithik's performance earned him theFilmfare Best Debut Award and the Filmfare Best Actor Award. That sameyear, Hrithik also starred in Fiza and Mission Kashmir which were onlymoderately successful at the box office.As Child artist in Bhagwan Dada (1986)In 2001, Hrithik starred inYaadein which was a failure at the box office and Kabhi Khushi KabhieGham which did extremely well at the box office, becoming thesecond-highest grossing film of 2001.

He had a bad year in 2002 when all three of his releases - MujhseDosti Karoge!, Na Tum Jaano Na Hum, Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage -failed to make an impact the box office and were declared flops.

In 2003, his career was back on track with Koi Mil Gaya, whichHrithik's father Rakesh directed. It was the highest grosser of theyear. It won many Filmfare Awards, including another Filmfare BestActor Award for Hrithik.

He only had only one release in 2004, Lakshya, directed by FarhanAkhtar. Lakshya did not do as well at the box office as expected butcritics called it his most impressive performance so far.
Hrithik took a two-year break from acting before resurfacing with thesuperhero film Krrish which released in June 2006. Krrish has been amajor box office success.

His most recent release is Dhoom 2, a sequel to the 2004 hit Dhoom, inwhich he played a negative role (a villain) for the first time. Thefilm released on November 24, 2006 and is the biggest raw grosser inBollywood history.
His forthcoming films are Jodha-Akbar ,Sashank, Kismat Talkies, Delhi6 which are scheduled release in 2007. Hrithik Roshan was born in Mumbai, India, to Pinky and actor/directorRakesh Roshan. He is the nephew of well-known music director RajeshRoshan. Roshan is married to Sussanne Khan (who is now Sussanne Roshan), hishigh-school sweetheart. Sussanne is the daughter of actor/directorSanjay Khan and sister of actor Zayed Khan. Film clans (see List ofBollywood film clans) tend to intermarry. Hrithik Roshan and Suzanne Khan/Roshan had their first child, a babyboy, on March 28, 2006, at 3:08pm at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai,India. The child was named Hrehaan.

In 2001, a rumour alleging Roshan to have made bad remarks on Nepaland its people caused an outrage in the country. Several newspaperscarried the report, leading to student protests, in which four peopledied. The unrest the protests caused forced the government to cancel aflight from Kathmandu to India.Later the Indian embassy and theactor himself clarified that he had made no such disparaging remarksagainst Nepal.

In 2006, at the London press conference for his film Krrish, Roshansaid that he knew it was time to leave Shanghai and Hong Kong aftersix weeks of stunt training and go home when his eyes started "turninginto little slits like the Chinese". Trivia

Hrithik has a supernumerary thumb on his right hand.Hrithik's additional thumb is clearly visible in this picture, takenat the sets of KrrishHis film Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai entered the LimcaBook of Records in 2003 for the most number of Awards won by aBollywood Film - 102 awards.

Filmy Awards :-

2000: Filmfare Best Male Newcomer Award for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Filmfare Best Actor Award for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: IIFA Best Actor Award for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Zee Cine Best Male Newcomer Award for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Zee Cine Best Actor Award for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Sansui Awards: Best Male Newcomer for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Star Screen Best Male Newcomer Award for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Star Screen Best Actor Award for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Aashirwaad Awards: Best Actor for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: BFJA Awards: Best Actor Critics for Fiza

2000: Citizens Awards: Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema

2000: Filmgoers Awards: Best Actor for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Filmgoers Awards: Best Male Newcomer for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Filmgoers Awards: Best Actor Critics for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2000: Kalashree Awards: Best Actor for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

2001: Zee Gold Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

2003: Anandlok Awards: Best Male Actor for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Apsara Awards: Best Male Actor for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Asian Guild Awards: Best Actor for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Chhoton Ka Funda Awards: Kamaal Da Actor Award for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: FICCI Hall Of Fame Awards: Best Actor Award for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Pogo Awards: Best Actor for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Filmfare Best Actor Award for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Filmfare Best Actor Critics Award for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: IIFA Best Actor Award for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Zee Cine Best Actor Award for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Sansui Awards: Best Actor for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Star Screen Best Actor Award for Koi Mil Gaya

2004: Stardust Best Actor Award for Lakshya

2006: Global Indian Film Best Actor Award for Krrish

2006: Star Screen Best Actor Award for Krrish

2006: Anandlok Awards: Best Male Actor for Krrish

2006: Pogo Awards: Most Amazing Actor for Krrish

2006: Radio Sargam Bollywood Awards: Best Actor for Krrish

2006: Radio Sargam Bollywood Awards: Best Actor In A Negative Role for Dhoom 2

2006: Filmfare Awards: Best Actor Award for Dhoom 2 Other Awards

2001: Bollywood Fashion Awards; Celebrity Style Male

2003: Chhoton Ka Funda Awards: Chhoton Ka Funda Dhishum Dhishum DoleySholay Award; swashbuckling muscle and action display for Koi MilGaya

2003: Chhoton Ka Funda Awards: Chhoton Ka Funda Boogie Woogie Award;for dance performance in It's Magic for Koi Mil Gaya

2003: Pogo Awards; Amazing Dancer

2004: Bollywood Fashion Awards; Celebrity Style Male

2005: IIFA Awards; Samsung Style Icon

2006: Idea Zee F Awards: Youth Style Icon in Films.

2007: Filmy's Person of the Year 2006 Honors and Recognitions

In 2003, Hrithik Roshan was honoured with the "Rajiv Gandhi YoungAchiever Award".In 2003, he was honoured with the "Awadh Award" for his outstandingcontribution to Indian Cinema.In May of 2006, he was conferred with the prestigious "Sahara AwadhSamman" in a glittering ceremony during finale at the fortnight-longLucknow Mahotsav.In December of 2006, he was honoured during the International FilmFestival of India (IFFI) in Panaji for his contributions to mainstreamcinema.

Filmy Career :-

2008 Krrish 2 Krishna Mehra aka Krrish/Rohit Mehra Announced

2007 Delhi 6 Rohit Announced

2007 Dhoom 3 Aryan Announced

2007 Kismat Talkies Scripting2007 Sashank Sashank/Shashank Dubbed in English, Telugu and Tamil

2007 Jodhaa Akbar Akbar Filming

2006 I See You Pedestrian in Subah Subah song Special Appearance

2006 Dhoom 2 Aryan / Mr. A Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award. Dubbedin Tamil and Telugu with the same title.

2006 Krrish Krishna Mehra aka Krrish/Rohit Mehra Nominated, FilmfareBest Actor Award. Dubbed in Tamil and Telugu with the same title.

2003 Koi… Mil Gaya Rohit Mehra Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award &Winner, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance

2004 Lakshya Karan Shergill Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award

2003 Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon Prem Kishen Mathur

2002 Mujhse Dosti Karoge! Raj

2002 Na Tum Jaano Na Hum Rahul Sharma

2002 Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage Rohit

2001 Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham Rohan Raichand Nominated, Filmfare BestSupporting Actor Award

2001 Yaadein Ronit Malhotra

2000 Mission Kashmir Altaf Khan

2000 Fiza Amaan Ikramullah Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award

2000 Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai Rohit/Raj Chopra Winner, Filmfare Best ActorAward & Winner, Filmfare Best Debut Award

1986 Bhagwan Dada Govinda (Child artist)

1980 Aap Ke Deewane Child Artist

1980 Aasha Child Artist

Saawariya - A Boring Epic

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is back with Saawariya after the critically acclaimed Black (Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee). The promos of Saawariya have Bhansali’s signature style all over it.With Saawariya he launches two star kids, Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranbir Kapoor and Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam Kapoor. The movie also stars Rani Mukherjee and the dashing Salman Khan. Clashing this Friday with Shahrukh Khan’s Om Shanti Om, the film is a Romantic Musical based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s short story White Nights.
The story is about two lonely youngsters who accidently meet each other.
Raj (Ranbir Kapoor), is a dreamer. He spends most part of his day at home, creating riddles, solving them and writing poetry. He loves arguing with his landlady Miss Disa (Zohra Sehgal), with whom he shares a love-hate relationship.But one night this lonely guy stumbles upon the charming, shy and mysterious Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), a girl with a secret past.Their unexpected encounter under a bridge progresses to friendship and an impromptu romance in a remote town near Shimla.They spend four nights together. With the passing of each night, Raj falls more and more in love with Sakina and tries to win her heart, but Sakina sees him as a friend and begins to trust him enough to share her secret.But when Sakina reveals why she cannot reciprocate his love, Raj is unable to accept her past and is driven into a world of madness and romance. Will the same bridge where the two lovers met become the bridge that separates them?
Music plays a key role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film and for Saawariya he has teamed up with newcomer Monty Sharma, nephew of music composer Pyarelal (of Laksmikanth - Pyarelal fame). Monty has done a great job in composing the love songs, mujras and qawwallis.
This is Hollywood production house "Sony Pictures" first Bollywood movie!
Overall Saawariya is a bore and fails to entertain. Having seen Bhansali’s earlier movies like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Black my expectations from the master director was high, but with Saawariya he disappoints for the first time. A wafer thin story line is dragged with too many songs. Basically the story in itself is dull and with a sluggish pace it makes it even harder to sit through. Under Bhansali’s direction Saawariya would be the first movie which leaves you puzzled. You are left with so many questions lingering in your mind, with answers to none.
What did Sakina see in Imaan to fall in love with him? She knows nothing about him except for his name then on what basis does she wait for him? Also when did they even have the time to bond so much that she considers him the love of her life? Hardly any communication, how could it lead to romance? Imaan is a mystery. Why does he come and why does he leave? What is his profession? Nothing is known. If Gulabji loves Raj, why did she then get him thrown out of the house and get him beaten when he came to her? What was the reason for her sudden aggression? If Sakina thinks admitting Raj as her friend to her relative will lead to problems with her grandmom. Then how does she justify running around and playing with him on the streets and in her house on the day of id? Its not just the story that is flawed but almost everything in the movie. The visuals get tedious to watch as it is just dark from the beginning to the end and you crave for some bright light. It’s locales are too far fetched to suit the contemporary world. The only thing that came as relief is the performance of its lead stars. The title track, Masha Allah, Yoon Shabnami are few songs that stand out.

Om Shanti Om & Saawariya - Price of Hype

The two most hyped films of the year—Shah Rukh Khan starrer Om Shanti Om and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya—have begun cracking records a month before their blockbuster Diwali releases.
With both films set for a November 9 release, their respective marketing machineries are in full swing to bring in revenues and recover budgets, which are learnt to have crossed over Rs 35 crore each.
Red Chillies Entertainment (Shah Rukh’s home production) , which has sold distribution rights of the Farah Khan-directed Om Shanti Om to Eros International for a record Rs 75 crore, has inked a Rs 12-14 crore deal only for brand-related promotions. This, says its marketing agency Madison Mates, is the highest for any Indian movie.
For Saawariya, co-producer Sony Pictures has signed a Rs 25-crore `visibility package’ that includes in-film brand promotions, merchandising and contests. “It’s twice the size of any such package that has been ever done for a film in India,” Navin Shah, CEO of P9 Integrated–the agency handling the film’s marketing, told ET.
Retail chain Shoppers’ Stop has launched an Om Shanti Om collection merchandise on the period the film traversesto be available at all its stores.
Saawariya’s Rs 10-crore in-film merchandise deal with Kishore Biyani’s Future Group involves a ‘Saawariya’ range of menswear, home products and beauty products to be retailed at Big Bazaar stores.
Apart from the Rs 6-7 crore merchandising deal with Shoppers’ Stop, Red Chillies is in the process of signing about five more brands. According to sources, Nokia and cosmetics company Maybelline are among the brands that are in the process of being finalised. Said Madison Mates CEO Darshana Bhalla: “We are signing up with brands ranging from technology and FMCG to lifestyle and automobiles. These won’t be mere associations but integrated with the film, and mark the beginning of a new format of brand associations.”
According to Shoppers’ Stop customer care associate and VP marketing and communication Sheeta Choksi, “Om Shanti Om is the biggest project of the year, which explains our interest in associating with the film.” Added the movie’s director, Farah Khan: “I cannot take the marketing of the film for granted. So large-scale promotions like the one with Shoppers’ Stop and others have been worked out.”
Sony Pictures, meanwhile, has signed a Rs 5-crore contest-based promotion with Neo Sports for the ongoing India-Australia cricket series. It is set to close in-film deals with four more brands, though P9’s Shah declined to divulge specific names.

Om Shanti Om - Best Critical Review

A movie review by a major Bollywood website was extremely positive. Oh well, how could I trust a reviewer who gave fantastic movies like Chak De India, Black, Rang De Basanti (and so many more) such low ratings? I believed the reviewer is quite fond of masala flicks, flicks which have major box-office appeal. (Are movie reviewers actually paid for positive reviews? I wonder..) So before I entered the movieplex, I had huge expectations from Om Shanti Om. The biggest entertainer in the country in a masala potboiler, positive reviews, great hype, 31 of the biggest stars in one item number - what more could one ask for?

http://filmy-review.blogspot.com/2007/11/om-shanti-om-review-by-taran-adarsh.html

Technically Om Shanti Om is good, but as an entertainer, is a major dissappointment. The fact that it is such a terrible let down, is yet to sink in. What was Farah Khan (director) thinking? How could she make such a bad film, after directing a decent entertainer in Main Hoon Na? What was Shahrukh Khan thinking when he approved the script? How could almost everything go so wrong in a movie?
There is nothing new in the story. (Lifted from Karz (Bollywood)+Chances Are (Hollywood). SRK tries to act albeit different, but as always more than 'Om the character' he is The SRK here, his usual hamming continues, everything is over the top, from lighting to screenplay to dialog. In Shahrukh's movie you will never find a 'dark' moment, I mean his face always gets maximum amount of light from 360 degrees. There is no shades whatsoever, only lights. Thus giving him a stage to ham (my favorite is that scene, some Karan Johar movie, where Preity Zinta looks on, Saif cornered and Shahrukh keeps on reading some imaginary diary while clearly indicating that he is SACRIFYCING, all lights, no shades)

Six pack proposition is an instant hit thanks to media. Liposuction or not, Shahrukh looks good, but not without props. Either he is hiding under a full sleeve or wearing coal-mine cap for the desired effect. I think he did not look 'strong and cool' bare chested like Salman and John Abraham, so he had to take shelter under these additional stuff. Also, we would like to see, how Shah Rukh maintains his six pack from now onwards because Salman in one of the interviews said more than making, its difficult to maintain such abs for long.
The movie has major flaws. Both the first half and the second have a lot of similarities, a few scenes actually are repeated! So if you miss the first half or you decide to walk out during the interval, dont worry, you haven’t missed much. The biggest flaw is you never feel for any of the characters, you laugh when the characters cry and vice versa. The transformation of Om Kapoor to Om Prakash in the second half, isnt handled well and is far from convincing. The transformation part is so very important in reincarnation movies, something which was handled brilliantly in Karan Arjun. The death scene, rebirth, flashbacks - needs expert direction, Farah unfortunately fails.
The script, screenplay and the direction is flawed. The dialogues are irritating. The only saving grace of the much hyped movie is the music. Main Agar Kahoon and Dard-e-Disco stand out.
Now the performance of the King Khan. After a career-best knockout performance in Chak De India, Shahrukh Khan hams in the first half. In the second half, as the new-age superstar, he fails to convince. A soda without fizz kinda performance by SRK. Personally for me, this is undoubtedly his most disappointing performance this decade. Deepika Padukone is promising in her debut, great screen presence. She expresses quite well through her eyes. Definitely a actress to look forward to, in the future. Shreyas Talpade’s role doesnt demand any histrionics, he is decent as the side-kick. Arjun Rampal is good in a negative role. Kirron Kher is over the top throughout, the only scene she excels is when she is supposed to scare Mukesh Mehra, in the second half.
In the special appearances, Akshay Kumar stands out in the filmfare awards scene. Even his nomination video is hilarious. He gets the house down with his typical trademark antics. Hrithik Roshan is also a part of the movie and so is Abhishek Bachchan (both are part of the Filmfare scene). Amongst the 31 stars in the item number, Kajol got the loudest of cheers.

Om Shanti Om - Review by Taran Adarsh

Om Shanti Om is most awaited movie this diwali here is Good Review of Taran Adarsh(indiaFm). Read this review and tell you, what you think about that review,Below in Comments area
Cut the crap, cut the gyan-baazi, cut the will-it-won’t-it work naatak. SRK and Farah Khan’s OM SHANTI OM is a true-blue masala entertainer. If MAIN HOON NA was a chauka, this one hits a sixer!
Wait, a word of advice to all netizens/readers across the globe. Don’t, for God’s sake don’t, raise exclamations like kab?, kyun? kahan? as OM SHANTI OM begins to unravel. This is atypical Manmohan Desai film presented in a novel avtaar by Farah Khan. It’s definitely not for pseudos or advocates of arthouse cinema.
Now let’s clear some myths surrounding OM SHANTI OM. Is it the 2007 adaptation of Subhash Ghai’s immensely likable reincarnation film KARZ? Does it have traces of KUDRAT? Or MADHUMATI? Or MILAN? Or KARAN ARJUN? Hold on, there’s a dash of KARZ, a bit of KARAN ARJUN, a sprinkling of KUDRAT, but beyond that it’s a film that makes you nostalgic about 1970s Bollywood.
To sum up, OM SHANTI OM is paisa vasool entertainment. We haven’t seen SRK in a hardcore masala film since quite some time. He had drifted to other genres, which proved his range as an actor of repute and cemented his status further. With OM SHANTI OM, he gives back to the audience what he himself grew up on — a thorough entertainer that will have the audience thirsting for more.
This Diwali, have a blast!
OM SHANTI OM tells the story of Om [Shah Rukh Khan] and Shanti [Deepika Padukone]. Om is a junior artist in the 70s. Shanti is the reigning superstar. He is her biggest fan. He is in love with her. Om dreams of being a superstar, but an incident changes his life forever.
Om dies in a mishap, but is reborn into the present day. He attempts to discover the mystery of his demise…
The general feeling is, Farah Khan has remade Ghai’s KARZ from Frame A to Z. False! There’re similarities, but it’s not a rehashed version of Ghai’s film. For, OM SHANTI OM takes you by complete surprise at several points.
The first twist in the tale [Arjun - Deepika’s heated confrontation, with SRK listening to this important conversation] comes as a bolt from the blue. The second jhatka comes slightly before the intermission, when Arjun takes Deepika to the set of his film ‘Om Shanti Om’ and the entire episode that follows, right till the intermission, is spellbinding. That’s a brilliant stroke from the writing [screenplay: Mushtaq Shaikh and Farah Khan] as also the execution point of view. When the opulent set is set to flames, it leaves you wide-eyed and awe-struck. Such is the impact!
The post-interval portions only get better and better! If the initial portions are laced with humour [the premiere of ‘Dreamy Girl’, the Manoj Kumar episode, Ghai directing Rishi on ‘Om Shanti Om’ song, et al], the second half moves into a new zone completely.
It’s punar-janam now, but thankfully, there’re no lightening, no fireworks, no zooming of the camera on the idols of Gods. The drama builds up gradually. The voices that SRK keeps hearing, the ‘fire’ soon after the ‘Dard-E-Disco’ track, the mother [Kirron Kher], an old lady now, chasing Om’s car [reminds you of Raakhee of KARAN ARJUN], the flashes of SRK’s earlier birth while receiving the Filmfare Award — the incidents that make him realize that his life was cut short in his earlier janam have been well structured.
When Deepika re-emerges as well, the viewer is confused, but the mystery is resolved towards the end, which, again, takes you by complete surprise.
Given the fact that OM SHANTI OM is a Manmohan Desai kind of a film set in the present-day, it would be foolhardy to ask questions, raise eyebrows and look for logic. But the second half could’ve been crisper [length: 18 reels/2.46 hours], although Shirish Kunder’s editing is perfect.
Farah knows what her priorities are and most importantly, knows exactly what her target audience is. The execution of a number of sequences clearly shows Farah’s growth as a storyteller. Mushtaq and Farah’s writing works because the writers pull out several surprises in those 2.46 hours.
V. Manikanandan’s cinematography captures the gloss and grandeur to the minutest. The opulent sets [Sabu Cyril] deserve distinction marks. Dialogues [Mayur Puri] are witty and do raise a chuckle at several points. Background score [Sandeep Chowta] is effective.
Vishal-Shekhar’s music is first-rate. The score is in sync with the content of the film and what accentuate the goings-on are the choreography and execution. Although every song is visually enticing, the 21-star track as also ‘Dard-E-Disco’ will have the masses going into a frenzy.
Now to the performances! SRK proves his supremacy yet again. If you thought that playing to the gallery came easy to certain actors only, watch SRK spin magic in OM SHANTI OM. He’s magnificent, the star attraction, the soul of this film, the true baadshah.
Deepika has all it takes to be a top star — the personality, the looks and yes, she’s supremely talented too. Standing in the same frame as SRK and getting it right is no small achievement. She comes as a whiff of fresh air!
Arjun Rampal is a complete revelation. Cast in a negative role this time, he enacts his part with panache and style. Shreyas Talpade is another surprise. A complete natural, he stands on his feet all through, not getting swayed while sharing the screen space with the topmost star.
Kirron Kher is superb as the over the top mom. Javed Sheikh is alright. Bindu adds to the funny moments.
On the whole, OM SHANTI OM is Bollywood masala in its truest form and also, at its best. At the box-office, the film will set new records in days to come and has the power to emerge one of the biggest hits of SRK’s career. Blockbuster hit!

A tribute to the Legend - Amitabh Bachan

Some men are like wine. The older they become, the headier they are. It is never truer than in the case of Amitabh Bachchan. The son of poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan rode the Indian film industry like a colossus for close to three decades. And, at 59, Amitabh has more producers and directors queuing up in front of his door than many young actors of Bollywood.
Amitabh Bachchan is undoubtedly the most famous Bollywood actor of our time and our previous genre. I cannot think of any figure in Bollywood who can rival his acting skills and popularity. He is undoubtedly the living legend in Bollywood. What amazes me is that he has remained a respectable figure in India for the last 4 decades or even more. He was equally successful in action movies, comedy movies and romantic movies.
Amitabh has produced many hit films and he has received many awards both in home and abroad. He is a highly educated person and a man of good taste and culture. He was involved in politics and he saw huge success in the TV industry. His versatility attracts me most. He is going to be 65 later this year (October 11). I do not know of any actor in Bollywood who could be so popular at the age of 65. Only Amitabh Bachchan could achieve it. He is still one of top 5 actors in Bollywood and he remains one of the top paid Bollywood actors at this age.
Born on October 11, 1942 in Allahabad, Amitabh — the older of the two children graduated from Delhi University with an arts degree. Before that, he completed a stint in Sherwood College, a boarding school in Nainital. The film industry was a most unlikely place to begin a career for this son of an academician. He gave up his job as a freight broker for a shipping firm in Calcutta to move to Bombay in 1968. Months of struggle followed. Ironically known for his rich voice, he was rejected by All India Radio and even played a mute in one of his early films Reshma Aur Shera (1971). His first movie was Saat Hindustani in 1969.In his early films like the Hrishikesh Mukherjee Directed Anand (1970) and Namak Haram (1973) or in Saudagar he was presented as a brooding melancholic anti-hero drawn from Bengali Literary stereotypes traceable to novelist Sarat Chandra Chatterjee and brought into Hindi Cinema by Nitin Bose, Bimal Roy and Asit Sen. But Zanjeer (1973) changed all that, the film saw a new kind of hero, a hero who took the law in his own hands and fought the villain.
Amitabh had his first big break through Namak-Haram in 1973. Then comes the most memorable movie of his lifetime which changed his image completely into a Angry young man which has unprecedented box office collection ,that year heralded the arrival of the legend called Amitabh Bachchan.
From then to now there was no looking back. The year 1975 saw two all-time super hits, Deewar and Sholay. In Deewaar (1975) he played the role of a mafia don opposite his policeman brother, played by Shashi Kapoor. It was a brilliant performance with Amitabh more than able to humanize the gangster and have people sympathizes with him rather than with his law-abiding brother, Sholay became a benchmark film in Indian cinema. Hrishikesh Mukherjee Chupke Chupke released around the same time, proved Amitabh ability to handle comedy roles as well. The film, starring Amitabh, Jaya Bhaduri, Sharmila Tagore, Dharmendra and veteran actor Om Prakash, became a big hit.
The later half of the 1970s saw films like Amar Akbar Antony, Kabhie Kabhie, Don, Trishul, Mili, Abhimaan, Shaan, Laawaris, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Mr. Natwarlal, Nastik, Kala Patthar, and Namak Halal etc. Some of his other top hits include Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, Chashme Baddoor, Dostana, Faraar, Kaalia, Kasme Vaade, Khoon Pasina, Majboor, Naseeb, Parvarish, Shakti, Sharaabi, Silsilay and The Great Gambler. Amitabh Bachchan was seriously wounded during the shooting of the 1983 film, Coolie. The nation came to a grinding halt as film-lovers from across the length and breadth of India and abroad prayed for the well being of the actor.
In 1984, when at his peak as a star, he tried his hand at politics. Due to his enormous popularity, not to mention the close association he enjoyed with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and members of the Nehru family, he was elected to parliament with a huge majority from his home city of Allahabad. But his stint in politics did not last long and he was implicated in some scandals. He gave up his seat in parliament, vowing never to be involved in politics again.
The first dud at the box-office came with the 1988 film, Ganga Jamuna Saraswati. Till then, Amitabh had not had a flop. His films were either hits or super hits. But his re-entry in the 1990s came with films like Khuda Gawah, Agneepath, Hum and Shahenshah, Amitabh then dabbled in business, setting up his Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited and pumping all his energies and time towards it. The lack of business acumen showed soon with ABCL sinking in no time. Amitabh made a serious comeback attempt to movies. Though the talent had never faded, the box-office magic had.
In the last 90’s, Amitabh Bachchan has acted in films like Mrityudaata, Major Saab, Lal Baadshah, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Sooryavansham, and Ek Rishtaa. The Bond of Love, Mohabbatein and Aks — The Reflection. Some of the films bombed and the rest did just about okay business. Like a phoenix Amitabh Bachchan resurrected himself again in the year 2000, this time on the small screen. Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? became a phenomenon on Indian television and suddenly Amitabh Bachchan was back to where he belonged — success and limelight. Amitabh Bachchan was also chosen as the BBC’s Superstar of the Millennium over such greats as Charlie Chaplin and Laurence Olivier and being selected as the first film personality from India to be immortalized at Madam Tussaud`s Wax Museum, London! On January 26, 2001 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Indian Cinema.
Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham is in the news for a lot of reasons. In a story spanning three generations, KKKG has Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan playing husband and wife with Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan as their sons.
In the year 2003 Amitabh Bachchan also acted in the film Baghban. In this film Hema Malini played the role of his wife. Directed by Ravi Chopra and produced by B R Chopra, Baghban is a predictable tale reminiscent of the Rajesh Khanna-Shabana Azmi film Avtaar. Yet, despite the cliches, it’s an identifiable and realistic story, boosted greatly by Amitabh’s outstanding performance and the ever-so-gorgeous Hema Malini’s dignified portrayal.
In a midst of the successful career, he had seen bitter times of his life. After a four year break, he was back in the unsuccessful Mrityudaata in 1997. Critics had written him off. However, his career was saved with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan in 1998. Four flops in 1999 and incurring debt of over 90 crores rupees of his sinking company ABCL saw him at an all-time low. The actor presented the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire called "Kaun Banega Crorepati?" in 2000. After a series of hits with Mohabbatein (2000), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) and Baghban (2003) and his most recent Khakee (2004), a 60 plus Bachchan is showing no signs of slowing down and proving the critics wrong once again. In 2007, he is the most busiest actor in Bollywood with 10 films to be released this year.

Jab We Met ..ALA only left on screen

They may have split in real life but Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapur's reel love story Jab We Met is a cute film, and is sure to touch the hearts of those in love.Movie is based on very ordinary story but treatment is so fresh in the movie. It is about two people who were total stranger but somehow circumstances made them to be together for a while and they faces reality and also find themselves later in LOVE.

Movie is about a girl "Geet Dhillan" (Kareena Kapoor) from Bhatinda who is having a sort of adventures nature. She boards a train from Mumbai to Bhatinda where she finds Aditya Kashyap (Shahid Kapoor) travelling in same train. Aditya Kapoor is a son of businessman father who expired recently, his father's business was not running fine, also here girlfriend married someone else, so Aditya boards train aimlessly and finds Kareena there.

The spirit is young and restless. The two strangers on a train bicker as the plot becomes thicker. From Mumbai, she (Kareena Kapoor) must reach her sprawling family home in Bhatinda. As for the guy (Shahid Kapur), just jilted in ishq vishq, he doesn’t care whether he reaches Timbuctoo or Timbucthree. So, bring on the screwball shenanigans please. Indeed, right till the intermission point, you’re a fellow traveller with Miss Chirpy and Mr Jilted. They’re stranded at Ratlam, land up in a sleazoid hotel, and eventually at her Bhatinda Bangla for a Walk in the Cloudish keep-the-elders guessing interlude.

Next: the couple race off to Manali.. but it’s not what you think.. the screenplay has organised a lemony twist. Cheers.

Aditya promises to help unite Geet with Anshuman, even though he falls in love with her. Post-interval, we're introduced to a very new Aditya, who becomes a big businessman. And this is one of the film's flaws. The change is too abrupt, and it is difficult to connect the first half with the second.But besides that, Jab We Met is a fun film, with quite a few moments worth watching. Though Kareena is loud at times, she is a treat to watch -- funny and full of life. She gets to mouth hilarious lines like, 'Bachpan se mujhe shaadi karne ka bahut shauk tha.' Shahid, on other hand, acts composed and provides a perfect foil to the Kareena's bubbly character.

Pritam's music also enhances the film. Lyricist Irshad Kamil deserves a special mention for the song, Yeh Ishq Hai.

As I said in beginning, movie's story is so called you can remember but there whole lot of fresh treatment, Imtiyaz Ali did a great JOB and I hope you will like movie. Its almost 2 and half hour movie and you not get bored in it. Shaheed and Kareena look good together in movie and it was right choice to cast them. Both also did great in acting. Movie has everything which you may find interesting throughout.

Happy Days ..Heart Touching movie !!!!!!!

This is the first telugu movie that i am wrting a review for, It had touched my heart and i had missed my college badly.

Happydays Chandu (Sandesh), Rajesh (Nikhil), Shankar (Vamsi Krishna), Tyson (Raahul), Madhu (Tamanna), Appu (Gayatri Rao) and Sangeeta (Monali Chowdary) are a bunch of freshers in a college. They all together make a fine gang. Chandu - Madhu, Rajesh - Appu Shankar - Sangeeta soon build up their relation and become pairs. Tyson - a nerd with a heart of gold - ends up falling in love with a senior Sravanthi (Sonia). The rest of the story is how they spend their four years of their education in the campus and express love for their respective dear ones.Sekhar Kammula is one of the few directors in Tollywood who handle movies very sensibly. He makes films that centre around urban middle class. He treads similar path with Happy Days too.In fact, the script completely hinges on the dialogues and characterizations of the young leads.
This film boasts of perfect casting. You see characters, not the actors,It lives up to the expectations. All the new comers performed in an extremely natural way. And by the time movie ends, we end up understanding the characteristics and traits of each and every one. As per the footage and likeability of the character is concerned Varun Sandesh takes the top ranking. He is extremely lovable and his striking resemblance to hero Siddhardh is an added advantage. He understood the character very well. The next is Raahul. Lots of credit should be given to Sekhar Kammula for penning such a beautiful character and Raahul suited it to the tee. Nikhil is pretty good as the tapori. He got considerable importance towards the latter half of the second half. Vamsi Krishna is a pretty good actor, but did not get enough scope to perform. The two guys who had donned the role of seniors are good.
Tamanna is the main heroine of the film. She is very good and she oozed natural expressions in all her scenes. Gayatri Rao is also very natural and likable. However, it is Sonia who steals the show with her extremely natural and at times subtle expressions. Monali Chowdary is good as the bad girl. Kamalinee Mukherjee did the role of an extremely glamorous lecturer and she dubbed her own voice. She is cool.
This film touches everyones heart. Donot watch this movie for the story (It does not have one),But watch this movie for a different experience.This would be a feast for those who loved their college days.I insist everyone to watch this. I could see many people very happy coming out of the cinema with a rejuvenated smile.

Laage Chunari mein daag.. No Comments

Some have called Laga Chunari Mein Daag a regressive film. But is it one? Well, there are parts that could send feminist alarm bells ringing…
Look, the story is about a girl called Badki (Rani Mukherjee) who comes from a family which was once very rich. They live in a palatial house which is falling apart. The Father (Anupam Kher) is jobless and his wife (Jaya Bachchan) makes a living sewing clothes. The money isn’t enough…because they aren’t living in a slum. They have to maintain a huge house, pay the rising medical bills (Anupam Kher gets heart attack after heart attack), pay for the court case against a cousin claiming their house and also pay for Badki’s younger sister Chutki’s (Konkana Sen Sharma) education.
So, Badki turns to the flesh trade - becomes a high class escort girl.
That is pretty regressive say some as it sends out the message that the modern Indian woman can do nothing except fall back on prostitution to save the family.
What is she expected to do to then? Work in Macdonalds?
The director, Pradeep Sarkar, has gone out of his way to point out Badki’s lack of education. She has not even passed her tenth grade as the family did not have enough money to educate both the daughters.
And Badki does job-hunt, in a kind of naive desperation…and not surprisingly cannot get a job that suits her, a job that will pay her the thousands she needs. No, not even a call centre will employ her as she cannot speak English. To top it all, this small town girl finds the big bad city confusing, and as a result finds herself quite unable to find something she can do. If anything, this futile hunt for a well paying job sends out a strong message that if you aren’t educated in today’s modern world, and you haven’t learnt a skill, you are nothing.
The reason I do not think that this is regressive film is because it sends out another very strong message…that people who live off a prostitute’s earnings need to be questioned about their attitudes. They take the money willingly enough, but are they equally willing to accept and respect the breadwinner? That’s what the story is all about. And hats off to Sarkar for tackling this subject in such a sensitive manner. Sure, the film was not as hard-hitting or as stunning as his previous film Parineeta, but well, I think in some ways it comes close. It’s the way Sarkar handles relationships…
Sure, it’s a typical Bollywood melodrama, and you might shed copious tears, and the story is rather unbelievable, but what the heck, it is a movie.
As for acting, it’s an absolute treat to watch Konkana Sen Sharma. As Chutki, she is absolutely brilliant! She manages to eclipse Rani Mukherjee and Rani herself acted pretty well. Jaya Bachchan as the mother wasn’t bad either…good actually. Three powerful actresses in one movie, and this is what makes the movie worth a watch.
But Abhishek Bachchan? Give me a break! He is hardly to be seen in the movie! There is another guy (Kunal Kapoor), paired romantically with Konkana, and though he does a fairly decent job he has very little to do too…
Benares itself was very well portrayed cinematically, and the scenes near the Ganga are breathtakingly beautiful.

Some scenes in the movie are amazing. I particularly liked the one which is a kind of turning point in the story, when Badki is about to pass that point of no return. She gets an ‘offer’ which she finds disgusting, and calls up home for support…unfortunately she calls up at the wrong time. Her father has just had an heart attack, and her mother is at home, a grief-stricken, broken woman. Badki pours her heart out, telling her that she wants to come back home…that she has failed. That she cannot be the ’son’ that they want her to be…but her mother is no state to listen. She is distraught and distracted…and well, after that it becomes too late for Badki.
That point about the parents (mostly the dad) wanting a son is another thing that critics of the movie didn’t like. They thought that taunts about Badki and Chutki being girls were regressive….well, maybe. But that’s the Indian reality for you.
But I wouldn’t actually call laga chunari mein daag (which in English means a stained scarf), a journey of a woman (the movie has been tagged thus). I would call it a story about two girls and a woman. The movie revolves around the relationship of these three strong and proud women, two sisters and a mother. The ‘head’ of the family is shown as weak and spineless.
Sure, there might be some clichés in the movie, and one of them is that prostitutes are victims of circumstances …but hey, it’s a movie. And it’s a movie about a woman who decides to sell her body because of the circumstances….nothing very original here. To some extent the lilting music (for a review of the music you can check this out) and the excellent performances give the movie that extra sheen.
If you are a bollywood fan you’ll like this movie, if you don’t mind a melodramatic tear-jerker that is. A tear-jerker with a happy ending.
If you do go for it, remember to take a hanky along.

Manorama 6 feet under !!! Perfect Screen play

I was really keen to watch this movie as I rate Abhay deol as a very promising actor who is always upto experiments and to deliver.
And this movie was an addedd sugar to taste of my belief that this guy is really intended to make a mark of his own.
The narration is slow in the beginning but as the movie progresses it unfolds a series of underlying truths.
The protagonist Satyaveer Singh Randhawa aka SV is a Govt employee who is just scrutinized and suspended while caught red handed for accepting some kind of bribe.He is also a writer with immense desire to proove himself.But his first Novel 'Manorama' sinks without a fizz.and he is obviously frustrated.
Sarika(Manorama)comes to seek his help as she has read her novel and appointed him to give her some tip about his husband's affair.,And wat SV discovers later on is nothing a sort of serendipity and he soon find himself in an inextricable situation.
Well I dont want to spoil the fun .So not gonna reveal the sequnces, But wat proceeds next is a real thrill and almost unpredictable as Dinrat mentioned "in the desert, nothing is what it seems" U gotta see it to belive it.
Performances wise Abhay deol prooves that he is not a Juvenile actor anymore. He completely got into the skin of the character.His Saala(Bro-in-law)Vinay paathak is simply amazing,u'd just adore him.
Sarika feels good in a short role.Gul panag has nothing much to do.
Raima sen is looking ravishing yet simple.Veteran Kulbhushan kharbanda is impressive in a lewd politiacian's character.The desert of rajasthan is picturised beautifully in the movie as it is in real life,(But thankfully No lavish songs with hundreds of junior artiste and a hero in leather jackets wooing for her ladylove).
At the end i'd say this is one thriller i ve not seen in bollywood for ages.
Go For it. Feel the Heat.

No Smoking....Strictly else beg !!

A four-letter expletive repeated thrice is what I am left with. In an excited tone. In an “I don’t believe I just saw that in Hindi” tone. And most fascinatingly in an “It is beyond me to completely comprehend what I saw in one take” tone.
The beauty of abstract concepts is that there are almost as many meanings as there are viewers. What a paradox!? Something that is not obviously meaningful has many more meanings than a clear statement! Oh, did I just digress?
Coming to the point - the movie was a treat for the senses. The background music, sound design, camerawork, special effects - all worked towards narrating the idea. Nope, I cannot make myself say I saw a story; it was a visual description of an idea - a ‘what if…?’ Such cinema might not be the proverbial “everyone’s cup of tea”. But, the point is, it is now available for those who enjoy a different flavor. Thank you, Mr. Director!
John Abraham plays K and absolutely everything in the movie is from K’s point of view. But, don’t let that keep you away, even if you are wary of his acting skills. Because he is literally ‘unbelievably’ good. The transition from the self-obsessed, full-of-himself man to the person who has lost his grip was remarkable. Especially because this came through to us with his performance and not merely the lines given to him. However, we could have certainly survived without the animated thought bubbles. What exactly was their purpose? They were not funny, not insightful - especially since you could make out what John was thinking from his body language and movement of facial muscles (yes believe me, he can actually do that!).
It was a joy to watch Paresh Rawal not making a fool of himself. But his performance lacked a punch that the character demanded. A more powerful, more menacing “Sri Sri Sri … baba” would have been great.
The dialogues are nice and crisp, and absent when not needed - leaving a lot of room for interpretation. At the very least a couple of metaphors to decipher. Especially, the commentary on the infinite self-improvement programmes resorted to these days.
Do any of the umpteen movie awards given out have a bravery award? I guess not. I think the time has come to start one and the first one should go to ‘No smoking’ Not just for the technical brilliance, but for the concept itself.
Sadly, though, it might not go down as well with too many people. And those who are exposed to world cinema, have seen similar stuff before. But, what I admire is that I was able to watch it in a theater that screens mainstream Hindi movies and there were people who applauded when the credits started rolling.
The question that I am still struggling with is - Would I have liked it as much if there were more obscure ideas translating into movies? Well, I’d say bring me more and we’ll know!

Extraaaaaa Speed ............. Kills !!!!!!!!!

To begin with, “Speed” is one of those remade Hollywood films. With the name, it seems to be the remake of the Hollywood flick “Speed”, but in reality it’s the remake of the film “Cellular”.
This film is directed by Vikram Bhatt and is shot in London. Speed is a thriller with all the necessary ingredients such as suspense, thrill, blackmail, kidnaps and threats. The plot can be described in less than two sentences. There is someone assigned to kill a high profiled personality and the sub plot involves threats to the assassin that his wife would be eliminated if failed to do the job.
Story involves Urmila Matondkar, who happens to be the abducted woman makes a random phone call to some stranger (read Zayed Khan) to saver her life from a bunch of kidnappers. Zayed Khan has landed in London to woo his girl played by Tanushree Dutta… huh! Sanjay Suri is a disguised agent in the form of a chef and is threatened by Aftab Shivdasani and Sophie Chaudhary to kill in the Indian Prime Minister visiting London. Ashish Chaudhary plays a cop in the film with his demanding girl Amrita Arora being the greatest distraction in the job for protecting the PM. The story after that is pretty predictable and there remains no thrill, the only thing worth applaud in the film is the style which it carries and Urmila’s unbeatable charm. To conclude with, it can be recognized an average.

BHOOL BHULAIYAA ... Split personality for Director!!!!

Hold on! The moment someone mentions BHOOL BHULAIYAA, images of a comic caper conjure up in front of your eyes. After all, accomplished storyteller Priyadarshan has successfully delivered laughathons in the past that made the viewer go ha-ha-hee-hee-ho-ho.
But BHOOL BHULAIYAA, a remake of the Malayalam hit MANICHITRATHAZHU, is a complete departure from Priyan's films. How, did you ask? Here's why… There's comedy, but in minimal doses. There're songs, but only when the situations warrant. In BHOOL BHULAIYAA, it's all about suspense and spirits. It's eerie and [certain] portions of the film are not for the faint hearted.
A good looking film with superior performances and a stunning suspense, BHOOL BHULAIYAA is not the usual run-of-the-mill fare. It would be interesting to see how the viewer reacts to the film.
But there's a flip side too! Those expecting a laughathon from the Priyan - Akki combo would be caught unaware. Two factors that can't be ignored are its length [it tends to get taxing in the second hour] and the placement of the chartbusting track 'Hare Krishna Hare Ram' [in the end credits].
From America to his hometown in the interiors of India, it was a long journey indeed for Siddharth [Shiney Ahuja]. But nothing could match the mind-boggling journey that now lay in front of him. For, it was a journey into an astounding maze in which each step meant mystery, discovery, surprise, shock and revelation.
With open arms, his large extended family welcomes the U.S.-based Siddharth and his newly-wed wife Avni [Vidya Balan], when they come home. But what the family resists is Siddharth's insistence on staying in his royal ancestral mansion during his stay. His uncle Badrinarayan Chaturvedi [Manoj Joshi] particularly has no qualms about voicing his displeasure. For, it was that very mansion that held in its realm a deadly secret that had repeatedly destroyed the family for generations.
The scientifically inclined Siddharth pays no heed and starts staying at the palatial mansion with Avni, who is equally modern in her thinking... But, soon enough, the couple is forced to rethink their decision. Unforeseen happenings, mysterious elements, horrific indications and life-threatening incidents swarm their path. Suddenly, it becomes a situation that urgently had to be dealt with before it got too late.
Siddharth instinctively finds the solution in his dynamic Doctor-friend Aditya [Akshay Kumar]. When Dr. Aditya finds his way into the mansion, he is a man on a mission. He just had to find the cause of all the upheaval before the effects caused more harm than could be imagined. Where did the answer lie?
You can't overlook the fact that BHOOL BHULAIYAA is an extremely well-shot film. Right from the production design to the styling of the film to its overall look, BHOOL BHULAIYAA is a visually attractive film.
Priyan spells out the genre at the very start itself, when Paresh Rawal visits the haunted ancestral home and an eerie calm welcomes him. The mystery only deepens in the first hour and with the introduction of Akshay's character in the narrative [a bit late entry, though!], things only get better. Expectedly, you look forward to an exhilarating second hour.
Although the screenplay isn't too convincing in the latter half, you have to admit that the suspense does come as a jolt. The flashback that follows is equally interesting. But what ensues thereafter isn't as convincing. Actually, the length is also to blame in this hour. One strongly feels that the story should've concluded when Akshay solves the mystery.
You also await, with bated breath, the chartbusting song that's taken the nation by storm to make an entry. And when it eventually does arrive [in the end credits], it doesn't make the impact that it should've.
BHOOL BHULAIYAA is glossy, stylish and well executed, technically speaking. But Priyan treads a difficult path. As mentioned at the outset, BHOOL BHULAIYAA is not the atypical fare with laughs and more laughs. Here, Priyan opts for horror, not humor and that may have its share of advocates and adversaries.
Music composer Pritam is in top form this time around. 'Hare Krishna Hare Ram' is splendid, while 'Zindagi Ka Safar' comes easy on the lips. The flashback song is excellent in terms of choreography. Cinematography [Thiru] is excellent. Production design [Sabu Cyril] is topnotch.
Akshay enacts his part with effortless ease. A role with comic shades comes easy to him and he's on familiar ground in BHOOL BHULAIYAA. Vidya is splendid, especially in the second hour. Shiney gets scope initially, but is sidelined the moment Akshay arrives. Amisha Patel is efficient in a substantial role.
Paresh Rawal and Rasika Joshi are first-rate. Rajpal Yadav manages a few laughs in a brief role. Manoj Joshi is very much with the character. He performs well. Vikram Gokhale doesn't work because his role comes across as an unwanted track. Asrani is fair. Vineeth and Tareena Patel are average.
On the whole, BHOOL BHULAIYAA has two solid factors going in its favor -- the Priyadarshan - Akshay combo and the chartbusting 'Hare Krishna Hare Ram' track -- which have resulted in tremendous hype. Although the reactions to the film will vary, the Idd period coupled with the two factors will ensure a terrific start for the film, in turn making it a profitable venture for its investors.

Johnny Gaddar !!! Doosra Parwana ...

Director Sriram Raghavan’s debut film Ek Haseena Thi, starring Saif Ali Khan and Urmila Matondkar was average at the box-office but won rave reviews from the critics. After three years of hiatus, the director is back with yet another suspense thriller titled ‘Johnny Gaddar’. Many films that released this year are inspirations of Hollywood movies or Bollywood classics. Johnny Gaddar is no exception. The title of the film is Raghavan’s way of paying homage to veteran director Vijay Anand. Some of the script is borrowed from James Hadley Chase novels and the Big B starrer Parwana, which is clearly revealed in the movie as Johnny is show watching the movie and takes inspiration to double cross his business associates.
Seshadri (Dharmendra), Prakash (Vinay Patak), Shardul (Zakir Hussain), Shiva (Daya Shetty) and Vikram (Neil Mukesh) are five business associates, who plan a conspiracy. All have one common interest and that is making fast money. The eldest of the group is Seshadri and he gets an offer to make a fortune in four days and the rest of the gang agree to pitch in their share as this would put them in the big league. The youngest of the group Vikram decides to double-cross and elope with his love Mini. What ensues is an accident that they all try to figure out.
Director Sriram has chosen to make it different. Unlike other thrillers where the identity of the culprit is kept a secret till the climax nears, in Johnny Gaddar there is absolutely no beating around the bush. The audience knows right from the outset what transpires and who the culprit is. Johnny Gaddar takes the audience on a journey full of suspenses. With just three short songs, no cry and drama, the movie follows things a caper thriller should. But the movie slackens in pace and hence suffers to do complete justice as a suspense thriller. The script is interesting, with twists and turns, one accident leading to many crimes but the sequence could have been better scripted by making the suspense even more intricate.
Dharmendra as Seshadri does justice to his character. But his role could have been improved to match his magnetism. The one scene that looked quite artificial is his death scene. Neil Mukesh, the debutant is commendable in a role that doesn’t demand histrionics. We can expect to see more of him in the future. Having seen Vinay Pathak in comic roles, this new avatar of his comes as a surprise. He is brilliant. Zakir Hussain is excellent. He executes the role with ease and comfort. Daya Shetty’s (Daya in TV Thriller CID) role is limited. His performance is average.

Dhamaal !! Dhamaal Kar diya

It started with PARTNER eight weeks ago. Then HEYY BABYY three weeks back. It's DHAMAAL now. Howlariously funny, Indra Kumar's latest outing completes the hat-trick of laughathons that succeed in entertaining you from start to end. Like its predecessors, DHAMAAL is abundantly rich in humor and most importantly, has the right set of actors to carry off those roles with aplomb.
DHAMAAL lives up to its title. It's non-stop dhamaal for the next two hours. Sure, there're inane situations and jokes that cater to the popular tastes, but when did Indra Kumar and his team of writers [Paritosh Painter, Balwinder Suri, Bunty Rathore] ever set out to challenge Einstein? The mantra is simple: Let the auditorium reverberate with laughter. And DHAMAAL succeeds in its mission!
Any hiccups? The post-interval portions aren't as funny as the first hour. More on that later! But the film works in totality and that's what matters at the end of the day. With MASTI, Indra Kumar proved that he knows how to tickle the funny bone. With PYARE MOHAN, he tripped and ended up bruising himself. With DHAMAAL, he sprints back to the junta's hearts.
So what's the final word then? Go, watch DHAMAAL and have dhamaal. But do carry a rumaal since this madcap comedy is quite kamaal in parts. You'd cry laughing!
Roy [Riteish Deshmukh] believes that he is the best detective in the world. Manav [Javed Jaffrey] actually happens to be the biggest idiot in the world, but is blissfully unaware about it. His brother Adi's [Arshad Warsi] half knowledge about everything only adds to the great expertise of this group. The final component is Boman [Aashish Chowdhary], who's Mr. Scared.
These four idiots live and work together. Their idea of work? Doing small-time con jobs! The thought of earning an honest living has never even crossed their minds. One day, while trying to save a dying man, Bose [Prem Chopra], they get their big break. Their life is made! Unfortunately for them, Inspector Kabir [Sanjay Dutt] has been chasing Bose for the last ten years. He finally finds him. Only dead!
Desperate for his promotion, he questions the suspicious-looking foursome he finds next to the body. Inadvertently, they blurt out the secret before managing to escape. Now begins a marathon chase.
DHAMAAL begins with gusto. The introduction of the four characters at the very start makes the viewer aware of what to expect from each of them. The sequences that follow [taking the horse painting at condolence meetings] are rip-roaringly funny. Ditto for the sequence when they're mistaken as gangsters and arrested by the cop [Murli Sharma]. Another sequence that's sure to bring the house down is Asrani's vintage car going up in flames and also Sanju tying the four to a tree. The first hour rocks big time!
The writers continue to inject humor in the second hour as well. Only thing, the jokes work at times, but look forced at places. Take, for instance, the track of the robbers inside a bus and their interaction with Ritesh. Non-happening! The aircraft portion [Asrani, Aashish] is excellent, but one should know where to end a joke. Never stretch it beyond a point, but the writers do. Resultantly, the impact gets diluted. Sanju's accident and the entire cliff track, again, is mediocre. The search for the 'Big W' in the park, beneath which lies the treasure, is funny, not hilarious.
Directorially, Indra Kumar is in form. Opting for a new team of writers this time around, he gets it right on most occasions. The two songs at the very start [Adnan Sami] are interesting. Vijay Arora's cinematography is nice. Dialogues are excellent.
The one performance that stands out from the rest is that of Javed Jaffrey's. He's magnificent in a role that seems tailor-made for him. What timing! The viewers are sure to go into raptures. Arshad Warsi is not in his element. Also, why is he looking so tired? Ritesh Deshmukh is dependable yet again, although his track suffers in the second hour because it lacks meat. Aashish Chowdhary is a revelation. Confident and easygoing, he shows a flair for comedy. Sanjay Dutt is alright. Asrani is mind-blowing. It's a treat to watch this veteran in a meaty role again. Suhasini Mulay, as the landlady, is first-rate.
On the whole, DHAMAAL is one joyride that should keep its investors smiling!

Dhokha ka mat....

Of the three movies released on 31 August, Dhoka is the movie having the new genre and new subject in it. The movie is much realistic and well contemplated. The subject is thought provoking and Pooja has, this time, done very well. The movie is presented by Mahesh Bhatt, produced by Mukesh Bhatt and directed by Pooja Bhatt.
Zaid Ahmed Khan (Muzammil) is a policeman in the Mumbai police force, who suddenly finds that his wife Sara (Tulip) has been accused of being a suicide bomber, while she simultaneously goes missing. Zaid tries to uncover the truth and meets several people enroute a senior cop Mehra (Gulshan Grover), Sara's grandfather (Anupam Kher) and even the head of a terrorist organisation (Munish Makhija), before realising the big truth. Mehra, who is heading the anti-terrorist squad, even has Zaid suspended from his work because he suspects him to have links with his wife and the terrorist organisation as well. Zaid, who is also despatched to the cooler earlier under suspicion, is then let off because intelligence reports clear him. Zaid now sets off to find the truthHe goes off to the place Sara had set left for and realizies that she was with her grandfather in Nasik. Then he comes to know about her past and how she was a victim of ridicule and rape by the police and how it led to her being a terrorist and how her brother Danish too was affected. Then he moves on to meet the head of the terrorist organization who is inciting many such people to turn into suicide bombers. And before he knows it he has a big task on his hands - defusing a plan to blow up Mumbai's leading railway station. Pooja Bhatt excels as a director. Her vision as a filmmaker seems to have grown. But she needs to strengthen her script a lot more. Words normally not used in common parlance by commoners seem to seep easily into the film. A scene where a cop says main tafteesh kar raha hun is out of the 70s. People don't use such words these days, Pooja. But films, these days seem to talk a lot about the trauma of the Indian Muslim. Peek back into Chak De and look at Kabir Khan being the losing captain of the Indian hockey team in a match against Pakistan. Ditto with Zaid when he turns out to be a cop from the minority at a hospital where victims from the majority community are being brought in, in a blast purportedly enigineered by a Muslim suicide bomber. Questions about the accountability and the responsibilities of the Indian Muslim are brought forth - stories that we have been hearing time and again in movies made on these subjects right after the 1993 Bombay Bomb Blasts. The socio-econonomic and socio-cultural nature of the film does make it stand apart from the rest of the films of this genre. One just wishes that Pooja had made the film a little more hard hitting. Nevertheless, the film does not look like a film usually out from the Bhatt camp. Watch out for a scene involving a cop Ashutosh Rana, Tulip Joshi, and an MMS wish this scene had been stronger - the film should have been yards ahead.
Suffused with a sense of imminent catastrophe and an aura of implosive tension applied to the explosive theme, "Dhokha" is a film that persuades you not-so-gently to think about the quality of lives that we live and a social order that thinks terrorism happens only to 'them'.
Really, one hasn't had a more jolting reality-check in a while.
The cast of the movie includes Muzammil Ibrahim as Zaid Ahmed, Tulip Joshi as Sarah, Anupam Kher, Gulshan Grover, Ashutosh Rana, Anupam Shyam, Vineet Kumar, Aushima Sawhney as Nandini. The story of the movie has been written by Mahesh Bhatt.

RGV ki AAG - Mockery of the classic !!!!!

Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag tells the story of a certain Inspector Narsimha (Mohanlal) who takes on one of the dreaded underworld dons – Babban (Amitabh). Needless to say, he pays for it dearly and practically loses his entire family to Babban’s wrath.
For the first 30 minutes you wonder what’s happening on screen. There’s no direction, there’s no script (of course it’s a remake of SHOLAY, we all know) but the way Ramu goes about introducing the characters of Ajay Devgan and his buddy is stuff made by novices. And this is a RGV flick! Then there’s Rajpal Yadav’s annoying act with a put-on accent. After that you know where this AAG is headed. It’s a blaze, and Ramu and gang desperately try to quell the fire using Amitabh Bachchan (Baban) who meekly tries to blow with his parted lips in an effort to scare the daylights off you!!!
It's kinda fitting that Gabbar is now called Babban.Because Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, ladies and gentlemen, as its title suggests, is a B-movie. It's like one of those TLV Prasad films of the 1990s that revels in its mediocrity, the kind of film that wouldn't normally get a theatrical release in Mumbai except for the stray morning show in a ramshackle single screen theatre.Except that this time it's a Ram Gopal Varma movie, a mega-hyped vehicle of gimmick and bluster, and thanks to the casting decision of Amitabh Bachchan as the film's villain, occasionally elevated to, well, a Big-B-movie. A B-movie, of course, can still be a work of art. As a filmmaker, you can choose to embrace the unreal, overdone style of (seemingly) slipshod filmmaking for its very lack of boundaries and aesthetics rather than against, directing inside the tacky box and painting everything super-bad with a delicious layer of postmodern irony -- in short, something so bad it's good.
This is how I chose to watch the new film, deciding that it's about the glory of unashamed hamming and the joy of the larger-than-life. I sat back, winced in the uber-badness of it all, and managed to actually survive through the first half. I can't say I liked it -- I doubt anybody can, really -- but it left me with some hopes of exciting action setpieces or interesting confrontation moments. Post-interval, I failed. I really, really wanted to like Aag, to enjoy it for its sheer, (hopefully) contrived badness, but this was a dismal battle. This film is horrid beyond belief. Or redemption.It's not that Ramu doesn't try. Varma's always been among the most excellent framers of a shot in the business, and here he goes funky and classic at the same time. Making cinematographer Amit Roy constantly tilt his lens at our actors, going from Sushmita Sen's dupatta to Mohanlal's beard in one fell, overemotional swoop aided by great angles and a constant movement. Even Ramu's ever-intriguing camera has never seemed this dynamic, often idiosyncratic here as he whimsically follows the trajectory of an apple here, a corpse there.
It's just that he doesn't really have anything to shoot. A lazily written half-baked script is overcompensated by the one man most responsible for single-handedly crippling a large part of RGV's oeuvre, Amar Mohile. The background-score man is in characteristically painful form, hitting constant ear-splitting melodrama as a bunch of non-actors are given a heavy load, while those sharing a half-dozen National Awards between themselves (Mohanlal 4, Ajay Devgan 2) are trapped by caricatures. Which aren't even remotely inventive.And then there's Amitabh Bachchan. His Babban Singh (it's really hard not to giggle at all of the character names) is a uniquely twisted individual, with onebrown-onegreen eyes like an erstwhile Bausch & Lomb model, limping menacingly in combat boots and a military jacket. He's initially engaging, turning the cliche around to paraphrase immortal lines with brevity, and putting himself on the line during a compelling game of Russian roulette. Bachchan gamely gets into the character, slithering and hissing as he readies to strike fear in the hearts of faraway crying kids and policeman's wives.
While Amitabh does indeed provide commendable steam to the sinking ship, Babban is so over-written it hurts. He does superbly with a one-liner and a piece of fruit, but the frantic anxiety to make him Bollywood's greatest ever villain is all too visible as the character is loaded with bizarre lines about America and Al Qaeda . And let's not forget the Osama nod, with Babban suddenly cloaked in black a la Skeletor. Add to this a snaky tongue, a laugh that can't choose between ominous shudders and raspy hisses, and a Castor/Pollux complex that obviously stems more from Face/Off than Greek mythology.Amitabh conjures up some great moments, but he was a better villain in Aks.Mohanlal is the film's protagonist, Narsimha, an improbably overweight encounter cop with a justifiable vendetta against Babban. He's a fine, restrained actor but despite a Hindi accent to rival Inspector Cousteau, is made to speak entirely in farcical, formulaic tripe. The best of performers would struggle, and this man -- certainly among the finest Indian living actors -- seems to give up the chase for greatness halfway through. I would, however, like to know how to throw a steak knife without using your fingers.
The rest of the characters, well, the lesser said the better. Surprisingly, newbie Prashant Raj emerges as the most tolerable of the bunch, but then again his role simply requires him to look, well, tall. Sen dresses in black and pretends to be stoic but constantly cries, looking like she's auditioning for Vaastu Shastra 2. Rajpal Yadav pipes up with a comic act limited to squeakily plugging Varma's next release. Sushant Singh plays a valiant Tambhe. Abhishek Bachchan chubbily comes on in a one-song cameo, with Urmila Matondkar , the latter forcing Babban to utter the most gimmicky line ever.
Special criticism must be reserved for Devgan and Nisha Kothari , who play Heero and Ghungroo. In one of current cinema's worst leading pairs, Ajay unfathomably plumbs new depths of idiocy with this follow-up to Cash. Kothari can't act -- or look remotely good -- but has acres of script-space, and has to explore everything from comic timing to hysterical weeping, which isn't a smart script choice. As Devgan pulls a pistol to his head to make suicide threats, we sorely wish he'd pull the trigger.It’s such torture to sit through the movie that it made a dud like CASH look better. The music is passable and dialogues lack the finesse and punch. If Gabbar’s ‘Kitne Aadmi The’ line still rings loud and clear, Babban has not a single line to shout about. If Gabbar’s mannerisms terrorized Thakur and his villagers, Narsima looks Babban straight in the eye. If Samba was a perfect side-kick for Gabbar, Tambhe is a character caught in a fix. If Basanti rocked, Ghungroo annoys. And if Helen’s dance in Mehbooba Mehbooba was class personified, Urmila Matondkar does not even come close to it.
Forgive me for the comparison with such a classic as SHOLAY, but comparisons are a must when it’s a remake. If Bally Sagoo could immortalize the song Chura Liya from the film YAADON KI BARAAT and re-introduce it to today’s generation with his classic remix, Ramu with his remake of SHOLAY has shown how a parody should be made for Television. Sorry Ramu, Babban does not work. I just wonder how you now plan to quell this fire. Or will you now sing Billy Joel’s famous song “We didn’t start the fire…” Ram Gopal Varma might have started out -- I see no better explanation -- to make a so-bad-it's-good kinda B-movie, but tragically hurtled past the stop-signs and ended up with, quite simply, a so-so-bad film. It's the director's most depressingly disappointing work.
Ramu is a maverick, a director usually given to laughing at critics and scathing reviews, which is as it should be. The scary thing is that he might just truly believe Aag is a good movie. I pray not.

Good Bad Ugly for Bollywood !!!!! 200 crs at stake...

Now that Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan are under the police eye, Bollywood is finding itself in a great jeopardy. Who can replace the two of the most countable actors? The question has shaken quiet a few. “They are cult figures and they have a certain equation with the audience which makes them indispensible,” says David Dhawan. We don't know whether they are the best of buddies at present but they soon will. Two men atop the burning deck of a ship often turn out to be friends. But jokes apart, the situation is grim for Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Bollywood. Salman has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment for killing a Chinkara (deer) in 1998. The actor was not present in court to hear the verdict.
The court which gave the verdict does not have the power to hear the bail application, so Salman will have to go behind bars for at least a few days before his lawyers can move to a higher court for bail. Even then his problems won't be solved and Bollywood would be deep in crisis. This thunderbolt of a news of Salman's conviction comes right behind the little element of relief that the news of Sanjay's coming out on bail brought. But the long term prognosis for all the films that are to be made with any of the two stars seems very bleak. Together they might have in excess of 200 Crores riding on them. No industry can take such a loss with a smile, there are going to be groans of pain.
There are many, within the film industry as well as outside, who believe that Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan and Fardeen Khan have a heart of gold in spite of their constant, notorious clashes with the law. These stars are the kids of famous bollywood stars. Sanjay, Salman and Fardeen are also quiet well known for their flamboyant, glamorous and reckless lifestyles.After Salman Khan was recently sentenced to one year imprisonment and Rs. 5,000 fine for the hunting of a wild life species in Jodhpur, it’s now once more the turn of Sanjay Dutt to gear up to face the law. Sanjay has a long history with the law; he was first arrested after the Mumbai blasts of 1992-93. He was said to have links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his associate Abu Salem. He was charged with being an accomplice in the blasts. He spent quiet a while in jail.
Sanjay Dutt is the son of star parents Sunil Dutt and Nargis. Sanjay’s mother died of cancer before the release of his first film, Rocky. After this Sanjay got addicted to drugs. When he was arrested after the Mumbai blasts, under TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive activities prevention), Sanjay was at the peak of his career. Sanjay is known to have a terrible temper. His case has been going on, but due to lack of proof nothing could really come of it. However, recently with the deportation and arrest of Abu Salem, the case has once again gained momentum. In a recent confession to the TADA court, Abu Salem has admitted that he delivered arms and ammunition to Sanjay Dutt, prior to the 1993 blasts in Mumbai. Abu Salem confessed to the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) which was later made public in court, that he delivered three AK-47 rifles and some cartridges to Sanjay. This is a major blow to Sanjay Dutt as he has always vehemently denied his involvement with the blasts. Sanjay’s constant pillar of strength and support, his father Sunil Dutt passed away in May last year. Sanjay will again have to go through the rigmarole with the law enforcement.
Another star kid who is on the wrong side of the law is Fardeen Khan, son of Feroze Khan. On May 5, 2001 Fardeen Khan was caught buying cocaine, he was charged under Section 28 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The case is still going on and it is said that the quantity seized from Fardeen is not mentioned by the Narcotics Control Bureau in the complaint filed in the court. However, if the court concludes that the quantity was 1 gm, Fardeen can avail the option of undergoing detoxification instead of standing trial in court.
Finally, there is some irony if you can notice it. Sanjay Dutt was sentenced to six years in jail for his alleged involvement in the Bombay blasts, which took the lives of a few hundred people and nearly set the country on a civil war path. Salman Khan on the other hand shoots a deer and has to stay in jail for five years; just one year lesser than the sentence of the crime involving bombs. Doesn't make much sense.

Om Shanti Om ... Shanti Shanti Om !!!!

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is to be reborn. The cat is finally out of the bag, Farah Khan has finally revealed the synopsis of her new film Om Shanti Om, and it is not a remake.SRK Fan's are eager to watch his upcoming film OM sHANTHI OM, To give a jist of the movie, The story is a mix of Hrithik Roshan’s Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, Rishi Kapoor’s Karz, and the Nicole Kidman starrer Birth. I suggest you guys not to wait for the release.. GO just grab those DVD's and watch them.
Plot goes this way,Om meets the love of his life, Deepika Padukone but soon after, he passes away. He is reincarnated and returns to solve the mystery of his death and find his true love. The cast of the movie is bigger than the length of the movie. It starts with Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan , Amitabh Bachchan , Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan , Rani Mukherjee , Sanjay Dutt , Shilpa Shetty , Preity Zinta , Kajol , Priyanka Chopra , Saif Ali Khan , Karisma Kapoor , Lara Dutta , Tabu , Rekha , Bobby Deol ,Dharmendra , Govinda , Sunil Shetty , Vidya Balan , Juhi Chawla , Arjun Rampal, Shabana Azmi , Zayed Khan , Mithun chakraborty , Karan Johar , Urmila Matondkar , Sridevi , Ritesh Deshmukh , Rishi Kapoor , Tusshar Kapoor ,, Amrita Arora , Aaftab Shivdasani , Malaika Arora , Dino Morea , Jeetendra , Deepika Padukone , Arbaaz Khan , Subhash Ghai , Kiron Kher, Vishal Dadlani , Shreyas Talpade , Akshay Kapoor , Jigar Patel
Rumours going around the media were that Farah Khan was going to base the film on the remake of classic hit Karz, which starred Rishi Kapoor. But Farah has said that the film is defiantly not a remake but it has similarities with Karz. The film is set during the 70’s and the present. Shah Rukh Khan plays a character who dies during the 70s but is reborn soon after, and starts to remember his previous life when he reached his adult age. In Karz, Rishi Kapoor’s character was also reincarnated. That is as far as Farah Khan has gone, but we here at radiosargam.com can reveal a little more, about the actual story of the film. We were the first to reveal the story of Veer-Zaara, upsetting Yash Raj Films, and we can now reveal the story to this Farah Khan film also.
The story begins in the 70s where Shah Rukh Khan’s character falls in love with a beautiful young girl (played by newcomer Deepika Padukone). However, certain incidents take place, and Shah Rukh Khan is murdered. He is immediately reborn, and as soon as he reaches adulthood, goes in search of the girl that he left behind in the 70s. The only problem is that his love is now in her golden age and there is a huge age difference.