Latest News from BollywoodHungama.com http://www.bollywoodhungama.com Hungama Feed Creator http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/templates/default/images/bollywoodhungamalogo.gif http://www.bollywoodhungama.com http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/09/13757/index.html The day after Akshay landed in Mumbai after his back treatment he was doing some of the most dangerous stunts affordable to a star. Before he left for his back treatment, Akshay Kumar was unsure if he could ever return to normal health-related activities that he liked, let alone action sequences. In fact, Vipul Shah's action-laden climax for Action Replayy which was to be shot after Akshay's return, was seriously jeopardized. But after the hydro- therapy that he underwent in Germany last week, Akshay Kumar returned to work, more confident than ever before, ready and eager to shoot heart-stopping stunts for Action Replayy. When Vipul offered to change the climax, Akshay laughed and told him to stick to the original plan. Not only was Akshay seen hanging from cables doing stunts and flying through the air, he even cajoled his co-star Kirron Kher to try the aerial stunts. Speaking from Manori where director Vipul Shah shot Akshay's action sequences with action direct Allan Amin immediately after the actor's return from Germany, the director confided, "It's true we were very unsure about what shape Akshay's back would be in once he returned from his hydro treatment. The climax of Action Replayy required very complex and strenuous stunts on wire-cables. I offered to change the climax and do away with the cable stunts. After all, those are tough even for actors with normal healthy backs. Akshay told me to wait until his return before taking a final call." The actor's recovery post his treatment has been far quicker and complete than imagined. Vipul just can't stop gawking at the actor's recovery level. "Why just me? The entire cast including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav and others just can't believe Akshay's capacity to bounce back on his feet. Here we were thinking of doing away the cable stunts and somehow managing the climactic action without the planned aerial shots. But Akshay has been wired and suspended midair for almost a week now. Cable stunts are really tough on the back. But Akshay was super-confident on his return." Akshay was so kicked by the idea of starting afresh on his newly-repaired back that he even encouraged Kirron Kher to join him on the cables in Manori. Says Vipul, "A shot required her to join Akshay in the air. Kirronji was at first hesitant. But we ensured her it was fully safe to be suspended with cables. Akshay is so charged and enthusiastic, he will soon have the whole cast and crew on cables. We are shooting funny action sequences. But hanging midair from thousands of feet is as dangerous whether done for fun or otherwise." Akshay who sounded discernibly pained before his restorative trip to Germany is raring to go. "I'm back on my feet and doing action scenes for Vipul's film. The treatment worked fully and I have completely recovered." Apparently, Akshay has recommended the hydro-treatment to Sunny Deol who suffers a chronic back problem and has undergone to major surgeries to repair his back. For Akshay, surgery was never an option, even when his back had given way a decade back and he was laid up for six months.]]> Subhash K. Jha Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:49:21 EDT http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/09/13756/index.html Watch out for the promo of KOOCHIE KOOCHIE HOTA HAI when you watch MY NAME IS KHAN. The animation version of KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI seems like one joy ride and promises to infuse life in the animation industry, if the first promo of the film is an indicator. Having star voices of SRK, Kajol, Rani Mukherji, Ritesh Deshmukh, Sajid Khan, Simi Grewal, Anupam Kher and Sanjay Dutt, KOOCHIE KOOCHIE HOTA HAI should be a fun watch when it hits the screens later this year. KOOCHIE KOOCHIE HOTA HAI is directed by Tarun Mansukhani, who made his directorial debut with DOSTANA.]]> Taran Adarsh Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:16:07 EDT http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/09/13754/index.html STRIKER may have proved a damp squib at the box-office, but Studio 18 is thrilled at the response the film has garnered on You Tube. The film was premiered on the net the same day it was released theatrically in India. A nominal fee [$ 4.99] was charged for viewers in U.S., while viewers across the globe [except India] got to watch the film for free. The revenue was generated via ad support on You Tube. "Till Monday evening, the film had been viewed by around 2.25 lac viewers across the globe. Frankly, we didn't expect the film to generate such enthusiasm, but the numbers have brought cheer," Hemant Bhardwaj of Studio 18 confirms. Bhardwaj is not in a position to state the kind of revenue the film has generated on You Tube. "We should get to know the exact numbers by the month-end. It's a first for us and the first for You Tube too," he states. The strategy could pave for additional revenue for film-makers/studios. "That's right! A film like ISHQIYA doesn't get released in U.K. Similarly, STRIKER doesn't open in U.K. and U.S. due to absence of face-value. So what choice do we have? How do we beat pirates, who will anyway sell the pirated stuff in open? That's why we decided to premiere the film on You Tube and reach out to viewers at one go," Bhardwaj reveals. The distributor feels that it's just the beginning. "We may explore newer horizons in times to come. Right now we're just testing the waters. But it could turn out to be a really big territory tomorrow," he confides.]]> Taran Adarsh Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:47:55 EDT http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/08/13753/index.html He tickled your funny bone with Style, Golmaal and Shaadi No. 1; played the high spirited guy in Rang De Basanti! Yes, we're talking about Sharman Joshi. The actor, back in the limelight after a stellar performance in 3 Idiots, is ready with his next release Toh Baat Pakki with Tabu. To know more about his upcoming projects and life after 3 Idiots, catch up with the star in an exclusive Bollywood Hungama Video Chat on Wednesday, Feb 10, at 1500 hrs IST. Don't miss this one!]]> Bollywood Hungama News Network Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:09:31 EDT http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/08/13752/index.html Tabu, who is currently busy promoting her upcoming film Toh Baat Pakki, will soon be seen for the first time ever in a music video for Rashid Ali's debut album. In case you are wondering, Rashid is the same guy who sang the hugely popular 'Kabhi Kabhi Aditi' track from Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na. Tabu will be shooting for the music video soon in Hyderabad and noted ad filmmaker Trilok has been entrusted the task of directing the video. Rashid's debut album is being released under KM Music label with mentor A.R.Rahman being the executive producer. Rashid, who is based in London, was in Chennai for almost 3 months busy with his maiden album. While he himself has composed and sung the songs, yet another Rahman protegee Raqueeb Alam has written the lyrics. The album is likely to release in a couple of months.]]> Bollywood Hungama News Network Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:23:52 EDT http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/08/13751/index.html Mallika Sherawat has been cast opposite Avatar co-star Laz Alonso in the feature Love, Barack, a political romantic comedy set during the frantic and intoxicating days leading up to 2008 U.S. Presidential election. Mallika will play the female lead and central character Aretha Gupta, a devoted, local Obama volunteer coordinator. The story, a snapshot of a moment in time that was filled with hope, change, and passionate debate, follows the romantic and political rollercoaster that develops when, the month before Election Day, Democrat Aretha unexpectedly falls for her Republican counterpart (Alonso), a handsome, dynamic African-American working for the local McCain office. On signing up for the film, Mallika said, "Laz Alonso is a talented and exciting actor. I'm very lucky to be working with him." To be directed by Doug McHenry, the film will also feature acclaimed actress Ruby Dee (Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nominee for 2007's American Gangster) and comedy veteran Gerry Bednob and Loretta Devine.]]> Bollywood Hungama News Network Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:20:18 EDT http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/08/13750/index.html On the sets of Vipul Shah's time-travel caper Action Replayy, Akshay Kumar's retro-wig which he wears for his 1970s look is his most prized possession. Apparently, the wig designed by one of Hollywood's biggest makeup artistes Paul Pattison (who's done films like Braveheart and Mission Impossible 2) made Akshay paranoid. He was petrified of losing it. Says Vipul, "Since we haven't copied our 1970s look from Hindi films, Akshay and Aishwarya sat down to look at real- life footage from the decade to get the look right. They specially looked at television footage of live cricket matches in the 1970s. Akshay was busy peering at the pavilion of spectators, what they wore, how they spoke moved their body language. That's how he conceived his character in the 70s. That's where Paul Pattison's wig came in." There are 400 other wigs all done under Pattison's supervision for junior artistes posing as people in the 1970s. Says Vipul, "We were very particular about the 1970s look recreated at the Nitin Chandrakant Desai's studio in Karjat. We needed the cars from the 70s which we had to get from all over India from private owners at a very heavy price. The BEST buses in the 1970s were very different from their counterparts today. Getting authentic BEST buses from the 70s was the hardest part of the whole era-recreation. Getting Akshay and Aishwarya to go retro was the easiest thing. They had a ball getting into their wigs clothes and body language." We saw Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone travelling back to the 1970s in Om Shanti Om. But Akshay was adamant about doing his retro-look very different from SRK. Director Vipul Shah takes serious umbrage to the suggestion that the retro look in his film is similar to Om Shanti Om. "We haven't copied anything from the films of the 1970s (as Om Shanti Om has). If we got into that 35 mm space, we'd have ended up copying only Mr. Bachchan's clothes and style. Akshay insisted we do more authentic research. We dug into archival material on the clothes mannerisms and people of the 1970s." And now Vipul Shah is paranoid about his 1970s look going out. "We, Akshay's designer Shabina Khan, Aishwarya's designer Manish Malhotra and all of us have worked really, really hard to give Action Replayy a unique look. If that look is leaked out we'd lose our biggest USP." Much like the Big B's Paa look which was given out prematurely. "We're taking stringent steps to ensure the confidentiality of our look," says Vipul. And what does he have to say to Action Replayy being compared with Back To The Future? "Well earlier my film was supposed to be The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. Now that accusation has been wrongly passed on to another film (Paa). Now I'm supposed to have copied Back To The Future. Again, untrue. If anything all time-travel films including mine are inspired by H.G Wells' Time Machine."]]> Subhash K. Jha Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:32:16 EDT http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/08/13749/index.html MY NAME IS KHAN makes two strong statements... The first: B.C. and A.D. are designations used to label years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. There's a third designation now - 9/11. Post September 11, the world stands divided. Terrorist outfits continue to strike in the name of religion and the common man, not even remotely associated with these groups, is bearing the brunt. The world is not a safe place anymore. The second statement: There're two sets of people in this world - the good and the bad. No matter how strong the evil forces are, good always triumphs. Write your own movie review of My Name Is Khan MY NAME IS KHAN mirrors the era we live in. Not a day goes by when you haven't heard/read/watched news of terror attacks and innocents being killed. We live in turbulent times. Also, the movie states - and states very strongly, without mincing words - Not all Muslims are terrorists. Karan Johar's cinema got more real from KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA onwards. In MY NAME IS KHAN, the storyteller attempts to make a social statement and succeeds completely. At the same time, it takes no sides. If the protagonist says 'My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist', it also exposes those who misadvise the youth with inflammatory and rabble-rousing speeches. Karan's take on the issue deserves the highest praise, since a subject like this is difficult to attempt. Final word? MY NAME IS KHAN is Karan, SRK and Kajol's best outing to date. Do I need to add anything more? Rizvan Khan [Shah Rukh Khan moves to San Francisco and lives with his brother [Jimmy Shergill] and sister-in-law [Sonya Jehan]. Rizvan, who has Asperger's syndrome, falls in love with Mandira [Kajol]. Despite protests from his brother, they get married and start a small business together. They are happy until September 11, when attitudes towards Muslims undergo a sea-change. When tragedy strikes, Mandira is devastated and they split. Rizvan is confused and upset that the love of his life has left him. To win her back, he embarks on a touching and inspiring journey across America. Let me alert you. The story unfolds feverishly from the very start itself. So if you miss a scene or two, chances are you would've missed some vital links in the story. The fact is, there's too much happening in the first half. Although the narrative tends to get leisurely-paced at times, the wheels continue to move from one episode to another. A number of sequences are endearing. For instance, the romance between SRK and Kajol is subtle, yet charming. But it's SRK's relationship with Kajol and their kid that's one of the best parts of the movie. Your heart bleeds when an accident occurs and their lives are torn apart. Kajol's outburst - first, when her son meets with a catastrophe and second, when she confronts SRK - are truly shattering. MY NAME IS KHAN's strength lies in the fact that you root for Khan all through. At the same time, you are weighed down when he's in a vulnerable situation, especially when he's labelled a terrorist and thrown behind bars. You don't realize it, but the fact is that you, as a spectator, have already got entwined in Rizvan and Mandira's lives. There's a slight hitch in the second hour, when SRK returns to Georgia to save a hurricane-ravaged hamlet. Also, the media exercise tends to add to the length of the film. Nonetheless, it's a minor hiccup that doesn't rob the film of its punch. There's just one word to illustrate Karan's direction - exemplary. One of the finest storytellers of our generation, he deserves brownie points for deviating from 'Karan Johar brand of cinema' and attempting a film that knocks on your heart and stimulates your mind. With MY NAME IS KHAN, Karan takes rapid strides as a storyteller. Shibani Bathija's screenplay is truly arresting. Shibani and Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are noteworthy and many a times, applaud-worthy. Ravi K. Chandran's cinematography is awe-inspiring. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music gels well with the nature of the film. When a film stars two of the finest talents of the country, you expect nothing but the best. SRK, well, how does one describe his performance? To state that this is his best work so far would be cutting short the praise he truly deserves. In fact, no amount of praise can do sufficient justice to his portrayal of Rizvan Khan, who has Asperger's syndrome. His latest work is several notches above anything he has done before. The only compliment that I can think of is, SRK has a new screen-name now. Raj is passe, Rizvan it is. Kajol is pure dynamite and casting her for this character was the most appropriate decision. No other actress could've matched SRK in histrionics the way Kajol has. In fact, SRK and Kajol compliment each other wonderfully well and this film only proves it yet again. It's a powerhouse performance from this supremely talented actress. The film boasts of a number of capable actors, but the ones who leave a rock-solid impact are - in this order - Zarina Wahab, Sonya Jehan, Jimmy Shergill, Arjun Mathur, Parvin Dabas and Arif Zakaria. Sugandha Garg is confident. Navneet Nishan supports well. Vinay Pathak leaves a mark in a brief role. Tanay Chheda [young SRK] and Yuvaan Makaar [SRK and Kajol's son Sameer] are excellent. The American actors, especially the kid who plays Sameer's friend, deserves mention. On the whole, MY NAME IS KHAN is a fascinating love story, has an angle of religion and a world-shaking incident as a backdrop. It not only entertains, but also mesmerises, enthrals and captivates the viewer in those 2.40 hours. At the same time, a film like MY NAME IS KHAN is sure to have a far-reaching influence due to its noble theme. I strongly advocate, don't miss this one! Rating: ]]> Taran Adarsh Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:22:44 EDT http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/06/13748/index.html Anurag Basu and his producer Rakesh Roshan don't see eye-to-eye on Kites, so much so that the director says he has no inkling when Kites is releasing. Says Anurag, "I'm just a technician on the film, just like the cinematographer or editor. I know as much as anyone else who has worked on Kites. But I've heard the film is being released on May 14 or May 21. I don't know which date it actually is. But I'm happy it's finally being released." For the first time, Anurag Basu openly admits there were differences with producer Rakesh Roshan. "I wouldn't call them creative differences. Because we were both creating the same film and moving in the same direction. But yes, Rakeshji's vision of cinema is quite different from mine." There were constant arguments between the producer and director about how the film was to be shot. Explains Anurag, "See, Rakeshji was not just the producer of Kites. He's also a very big director with a vast experience as filmmaker behind him. He naturally had very strong opinions on how the film should be shot." Anurag has learnt the hard way never to make a film for a producer who's also a director. "It's all fine now. Over and done with. I just hope all the hard work is worth the effort." Kites was taken away from Anurag and given to Hollywood director Brett Ratner to be edited. Anurag was none too pleased with the unexpected shift of power in the creative equation. Significantly, Anurag doesn't feature in any of the publicity and marketing of Kites. Says the director, "I still maintain I had no creative differences with Rakesh Roshanji. When I didn't have any hesitation in walking out of my first directorial venture Kuch Toh Hai when I had differences with my producer Ekta Kapoor, why would I not do the same with Kites if necessary, when I've proved myself as a director with Gangster and Life...In A Metro."]]> Subhash K. Jha Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:34:11 EDT http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/06/13746/index.html He is a man, who has definitely not just changed the rules of the game, but also has rewritten it, in his own terms. He is none other than Bollywood's very own Akshay Kumar. He is one of the Numero Uno stars that Bollywood can easily back on due to his mass appeal. No wonder then, not just the filmmakers, but also the ad fraternity guys are queuing up at his doorstep to sign him on. After having endorsed a million products including the likes of Thums Up, Levis, X-Box 360 etc..., the superstar will now be seen endorsing wireless solutions provider Micromax. According to Bollywood Hungama's confirmed sources, Akshay has been signed by the said telecom company in accordance to his 'instant connect' with the classes and masses alike. The source also added that knowing Akki's 'market status', the said company has shelled out a 'macro' bomb of an amount as Akki's remuneration. No wonder they say, ' Make hay...while the sun shines'! What say, Akki baba! ]]> Satish Sundaresan Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:10:55 EDT