More in Movies
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Shilpa Shetty is the face of Marks & Spencers
Shilpa Shetty is now the face for the Marks & Spencers – a top British retail chain.
The Big Brother has done a lot of good to her.. this is just the beginning!The Indian actress, who gained public admiration after she reacted wisely to the racial abuse in the Channel 4 hit show, attended shoot sessions on March 20.
A source said that the actress spent the entire day trying on clothes, and that Shilpa is perfect for the campaign, for she is stunning and the British crowd love her.
“Shilpa spent the day at a shoot; she spent the morning having lots of clothes fitted on her so that they look amazing for the advertising campaigns. She is perfect for the role. She is gorgeous and has a great personality but, above all, the British public love her,” the Daily Mail quoted a source, as saying.
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Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd: a Movie Review.
Here is a review of the new Movie – Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd. by Praveen Morchhale:I saw the movie "Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (HT) " first day second show but could not express my opinion on it immediately. Hope you would enjoy reading this.
Every life, honeymoon and apple has two halves. One is sour and another is sweet. HT has many slices of life of 6 couples and these slices are sweet sour and funny and secretive. Certainly film brings smile on the face.
Its a film about "Honey Mood" of 12 characters ( 6 couples), it is bound to happen that you will not get emotionally involved with any of them and you get sketchy characterization as most of time you drift to your honeymoon
day. ( I don’t know which half of the honey moon..ha ha ha) -
Nishabd: Love Story between 60 yr man and 18 yr girl
Nishabd is a movie of love between a 60 yr old man and 18 yr old girl. The actress Jiah Khan never really knew who Big B’s star status! What did she learn from him?
How to smell good, how to be a patient actor and how to give disapproving looks.
The promo song is beautiful and haunting…
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Non-Indian fans of Bollywood!
Yesterday, I went to a local desi movie rental store with a friend. He had to rent a movie. As we were looking through the movies, we saw this caucasian lady walk in. She seemed European to me and was looking for "Lage Raho Munnabhai". Obviously, the first thought that occured to us was – do non-Indians also watch movies? Specially Europeans – who we all imagine would be hollywood fans automatically!?
Well, I have seen on many of my trips to different cities, when I take a cab it is often someone from Africa. Most of those folks have been brought up on the staple of Bollywood movies. I have met folks from Azherbaijan and other Central Asian countries also be knowledgeable about Bollywood. The car service I use for my business travel in Houston is owned by an Iranian.. and he was brought up on Bollywood movies too.
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How Racism Spoilt it for these ladies on Big Brother!
The Big Brother show was quite a success for Shilpa Shetty! She is not only in line to get so much of money, endorsements, and possibly a Hollywood movie.. but while she got catapulted .. those ladies who verbally abused her are going through a rough phase in their lives from here on!
Danielle Lloyd, the ex Miss Britain was signed up as the new face of Rocawear.. and within a month has been axed! But Danielle does have a history of “irresponsible” behavior. She was stripped off of her Miss Britain title after posing nude for Playboy.
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How a Terrorist’s Story Inspired Eklavya movie
The story of the latest movie Eklavya started off based on a seed based on the real story of Abu Hassan or Ali Hassan Salameh. “…wanting to carry on the struggle originated the idea” ~ Chopra
Here is an excerpt of the interview between Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Amitach Bacchan – director and the main actor.
It was the story of Yassar Arafat’s body guard… I think Abu Hassan. When the Mossad got him, one of his men pulled out his revolver from his body lying on the ground and took it to Abu Hassan’s home to his little son. He went up, woke the little child and said nothing. He took out the revolver, dismantled it and put it together again and gave it to the kid.
The kid took the revolver, put it under his pillow and went to sleep. This was very significant of wanting to carry on the struggle or the tradition. I don’t know what it was meant to be but that’s where the idea originated for me….
Below is a synopsis of the film (Warning: it might reveal the plot of the movie):
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Shilpa Shetty wins Big Brother in UK
So, Shilpa Shetty finally won the Big Brother competition, after being the recipient of all the racist slurs from Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O’Meara.
Asked what she had learned on the show, Danielle Lloyd said: “Not to be such a bitch.”
While the first two have apologized, the third one O’Meara simply denied anything like that despite the cameras. And the usual refrain.. “it wasnt because of the skin color”.. Yeah Right!! The racism is still alive and kicking in the western world!
Btw, Shilpa won prize money worth Rs 86 lakh (Rs 8.6 million), which will be donated to a charity trust. And according to a Mumbai tabloid, Shilpa will go home with endorsements worth Rs 45 crore (Rs 450 million).
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali to Direct a French Opera in 2008
My favorite contemporary Indian movie director – Sanjay Leela Bhansali – is to direct a French opera next year. I like Bhansali for his visual excellence in the movies and the thoroughness of his direction. Every shot is a photographer’s (and artist’s) delight! Not even one shot in his movie lacks aesthetic appeal… not one! All his movies – Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, and Black have been excellent for their subject, substance and implementation. He is definitely, in my view, one of the best in the world and legendary in Bollywood terms! That he is so young distracts from the scale of his achievements!
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Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Dev Anand – Trilogy of the Indian Cinema of 50′s
Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand combined to formed the trilogy of the Indian cinema in the 1950′s and 60′s. This is a rare picture ( from L to R you see Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand) of all three in their hey days! Raj Kapoor is no longer alive. The picture is followed by a little bio of all three from the wikipedia – links at the beginning of this paragraph.
Interestingly, Raj Kapoor fashioned himself a lot on Charlie Chaplin and Dev Anand on Gregory Peck (he sometimes even resembled him). Dilip Kumar was the quintessential Tragedy King of the Indian Cinema who could flutter women’s hearts through his soulful dialogue delivery (see his starrer Devdas)!
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Hrithik-Aishwarya Kissing Scene Controversy
The Hrithik-Ash kissing scene that has become the talk of the Indian nation and now chopped off thanks to Ash’s prospective overzealous hubby – Abhishek Bachhan!
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Son B and Aish
Indian film actor Amitabh Bachchan (L) sits behind the wheel of a car with Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai (R) as they drive out of the Bachchan residence in Mumbai. Rai and heart-throb Abhishek Bachchan, son of screen legend Amitabh Bachchan, are engaged to be married, setting the stage for Bollywood’s most glamorous wedding bash in years.(AFP)
The couple:
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What a Picture!
What a picture!! This is part of the Daboo Ratnani’s Annual calendar that he comes out as a ritual every year which is filled with Indian movie stars!This particular picture, however, is the most awesome in its conception as execution! Just read about it below.. one hint: its not a photoshop job!
Since water was the concept for my calendar this year, this was a good time to do it. We had taken a chair too. But this picture looked more dynamic and dangerous, so we preferred it.
Hrithik carried about seven outfit changes with him, but we got it right in the first take itself, after a rehearsal.
The picture works because he continues to hold his expression till he touches the water. Later, he told me that had never concentrated on his board exams as much as he did for this shot. That’s what makes him stand apart — his hard work even for a photograph.
He didn’t get hurt. But he was afraid that he might get a water-slap on his face, which would make it go red. But he fell in such a way that his shoulder hit the water first.
Everyone’s first reaction was that this is Photoshop. But this has no cable work, no special effects. link
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Aishwarya’s Pushkar Controversy
AIshwarya Rai is in Rajasthan these days as she is shooting for Jodha Akbar – some 100 km from Jaipur in Sambar. She is utilizing this time to visit some religious places in Rajasthan to get blessings for her marriage to Abhishek .. it is rumored. One of the Rai’s bodyguards allegedly desecrated a temple in Pushkar by entering drunk and roughing up worshippers who tried to approach the actress.
Aishwarya Rai visited at the tomb of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Christi in Ajmer Rajasthan when she paid her regards. Accompanied by her mother Vrinda Rai, he was clad completely in black along with a black scarf as well. She was there for about 10 minutes before she left for Pushkar (10 km from Ajmer) to offer prayers at the Brahma Temple. As she came out from the temple, a large crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor, but the police kept the crowd at a distance from Ash.
“Twenty-four hours have elapsed since the incident and she should immediately apologise or we will launch a protest,” said S N Garg, secretary of the Teerth Purohit Sangh Trust, the organisation of priests of the temple.The management of Pushkar temple – the Pushkar Trust is up in arms now at the behavior of her bodyguard…. Bad omen huh?
Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai has been asked by the management of the Brahma temple at Pushkar near here to tender an apology for her bodyguard entering the shrine allegedly in an inebriated condition.
“Twenty-four hours have elapsed since the incident and she should immediately apologise or we will launch a protest,” said S N Garg, secretary of the Teerth Purohit Sangh Trust, the organisation of priests of the temple.
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Top 10 Hollywood Grossers for 2006
These are the Hollywood movies by their business in dollars. Which of these was your favorite?
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Directed by Gore Verbinski, Dead Man’s Chest brought in $422,065,649 in 2006. The PG-13 movie starred Johnny Depp and Keira Knightly. In the film, the pirate Jack Sparrow has an unpaid debt to Davey Jones and his army of sea-phantoms. To prevent eternal suffering, Jack must find a way to save himself from becoming one of them.
2. Cars – $244,052,771
3. X-Men – $234,360,014
4. The Da Vinci Code – $217,536,138 -
Aishwarya Rai is 33
Today is Aishwarya Rai’s 33rd birthday! She doesnt look that age… though.. does she? Here are a few of my favorite pictures of her – some from her new movie Umrao Jaan.
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Himesh at par with Shahrukh in show biz!
Who is the king of the showbiz is seen quite clearly at the shows overseas of the bollywood stars. Who are the crowd pullers and who can pack the house on their own is very important.
Here is one guy who has managed many shows over the years who thinks today, HImesh Reshammiya is at par with Shahrukh.. and can pack the entire Wembley on his own!
Whats more he costs one-fourth of the actors troupe too! So he is a great value option for these show organizers!
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Shakira choreographed by Bollywood’s Farha Khan
Here is a performance from Shakira that was choreographed by Farha Khan – one of the top Bollywood dance directors. Honestly, I was very unimpressed. I believe Farha has done much better work and this wasnt that good at all!
She starts with some Bharat Natyam type of dancing and then moves to belly dancing.. and then back….
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How Rafi – the God of Indian Movie Music – was Ill-treated by Nonentities!
I had heard about the problems that Rafi had with Lata and then the low time he saw during the Rajesh Khanna-Kishore Kumar combine era.. but I could have
never imagined that Mohd. Rafi could have been meted out the sort of treatment that Raju Bharatan – the veteran film journalist narrates here in this article!! Even though its been ages since he was gone.. still the number of singers who imitate and swear by Rafi sahab is the highest that is there in any competition or film industry! Here is an example of the treatment that Rafi – in my mind, God’s own voice if there ever was one! – got from some folks!Also, please check out my tribute to him in the “Special Series” section under the Creative Indian Personalities titled – Mohd Rafi – Saranga Teri Yaad Mein
It is unimaginable that anybody alive in the music industry of India had any stature in 1970s to even begin to tell Rafi how to sing.. but such was the case during that time!
It happened at the height of the Rajesh Khanna wave — in the after-1970 Aradhana glow when Mohammed Rafi’s confidence was at its lowest ebb. The Mohammed Rafi who had sung, for Naushad, a total of 149 songs (81 of them solo) through 35 years. That ace composer had heard about how sheer nonentities, in the recording room, had begun dictating to Mohammad Rafi.
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Suchitra Sen for Dadasaheb and Sohrab Modi’s DadaSaheb in Chor Bazaar!!
Suchitra Sen – the beautiful actress from Bengal – is being talked about as the most likely candidate for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (for the Lifetime Achievement to Indian Cinema). Of course, noone can beat Madhubala in my eyes.. but Suchitra Sen was a close second!! She was exotic… specially in the song – Chal ri sajni ab kya soche?Meanwhile, here is how the award to another legend – Sohrab Modi – was treated by his own kids!
Sohrab Modi’s Dadasaheb Phalke award is on sale!! It is amazing that his kids had no sense of their father’s achievement and they simply sold it off when they left the country!! Sohrab Modi was not just another Director or Actor… but a major era defining peronality!!
Indian film collectors should be on alert-legendary actor-director Sohrab Modi’s Dadasaheb Phalke Award medallion may soon go up for sale on the internet.
A little more than a year ago, the medallion and some ceramic pieces from Modi’s Cuffe Parade home were sold to Mumbai’s most resourceful and notorious antiques market, Chor Bazaar. -
Mel Gibson and Hate Triangle!
Mel Gibson is in a PR soup. Seeing the religious landscape as a layman it doesnt seem how messed up it might be. But reading this report about Mel Gibson.. it seems pretty clear that there are enough Christian Fundamentalist around.
Btw, what a strange situation – the Muslims hate the Jews and Christians; the Christians hate Muslims and Jews; and the Jews hate the Muslims and (maybe) Christians!! So everyone is against everyone! What a joke!
The entertainment Web site TMZ posted what it said were four pages from the original arrest report, which quoted Gibson as launching an expletive-laden “barrage of anti-Semitic remarks” after he was stopped on Pacific Coast Highway.
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Alexander, Barbaric Indians, Aryabhat and the “Inspired” Galileo!!
Did anyone see the movie “Alexander the Great” – with Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie?? In that movie, Alexander is shown to have come to India and there Indians are shown as almost primitive creatures with very little intelligence or culture. In fact, the illustration is of a timid and very tribal kind of people. The Movie researchers little realized that THAT period of Indian history was probably the most glorious ever. Chandragupta Maurya, at whose hands, Alexander’s Army lost was arguably one of the greatest ever kings flanked by Chanakya – arguably the greatest political strategist the world has ever seen!
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I would Die if I could not be an Actor!
Success is not about being the best talent in any field. Often success depends on one’s passion for an art or a vocation. If you want something enough.. .strongly enough that you can be ready to trade your happiness and comforts – then no matter how high and terrible the odds.. success cannot be far off.
I was reading an interview with arguably India’s the finest actor – Naseeruddin Shah. He is going to teach at one of the newest Actors training school this year.. here he talked about the qualities he will be looking for in his students. These following lines could possibly fit anywhere.. to any profession! Worth writing down and remembering!!
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Most Expensive Hotel Suites in the World
$37,000 – yeah that’s per night!! That is the kind of money the rich and famous spend on their hotel stays! Its amazing, but the rich and famous are fairly vain kind of folks! So such businesses do well!
Penthouse Suite at The Hotel Martinez: $37,200
Cannes, France
Cannes is a summer haven for sun-deprived Europeans, and the annual film festival is one of the biggest events of the season. The Penthouse Suite at The Hotel Martinez is the ritziest place to stay, located on the seventh floor of the hotel. It has four bedrooms, and the enormous terrace has a private Jacuzzi and views of the Mediterranean.
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Don remake with Shahrukh Khan
Don, the Amitabh starrer in the 1970′s is being remade with Shahrukh now… it will be interesting to see how the present day star will handle it vs Amitabh… here is a preview…
Farhan Akhtar’s remake of the seminal Amitabh Bachchan – Zeenat Aman movie, Don stars SRK and Priyanka Chopra in the lead roles, with Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor and Boman Irani.Here’s your first look at the new poster, which hints at just how futuristic a film Farhan’s remake will be.
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Tomkat and Brangelina Compete for the Nuttiest Birth Plan!
Vanity thy name is Hollywood! What would the world be without these jokers? My wife’s doc refused to let her fly on a normal plane.. how will this hollywood bimbo go up in zero gravity to moon? Maybe Scientology can help?!!
Expectant parents Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes announced plans today to give birth on the moon in what appears to be an escalating competition with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for the nuttiest birth plan in history.
In a press conference at Cape Canaveral, where Cruise was conferring with NASA officials about the final details of the couple’s lunar journey, the actor denied that the plan to give birth on the moon was in any way motivated by the other couple’s decision to deliver their baby in Namibia.
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Paris Hilton as Mother Teresa
Just got this from Desicritics – a where I write too. Aaman a fellow blogger got this one heck of a news item!! It blows me away to think how this would work out in the end!!
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Since we are past the first of April, this must be taken seriously. Malayalam film-maker T Rajeevnath, who won the National Film Award for Janani in 1988, has shortlisted Paris Hilton to play the role of the ‘Saint of the Gutters’ in a film scheduled to begin filming in 2007.
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Helen: The Life and Times of an H Bomb
Here is an excerpt from a book on Helen by Jerry Pinto titles “Helen: The Life and Times of an H Bomb”.
She was indeed a special actress to have come to the Indian screen… and I cannot imagine the history of Indian Cinema without her! She was THE most excellent dancer that one saw growing up.
It wasn’t quite lust that Helen aroused, although her dance numbers were chiefly about the pleasure men derive from the female form in motion. Helen was the desire that you need not be embarrassed about feeling. You could forgive yourself that feeling because there was something about her that transcended the tawdry clothes, the bizarre make-up, the invasive camera angles, the inane lyrics and the repetitive choreography and suggestive movements. These days she is often spoken of as “the original item girl”. -
Predictions Gone Awry!
Here are some predictions gone wrong!! My Favorites are the one by Albert Einstein on Nuclear Stuff.. shows that even the BEST that history had to offer could go wrong in their choicest subject!!
Have fun… if you know of any more.. just add them in the comments!
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Events
- «We will bury you.»
Nikita Krushchev, Soviet Premier, predicting Soviet communism will win over U.S. capitalism, 1958. - «Everything that can be invented has been invented.»
Charles H. Duell, an official at the US patent office, 1899. - «I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious sensibilities of anyone.»
Charles Darwin, in the foreword to his book, The Origin of Species, 1869. - «Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.»
Irving Fisher, economics professor at Yale University, 1929.
- «We will bury you.»
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Funny Dubbed Movie: Aladdin & Jasmine!
Very interesting and humorous dubbing!!
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Laura Bush in NOIDA…
Laura Bush gets going!! She goes to this studio in NOIDA…
It was lessons in counting from none other than the US First Lady Laura Bush when she met the directors of Indian version of the famous American cartoon serial Sesame Street in Noida on Thursday.
Participating in the shoot of one of the episodes, Laura, not minding the take or re-takes, was a sport while acting with the lead characters of the serial ‘Chamki’.
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Aishwarya Rai from Flickr
20040621-02400
Originally uploaded by boombotz187.
This is an interesting picture of Aish from Flickr.. brings out the naughtiness and the astonishing beauty of hers!
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Meena Kumari: the legend!
Meena Kumari was one of the greatest actresses in Indian Cinema of all times. Here is a biography on her…“I do not want to work in films” was the statement of a small six year old kid in 1939 when she was asked to work in film Leatherface as a child actress at the age of six. But she finally did work in the film that she was asked, rather forced, to perform. However, it was also the need of time as the family had difficult finances.
The other aspect is that little Mahjabeen was one of those serious and sensitive kids who cry when hurt.