Culture & Society

Movie Review: ‘Spotlight’ is a highly sensitive & riveting movie about child sex abuse in the Catholic church

February 19, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin & Micheal Sugar
Director: Tom McCarthy
Star Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Micheal Keaton, Racheal McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci & Brian D’Arcy James
Genre: Suspense
Verdict: GOOD

After having directed many films like Meet The Parents, Good night and Good Luck director Tom McCarty has touched upon a sensitive subject of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

Plot: Spotlight narrates the true story of the Pulitzer Prize – winning Boston Globe investigation that rocked the city and caused a crisis in one of the world’s oldest and most trusted institutions. When the newspaper’s tenacious “Spotlight” team of reporters delves into allegations of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church, their year – long investigation uncovers a decades – long cover – up at the highest levels of Boston’s religious, legal, and Government establishment, touching off a wave of revelations around the world. Directed by Academy Award -nominee Tom McCarthy, Spotlight is a tense investigative dramatic -thriller, tracing the steps to one of the biggest cover – ups in modern times.

Aces: The finest performances of the entire ensemble cast and the credit for which undoubtedly goes to Tom McCarthy at helm of the directorial affair.

Minuses: The long yawn inducing boring conversations amongst themselves of the members of the fourth estate in the press room and in the 1st half of the film it hardly moves out of the press room.

Last Word: Spotlight is a very relevant and sensitive film which may be liked by classy audience but may not be palatable for the mass audience.

BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom is indeed a thought provoking film: Rakesh Chaturvedi

February 17, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Rakesh Chaturvedi. Photo: Mid-Day

Writer turned director turned actor turned producer Rakesh Chaturvedi had made his directorial debut with a film called Bolo Ram and now his next film is BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom that apart he has 2 more projects tucked up his sleeves which have been tentatively titled as Tandon Marega Sala & Sorry Chachoo respectively. And which will go on the floors soon enough.

Describe your directorial experiences between your debut film Bolo Raam & your 2nd directorial outing namely BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom?

Actually speaking I feel that it is the genre which is different in both the films which made me to have a different experiences all the time But of course the rest of the directorial process was the same.

So what is your latest directorial offering BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom all about?

Frankly speaking my latest offering BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom is a movie which will make us to think what happens sometimes when our society norms put us on test.

Does the film BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom offer any message?

Yes it does and that is, the quest for more is never ending. So we have to choose precisely what we want between our need & our greed, otherwise we will never grow and the situation will be keep throwing us in the same circle. Needless to say I am trying to say the same thing in my latest directorial offering namely BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom, but of course not in a preachy sort of way but very subtly tickling the audience’s ribs with an unconventional climax and it will be totally depending on person to person as to what he or she gains from BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom at the end.

Was there any reference point to make BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom or you observed this as part of a society?

To be absolutely frank I had myself, experienced the basic idea of this film several times in my personal as well as professional life.

As a creative individual, were you always interested in production & direction or even acting?

To answer this query let me rearrange the order of subjects in your question. So here is how it goes, acting, writing, direction & production! I hope you got the answer according to the order of the subjects of your question.

So tell us how was the experience when you were assisting Rahul Dholakia during the making of Parzania?

Actually speaking I had joined Rahul Dholakia as a casting director in Parzania but Rahul Dholakia & Parzania blessed me to experience the varied parts of film making and also injected an interest of writing & direction in my veins.

By the way do you still pursue theatre as you have also done theatre and have been a National School of Drama student.

Yes I do. I still do exclusive theatre with Naseeruddin Shah’s theatre group Motley as an actor and will keep doing it unconditionally.

It seems that you have also assisted well known talented writers and also written several Hindi films. So what interests you the most, writing, direction or production?

The only thing that really interests or rather excites me the most is good concepts or good ideas or any relevant situation that really provokes me to do writing, direction or production. I really put my best efforts in each & every department when it comes to giving my voice for anything which is important to say.

So After BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom, What is next on your agenda? And are you planning any projects of late?

Yup, I am indeed planning 2 more projects which are soon going on the floors back to back, and both of them are tentatively titled Tandon Marega Sala & Sorry Chachoo respectively.

Will your next 2 projects also be based on comic lines?

I personally think that you can say so, but this time they will border on 2 totally different patterns of comedy. To make it more clear one of the fIlm will be a comic thriller and the other film will be based on satirical take off. Now you keep guessing which of the 2 forthcoming films of mine will be based on which pattern.

Loveshhuda is yonger generation’s coming of age film for one & all: Girish Kumar

February 17, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Girish Kumar, of Ramaiya Vastavaiya fame, is a cool dude albeit a bit shy. But that was when he had donned the grease paint & faced the arc lights for his debut film Ramaiya Vastavaiya, but of late he is pretty chilled out and quite confident of himself and his polished acting skills especially after giving the final touches to his latent histrionics in his 2nd outing named Lovesshuda which is on the verge of release on 19th Feb, 2016.

You hail from a musical family of Tips Music Company then how come you have drifted into the acting arena?

Sorry to say but those days are gone when the sons or daughters of a doctor, a lawyer or a teacher had to unarguably follow in the footsteps of their father’s profession. To be very frank I always wanted to be an actor since I was that high. I never thought of anything else beyond acting. And I am grateful to my father Kumar Taurani for giving me on a platter a perfect launchpad in Ramaiya Vastavaiya with Prabhu Dheva sir at the directorial helm of affairs and above all Kamal Hassan sir’s extremely talented daughter Shruti Hassan as my co – star. What more could I have asked for?

Facts are facts your debut film Ramaiya Vastavaiya was not exactly a runaway hit film nor did it hit the bull’s eye as expected. So how much did you benefit from it?

May be I did not gain much from it from the financial and creative point of view. Nor did I get offers galore after its release. But I did gain a vast knowledge & more experience. I was too young & naïve, maybe a little immature too at that point of time. But today I consider myself mature enough to handle & further my filmy career on my own steam. In the meanwhile I have further polished my acting skills. I feel I am more confident enough now to do better & better work and really carve a niche for myself as the most dependable actor, mind you not a replaceable actor.

Fine but tell us why was there such a bill lull in your debut film Ramaiya Vastavaiya and now Lovesshuda releasing this week?

As they say everything happens for the best. True enough destiny too has its own part in our life & career yet in spite of all the hurdles, today I feel solely responsible for whatever decisions I take regarding my career. Its also true that my father could have relaunched me with another much better project but then I would not have become so serious regarding my acting career. So this time around I really wanted to struggle on my own and go through the whole grind and for that I totally went through a change in my persona too, including my hairstyle which was so unruly then and perfectly in order now.

You had done all your action sequences yourself in Ramaiya Vastavaiya like Akshay Kumar does in his all his movies. So will you continue to do so and keep following in his footsteps?

What do I say as Akshay Kumar is a veteran actor, I cannot compete or compare myself with him. If I will get a chance to hang out with him, then maybe I will become like him.

By the way did your father’s name help you in your career or did you struggle to bag the chance on your own?

Just because I am producer Kumar Taurani’s son doesn’t mean I did not struggle. I had my own share of struggle but not like other debutante actors. Yes, I got an opportunity but it was all about achieving the goal as I did. Only after taking my audition, did Prabhu Dheva sir displayed his contentment and had said to my father that we will be working together. And I am really happy that I debuted with Prabhu Dheva sir’s film namely Ramaiya Vastavaiya.

Ok now time to tell us about your role in your upcoming film Lovesshuda which is all set to release this week.

Well! I would describe Lovesshuda as Generation X’s coming of age film. It is the story of a boy next door. He also has this carefree lifestyle like just freaking out with his friends, like boys born with a golden spoon always do. He is very down to earth too.

Please continue!

So once he goes out with his coterie of friends for a bachelor’s night out party. During the party he gets totally sozzled out and the next morning he wakes up sharing his bed with a complete stranger, a girl and from then on a completely strange love story develops between the two of them.

But don’t you think the title Lovesshuda is very unusual?

What’s so strange & unusual about it? If a boy & a girl can be known as shaaadishuda after entering into matrimony. Then why can’t a boy & a girl be known as lovesshuda after they are smitten with each other, I mean after they have fallen completely in love with each other.

What according to you are the highlights of Lovesshuda?

First of all its strange love story and then music is the highpoint of the film. Now let the director Vaibhav Mishra reveal the rest of the highlights of Lovesshuda.

And what would you like to say about your director Vaibhav Mishra?

I would say that my director Vaibhav Mishra is a cool & chilled out guy. Being a youthful & dynamic guy himself, he really understands the pulse of today’s younger generation. During the making of Lovesshuda he gave us also gave full freedom to improvise our lines & scenes. Though sometimes I really used to hate him, especially when he really used to make me drink a lot for all my sozzled up scenes in Lovesshuda for authenticity.

Ok as a parting shot tell us what is next on your histrionics agenda?

Right now I am like an excited, anxious & tension filled student who is waiting with batted breath for his Friday Box Office results.

I don’t think you expect any more lull in your film career. Do you?

No not at all. A couple of films are lined up and I am reading a lot of scripts also to select the right kind of roles for myself. Even otherwise I consider Lovesshuda as one more litmus test of my career. As I not only worked very hard for it but also enjoyed a lot during the filming of Lovesshuda.

Movie Review: ‘Sanam Re’ A Musical Love Story Gone Seriously Wrong

February 16, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Bhushan Kumar
Director: Divya Khosla Kumar
Star Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam, Urvashi Routela Bharti Singh & Rishi Kapoor
Music: T-Series

Director Divya Khosla Kumar had earlier come up with a very youthful & entertaining film Yaariyaan in her debut outing. But in her 2nd outing Sanam Re is not so impressive after all.

The plotted scenario of Sanam Re entails the story of Aakash (Pulkit Samrat) who is an ambitious young man but he is always rebuked by his boss. The circumstances takes him back to his small home town amidst snowcapped hills. His dadaji (Rishi Kapoor), a photographer had been a strong influence on him during childhood but now he’s old & Aakash’s parents are all set to sell off the photo studio since there’s no one to take care of it. The young & confused Aakash rediscovers the memories of his childhood love Shruti (Yami Gautam) whom he had dumped for a comfortable city life a few years ago. Circumstances make Aakash & Yami to meet again in the salubrious climate of Canada where they attend a Yoga Camp of a lady Yoga guru (Bharti Singh). The triangle is completed by gorgeous & sexy Mrs Pablo (Urvashi Rautela) who has to be won over by Aakash for professional reasons. The story moves forward and the professional ambitions gradually gets taken over by pure unadulterated love.

No doubt director Divya Khosla Kumar has chosen some fantastic locales in Laddakh, Canada & Himachal Pradesh. But only if she had paid more attention and made the script of Sanam Re a little more plausible & lively to keep the viewers interest intact in the film.
The only plus point of the movie is its T-Series brand of chart bursting & foot tapping music and the slow pace of the film is another big let down. But of course Sameer Arya’s soothing camerawork makes the stunning locales a visual treat for the viewers.

Performance wise Pulkit Samrat has given a good account of himself. Both Yami Gautam & Urvashi Rautela look gorgeous & beautiful on screen and add to the glamour quotient and that’s it. Bharti Singh. just carries forward her small screen comedian image to celluloid silver screen to raise a few laughable moments. Rishi Kapoor is picture perfect in a grandfather’s role.

Tail Piece: Sanam Re is strictly recommended only for die – hard music lovers while others please stay away from this old wine in a new bottle’s extremely boring fare.

Movie Review: ‘Fitoor’ is a poorest adaptation of famed author Charles Dickens novella “Great Expectations”

February 16, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Siddharth Roy Kapur
Director: Abhishek Kapur
Star Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Ajay Devgn, Lara Dutta, Rahul Bhatt, Aditi Rao Hydari, Akshay Oberoi, Delbar Arya et al
Music: Amit Trivedi

Actor turned director Abhishek Kapur’s earlier claim to fame were films like Kai Po Che & Rock On! But the less said about his latest directorial outing Fitoor the better.

The plotted scenario of Fitoor kick starts with the flashback that reflects the childhood of a young Kashmiri boy Noor Nizami and his ‘blink – and – you -miss’ tryst with a random stranger (Ajay Devgn), who turns out to be a certain Mirza Baig eventually. One of the days, when Noor Nizami accompanies his brother – in – law to Begam’s (Tabu) palace for some carpentry work, his young & innocent eyes fall on the eternally beautiful Firdaus Jaan Naqvi. Because, she takes a ‘liking’ for Noor Nizami’s (torn) shoes, he gets hired as their stable’s caretaker. Gradually, the duo start liking each other and each other’s company. One day Noor Nizami comes looking out for Firdaus at her palace when Begum informs him that she has been sent away to London for education. The film then fast forwards to a few years and now a grown up Noor Nizami (Aditya Roy Kapur) leaves his hometown to move to Delhi to build his career as an artist. As luck would have it, Noor Nizami meets Firdaus (Katrina Kaif) at a party and this time round, they try to ‘complete’ their ‘incomplete’ love story. That’s when Firdaus confesses to Noor Nizami that she will soon be getting married to an upcoming Pakistani politician Bilal (Rahul Bhatt). The level of obsession that Noor Nizami has for Firdaus reaches crazy heights.

A cautionary advise to Fitoor’s director Abhishek Kapoor that so much obsession (Fitoor) for directing a film, by hook or crook, can be seriously harmful & damaging both for his health & directorial career respectively.

Performance wise both Aditya Roy Kapur & Katrina Kaif are totally disappointing to say the least as first & foremost they both are totally a mismatched pair sans any on screen chemistry and even a starry on screen presence. Need anything more be said about the duo. Tabu does justice to her Begum’s royal character. In fact she is the only silver lining in the cloud. While Ajay Devgn, Lara Dutta, Rahul Bhatt, Aditi Rao Hydari, Akshay Oberoi, Delbar Arya et al have been totally misused in inane & nonsensical roles.

Tail Piece: Fitoor has already proved to be a total waste of time, money & energy for its entire team. So now a cautionary advise for the audiences too, “Don’t waste your time, money & energy” to watch a lacklustre film like Fitoor.

Southern Films Round Up

February 15, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Dulquer Salmaan’s New Heroine Is Shaun Romy

Dulquer Salmaan has got a new heroine in his upcoming movie directed by Rajeev Ravi. Titled Kammatti Paadam the movie is all about the transformation of Kochi from a small town into a metro city. This is a period drama set in the 80s. Shaun Romy was suggested for the role by Rajeev Ravi’s wife Geethu Mohandas who was impressed with her modelling profile. Shaun Romy is excited to be playing Dulquer’s pair in the film and says that he is a very patient & understanding person.

Dinesh Reveals Details About His Character In Kabali

Young actor Dinesh is basking in the glory of unanimous praise being showered on his latest film Visaranai and his performance in the Vetrimaran directed flick.
Dinesh who debuted as the lead actor with director Pa. Ranjith’s Attakathi has bagged a role in Ranjith’s upcoming mega project Kabali with Superstar Rajinikanth in the lead role. Dinesh has just revealed that the name of the character he has played in the film is Jeeva. He further said that he does not know the story of the film and he just acted as per instructions of Ranjith on the shooting spot. Produced by Kalaipuli. S. Thanu, Kabali is expected to hit the screens on 1st May, 2016.

Suriya’s 24 Unlikely To Clash With Vijay’s Theri

Kollywood movie buffs are expecting for a big clash on the Tamil new year day as Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s Their & Suriya’s much anticipated sci – fi flick 24 are expected to release around the same festival period. However trade sources are apprehensive about the same as the 2 biggies releasing on the same day will be detrimental to the stakeholders of both the films. But Now Suriya who has also produced 24 under his 2D Entertainment’s banner has said that such a clash is not possible as it is not possible to release 2 biggies on the same day. He further said that either of the 2 films will only be released on 14th Apr, 2016 and also hoped that it is 24.

Anirudh & Vignesh Sivan Team Up Again After Naanum Rowdy Dhaan

Young music director Anirudh Ravichander who is musically far away from his local audience due to continuous foreign concerts for the past couple of months, is now back with the “Avalukkenna” shingle track which was released on Valentine’s Day as a dedication for lovers. And now it has also been revealed that young director & lyricist Vignesh Sivan and also a good friend of Anirudh has directed this shingle as an album featuring Anirudh. This is the 2nd time teaming up of the duo which tasted huge success with the recent super hit Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. The teaser of the above mentioned album was also released earlier.

Nampally Criminal Court issues summons to Rajamouli

Ace director SS Rajamouli has been issued summons in a land case by the Nampally Criminal Court. One Bhuvaneshwar, a film producer, had moved the court alleging that Rajamouli reneged on a commitment to sell off his land to him. In the event, the maker of Baahubali did not honour his commitment. Upon finding the accusation to be true based on preliminary reports, the Court has issued summons to Rajamouli, asking him to be be present in the Court on 24th Feb, 2016.

Anjali Turns A Crooner

Actress Anjali is going to don the avatar of a crooner for the 1st time in her upcoming horror – drama Chitrangadha. The actress has recently crooned a song along with Sela Swaminathan, son of music composer Selva Ganesh for this film. The film produced by Gangapatnam Sridhar is a bi – lingual in Telugu & Tamil. The Tamil version is titled Yaar Nee. The film is the story of a transgender and is set in USA backdrop. Anjali has shed a few kilos to get into the skin of the character and will be seen sporting a different look. Ashok of Pilla Zamindar fame is directing this film which is likely to hit the screens in the summer of 2016. The teaser of the film released recently has evoked thumping response from movie buffs.

Allu Arjun To Make His Debut As A Crooner

Stylish star Allu Arjun is all charged up to entice his fans in a new avatar in his next outing Sarrainodu. The 32 year old actor is going to croon for an EDM track for the Boyapati Sreenu directorial shortly. Music composer SS Thaman has already completed composing the song at his recording studio in Chennai. The final version is going to be recorded once Allu Arjun wraps up the climax portion of the film. Thaman, who has got the knack of convincing the superstars for a crooning debut, has made fruitful attempt to unleash the crooning talent of Allu Arjun. “The song is definitely the one we have been waiting for. It’s really tough to score tunes for wonderful dancers like Allu Arjun and imagine if he croons that song, then the excitement doubles up. With the actor coming on board, it made Thaman to augment his work.” avers the source.

Samantha Shrugs Off The Rumours

Days after it was rumoured that Samantha had left the Brahmotsavam unit in a lurch by whizzing off to Chennai mid – way during an important schedule, the star actress has clarified that nothing of that sort happened. It was believed by many, following unfounded rumours, that she had accepted a Tamil film opposite Raj Kumar (Devayani’s husband) without consideration to the makers of Brahmotsavam to whom she had given the call sheets. However, when asked whether there is a modicum of truth in the gossip, Samantha shrugged off the rumour saying that she had been shooting for the film at Ramoji Film City. Besides this film, Samantha has A.. Aa.., Janata Garage, Theri (with Vijay) & 24 (Suriya starrer) lined up for release this year.

Shourya To Be Released Overseas By Supreme Movies LLC

Supreme Movies LLC, USA has bagged the overseas screening rights of the most anticipated thriller movie Shourya. It is a romantic thriller film directed by K. Dasaradh & produced by Malkapuram Siva Kumar, under the banner of Suraksh Entertainments. The film stars Manchu Manoj & Regina Cassandra in the lead roles along with Prakash Raj, Shayaji Shinde, Subbaraju, Brahmanandam et al. The film is being directed by K. Dasaradh, who has earlier directed hit movies like Santosham, Mr. Perfect et al and the music is being composed by Veda K. The film is all set to hit the silver screen worldwide on 3rd Mar, 2016.

School Bus Begins At Kochi

Rosshan Andrrews’ next titled School Bus has begun rolling. The movie got underway at Kochi recently. The director himself had announced the movie’s start. School Bus is based on real life incidents and is told from the perspective of 2 children. It is through the eyes of these 2 kids that the adult world is shown. Kunchako Boban too plays a pivotal part in the movie. He plays a police officer. Certain law issues pertaining to the events that unfold is where Kunchako Boban’s role comes in. The movie has been scripted by Bobby – Sanjay.

Yash & Radhika Team Up Again

The rocking star Yash and dream girl in Kannada cinema Radhika Pandit yet another combination for K Manju production is titled as Maanja. This film went on the floors in the absence of Radhika Pandit. Mahesh Rao, the director of this film was looking for a catchy title to suit the masses and fans of Yash. The super success of Mr And Mrs Ramachari with Yash & Radhika is continued in this Maanja. The popular screen pair commenced from Moggina Manasu and later acted in Drama a runaway hit film in Yogaraj Bhat’s direction. One of the senior producers in Lakshmi Art Combines, K Manju is roping in Yash after Raaja Huli. It is commencing shoot soon says K Manju.

Manamanthana Gets U Certificate

It is the return of distinct maker Suresh Heblikar in Kannada cinema front after 15 year’s gap as a director. An environmentalist Suresh Heblikar has picked the concept from Dr Ashok Pai and directed in the banner of Manasa Arts of Ashok Pai.
The regional censor board has sanctioned a clean U certificate for the film recently. The film is heading for release soon. This film is having a right message for the younger generation. Ramesh Bhat in the father’s character has done a unique role. P. Rajan is handling the camera, Prvin D. Rao scores the music, MN Swamy will be handling editing, screenplay lyrics, direction are handled by Suresh Heblikar. He also appears in a psychiatrist role. Kiran Rajaputh, Arpitha, Sangeetha, Suman, Sridhar, Lakshmi Gopinath et el are in the cast of Mana Manthana.

“Direct Ishq is an action packed romantic comedy”: Rajeev S. Ruia

February 15, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Director Rajeev S. Ruia, hailing from Rajasthan, had received an instant limelight and recognition with the release of his film My Friend Ganesha. And now he is ready with a diametrically opposite film namely Direct Ishq.

To set the ball rolling in your court tell us what is your upcoming film Direct Ishq all about?

My upcoming film Direct Ishq cannot exactly be termed as a triangular love story. Rather it is an engaging story about 2 boys Kabir Bajpai (Arjun Bijlani) and Vicky Shukla (Rajneish Dugall) both of whom falls for the same girl Dolly Pandey (Nidhi Subhaiah). But yet the trio’s love story is zara hatke.

Can you elaborate?

Well! Actually speaking Vicky Shukla (Rajniesh Duggall) is a local boy from Banaras. A president of the Kaashi Vidyapeeth, Vicky is a rough and tough, aggressive boy who believes in always having a revolver with him, because he is always up for a fight. But this boldness turns into complete shyness when interacting with girls. He soon meets Dolly Pandey (Nidhi Subhaiah), who is bubbly, mischievous and doll like, and falls in love with her. On the other hand Kabeer Bajpai (Arjun Bijlani) is a smart and good looking boy born in a rich family of Banaras but educated in Mumbai and works there doing music shows and events. His grandmother wants to fix him up with her friend’s daughter, but instead Kabeer Bajpai meets Dolly Pandey and also falls in love with her, while helping her make a career as a professional singer.

Don’t you think this rather sounds like a clichéd love story?

To be very frank it is not always the subject matter which lures the audience to a theatre. But a film really promoted well that catches an audience fancy and then it’s the directorial treatment that attracts the audience and keeps him hooked throughout the running time of the movie. In the long run if you go to see there are hardly a few storyline and then it is up to the script writer who weaves the plot in an interesting manner. Then the director takes over and it is up to the director who directs and presents the script in such a manner that the film becomes an interesting watch and really catches the audience fancy.

What according to you are the highlights of Direct Ishq?

I would say that Direct Ishq is an action packed romantic comedy with melodious songs, and besides it has been shot in the beautiful locales of the holy city of Benaras, wherein the river Ganges gets beautifully decorated in the evenings with varied lights and flowers placed there to please the Gods. The uniqueness of the holy city lies in their language, their culture and even their songs, which I have been lucky enough to film it. That apart all my lead actors will really capture the heart of the audiences in characters that they have never before done. And of course I would also like to make a special mention of Arjun Bijlani’s introductory scene, Nidhi Subhaiah’s biking experiences and Rajniesh Dugall’s daringly different cowboyish looks in Direct Ishq, and over and above all a special song “Ganga Maiyya” as a tribute to river Ganges.

So what will be your next movie after the release of Direct Ishq?

My next film after Direct Ishq will most probably be My Friend Ganesha 4 and Flame which has already bagged 16 National and International awards in the festival circuits. Then my soon to go on the floor films are Saansein – The Last Breath a horror film in 3D and over and above all a mythological film titled Love U Shankar.

Movie Review: ‘Deadpool’ is a sheer exercise in boredom topped with unlimited violence

February 12, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg and Ryan Reynolds
Director: Tim Miller
Star Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrien, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand & Stefan Kapiac
Genre: Action Adventure
Verdict: POOR

Debutante director Tim Miller has made a sheer mess of his debut directorial offering, namely Deadpool. It happens to be the 8th instalment in the X – Men series of movies, which are primarily based on the globally famous Marvel Comics.

Plot: Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti – hero, Deadpool tells the original story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson Ryan Reynolds), who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humour, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Aces: The brilliantly coordinated non – stop action scenes throughout the movie which may prove to be a real visual treat for fans of actions movies.

Minuses: Too much of blood and gore topped with bedroom scenes and in your face blatant male nudity.

Last Word: The brutal violence in Deadpool has crossed all the limits of boredom. So much so that you feel like reading marvel comics at home rather than taking a trip to cinema halls to watch Deadpool. A statutory warning, even if you are a die – hard fan of action movies watch Deadpool at your own risk and it is certainly not recommended for weak hearted persons.

Shiv Kumar Sharma, Hari Prasad Chaurasiya, Suresh Wadkar & Yogesh Gaur to get first Ravindra Jain academy award

February 11, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Shri Ravindra Jain was an influence, inspiration & guidance to people of all walks of life. His presence will always be felt & his absence be missed. Dada’s (a art, his music, his lyrics as well as his attitude towards life, will always be keep alive in the minds of his fans & his well wishers.

His work will continue and his legacy will also be kept alive, hence on 28th Feb, 2016, a musical function will be organised, an event in his memory at Iskon auditorium,juhu. Besides an award in his name will be started which would be presented by the Ravindra Jain Academy of Music & Fine Arts. The Ravindra jain Academy Award would be presented to Lyricists, Music Composers & a Singer. That apart on the birth anniversary of Ravindra Jain, his birthday will also be celebrated, as well as his contribution towards the society.

Shri Ravindra Jain Ji was not only an amazing music director, but also a brilliant singer & lyricist, as we have all been witness to his work. Keeping this fact in mind, an award will be presented to 2 different artists who are known & valued for their work in these fields. After great discussion & deliberation amongst a jury of respected individuals, a decision has been made. The awards are to be presented to the legendary music director duo namely Shri Shiv Kumar Sharmaji & Shri Hari Prasad Chaurasiyaji, renowned playback & classical singer Shri Suresh Wadkarji & a renowned lyricist Shri Yogesh Gaurji.

Bollywood Films Round Up

February 10, 2016 by Shaheen Raaj

Rajniesh Duggall, Nidhi Subbaiah, Swati Sharrma, Karan Vahi & Sugandha Mishra On The Sets Of Comedy Classes

Actors Rajniesh Duggall & Nidhi Subbaiah & singer Swati Sharrma along with actors Sugandha Mishra & Karan Wahi went to Comedy classes to promote their film Direct Ishq releasing on 19th Feb, 2016.

The film is produced by Pradeep Sharma of Baba Motion Pictures Pvt ltd. Karan Vahi & Sugandha Mishra hosted the show which will be aired on valentine’s day 14th Feb, on Life OK Channel. Rajniesh Duggall & Nidhi Subbaiah performed on different songs in the show.