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Movie Review: ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is an emotional journey of an Indian man & a Pakistani Child

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Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Banner: Salman Khan Films & Kabir Khan Films
Producer: Salman Khan & Rockline Venkatesh
Director: Kabir Khan
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Harshaali Malhotra, Najeem Khan, Ali Quli Mirza, Deepti Naval, Om Puri, Sharat Saxena & Adnan Sami (Spl App)
Music: Pritam Chakraborty, Komail Shayan (KK) & Julius Packiam

Director Kabir Khan is known for his films like ‘Kabul Express’, ‘New York’ & ‘Ek Tha Tiger’. He seems to have a penchant for cross border problems which he keeps showcasing in most of his films including in his latest directorial offering ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ too. But this this time he has succeded in delivering an endearing & a heart touching film.

A 6 year old speech impaired girl Shahida (Harshaali Malhotra) accompanies her mother from Pakistan to Delhi to visit a Muslim Shrine. On her way back to Pakistan Shahida aka Munni gets separated from her mother on the Indian border. Munni then bumps into Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi (Salman Khan), who is a staunch bhakt of Hanuman. After some initial hesitation Pawan takes the oath of Hanuman to return Munni back to Pakistan to deliver her safely in the hands of her parents. So off he goes to Pakistan without even having a Passport not to forget the Visa. He encounters a lot of problems on his way to and in Pakistan too. His trouble starts right from the Wagah border and then continues till the end, during which a local news reporter Chand Pasha (Nawazzuddin Siddiqui) and his cameraman (Najim Khan) also help him a lot.

Salman Khan

Except for a few exaggerated hicups & glitches director Kabir Khan does succeed in winning the cine goers heart especially in the 2nd half and post interval portions which is also punctuated with the right doses of humorous punches. Especially notable are the scenes of the trio of Salman Khan, Harshaali Malhotra & Nawazzuddin Siddiqui. That apart Salman Khan deserves a standing ovation for backing such an emotionally oriented sensitive film like ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. A fair share of credit also goes director Kabir Khan and his entire team of the cast & the crew for totally living upto his highest expectations.

Performance wise the film clearly belongs to Salman Khan and the most sensatonal discovery namely Harshaali Malhotra. Yes! Sallu miyan for a change has delivered a very emotionally charged restrained performance, if only he could have resisted those few Dishoom Dishoom scenes. And the girl child Harshaali Malhotra seems to be God gifted. She is so expressive and simply outstanding. Nawazzuddin Siddiqui as usual is brilliant to the core. Sadly enough Kareena Kapoor Khan is not up to the mark as she had nothing much to do in this emotional drama. While the rest of the cast comprising of Najim Khan, Ali Quli Mirza, Deepti Naval, Om Puri, Sharat Saxena, Adnan Sami et al just fit the bill and lend an able & adequate support.

Tail Piece: ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ initially sounds, like it is coloured with communal essence but as the film progresses it leaves you emotionally drained. Don’t miss ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, a perfect festival (Ramzan Eid) & weekend gift for one & all.

“I play a staunch Hanuman Bhakt in ‘Bajrangi Bhaijan'”: Salman Khan

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Salman Khan

Salman Khan has always been surrounded by unwanted & uncalled for controversies galore. But braving all odds he has always emerged a winner. Forgetting all the back lashes in his career and personal life too, he now clears all issues with a pinch of salt. Present here with is an exclusive ad verbatim 1st person account of Salman Khan’s version.

“First of all I would like to wish all my fans & well – wishers a very, very happy Ramzaan Eid mubarak. And I here again with an Eid release ‘Bajrangi Bhaijan’. I lot has been written by you media guys as to why a Hindu oriented film on the eve of a Muslim festival. I would say that a film is a film which mirrors the true picture of society at large. Which can be of any community.So “kya Muslim aur kya Hindu. We are all one. So brothers I would like to say just 1 thing that please don’t try to add communal colour & feeling to ‘Bhajrangi Bhaijaan’ and I think Mr. Pahlaj Nihalani the censor chief also seconds my opinionated train of thoughts. So ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is a gift for all my fans & well – wishers, irrespective of the caste & the creed.”

“In ‘Bhajrangi Bhaijaan’ I am enacting the role of Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi, a staunch Hanuman bhakt. The film revolves around my attempt to take a lost kid back to her home to her parents. It was fun working with the kid, they are so alert & smart you see. 1 day the little girl tells me that, “Ab toh aapke saath kaam kar rahi hoon toh main bhi superstar ban jaaoongi hai na?” Needless to say I was left speechless & dumbstruck. Kabir had a tough time selecting the right kid who could fit the bill and does not look like a precocious kid. The best thing about the kid is that when we started acting together, she told me that she wanted to be a big super star like me. I told her that even I want to be a big super star.”

“After listening to the story & the script narration by director Kabir Khan. I immediately agree to be a part of the film. To be very, very frank & honest I liked the subject of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ too much. There was a comfort level too as I had acted for Kabir Khan in ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ too. Even my dad said that he had not read a script as fine as that of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ or a film as good as this one in the last 2 decades. He also added that SKF (Salman Khan Films) will have to compete with ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ in the future as a production house.”

“People often ask me about my opinion on success & failure. And I always tell them that success has made more failures than failure. It is easy to act when you are successful. After that you tend to get overconfident & monotonous and it is unfortunately seen on the screen when you just do anything & everything. Failure makes you pull up your socks. I should know this because I have been through this game for the last 27 years ever since I made my debut with ‘Biwi Ho To Aisi’. I hope I continue to act even at the age of 70 in roles that centre around me and for another 70 years in character roles. That apart if you succumb to your failures, automatically a stage will arrive when your enthusiasm wanes. However, when a film of yours succeeds at the box office, you start giving everything to your next film because you are sorted out as an actor. If you get carried away by your success and develop an attitude, you will always be like a gas balloon and unhappy. I do not take home my character or the images but the nobleness of my characters. Kabir used to get me charged and make me emotional especially when he shot the climax of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. The niceness of your character always stays in your real life too but you cannot use the same technique that the hero uses in a film.”

“Furthermore I would like to state that life as an actor has always been very, very tough for me. First one has to compete with all the seniors when one makes his debut as the competition is quite tough. Then comes a stage when you have to struggle along with your contemporary actors till you reach the position of you being a senior actor and still realize that it is tough to survive. How long you survive depends on your hard work & efforts, because if you are slack, the next lot is ready to take over. Neither do I jump with happiness when a film of mine is a hit, nor do I have bitterness when a film of mine flops, because I do not want to be insecure as an actor.”

“To continue further I would like to say that content works in a film all the time and not the star. I confess that we used to have a lot more content earlier than what we have now in films. Today we lack emotional quotient in films as we have stopped catering to the pan India audiences and restrict ourselves to the audiences between Andheri & Cuffe Parade. What is of primary importance today is the need to cater to the audiences which stay beyond Andheri railway station.”

“One more point that I would like to stress is that today there is this obsession to get into the 100 cr plus bracket, whether you are a producer, director or for that matter even an actor. It isn’t something that is new. It was there earlier too but at that time we were clamoring for the 100 days run of a film or silver or golden jubilee run. Unfortunately because of this craze for 100 crore plus bracket, the rates of tickets are increasing day by day and it pinches the common man.

When ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ was released 2 decades ago, no one watched the film though the ticket rates were reasonable. Today the film has reached a cult status but everyone prefers to watch it on TV, because repeat value isn’t there for films in theatres. It is sad that today people do not go to see a film if it is a romcom or a sweet film. Unless & until a film is promising and made on a grand scale, the youth is not attracted to watch a film and so most of the films do not touch the 100 crore bracket today.”

“Besides the scenario as far as business of a film is concerned has also changed today. Way back in 1989, as you know, my film ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ was released in just 18 theatres all over Mumbai. The producers Rajshri guys could afford that at that point of time as the film could sustain for a longer period but today the business of a film is restricted to just 2 to 3 weeks. If it is a star studded film with good content, it may run for 6 weeks in a theatre, not more. In fact the Delhi Government led by AAP has increased the rate of entertainment tax in Delhi from 20 to 40% all of a sudden. It is very sad. “Khud toh film dekhne nahin jaate lekin aam aadmi ko bhi tang karte hain”. These people will call us only when they need us to canvass for their votes and use us during the elections. They feel that it is a chotisi industry worth only 8000 crores. The aam aadmi is bleeding today with lesser number of cinema houses to watch films and steep entertainment taxes & costly tickets at the multiplexes. It is sad but the bitter truth that a large country like India which produces over 1200 films every year in several languages does not have adequate number of cinema houses for producers to show case their films. If 1 big star announces his film as an Eid release, then another star is not able to release his film on the same day but Inshah Allah, I think Shah Rukh Khan and I will be able to release our respective films on the same day of Eid next year because by then many cinema multiplexes would have been made.”

“Not only this I still wonder why are films not able to do good business today, I think this mainly because our
films are not able to generate business to a large extent even if they are good, only because we do not have theatres. I am working towards setting up small miniplexes which have a seating capacity of up to 250 patrons all over Maharashtra to begin with. If the experiment is a success, we may invite theatre owners all over the country for franchises.”

“People often ask me as to when will they be able to see the trinity of myself, Aamir Khan & Shah Rukh Khan together on the celluloid silver screen. In this regard I woud like to state that If at all Aamir and I or for that matter Shah Rukh Khan and I have to come together, why should we make a sequel or a remake of ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ or ‘Koyla’. We would rather act together in an altogether new film.”

“One thing that really saddens me is that why do you people have to repeatedly ask me as to why did ‘Jai Ho’ failed at the box office turnstiles. My clarification to that is although it was a superb film, it failed to make it big mainly because we did not want to hike the rates of the tickets. It did a business of just Rs 126 crores. If only we had hiked the rates of the tickets, Sohail could have earned a lot more. Even the ticket rates of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ will not be hiked, because we want the maximum number of people to watch the film.”

“In conclusion I woud like to say that now that ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is all set for release, I will concentrate on the shooting of Rajshree Productions ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ following which I will start acting in Yashraj Films ‘Sultan’. I was also slated to be a part of Karan Johar’s ‘Shuddhi’ but now I am not acting in it. Karan has signed Varun Dhawan to do that film. Period!”

Movie Review: ‘Baahubali’ is a masterpiece, a classic blockbuster

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Baahubali

Producer: K. Raghavendra Rao, Shobu Yarlagadda & Prasad Devineni
Director: S. S. Rajamouli
Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj, Sudeep, Adivi Sesh, Ramya Krishnan, Nassar, Charandeep, Tamannaah, & Meka Ramakrishna
Music: M. M. Keeravani

S. S. Rajamouli, a reputed South Indian director certainly needs no fresher introduction. Suffice it to say that he is more popularly known as the director with a midas touch. So this time he has come up with a period piece in ‘Bahubali’. That apart he has also taken efforts to keep anachronistic sounds & visuals from appearing in the film. The film ‘Bahubali’ has been made in 2 parts, the 1st being named ‘Bahubali – The Beginning’ released now and the 2nd part being named ‘Bahubali – The End’ which will be released later on.

The scripted scenario of Bahubali follows the life of Sivudu (Prabhas) who lives a rather solitary life all but cut off from the rest of civilization. Smuggled from his kingdom and raised by Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) in a different tribe, Sivudu fills his days scaling mountains and their likes, unaware of his noble lineage. One fateful day Sivudu encounters Avanthika (Tamannaah Bhatia) who is a master assassin from a rebel group that intends on crushing King Bhallala Deva (Rana Daggubatti) of Mahishpati and rescuing Devasana (Anushka Shetty). However despite Shivudu understanding nothing of it, he decides to assist the rebels in their cause since he is smitten by the stunning Avantika who tells him that she is sworn to protect Devasana, who is none other than the late King Amarendra Bahubali’s wife, Sivudu’s mother and also Bhallala Deva’s sister – in – law. Setting off on his journey to fulfill Avantika’s duty, Sivudu moves towards fulfilling his own destiny as Bahubali and in the process setting in motion a series of events that lead to the second chapter.

Director S. S. Rajamouli without doubt deserves a standing ovation for making such a brilliant film although it is a dubbed version, it is certainly a cut above the rest. In fact much, much above all the South Indian dubbed films together. He has handled & synchronised all the minute details of the film excellently. A special noteworthy mention must be made of the specialised special effects & eye pleasingly breathtaking visuals of ‘Bahubali’. In fact every sequence of ‘Bahubali is a marvel that can easily be compared to the best of Hollywood. The grandiose sets, VFX, sound, editing, cinematography and most importantly, the screenplay of ‘Bahubali’ is terrific.

Performance wise All the actors have outdone each other. But a special standing ovation goes to Prabhas & Rana Duggabati for their brilliant piece of histrionics. Ramaya Krishnan, provides a perfect foil even in a supporting role. The other 2 supporting actors namely Nasser & Satyaraj leave a very strong impact too.

Tail Piece: ‘Bahubali’ is no doubt a masterpiece. In fact it can be rightfully termed as a classic blockbuster. Don’t miss ‘Bahubali’ at any costs.

Southern Movies Round Up

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Ram Charan

As compared to films produced in Bollywoodian & Hollywoodian Cinema arena, South Indian Cinema is rapidly & regularly progressing by churning out its own brand of gems of milestone movies in all the 4 languages namely Kannada, Malyalam, Telugu & Tamil. In an exclusive Nasheman.In, Shaheen Raaj will present a sneak preview of the productional happenings of Southern Cinema every fortnight. Time to stay tuned in.

Bala’s Next To Hit The Silver Screens

Young actor Atharvaa’s next film ‘Chandi Veeran’ directed by A. Sarkunam & Produced by director Bala under his B Studios banner is almost ready for release. The team, which was planning a July, 2015 release has now decided to release the film a little later as many films are lined up for this month. The film will now release on 7th Aug, 2015 a week ahead of Independence Day. The film set to be a rural entertainer stars Atharvaa & Anandi in lead roles and it has musical score by Arunagiri & cinematography by P. G. Muthiah. The film is expected to bring a break in Atharvaa’s acting career, as did Bala’s directorial ‘Paradesi’ which helped Atharvaa register himself as an actor capable of carrying strong roles.

‘Thala 56’ To Be Wrapped Up In Chennai

After finishing the shoot in Italy, the crew of Ajithkumar’s 56th film ‘Thala 56’ directed by Siruthai Siva is expected to return to Kolkata for the next schedule. The final schedule of the film will be taking place in Kolkata and a fight sequence will be shot in Chennai. With this the film’s shoot will be wrapped up. ‘Thala 56’ stars Shruthi Haasan, Lakshmi Menon, Soori & Kabir Singh in important roles alongside Ajith. Music is being scored by Anirudh Ravichander while the film is being produced by A. M. Ratnam. The film is expected to hit he screens for Deepavali.

Arun Vijay To Oppose This Young Telugu Star

Arun Vijay who is yet to make it big as a hero even after proving his versatile talents in many films vowed everyone with his villainy role opposite ‘Thala’ Ajith in ‘Yennai Arindhaal’ directed by Gautham Menon. Furthur more the ‘Thadayara Thakka’ actor might act as an antagonist in a Telugu film with Ram Charan Teja in the lead role. This film will be directed by Sreenu Vaitla and S. Thaman will be rendering the musical score. The director met Arun Vijay and narrated the script and the latter has given a positive signal as the role has a strong scope for performance.

Dhanush Will Enthrall Cine Goers As A Hooligan

Director Balaji Mohan, who consciously chose to go fully commercial with forthcoming Tamil entertainer ‘Maari’, says the film is a fulfillment of how he has always wanted to see actor Dhanush on screen. In the film, Dhanush will enthrall as a local hooligan, who goes with the catchphrase ‘Will finish you off’. It features the ‘Raanjhanaa’ star mostly in a dhoti – clad, cigarette – smoking & twirled – moustache avatar. Balaji said he wrote the film exclusively for Dhanush and wouldn’t have made the film had he not agreed to be part of it.

Ram Charan’s Next Confirmed

Surender Reddy is being considered as the director of Ram Charan’s next movie, which is going to be produced under Geetha Arts banner. Now this has been confirmed. It will hit the floors immediately after Charan completes his ‘Bruce Lee’ (tentative title) with Sreenu Vaitla. Kona Venkat & Gopimohan, who are currently working for Cherry – Vaitla film, will also provide the script for Surender Reddy’s film. An official announcement regarding this film will be out soon.

Poonam – The New Face Of Miss Telangana

Poonam Kaur has been chosen as the brand ambassador for Miss Telangana 2015. The actress will now be the face of the prestigious contest, promote & spread the awareness of the pageant show in Telangana. An elated Poonam says, “’m happy to be chosen as the face of Miss Telangana. When I started my career, I lacked proper guidance and had no set platform to showcase my abilities. I hope the Miss Telangana Contest will provide the perfect platform to all young women interested in making a career in the glamour world.” Poonam has featured in several Telugu, Tamil & Malayalam films, apart from winning the Miss Andhra Title (2006) & the Femina Miss India – South (2011).

Mahesh Babu Shocks With His Fluent Tamil

Harish Uthaman, who plays the baddie in upcoming Telugu family drama Srimanthudu, says he was totally taken aback when he heard superstar Mahesh Babu speak fluent Tamil on the sets. “It was my first day on the sets. We were going to shoot an action sequence. I met Mahesh and we exchanged pleasantries. After the shot, Mahesh sat near the monitor and I joined him. Suddenly he started talking in Tamil, and I was totally awestruck,” Harish told. “When I asked him how he knew Tamil, he said he did his college in Chennai. And that it was only after he started acting that he moved base to Hyderabad,” he said.

Arya’s Film May Go For A Title Change

‘Bangalore Days’ is one of the super hits and critically acclaimed Malayalam film of last year. This youthful entertainer is being remade in Tamil with the name ‘Arjun Divya Mattrum Karthik’. The film stars Arya, Sridivya, Rana, Bobby Simha, Parvathy & Rai Lakshmi in lead roles while Nayanthara is appearing in a cameo role. The film’s title when shortened comes as ‘ADMK’ which is also the name of a prominent political party in Tamil Nadu. In order to avoid any problems that may arise, the film’s production house has reportedly sought the permission from the party to officially use the name as the title. If the necessary permission is not obtained the film may go for a title change.

Disha Dinakar To Star In ‘One Day’

Disha Dinakar is the latest out of state actress to reach the Mollywood shores. The Miss Mangalore will play the lead role in the movie ‘One Day’. Though Disha has only a small yet significant part to play in the movie, she hopes to be active in M’Town in the days to come. Favas Shayani is her hero in the movie. ‘One Day’ will be a psychological thriller and will narrate the events of a day. Disha says that this is a male dominated movie and her part is quite small. Maqbool Salmaan also has a significant part in the movie.

Chandini – The New Girl In “Thattam”

Mollywood will soon get another girl in “Thattam”. Following in the footsteps of the evergreen “Thattam” girl is actress Chandini Sreedharan. She has already made a mark in the other South Indian film industries. She will make her Mollywood debut as Unni Mukundan’s heroine in the movie ‘KL 10 Pathu’.

Chandini plays a typical Malappuram girl in the movie and plays confidante & lover to Unni Mukundan’s character, Ahammed. She will appear in a “Thattam” throughout. Chandini considers Lal Jose her mentor and is happy to be associating with a movie which is under the Lal Jose banner.

Uday & Krishna’s ‘Mava I Love You’

The next combination of producer Uday Mehta & Krishna Ajay Rao is ‘Mava I Love You’. Krishna Ajay Rao did ‘Krishnan Love Story’ & ‘Krishnan Marriage Story’ but he got in to married life at ‘Krishna Leela’ his home production time. Now that he has ‘Mava’ (his wife father) in life, here is a film titled ‘Mava I Love You’. The film title also has caption ‘Krishna, Rukku Story’. Who is ‘Rukmini’ for Krishna Ajay Rao? The chances of Amoolya the charming actress acting for the 1st time with Ajay Rao is at the rumor mill. Known for action films Anil Kumar made debut as director from Malashri starring ‘Shakthi’.

1st Look Of Athiya Shetty In ‘Hero’

After releasing the teaser look & poster of Sooraj Pancholi, the makers of ‘Hero’ have let out the 1st look of Athiya Shetty. ‘Hero’, produced by Salman Khan & Subhash Ghai, is the launch vehicle for Aditya Pancholi’s son Sooraj & Suniel Shetty’s daughter, Athiya.

Another pic too of Sooraj has gone viral off late. Co – written by Nikhil Advani & Umesh Bist, ‘Hero’ is a remake of 1983’s Subhash Ghai directorial of the same name that starred Jackie Shroff, Meenakshi Seshadri, Shammi Kapoor & Sanjeev Kumar along with Om Puri & Shakti Kapoor.

Bollywood stars and Ramadan

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eid

The Holy month of Ramadan is almost nearing its end. And like all other non – filmy Muslims even Bollywood Muslim Celebs celebrate the Holy month of Ramadan with complete reverence. In spite of their heavy duty busy schedules they make it a point to observe their Rozas (fast), offer Namaz (prayer), give alms (khairaat) to the poor & needy, read Koran Sharif (the Holy book), remove Zakaat & Sadka (2.5% of their income) for the poor and then after a month long fasting they gear up to celebrate Eid with complete happiness. Shaheen Raaj recently caught up with a few Bollywood Celebs to get their views on how they celebrate Ramadan and what significance does Ramadan holds for them. Tune in for their ad verbatim comments.

Salman Khan

I would say that Ramadan is the month of bountiful blessings from Allah – The Almighty. It absolves you of all your sins. It makes your heart & soul pure. In the month of Ramadan, Allah – The Most merciful gives us a chance to be a good human being. Observing all the rituals of Ramadan is a must, but that doesn’t mean you should commit sins all the year round. Eid al-Fitr is the culmination of the month long fasting and celebration time with all your near & dear ones. I also celebrate it with my fans by giving them the gift of one movie release coinciding with every Ramadan. This year it will be ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. So enjoy the festival of Ramadan.

Sana Khan

It’s the best month for me as I fast for 30 days and do my 5 times prayer, give Zakat of 2.5% out of my own savings. I am very religious in this month and it’s the time we get closest to Allah – The Almighty and ask mercy from him for knowingly or unknowingly committing sins and for all our wrong doings.

Saif Ali Khan

Ramadan is considered as one of the most auspicious & Holy month of the year. In our “nawabi khandaan” Ramadan Eid is celebrated in great style. We abstain from all wrong doings, even otherwise we try to be good all the year round. We try to absorb all the rituals of Ramadan in the best possible way. We also try and see that none of our poor Muslim brethren goes empty handed during this month.

Kareena Kapoor Khan

I am more excited about celebrating Ramadan. Earlier on I used to celebrate Ramadan with most of my Muslim friends and now that I am married into the Khan family I try to follow whatever they do, but of course it will take some more time for me to adjust in Saif’s family as far as the Holy month of Ramadan is concerned.

Shahrukh Khan

For me the Holy month of Ramadan holds a very important significance. As this is the month when one can ask Allah Miyan for retribution of all our sins. Besides one can also observe all the rituals with a clean & pure heart. And most of all one can take care of the poor & the needy as per the best of one’s own capacity.

Aamir Khan

Of course one’s own religion should be closest to one’s heart. Following all the rituals should be the first priority in one’s life. Wishing good of humanity should also be considered as a top priority. And of course Eid is the celebration time after the end of the month long fasting.

Emraan Hashmi

I consider Ramadan as a very devout & a very pious month. Maybe due to time constraints and certain unavoidable circumstances I may sometimes lapse in my religious duties. But I try my level best to observe all the rituals of the Holy month of Ramadan.

Arbaaz Ali Khan

Since childhood I have been brought by my parents (Salim Khan – Honey irani) as a devout & pious kid in a very religious atmosphere. So much so that our entire khandaan was known as a very, very conservative & orthodox Muslim family. In fact the daily routine of all 3 of us that is myself, bade bhaijaan Salman & Sohail was to offer our regular 5 times ‘Namaaz’. After the ‘fazar namaaz’ we were all taken by our servants to the madarsa to learn to read & recite ‘Kalaame Paak’ the Holy book of every Muslim. Besides we were all also taught to be good human beings by being kind to all and more especially to our servants who were always addressed as bade miyan or with their individual names with great respect & courtesy. Even in the Holy month of Ramadan everything like the ‘Saheri’, the ‘Iftar’, the 5 times ‘Namaaz’ including the ‘Taravi Namaaz’ was seriously & strictly observed as per the perfect islamic tenets & principles. That apart the day my maulana had explained to me about the ‘Zakaat’ & the ‘Fitra’ I used to do it with my own hard earned pocket money which my father used to give me only after I had done certain work of his. And even now as far as I am concerned I observe the holy month of Ramadan with the same zest & the same fervour.

Nafe Ali

I wish that our life itself was like ‘Ramzaan’ and our death was like Eid. I wish that the month of Ramadan proves mubarak to all and Eid becomes very special for them. Ramadan is the only month “jab hum Allah Taalah ko mana sakte hain” as during this period he is closest to all his bandas (Disciple). Besides I wish everyone a happy Eid. Mashaallah after fasting for one whole month celebrating ‘Ramadan, Eid has its own charming fun.

Arshad Warsi

To be very honest the real time and fun to observe the fast and more especially to celebrate Ramadan Eid is when you are a small child. I would like to recount my first ‘Roza’ incident. So it was time to keep my 1st ‘Roza’. The entire Warsi khandaan had turned up for the ‘Saheri’ session. You bet I enjoyed hogging all the delicacies especially prepared for me or so they made me believe it. Any way it was a hot summer month and the heat was really getting me. I was hell bent on popping something in my mouth. The whole khandaan was standing guard to prevent me from doing so. Finally before the ‘Iftar’ time I managed to escape, went to a shop bought a chocolate and was about to gobble it when I saw a whole army of the Warsi khandaan chasing me all over the ‘naakhuda’ mohalla the place where we were staying in then. People were shocked at this whole draamebaazi but then my family members saw to it that I observed my complete ‘Roza’.

Javed Jaffri

No matter what people think but I am proud to be a Muslim belonging to the ‘Shia’ community. And I strictly follow all the religious rituals as per the way my dad and my dada par dada “aur phir unke bhi dada aur par dada follow karte aa rahe hain aur ab zaahir hai ki us paanchvin peedi ko yeh majhabi hidayaten ‘Allah’ ki wahi ke roop mein aur Huzoor Sallalahussalam (Prophet Mohammed S.A.W May peace be upon him} ke jariye ‘Koran Sharif’ se mili hogi”. No this is no laughing matter as my entire Jafri khandaan is known for its mock fights regarding this issue. But all these fights used to take place in each individual members of the family in his infancy stage.

Shabana Azmi

You see like a true blue Muslim I have “Khuda ka khauf” in my heart. And I will never betray my ‘Allah Miyan’. So it’s but natural that I will always be true to my faith & to my religion. No doubt I offer my ‘Namaaz’, observe my ‘Roza’, take care of my ‘Zakaat’ & ‘Fitra’. A real Muslim will never avoid the 5 basic principles of Islam. And in this regard my entire Kaifi family & myself included have never neglected our religious duties right since our Azamgarh days. No matter whether it is the month of Ramzaan or not.”

Zayed Khan

Right since childhood my parents had inculcated the finest traditions of Islam which were deeply ingrained in me. So at that stage of life I was a very pious, a devout Muslim. I used to regularly read the ‘Koran Sharif’, offer my ‘Namaaz’, keep my ‘Rozas’. But of course at that point of time I didn’t know much about the ‘Zakaat’, the ‘Fitra’, the ‘Hajj’ & the ‘Umra’. Yet the one thing that really comes to my mind is that during the month of Ramzan I used to get good pocket money which I would spend on the street urchins by arranging for their ‘iftari’ in the park near my house. Of course at that point of time I also did not discourage the Hindu kids too, to join us in our very own chhotasa ‘iftar’ party. This was started by me when I think I was just in my 5th standard. And then from the next year I also started sneaking out of my house during ‘Saheri’ time. As I used to think that “agar un bachon ko main ‘Roza’ khulwata hoon to unko ‘Saheri’ karane ka farz bhi mera hi banta hai”.

Shahid Kapoor

Before I speak about my way of observing the Holy month of Ramzaan I would like to state that in my childhood when my mom & the maulavi (Priest), who used to come every day to teach me to read & recite ‘The Koran’, failed to do so I was myself deeply troubled as to why I could not pick up the flow of at least reading the Arabic & the Urdu language? But try as I might I too failed. Even my friends were fed up of me when I used pester them to teach me to read ‘The Koran’. Finally I spoke to my ‘Allah’ directly through my ‘Duas’ (Prayers) at night, tendered my apology and from next day onwards I started reading & reciting ‘The Koran’ in English language. It really helped me a lot. And now I am proud to admit that I know all the most important ‘Suras’ & ‘Aayats’ (Koranic Verses) by heart. Then I also learnt to say my ‘Namaaz’ (Prayers) in the same way. Coming to this month of the Holy Ramzan, I am not allowing myself to neglect my religious duties & responsibilities. I don’t find it difficult at all to observe all my 5 times ‘Farz Namaaz’ (a prayer which a Muslim person should obey). I am also keeping all my fasts, ‘Allamhodolillah’ (God Bless) till today I have not missed a single fast. That apart since my mom has left (She got married again) us I am also looking after my younger brother Sameer. Yeah! He is a bit lazy so I have to literally be after him. But this has also enlightened me with the fact that religion should always be practiced out of one’s own choice and never be forced upon anyone.

Singer Praveen Bhardwaj goes global

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Praveen Bhardwaj, of late, is literally creating musical waves. So much so that he is not only compared with, but has also joined the ranks of Hollywood singers like Enrique Iglasias, Justin Bibber et al.

Praveen Bhardwaj, in his one and a half decade long illustrious musical journey, happens to be a most reputed lyricist turned music composer. And of late with the release of his debut single audio album named “Desires – Mohabbat Mein Kya Milega” he has turned a crooner too. Incidentally speaking his debut audio album “Desires – Mohabbat Mein Kya Milega” has been acclaimed & ranked as #1 on a global level so much so that he has been placed as #1 singer and clubbed with globally reputed singers like Enrique Iglasias, Justin Bibber et al. Shaheen Raaj recently spoke to the God gifted singer, over hot cups of spicy aromatic tea at his posh flat in Veera Desai Road. Tune in.

Praveen-Bhardwaj

To set the musical ball rolling in your court tell us how did your musically crooning journey begin?

Honestly speaking my musical crooning journey in Tinsel Town had kick started as a lyricist almost one and a half decade ago. And the most interesting fact about my musical career is that there has always been a landmark turning point. For instance as a lyricist my “kem che” song became a runaway chartbuster number and then there was no looking back. This was the 1st turning point. And then the 2nd turning point of my career was me turning a music composer with the film ‘Swaha – Life Beyond Superstition’. And needless to say the movie was hit and I gained instant recognition. And finally my one more, this time a hat trick, landmark turning point is the recent release of my debut single music audio album named “Desires – Mohabbat Mein Kya Milega?”. Its a melancholic number written, composed and of course sung by me for the 1st time ever.

And how do you feel with this added responsibility of singing a song written & composed by your own self?

You see the lyrics which I used to pen I used to sing it for the music composers, producers, directors and all concerned. It was the result of these musical sittings that my friends inspired me to come out with my debut single music audio album “Desires – Mohabbat Mein Kya Milega”.

Praveen Bhardwaj

And what was the response of your debut music audio album?

Believe me the response has been terrific, tremendous, mindboggling et al. I have no more words left to describe it. Just within a short span of its release my debut single music audio album “Desires – Mohabbat Mein Kya Milega” has been declared a global hit all over. So much so that I have been clubbed & ranked as #1 singer along with world class reputed singers like Enrique Iglasies, Justin Biebber et al. And please let not your parting question be “What Next?” As at this stage I don’t have the wish to be in search of the next turning point of my life at least not for the next 5 years of my life. But of course that does not mean that I do not mean to grow in my self chosen field of penning lyrics, writing, music composing and now singing too. That’s it.

Movie Review: ‘Thoda Lutf Thoda Ishq’ is absolutely clueless

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Thoda Lutf Thoda Ishq

Producer: Bharat Bansal, Vivek Yadav and Sachin Gupta
Director: Sachin Gupta
Star Cast: Hiten Tejwani, Rajpal Yadav, Sanjay Misra, Neha Pawar, Bhavita Anand, Sanjana Singh & Rakesh Bedi
Genre: Comedy
Verdict: AVERAGE

Director Sachin Gupta, not to be confused with music composer Sachin Gupta, in his first outing Paranthewali Galli had made a fairly sensible film. But in his second outing Thoda Lutf Thoda Ishq, termed as romantic comedy, he is absolutely clueless leading to confusions galore.

Jhumroo (Hiten Tejwani) & Ghungro (Rajpal Yadav) are the two good for nothing boys. In fact they are the best examples of fools who keep roaming around the whole day. Their sole motive in life is to have fun, befriend girls, go to parties, get drunk and chill. They find impish ways to get in touch with girls. They are also desperate to get a job, but in their comical attempt they receive yet more embarrassment. After couple of disasters they do get a job at a newly opened beauty parlour run by two smart girls. Their dream has come true. They are around girls all the time. But this is just the beginning of their hilarious trauma and a journey full of unexpected twists.

Aces: Nothing except one romantic number.

Minuses: its start to end dialogues in Punjabi which sounds more like a Punjabi film than a Hindi film.

Last Word: A strictly avoidable film even if you have nothing better to do on this weekend.

Movie Review: ‘The Gallows’ is a spine chilling fare

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The Gallows

Producer: Jason Blum, Travis Cluff, Benjamin Forkner, Chris Lofing & Dean Schnider
Director: Travis Cluff & Chris Lofing
Star Cast: Reese Mishler, Cassidy Gifford, Ryan Shoos, Pfeifer Brown, Price T. Morgan & Alexis Schneider
Genre: Horror
Verdict: Good

Trevis Cluff & Chris Lofing are the latest director duo who have also taken refuge in the found footage sub genre, in their latest offering The Gallows, to send a chill down viewers spine and they have been fairly successful at it.

Plot: In 1993, a student of Beatrice High School named Charlie Grimille is killed in a horrific accident during the school play, called The Gallows. 20 years later, students at the school resurrect the failed show in a misguided attempt to honour the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, but a few of the students break in at night to stop the production and soon discover that some things are better left alone for good.

Aces: The fairly good directorial treatment of the director duo Trevis Cluff & Chris Lofing complemented by a good performances by the films principal actors Reese Mishler, Cassidy Gifford, Ryan Shoos, Pfeifer Brown,
Price T. Morgan & Alexis Schneider.

Minuses: its routine plot which has nothing new to offer.

Last Word: A must see movie for the scare fare fans.

Sanjay Gupta ordered to deposit 20 lakhs in court

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Sanjaygupta

Director Sanjay Gupta was recently ordered to deposit 20 lakhs in Court.

As the court battle between Sanjay Gupta on one side & Vinod Bacchan, IFTPC & FWICE on the other culminated recently with the High Court ordering Sanjay Gupta to deposit Rupees Twenty Lakhs in the Court within a specified time period. The Court also stated that in case of default by him in the payments to the Court, the non -cooperation directive instituted against Sanjay Gupta by the JDSC of the FWICE & IFTPC would once again become operational and the amount deposited till then would be forfeit. The court granted Vinod Bacchan a certain time period to institute legal proceedings to recover the money. It may be recalled that various accusations had been made on Twitter and in the press by the IFTDA President Ashok Pandit against the FWICE President Kamlesh Pandey & General Secretary Dilip Pithva casting aspersions on their intent & character. There were also reports in the press of affiliates opposing the FWICE on this matter. On this topic Kamlesh Pandey had recently stated that on 90% of the affiliates who had earlier been made to sign a paper by Ashok Pandit opposing the FWICE decision had withdrawn their objections the very next day itself stating that they had been misguided & misled by Ashok Pandit. This verdict vindicates the impartial stand taken by the JDSC of the FWICE & IFTPC. On the other hand Dilip Pithva had stated that the new committee of the FWICE has fearlessly & impartially taken concrete action against defaulter members & producers alike and is committed to making the Film & TV industry a professional and better workplace environment.

‘Teaspoon’ Bags Prestigious Awards

A short film ‘Teaspoon’ has recently bagged several prestigious wards. Kiran Deohans & Aban Deohans’ short film ‘Teaspoon has received varied prestigious awards across the Globe.

The talented Cinematographer, Kiran Deohan’s who has worked in many of the renowned feature films like ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghaam’, ‘Agneepath’ et al has recently re-created the same magic in his better half’s Aban Deohan’s short film ‘Teaspoon’. In fact the 20 minutes short film has got enormous appreciation from all the popular short film festivals across the globe. The film has been awarded for the “Best Screenplay” in the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival and very recently it has also been selected for prominent Jagaran Film Festival.
‘Teaspoon’, which exhibits an amalgamation of various human emotions & psychological imbalances of human nature, features talented actors Sreeswara who had got recognition in ‘Singham Returns’ imcluding television actor and a popular face in ads Vaquar and the adorable grandfather of small screen namely Bomi Dotiwala. A simple yet unique storyline with strong performances from the starcast has made it the most loved film in all the short film festivals. The film has previously also won awards in Goa film festival, Bangalore film festival and also international film festivals like Poppy Jasper, New York Indian Film Festival, et al.

Kishore Bags ‘Entertainment Visionary’ Award

Kishore Lulla recently bagged the “Entertainment Visionary” Award. Eros International executive chairman Kishore Lulla has recently bagged the “Entertainment Visionary” award at the 2015 Annual Gala Dinner organized by Asia Society Southern California on 20 Jun, 2015. Kishore Lulla was recognised for being a game changer as well as for his efforts in taking Bollywood to a global platform. The gala evening honoured Lulla’s quest to connect the Indian diaspora through films and bridging of cultures by introducing Bollywood to non-Indian audiences.

6th Jagran Film Festival To Open With ‘Masaan’

6th Jagran Film Festival To Open With ‘Masaan’. With India’s high profile entry in Cannes Film Festival ‘Masaan’
directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and starring Sanjay Mishra, Richa Chaddha & Shweta Tiwary, the 6th edition of Jagran Film Festival is ready to take off starting 1st Jul, 2015.

Winner of 2 prestigious awards the FIPRESCI, International Jury of Film Critics prize & Promising Future Prize in the Un Certain Regard section, ‘Masaan’ has received wide critical acclaim globally. A collaborative effort of Phantom Films, Drishyam, Macassar Productions, Pathe, Sikhya Entertainment & Arte Cinema, France, ‘Masaan’ will be presented on 1st Jul, 2015 evening by Ghaywan and the star cast of the film to the festival delegates personally.

‘Dhanak’ Bags Top Award at Sneakers Children’s Festival, Poland

‘Dhanak’ has recently bagged a top award at the Sneakers Children’s Festival, Poland. After bagging 2 awards for ‘Dhanak’ (‘Rainbow’) co -produced by Drishyam Films Manish Mundra and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor at the Berlinale, it has further bagged the top award at the Sneakers Children’s Festival, Poland. Having won the best film award in the main category, ‘Children’s Feature Film Competition’, the prize ceremony took place on 22 Jun, 2015 Kukunoor who couldn’t attend the festival shared a recorded message thanking the festival authorities & the audiences. The film was screened at International Film Festival Los Angeles (IFFLA) and at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Kids. Dhanak which stars Hetal Gada & Krrish Chhabria in the lead roles is about an 8 year old blind boy whose 10 year old sister promises him that he will get his vision back before he turns 9. The film follows the duo on a magical journey through the sand dunes of Rajasthan. The film also stars theater actors, Vipin Sharma & Vibha Chhiber in prominent roles.

Censor Board Stalls Release Of PNC’s ‘Mastizaade’

Censor Board has recently stalled the release of Pritish Nandy Communicatio’s ‘Mastizaade’. The
Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has recently stalled the release of Pritish Nandy Communications’
(PNC) forthcoming comedy film titled ‘Mastizaade’ due to its explicit content. Directed by Milap Zaveri and starring Sunny Leone in a double role, the movie also stars Tusshar Kapoor, Vir Das & Riteish Deshmukh in a special appearance. It has been co-written by Mushtaq Sheikh & Milap Zaveri. The CBFC & the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal have not cleared ‘Mastizaade’ so far, which was initially slated to release on 1st May, 2015. PNC has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that it is taking appropriate steps to resolve this issue in the quickest possible manner.

American LGBT Film Festival In Delhi featured 5 films

5 prominent American films were screened in a special LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) festival which was held in the capital recently. The American Centre organized the festival, which was held from 25th to 27th Jun, 2015. The opening film is the 2001 film ‘Kissing Jessica Stein’ by Charles Herman Wurmfeld and stars Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen & Tovah Feldshuh. It is about a woman out to find a perfect man, ending up finding the perfect woman instead. The other films include the ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2005), which is American epic romantic drama directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx. The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams & Randy Quaid. The movie depicts the complex emotional & sexual relationship between 2 men in the American West from 1963 to 1983.

FIR Filed Against Sunny Deol For Hurting Sentiments In ‘Mohalla Assi’

An FIR was recently filed against Sunny Deol for hurting sentiments in Mohalla Assi. No sooner the trailer of the Sunny Deol starrer ‘Mohalla Assi’ came out, it managed to raise quite a few eyebrows, courtesy its ‘explicit’ content. The resultant effect was that a police complaint has been filed against Sunny Deol the film’s director Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, by an organization named Sarvajan Jagruti Sanstha in Varanasi for reportedly hurting religious sentiments. In their compliant, the said organization stated that the film ‘Mohalla Assi’ not only violated moral ethics, but also shows Varanasi in a very poor light. The complainant also said that they cannot allow such a film to be released. Meanwhile, the film’s director Chandra Prakash Dwivedi clarified that the film’s trailer that was ‘released’ was not an official one, but a leaked version. That’s why he has now filed an FIR at the Oshiwara police station and also with the Cyber Cell. He added that, it was a conspiracy to malign the film’s makers as well as the film. Further, he also added that the (leaked) version of the trailer has been made in such a way that it showed that the film was only about abuses and it maligned the holy city’s image.

Censor Board Snips Off Nude Shot

Censor Board recently snipped off a nude shot from ‘Calendar Girls’. It looks like Madhur Bhandarkar has got quite a tantalizing film lined up for release. His next feature ‘Calendar Girl’, which comes after the fiasco that was his last release ‘Heroine’ and the aborted attempt to start another film ‘Madamjee’ starring Priyanka Chopra, is suffused in sufficient slivers of sensationalism. Sources at the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) revealed that the film’s 1st trailer was submitted for certification. And the results were…….explosive!

The trailer contained a lot of provocative & sensuous content. There was even a shot of a nude woman which the Censors had to of course snip off before granting the trailer a ‘U/A’ certificate. They were confused as to why Madhur Bhandarkar came to them with a trailer that contained a nude shot. In fact Madhur Bhadarkar should know that such a shot can never be passed in a trailer. The ‘U/A’ certificate for the trailer automatically limits its reach. It cannot be shown on television and it can only be attached to films that are certified for all ages.

Bhushan Kumar To Produce Yo Yo Honey Singh’s Music Album

Yo Yo Honey Singh is all set to resuming his crooning glory with a single. He will soon be developing a new single that will be produced by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series. It will also feature a music video much like their earlier outing ‘Desi Kalakar’ that featured Sonakshi Sinha.

Sony Music acquires music rights for ‘Brothers’

Sony Music Entertainment has acquired the music rights of Dharma Productions’ action – drama film Brothers. Directed by Karan Malhotra, the film is an official remake of the 2011 Hollywood film Warrior.

After Ageneepath, this is the second time the successful team of Dharma Productions, Sony Music, Karan Malhotra, Ajay-Atul and Amitabh Bhattacharya will be working together.

Sony Music India marketing director Sanujeet Bhujabal said, “Dharma and Sony Music have always created great musical milestones and the music of this film will be another such. Composed by the multi award winning duo Ajay -Atul’s who will weave in magic with their melodies and the lyrics penned by Bhattacharya, this album will a worthy follow up to the smashing soundtrack of Agneepath.” Produced by Dharma Productions, Lionsgate Films and Endemol India, the film is all set to release on 14 August 2015.

“I have always been passionate about great cinema”: Manoj Bajpai

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Manoj Bajpai

The master of impeccable performances of Bollywood, Manoj Bajpai has taken a step towards promoting the golden era of the cinema. The fine actor for the 1st time ever gets associated with a unique online portal which is solely dedicated to the classic cult movies, documentaries & short films of Indian cinema varying in all languages.

The 2 time national award winner Manoj Bajpai is known for his unconventional choices of films and has always given a chance to emerging talents by working in their movies, now gives them a chance to grow further. Being the brand ambassador and also a mentor to this distinctive online portal, Manoj aims to encourage & preserve the essence of the golden era of cinema and various non – commercial films.

Manoj will be supporting the portal in getting deserving attention of creating such a unique idea and will help in promoting it among people as well as industry.

Sharing his thoughts on this initiative towards cinema, Manoj Bajpai says, “I have always been passionate about great cinema, the online portal is the 1st ever of its kind which gives importance to short films & documentary makers who are extremely talented but just not recognised enough. I would be extremely glad if my association can
make a difference in uplifting the talent of amazing unknown filmmakers.”

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