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Movie Review: 'Dil Dhadakne Do' is a perfectly enjoyable picture of a complex relationship

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Dil Dhadakne Do

Banner: Junglee Pictures & Excel Entertainment
Producer: Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Ridhima Sood, Rahul Bose,
Zarina Wahab, Vikrant Massey, Parmeet Sethi, Manoj Pahwa, Pawan Chopra & above all Aamir Khan
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

To say that Zoya Akhtar is an accomplished director would be an understatement. She had proved her her directorial mettle with her debut directorial venture ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. And with her latest directorial venture ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ she has once again scored brownie points.

Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor) is a successful businessman who owns Ayka, a company on the verge of bankruptcy. He has a troubled relationship with his wife, Neelam (Shefali Shah), and his 2 children, Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) & Kabir (Ranveer Singh). Ayesha has a successful business of her own, but is unhappily married to Manav (Rahul Bose). Kabir unwillingly participates in the family business and yearns to pursue a career as a pilot. In celebration of Kamal & Neelam’s 30th anniversary, they invite their family & friends for a 10 day cruise trip across the Mediterranean. Among their invitees, are Mr. Sood (Parmeet Sethi) and his family. Kamal plots to get Kabir married to Sood’s daughter, Noorie (Riddhima Sood), in exchange for his investing in Ayka. In the ship, Kabir meets a free-spirited dancer, Farah Ali (Anushka Sharma), and engages in a romantic relationship with her. Noorie, on the other hand, falls in love with Rana (Vikrant Massey), the son of a family hated by her parents.

Even giving Zoya Akhtar a standing ovation for her directorial triumph would be in suffice. She has even succeeded in extracting an earnest performance from her principal cast. And yes even from Aamir Khan who has lent his voice for the dog pluto who ultimately proves to be the mainstay of the film. A deserving special mention must also go to the film’s cinematography (Carlos Catalan) for having presented some of the breath taking & amazing visuals in the film. The film’s editing (Manan Mehta & Anand Subaya) gives the film its pace with which the film sails smoothly.

Performance wise Anil Kapoor is 1st rate and in full form, Shefali Shah is extraordinnare, Ranveer Singh is picture perfect, Priyanka Chopra is the scene stealer, Anushka Sharma is terrific & Farhan Akhtar is excellent. Débutante Riddhima Sood is a revelation. While the rest of the cast comprising of Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab, Vikrant Massey, Parmeet Sethi, Manoj Pahwa, Pawan Chopra lend perfect credibility to their individual roles.

Tail Piece: ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ is a classy film meant for the elite multiplex audiences. While the single screen cine goers may find this movie a trifle boring.

Deepali Sathe: A sensational crooner makes waves

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deepali sathe

Deepali Sathe happens to be a latest singing sensation in Tinsel Town. So if you’ve heard the song “Yeh kaisi jagah” from Vishesh Films’ latest offering ‘Humari Adhuri Kahani’, which is releasing today and if it managed to steal your heart and make you hum the number on loop then you surely must’ve wondered who’s lilting voice is that? It’s the new rising sensation in the music world going with the name of Deepali Sathe.

Deepali, who has already lent her voice to the song “Daingad Daingad” in ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’, can’t stop gushing about her experience of having worked with popular music composer Jeet Ganguly. “This isn’t the 1st time I’ve sung for Jeet da, I 1st worked with him for a Bengali track “Janemon” from the movie ‘Herogiri’, clarifies Deepali while adding, “Jeet da liked my voice so much that he called me for “Ye kaisi jagah”. I got to know that Jeet da told Mahesh & Mukesh Bhattji that he was gifting them a fresh and new voice in this film and had praised me a lot too. He also told me that this is the most important song of my career and will prove to be a turning point for me. So frankly, I was nervous & excited all at the same time while recording for the song. But at the time of recording Jeet da helped me and narrated the story to me about a woman being in a dilemma because she is happy being in love but at the same time she is already married to someone else. It really made me get into the mood of the number and I could sing it well.”

deepali sathe

Deepali Sathe isn’t new to the music world. The songstress started crooning at the raw age of 3 during Sai Samiti Bhajans and amidst various shows, music albums, reality shows among others started mingling with the stalwarts of the music industry including the likes of Udit Narayan with whom she sung a duet, Asha Bhosle, Kavita Krishna Murthy, Khayyam, Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan, Suresh Vadkar amongst others who were her judges at the reality show ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’.

The singer then went onto lending her voice to the title tracks of shows like “Vaari Vaari Apne Piya Pe Vaari” on Life Ok, ‘Main Lakshmi Tere Angan Ki’ & ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ from Zee Tv before moving onto playback singing for Hindi films.

May God – The Almighty fullfil all her crooning wishes galore and may she reach the pinnacle of glories galore in no time.

A musical interactive session with lyricist & music composer Praveen Bhardwaj

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Praveen Bhardwaj

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 Tujhe Kya Milega” he has turned a crooner too. Incidentally speaking his debut audio album “Desires – Mohabbat Mein Tujhe Kya Milega” has been acclaimed & ranked as #1 on an international level so much so that he he has been placed as #1 singer and clubbed with international 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 Veer Desai Road. Tune in.

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

Honestly speaking my musical journey in Tinsel Town had kick started as a lyricist almost one and a half decade ago. And the most interesting 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 writer with the film ‘Swaha – Life Beyond Superstition’ in which I had penned the story, screenplay & dialogues. 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 Tujhe Kya Milega?”. Its a melancholic number written, composed an of course sung by me for the 1st time ever.

Praveen Bhardwaj

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 Tujhe Kya Milega”.

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 20 days of its release my debut single music audio album “Desires – Mohabbat Mein Tujhe Kya Milega” has been declared as an international hit all over. So much so that I have been clubbed and ranked #1 singer along with international 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.

Bollywood Newswatch

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Lalla Lalla Lori

Salman Khan Gets Special Permission

Salman Khan, who faced a serious charge of culpable homicide in the 2002 hit & run case, was sentenced to 5 year imprisonment on 8th May, 2015. But he soon got a bail and has resumed his shooting schedules too. Amidst the controversy & jam packed work schedule, the actor, recently was asked to perform at an awards night gala in Dubai. Though Salman Khan had received bail, the actor, however required the permission to travel abroad, for which, his legal authorities filed an application requesting the court to grant the permission. In a hearing that was held at the Bombay High Court, Salman Khan, received the permission to travel to the Arab city from 27th to 30th May, 2015. Public Prosecutor Abha Singh too revealed that the High Court has accepted his plea. Salman Khan is currently gearing up for the release of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui on 16th July, 2015.

NGO Seeks Ban On A “Lori” Song Lalla Lalla Lori’ from Welcome 2 Karachi

NGO Seeks Ban On A “Lori” Song “Lalla Lalla Lori” from ‘Welcome 2 Karachi’. The song “Lalla Lalla Lori” from ‘Welcome 2 Karachi’, which has gained a lot of momentum in recent times, is now caught up in a legal controversy,even a week before its release recently. The song has been facing charges for maligning a Hindi nursery rhyme and hence an NGO has sought a ban on the song according to a plea filed by them at a Delhi High Court. The Public Interst Litigation (PIL) has been filed by the NGO against the Central Government, Censor Board, the Delhi Government and producers Pooja Entertainment Pvt Ltd. As per that, the lyrics of the song “Lalla Lalla Lori, Daaru Ki Katori” fall under the objectionable category. They claimed that since this is a nursery rhyme which is very popular amongst children, they will be exposed to the word ‘daaru’ (alcohol) at the tender age and it is also against article 47 of the Indian constitution (duty of the state to improve the standard of living and to improve public health affairs).

‘Phir Se’ Release Delayed By Court

The release of Kunal Kohli’s upcoming film ‘Phir Se’ has recently delayed by court. Earlier this year, filmmaker Kunal Kohli found himself embroiled in a legal battle with writer Jyoti Kapoor, after the latter claimed that Kunal’s forthcoming film ‘Phir Se’ had been plagiarized from her work. In the ensuing battle the verdict kept tilting, but never settling the issue. But of late the court has ruled to delay the release of the film till a final verdict is reached. Tweeting about the same Kunal Kohli posted, “What I have learnt from this experience is that the free exchange of ideas is no longer permissible and I would go a step further to say it expressly prohibited. The debate on copyright & plagiarism is settled, it is neither. The industry has to move towards a more closed & protective environment with regards to work in progress. What is left to be decided is merely one principal aspect, what is the value of an idea which should be in direct proportion to the authorship.” However, Kunal refrained from talking about the matter itself, and resigned himself to saying, “The matter is sub judice, the court has granted an ad interim stay & kept the matter post vacations. We are hopeful justice will prevail.”

Digital Short Film Festival Commences in Film City, Noida

The AAFT Festival of short Digital Films at Marwah Studio has created a record of sorts. Throwing light on the same, Marwah Studio president Sandeep Marwah said, “We have created a world record by touching the 86th edition of our festival. There is no other festival in the World to reach to 86th edition so far.” “This is the only festival, which has given opportunity to more than 2000 directors from all over the world to showcase their debut film in the last 22 years,” added AAFT dean Kalyan Sarkar. The films that were screened during the festival were: ‘Taj Mahal – Crown Of Earth’ directed by Aamir Naqvi, ‘Maa Ki Aankhk by Hitesh Tandon, ‘Bloody Red’ by Anjali, ‘Sunaina’ by Parvesh Saini, ‘Side Effects Of Criticism’ by Alok Chaturvedi & ‘Masoom’ by Nikhil Kapoor.

Vivek Oberoi To Help Develop Robotics Centre

Vivek Oberoi to help develop Robotics Centre at Nagpur University. Vivek Oberoi will be sponsoring & helping the funding of the Advanced Centre of Robotics at the Rashtrasant Tukodoji Maharaj Nagpur University According to the proposed plan, the centre will be named after Oberoi’s family. Oberoi wants the robotics centre to be world class and for that he is in touch with the American based ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB), a robotic tech major, which will be the private partner and provide technical inputs and help set up the research centre. Vice Chancellor S P Kane had met Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai last week to discuss the research centre and introducing diploma courses in the university. Oberoi is expected to visit Nagpur along with ABB officials in the 1st week of June.

‘Masaan’ Bags 2 Awards At Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival’s Indian entry ‘Masaan’ has bagged wins 2 awards at Cannes, including Un Certain Regard.
India’s ‘Masaan’ by Neeraj Ghaywan became a big winner in the Un Certain Regard section of the 68th Cannes International Film Festival by bagging 2 awards, even as the top award in this category went to ‘Rams’, a drama set among farmers and their sheep in a remote Icelandic valley. ‘Masaan’ also received the Promising Future Prize, apart from bagging the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award. Actress Richa Chadha, who features in a key role in the film, said the team feels “blessed.” “#MasaanAtCannes just got the FIPRESCI award. #blessed. Team, take a bow,” Chadha tweeted. The film even won a 5 minute standing ovation post its screening, leaving Chadha and Ghaywan in tears of joy. Ghaywan’s debut feature project, ‘Masaan’ is set in Varanasi and follows the stories of 4 people from a small town and how they fit in to the moralities. It also features Shweta Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra & Vicky Kaushal. The film is an Indian-French co-production with names like Manish Mundra of Drishyam Films, Macassar Productions, Phantom Films, Sikhya Entertainment, Arte France Cinema & Pathe productions.

No Tax Free Rebate For ‘The International Problem’

No tax free rebate for ‘The International Problem’, a movie on AIDS, even after 2 years. A feature film ‘The international Problem’ which focuses on AIDS and guides the youth on sex education and the truth behind Section 377 has not being made tax free by the Government even after more than 2 years of efforts. Made under Shri Education Films banner, the Writer-Producer-Director Dr. Jagdish Waghela has been running pillar to post at Revenue, Health & Health AIDS department. The move has received “U” certificate from the censor board. The makers have written a letter to the President urging the Health Department to review the movie.

‘Inside Out’s Premiere Brings Everyone To Tears At Cannes

The recently held premiere of ‘Inside Out’ at Cannes Film Festival brought tears in everyone’s eyes. Disney Pixar have made a sensational return at the Cannes Film Festival with their new animated film ‘Inside Out’ which has been described as “mind-blowing”.
The reception to the film after its premiere has been mind blowing leaving everyone teary eyed at the end. The film takes place inside the head of 11 year old Riley, where voices like Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) Sadness (Phyllis Smith) and Anger (Lewis Black) compete for the girl’s emotions & memories in her psyche “headquarters”. “My daughter was about 9 when she did the voice of Ellie in Up,” said Director Pete Docter, referring to the movie which won him the Oscar for best animated film in 2010. “And then she turned 10 & 11 and at the beginning of this film I saw her looking a lot less energetic and more kind of quiet & reserved and I thought what’s going on in her head? And that’s what really started us working on this film.” Disney Pixar’s ‘Inside Out’ releases on 26th June in India.

‘Dead student’s’ Song Finds Way In Film

Back in 2011, a song entitled “Single Emptiness” was making waves all over the internet and the song continues to be a rage till date. The song was credited to an IIT student named Rohan Rathore, who apparently after being heart-broken in love composed the song for his girlfriend. Rohan was said to have died of cancer 15 days after the song. However, soon it came to light that the song had been composed & sung by Gajendra Verma and that Rohan Rathore was a phony name with an equally bogus story. Now, after releasing the hit in an album, the music composer has decided to lend his song for a film ‘Chor Bazaari’ that stars newbie Ankkit Narrayan. Ironically, the said to be ‘stolen’ song has been used in a film whose hero is a chor as the profession has been passed on to him in his genes.

Aishwarya Was The Queen Of The Red Carpet At Cannes 2015

Of late Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was definitely the queen of the red carpet at Cannes 2015. Wherein she posed with confidence & style. Aishwarya came to Cannes 1st with Devdas with Sanjay leela Bhansali. The film was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and was featured by Time in their listing of the “10 best films of the millennium”. And now again with ‘Jazbaa’ which happens to be her comeback film, she launched the 1st look with the director Sanjay Gupta. So she started with Sanjay Leela Bhansali
and this year with Sanjay Gupta.

‘Mohenjo Daro’ Release Date Announced

The release date of ‘Mohenjo Daro’ was announced recently. Hrithik Roshan’s upcoming film ‘Mohenjo Daro’s release date has been announced recently.

Disney & Ashutosh Gowariker Production Pvt Ltd (AGPPL) announced the release of ‘Mohenjo Daro’ on 12th Aug, 2016. Directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, ‘Mohenjo Daro’ is an epic love story, set during the Indus Valley Civilization. The film marks the debut of Pooja Hegde in Bollywood, who stars opposite Hrithik.

Om Puri & Prashantt Guptha Honored At Rajasthan International Film Festival

The 1st Rajasthan International Film Festival at Jaipur saw veteran actor Om Puri & young talent Prashantt Guptha being felicitated with top honors. With the central theme of the festival being ‘The Common Man of Indian Cinema,” the festival highlighted the achievements of Om Puri for his contribution to Indian cinema with its equivalent of The Lifetime Achievement Award. Prashantt Guptha, being a Jaipur native who made his foray into Hindi cinema and showed immense progress over the last couple of years as the handsome villain in Pen India/Shailesh Singh’s ‘Issaq’, followed by 2 releases in 2014, ‘Identity Card’ & ‘6-5=2’ was bestowed upon the “Pride Of Rajasthan” Award. This award follows Prashantt Guptha’s awards at the San Francisco Festival and the National Awards for Excellence among others this year. Amongst several international, Hindi & regional films, the young actor’s critically acclaimed film ‘Identity Card’ was given “Best Feature Film” award at the hands of Padmini Kolhapure.

MPA APSA Academy Film Fund To Help Aspiring Filmmakers

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) & the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) gives an opportunity to aspiring filmmakers with the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund. MPA APSA Academy Film Funds is a unique initiative which has aided aspiring film makers in a lot of development in new film projects. A panel discussion was hosted at the 13th Pune International film festival on 10th Jan, 2015, to create awarness about the Asia Pacific Screen Awards & MPA APSA Academy Film Funds . The panelist for the discussion comprised of celebrated actor, Atul Kulkarni & Lohita Sujith, Director, Corporate Communications, Motion Picture Dist. Association (India) Pvt Ltd. Panelists also discussed how upcoming filmmakers/professionals can benefit from the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund worth USD 100,000. MPA APSA Academy Film Fund has been a hugely successful initiative taking the number of successful projects funded to a total of 20 feature films over the last 6 years. The projects now count amongst them winners of an Academy Award®, APSAs and an International Emmy Award. Grants have been awarded to projects from. India, Bangaldesh, Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China, Iraq, Kazakhastan, Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 2014, over 100 submissions were received for the film fund. 4 grants were awarded to 2 documentary film projects from Israel & Denmark and 2 film projects from Bangladesh and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan together in a film?

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Shahrukh-Khan-Salman-Khan-Aamir-Khan

Mumbai: We have been waiting for this for a long long time and finally it’s coming true. Apparently, Bollywood’s three Khans – Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir will be doing a film together.

According to a report published in a newspaper, producer Sajid Nadiadwala has been successful in bringing together the ruling Khans. This is the first time that the three Khans will be seen sharing screen space together.

It is not yet clear as to who will direct the film. But, it reportedly, will go on floors only in January 2017 and release in December that year.

Sajid Nadiadwala is a very close friend of Salman Khan and with the renewed friendship of the three Khans, the movie looks like a possibility.

(Agencies)

Movie Review: 'P Se PM Tak' is a satire on current political scenario

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P Se PM Tak

Producer: Jayantilal Gada
Director: Kundan Shah
Cast: Meenakshi Dixit, Indrajeet Soni, Bharat Jadhav, Yashpal Sharma, Vedish, Chinmay Jadhav, Aanjjan Srivastav, Aakash Pandey, Deepak Shirke, Akhilendra Mishra, Mushtaq Khan, Prerna Wanvari, Upasana Singh, Virendra Saxena, Pandharinath Kamble, Aanand Kale & Rocky Verma

Director Kundan Shah needs no special instruction as he has delivered all kinds of films in the past. But making a come back with his latest offering ‘P Se PM Tak’ was not really a good idea. As the entire film is a yawning exercise from
start to finish.

So ‘P Se PM Tak’ (No prize for guessing what the capital ‘P’ in the title stands for) is a political satire. It is as dark & as grotesque as the 17 minutes bright comedy in it. It’s a very vitriolic and an angry take on today’s political scenario. The central idea revolves around a 200 buck prostitute, on the run and of course she is penniless. She lands up in a town where a by-election is just hotting up. There, she gets caught in the vortex of political shenaniganism of the by-election and guess what? She ends up becoming the Chief Minister! Not that she deserves to be, but then, are the ones in the office any better? So this ultimately turns out to be a story of how a 200 rupee prostitute becomes the Prime Minister of a country in just 4 days?

The only highlight of ‘P Se PM Tak’ is a 17 minute hilariously rollicking dead-body climax never before seen on any screen…….with an explosive end. Just as it was in Kundan Shah’s earlier much talked about film ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’. Come on Mr. Kundan Shah its high time you get out of your dead body hangover.

Performance wise it is really credible that Minaxi Dixit, who has already created waves in the Southern movies scenario, is a revelation for Hindi Cinema. She has brilliantly held her fort amongst the hordes of veteran & extremely talented actors like Indrajeet Soni, Bharat Jadhav, Yashpal Sharma, Vedish, Chinmay Jadhav, Aanjjan Srivastav, Aakash Pandey, Deepak Shirke, Akhilendra Mishra, Mushtaq Khan, Prerna Wanvari, Upasana Singh,
Virendra Saxena, Pandharinath Kamble, Aanand Kale & Rocky Verma.

Tail Piece: Watch it only if political circus is your cup of tea.

Movie Review: 'Welcome 2 Karachi' is a futile exercise in boredom

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Welcome 2 Karachi

Banner: Puja Entertainment
Producer: Vashu Bhagnani & Uzair Junejo
Director: Ashish R Mohan
Cast: Arshad Warsi, Jackky Bhagnani, Lauren Gottlieb, Kirris Riviere, Ayub Khoso, Adnan Shah & Imran Hasnee
Music: Rochak Kohli, Jeet Ganguly Komail Shayan (KK) & Amjad Nadeem

Director Ashish R. Mohan in his debut directorial offering ‘Khiladi 786’ had a very successful inning but he has totally disappointed in his 2nd directorial outing ‘Welcome 2 Karachi’. Well! God – The Almighty save his fast sinking directorial ship is all I can say.

‘Welcome 2 Karachi’ starts of on a very unwelcome note. A ‘business dealing’ party is organized by Mitesh Patel (Dalip Tahil), who convinces a client to have their wedding party atop his chartered boat that’s being ‘captained’ by Shammi Thakur (Arshad Warsi) & Kedar Patel (Jackky Bhagnani). This also comes as a blessing in disguise for Shammi & Kedar to go to USA by boat, because they have always faced rejection whenever they had applied for a USA visa (by flight). Amidst the mid-sea party atop the boat, they encounter a sudden storm that washes them away all the way to Karachi (Pakistan). What happens out there is a series of misunderstanding, miscommunication and everything else that leads to the 2 boys landing up in messy situations. While Shammi disguises as a doctor and is forced to delivery a baby a la Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots style, the dumb Kedar roams around in a sherwani that has a bullet hole right near his chest. After a failed attempt to steal pizza, Shammi & Kedar land up in front of a deadly don. What follows after this are chance encounters of the duo with the likes of Taliban, ISI, jihadis, Pakistani Ministers, & Intelligence Bureau, which try to their best to keep the viewers ‘entertained’ throughout the film but in vain. If that wasn’t enough, there is a cross country firing that involves the likes of China, Pakistan, Israel, USA and many others. It is only towards the end that the film manges to pick up and has Shammi & Kedar trying to save a bunch of ‘special children’ from the evil hands of a Taliban, that is about to blow the plane carrying those children.

There are confusions galore throughout the film. Reason? Everything moves in a topsy turvy way right from the word go. Right from the 1st frame, one has to endure the nonsensical script, forced humor & amateurish VFX. Which makes the total film meaningless.

Performance wise it is only Arshad Warsi who manages to hold the show. Whereas Jackky Bhagnani has to join an acting school again to polish up his dormant acting skills. Lauren Gottlieb is one more addition to the long list of the existing glam dolls of Bollywood. That apart the supporting actors like Kirris Riviere, Ayub Khoso, Adnan Shah & Imran Hasnee just about pass muster.

Tail Piece: Stay miles away from the theatres still screening ‘Welcome 2 Karachi’.

Movie Review: 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' is an endearingly romantic & superb film

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Tanu-Weds-Manu-Returns

Banner: Colour Yellow Pictures
Producer: Kishore Lulla & Anand L. Rai
Director: Anand L. Rai
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, R. Madhavan, Jimmy Shergill, Deepak Dobriyal, Eijaz Khan, Swara Bhaskar, Rajendra Gupta, Navni Parihar, K. K. Raina, Dipti Mishra, Rajesh Sharma, Rahul Shankalya & Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub
Music: Krsna Solo & Tanishk – Vayu

5 years ago director Anand L. Rai had come up with an endearing film ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ which had lady luck in tandem with the box office Goddess smiling at him and now exactly after 5 years he has come up with its sequel ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’. So will its past box office success also return with the current offering. Let’s wait & watch.

So the pre – plotted scenario of ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ gets kick started with the nostalgic wedding day of Tanuja Trivedi aka Tanu (Kangna Ranaut) along with Dr. Manoj Sharma aka Manu (R. Madhavan) with the iconic “Sunn Saahiba Sunn” track playing in the background. The opening scene sets the tempo of the film. This is then immediately followed by the admission of Manu in St. Benedict’s Asylum by Tanu. After that, she returns to her hometown Kanpur to be with her parents. But the human side of her being makes her call Pappi (Deepak Dobriyal) and ensures that he frees Manu from the asylum. When she reaches Kanpur, she meets up with Raja Awasthi (Jimmy Sheirgill), who is on the verge of getting married. Around the same time, when Manu reaches Delhi, he sights upon the very ‘sporty’ Kusum (Kangna Ranaut again in a dual role), who happens to be a state level athlete. The very moment Manu sees her, he falls in love with her so much so that he starts following her and ultimately convinces her & her relatives for marriage, despite being a ‘second hand’ man, which is how Kusum describes him as. Meanwhile, with the help of her just graduated lawyer friend Chintu (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), she manages to threaten Manu with a divorce notice. Frustrated & aggravated because of this action, Manu ultimately decides to marry Kusum. Seeing her ‘husband’ about to tie the knot with Kusum, Tanu lands up with Raja at the venue, despite being all geared up for all the insults.

Director Anand L. Rai has made an appropriate & commendable sequel of his earlier film. His directorial skills are perfection personified & brilliant. The film hooks nay mesmerizes the cine goers from “start” to “end”. A standing ovation also goes to his entire behind the scenes team. A special well deserved credit also goes to crooner Swati Sharma for her husky, melodious & mellifluous “Banno” number.

Performance wise it is no doubt the Queen Kagna Ranaut’s histrionic oriented journey from “start” to “end”. Critical appreciation and awards galore are now hers for the asking. She is just fab in her dual role of Tanu (The hurt wife) & Kusum (The Haryanvi athlete). She gets into the skin of both the characters with perfect ease. R. Madhavan delivers a restrained albeit a “healthy” performance, pun definately intended please. All in all even he too has emerged a “plumpy” winner all the way without an iota of doubt. Deepak Dobriyal is brilliant. While the rest of the actors comprising of Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Jimmy Sheirgill, Eijaz Khan, Swara Bhaskar, Rajendra Gupta, Navni Parihar, K. K. Raina, Dipti Mishra, Rajesh Sharma & Rahul Shankalya have lent their own incredible charm to the film thereby helping with their individual ‘contributions’ in making the film a winner all the way.

Tail Piece: Strictly recommended for one and all, but especially for the married men and their spouses, teeny bopper boys and girls and of course all the about to be married and romantically involved couples.

Filmmaker Rupesh Paul makes waves at Cannes

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The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha

Filmmaker Rupesh Paul is really making waves at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival with 2 of his films ‘The Monk Who Fucked The Limousine’ & ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’. This time again Rupesh Paul has reached Cannes Film Festival with his 2 films namely ‘The Monk Who Fucked The Limousine’ & ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’.

Incidentally speaking ‘The monk who Fucked A Limousine’ is based on the story of Delhi rape case ‘Nirbhaya – India’s daughter”. ‘The monk who Fucked A Limousine’ was screened for the buyers in the Marche du film section of Cannes. ‘The monk who Fucked A Limousine’ is produced by O. P. Rai, presented by Kala Niketan Entertainment & written by Sritama Dutta. The main lead of monk has been enacted by Omkar Das Manik Puri who was the lead of Oscar nominated movie ‘Peepli Live’. Although the people will not believe but the veteran filmmaker Rupesh Paul has decided to unblock one more buzz & talks by screening his new movies. Unexpected thoughts are the cup of tea of Rupesh Paul. The person who has made an out of the frame movie will be able to do justice with the story of India’s daughter.

Rupesh Paul

Whereas ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’ is being produced under the banner of Rupesh Paul Productions Ltd. Geisha is the term which still needs a clarification. Known to be a girl for entertainment of men.

This time ‘Kamasutra 3D’ director Rupesh Paul is all set to release the trailer of his movie ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’ at the Cannes Film Festival. The poster of ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’ was launched at Cannes on 20th, May, 2015. And people were surprised & happy to see the posters. The story of the movie is all about the memories of a Geisha, as always Rupesh Paul has chosen an Indian girl to play the role of a Geisha. The girl who might have posed nude or semi nude in the film that would be awaited till the trailer comes out. ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’ has been produced by Rupesh Paul Productions & executive producer is Akaash.

Rupesh Paul

In this movement of time where the big corporates like Viacom 18, UTV, Yash Raj Films couldn’t make it possible to manage there own booth at Cannes, the same was done by Rupesh Paul’s team. Rupesh Paul avers, “I survive in this industry just because of the content and the titles of the movie. Otherwise this big corporates would have eaten me before. For my survival I keep catchy & sensational titles. ‘Kamasutra’ has a record of getting the maximum number of sales in 2013 defeating all big companies. Cannes is the best way for me to talk about my films. The presence of the great & mighty bollywood in Cannes market is only EROS & Disney India apart from us.”

Dr Mohan Kumar, Indian brand ambassador is in Cannes too. He visited the booth of Rupesh Paul in France at cannes films festival. Rupesh Paul averred, “Dr. Mohan Kumar raised his eyebrows when he saw words like “The monk” & “Fucked” he instantly raised his eyebrows and showed a sign of disbelief. Later on he giggled for the word being used in the poster itself. He was curious to know about why I use these kind of titles for my movies . I explained to him, the reason behind getting a chance to showcase my films are only the titles of my films. My survival depends upon the content & the titles otherwise the corporate companies will vanish me.”

Earlier on Rupesh Paul had got 2 grand premiers in Cannes, ‘Saint Dracula’ in 2012 & ‘Kamasutra 3D’ in 2014.

Bollywood Newswatch

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Aishwaryas-Jazbaa

Disney India’s Media Networks Bags 8 Awards

Disney India’s Media Networks recently bagged 8 Awards, 2 gold & 6 silver awards at the prestigious Promax BDA 2015. The Media Networks Team at Disney India proudly took away 2 Gold & 6 silver trophies at the Promax BDA 2015 function held recently in Mumbai. Popular channels from Disney India’s Media Network: Bindass, Disney Channel, Hungama TV and the recently launched Bindass Play secured wins across multiple categories at the coveted awards. The wins are in the following categories Gold for ‘Most Outstanding Station Image Campaign’ : Disney Channel brand films, ‘Beach-Proposal-Airport’ And another Gold, for the ‘Most Innovative Marketing Idea’-Disney Channel’s’ Kahani Masters’. Silver for ‘Most Innovative Marketing Idea’ Bindass’ Dreamstarts, Silver for ‘Best Holiday-Seasonal Event Spot’-Disney Channel’s ‘Kahani Masters’. Silver for ‘Best On-Air Branding Design-Bindass PLAY packaging, Silver for ‘Best children’s program promo’: Hungama TV’s Pokemon classroom promo

Actor Prashantt Guptha honoured

Actor Prashantt Guptha has been appointed as Key Indian Advisor & Festival Ambassador of San Francisco Global Film Festival and has signed a 3 film deal with a California based Producer. Last year, Prashantt Guptha’s film ‘Identity Card’ won “Best Film” award and he bagged the “Best Supporting Actor” at the SF Global Fest.

Abhay & Omi To Attend Asian American Heritage Festival

Abhay Deol & Omi Vaidya will be attending the Asian American Heritage Festival, which is being presented by Ultimate Media & Sony Entertainment Television Asia. The 2 actors will also be interacting with the audiences at the festival, which is being held on 31st May, 2015 at the New Jersey Expo & Convention Center in Edison, New Jersey. The event marks the celebration of the Asian American Heritage month of May in the US. The highlights of the Festival are as follows: Dance performances by top dance academies from the area, over 20 corporate sponsors & 100 vendors showcasing their products & services, a focus on the real estate market featuring builders from India & US, realtors, brokers & mortgage lenders. The Asian Realtors Association of America (AREAA), the trade organization that promotes home ownership opportunities within the Asian American community, is one of the Festival’s sponsors.

Aishwarya Unveiled 1st L Of ‘Jazbaa’ At Cannes

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been associated with Cannes for over a decade. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who will be seen as the protagonist in the upcoming Sanjay Gupta directorial ‘Jazbaa’, used Cannes as a platform to unveil the 1st look of this film. The 1st look of ‘Jazbaa’ was launched in a closed door discussion with United Nations panel on 16th May, 2015, after which, there was a media event scheduled on 19th May, 2015. The said panel included a list of some elite celebrities like Salma Hayek, Adele Exarchopoulos along with the producers of the film ‘Carol’, that is, Christine Vachone & Elizabeth Kushel. The trailer was also launched at the event amidst the presence of producer Essel Vision’s business head Akash Chawla & director & co-producer Sanjay Gupta. The film unlike any other ‘solo hero’ film has Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Irrfan Khan & Shabana Azmi occupying a prominent presence.
‘Jazbaa’ also starring Chandan Roy Sanyal, Anupam Kher and it is slated to release on 9th Oct, 2015.

SRK Summoned For Forex Violation

Shah Rukh Khan is heading into troubled waters. While on one hand the actor’s Indian Premier League (IPL) team the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has been playing well on the field, on the other hand the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned King Khan to appear before it in connection with forex violations. Apparently, the ED has summoned Shah Rukh Khan after shares of his IPL team KKR were undervalued in a transaction. Interestingly, this was not the 1st time when the actor was examined in such a case. He was questioned 4 years ago in Mumbai.

Mallika Sherawat’s Cannes Mission

Mallika Sherawat is a woman on mission in Cannes Mission. Mallika Sherawat, who’s always proved to be quite a head-turner in the Cannes Film Festival. She is readying to dazzle on the red carpet yet again as she recently went to attend the 68th Cannes Film festival that got kickstarted on 13th May, 2015. And this time around, she is on a mission. Mallika was invited to be on the discussion panel of “Co-Produce in India” by FICCI on behalf of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, on 14, May 2015.

FWICE Press Meet

The representatives of FWICE & Producer bodies recently met up at Sun N Sand hotel on the eve of the impending strike and amicably arrived at the following settlement after which the strike was called off. Workers, producers, artistes, technicians & broadcasters all heaved a sigh of relief as the deadlock was broken and the strike called off. The mutual settlement were immediate Wage hike on daily wages and base rate of contractual workers as follows 1st Year 13%, 2nd year 11%, 3rd year 11%, 4th Year 11% & 5th Year 12%. All payments to be issued within 30 days of work or raising of invoice, Appropriate safety & sanitary provisions on set (Joint committee for inspection), group insurance for all workers & technicians (compulsory), Letter of engagement to be issued to all workers clearly stating terms of engagement on commencement of work, proper rules & regulations of individual associations to be followed & implemented, defaulters on both sides to be identified & remedied & members to be paid as per the defined rates. The final MOU has been committed by both parties to be signed latest by 20th Jun, 2015.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Watches ‘Gabbar Is Back’

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal rently watches ‘Gabbar Is Back’ and Akshay Kumar was quite excited for his film ‘Gabbar Is Back’ as he reunited with his old pal Shabinaa Khan & Sanjay Leela Bhansali after ‘Rowdy Rathore’, ‘Gabbar Is a realistic film and has been relatable by every Indian citizen regardless of background caste & class. The film was a reflection of the current immoral ongoings of today’s modern society and how one should not sit back anymore and wait for the change to happen. With Akshay Kumar as Gabbar, this high octane action film is an entertainer with substance. An aam aadmi denied justice created Gabbar, a man who sets out on a fierce & ruthless path to fight corruption. Just recently Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal watched ‘Gabbar Is Back’ and he posted on the social networking site, “Watched ‘Gabbar is back”. An amazing movie. U must watch. Produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Sanjay Leela Bhansali & co-produced by Shabinaa Khan,

‘Kajarya’ & ‘Goatspeak’ Showcased In 68th Cannes Film Festival

Two films ‘Kajarya’ & ‘Goatspeak’ were were recently showcased in the 68th Cannes Film Festival. The critically acclaimed feature film ‘Kajarya’, directed by Award winning director Madhureeta Anand & ‘Goatspeak’ (Khashi Katha), directed by Judhajit Sarkar, were are recently premiered at the Marche Du Film at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. Madhureeta Anand’s ‘Kajarya’, starring Meenu Hooda, Ridhima Sud & Kuldeep Ruhil, has found critical appreciation internationally and has also been selected by the Forbes India magazine as the #1 in the Top 5 Indian Films. It deals with sex selection in India and consequent violence against women. ‘Kajarya’ has been co-produced by Odd Joint & Ekaa Films. Judhajit Sarkar’s ‘Goatspeak’ (Khashi Katha) is a tragic-comic tale narrated by a talking goat starring Naseeruddin Shah, Anindita Basu & Prasun Gyne and Ladoo the goat. It is a blend of fantasy & reality alongside incisive social & political statements.

Sanjay Juimani To Sell Bollywood Films

Sanjay Jumani of Sunstone Entertainment is in Cannes Film Festival to sell Bollywood Films. Besides he will also be acquiring the rights of Hollywood Films for the Indian market.

‘Nachom-ia Kumpasar’ Bags 3 National Awards

‘Nachom-ia Kumpasar’ recently bagged 3 National Awards. The film won 2 awards in general category and also the “Best Film” in Konkani. Nachom-ia Kumpasar, a Konkani musical film made as a tribute to the unsung musicians of Goa, bagged 3 honours at the 62nd National Film Awards with 2 awards and one special mention.
The film ‘l’ received the award for “Best Production Design” for recreating spaces from a different era and with minute attention to detail. It was also awarded the “Best Konkani Film” for its nostalgic recovery of a distinctive musical legacy, as told through the roller coaster lives of its practitioners that has remained unsung despite its influence on Bombay cinema.

‘Mohenjo Daro’ Release Date Announced

The release date of ‘Mohenjo Daro’ was announced recently. Hrithik Roshan’s upcoming film ‘Mohenjo Daro’s release date has been announced recently.
Disney & Ashutosh Gowariker Production Pvt Ltd (AGPPL) announced the release of ‘Mohenjo Daro’ on 12th Aug, 2016. Directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, ‘Mohenjo Daro’ is an epic love story, set during the Indus Valley Civilization. The film marks the debut of Pooja Hegde in Bollywood, who stars opposite Hrithik.

Om Puri & Prashantt Guptha Honored At Rajasthan International Film Festival

The 1st Rajasthan International Film Festival at Jaipur saw veteran actor Om Puri & young talent Prashantt Guptha being felicitated with top honors. With the central theme of the festival being ‘The Common Man of Indian Cinema,” the festival highlighted the achievements of Om Puri for his contribution to Indian cinema with its equivalent of The Lifetime Achievement Award. Prashantt Guptha, being a Jaipur native who made his foray into Hindi cinema and showed immense progress over the last couple of years as the handsome villain in Pen India/Shailesh Singh’s ‘Issaq’, followed by 2 releases in 2014, ‘Identity Card’ & ‘6-5=2’ was bestowed upon the “Pride Of Rajasthan” Award. This award follows Prashantt Guptha’s awards at the San Francisco Festival and the National Awards for Excellence among others this year. Amongst several international, Hindi & regional films, the young actor’s critically acclaimed film ‘Identity Card’ was given “Best Feature Film” award at the hands of Padmini Kolhapure.

MPA APSA Academy Film Fund To Help Aspiring Filmmakers

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) & the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) gives an opportunity to aspiring filmmakers with the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund. MPA APSA Academy Film Funds is a unique initiative which has aided aspiring film makers in a lot of development in new film projects. A panel discussion was hosted at the 13th Pune International film festival on 10th Jan, 2015, to create awarness about the Asia Pacific Screen Awards & MPA APSA Academy Film Funds . The panelist for the discussion comprised of celebrated actor, Atul Kulkarni & Lohita Sujith, Director, Corporate Communications, Motion Picture Dist. Association (India) Pvt Ltd. Panelists also discussed how upcoming filmmakers/professionals can benefit from the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund worth USD 100,000. MPA APSA Academy Film Fund has been a hugely successful initiative taking the number of successful projects funded to a total of 20 feature films over the last 6 years. The projects now count amongst them winners of an Academy Award®, APSAs and an International Emmy Award. Grants have been awarded to projects from. India, Bangaldesh, Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China, Iraq, Kazakhastan, Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 2014, over 100 submissions were received for the film fund. 4 grants were awarded to 2 documentary film projects from Israel & Denmark and 2 film projects from Bangladesh and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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