Film – Page 120

Movie Review: ‘Ant-Man’ disappoints, as it is not so impressive

July 25, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Kevin Feige
Director: Peyton Tucker Reed
Star Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Micheal Pena, Tip Harris, Anthony Mackie, Wood Harris, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian & Micheal Douglas.
Genre: Fantasy
Verdict: Average

Peyton Tucker Reed is an American television & film director. He is best known for directing comedy films like Yes Man, Bring It On & The Break Up and now his latest offering is the super hero film Ant-Man. But somehow one feels that Ant-Man has failed to leave up to the expectations of the fans & cine goers of super hero films.

Plot: Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym & Lang must plan & pull off a heist that will save the world.

Aces: The grandeur & the gloss and the huge scale on which the movie has been presented.

Minuses: Right from the word go the whole exercise seems unbelievable.

Last Word: They have served a new super hero recipe in Ant-Man now be prepared for its sequel franchised Ant-Woman.

Movie Review: ‘Mr. Holmes’ is an artistic film excellently made

July 25, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

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Producer: Anne Carrey, Lain Canning & Emile Sherman
Director: Bill Condon
Star Cast: Ian Mckellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hattie Morahan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Patrick Kennedy, Roger Allam, Phil Davis, Frances De La Tour, Colin Starkey, Nicholas Rowe, Francis Barber & John Sessions.
Genre: Suspense
Verdict: Good

Bill Condon of Gods & Monsters and the 2 final instalments of the Twilight Sagas fame, has made as artistic film in Mr. Holmes. He has touched upon the core truth of how Sherlock Holmes remained a brilliant sleuth even at the age of 93, barring the fact that age had really started catching him off guard.

Plot: Long retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeeper’s son Roger (Miko Parker) as he revisits the still unsolved case that led to his retirement.

Aces: Bill Condon’s skilful presentation of the last days of Sherlock Holmes topped with extracting excellent performances mainly from Ian Mckellen as Sherlock Holmes & Milo Parker as his sidekick Roger.

Minuses: The snail’s pace of the movie really gets on your nerves.

Last Word: Catch it before it vanishes from the silver screen.

Movie Review: ‘Masaan’ is a very disturbing fare

July 24, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Anuraag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane etc
Director: Neeraj Ghaywan
Star Cast: Richa Chadda, Vicky Kaushal, Sanjay Mishra, Shweta Tripathi, Pankaj Tripathji, Nikhil Sahni, Satyakam Anand & Vineet Kumar
Genre: Drama
Verdict: Good

Debutante director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan has earned rave reviews in the global festival circuit, but will it suit the palate of the Indian audience is a bit doubtful. Yet the movie in itself is laudable and a critics delight.

Plot: The plotted scenario of Masaan is set in present day Banaras it follows 2 separate story that eventually converge. In the 1st story Devi and (Richa Chadda) and her fellow student, Piyush, check into a hotel room. They are interrupted when the police bursts in, accusing them of indulging in indecent behaviour. In the 2nd story Deepak (Vicky Kaushal), a young boy (also from Banaras) works in a funeral pyre. Deepak meets & falls in love with Shaalu (Shweta Tripathi).

Aces: Neeraj Ghaywan’s apt directorial treatment coupled with stellar performances from Richa Chadda as well as debutante actors like Vicky Kaushal, Shweta & Pankaj Tripathi and a special mention must be made of child actor Nikhil Saini.
Minuses: The grimness of the film leaves you drained of all emotions.

Last Word: Strictly recommended for lovers of art house cinema.

An interactive session with a media guy turned film director Rajesh Ransinghe

July 23, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Rajesh Ransinghe, a director of small as well as big screen, happens to be a very youthful, energitic & dynamic director. Incidentally speaking he had started of his career as a Videographer. And then he made a quick switch as a small screen megaphone wielder. This was almost more than 2 decades ago, when he had dabbled with the small screen shows, starting off with a biggest production house named Contileo films, like ‘Ankhen’ (his debut serial), ‘Aahat’, ‘CID’, ‘CID Bureau’, ‘Bhanwar’, ‘Koi Hai’, ‘Maharana Pratap’, Savdhaan India’, ‘Rishte’, ‘Fear File’ and last but not the least ‘Adalat’. All in all till this date almost 22,000 hours of work has been tucked under his directorial belt. And then his next big leap was in the big screen arena in the year 2010 when he had directed a Hindi film named ‘Rokkk’. And finally after almost half a decade he is ready with his 1st ever Marathi film namely ‘Janiva’.

Just recently the music of your 1st ever Marathi film ‘Janiva’ was released at the hands of Salman Khan. So was it on purpose to cash in on his ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ wave? That apart you were also conspicious by your absence in your own film’s music release event?

No sir, not at all and it was not intentional. I did not attend the music release function of my own film Marathi film ‘Janiva’ as I was busy shooting in Hyderabad and I didn’t feel right that I should leave the entire unit in a lurch just to attend the music release of my own film ‘Janiva’. And releasing the music was Salman Khan’s own choice as he wanted to bless Satya, the son of his best friend Mahesh Manjrekar. And Satya happens to be one of the 5 main leads of my film ‘Janiva’. That’s it.

Tell us something about your upcoming Marathi film ‘Janiva’

First & Foremost I would like to state that Renuka Shahane plays a major role of a lawyer in this film. Besides Satya is playing one of the 5 male leads, there is also Anuradha, Vaibhavi, Sanket, Dev Dutt, Kishore Kadam (also playing the role of a powerful lawyer), Kiran Karmakar, Indira Krishna, Atul Parchure & Usha Nadkarni with a special appearance by Mahesh Manjrekar. Incidentally speaking, we will all see the father – son team of Mahesh Manjrekar & Satya together for the 1st ever time in ‘Janiva’. Also for the 1st time ever, the very popular singer of Bollywood films Deler mehndi has rendered a Ganpati number in Marathi and he makes it a point to croon this number in every show he does whetheer in India or abroad.

How was your experiences on the sets with the seasoned actors like Renuka Shahane & Mahesh Manjrekar?

Renuka Shahane is fantastic. She took only 2 hours to okay the script which I had narrated to her. She even improvised so much on the sets that she exceeded herself 10 times more than what I had expected from her. When I had narrated the script to Mahesh Manjrekar, he had asked me who was the hero. I told him that I need a 17 year old college going boy and just then Satya entered the room. Eureka! I knew that I had found one of the main hero of my Marathi film ‘Janiva’. I immediately offered Satya the role and luckily for me I had both the father – son team on board of my Marathi film ‘Janiva’. Mahesh Manjrekar appears in the Ganpati number which has been crooned by Daler Mahendi, the Punjabi pop singer who is known both fort his racy Punjabi & Hindi numbers.

How come you convinced Deler Mehndi to sing for a Marathi film?

When I went to Daler Mehendi he clearly told me that he can sing only Hindi & Punjabi numbers and not the Marathi ones. But when he heard the scratch number in my voice he really got excited and said that he will certainly give it a try and when he actually belted out the number in the recording room, everybody was stunned including myself.

On a round up note how about giving us an insight into the subject matter of your Marathi film ‘Janiva’!

You see after selecting all the lead actors, 3 boys & 2 girls, I put them through an intense and a gruelling workshop session. And then the 1st 6 days of the shooting I made them to sit for 6 whole days in the courtroom just as a spectator doing nothing, just observing the senior actors in action which proved like a Master Class in acting for them. Now coming to the subject matter of my Marathi film ‘Janiva’. It certainly has an altogether different story which I can’t reveal it now. At the moment it is suffice to say how the college students are trapped by the law and how a powerful lady lawyer like Renuka Shahane fights with the system and saves the future of these college students. This kind of a subject matter will always have a youthful audience connect and the college going boys & girls will also identify themselves with these innocent boys & girls. By the way my debut Marathi film ‘Janiva’ will hit the marquee by the end of July, 2015.

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

July 20, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

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.

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

July 16, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

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

July 16, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

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

July 15, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

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

July 13, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

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

July 11, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

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.

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”.

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.