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Richa Sharma sings Bollywood's longest song!
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 17   In Ravi Chopra's "Baabul" Richa Sharma has crooned the bidaai song in an unending flow of heart-breaking emotions, for a full 15 minutes without any orchestral embellishments. Unfortunately, only a small portion of it was included in the album.

"In fact my composer Aadesh Shrivastava had put one traditional instrument. I had to request him to take it out. It was hampering my flow of musical thoughts," said Richa, whose voice soars across the crooning kingdom in meteoric manoeuvres.

Listen to her do the bidaai song in "Baabul" or the bitiya song in "Umrao Jaan" or go back to the title song of "Baghban" and of course the "Kahin aag lage" song in "Taal", Richa's voice rips a hole in listeners' souls.
   

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"It's funny you say that, because I've been singing since the age of eight.

That's when I did my first religious songs. I still continue to do that.

They're my heartbeat," Richa told IANS.

At one time she wasn't hopeful that she would make a career in film singing.

"Now, of course, I'm doing a lot of film songs. I never thought I'd be singing in films. I just didn't have the heroine's voice. I thought I'd continue to sing that stray religious songs or bhikhari (beggar) song that needed a philosophical rendering in a rangy throat. That's me. Fortunately, A.R. Rahman's 'Kahin aag lage' in 'Taal' was picturised on Aishwarya Rai."

Nonetheless, Richa's ravishing range remains restricted to rangy theme songs. Heroine's voices have so far been associated with one kind of singing. And that's the Lata Mangeshkar role model.

Singers who have emulated her style have always reaped the maximum benefits in the recording room. Those like Alisha Chinai, Jaspinder Nirula and Richa, who have gone against the grain, have been put in the fringes.

To Richa's relief and joy things are slowly changing.

"And I've one amazing singer, Sunidhi Chauhan, to thank for this. How I adore that girl's voice! Her deviant voice makes me hopeful about the future for another kind of voices."

What both thrills excites and intrigues Richa is the fact that composers seem to give her a lot of elbowroom to improvise.

"It's rather gratifying but also scary. Aadesh always gave me room to innovate tremendously. For the 'Baabul' song he gave me only one brief. He gave me the words 'Babul mora naihar chutal jaye'. And he just asked me to sing.

"I sang for 15-16 minutes without any musical accompaniment. Of these only two-three minutes have been retained in the soundtrack for the lack of space, I guess."

One can hear Richa's looming regret at her luminous labours being edited so drastically.

"I've also sung the other number 'Kehta hai baabul', which Jagjit Singh and Amitabh Bachchan have rendered in 'Baabul'. My version has been kept out of the album."

But Richa isn't complaining.

"I won't say I'm satisfied with my career in film singing. But I'm happy. Whenever I go to a music director, there's a certain look of respect in his eyes. I cherish that above anything else.

"One of the high points in my career in films as a singer was when I was called by Sanjay Leela Bhansali after he heard me sing 'Mere maula', one of my favourite tracks, from 'Khakee'.

"Sanjay made my day when he said he was looking for me for a long time. I've sung a beautiful thumri for Monty Singh in 'Saawariya'. What a pleasure it is to sing for a filmmaker who knows what music is all about."

Richa admits Bollywood hasn't really decided what to do with her unusually textured voice and stormy range.

"But I've a place, though that place is restricted by the fact that I'm not the heroine's voice. Nowadays, when I look at the kind of voices that are voted in the televised music contests, I wonder what we respect - talent or just the ability to ask for votes in a charming way."
 

'Barso re' holds top slot this week too

New Delhi, Jan 17   A.R. Rahman's "Barso re" from Mani Ratnam's "Guru" continues to rule the charts this week too.

The top 10 Hindi songs for the week are:

1. "Barso re" - Film: "Guru"; Music Director: A.R. Rahman; Singer: Shreya Ghoshal. The hugely popular song about welcoming rain retains its premier position this week. The film has also hit the screen and is doing pretty well at the box office.

2. "Salaam-e-Ishq" - Film: "Salaam-e-Ishq"; Music Director: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy; Singers: Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Kunal Ganjawala, Sadhana Sargam and Shankar Mahadevan. Lavishly shot in the true Yash Chopra style, the song has moved two notches up.

3. "Crazy kiya re" - Film: "Dhoom 2"; Music Director: Pritam; Singer: Sunidhi Chauhan. The fast number, shot on Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan, sets your foot tapping and is a visual treat as well.

4. "Kabul fiza" - Film: "Kabul express"; Music Director: Raghav Sachar; Singer: Raghav Sachar. A fusion of Indian and western music, the song sung by debutant music director Raghav Sachar has carved a niche for itself and being played repeatedly on all countdown shows.

5. "Main hoon don" - Film: "Don"; Music Director: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy; Singer; Shaan. The listeners are not yet bored of the song stylishly shot on Shah Rukh Khan.

6. "Chak de phattey" - Film: "Khosla Ka Ghosla"; Music Director: Dhruv Dhalla and Bapi-Tutul; Singer: Kailash Kher. The Punjabi fun song, which is enjoyed by all and sundry, is back to woo music lovers.

7. "Ye zindagi" - Film: "Traffic Signal"; Music Director: Shamir Tandon; Singers: Hariharan and Sangeet Haldipur. The song capturing different nuances of life has entered the chart this week and is likely to move up in the coming weeks.

8. "Toote huey dil se" - Film: Umrao Jaan; Music Director: Anu Malik: Singer: Alka Yagnik. The short track from the period film gives voice to a lover's melancholy.

9. "Ram milaye jodi" - Film: "Just married"; Music: Pritam; Singer: Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shaan. It is a fun wedding-song and shows signs of staying on charts for a long time.

10. "Tere bin" - Film: "Bas Ek Pal"; Music Director: Mithoon; Singer: Atif Aslam. The love song burst on the scene months ago and listeners are still to tire of it.

(Source: The Music Shop, Khan Market, New Delhi)
 

Stop calling 'Gangster' a small film, says Kangana
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 17   Newcomer Kangana Ranaut is miffed at "Gangster - A Love Story", which catapulted her to fame, being referred to as a "small film".

"After the awards at a celebration party, an actor who seemed a little drunk walked up to me and smiled condescendingly to congratulate me for winning the award for a small film. I was immediately upset," Kangana said, referring to the 13th Star Screen Awards function.

"Small? How is 'Gangster' a small film? Are they talking about budgeting?

It's a Rs.80-90 million film. Is that chickenfeed?

"We shot the film in Seoul where no Indian film has been shot before. The plot takes the characters to two different countries. The largeness of the canvas is unquestionable. I'd rather be proud of such a small film than be ashamed of some big film where I'd be tucked away in an invisible corner. And I said so to the actor," Kangana told IANS.

She walked away with the best debutante actress award at the function held in Mumbai.

Apparently, Kangana, who already has a reputation for not mincing words, made her displeasure very clear to the actor who made the remark. Several onlookers heard raised voices.

But she said: "There were no raised voices. I just made my point very clear. 'Gangster' isn't a small film. I'm now doing some so-called big films. And I'm equally proud of both."

The actress has, for now, stopped signing new films.

"I'm listening to new scripts every day. But nothing that excites me enough to grab another offer. I'd rather wait for Anurag Basu's 'Metro' and Suneel Darshan's 'Shakalaka Boom Boom' to come out in February and April before I say yes to any of the new offers.

"It's so difficult to follow up 'Gangster' and 'Woh Lamhe' with something equally exciting. I envy Kareena Kapoor for getting 'Omkara'. I'd love to work with directors like Vishal Bharadwaj and Madhur Bhandarkar. In fact, I'll be listening to Madhurji's script soon."

Good times ahead in 2007?

"Very good times," said Kangana. "2006 gave me some heartburns specially about my sister's injury and some unsavoury rumours about my fall-out with the Bhatts (Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt). I think things will be far more peaceful this year."

 

My niece keeps me connected with young minds: Rahul Bose
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 17   Excited about his first film for children, talented actor Rahul Bose is spending a lot of time with his 10-year-old niece Alya to prepare for the role.

"I used a lot of my father's personality to play the father to two children in Buddhadeb Das Gupta's 'Kaal Purush'. Like my dad, my character was a very nurturing and tactile father. And now in this children's film, growing up with Alya has kept me totally in touch with how young minds work.

"I feel essentially all young minds have remained the same. They love anything that challenges the law of nature. Through Alya, I'm fully clued into young minds. Alya is part of my heart. And I certainly will bring my experiences with her into my role," Rahul told IANS.

To be directed by Tamara Nedungadi, who is Ken Ghosh's assistant, the untitled film will see Rahul as the captain of the Indian cricket team.

"Ken will be a creative consultant on the project. Children are a constituency I've never spoken to before. I've been waiting to do a film for children. It's part of my new leave-no-genre-untried policy.

"This one is exciting because I get to play the captain of the Indian cricket team. It's a funny warm and sentimental film. There's a brood of children in the film," he said.

"In fact," Rahul deadpanned, "there was a huge tug-of-war between me and the child protagonist as to who would play the young lead. I lost because he was taller. But I still say I look younger, ha ha."

When I suggest Rahul needs to marry and have his own children, he shakes his head.

"Alya is like my own child. I've tremendous amount of time on my own, travelling for my films or to play rugby. The time back home in Mumbai is now spent with my sister and niece. There's no vacuum in me because I feel love can be tapped and found anywhere... Whether it's my rugby friends or my dad up in the hills of Kasauli, where's the shortage of love?"

And sex? "I'm not entirely sure what that means," Rahul deadpanned some more.

As for his friendship with Nandita, "We had to call off our torrid affair due to the intense media pressure. The media created differences where earlier there were none."
 

'Guru' opens with a big bang in US
By Arun Kumar, 

Washington, Jan 17   Mani Ratnam's "Guru" has not only received great reviews from the mainstream American press but also made $843,200 over the four-day weekend, one of the biggest opening grosses ever for Indian cinema in this country.

Comparing the normal Friday-Sunday gross, the new Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai starrer opened better than India's official entry to this year's Oscars, "Rang de Basanti", and "Krrish" with Hrithik Roshan in a superhero act, according to boxofficeguru.com.

The New York Times followed up its story Sunday hailing the film's glitzy red carpet premiere as heralding "not only the arrival of a movie, but also a growing cultural phenomenon" and followed it up with a review suggesting "'Guru' exalts India's rising influence".

The New York Post gave it three out of four stars, the highest grade it has ever bestowed on a Bollywood film, and Los Angeles Weekly called it the best Bollywood film since "Lagaan". Even Time magazine reviewed the film.

"You might think it would be difficult to fashion an entertaining account of the life of a polyester manufacturer, even a fictitious one. But the Tamil director Mani Ratnam, known for intelligent political dramas, has done so with 'Guru', an epic paean to can-do spirit and Mumbai capitalism," said Andy Webster in his review in the New York Times.

"Ratnam's experience shows in his gorgeous compositions and fluency with pacing and effects; the inevitable, though unobtrusive musical sequences display a similar command," he said in the review titled "Polyester and Power at Play for a Mogul and His India".

Richard Corliss of Time magazine said a ritzy premiere like the one in New York "would typically take place in Mumbai (Bombay) or in Ratnam's home town Chennai (Madras). But Bollywood films have eyes to be as popular in America as in India, Indonesia, the Middle East and North Africa, where they dominate cinematic culture".

"For movies to celebrate an entrepreneur is rare - usually you get exposés -but not wrong. Guru's nearest equivalent might be "It's a Wonderful Life", except that this small businessman has to cope with success, not failure.

"And there's no denying the dramatic oomph of the climactic courtroom scene, with Gurukant defending himself and the class he stands for. Still, it doesn't seem like a natural weave for Mani Ratnam. This "Guru" is more like a fine polyester," he said.

L.A. Weekly said: "Ratnam's enthralling and eventful new picture 'Guru' is one of his best yet; in fact it may be the best Indian commercial (Bollywood) movie since the Oscar-nominated 'Lagaan' (2000)."

It added: "The flamboyantly gifted Indian moviemaker Mani Ratnam has an epic romantic temperament, like a reform-minded 19th century novelist, with a great eye and a trunk full of Panavision lenses."

Lou Lumenick of The New York Post said: "Mani Ratnam's often absorbing 'Guru' is sort of a Bollywood 'Citizen Kane', a decades-spanning drama with a compelling Abhishek Bachchan as a ruthless Indian business tycoon who refuses to take no for an answer.

"Gorgeous superstar Rai's several lavish musical numbers, while entertaining, seem to belong in another movie," he said describing the film as "resembling a lavish Hollywood prestige film of the 1960s".

Murphy's Movie Reviews said what Mani Ratnam "has crafted in 'Guru' is a superb film that profiles a man driven to succeed".

While "Guru" is not quite on the same level as Orson Welles' masterpiece "Citizen Kane" (after all, what is?), said the reviewer, "it does rank pretty close in its depiction of the life of a man consumed by his business pursuits and his dreams".

"The film is anchored by Bachchan's terrific performance. As always, Rai is lovely to look at, but she doesn't make much of her character," it added.
 

I was treated at par with other actors: newcomer Anjana
By Swati R. Chaudhary, 

Mumbai, Jan 17   To say Anjana Sukhani is elated about sharing screen space with the who's who of Bollywood in Nikhil Advani's "Salaam-e-Ishq" is an understatement.

"It's truly a blessing to be a part of an ensemble cast like 'Salaam-e-Ishq'. It's my first big film with a big director and some of the biggest actors of Bollywood. I was treated like a princess and didn't feel intimidated at all. I was treated in the same manner as Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan and others on sets," said Anjana.

Anjana, who has more than 40 commercials to her credit including the Coke ad with Aamir Khan, made her debut in the box office dud "Humdum". "Sun Zarra" and "Jaana-Lets Fall In Love" followed and they too sank without a trace. So, she now has her hopes pinned on Advani's biggie "Salaam-E-Ishq", reports Bollywood Trade.

She is all charged to set the screen ablaze with her sensual "Babujee dheere chalna" track in "Salaam-E-Ishq", in which she tries to seduce Anil Kapoor.

"The song is not completely remixed and has a lounge feel to it. Anil comes to the studio and this is the first time he sees me. He is completely mesmerised and here onwards subsequent meetings take place between us," said Anjana.

Anjana plays the other woman in Anil's life.

"I play a young 22-year-old independent woman. She is very confident, open minded and chilled out. She feels its okay to walk out of a strained relationship and start afresh."

Priyanka Chopra-Salman Khan, John Abraham-Vidya Balan, Akshaye Khanna-Ayesha Takia, Sohail Khan-Ish Koppikar and Govinda-Shannon Esrechowitz will also be seen in the film.

"Salaam-e-Ishq" is slated to release Jan 25. The music is already scorching charts and with six lovable couples pairing up, the film sure looks like a tribute to love.
 

Indian Americans star in NBC crime series
By Arun Kumar, 

Washington, Jan 17   Indian American actors Kal Penn and Pooja Kumar star on the latest episode of the highly-rated crime series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" on NBC.

The two award-winning actors played brother and sister on the new episode aired Tuesday. It follows the rape case of a college student and the involvement of a women's clinic.

The new episode, "Outsider," is notable since the South Asian heritage of the characters does not play a central role in the story.

Now in its eighth hit season, "Law & Order: SVU" features a group of detectives who investigate sex crimes in New York City and remains one of the network's top-rated programmes.

Kal Penn also features as a villain in Fox's Emmy-winning action series "24".

He plays a guy who is somehow involved with the Islamic guru running the neighbourhood mosque and might be the key to a terrorist plot.

First aired in November 2001, "24" covers the events of a 24-hour period in the life of federal agent Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, as he tries to prevent one or more domestic terrorist attacks, set largely in Los Angeles.

On March 9, his next feature film "The Namesake" from director Mira Nair will open in theatres in the United States. Later this month, Penn will reunite with co-star John Cho to begin filming the sequel to the 2004 cult comedy hit "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle."

Actress Pooja Kumar follows her "Law & Order: SVU" episode with the lead role in the upcoming feature film "Hiding Divya" starring opposite Madhur Jaffrey which will screen at international film festivals later this year.

Kumar has won the Screen Actors Guild Emerging Actor Award and is a former Miss India USA.
 

'Water' shortlisted for Oscars
 
New Delhi, Jan 17   Deepa Mehta's film "Water" about the plight of widows in 1930s India has been shortlisted in the best foreign film category for the Oscars.

The Canadian film, which stars John Abraham and Lisa Ray, finds place in the list along with the acclaimed "Black Book" from the Netherlands and "Volver" from Spain, reports Variety.com.

Other films in the list are "Days of Glory" (Algeria), "After the Wedding" (Denmark), "Avenue Montaigne" (France), "The Lives of Others" (Germany), "Pan's Labyrinth" (Mexico) and "Vitus" (Switzerland).

Many projects were stolen from me: Anupam Kher (INTERVIEW)
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 17   Veteran actor Anupam Kher has landed himself a plum role in Chinese director Ang Lee's new film being shot in Shanghai right now but refused to talk about it because he fears somebody will steal the prestigious project from him.

"It's called, 'Lust, Caution'. Lee's casting director spoke to Shirish Kunder (of Jaan-e-Mann fame) about my character. Shirish suggested my name. I sent Lee my show reel. A few days ago, we finalised the contract. I'm silent about this project because I've had many projects stolen away from under my nose. I've become superstitious," Anupam told IANS in an interview.

This has got to be the biggest international break for an Indian actor since Victor Banerjee in David Lean's "A Passage To India".

One of Hollywood's most celebrated contemporary directors, Lee shot to fame with the esoteric "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" in 2000. He also did a highly acclaimed adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense & Sensibility" and was last in the news for his controversial Oscar-winning gay film "Brokeback Mountain".

For Anupam the length of the role is inconsequential.

"Is it a pivotal role? Good question!" quipped Anupam. "It is a substantial role. Even if Lee had asked me to do a walk-on part, I'd have happily done it. You don't ask certain filmmakers what they're offering you. This is my first visit to China and to have the chance to observe Lee on his home ground at work would be an honour.

"It's a fabulous script. I'm the only Indian actor in the film. And I'm playing an Indian. I'm thankful to Kunder for recommending me. I think they asked him because his wife Farah choreographed a Chinese film."

The first person Anupam called to share the good news was his mentor Mahesh Bhatt.

"Bhatt saab said it was an honour not just for me but the entire Indian film industry. At that moment, I felt so proud. From Bhatt saab's 'Saraansh' to Ang Lee's 'Caution, Lust', it's been quite a journey for me."

Anupam rues about being ignored at award functions.

He said: "Every year I'm ignored at the Indian awards. Last year my performance in 'Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara' went unnoticed. This year I'm sure 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' will be ignored. Every time I'm disappointed at home I get some big recognition abroad."

Anupam's parting shot, "The chances of an Indian actor working in a Hollywood film to be shot in China are very rare. It's going to kill a lot of people back home. But Shanghai and Lee, here I come."

When asked Victor about Anupam's achievement, he said: "I'm very happy for Anupam. Also, insanely jealous."

"A very long time ago when I was 20 I saw a young actor perform a bit part in a play based on the 'Mahabharata'. I was stunned by his ability. That, the same actor has now been cast by Lee comes as no surprise to me. He's brilliant and deserves all that he gets," said acclaimed director Sudhir Mishra.

Deepa Mehta's 'Water' shortlisted for Oscars (LEAD)
 
New Delhi, Jan 17   Canada-based Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta's controversial "Water", a Hindi film on the plight of Indian widows in the 1930s, has been shortlisted for the Oscars in the best foreign film category.

The film, which is Canada's official entry for the Oscars, stars John Abraham, Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas and examines the plight of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi.

India's entry, Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra's "Rang De Basanti", failed to impress Academy members. The film starring Aamir Khan was a runaway success, but was slammed by some who said it promoted violence and anarchy.

But Indian hopes are still flying high with "Water" entering the race. The fate of the film, which is yet to reach Indian screens, will be decided on Feb 25.

"Water", which did well in North America, focuses on the relationship between a widow seeking to escape stifling social restrictions and a man from a lower caste who is a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.

Though it is a Canadian production, its theme is purely Indian and still relevant. Making "Water", which was the opening film of the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005, was not a cakewalk for Mehta.

Her first attempts to make the film in Varanasi in 1999 sparked protests by Hindu fundamentalists and she had to shelve the project. She took it up four years later and filmed in Sri Lanka with vital changes in the cast - with Shabana Azmi making way for Seema and Nandita Das being replaced by Lisa.

"Water" completes Mehta's trilogy of "Fire" (1996) and "Earth" (1998).

The film's nomination to the coveted foreign film list in the Oscars became possible by vital changes made by the organisers of the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences.

This time, entries in the foreign language category were not required to be in the official language of the country submitting the film. Any language or combination of languages is acceptable as long as the principal language is not English. "Water" fitted the bill.

"That may sound like a profound change," said Academy executive director Bruce Davis in a press statement.

"But it actually addresses a situation that has cropped up only once before in our history, and may not arise again this century. Last year, the Italians wanted to submit a picture that was clearly made by Italian artists, and which qualified for the category in every other way except one: there was no Italian language in it. All the dialogues were in Middle Eastern languages."

"Water" finds place in the list along with the acclaimed "Black Book" from the Netherlands and "Volver" from Spain.

Other films in the list are "Days of Glory" (Algeria), "After the Wedding" (Denmark), "Avenue Montaigne" (France), "The Lives of Others" (Germany), "Pan's Labyrinth" (Mexico) and "Vitus" (Switzerland)


IANS