Other Topics : Art Culture - Fashion - Tourism

Latest & Hot Bollywood Film News : *

Back to Hindi movies section

   
Salman-Govinda combo is USP of 'Partner'
New Delhi, July 16  Director David Dhawan has a knack for making successful comedies and he is back with another laugh riot called "Partner", starring Salman Khan and Govinda.

The two actors team up for the first time in the film releasing Friday. The movie also has Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif who play partners to Salman and Govinda respectively.

The story is simple but with Salman playing the 'love guru' giving tips to Govinda, it can be an interesting watch. While former plays a super cool stud, the latter will be seen as a simpleton.

The film revolves around Salman who is a love guru and earns his livelihood by helping men woo the women of their dreams. His tips always work because the way he understands a woman's likes and dislikes, nobody else does.

The real fun begins when Salman meets Govinda and takes him under his wing and starts giving him training to impress Katrina, the rich and famous daughter of an industrialist.

After going through many hurdles in a comic series, Govinda finally wins Katrina's love.

So far so good. But there is a twist in the tale - Salman faces a real challenge in the form of Lara Dutta, the one woman he truly loves. She works for a newspaper as a journalist and none of his tricks work on her.

The film's USP is the Govinda and Salman team. They are coming together for the first time and trade pundits say they will crackle on screen.

Dhawan's "Shaadi No.1" was a moderate success, so he has put his heart and soul into making it a box office success.
 

                             Advertisement

When Shabana bailed out hubby Javed
By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, July 16 Lyricist Javed Akhtar is more than happy with wife Shabana Azmi's performance as judge on Sony's popular music contest "Indian Idol" when she had to step in quickly to fill his place.

Javed had to rush to the US for some work and Shabana, like the devoted wife she is in real wife, stepped in readily.

The show on air has four judges - Javed, music composer Anu Malik and singers Udit Narayan and Alisha Chinai.

"I had to go to the US and there was no way I could cancel either my trip or the recording of 'Indian Idol'. I was in a fix. It was then that I suggested that Shabana take my place for one episode," Javed told IANS.

Once in the US, Javed was nervous as hell about his wife's performance in the show, which aired Friday.

"I anxiously rang up the Sony heads to inquire how Shabana had done. To my delight they were thrilled by her command over the situation and her ease with the contestants.

"I guess there're some people who get it right, no matter what they do. Shabana is one of them. Now I'm apprehensive they might ask her to take my place on 'Indian Idol'," joked Javed.

He's all for the onslaught of music contests on Indian television.

"It's a very heartening trend. I first judged 'Fame Gurukul' now 'Indian Idol'. And though there's no Lata Mangeshkar or Kishore Kumar on these shows, some of these contestants are really good."

What about the charge that these wannabes fizzle out with the show?

"When we say they fizzle out or that they don't make it we only mean that they don't become successful playback singers. Of course, Shreya Ghosal and Kunal Ganjawala (both very popular playback singers today) came from these music contests. But that isn't the be-all of their dreams.

"Rooprekha Banerjee from 'Fame Gurukul' or 'Abhijeet Sawant' from 'Indian Idol 1' may not be singing film songs but they're earning more than what they ever dreamt of. Many of these contestants come from extremely modest backgrounds. At the least they finish from the show with many live shows in their kitty. How many Indians earn Rs.300,000-400,000 a month, like these contestants do?"

Javed now intends to be a part of "Indian Idol" regularly.

"I enjoy the process of watching new talent emerge from the show."
 
Anil unruffled about controversies over his Gandhi film
By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, July 16 Actor Anil Kapoor is unfazed about the controversies surrounding his first independent production "Gandhi My Father", which is based on the troubled relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his rebellious son Harilal who later converted to Islam.

"As far as I'm concerned the film has been cleared by the censor board with a 'U' certificate without cuts. We're releasing on Aug 3. We've shown the film to many Gandhians and Gandhiji's relatives, including his grandson Tushar Gandhi. He had the highest praise for our film," Anil told IANS.

"I didn't make this film because I suddenly got interested in politics. I saw 'Gandhi My Father' as a great father-son story. And the minute I heard about it I wanted to do it.

"And the fact that the father was the Father Of The Nation put this subject notches above the rut."

Anil is bowled over by his director Feroz Abbas Khan's meticulousness.

"I've worked with different type of directors but Feroz is a rare human being and artiste. His talent has been a revelation. As a producer I've done my best to stand by the project."

The idea of making a film on the relationship between Gandhi and Harilal has been contemplated by many filmmakers, including Joy Augustine. Even the acclaimed Sanjay Leela Bhansali was very keen to do the theme.

"Yes I'm aware of Sanjay Bhansali's interest in the project. But Feroz and I have been interacting for the last 10-12 years ago. In fact, at one time Feroz was going to direct me in a film.

"However, once I decided to produce the Gandhi film there was no question of facing the camera for Feroz. I can't be both producer and actor. Besides, I wasn't right to play either Harilal or Gandhi-ji."

Is that because Anil is too old to play the son and too young to play the father?

"Ha! Says who? Nowadays 40-year old actors are playing college students and romancing 20 year olds. So, I could've easily played Harilal if I wanted. I just had to be a little more narcissistic about it."

Anil says the fear of controversies couldn't have kept him off the Gandhi project.

"I come from a family of fearless filmmakers. When I worked with Mani Ratnam, Vinod Chopra and Shekhar Kapoor they were not the names that they later became. I chose them on the basis of the script. I've the same gut feeling about Feroz. He'll make a very special niche for himself."
 
Post-Glasgow, Mundhra's terrorism film ran into trouble briefly
By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, July 15 Everything seemed to be going smoothly for director Jagmohan Mundhra, his leading man Naseeruddin Shah and the rest of the unit of "Shoot On Sight" until the bomb plot in Britain in June.

Mundhra's unit - some of whose members, like Shah, were Muslims - got a rude shock while shooting in a building near Harrods.

"As a result of the Glasgow incident and the attempted car bombs, London was under high security alert. We were shooting inside a building. Our unit vans manned by Asian Muslim drivers were parked outside on the streets.

"Suddenly the vans were surrounded by hordes of cops. They suspected there were bombs in the vans and demanded that our vehicles be immediately opened up for inspection," said Mundhra.

It was a touch-and-go situation for the crew of Mundhra, who however wrapped up the entire shooting of "Shoot On Sight" in 42 days.

"However, apart from this incident and the fact that our unit had to deal with constant rains, we faced no problems," said Mundhra.

"Ironically, we ended shooting on 07/07/07 -- the second anniversary of the London bombings on which my film is based. It was wonderful working with Shah, Om Puri, Brian Cox, Greta Scachi, Gulshan Grover, Sadie Frost and Laila Rouass," he said.

"Shoot On Sight" was initially offered to Ben Kingsley and then Amitabh Bachchan. When it came to Naseeruddin Shah, he was unsure. Naseer's earlier experience with an international film - "A League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen" - was disastrous.

"I'm glad Naseer finally said yes. 'Shoot On Sight' will catapult him to international stardom," said Mundhra.
 
Colonial Cousins an extension of my identity: Hariharan
By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, July 15 Veteran singer Hariharan, who has completed 10 years of singing with his partner Leslie Lewis for the band 'Colonial Cousins', says the band is an extension of his musical identity.

"Basically, Colonial Cousins is an extension of my musical identity. And my basic identity is the classical style and ghazals. That's where I come from. And the derivatives that have followed from there have always given me satisfaction," Hariharan told IANS in an interview.

He draws parallels between his early days and today's talent pool.

"The kids are young and bright. I like to be around them, give them a helping hand, advise them not to sing like the singing legends, go to a guru to get a new perception on sound.

"They need to find their own soul and sound, like I did...I've been around for 27 years. And it's been 10 years of Colonial Cousins. It's been a long journey for me. I started as a playback singer. But I gravitated towards ghazal singing.

"The reason was...the 1980s - action movies, no scope for substantial singing. Till the early 1990s I stuck to ghazals. Two of my albums 'Reflections' and 'Gulfam' became very popular. In the 1990s the scenario changed. 'Roja' and A.R. Rahman happened to me. Suddenly people discovered the new singer called Hariharan."

The singer laughs heartily at the ironies of life. "Suddenly there was lots to do, new innovations, more room for melody...Since then I've been trying to re-invent myself. In fact, I'm on the verge of releasing a new album called 'Lahore Ke Rang, Hari Ek Sang'.

"It was inspired by my visit to Lahore and the sounds and music there, last year. All the veteran composers from Lahore have contributed. It's certainly something I believe in. It's got thumris, ghazals and geet. If I can balance such a raga-rich album with the contemporary sounds of 'Colonial Cousins' then I guess I have it made.

Hariharan is cautious about the future of film music. "I don't know where I fit in. Basically they've to compose a song keeping me in mind. That very rarely happens. I don't mind experimenting with my style and voice.

"But Bollywood continues to stick to a formula-based sound, although it seems as though a lot of innovation is happening. There's innovation in production and voices, yes. But the basic format of film music hasn't changed...at least not to the extent that we see in other spheres of cinema.

"Lately a lot of pop elements have come to Hindi film music, but not in the vocal but instrumental sections."

But the veteran singer is wary of remixes. "Though once in my life I did dabble in what you'd call re-mixes. For the film 'Dil Vil Pyar Vyar' we re-arranged all of Panchamda's songs. I sang all the songs. But we were careful not to change the basic sound.

"If re-mixes make old music reach youngsters, without violating the original, then they're fine."

Hariharan is also ready with an album called "For You From Me". "It extends the sound in my earlier album 'Kaash' .... I feel the scarcity of dependable music companies. The costs of producing an album are exorbitant. I've mixed my new album 'From Me To You' in Canada.

"It has cost me a lot of money, time and energy. But I'm yet to find a music company. What does a creative person do? I can't thwart my creativity. I've so little time to express all that's within me. One way of releasing music is through downloads on the portal."

As far as 'Colonial Cousins' is concerned, he says: "We're doing a lot of shows. We went to China and Australia. And we're planning an album. The bonding is unbroken because Leslie and I are honest to each other. We don't allow differences to come between us."
 
Bachchan baritone for 'March of Penguins' re-release
By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, July 15 The makers of the Oscar-winning film "March of the Penguins" want to re-release the movie with Amitabh Bachchan's baritone.

Big B says: "My voice for the film has been a most wondrous and fruitful experience, specially since the first voiceover for that was done by the Hollywood luminary Morgan Freeman in English.

"I now hear they want to re-release the film worldwide and have expressed a desire to go with my voice in the English version. I feel honoured."

Bachchan sometimes loves being present in films only through his voice, "Swami" being the most recent example.

"Yes, the experience of doing voiceovers is wonderful. My first-ever film-connected credit title was for the voice-over in Mrinal Da's film 'Bhuvan Shome'; then several followed."

He feels blessed to have had these opportunities. "Several films, documentaries where I have contributed my voice are forgotten now but they are a sizeable number. The most rewarding voiceovers have been the son et lumiere renditions for some prestigious and important national monuments for the government of India.

"Khajuraho, Golconda Fort, Gwalior Fort, Tirupati, the presentation for the Punjab Museum under construction, several religious institutions and I have just confirmed my involvement for the son et lumiere at Amber Fort in Jaipur for the Rajasthan Government. I will be taking this up by the end of the month."

The veteran actor had also done the voiceover in Satyajit Ray's "Shatranj Ke Khiladi".

"I regret not getting an opportunity to work with the legend (Ray) as an actor. But just a mention as a voiceover in his film is a matter of great pride for me. Also artistically, my association for the Rabindranath (Tagore) album recently and in another ballet by Tanushree Shankar has been extremely rewarding," he added.
 
Harry Potter and the Indian blitzkrieg (Feature)
By Prithwish Ganguly

New Delhi, July 15 As the "Harry Potter" series wraps up this month, it brings to an end the remarkable journey of a character that reached the Indian shores a little late but unleashed magic when it did.

From Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi and Gujarat versions of the books to a home-grown school of magic, the child wizard has virtually single-handedly spawned a new industry in his name.

Such is the Potter craze in India that the country has become a part of the book's global launch. The wizard's fate will be unveiled on July 21 with the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", the seventh and possibly last Potter book by J.K.Rowling.

The stories of Harry Potter, unlike superheroes like "Spiderman" and "Batman", were well placed in tradition, conveying a moral, and touched a chord among Indians.

"Like India's 'Panchatantra', 'Harry Potter' sends out a message of love, loyalty, fellow feeling and courage," said Neetu Kohli, a mother of two children. "My sons can learn values through Harry."

Spinoffs like Potter glasses, videogames, clothing, toys and house-wares are now up for grabs. Also piggybacking on the Potter phenomenon is the country's master magician P.C. Sorcar Jr., who is set to open the Indian edition of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which will award master degrees in 'Dramagic' to its students.

The first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", arrived in India quietly and its appeal was restricted to just a section of urban children. As the sequel started gaining recognition worldwide and its reports reached India, curious readers picked it up.

"I saw my friend reading 'Harry Potter'. I did not know what it was then and I borrowed it from him to read and I loved it," said 21-year-old Ravi Chandra. "Since then I have always bought the books and in fact have booked them before their release."

Word of mouth contributed to making "Harry Potter" a roaring success in this country, attracting people from different age groups. Like the Beatles and Bob Dylan, "Harry Potter" was a classic case of a character or a product being immortalised by fans and not by marketers or distributors.

Rowling, the first dollar billionaire author, had in 1996 sold its publishing rights to Bloomsbury Press for just $4,000.

In "Deathly Hallows", Harry Potter is expected to die and thousands of fans worldwide have signed a petition "Save Harry!", urging Rowling not to end the series.

Indian fans too are apprehensive about Potter's fate and do not want his magic to end.

Said 17-year-old Akash Gupta: "All of us want to enjoy more adventures from him. We want Harry to live on forever."

More than 325 million copies of the first six books have been sold worldwide and it is being reported that the first print of "Deathly Hallows" is 12 million copies in the US alone. Amazon.com says nearly 1.6 million people worldwide have pre-ordered the final volume.

India has booked 240,000 copies of the last book, which is priced at Rs.995 and the distributors expect the book to be sold out within the first three days of its launch.

"There is around 15-20 percent growth in people buying Potter books. 'Harry Potter' is no longer just a children's book now. Possessing the first copies of the book is now a rage. People may not read it but they will surely keep it on their rack," said Rajiv Chowdhry, CEO of Oxford Bookstore, which has pre-ordered around 8,000 copies.

"There is a lot of booking and we expect long queues outside the stalls from around 5 a.m. in the morning when the last book of the series is released."

The publishing of Potter books in regional languages has prompted an anti-piracy drive through unleashing vigilance cells and intellectual property investigators.

All the four Potter films have been hugely successful in the country and despite mixed reviews for the fifth, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", movie tickets have been sold out till the middle of next week in most Indian theatres.

"We are sold out till mid next week. We have been flooded by advance bookings and this is one film that the entire family is booking and coming to watch. This is rare for any film," said Shalu Sabharwal, vice-president, sales and marketing, PVR, India.

Hall owners have also planned events for Potter fans to attract more and more kids at their cinemas.

"We have installed games like the Wheel of Fortune through which we will be giving away a lot of prizes to children. Plus at the weekend, we have magicians to enthral people," Sabharwal added.


 

The father in me is more predominant now: Rahul Bose
Fusion takes classical music to world stage: Shivkumar Sharma
Small films win big at the box office
Creating unique identity through animated reality
Jitendra buys farmland in Rajasthan
Lady luck smiles on 'Sivaji', shuns 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'
Bipasha to join John in Pondicherry to scotch rumours
Abhishek stands by Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Anara Gupta's movie screening halted in Jammu
Himesh asks the Deols to back off

Television anchor Sajid Khan turns film director

Bangladeshi film goes to Munich Film Festival

NYK Bollywood Awards one of the worst organised: Kangana

Come to Yorkshire, Indian film producers urged

'Sexy' is not suggestive, says 'Cheeni Kum' director

Israeli film industry trying bolder themes: filmmaker

Saif, Siddharth miss working with each other

Shilpa centre of attraction as IIFA event rolls out today

DJ Aqeel tests negative, let off

IANS