It indeed is ironic that Akshay Kumar who is one of the stars who has popularized Jeans as an attire and symbolizing youth is being tormented reportedly for an obscene gesture while promoting a new brand of Jeans. In fact Jeans as attire had a late debut in the Hindi films but after it got an endorsement from our film stars it became the attire symbolic of youth and energy.
It was the advent of Jeans that led to development of notion of health conscious and to have a toned body. It also had its rub-off effect on the female actors as well, and if a fault line were to be discerned that really swayed a nation in a big way and pushed it on to a journey of Jeans discovery, the campaign of Coke involving Aishwarya Rai could be one such fault line. Dressed simply in a white shirt and Jeans she apart from swaying Aamir Khan off his feet was able to literally swoon the whole country as well.
From the previous generation it was in SHOLAY that Jeans made its debut in a big way as attire that had element of rebel and exuberance of youth written on it, and it got manifest in the characters portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. As a matter of fact in SHOLAY for the first time probably in Hindi cinema, Big B had packaged a pair of Jeans with a Black shirt and it became a fashion statement.
As the generational shift acquired its mooring, Jeans slowly weeded out hose pipe pants and flaring bell bottoms, and it became the fabric which defined the chutzpah of the character. In ANDHA KANNON after a long time Amitabh Bachchan had returned to Jeans in a big way, and again the element of casual that he had brought to his character of Jaanisaar Khan got manifested in a big way through Jeans as well.
The generation of Big B probably did not patronize Jeans in a big way owing probably to the fact that this generation was at the cusp of nationalism, where Jeans still was considered as western attire.
But as the new generation made its debut in Hindi cinema, brought on the profuse dozes of Abba, BoneyM, Pink Floyd and Woodstock, Jeans came to make their presence felt in a big way in the world of Hindi cinema. The same kind of paradigm shift was noticed in case of the female actors as well, and experimentation with Jeans as an attire by the female actors also allowed them to experiment with their looks as well. If there was one film that can be considered as a film that promoted Jeans in a big way it was JAANBAAZ and it can always be a matter of debate whether Dimple Kapadia looked more beautiful in a Jeans in JAANBAAZ or in SAAGAR. Jury would go in favor of JAANBAAZ. Incidentally, Feroze Khan can be considered as the father figure of Jeans in Indian films, as right from the time when he made DHARMATAMA, followed by QUARBANI and YALGAAR, to JANBAAZ, his films are a living tribute to the humble Jeans in its most alluring manifestations.
It is a tribute to the fascination of Jeans that a film by name of JEANS was made in Hindi and the female character in this film was enacted by Aishwarya Rai sheer coincidence or fortuitousness, decision is left to sail in the wind. Even a song was written on Jeans epitomizing its association with youth, “Purani Jeans Aur Guitar”…
Jeans as it represents youth, the sense of aghast that is being experienced by the purists, may be condoned as an indulgence and exuberance of youth and nothing else.
Jeans represents youth and youth is allowed to err sometimes, but the magnanimity of the elders is to condone it and allow moving on.
Bangalore, April 27 (IANS) Bollywood actor and director Feroz Khan died here late Sunday at the age of 70, media reports said.
The actor had been diagnosed with cancer about a year ago.
He is survived by his son Fardeen and daughter Laila.
Khan acted in Hindi films such as ‘Qurbani’ and ‘Jaanbaaz’.
Feroz Khan was born and brought up in Bangalore.
He made his debut as second lead in ‘Didi’ (1960).
He produced, directed and starred in ‘Dharmatma’, which was the first Indian film to be shot in Afghanistan and was also his first blockbuster hit as producer, director and actor.
‘After being in the industry for more than a decade, the least I know is to gather the pulse of the audience. I guess every actor from deep within his heart knows whether his film would work or not. In case of TERA MERA KI RISHTA, my heart told me every time that it would work big time. And the moment I returned from my road trip for the film in Punjab, I caught the pulse of the audiences and was reassured that they won’t let me down”, exclaims Jimmy Sheirgill, the lead hero of the film, who can barely conceal his excitement as his Punjabi film has turned out to be one of the biggest hits of his career.
The film was released primarily in the North belt of India and that too on selected screens. Moreover, since EROS has distributed the film, it didn’t really find premium multiplex chain for itself. Also, except for Punjab, the film didn’t see many theaters for itself in Delhi NCR, a region where TERA MERA KI RISHTA could have potentially found good audience.
”The idea was to go slow and release the film in select theaters to begin with. We hand-picked theaters in India while giving it a good release in overseas as well. The demand for the film has been overwhelming wherever it has been released. The target audience has loved the film which is already on a profit making zone”, says a source close to the production house.
Jimmy Sheirgill has the final word, ”Let’s stop blaming recession for all our flops. As the adage goes, a good film will always work. In the times when conventional Hindi films are being shown the door, mainly because they are poor products, a good film like TERA MERA KI RISHTA turning out to be such a huge success is a silver lining. It has further reassured me, especially after A WEDNESDAY that big ideas matter more than anything else.”
It’s been an eventful two years for Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwariya Rai, who celebrate their second wedding anniversary today. With the media scrutiny constantly on them, the couple seems to have handled it all very well.
The couple have also enjoyed a successful run in Hindi films in this period. If Ash had her Jodha Akbar then Abhishek had his Dostana. The couple who ha already done a film together with Mani Rantnam, Guru, are now working together yet again in Raavan. The couple were supposed to be doing some reshooting in the jungles of Kerala, but Mani has himself been taken ill. He was admitted to the hospital and as a result the shoot has been cancelled, giving the couple a much-needed break together. According to reports, the couple have gone for a quick visit to Europe. Once they are back, Raavan is still to be completed. Besides that, Ash will probably be beginning work on her film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, which also stars Hrithik Roshan. The couple will be seen again in Abhinay Deo’s next, which is said to be a thriller. One wishes the couple a long, happy married life.
Five Hindi films released over the Friday gone by – EK SE BURE DO, COFFEE HOUSE, PAL PAL DIL KE SSAAT, SCHOOL DAYS and ROYAL UTSAV. As expected, all the five films have proven to be disasters at the box office with pathetic collections all over.
There has been literally no audience for each of the films, hence resulting in near-to-nil occupancy at theaters, whether multiplexes or single screens. Such horrific is the situation at the box office that majority of these films may well get discontinued over the first weekend itself. All of them being films that have been ready for quite some time and are now being brought back from the cold storage, they didn’t find any takers in spite of zero competition from big or small releases.
Most of them being poor in content has only proven to be an insult to the injury. Let aside bad reviews coming their way, most of them have not even been reviewed by the critics, hence reflecting on how sad has their arrival been at the theaters.
The biggest film of them all could well have been EK SE BURE DO due to star value of Arshad Warsi attached to it. However, it has turned out to be a terrible film. The problems are aplenty here with the biggest one being that there is no storyline whatsoever. One wonders whether the film’s director would himself struggle if asked to simply give a two line synopsis of the film.
The film was in the making for 5 years, something that gets reflected in each and every frame of the film. Not just it looks dated with extremely poor cinematography adding insult to the injury, it also seems clearly disjointed. Also, you can sense time and again that the director didn’t have any control over the proceedings and shot scenes randomly depending upon availability of any actor, whether lead or supporting, that he could lay his hands on. No wonder, EK SE BURE DO turns out to be an extremely ‘buri’ film. It took 5 years to make this film though it would be a surprise if this one manages to stay even for 5 shows in theaters.
There were some hopes from COFFEE HOUSE considering the fact that with Ashutosh Rana in the lead, there were hopes of a reasonably quality outing. Sadly, this doesn’t quite turn out to be the case as the film drags on as a TV serial and not once do you feel like watching a feature film. Now that’s a pity considering the fact with so many characters in the film, the director could have played on smartly and got some fizz into the proceedings. However, nothing of those sorts happens with the film offering zero drama to its audience. Typically, a film takes some time to establish its characters, begin a story and generally ends with some conclusion. In case of COFFEE HOUSE, you don’t get to see any peaks or lows. It is one flat narrative that stays on from start to finish. Worse, it is a boring narrative which only makes the situation further dull and depressing.
As for PAL PAL DIL KE SSAAT, it arrived on one or two shows at a few multiplexes and neither Ajay Jadeja nor Mahie Gill were willing to revisit their ghosts of the past. A film which was made six years back, it suddenly arrived out of nowhere. However, no one was interested in this so called family film which was straight out of the 60s. It is quite obvious that Ajay Jadeja would have made up his mind to stay away from movies after his experience with PAL PAL DIL KE SSAAT. Moreover, Mahie Gill too seems to have been so much shocked by the experience of working in this film that it took her six long years to return to Hindi films with DEV D and GULAAL.
SCHOOL DAYS has got some decent reviews coming its way but sadly, the film has been watched only by critics so far. Auditoriums screening the film have met with zero audience occupancy and this movie about teenagers, which has hit the screens without any promotion whatsoever, has gone down without a trace. The other release of the week, ROYAL UTSAV, is set in pre-historic times and with soft porn as its underlining theme, it has not even managed to entice its target audience.
With the stand off between producers and multiplexes not really coming to any resolution in days to come, be ready to be subjected to such horrific affair for weeks to come. With big makers refraining from bringing their films to the theaters, it is only going to be small time films like the ones mentioned above that would grace the multiplexes screens in near future.
Majority of producers may have called a strike with multiplexes and refrained from releasing their films beginning today. However, a few producers have defied the ban and decided to bring their films to theaters today. Though it’s a different matter that majority of these films are arriving at 1-2-3 shows per multiplexes, hence carrying little or no chances of survival beyond even a single fortnight.
These films are TERA MERA KI RISHTA, EK SE BURE DO, COFFEE HOUSE, PAL PAL DIL KE SAATH, SCHOOL DAYS and ROYAL UTSAV. The biggest of them all is the TERA MERA KI RISHTA which is a Punjabi film starring Jimmy Sheirgill. However, since the film has a regional appeal, it has released only in Punjab and select theaters in the North belt along with overseas.
EK SE BURE DO is an Arshad Warsi-Rajpal Yadav starrer that has been brought to life from cold storage. A 5 year old project, it too has seen a patchy release with zero promotion to back it up.
When Mahie Gill would have signed PAL PAL DIL KE SAATH, she wouldn’t have realized in her wildest dreams that her debut film with Ajay Jadeja in lead would actually released six years after shooting for it. Worse, it comes at the time when she has made her presence felt in the industry with two Anurag Kashyap films – DEV D and GULAAL. The film is arriving unannounced.
Amongst the Hindi films, COFFEE HOUSE gets better show timings though. An Ashutosh Rana-Sakshi Tanwar starrer, it appears to be an art house cinema in the offering and is releasing out of nowhere. Ditto for SCHOOL DAYS which is a film about teenage children. Now where did this one come from? Frankly, outside the cast and crew of the film, no one is even aware about its existence.
Last of the lot is ROYAL UTSAV, the kind with which morning shows were filled with in good old single screen days. A film which gives an impression of being soft-porn in the offering, it features Vikram Kumar and Monalisa in lead roles.
With no mainstream film in the offering, dare to take your pick from the list above!
Bollywood Trade News Network
Sylvester Stallone rescues damsel in distress Kareena Kapoor in typical Bollywood ishtyle in Sajid Nadiadwala’s much-awaited KAMBAKKT ISHQ.
So Stallone is all set to make his “strong” presence felt in Hindi films. Said a source, “When Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor saw stallone for the first time, they could not stop gaping at him. Stallone all of 60 was in great shape and could give apna heroes a run for their money.”
Akshay, who plays a stuntman and Kareena a supermodel could not stop talking about Stallone. “A rock solid body at 60 is something to die for,” said an Onlooker. Kareena was surprised to see that a star like Sylvester Stallone did not have any chaperones around him. “He drove to the studio himself. Carried his food himself. He practically did everything himself. Sylvester Stallone was humility personified,” sources concluded.
New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) Music buffs still remember Kumar Sanu for his soulful renditions in hit film ‘Aashiqui’, but the singer says he now stays away from the Bollywood music scene because songs today are nothing but ’shouting’.
‘I’m lucky that I am not singing the kind of songs that are being made today. These songs are just mere shouting. I’m known for singing calm, soothing numbers and I want to keep doing that,’ Sanu, who was honoured with the Padma Shri award this year, told IANS.
‘It’s not that I don’t get offers. I’ve been offered various songs in Bollywood films, but I refused. When I’ll be offered a nice, meaningful song, I’ll sing it,’ the 51-year-old singer said.
Sanu, who won the Filmfare best male playback award for five consecutive years, got his first break in Hindi films with the 1987 film ‘Aandhiyan’.
He has worked with almost all renowned music composers in the industry – from R.D. Burman to Jatin-Lalit – and sung hits like ‘Mera dil bhi’ (‘Saajan’), ‘Sochenge tumhe pyar’ (‘Deewana’), ‘Ye kaali kaali ankhein’ (‘Baazigar’), ‘Ek ladki ko dekha toh’ (‘1942: A Love Story’) and ‘Do dil’ (‘Pardes’) among others.
Sanu says getting the Padma Shri this year was an honour and a responsibility.
‘I want to thank the government for bestowing such a big honour on me. It has come after 22 years, but at least they thought that I deserve it. I’m extremely happy and I know that it is a big responsibility. I’ll do more and better work now,’ said Sanu.
The singer also recently received an award from the Sur Aradhna Socio-Cultural society in the capital.
After judging reality show ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Vishwa Sera’ on Zee Bangla and viewing scores of others, Sanu says such shows are nothing but a way for channels to mint money.
‘Reality shows are nothing but games. It’s a good way of minting money by the channels. Public voting is a wrong way of selecting the best singer in such shows. You cannot always trust the public that whatever they choose is the best. Judges should be given this power. Otherwise what are they there for?’ Sanu asked.
He, however, admits that it is much easier for aspiring singers to get a chance to sing in films now.
‘It’s very easy today to get into the industry and get a song or two to sing. Today youngsters have various platforms which help them in getting recognition.
‘When we wanted to be a singer, it was very tough for us to break in. People were too used to listening to Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi. Replacing such legends was not even conceivable, but to be able to get a song with them being there was also not easy,’ said Sanu, who had broken a Guinness World Record by singing 28 songs in a single day in 1993.
Currently concentrating more on regional languages including Bengali, Bhojpuri and Tamil, Sanu will be heard in his home production ‘Yeh Sunday Kyon Aata Hai?’ and also a few untitled projects.
Jimmy Sheirgill is highly elated. His Punjabi film TERA MERA KI RISHTA is all set to release next Friday. What’s more, this Navnait Singh directed film is said to be the costliest Punjabi film made till date. Shot extensively in Punjab and Switzerland (where no Punjabi film has been shot till date), TERA MERA KI RISHTA is presented by EROS which further ensures that the film will gain a wide international release.
“Yes, this is a big budget Punjabi film”, reaffirms Jimmy Sheirgill who comes straight after the success of A WEDNESDAY, a film totally in contrast of TERA MERA KYA RISHTA which is a feel good affair, “The intent was not to make a safe film by spending less but instead come up with something that increments the standard of Punjabi films while keeping Punjabi audience in mind.”
“Time and again, we hear people end up saying that ‘arrey, this is a regional movie so let’s skip it and rather watch a core Bollywood film’. However, this time around the team of TERA MERA KI RISHTA took a resolve that we would beat the issue/belief around regional flicks”, says Jimmy in an enthusiastic tone.
“I guess market is not fully tapped for Punjabi films. Audiences should watch Hindi films but Punjabis especially should not be ignoring Punjabi films. They should give it a priority and going by the response that the film has generated prior to its release, I can already see a HIT in the making”, says another prominent cast member of the film.
Starring Kulraj Randhawa in the lead (who was seen in popular TV serial KAREENA KAREENA a few years back, TERA MERA KI RISHTA also boasts of Raj Babbar, Anupam Kher, Gurpreet Ghuggi and Archana Puran Singh in supporting roles. The film is all set for a 10th April release.
When 8×10 TASVEER would be releasing this Friday it would be one more addition in the vast repertoire of Hindi films, which have used photographs as the linking element for continuity of the film. Hindi films from quite a long time have reverted back to photographs and have used as a continuity of narrative, building up to an exciting climax.
In view of the interest that is being generated in using photographs as a base for construction of history photographs have indeed risen into eminence as a vital tool for construction of history, all over the world, and in India as well. It would not be out of context to inform that Asit Sen the comedian of yester years had a famous photography studio in Gorakhpur, in UP. Lets then rewind to the world of photographs.
COOLIE: Manmohan Desai was indeed one of the futurists who had the vision to understand its importance and he used it with panache in this film. The romance of Rishi Kapoor and Shoma Anand when it blossomed in the adulthood was on account of the pieces of a snap that both of them had from their childhood. The reference to it was in fact made in the song as well “Tasveer ka ek tukda tera paas hai aur ek mere pass”.
NASEEB: Manmohan Desai again returned back to the importance of photograph as the element to bring about a turn in the flow of the movie and he did it again in NASEEB. When Amjad Khan on the verge of death handed over the photograph of Pran’s innocence to Rishi Kapoor it culminated in the climax of the film.
JAANE BHI DO YAARON: One of the biggest laugh riots ever produced by the Hindi cinema, it brought out in distinct relief what important role a photographer can ply in the day-to-day life, more so if it is political life.
TRIDEV: Director Rajiv Rai had Shekhar Suman in the role of a photographer who was killed in the film as he had become privy through his camera to a discussion that had brought the existence of Amrish Puri into question
.
GARAM MASALA: John Abraham and Akshay Kumar starrer film tried to explore the world of fashion photography in a humorous manner, but in a subtle manner also commented on the nature of job that fashion photographers handle these days.
DELHI 6: The character of Cyrus Sahukar as a photographer in this film again went on to underline the dubious halo that photographers have come to associate with their image.
GHAJINI: Aamir Khan’s mega hit film again revolved around construction of the past based on the photographs that he used to click; it was a sort of reconstructing the history of self through the photographs.
AA DEKHEN ZARA: Neil Nitin Mukesh and Bipasha Basu starrer film took on its own after discovery of a camera by Neil in the movie.
The promo of the movie 99 was showcased for the first time a few days back at a multiplex and has already started creating a hype about the film. 99 is an original story inspired by real events. It is as much “what could have been” as it is “what really happened.” In other words, it is historical fiction fiction being the keyword. In this ’smart comedy’ (as described by the directors) set in 1999, all the characters are bound by a common feeling of being stuck at 99 in life just one short of ‘century’ that elusive thing called ‘making it’ in life!
The evening saw the star cast present to tell us more about the movie which included Kunal Khemu, Soha Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Cyrus Broacha, Amit Mystry (making his debut in Hindi films), the directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D. K. “The movie is based on the genre of Smart Crime Comedy. It is slick, fast paced, realistic and importantly, very funny” said the directors Raj and Krishna.
The film is produced by Anupam Mittal and Aditya Shastri under their banner People Pictures and is schedule to release early May.
Director R Balki of Cheeni Kum fame will start shooting for the film Pa which will feature Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan. This film is being produced by AB Corporation.
The announcement of the film was made last year but delayed because of the illness of Amitabh and other commitments of Abhishek. Moreover, Tabu, who performed splendidly in Cheeni Kum, is supposed to be in the film, but for reasons unknown she skipped the role only to be replaced by Vidya Balan.
The film will start its first 25-day schedule on March 2 in Mumbai and then at other locales in North India and outside the country.
AR Rahman, the Mozart of Madras, has won two Oscars at the 81st Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
A.R. Rahman won the two awards for original score and best song along with Gulzar for Slumdog Millionaire. Rahman perfomed his compositions O Saya and Jai Ho on the stage after he accepted the awards.
India’s Resul Pokutty won the best sound mixing Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire along with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke.
India-based Smile Pinky won the best short documentary.
Amitabh Bachchan on Wednesday went to the suburban Bandra residence of Shah Rukh Khan’s residence in Bandra, Mumbai and wished him speedy recovery from his shoulder surgery.
SRK underwent the surgery to repair the tear in the main muscle of his left shoulder at the Breach Candy hospital on February 16 and was discharged on Tuesday.
Earlier, Bachchan had a telephonic conversation with Khan during which he told the actor not to take the post- surgery period lightly and avoid any kind of activity.
Sushmita Sen starrer Karma Aur Holi, earlier known as Karma Confessions and Holi, an international film venture has been co-produced by Drena DeNiro, daughter of Oscar winning Hollywood actor-director-producer Robert DeNiro.
This film is written and directed by Manish Gupta, who earlier wrote Sarkar and directed The Stoneman Murders.
This film’s star cast includes Randeep Hooda, Rati Agnihotri, Suresh Oberoi, Deepal Shaw, super model Naomi Campbell, rapper Sticky Fingaz, Vincent Pannetta and others.
Madhur Bhandarkar has denied the rumours that his next movie Jail has been inspired by actor Sanjay Dutt’s real life incidents.
However, known for always maintaining authenticity in his films like Chandni Bar, Page 3, Corporate and Fashion, the director is trying to get permission to shoot the film in real prisons.
The film is about a middle-class family boy working in the corporate sector and how after one sudden incident, he goes to jail and how copes with that situation.
The multiple National Award-winning director Madhur Bhandarkar signed up Neil Nitin Mukesh and Mugdha Godse to play the lead roles in his film Jail.
Firoz Nadiadwala, known for films like Welcome and Hera Pheri, is now planning an international film titled Jewel of India with a budget of Rs 300 crore. This film will be directed by Hollywood’s Rob Cohen who made films like The Fast and The Furious, Dragon Heart, Stealth and XXX
Jewel of India will star Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif. The star cast may include the producer’s favourite stars Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty.
Firoz is the son of veteran producer A.G Nadiadwala and related to producers A.A. Nadiadwala, A.K. Nadiadwala and Sajid Nadiadwala. All of them have been in film production since the last four decades.
Sajid Nadiadwala is making Kambhakt Ishq with Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Brandon Routh, Denise Richards, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.
Ram Gopal Varma announced his next project Rann a study of the contemporary media scenario. Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Sudeep, Paresh Rawal and Suchitra Krishnamoorthy among many others are part of the cast.
Intially, Amitabh’s AB Corp and Reliance ADAG’s Big Pictures were to produce this film. There were talks also with other big production houses.
Finally, D Suresh Babu, son of D Rama Naidu and the chief of Suresh Productions, a Guinness record holding production house, has decided to produce RGV’s Rann.
Suresh says that he has been waiting for an appropriate film to make his entry into Bollywood and he has chosen RGV’s Rann. Surely, the success of Geetha Arts Ghajini is having its influence on Tollywood’s production houses.
Two motorcycle-borne miscreants hurled a bottle of kerosene at actor Shah Rukh Khan’s Bandra residence, Mannat, at around 2.30 am on Friday. Nobody was injured.
Security personnel at Khan’s bungalow were unable to note the registration number of the bike in the darkness. A complaint was lodged at the Bandra police station.
According to reports, a fundamentalist group was upset with the use of certain words in the song, Marjaani, marjaani, featuring Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the film Billu.
On Friday morning a group of protesters gathered outside Bandra’s G-7 cinema complex, where Billu was being screened, and broke glass panes and tore away posters.
