Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he is proud of his granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda's musical talent and is impressed to see the youngster play the piano with such finesse. Picture courtesy: Amitabh Bachchan's Twitter account Navya Naveli is the daughter of the 72-year-old actor's first born Shweta and her Delhi-based businessman husband Nikhil Nanda. "Look what took its place the entire day... The life to witness the gift of a grand daughter, of her accomplishments, of her talents... That is more than what many wish and possess." Picture courtesy: Amitabh Bachchan's Twitter account "And yes the inner joy of admiration for Navya as she surprises us all with her hidden talent... The music and the keys of the piano, untrained, unread. Just performing with the mind and what has remained with her somewhere, astonishing," Bachchan posted on his blog. The actor also shared several pictures in which he is seen sitting alongside Navya Naveli, who is playing the piano at her grandfather's home. "That piano is the little space in my small little room.. a space that I occupy on occasion.. spend time with keys black and white.. life is made of just these two they say.. but there are so many other colours too.. and they bring joy and a brightness in us as well," Bachchan wrote.Monday 27 July 2015
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he is proud of his granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda's musical talent and is impressed to see the youngster play the piano with such finesse. Picture courtesy: Amitabh Bachchan's Twitter account Navya Naveli is the daughter of the 72-year-old actor's first born Shweta and her Delhi-based businessman husband Nikhil Nanda. "Look what took its place the entire day... The life to witness the gift of a grand daughter, of her accomplishments, of her talents... That is more than what many wish and possess." Picture courtesy: Amitabh Bachchan's Twitter account "And yes the inner joy of admiration for Navya as she surprises us all with her hidden talent... The music and the keys of the piano, untrained, unread. Just performing with the mind and what has remained with her somewhere, astonishing," Bachchan posted on his blog. The actor also shared several pictures in which he is seen sitting alongside Navya Naveli, who is playing the piano at her grandfather's home. "That piano is the little space in my small little room.. a space that I occupy on occasion.. spend time with keys black and white.. life is made of just these two they say.. but there are so many other colours too.. and they bring joy and a brightness in us as well," Bachchan wrote.Monday 9 February 2015
One show that’s causing stir in Bollywood right now, is the AIB Knockout Roast. Not only did Anil Kapoor blast his nephew Arjun for laughing at his expense, now it’s Salman Khan’s turn.
According to the Bollywood news site Bollywood Hungama, Salman called Karan Johan (who was on the last show) and blasted him for his unseemly humour! Especially since Salman’s sister Arpita was apparently the butt of many jokes and that’s something the possessive brother in him WON’T tolerate. As a source reveals, “Salman hates any kind of vulgar public behaviour and doesn’t indulge in it in public ever. Privately he may have fun with his friends but never in public.”
We’re not sure how far this is true, but apparently Salman has also threatened to quit K Jo’s Shuddhi!
Tuesday 27 January 2015
Picture this. An elite team who target, intercept then either eliminate or bring to justice terrorists and criminals. Whilst on an operation to save one of their own, information is obtained (read smacked black and blue out of) from a criminal of a major attack. Travelling from country to country, now begins the chase to take out the masterminds behind it. Sound familiar. Well it should. You’ve seen it more than a million times, with one of the latest being Akshay Kumar’sHoliday. However, coming from the National Award winning Neeraj Pandey, you would thinkBaby would blow your mind. Yet the mind is not blown enough.
Right from the actors to the action, Baby was never meant to have the usual tone for a CIA-in-combat-fighting-
At the helm of the team, we have our martial arts master of screen Akshay Kumar. As Ajay, a paramilitary recruited under Feroze Khan played by Danny Denzongpa and his man at the forefront for the important covert ops, Akshay delivers and gets the most exposure. His collaborations with Anupam Kher the few comical scenes in the film but he sticks to his characterisation throughout. He himself strolls his way into our giggle bone and does his magic, wig and all. Rana Daggubati gets about 3 lines to say, is built like a tank and is aptly referred to as Hulk. At the same, you don’t really get a chance to see the actor enough to think he’s dopey also. Another character with not enough footage is Taapsee Pannu. In a short role, the lovely lass packed quite a punch, literally. Hopefully we will see more of her. Off the field, we have Danny Denzongpa who is forever reliable to be suave and oh so cool. Murali Sharma gives you the giggles everytime you see him on screen and Karan Wahi doing the backend hacking/paper trail/call interception is just okay. K.K. Menon is reliable for instilling fear without the extra bad guy buffoonery and does his bit while Rasheed Naz exhibits a cunning sinister character aplomb.
So what brings down this almost brilliant story? Well, a few things. For one, the blatant obviousness of the screenplay. Yes, having a cryptic script isn’t good but for a suspense action film, its kinda vital and the action can only do so much. What you end up with is somewhat a bedtime story. The climax is about the only time you are on the edge of your seat and it wasn’t the most exhilarating setup either. Then there is the lack of connection to the characters. Whether is Rana, Tapsee or Madhurima Tuli who plays Akshay’s wife Anjali, the loose ends and lack of depth couldn’t be covered.
Now we all know its the movie business, and while you can swallow the political smothered all over the place, you don’t really know what writer Neeraj was intending.
Baby is not path breaking, nor is it a commercially spellbinding film. The heroism is evident and yet, the music is lacking in feel. So is it’s lackluster affair, in Bold and Capital.
Saturday 3 January 2015
Every time a bold filmmaker takes up a project, the movie always courts controversy of all sorts. Even without the high doses of sleaze which more often than not are publicity stunts, the outrage usually stems from the exploration of a sensitive topic or lifestyles that are far from being accepted. Let's take a look at such controversial movies of Bollywood over the years.
1. Madras Café (2013)
© J.A. Entertainment
This John Abraham movie has courted its share of controversy even before the movie has hit the theatres (August 23). The actor-turned-director is facing flak from Tamil Nadu's Naam Tamizar and MDMK for his depiction of post-civil war Sri Lanka. The political parties have sought a ban on the movie - but Abraham is not to be deterred.
2. Aandhi (1975)
© Filmyug PVT Ltd.
This political drama has nothing controversial about it per se - except the rumors that it was the story of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. In truth, it was only the look of lead actress Suchitra Sen that was inspired from that of politician Tarkeshwari Devi. Even then, the movie was not released fully when Gandhi was in power, and was banned in 1975's emergency as well.
3. Kissa Kursi Ka (1977)
© Badri Prasad Joshi
Another movie purportedly a satire on the politics of Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi - 'Kissa Kursi Ka' - was also banned by the government during the Emergency. In fact, the government confiscated all prints of the movie and burnt them. The government leaned heavily on the I&B ministry and the producer was handed in a show cause notice with 51 objections!
4. Fanaa (2006)
© Yash Raj Films
'Fanaa' as a movie did not have controversies in its story. However, all hell broke loose when Aamir Khan went to promote the movie in Gujarat and made comments showing his concern for the rehabilitation of villagers affected by the Narmada Dam. The political parties took great offence at this and as a result, 'Fanaa' was unofficially banned in Gujarat as well as the posters and Aamir's effigies burnt.
5. My Name Is Khan (2010)
© Dharma Productions
No publicity is bad publicity - and MNK raked in the moolah when it was released, thanks to the political controversies it generated well ahead of its release. SRK apparently was harassed by the immigration officers when he went to the USA to promote his films. Besides he also ran into a tussle with Shiv Sena when he made a comment about Pakistani cricket players not coming to play in the IPL. As a result, there were attacks on cinemas and booking centers.
6. Black Friday (2004)
© Mid Day Multimedia Limited
A cinematic adaptation of S. Hussain Zaidi's book about the 1993 Bombay bombings, 'Black Friday' was not released in theatres for two years. The accused in the actual bombings, who were named in the movie, sent a petition seeking a stay as the verdict was still pending and the movie might bias public opinion against them. The court agreed, and the movie saw the light of day after two years!
7. Bandit Queen (1994)
© Channel Four Films
Based on the life of the Indian dacoit Phoolan Devi, 'Bandit Queen' received as many accolades as it faced criticism. The excess nudity, sex and violence did not go down very well with the Indian censor board, and they banned it. Meanwhile, Phoolan Devi herself tried to get a stay order to prevent the movie's release. However, the movie was highly acclaimed in international film festivals.
8. Sins (2005)
© Yash Raj Films
The Catholic priests have over the years earned notoriety for their sexual escapades while putting on the farce of being godmen. The Shiney Ahuja-starrer 'Sins' was a take on this very embarrassing phenomenon, based on a Kerela priest who was sentenced to death on sexual harassment and murder charges in 1988. Needless to say, the Catholics were not amused when the movie was released.
9. Fire (1996)
© Trial by Fire Films Inc.
At a time when homosexuality was far from being even discussed, Deepa Mehta blazed a trail onscreen with 'Fire'. The audiences went into a frenzy at this first mainstream portrayal of a lesbian relationship - and protests and the usual drama by Shiv Sena supporters. There was a massive tumult throughout the nation - between the protesters and the supporters of this path-breaking movie.
10. Chetna (1970)
© Nitin Films
A path-breaking movie for its time - 'Chetna' explores the idea of rehabilitation of prostitutes. While the subject itself was new, it is a tragedy that what actually caught attention over it were the intimate scenes of the lead actress Rehana Sultan. The audiences were not very impressed with it and the movie marked the descent of Sultan's career.
Terrorism, politics and sexuality - this trinity forms the heart of major controversial films. And the first is what is stirring the still-hot controversy of 'Madras Café' right now.
Sunday 28 December 2014
She was kicked, punched, beaten up, knifed, and then the cycle repeated itself twice over in Action Jackson. Still, she survived, and how. Now in her next release Badlapur, she is finding herself amidst quite a few ugly encounters. While in the Ajay Devgn starrer she was presented as one of the three leading ladies opposite Ajay Devgn, when it comes to the Varun Dhawan flick she doesn't mind her presence to be seen as a special appearance.
In fact, the promo of the film has highlighted the tussle between Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, though the lip-lock between Varun and Divya Dutta has been widely publicized as well. As for Yami, her presence has been kept as a secret in the film.
"Yami is playing a vital character in the film and she is fabulous in the film," says director Sriram Raghavan, who started his career with a women-centric Ek Haseena Thi with Urmila Matondkar in lead, "Having said that, it is not a conventional heroine role per se."
While that does give a little hint around Yami's presence in the film, Sriram just chuckles when asked whether the Vicky Donor girl would be billed as a special appearance.
On the other hand, Yami is a lot more forthcoming about her part in this production of Dinesh Vijan and Sunil Lulla, "Though I can't say much about this, I have more like a special appearance inBadlapur. Still, I would rather like to have audience feel and understand why I took that role. It was a superb experience working with Sriram. I wanted to work with certain directors and he is one of them. As for the role then well, there are certain parts that are beyond length."
The director has made sure too that Yami gets her worth in the limited screen time she enjoys inBadlapur.
"She has only half a dozen scenes but her presence is felt right through the film," says Sriram.
"There are number of female protagonists in the film, like Huma Qureshi, Divya Dutta and Radhika Apte (Shor In The City, I Am). It is more like an ensemble affair, though Yami Gautam has a very important part to play. Still, it isn't a quintessential heroine role per se," informs our source.
In fact, the promo of the film has highlighted the tussle between Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, though the lip-lock between Varun and Divya Dutta has been widely publicized as well. As for Yami, her presence has been kept as a secret in the film.
"Yami is playing a vital character in the film and she is fabulous in the film," says director Sriram Raghavan, who started his career with a women-centric Ek Haseena Thi with Urmila Matondkar in lead, "Having said that, it is not a conventional heroine role per se."
While that does give a little hint around Yami's presence in the film, Sriram just chuckles when asked whether the Vicky Donor girl would be billed as a special appearance.
On the other hand, Yami is a lot more forthcoming about her part in this production of Dinesh Vijan and Sunil Lulla, "Though I can't say much about this, I have more like a special appearance inBadlapur. Still, I would rather like to have audience feel and understand why I took that role. It was a superb experience working with Sriram. I wanted to work with certain directors and he is one of them. As for the role then well, there are certain parts that are beyond length."
The director has made sure too that Yami gets her worth in the limited screen time she enjoys inBadlapur.
"She has only half a dozen scenes but her presence is felt right through the film," says Sriram.
Special appearance or not? Well, now that could be anybody's guess!
The popular awards functions this year seem to be in a fix. Aamir Khan whom they all want to honour for PK never attends awards functions. And he isn't willing to make an exception though the owner of one influential publishing house has personally asked him.
Compounding the woes of the wow kingdom (a.k.a awards functions) is this year's top contender for best actress Kangna Ranaut. She too has decided to boycott all awards.
This leaves the awards functions in a queer quandary.
As one filmmaker puts it, "It's like a wedding without the dulha and dulhan."
Says a jury member of a forthcoming awards event, "We think Aamir Khan for PK and Kangna Ranaut for Queen are the unanimous choices for best actor and best actress. But we're told those two won't attend. Since the awards are a visual vehicle these days with multi- crores sanctioned by television channels to capture the event, to not have both the best actress and actor around to receive their trophies is problematic."
Sources say some awards organizers this year have decided to give the awards for best actor and actress to another Khan and his co-star who are award-friendly.
According to sources, "When this Khan was invited to come for the function and collect the best actor award he laid down the condition that he would only do so provided his co-star gets the best-actress award. We all know neither deserves an award. But we have no choice."
Surely Aamir Khan and Kangna Ranaut who maintain that awards have lost all sanctity, must be having the last laugh.
Says a source close to Kangna, "She doesn't need awards to celebrate a happy new year."
The uproar over Sanjay Dutt's fecund fits of furlough has apparently scared the incarcerated actor into a state of subdued surrender to domesticity.
News reports that Maharashtra government is looking into the repeated reprieve being given to Dutt from his jail sentence, has shaken the actor and he fears for his temporary freedom.
A close friend of the jailed actor says, "The reports stating the Maharashtra government is looking into his repeated furlough, completely freaked out Sanjat Dutt. Sanju and his family feel his furlough may be cancelled. He has therefore decided to keep a completely low profile for the two weeks that he is out. Salman Khan was very keen to invite Sanjat Dutt to his week-long birthday bash in Panvel. But considering the suspicion with which Sanju's furlough is being viewed, the Dutt family has decided that Sanju will stay home. Only selected friends would be allowed to visit."
Apparently, the focus of the furlough's fun aspect surfaced when Dutt was seen this week at a special screening of Raj Kumar Hirani's PK.
Says a source, "Cynics are wondering if Dutt has been given a New Year vacation from his jail sentence."
During his last parole in May 2014, granted on the grounds of his wife's illness, Sanjay Dutt and his family were subjected to much embarrassment by a lengthy MMS clip that showed Sanjay Dutt sozzled to the gills, fooling around at his home and talking unabashedly about certain people in the film industry.
A close friend of the jailed actor says, "The reports stating the Maharashtra government is looking into his repeated furlough, completely freaked out Sanjat Dutt. Sanju and his family feel his furlough may be cancelled. He has therefore decided to keep a completely low profile for the two weeks that he is out. Salman Khan was very keen to invite Sanjat Dutt to his week-long birthday bash in Panvel. But considering the suspicion with which Sanju's furlough is being viewed, the Dutt family has decided that Sanju will stay home. Only selected friends would be allowed to visit."
Apparently, the focus of the furlough's fun aspect surfaced when Dutt was seen this week at a special screening of Raj Kumar Hirani's PK.
Says a source, "Cynics are wondering if Dutt has been given a New Year vacation from his jail sentence."
During his last parole in May 2014, granted on the grounds of his wife's illness, Sanjay Dutt and his family were subjected to much embarrassment by a lengthy MMS clip that showed Sanjay Dutt sozzled to the gills, fooling around at his home and talking unabashedly about certain people in the film industry.
Says Dutt's friend, "The family doesn't want Sanju to do anything that would compromise his time outside prison. He just wants to be with his wife, children sisters and brothers-in-law for a fortnight and then quietly return to jail."
