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."
We bring you the sizzling hottie Shruti Haasan’s most famous or should we say infamous controversies, affairs and link ups
Shruti Haasan is the daughter of veteran actor Kamal Haasan. But did you that Shruti Haasan is also controversy’s favourite child? Off late the 7am Arivu diva has been buzzing in the news thanks to her leaked raunchy pictures from Yevadu’s song Dimple pimple. The svelte beauty’s titillating pictures went viral and the latest we heard that Shruti Haasan has filed a complaint against these defamatory images.
Every heroine has her fair share of link ups and controversies, but Shruti Haasan has had so many of them in a short span of her career that one wonders if she is a magnet to attract trouble. Fasten your seat belts for an exciting ride as Bollywoodlife brings you six of Shruti Haasan’s biggest controversies, affairs and linkups.
Shruti Haasan’s infamous nose job
Sexy Shruti made her debut in Bollywood against Imran Khan in Luck. About a year later the hottie apparently went under the knife to fix her nose to suit her angelic face. When the diva appeared again in front of media after the surgery, her nose job became quite a sensation amongst the gossip mongers. Many female actors undergo plastic surgery but none of them are honest enough to admit the obvious truth. But when this bold babe admitted to have undergone a nose job, the media again went berserk with pretty lass’s admission. Many might debate if plastic surgery was the correct thing to do for Shruti. Right or wrong the sizzling wonder was making headlines with her infamous nose job.
Shruti Haasan-Siddharth live-in relationship
Back in 2011, when the Siddharth-Shruti Haasan- Hansika starrer Oh My Friend released, something was brewing between Siddharth and Shruti. Apparently the tow were quite an item and were considered to be dating each other. Grapevine has it that Siddharth and Shruti Haasan had moved in together and were rumoured to be in a live-in-relationship. During those days and even now, live-in relationships are frowned upon. When the news of two stars getting comfy in a condo surfaced, the fans were hooked to this spicy development in the couple’s life. Though the Rang De Basanti actor and Shruti broke up, but their live-in is still a hot discussion in the gossip mills.
Shruti Haasan-Dhanush affair
When the Kolaveri Di number had gripped the nation, when the Dhanush-Shruti Haasan movie 3received an overwhelming response, everything was not hunky dory at the superstar Rajinikanth’s family. Kolaveri singer-actor Dhanush, who is the son-in-law of the Thalaiva, was said to be having an affair with his 3 co-star Shruti Haasan. The rumours flew thick and fast that Shruti and Dhanush were secretly seeing each other much to the dislike of Dhanush’s wife Aishwarya Dhanush. It’s amusing to know it was Aishwarya who brought the hot couple together for the movie 3. It caused some unrest in Rajini Sir’s family and Shruti was believed to be the reason behind it. Later, Aishwarya Dhanush made a public statement that the rumours of her husband’s affair with Shruti were not true.
Shruti Haasan’s pornographic D-Day posters
After shocking the world with her bold Maxim photoshoot, the pretty lass gave another shocker when she announced she was playing a Pakistani hooker in her next Hindi film D-Day. But the thing which irked Shruti and D-Day director Nikhil Advani was revealing pictures of Shruti sharing an intimate moment with Arjun Rampal in the film, being used as D-Day‘s poster for its Tamil version. The posters showed Shruti in poor light and the actor was understandably miffed by it. “I am not associated with the Tamil version of D Day — this matter is under legal consideration at the moment.’’ tweeted the young starlet. Nikhil Advani stated “One needs to maintain the sanctity of a film and ensure that it is marketed in a certain manner. The distributors of the Tamil version have promoted it as a pornographic film by using only Shruti Haasan’s photo in the film’s poster.”
Shruti Haasan’s scandalous leaked pictures from Yevadu
The biggest controversy of them all is her recently leaked revealing pictures from her Telugu flickYevadu, which are still trending in several social networking sites. The titillating pictures, which were secretly taken while filming a song , show the sexy kitten in her most glamourous avatar. These pictures have become the talk of the town and Shruti Haasan has become the most searched Tollywood hottie over the internet. The Yevadu diva who has been fuming with rage over these pictures has filed a police complaint against the producers. The police is investigating the matter as to who is responsible for these unflattering images of Shruti Haasan.
After enjoying a fantastic opening day, PK continued it’s glorious run over the week as well. Read on...
After enjoying a fantastic opening day collection of Rs. 26.63 crore PK continued it’s glorious run over the week as well.
A strong flow of positive reviews and good word of mouth worked wonders for the film. In fact, it banked more money on Thursday (Rs. 28.15 crore), which was a holiday, than its opening day. Minting a sum of Rs. 183.31 crore in a week from its release, PK has become the 2nd highest week one of all time, the first being Dhoom 3.
The film is expected to continue its magic on the ticket window over the coming weekend as there is no big release to hinder its pace. Trade pundits have predicted that it’ll cross the mark of Rs. 250 crores next week and a lifetime collection of the magnificent Rs. 300 crores looks feasible at the moment.
Following are the collections of PK so far…
Friday - 26.63 crore approximately
Saturday - 30.34 crore approximately
Sunday - 38.44 crore approximately
Monday - 21.29 crore approximately
Tuesday -18.91 crore approximately
Wednesday -19.55 crore approximately
Thursday - 28.15 crore approximately
Total Domestic Collection - 183.31 crore approximately
Meanwhile, Anurag Kashyap’s gritty thriller, Ugly has released today amidst all the PK uproar. The film may not be of any competition to the Aamir Khan starrer given its genre and target audience, but its receiving rave reviews and is sure to attract its niche audience.
After enjoying a fantastic opening day collection of Rs. 26.63 crore PK continued it’s glorious run over the week as well.
A strong flow of positive reviews and good word of mouth worked wonders for the film. In fact, it banked more money on Thursday (Rs. 28.15 crore), which was a holiday, than its opening day. Minting a sum of Rs. 183.31 crore in a week from its release, PK has become the 2nd highest week one of all time, the first being Dhoom 3.
The film is expected to continue its magic on the ticket window over the coming weekend as there is no big release to hinder its pace. Trade pundits have predicted that it’ll cross the mark of Rs. 250 crores next week and a lifetime collection of the magnificent Rs. 300 crores looks feasible at the moment.
Following are the collections of PK so far…
Friday - 26.63 crore approximately
Saturday - 30.34 crore approximately
Sunday - 38.44 crore approximately
Monday - 21.29 crore approximately
Tuesday -18.91 crore approximately
Wednesday -19.55 crore approximately
Thursday - 28.15 crore approximately
Total Domestic Collection - 183.31 crore approximately
Meanwhile, Anurag Kashyap’s gritty thriller, Ugly has released today amidst all the PK uproar. The film may not be of any competition to the Aamir Khan starrer given its genre and target audience, but its receiving rave reviews and is sure to attract its niche audience.
Wednesday, 17 December 2014
All kinds of wrong
MTV's Most Wanted seems like decades ago, but that bubbly VJ who stole hearts with her perpetual happy-land grin and girl-next-door drawl has somehow acquired a movie role where she still behaves like she is reading out sweet song requests from teenagers.
Ironically, Shenaz Treasurywala plays Aliya, a casting director - one of many departments left vacant during the production of this hideous romcom.
Aliya spends approximately 98.7 per cent of her life and this film's screen-time brunching at upscale Mumbai restaurants with an equally jobless group of prancing couples: Workaholic husband and trophy wife who yearns for attention, quiet looker with snooty girlfriend who dresses like a Barbie doll on a pink cake, rich daddy's artist boy with fiance who reveals her pregnancy while downing tequila shots. They interact in screechy voices, to a background score that sounds suspiciously like chamber tunes wafting through elevators and hotel lobbies.
When the filmmaker runs out of restaurants to showcase, he slips in goofy random auditions tapes as fillers, you know, lest we forget Aliya's actual profession. Because apart from a tripod, there is no sign-least of all in the superficial production design-that she has any inclination towards films. Naturally, she decides to show her witless pals a picture of struggling actor Sukhi (Sobti), an unmarked portfolio photo she apparently carries in her purse, and passes him off as her new squeeze. He is a crude Bhai fan, who she must polish and 'improve'. As an added incentive, she offers him the lead in a big movie. Such a thorough professional, this Aliya is. Sukhi becomes the change this gang needs; in installments over a swanky pool party, swanky vineyard picnic, 100 swanky buffet spreads and a swanky baby shower.
I've watched many poor movies this year, but none as consistently cringe-worthy as this delusional fashion parade. Who are these people, and how/where/why do they exist? When incompetent acting marries awful writing ("Go back to being my wife tomorrow morning!"), it makes for a critic's worst nightmare. Only a critic, because frankly, no sane viewer would dare to tolerate 130 minutes of swanky unintentional .
Friday, 12 December 2014
Ayan Mukerji is keen on casting Big B for a crucial role in his film
After casting Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt for his next film, director Ayan Mukerji is planning another casting coup. It seems Ayan is rather keen on casting Amitabh Bachchan for a crucial role in his film. It he does manage to pull it off, it will be the first time Ranbir will be seen on the screen with the Big B. Doesn’t get bigger!
After casting Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt for his next film, director Ayan Mukerji is planning another casting coup. It seems Ayan is rather keen on casting Amitabh Bachchan for a crucial role in his film. It he does manage to pull it off, it will be the first time Ranbir will be seen on the screen with the Big B. Doesn’t get bigger!
Friday, 5 December 2014
Deepika Padukone’s outburst against a publication for its misogynistic, salacious coverage of the actor and the wholehearted support she has received from her colleagues makes one wonder: Is Bollywood’s outrage restricted to Twitter alone, or will there be a tangible shift in their dealings with the media house in question?
Twitter never rests. Even on a Sunday, when board games and half-finished books come out and traffic in Mumbai is a little less unbearable than the rest of the week, the timeline keeps moving. This Sunday, Twitter was ablaze with talk about a video put out by a leading news website, guiding site visitors to “Deepika Padukone’s cleavage”. To everyone’s delight (and surprise), Padukone took to Twitter to lash out against the media house responsible for putting out the video.
“Supposedly India's 'LEADING' newspaper and this is 'NEWS'!!??” Padukone tweeted out with a screenshot of a tweet put out by the company’s official account, which said: “OMG: Deepika Padukone’s cleavage show!” Soon, Padukone’s several colleagues – among them, influential film personalities – started coming out in the actor’s support, condemning the responsible media house, and lauding Padukone for her stance. “We’ve hit a new low,” her co-actor Arjun Kapoor tweeted out, and “Well done @deepikapadukone ! Taken a stand for all of us. Xoxo” was Priyanka Chopra’s response to the incident. “I Stand With Deepika Padukone” started trending in no time.
The cynics could not help smelling a rat and claimed all of this was a result of a presumably well thought-out marketing campaign that ensured the spotlight remained on Padukone, whose latest film hit theatres on Friday. I found that sentiment to be slightly misplaced – it’s impossible to ascertain if this really was a well-planned marketing gimmick by a supremely imaginative brand/marketing team employed by Padukone, but even if it was, the validity of her outrage stands. If a female actor felt violated and repulsed by what was published about her and decided to speak about it, well, good for her.
What’s more interesting is the support she garnered from all corners of the film industry. Padukone, a mega star with multiple hits to her credit and a huge fan base, was able to get others riled up on her behalf, and while it is debatable if industry folk would have been as enthusiastic if something similar had happened with a less popular actor, Bollywood influencers speaking out is significant in many ways.
Firstly, calling out the indecency of a media house publicly is a refreshing change from the usual silence exercised by most film stars in the face of adversity. Secondly, film folk weren’t tweeting out against just any conglomerate, but one with considerable clout across all forms of media – print, television and web – and one that’s been known, albeit infamously, to be sharing a mutually beneficial relationship with the Indian film industry, especially Bollywood.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably been introduced to the concept of Medianet at some point, wherein the concerned media house strikes a deal with a film entity – either a production house, or sometimes actors themselves – which entails the coverage of the filmmaker or actor’s movies, professional existence and/or personal life in various arms of the media house, especially the entertainment supplement of the company’s national newspaper. This is equally valuable to both parties – the publication makes a neat profit from the exchange, and the film star gets wide coverage due to the publication’s far-flung network and reach, depending on the kind of deal struck.
Even if the industry’s response in the Padukone case was purely driven by the need to show solidarity for a colleague, it would be interesting to see if the outrage transforms into any real changes in their dealings with the establishment. Would these film stars not use the entertainment “advertorial” supplement of the same organisation as a means to push their films at the time of release, and to keep themselves in the public eye throughout the year? Would many of those who felt glad that someone finally stood up to the nonsense – which essentially means the said nonsense is something everyone has been aware of for a while now – not make an appearance at the annual awards function organised by a magazine directly affiliated with the media house in question.
It would be remarkable if Padukone – who’s displayed rare outspokenness and probably won many more admirers by lashing out against the misogynistic, salacious actions of the said organisation – and her supportive friends do something a little more than just tweet out their anger. Like, may be, disassociate with the media house they have so brazenly been critical of?
Thursday, 4 December 2014
According to a recent study, watching pornography may increase a man's urge to cheat. Does this hold true for you?
Have you ever come across a guy who has never watched porn? "No!" will be your quick reply and "Is that even possible?", you will wonder. The saying, 'Men will always be men' aptly sums it up. While some women have made peace with the fact that men do watch porn — well, simply because it's a 'guy thing' — there are others who are not comfortable with their boyfriend/ husband doing so.
The main reason is, women fear that their men will turn unfaithful, tempted by carnal desires. Well, that fear is somewhat justified because, according to a recent study, watching porn does increase men's likelihood to cheat. This is in tandem with a previous study which claimed unfaithful men are more than three times likely to watch porn regularly.
What's the connection?
According to study author A Marlea Gwinn, of the University of Central Florida, porn offers men access to no-strings-attached sex, often with multiple highly attractive partners. Even though a man knows that it's all make-believe, porn reinforces the idea that there are many attractive options besides his partner. The erotic images also trigger an instinct to reproduce, but with multiple sex partners and not in a loving, steady relationship, adds Gwinn.
Expert speak
Says sexologist and consultant psychiatrist Dr Dhananjay Gambhire, "Watching porn may increase your courage to take one more step and cheat. I have observed that watching porn is more common in men who cheat or visit prostitutes."
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Milan Balakrishnan says, "Watching porn alone doesn't increase the risk of cheating on your partner. Those who are more impulsive and take decisions without weighing the consequences are more likely to cheat. They are also the ones who are more likely to try substance abuse and indulge in risky behaviour. So, watching porn may just be a coincidence; it does not point to a direct connection.
Gender speak
Salman Shaikh, 32, media executive, says, "Watching porn may increase the likelihood of a man cheating on his partner in some cases, since he might feel more inclined to live out the fantasies portrayed."
However, he says that in a majority of cases, it might not be a direct consequence of watching porn. On the other hand, it could be a general tendency where the propensity to cheat and an excessive urge to watch porn may be interlinked. For example, a man with pronounced promiscuous traits will also be someone with a greater attraction to porn.
Salman's girlfriend Beverly Fernandes, a 25-year-old freelance writer, believes watching porn entices men to be unfaithful, especially if the pornographic movies are about cheating with a neighbour, teacher, etc.
It makes them open to such ideas. Cheating won't be a taboo; rather, it would be exciting and entertaining. "I'm okay with my boyfriend watching porn. But it poses a problem when you are obsessed with it and think of it as the real deal. It complicates relationships and creates unrealistic expectations," she says.
Don't demonise porn
All said and done, viewing porn is not unhealthy. It's a problem only when it becomes an addiction, says Dr Milan Balakrishnan. "This does not mean we need to demonise porn, because it can be used as an effective and safe way of channelising libido in those who are unmarried or lack partners. Watching porn together may also spice up a couple's sex life. So, it's alright upto an extent where it does not become the axis around which your life revolves and doesn't make you feel guilty," he adds.
Curb your porn time
Dr Dhananjay Gambhire shares the following tips:
- Take a decision to abstain
- Remove all resources that gives you access to porn.
- Utilise the free time for other hobbies.
- Decide if you want to control your sexual urge. If you are married, talk to your partner and spice up your sex life.
- If it's still not working, and you feel you are addicted to porn, meet a therapist.
Porn makes men prone to cheating?
