Bollywood

To be or not to be? Hrithik confirmed not to play Hamlet after all!

Written by Aashi Gahlot on May 19th, 2013

There has been a change of plans and a change of character for Hrithik Roshan. Previously the news was that Hrithik is set to play Hamlet in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s upcoming production. However, it has now been confirmed that Hrithik will not be playing Hamlet but will be donning an Uttar Pradesh accent for another film [...]

Hrithik to play tragic prince ‘Hamlet’

Written by Aashi Gahlot on May 12th, 2013

Paan Singh Tomar’s director Tigmanshu Dhulia has signed on Hrithik Roshan for his upcoming film. This film will be based on Shakespeare’s legendary play, ‘Hamlet’. Sources have revealed that “Tigmanshu and Hrithik have been holding meetings for a while now. Hrithik has loved the way Tigmanshu adapted Shakespeare’s Hamlet to fit into rural India…” Shakespeare’s [...]

FRAMING MOVIES Take Three: Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)

Written by Aashi Gahlot on April 30th, 2013

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam begins as a love story between Sameer (Salman Khan) and Nandini (Aishwariya Rai Bachan). Sameer is an Indo-Italian with a passion to learn Indian Classical Music. Nandini’s father Pandit Darbar (Vikram Gokhale) is a renowned Indian Classical singer who agrees to teach Sameer. Sameer joins the family at their manor [...]

Home Sweet Home: Vidya Balan decorates Ghanchakkar sets

Written by Aashi Gahlot on April 22nd, 2013

Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi are playing the lead in UTV Motion Pictures upcoming production Ghanchakkar. Set for release on June 28th, the film has a unique and personal touch added by Vidya Balan. According to Hindustan Times, a source revealed that the film actually has Vidya Balan’s own personal belongings decorating the sets: “She [...]

Vidya Balan’s next biopic based on MS Subbulaxmi?

Written by Aashi Gahlot on February 11th, 2013

After the success of biopic The Dirty Picture (2011), Vidya Balan is set to star in another biopic. It is not clear who Balan will be playing, although according to The Hindustan Times, the actress confirmed that this film is definitely a biopic. It’s going to be directed by Rajiv Menon, the cinematographer of Bombay [...]

“Emotion doesn’t come out in English dialogues” – Tigmanshu Dhulia

Written by Aashi Gahlot on February 7th, 2013

Tigmanshu Dhulia, the screen play writer for Dil Se, is encouraging the use of Urdu in dialogues. Dhulia feels that film dialogues are just not getting to the heart of emotion anymore. He recently told the Times of India, “…Today, there is so much use of English language in films… (it seems) the writer doesn’t [...]

Randeep and Saif quit

Written by Aashi Gahlot on December 25th, 2012

In a recent interview with the Times of India, Saif Ali Khan spoke of his new perspective on life. The gym, reading a good book and having an early night are all part of Saif’s new regime. No smoking and drinking are also part of the list. Saif told TOI- ‘I have become an anti [...]

Dabangg 2: ‘You just can’t have action and more of action. None of it would hold if there is no emotion behind it’ – Arbaaz Khan

Written by Aashi Gahlot on December 21st, 2012

Dabangg, which released in 2010, saw phenomenal success at both the box office and the awards ceremonies. With six awards under its belt at the 56th Filmfare Awards, its sequel Dabangg 2 has some big boots to fill. Being released on the 21st of December 2012, Dabangg 2 has the audience very high with anticipation. [...]

Priyanka Chopra gets ready to rumble!

Written by Aashi Gahlot on December 8th, 2012

Very soon on a screen near you, you will be watching Priyanka Chopra don a pair of boxing gloves as she gets inside a boxing ring for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next film – a biopic on Mary Kom. Mary Kom is the five times world boxing champion and Olympic 2012 bronze medallist. Chopra is playing [...]

“I have gone through a phase where I was called jinxed”- Anurag Kashyap

Written by Aashi Gahlot on November 20th, 2012

An actor, a writer turned director, turned producer, Anurag Kashyap is the extraordinary jack of all trades. Kashyap has delivered poignant and successful films such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Black Friday and Dev D. However AKPL’s owner Kashyap, is a man who has struggled through some dire times. With two banned films, two shelved and [...]

Divya Bharti’s life and tragic death to appear on the big screen

Written by Aashi Gahlot on August 20th, 2012

At midnight, on the 5th of April 1993, Divya Bharti fell tragically to her death. Bharti, a 19 year old actress, fell five stories from her apartment in Mumbai. Was it an accident? Was it suicide? Was it murder? The circumstances of Bharti’s death remain, to this day, a mystery. A film is now being [...]

Be careful what you bet for: Deepika loses a million Rupees

Written by Aashi Gahlot on August 14th, 2012

Betting on anything that involves ‘Daaru (alcohol),’ especially if it is Desi (home grown Indian), is never a good idea. Deepika Padukone has recently lost a million Rupees for having made this folly. This all began when Padukone and Dinesh Vijan (Cocktail Producer) failed to see eye to eye when it came to ‘Daaru Desi’. [...]

“Being a woman and an actress, it is very important for me to support a film like this.”- Tannishtha Chatterjee

Written by Aashi Gahlot on August 12th, 2012

Ten million female fetuses are estimated to have been aborted over the past two decades in India according to ActionAid. 35 million females are also ‘missing’ according to the 2001 National Indian Census. Female feticide is an urgent and prevalent issue, and this horror does not only apply to India. Oxford University research based on [...]

Jism 2 Movie Review

Written by Aashi Gahlot on August 4th, 2012

The film that has attracted much controversy in India is finally unveiled. The sequel to Jism (2003), Jism 2 is an erotic thriller directed by Pooja Bhatt. Sunny Leone, the Indo Canadian porn star, makes her Bollywood debut in the story that also features Randeep Hooda and Arunoday Singh. The film begins with a Biblical [...]

Love, Sex and the Secret in the Bollywood song

Written by Aashi Gahlot on August 3rd, 2012

You may be surprised to know that it was as early as 1929 that Bollywood had its first ever lip locked kiss. Based on the Indian epic The Mahabharata and starring Seeta Devi, that film was A Throw of Dice. This kissing scene would perhaps shock some viewers even today. More than 80 years later, [...]

Jism 2 Trailer and A certificate!

Written by Aashi Gahlot on July 22nd, 2012

Pooja Bhatt’s upcoming film Jism 2 has been classified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with an ‘A’ (Adults Only) certificate. Fans need not worry of the film being sizzled down after the cuts as Bhatt tweeted that the film ‘has not been affected in the least by the cuts I made upon [...]

Scene by Scene: Meghna faces her skeletons in Fashion

Written by Aashi Gahlot on July 21st, 2012

A stunning performance by Priyanka Chopra as the protagonist, Fashion is a gritty film that explores the ‘survival of the fittest’ in the modeling world. A determined woman with a dream to become India’s best Supermodel, Meghna (Priyanka Chopra) leaves her home town Chandigarh for glamorous Bombay. Adamant and ambitious, Meghna perseveres despite the knockbacks [...]

“I was pining to sink my teeth into a hardcore independent project and Trishna came along.” – Freida Pinto

Written by Aashi Gahlot on July 19th, 2012

Michael Winterbottom’s Trishna (2011) is based on Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Set in present day Rajasthan and Mumbai, Freida Pinto plays the title character of ‘Trishna’. A beautiful 19-year-old who is the daughter of a poor driver, Trishna falls in love with the affluent Jay (Riz Ahmed). Their love however, is not so [...]