Bollywood

Sammir Dattani’s Homegrown Luv Story

Written by Kamna on July 6th, 2010

Sammir Dattani, a chocolate-faced 28-year-old who is now eight films old, has a parallel love story in real life. In recent chick flick I Hate Luv Storys he plays Raj, Sonam’s perfect boyfriend. The two were childhood friends and eventually found their friendship to be something more. They have a perfect relationship that consists of [...]

Right Yaaa Wrong

Written by Kamna on February 14th, 2010

Monty, the genius behind the magic of Saawariya’s music, has missed the mark since then, bringing us albums like Chamku, Heroes and Fox, which have all failed to meet expectations. He’s back again with another film which seems to limit the scope of his musical talent: Right Yaa Wrong. Directed by Neeraj Pathak and starring [...]

Moving Out of Mumbai – or Not Quite Yet?

Written by Kamna on February 12th, 2010

What’s the industry’s next big move? Well, some favor the central location of Bollywood shifting from Mumbai to a different city, such as New Delhi, the political capital. There are many reasons to favor placing the major production houses of Hindi cinema in Delhi. For example, right wing groups have been protesting in Mumbai against [...]

Who’s Hot Who’s Not (Star Screen & Apsara Awards)

Written by Kamna on January 29th, 2010

Aishwarya: Yes, as has become habit post-marriage, she is wearing a sari, but she also looks undoubtedly sexy. Granted, the little colorful borders take away from the grandeur of the zari. But the beautiful combination of gold pattern and short gold blouse and sheer, the see-through pale red sari lends the gorgeous woman a feminine [...]

April Release for Paatshala

Written by Kamna on January 28th, 2010

When Veer hit theaters, something else hit the screen moments before film began – the official theatrical trailer of much-anticipated Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia, and Nana Patekar film Paathshaala (which can be found

Love Actually or Pyaar Impossible

Written by Kamna on January 16th, 2010

They’d confirmed the Shahid-Priyanka break-up after months of hints and guessing. The two friends (the only definite label we can give them) stopped following each other on Twitter, breaking even their supposed “friendship” and then Shahid was rumored to be flirting with a non-Bollywood mystery woman in Goa. That saga was over and the media [...]

Vidya Balan Shedding the Girl-Next-Door Image

Written by Kamna on January 16th, 2010

Vidya Balan has been characterized as the girl-next-door since she entered the industry. She’s always been the sweet, mature woman you’d want your parents to see you bring home. However, we also know she’s proven her versatility as an actress. In Abhishek Choubey’s directorial debut Ishqiya, Vidya Balan dons the role of a woman who’s [...]

Roadside Romeo

Written by Kamna on October 9th, 2008

Almost a year ago, we saw teasers for the first big animated venture in true Hindi film style, a co-production by Yash Raj Films and Disney. With Kareena and Saif voicing the main characters and Jugal Hansraj making his directorial debut, one had some expectations set for the film. However, despite the early release of [...]

Scene by Scene: Rang De Basanti climax

Written by Kamna on September 24th, 2008

When I was first told about selecting a scene to exemplify Hindi movies, I was absolutely lost. Honestly, in the past 16 years, I’ve seen a ridiculous number of movies. To choose one scene from all these seems like such an absurdly large task, and I didn’t know where to begin. Even though some bad [...]

Divya Dutta’s Slimming Regime Pays Off

Written by Kamna on September 16th, 2008

Remember that bubbly girl from Veer Zaara? Well, the actress who portrayed her, Divya Dutta, says that her recent weight loss has catapulted her career forward, because now she is being offered all sorts of “glamorous” roles. Based upon her earlier films, directors simply offered Dutta light-hearted roles, or ones with Punjabi-speaking requirements. She reasons [...]

Khans Drop the Stone Act

Written by Kamna on September 14th, 2008

In the 21st century, we may sometimes be under the impression that we’re a little too ahead in the game of science and practicality to still follow superstition. However, many actors follow Dr. Dilip Kumar’s “stone” policy, believing it to cure ailments ranging from mild insomnia to weight problem, bad luck, bad health and bad [...]

Aparna Sen to Heat Up Bengali Fire with Abhishek!

Written by Kamna on October 5th, 2007

The Bengalis are hitting screens yet again with Aparna Sen at the helm for her first Hindi venture, titled Gulel. She has roped in Abhishek Bachchan for the movie. The well-known director, whose latest Bengali movie, The Japanese Wife, is set to release, commented, “I know Abhishek wants to do the role. He has said [...]

Jab We Met

Written by Kamna on September 29th, 2007

After his debut with Socha Na Tha, director Imtiaz Ali is back with another flick, this time starring the gossip-generating duo: Shahid and Kareena. In their previous films, namely, 36 China Town, Chup Chup Ke, and Fida, the music has been quite noteworthy, so expectations are already flying high. With well-known and much-loved Pritam at [...]

Bhool Bhulaiyaa

Written by Kamna on September 9th, 2007

When a comedic remake of a drama-heavy Malayalam movie is called for, the only director worthy of the task is Priyadarshan. Add a tablespoon of stardom, including Akshay Kumar. Priyadarshan and Akshay have worked together enough before that we’ve set ourselves numerous expectations of them. At this stage, enter Bhool Bhulaiyaa. This is hit-maker Pritam’s [...]

Peek-a-boo: Is that RGV back with a new movie?

Written by Kamna on September 9th, 2007

Ram Gopal Verma is a relentless director, with a well-known never-say-die attitude. Despite all the criticism being hurled at him after the disappointing release of Aag last week, he’s all set to come back in his area of expertise: the underworld. This new venture is titled Dhyey. He explains the title further, “It’s a Sanskrit [...]

Discussion: The Deathly Hallows

Written by Kamna on September 4th, 2007

Note: This article contains spoilers Emerging from page 784 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I realize that the spell cast upon me ten years ago has finally lifted. Yet its after-effects still linger, like a suffusing glow threatening to overtake my mind. The adventure Harry took us on is one the world will [...]

Pathak Riding High

Written by Kamna on August 29th, 2007

After Apne’s success, writer Neeraj Pathak is embarking on another movie called Right or Wrong. In addition to writing the script, this time he is also producing it. “It will be the first film under my production company, Icon pictures, where Kishan Chaudhary and I are partners,” says Pathak. His favorite man, Sunny Deol, will [...]

How can we prove originality in cinema when even the name isn’t?

Written by Kamna on July 11th, 2007

Bollywood is a Bad Word. Think of the large Hollywood sign, perched uniquely on a grassy mountain. It’s a signature of their cinema — a symbol of their industry. The term “Bollywood” is generated from Bombay, the capital city of Hindi movies, and (obviously) Hollywood. However, when something is copied it generally loses some of [...]

Weight vs. Health: Did Kareena make the wrong choice?

Written by Kamna on July 8th, 2007

Hailing from the Punjabi Kapoor family, Kareena has always had a love for food. Considering that we eat to survive, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, recently it looks like she’s lost a lot of weight in a very short time. She may have done this for a particular role — the exact reasons are [...]

Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar

Written by Kamna on July 5th, 2007

Starring: Ruslaan, HazelDirector: Robby Grewal From the director of the dark thriller Samay, Robby Grewal, comes this completely different movie. In a time when offbeat movies have become the norm, Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar (MP3) dares to follow the old formula of a simple high school romance. And this makes it different. Ironic how these [...]

Happy Birthday, Lolo!

Written by Kamna on June 25th, 2007

Today is the day to say janamdin mubarak(Happy Birthday) to Karisma Kapoor. She was born on this day in 1974 in the city of dreams — Bombay, as it was back then. Of course, she’s come a long way since then. When she entered the Hindi movie industry in 1991 with Prem Qaidi, the actress [...]