You’ve been on an endorsement signing spree. WeChat is among the many brands you’re an ambassador with. How did this association click?
I heard about WeChat from my family and friends abroad who have been using it for many years. It’s important that you have faith in a brand you are associated with. It’s a two-way thing, when the brand trusts you to carry it’s image; you have to believe in it. When I was offered to endorse it; I realized immediately it was something I could relate to, I could connect with, I can proudly declare that I use it. It was a simple personal decision. It’ll get popular with the youth fast; it’ll change the face of chatting

What according to you is the application’s USP and your favorite feature?
The voice messaging is I think the biggest point of WeChat. It’s new, fun to use and hasn’t been done in any other chat applications. It’ll replace SMS texting.Also you have to check out the smileys, the emoticons! They’ve got some really cool ones

How is it working for the first time with Parineeti?
We’ve known each other for a while, we’re all part of the same group, so it wasn’t like we were strangers. Anyways she is very easy to work with, we share acasual rapport so it’s always good fun.

You’re a self-confessed gizmo geek. What are the gadgets that you can’t do without?
I’m an Apple fanboy, so IPAD and also the iMac which my parents gifted. Apart from that the regular stuff, like playing video games, FIFA, PS3 games.

Lastly, who are on your top speed dial list?
My family, friends, (checks phone) my stylist, man-Friday

Moving on quickly, a few rapid fires from the twitter world,

Kriya asks how is your experience using WeChat and are you enjoying it?
It’s amazing. I find it very useful. When I am using it I can multi-task so I have more time to do things I enjoy and love. Also I make a lot of mistakeswhile typing fast, this saves me the embarrassment.

Maahek wants to know if you really are on WeChat?
Yes, I am on WeChat for the past few months and use it regularly because it is convenient & easy. Join me there and will say hi if u follow me there.

Oishika wants to know whether you access Twitter with your iPhone or iPad?
Phone most of the time as its handy, IPAD if I am at home or while traveling. I carry it with me everywhere, to the gym, long journeys, shoots, almosteverytime.

(Before WeChat, you’ve connected with your fans on twitter), Shruti wants to know about your special twitter fans and your experience with them
Each one is extremely special. They are the reason we work so hard, their messages keep us motivated. It’s extremely important for me, even if I don’t get much time to interact. Even if I’ve said this before, I can’t thank them enough.

Making of the TVC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2KPlzYOOUU

WeLove. WeChat with Varun Dhawan. In conversation is a post from: BollySpice

The post WeLove. WeChat with Varun Dhawan. In conversation appeared first on BollySpice.

Speaking on the occasion, Deepika said, “Like I’ve always believed I think it’s more important to be a good human being. I would rather appreciate if people called me or appreciate me for the person that I am. I think that’s more valuable and a much bigger compliment”.

She also spoke candidly about her forthcoming releases YJHD, Chennai Express, Ram Leela as well as her camaraderie with all her co-stars from good friend Ranbir to mentor Shah Rukh Khan.

Styled by designer Anaita Adajania, dressed in a bright orange Alexander McQueen jumpsuit, paired with simple kolhapuris and a stack of Amrapali gold-turquoise stone studded bracelets, Deepika looked every inch the diva at the Sunday brunch event hosted by the magazine. Also present at the event were actress Mandira Bedi, Aditi Rao Hydari, Huma Qureshi, Aurangzeb-fame Sasha Agha among many others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En701Hipejw

Deepika Padukone named India’s “Most Beautiful Woman” 2013 by People magazine is a post from: BollySpice

The post Deepika Padukone named India’s “Most Beautiful Woman” 2013 by People magazine appeared first on BollySpice.

After thanking the Cannes film festival, Amitabh Bachchan spoke a few quick lines in Hindi dedicating it to his countrymen. ‘Indian Cinema has completed 100 years and on this occasion, I would like to express to Cannes Film festival my gratitude and thank them for inviting me here today and for honoring us in such a huge function’
The gesture was well appreciated by the organizers too, evident from a tweet Senior Bachchan posted later in the evening, ‘T 1109 -Director of Cannes delighted to hear the ‘music of the Hindi language’ spoken, it brought in the universality of the occasion!’

Over the next 12 days, dozens of the world’s most artistically ambitious films will premiere and compete on the Cannes’ global stage. The five Indian films that have made it to Cannes screening (but unfortunately still evaded from nomination at the official competition) are Anurag Kashyap’s UGLY (Directors Fortnight full line-up section), Ritesh Batra’s The LunchBox (Critics Week Full line-up section), Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout (Cannes Midnight screening), Satyajit Ray’s Charulata (as part of Cannes Classics) and lastly the recently released Bombay Talkies (in a gesture to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfdBmmeO4c

Cannes 2013 – Amitabh Bachchan on The Great Gatsby red carpet, opening night and after-party is a post from: BollySpice

The post Cannes 2013 – Amitabh Bachchan on The Great Gatsby red carpet, opening night and after-party appeared first on BollySpice.

You might be familiar with anthology films where filmmakers chip in with short films strung together by a theme. But for the first time, 11 filmmakers from different parts of India have come together for a never-seen-before cinematic experience as they collaborate on one single film about one filmmaker. Buy one filmmaker, get 10 free!

The film, titled ‘X’ is begin made by a aroup of directors who have received praise and positive feedback for their independent films released in the past year or two and include Abhinav Shiv Tiwari (Oass), Anu Menon (London Paris New York), Hemant Gaba (Shuttlecock Boys), Pratim D. Gupta (Paanch Adhyay), Q (Gandu), Raja Sen (film critic), Rajshree Ojha (Aisha), Sandeep Mohan (Love, Wrinkle Free), Sudhish Kamath (Good Night Good Morning), Suparn Verma (Aatma) and Thiagarajan Kumararaja (Aaranya Kaandam) will write and direct individual segments as writer-director K (Rajat Kapoor) goes back in time as memories of his 10 ex-girlfriends haunt him over the course of one night.

‘X’ is a filmmaker’s journey through his past encounters with his 10 ex-girlfriends as he spends one surreal unforgettable night at a film festival after he meets a mysterious girl who intriguingly seems to have something to do with every woman in his life. 

The filmmakers met in Mumbai last weekend to brainstorm and lock their individual segments after online interactions and exchange of over 300 mails for over six weeks.

Talking about the project, Sudhish who was instrumental in getting the filmmakers together from different corners of the country – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai says, “What started out as just a random idea has blown into this big and brilliant exercise in collaboration of minds and exchange of ideas across genres.”  Adding, “In one film we are trying to mix these different textures that have made these directors win audiences from across the globe.”

Manish Mundra, Producer said: ”It’s so exciting to have these amazing and talented filmmakers come together for such an ambitious film. ‘X’ brings the best of new-age Indian cinema on a platform that can reach out to all kinds of audiences all over.”

“What’s fascinating about the project is that in one film, you have such diverse voices with such varied visions come together… I had to get involved and say: You guys focus on the film and don’t worry about anything else, I’ll figure out the finances and production,” says Shiladitya Bora, Executive Producer on the movie.
 
‘X’ is already into production (one of the segments has already been shot) and is being planned for a release later this year.

Check out these cool shots of the directors working together and stay tuned for much more on ‘X’
 

‘X’-One film-11 Directors is a post from: BollySpice

The post ‘X’-One film-11 Directors appeared first on BollySpice.

After a soft launch in India in July last year (remember the association with Imran-Anushka starrer Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola), WeChat with an objective to have an aggressive marketing strategy coupled with increased focus on youth connect has roped in Parineeti and Varun to give the brand the requisite zest and vivacity. It is being promoted in India via gaming site Ibibo, in which Tencent (application developers) holds a stake.

Earlier last week a TVC featuring the stars was rolled out. At the event yesterday the press got a glimpse of the second TVC which will be telecasted across channels later this month.

Echoing each other’s thoughts on the applications, both actors shared that since they’ve studied abroad and have friends in different parts of the world, it becomes easy to keep in touch via this application. Adding to it, Parineeti spoke about the Voice Messaging feature calling it a personal favorite as it make the application use convenient and easy. In response to the group chat option Varun said his group on WeChat consisted his peers from the industry including Arjun Kapoor,

Shakun Batra, Abhishek Varman, SOTY co-star Sidharth Malhotra as well as many other school and college friends. Upon being questioned who they’d like to flirt with online via the app, Varun said Katrina, while Parineeti chose Ranbir.

After its massive popularity evidenced from the 300mn app downloads worldwide, WeChat is available on iPhone, Android, Symbian, and Windows Phone platforms and was recently launched on the BlackBerry platform as well. With a bundle of innovative features like ‘Hold-To-Talk’, WeChat is all set to re-define the way people communicate with each other.

WeChat’s ‘Hold-To-Talk’ is the first application in communication space which enables users to send voice messages at the touch of a button. ‘Moments’ is another key differentiating feature of WeChat where users can post image or text and share with their selected friends in a secure way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjGoyjH-AuM

Check out these pics!

WeLove. WeChat. with Parineeti Chopra and Varun Dhawan is a post from: BollySpice

The post WeLove. WeChat. with Parineeti Chopra and Varun Dhawan appeared first on BollySpice.

The Great Gatsby is all about the life and times of millionaire James Gatz Gatsby (DiCaprio) and his neighbour, Nick Carraway (Maguire), who recounts his encounter with Gatsby at the height of the Roaring Twenties, a period marked by a cultural edge in some of the major cities in the West brought about by sustained economic prosperity.

Check out the pics from the photocall!

Cannes 2013: Amitabh Bachchan joins his director and co-stars for ‘The Great Gatsby’ photocall is a post from: BollySpice

The post Cannes 2013: Amitabh Bachchan joins his director and co-stars for ‘The Great Gatsby’ photocall appeared first on BollySpice.

On the occasion of the launch of this fashion event, founder of the Label Corp, Preeta Sukhtankar shared, “We are delighted to announce the launch of THECLOSETLABEL.COM with Malaika Arora Khan as the Creative Director and Tastemaker of the brand.

As a TV host, model, actress, and now a successful producer, her personal style has influenced women for decades, besides of course being a mother. Our collection will include classic, comfortable yet on-trend pieces catering to a woman’s wardrobe of everyday clothing. THECLOSETLABEL.COM   is our second such celebrity curated label and on this one our focus is to guarantee today’s woman a closet full of stylish clothing at accessible price points.”

The project looks promising and has won the creative directors heart as well. As Malaika Arora Khan confessed, “I am really excited to be a part of this team that allows women to dress up not just for the odd occasion but though their daily life – effortlessly chic 24-7. I adore every aspect of putting a look together for myself and now through THECLOSETLABEL.COM I’m enthusiastic to get a chance to dress beautiful women across the country.”

The idea behind this label is to cater the fashion needs of today’s women by keeping fashion, latest trends and price tags in mind and be able to spread more fashion awareness throughout the country.

This website, which is the first celebrity managed source in the country presenting women with stylish, extravagant and everyday fashion, is now LIVE and the outfits, comprising of lounge to sleep to party to everyday wear are up for grabs at affordable prices.

Happy Shopping!
www.theclosetlabel.com

Photo credits: Colston Julian
Location courtesy – Taj Wellington Mews Luxury Residences

Label Corp launches fashion portal ‘The Closet Label’ styled by Malaika Arora Khan is a post from: BollySpice

The post Label Corp launches fashion portal ‘The Closet Label’ styled by Malaika Arora Khan appeared first on BollySpice.

In an exciting 19 part series FOX Traveller’s new show ‘STYLE AND THE CITY’ will rediscover fashion, fusion, handpicked from the streets of India with the help of top Indian designers – Rocky S, Rina Dhaka & Ashish Soni.

The designers along with the vivacious host and anchor Shibani Dandekar, will travel to cities like Pushkar, Ajmer, Jaipur, Lucknow, Delhi, Mumbai, Amritsar, Banaras, Agra and Mathura to find inspiration for their designs and incorporate local material from each city – woven cloth, local handicrafts, traditional embroidery and embellishments, locally famous designs which will reflect in their unique creations, to be worn by the celebrities. The show will feature well known faces like Dia Mirza, Priya Sachdeva, Sophie Choudhury, Sarah Jane, Pinky Reddy, and Jackyy Bhagnani among others.

Style & The City will premiere on 15th May 2013 @ 10 p.m. and will air every Wednesday & Thursday on FOX TRAVELLER.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrCWc–c4oo

Style & the City with Rocky S, Rina Dhaka & Ashish Soni is a post from: BollySpice

The post Style & the City with Rocky S, Rina Dhaka & Ashish Soni appeared first on BollySpice.

The day commenced with an engaging discussion on the ‘screenwriting panel’ between Subhash Ghai, Salim Khan and Anjum Rajabali on the perks or drawbacks and the role of screenwriters in the industry.  With a brief summarization of the evolution of screenwriters in the industry and a mention of the recent Film Writers’ Movement, this rapid-fire panel discussion left the audience enthralled, who were fascinated to learn about the inner workings of the screenwriting industry. The session also entailed a discussion of the elements crucial in creating a good script.

Salim Khan shared with the audience his humble beginning in the industry. ‘The most important thing I’ve learnt is that you need to do a self-assessment. You need to know your weaknesses and finer points. Another essential trait to cultivate is a love for reading. Without reading, every script you create will fall flat, every character dull.’ When questioned on the need for newer, original scripts in the industry, Subhash Ghai replied “Every film being created is a remake of another film in another time in another place. No idea is new. Originality does not exist in reality – we are all influences of our surroundings. Only a fool could be truly original.”

One of the popular sessions of the day was the Blockbuster Directors’ panel comprising of filmmakers Gauri Shinde, Anurag Basu, Amole Gupte and Vikramaditya Motwane who reflected on the future of Indian cinema at Cinema 100. In a rapid-fire session moderated by well-known film critic, Mayank Shekhar, the filmmakers shared the dais talking candidly about industry trade secrets and on iconic films that changed the way Indian films are made. They enthralled audiences with amusing anecdotes about their industry beginnings and commented on how cinema is bound to change in the next 100 years. Speaking about the role of filmmakers, English Vinglish director Gauri Shinde said, “Directors make films to tell stories. Stories that they just have to share with the rest of the world. That won’t change in the future. Formats may change: from black and white to color to 3D; platforms to watch films may change but the basic need for good stories within films will not change. People will always want to hear stories.” Echoing her sentiments Anurag Basu added, “With technology constantly evolving, directors’ need to always stay one step ahead. They need to anticipate the latest technology, to be ready for it. This gives them the potential to create a different story, to be able to tell the story the way they see it.” “In the future, the way people watch films may change. Earlier people used to watch films together. With the new technology, we can watch films from the luxury of our own home. The experience of sitting in a darkened cinema may be lost in the future”, commented Amole Gupte, while Vikramaditya Motwane confessed, “Indian Cinema will continue to evolve but one fact remains the same. People will go to see a film because they want to watch a great performance. For example people watched English Vinglish for Sridevi’s exceptional performance or Barfi for Ranbir’s and Priyanka’s performances.”

The next session featuring stalwarts on the music panel had Ravindra Jain, Anuradha Paudwal, Sameer Sen and Ismail Darbar discuss the changing faces of music down the ages of Indian cinema. The panelists spoke about how integral music to any film and how through its meaning and flavor, a film comes alive. Anuradha Paudwal, reminiscing about the yesteryears of the Indian music fraternity said, “It is wonderful to see how the older filmy hits are still very popular among today’s youth, it clearly shows the impact these songs had over generations and I believe they will continue to remain in the hearts of many others for generations to come”.  She added, “My seniors played a very important role in moulding me and teaching me the finer skills I required to build my career and I’m very grateful for their time, effort and patience that helped me come a long way”. Ravindra Jain enticed the audience with unforgettable lyrics from some of the films of his time. He emphasized that, “The music is what makes a film distinctive. Many a time, without music a film loses its essence – it is the music that gives a film its notoriety.” Sameer Sen reminded the audience of all the hard work that went into making a song, he said, “Sometimes it took months to make a song, there were sequences that went on for days to get the perfect look and feel. It was this effort and talent that has made some songs unforgettable”. Sameer also thanked his mentors for the role they played in guiding him and making him the person he is today. The discussion ended with the panelists sharing their views on what can be expected during the next 100 years of Indian cinema.

Another highlight of the day was an exclusive Master Class with Vishal Bhardwaj, renowned director, who spoke on his multifaceted journey through the film industry, from sports to music to filmmaking. He spoke of Manmohan Desai’s and Gulzar’s influence in his work. He also stressed on the importance of culture is creating a good film. Engaging the audience, he listed the milestones in Indian cinema that made him proud to be part of such a fraternity. “Bandit Queen was the last milestone of Indian Cinema. Mera Naam Joker would have changed trends in Indian Cinema, if it had been successful.” he stated.

In an enlightening session, Amrit Gangar, Film Historian spoke about the evolution of the Indian film industry over the past 100 years with an exclusive screening of his film, 100 years of Fortitude. He spoke of the strength of the Indian film industry and its potential to be the biggest film industry in the world. “The resilience of the Indian film industry cannot be measured. In the past 100 years, it has established a global foothold that rivals even Hollywood. In the past, Hollywood has overshadowed European cinema and other global cinema but the Indian film industry remains strong. During the recent economic slowdown, the Indian film industry witnessed a strong 7% growth.” said Amrit Gangar.

In addition to the informative, educative panel discussions and conversation with some of the leaders in the industry, the event also featured special screenings of Sholay 3D, Harishchandrachi Factory, Raja Harishchandra and Bombay Talkies alongwith multiple workshops on editing, acting, filmmaking, VFX, piracy among many more.

Cinema 100 at Whistling Woods – Day 1 is a post from: BollySpice

The post Cinema 100 at Whistling Woods – Day 1 appeared first on BollySpice.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Subhash Ghai, Founder and Chairman, said “At Whistling Woods, we are committed to developing the talent of the next generation in the right direction. For us, the right to education is not as important as the right to the ‘right’ education. We want the next generation of Indian filmmakers to create Indian films first and to take these films to the world. We need to reintroduce Indian characters to the world. This was why we created Cinema 100. You need to celebrate the past to be able to make good films that are both entertaining and send out positive messages.”

Cinema 100- The Next Wave features engaging custom workshops, an exciting line-up of panel discussions and exclusive screenings, designed by over 500 Whistling Woods students and alumni, to lay out a roadmap for the next 100 years of Indian cinema. One of the highlights of this year’s festival is Whistling Woods’ association with the Unity of Faith foundation through a stellar film-making competition with a difference.

On behalf of the Chief Justice of India, Altamas Kabir; Pareena Swarup, the Secretary of the Bar Association of India, addressed a jam-packed audience at the inaugural session. She spoke on the welcome alliance with the Unity of Faith foundation. “I’m very glad to be here today, on behalf of Chief Justice Kabir and with the Whistling Woods and Unity of Faith team. In a country like India, unity of faith is a part of our heritage. As a secular nation, we live by these principles every day. Cinema is a very powerful medium and through Cinema 100 we are looking forward to spreading this message.”

Cinema 100, a two-day extravaganza celebrating the golden future of Indian cinema is being organized at Whistling Woods International, Mumbai on May 11th & 12th, 2013. Entry is free and registrations can be done at the venue between 11am-8pm.

Whistling Woods International presents CINEMA 100 – The Next Wave is a post from: BollySpice

The post Whistling Woods International presents CINEMA 100 – The Next Wave appeared first on BollySpice.