To make it to the film industry is hard enough, but to become one of the biggest and best stars is even harder. Then the odds of becoming THE biggest and best actor is damn near astronomical. The odds that only one man has been able to conquer. Over a span of 39 long and grueling years in the industry, Amitabh Bachchan has become that man. He has climbed Everest and now has his face engraved in the Mount Rushmore of Hindi film personalities. Amitabh Bachchan is a legend no doubt, but his greatness can never go understated because no one has ever been this good for this long ever in this industry. What this man continues to do at this age is simply remarkable. This weekend he will be reprising the role of one of his most iconic characters of all time, Sarkar, in Sarkar Raj. In career retrospective honor of the film and the legendary actor’s massive body of work, we would like to do a career retrospective of Big B.

Amitabh Bachchan was born as Amitabh Srivastav as that was his father’s real surname. His father, famous late poet Harivansh Rai Srivastav, used the pen name Bachchan while writing. Amitabh decided to stick with the name for his career in filmdom as well. Born on October 11, 1942, he grew up and completed his studies in Uttar Pradesh. After graduating, he moved to Calcutta where he started work for a shipping company. After doing that for a while, he decided he wanted to be a part of the film industry and moved to Bombay to accomplish his dreams. Although at first when he went, it was a bit of a struggle because no one wanted to cast him in their movies; he was thought to be too tall and his voice was too deep for their liking. He finally was able to grab a role in the film Saat Hindustani in 1969. The movie was a good beginning for him as it helped him win the National Award for best newcomer. But after that, it continued to be a struggle for him, as pretty much all his films flopped. The one bright spot amidst all these flops was the 1971 Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, Anand. In the film, he played the supporting role to Rajesh Khanna, the number one star at the time. His performance was lauded by all and helped him garner his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film also did very well; it won the Best Picture of the Year. Even though he did not taste much success in the beginning years of his career, the good days were soon to come for Big B professionally and personally.

The year 1973 seemed to be the turning point for Amitabh Bachchan. Well-known director, Prakash Mehra, cast Big B in his film Zanjeer and the rest, as they say, is history. The film went onto become Big B’s first solo hit and gave him his image of the ‘Angry Young Man’ which he held onto for a large part of his career. His performance was appreciated by one and all and a star was born! Another special thing about the film was its leading lady, Jaya Bhaduri. Bachchan and Bhaduri fell in love while shooting for the film, and after the film was declared a hit, they both decided to get married. They did just that one month after the film’s release. 1973 truly was an unforgettable year for Big B as more success was about to come his way. He had two more wonderful films that year, Abhimaan with wife Jaya and Namak Haraam where he played the supporting role to Rajesh Khanna once again. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who gave Big B some of the best movies of his career, directed both films. He was praised for his performances in both films and even won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor once again for Namak Haraam. Both films were very well received. As a matter of fact, over the next two decades, most of the best films and performances would belong to Amitabh Bachchan.

Amitabh Bachchan was the newfound superstar and he was looking towards bigger and better things. That came about in 1975. He teamed up with Hrishikesh Mukherjee two more times in this year in the films Mili and Chupke Chupke. Both films went on to become highly appreciated. But the real big noise came in the form of two legendary directors he worked with for the first time. Deewaar was his first film with Yash Chopra and they never looked back after that. Many consider the role of the rebellious Vijay from Deewaar to be the greatest performance of Big B’s career. His performance in this film turned Big B into an instant megastar. Although the film swept all the awards at Filmfare, Bachchan was the only one who went home empty handed – pretty ironic for a film that is considered to be his best performance. Then of course there was Ramesh Sippy’s all-time blockbuster Sholay. Many still consider this to be the mother of all of Hindi cinema as it has gone on to become the most iconic and successful Hindi movie in history. Big B was one half of the Jai-Veeru combo and gave a wonderful and understated performance. Every filmmaker uses Sholay as a barometer for filmmaking, so you know how big the film really is. Unfortunately, Ram Gopal Varma loved the film so much that in 2007 he decided to remake it his own way. The film was RGV Ki Aag and it was one of the most hated films in Hindi cinema history. Even Big B was cast as the legendary character of Gabbar Singh (known as Babban in the new film), which was immortalized by Amjad Khan in the original. The new film was only a minor blip in Big B’s illustrious career.

The 70s quickly turned into the decade of Amitabh Bachchan. He was now delivering nonstop hits and brilliant performances. Also he was working with some of the best directors of the industry. Some of his best work came in Kabhie Kabhie, Amar Akbar Anthony, Kasme Vaade, Don, Trishul, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Mr. Natwarlal, The Great Gambler, and Kaala Patthar. All these hits gave Big B the title of ‘One Man Industry’ as everything he touched turned into a success.

Amar Akbar Anthony gave him his first ever Filmfare Award for the Best Actor category in 1977. He followed the year after with three nominations in the same category for Don, Trishul, and Muqaddar Ka Sikander. He ended up winning it for his double role in Don. The movie became such a cult classic, that filmmaker Farhan Akhtar (his father Javed Akhtar wrote the screenplay for the first film, along with Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan) decided to remake it in 2006 with current number one star, Shah Rukh Khan.

The 80s began just the way the 70s ended-with Big B still on the top of the industry. The hits just kept on rolling in the form of Dostana, Shaan, Kaalia, Yaarana, Naseeb, and Laawaris. Then was the film that was perhaps the most controversial of his career. The film was Yash Chopra’s Silsila. Rumored to be about the affair between Big B and Rekha, the movie had both playing principal roles, along with Big B’s wife Jaya. It was tough for many to digest, so the film did not end up doing very well, but it is considered to be one of the all-time classics now.

Strangely enough, even with so many great performances, he was only nominated for the Best Actor award one year the entire decade. It was in 1982 for the films Bemisal, Shakti, and Namak Halaal. He did not win for any of them. Then in 1983, while shooting for the film Coolie, he had a near fatal accident. He was in the hospital and the whole nation was in a standstill. Everybody was praying for his recovery and hoping their favorite star would come back and entertain them once again. By the good graces of God, Big B had a full recovery and was able to complete the film. The scene where the injury happened is frozen during the film so people can see when he got hurt. The film went on to become a major success as everyone wanted to see the film where Big B was injured. As a matter of fact, ever since this injury, people started visiting him every day outside of his house hoping to get a glimpse of him. He would acknowledge these people and would go and meet with them. Now these people only come on Sundays and he still goes and meets with them. He continued more great work in films like Satte Pe Satta, Andha Kanoon (one of the most underrated performances of his career), Sharaabi, Geraftaar, and Aakhree Raasta.

Up until the mid 80s, Big B was still dominating the industry. But in the late 80s, as he started to age and newer talent starting to emerge, the gap between him and the rest of the industry started to shrink. But to end the decade, he gave us a couple more of his most memorable performances. Shahenshah was the big blockbuster we were accustomed to receiving from him, but Main Azad Hoon was totally against the grain, turning out to be one of his best and most overlooked performances. Unfortunately, the movie did not do well at the box office.

Nearing the age of 50, he started the 90s off with a bang! His character of Vijay Dinanath Chauahan from the film Agneepath is one of the greatest and most iconic characters in Hindi film history. The film and the performance are his son, Abhishek’s, favorite. Although he did not win the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, he did end up receiving the National Award for his remarkable performance. He also won the Lifetime Achievement Award that year. After the success of Agneepath with director Mukul Anand, he once again worked with him in the film Hum. The film provided us with another landmark performance from the man as he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award. But the end seemed to be near because it looked like Big B was looking forward to a career in politics. It was announced that Khuda Gawah would be the last film he would do. Once again teaming up with Mukul Anand, he left with one more fine performance, even though the film did not live up to the mark.

His stint in politics was short lived and he tried making a comeback into movies. But time had gotten to him and he was no longer bankable as a lead hero. Now north of 50, no one wanted to see him beating baddies or romancing young ladies. He was in a rut for the next few years, as it seemed like the country’s biggest superstar was becoming a forgotten man. The 90s couldn’t end soon enough for him. But everyone in life needs a second innings. And for Amitabh Bachchan, he got his second innings with the beginning of the new millennium.

Down and almost out, Big B agreed to do a game show that was a spin-off of the hit show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. The show became an instant rage and pretty much all of India would be tuning in every night for the show. The show helped revive Bachchan’s career and also put him back on the map. He followed this with a role in the film Mohabbatein directed by Aditya Chopra, son of Yash Chopra. This film officially showed that Big B was back and better than ever as now he finally had a role to play in the industry – that of the elderly distinguished gentleman. The film helped him win the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also was awarded the Superstar of the Millennium Award that year.

Throughout the 2000s, Big B did many movies that did not work, but he has created such platform for himself, that no failure can drown him for good. But in this decade, there were still lots of memorable films and performances to come from him.

2001 saw him in successful films such as Ek Ristha and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Also, there was the critically acclaimed Aks, for which he won the Best Actor Critics Award at Filmfare. 2002 was yet another successful year for Big B as he had two more memorable performances which garnered him nominations: Kaante for which he was nominated for Best Actor and Aankhen for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Both films did very well at the box office. 2003 was not as big of a year for him, as only one of his films worked-Baghban. The film went on to do very good business and his performance was greatly appreciated, as he was nominated for Best Actor once again. 2004 had one standout performance from him and some other solid performances. The standout performance was from the film Khakee, for which he was nominated for Best Actor. But if there was any year this decade that truly belonged to Big B, then it was the year 2005. He started the year off with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Black. The film went on to becoming the biggest critical success of the year and there were even some saying that it was the greatest performance of Big B’s career. That was evident as he won the Best Actor award at every show that year for his performance in the film, even the National Award. The film, itself, swept all the major awards at every award ceremony as well. He continued his success that year in films like Waqt, Bunty Aur Babli, and the reason for this feature, Sarkar. BAB was special as it was the first time he was on screen with his son Abhishek. Sarkar may have been even more special as it was the first time he and Abhishek played father and son in a film. The film created yet another iconic character for Big B in the form of Subhash Nagre and his performance was without a doubt one of the best of his career. He was nominated for Best Actor, but lost to himself. The movie made such an impact that we now have a sequel, Sarkar Raj.

A terrific year ended on a sad note as Big B was struck with a stomach illness that hospitalized him for about a week. People were in a standstill once again just like when he was injured during Coolie. They prayed for him once again all throughout the country. Luckily, he was back and ready to go. But he was told to slow down his work; his workload was greater and larger than even people half his age! That is why in 2006, he only had one film of note and it was Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. His role in the film was perhaps the boldest he has ever played and made some uncomfortable, but he once again showed the Bachchan magic, which helped him receive yet another Best Supporting Actor nomination. 2007 could best be described as an experimental year for Big B. He starred in very different films such as Eklavya, Nishabd, and Cheeni Kum. His performances in all the films were praised, although the latter two were a bit controversial, because they showed him romancing women much younger than him. Nonetheless, people applauded him for experimenting with his roles and trying something different. The year 2008 started with Bhoothnath, which was well received critically and commercially. Now the stage has been set for his next big release, Sarkar Raj. This is the first time that he will be starring in a film with both his son and daughter-in-law in the same movie (Abhishek and Aishwarya). The stakes are high and the expectations are huge. We hope the movie lives up to the hype and that Amitabh Bachchan is able to stick one more feather in his cap!

A word of mention must go to the numerous awards and honors he has won outside the film industry. For instance, he was awarded with a doctorate from a university for his great contribution to films. He also has been honored internationally, as well as, domestically. His contribution to India has been so great, that everyone wants to do their best to honor and commemorate this force of nature!

Amitabh Bachchan is the actor that defines Hindi cinema; there is no doubt about it. He brought the industry to where it is today and he is the reason it has become such a boom today. The man is truly an institution. He is not only a star, but also one of the finest actors to ever grace the screen. He has performed roles in every genre with the same amount of precision, which is a testament to his versatility. At 66, it is amazing to see him still at top and not wavering at all. We are sure films such as, The Last Lear, Shoebite, Teen Patti, and Shantaram will further cement his status as the greatest ever. For now, we wish him the best with Sarkar Raj and hope to see another knockout performance from the Shahenshah! Amitabh Bachchan – the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

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Sarkar Raj takes off with Anita (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), the CEO of an international company, bringing a power plant proposal to set up in Maharashtra. Although Shankar (Abhishek Bachchan) thinks it is a good idea that would benefit the people of Maharashtra, Subhash (Amitabh Bachchan) is against the idea. But Shankar is able to convince Subhash to accept the proposal and then he starts his journey throughout Maharashtra, along with Anita, to convince the people of the villages of their proposal. But problems arise when the grandson of Sarkar’s mentor starts convincing the people of Maharashtra against the proposal, as well as, against Shankar. Not to mention, all the politics behind the power plant project which cause even more problems from various forces. These various forces will do whatever it takes to bring down the Nagres and finish them for good. The rest of the movie deals with the Nagres fighting the battle of survival while trying to make sure the project take place.

The film has a solid script that keeps you intrigued throughout, especially the second half. Although the first half is a bit slow, it still keeps your attention and it helps build for the much intense second half that is to follow. Truly, the second half is what lifts the film to great lengths. It is here where the film gets really intense and raw. The best part of the script may be the surprises incorporated in the second half, not to mention the climax, which is as intense as it gets! The second half, particularly the climax, does not miss a beat and keeps you enthralled throughout. It will grab you and hit you real hard.

Although the film is only a little over two hours, the editing could have been a little tighter only because of the slow first half. But overall, a solid job with the pacing of the film. The cinematography is wonderful as you totally get the feeling of the harsh and brooding look from the film. It totally blends in with the mood of the film. RGV’s famous close ups never disappoint, but I think he got a little too excited with them this time, as there were instances where he was relying on them too much. For the most part, they were used ably and only made a stronger impact. Overall, it is a very well shot film.

It is safe to say that Ram Gopal Varma still has a pulse when making movies. He still has it in him to create a wonderful product. His vision is what helped make this film what it is. Throughout the entire film, you can see the RGV stamp all over it. This is vintage RGV and we couldn’t ask for more! There are so many well shot sequences and the whole narrative is told and moves in such a gripping manner, that you really are happy to see RGV back in a groove. Every dog has his day and RGV had his. I just hope, for his sake, he will not have anymore in the future.

The soundtrack for Sarkar Raj is all “background” music and each song is very nice and blends in well with the film. As for the real background music (the other tracks added for mood and to make the emotional impact of a scene even better), the original film Sarkar provided some of the best we have ever heard. This one does not disappoint either, as the background music is another element that lifts the film. It just gets you more pumped and amped for the proceedings of the film, especially Govinda! It is truly chilling stuff!

Now to the best part of the film- the performances! Amitabh Bachchan is superb once again. In the original, he gave you goose bumps with his intense emotions and expressions. This time he gives you goose bumps with his bone chilling dialogue delivery. Watch out for him in the climax as it is vintage Bachchan at work. Everything you knew and loved about him in the original is packed into the phenomenal climax. The Godfather is in full effect!

It seems as if father and son have had a role reversal, as it is Abhishek this time that stuns you with his brooding expressions. He is fantastic this time around as he takes his character to new heights. The best part about his performance is that he is convincing as the new ‘Sarkar’ and does not look out of place leading his father’s empire. Also it should be noted that neither Bachchan is supporting here, they both are leads in their own way in the film.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan does well, but suffers from an under developed character. From the pre-release hype, it seemed as if she would be a woman that stomps your ass and takes charge. That really is not the case as she is more a person that is trying to digest everything that is taking place and trying to decide what to do. Overall, she is still very good and elevates her performance towards the end of the film and especially the climax with her perfect use of expressions.

Of the supporting cast, the ones that stand out the most are Dilip Prabhawalkar (Subhash’s mentor, Rao Saab), Govind Namdev (Hassan Qazi, villain), Ravi Kale (Chandar, Shankar’s right hand man-from the original as well), and Rajesh Shringapure (Rao Saab’s grandson, Sanjay Somji). They all do a great job and play the perfect supporting roles.

Sarkar Raj is a hard hitting and intense film and does full justice to the original. It succeeds in all departments and is exactly the type of movie we needed (or at least the type of movie I needed). It may not appeal to all, but for those who like this type of cinema, it is just what the doctor ordered. It’s about time we got a great badass movie from Bollywood. Bollywood needs to get out of its pussified state and embrace films like this. One last thing I can tell all you people out there trying to make it big in the world: Power is not given. It has to be taken.

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Sarkar Raj (release date: June 6) – The sequel to the 2005 hit is perhaps the most anticipated film of the summer. Firstly it is a sequel to a successful film and then there is of course the three Bachchans (Amitabh, Abhishek, and Aishwarya) coming together for a film for the first time. The promos have been causing quite a buzz since they started playing and everyone is expecting big things from this crime drama. The only concern is with director Ram Gopal Varma who has been in a really bad streak of late with his films. He will try to break his unsuccessful run and try to come up with yet another memorable cinematic experience just like he did with the original Sarkar.

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Bhoothnath tells the story of a bond between a ghost and a little boy. Banku (Aman Siddiqui) and his parents (Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla) move into a mansion in Goa where the spirit of its deceased owner is said to reside. The spirit known as ‘Bhoothnath’ (Amitabh Bachchan) tries to frighten Banku, but fails to do so. Slowly a bond forms between the two and they become friends. The rest of the story revolves around the friendship between Bhoothnath and Banku.

The story is very simple, but it is nice to watch the special bond an elderly ghost shares with the little boy. This could have easily been made into a movie that would have only attracted to kids, but with the right emotional quotient added, even the adults can enjoy it. The strong point of the film is definitely to watch the friendship between Banku and Bhoothnath. This is what makes the film an entertaining watch. The problem arises when the film tries to be something that it is not. In the second half of the film, particularly the final 30 minutes, and the film takes a serious turn and goes from becoming a light entertainer to an emotional drama. It puts the brakes on a relatively brisk ride. Bhoothnath’s background story puts a halt in the proceedings and totally changes the mood of the film. This turn would most likely put off some kids as they want to see mischief, not sobbing, being done by the ghost. Had the film avoided this dramatic turn and just left the emotions between the friendship of the boy and the ghost, the film would have been far more impactful.

The editing of the film is solid as it moves at a nice pace and runs at a little above two hours, so there are no worries about the kids becoming restless, unless they can’t bear the emotional final reels. But at no times do you feel the film is dragging and becoming a bore. The cinematography is alright. Some shots are well canned, but there is really nothing too special about it. There aren’t as many special effects as one may think. The little that there is is just about okay. It doesn’t really add much of an impact on the film.

Debutante director Vivek Sharma makes a promising debut. He does not try to do too much nor does he try to overwhelm you, which is basically what you ask for from a newcomer. He knows it is a simple film and treats it as one. He has a good handling of his craft and knows what he is doing, which is the most important thing. He just loses focus towards the end of the film when he tries to integrate a totally different genre into the movie. The script was going just fine right about until it makes the change towards the end. For the future, he needs to remember to give his movie an identity and to stick with it. But all in all, he has made a solid debut and is someone to look out for.

The music is just about mediocre. There is no standout track, but the best of the lot are Mere Buddy and Chalo Jaane Do. The placement of the songs are fine and do not cause a hindrance to the narrative. The picturizations of the songs are nice as well. But overall, there is nothing great about the soundtrack as we have definitely heard better from Vishal-Shekhar.

Amitabh Bachchan is great as the title character. It is good to see him do different things at this age even when one would think there is nothing new left for him to do. He suits the role perfectly and delivers yet another rock solid performance in the second innings of his career.

Matching the Big B step by step is child artist Aman Siddiqui. He is wonderful and truly a joy to watch on screen. The best thing was the chemistry he shares with the Big B. The movie rests on their shoulders and it is their bond that helps lift this movie. You can add little Aman to the list of great young talents in our industry.

Shah Rukh Khan, in an extended guest appearance, is effective. It would have been great to see him in a full fledged role though.

Juhi Chawla is terrific and it is great to see her doing significant roles once again. Also her chemistry with SRK is as good as ever.

Priyanshu is part of the unwanted track in the film, but he is decent nonetheless. Satish Shah is able to provide a few laughs. Rajpal Yadav is barely there and does not have much to do. His role was not really necessary.

Overall, Bhoothnath is a solid entertainer that loses its steam towards the end. It will still appeal to people of all ages. The movie is worth it mainly to see the chemistry between Amitabh Bachchan and Aman Siddiqui. Those in fear of it being a kiddie film fear not because it is a family film and I am sure it has something for everyone. This film would be a great watch with the entire family. So just give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

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Bhaiyyaji (Anil Kapoor) is a don who has a desire to learn how to speak English fluently. So he sends his personal assistant, Pooja (Kareena Kapoor) to find him a teacher. She finds Jimmy (Saif Ali Khan), a call center executive by day and a flirty English teacher by night. He falls in love with Pooja and, therefore, agrees to teach Bhaiyyaji English. As Jimmy starts teaching Bhaiyyaji, a relationship begins to brew between him and Pooja. Then one fine day, Pooja, along with Jimmy, decides to repay her debt to Bhaiyyaji by swindling him of his money and paying him back with it. But Jimmy is in for a fix as Pooja leaves with all the money and he is all alone to face the wrath of Bhaiyyaji. He surrenders himself and Bhaiyyaji calls upon Bachchan Pande (Akshay Kumar), a wannabe gangster, to find Pooja and his money. He sends Jimmy along with him since he knows about her whereabouts. That pretty much sums up most of the first half. The second half basically shows what happens after they find Pooja.

The story is simple and basic, just as it was expected to be. But what was not expected to be was how badly things play out. I can understand a film with a thin script as long as it has entertaining moments to make up for it. Unfortunately for Tashan, there are no moments like this to speak of. A film with a weak script and no entertainment is absolutely hopeless. The first half seems pretty pointless, while the second half drags like there’s no tomorrow! The film is very poorly edited. The second half becomes too long with the unnecessary romantic angle and the flashbacks that form it. There is absolutely no flow in the film at all. It’s like the film is stuck in cement because there is no movement in the narrative. They are just stuck in one situation for too long of a period of time. This causes the film to get slow and boring. Another issue is the fact that they were trying to pack too many things into one movie. You go from a comedy scene, to an action scene, and then to a romantic scene. It just does not work! I know masala movies have a little bit of everything, and that is fine, if you can pull it off. Tashan fails in this because it seems like everything here is being forced to make one massive entertainer. It just makes things worse as it bogs down the film big time.

This is Vijay Krishna Acharya‘s first directorial venture and it shows. He focuses too much on the ‘tashan’ of the film that he forgot about everything else. This is a fault with many new directors. They feel that if they can make their film look glitzy with big stars, then their film will be a success. That is not the case if you do not do your job in making sure in focusing in the other important areas. He just was not able to execute the film properly. Let’s just call it a rookie mistake and hope that he learns from it.

The cinematography of the film is solid. The locales of all over India, as well as Greece, look beautiful. The action sequences are pretty well shot. Speaking of the action sequences, there are only two to speak of. The first one is pretty good and makes you marginally satisfied that you finally get to see what you paid for-action! The second one during the climax starts off well, but then gets overbearing as it continues and starts getting predictable and tedious. One wishes there was so much more and better action in a film like this. That definitely would have helped in the entertainment department.

Vishal-Shekar‘s music for the film is, for a lack of a better word, cool. But it just feels like some of them just were not needed. ‘Falak Tak’ is probably the best, tune wise, while ‘Dil Dance Maare’ has the best picturization only because of its zaniness. But perhaps the best thing about the music was the fact that ‘Tashan Mein’ was used as background music because it made it sounds even cooler. Also, Bachchan Pande’s theme song is great and totally suits the character.

If there is one saving grace in the movie, then it is, without a doubt, Akshay Kumar. He breathes life into the character and the film when he makes his entrance. He delivers some good dialogues and his comic timing is as good as ever. He gives it his all and walks away with a noteworthy performance. The best thing is that we finally get to see him come back to action. Unfortunately for him and his fans, this movie does not do justice to him and his talents. But if there is one person who will walk away unscathed from this movie, that is the one and only Khiladi.

Saif Ali Khan looks lost and confused as to why he is part of this movie. I felt the same way as I was watching this movie. This role does absolutely nothing for him and this is the last thing he needed, especially because he is at an all time career high these days. He was a big disappointment, only because we expect so much from him. Saif can pull off these roles in his sleep, no doubt, but not when the role is so inconsequential and half baked like this. Another huge disappointment is the fact that they could not capitalize on the Akshay-Saif jodi. They were a huge hit in the past and were supposed to make a big comeback with this. But they barely have any interaction in the film and that is a big letdown.

Kareena Kapoor looks the hottest she has ever looked. The only problem is she has gone back to making those scary faces again. Kareena has made a living of playing over the top roles and this is right up her alley, but even she goes beyond the limits. It’s a good thing she transformed her looks, or else it would be unbearable to deal with her in this enterprise. She does get brownie points for slipping into a bikini because that’s the only time where you will actually sit up and pay attention in the movie. For those wondering about the chemistry of “Saifeena,” I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but there isn’t any.

Anil Kapoor is able to bring out a chuckle or two with his little Hinglish skit. It’s just that he does it the ENTIRE movie, and that causes his Hindi to start sounding like English and his English to start sounding like Hindi, so you really don’t know what the hell he is saying. It helps that he has great screen presence and was able to conjure up a decent performance. It’s good to see him experiment with his looks and roles. But his whole learning English bit was absolutely unnecessary. The last thing we needed was a FOB don.

Tashan was meant to be an over the top film, I understand this. I have no problems with that because over the top films are fine in my opinion, as long as they provide solid entertainment. But Tashan is way too over the top even for an over the top film. Not to mention, it does not really entertain you. That is what is going to spell Tashan‘s fate as a big failure. Yash Raj Films has long been considered the number one production house, but they are in a huge funk since last year. It’s time for them to come up with a new game plan if they want to keep their title as number one. As for Tashan, watch it at your own risk because I surely do not want you to go through a catastrophic event in your life.

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Talking about the release to Subhash K. Jha, RGV said, “People have been unnecessarily speculating about the matter. We never announced any date. I was very clear that I wanted to release it during the summer vacations. We were undecided between the last week of May and the first week of June. Now we’ve zeroed in on June 6.”

Then he goes on to confirm that the premiere of the film will take place during IIFA by saying, “With the Bachchans being closely associated with the IIFA, it seemed appropriate to premiere it at that venue.”

As for the expectations from the film, there are three points for the audience to know:

1. There should be no expectation of seeing Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as a couple in the film. They are adversaries in the film and are pitted against each other in a business backdrop.

2. Amitabh Bachchan will be looming like a shadow as Abhishek takes over the family empire.

3. Ramu does not want people to draw real life parallels from the film. “This time the socio-political content is higher than in Sarkar. But the characters are not modeled on real people.”

Well there you have it. Sarkar Raj will not be delayed after all. The release of the film during the IIFA weekend only makes that weekend even more interesting. Those waiting for the release of this highly anticipated film can breath a sigh of relief!

Sarkar Raj confirmed for June 6th; will premiere during IIFA weekend is a post from: BollySpice

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This whole controversy started in 2006 when RGV assigned audio and video home rights to 14 of his next releases, including Sarkar Raj, to T-Series. T-Series payed 50 lakhs as the first payment. Since the agreement was made, RGV has had three releases (Shiva, Darwaja Band Rakho, and RGV Ki Aag) and T-Series has paid for the promotion of all these films and these payments were acknowledged by RGV. But after all of the aforementioned films bombed at the box office, T-Series wanted to renegotiate the terms of the agreement. T-Series and RGV mutually agreed for a downward revision of the consideration amount for his upcoming films and settled the past films within the agreement on an already incurred basis. T-Series then went on to spend about 1.40 crores for the publicity of RGV Ki Aag. Out of this amount, 50 lakhs was adjusted towards consideration for RGV Ki Aag, 50 lakhs towards consideration for Sarkar Raj, and 40 lakhs to be adjusted on account for future films that RGV would be produce. Then totally from left field, RGV allegedly terminated the agreement stating that the documents that were shown by T-Series were forged and they did not own the music and video rights for his films.

This move by RGV angered Bhushan Kumar. He said to a newspaper, “Media has been writing things that are untrue. First of all, T-Series office was not raided, in fact it was me who had called the forensic experts to check our documents and give their verdict. They have already checked it and have declared them as authentic. Thus I have filed a suit against RGV as he had called them forged. He is trying to terminate our agreement for 46 lakhs! We are making films with Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan which are bigger banners than Ramu’s! He was the first to cry foul and seek legal intervention and if he is willing to do it so are we. His films didn’t even do well, its just that he is banking a lot on Sarkar Raj and thinks it will help him make money like never before, has got greedy and now wants to sell the rights for bigger money, which is why he is terminating the contract signed with us!”

As for Sarkar Raj’s delay, Bhushan Kumar went on to say, “It will definitely be delayed because we will not let the film release before our issue is resolved! The film was to release in April but now it may see the light of day in July!”

Now for those not in the know, Sarkar Raj has been tentatively scheduled for release on June 6th as part of the IIFA weekend. But if this issue is not resolved, then the film just may be delayed to a later date. Let us hope for everyone’s sake that this issue gets resolved quickly and the film gets a clean release!

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Most Abbas-Mustan films revolve around multiple twists that create a huge shock value. This one is no different. For that fact alone, it would be best not to delve into the plot as something might be given away if done so. All you need to know before watching this film is it is about two brothers (Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna) who are competing in the race of life. Along for the race are a model (Bipasha Basu), a secretary (Katrina Kaif), a detective (Anil Kapoor), and his assistant (Sameera Reddy). One thing that is important is every character has some sort of gray shades in the film. No one is clean or wholesome. As mentioned before, the film is full of twists and turns. It might be safe to say one has not seen this many twists before in any Abbas-Mustan film in the past. Like I said, they have gone all out to ensure this one is a success. The best part is that all the twists work and do leave you shocked, unlike the director duo’s previous couple of films. It is these surprising twists that make Race such a treat to watch. A thriller heavily depends on a quick pace, suspense, and surprises. If those three elements do not exist or fall flat, the movie is an automatic failure. Luckily, Race moves at a pace just as fast as the cars seen in the movie, the suspense exists all throughout the movie, and the surprises keep coming from left, right and center. This is why Race is a cool and slick thriller that is totally worth the time you spend on it. If you are a thriller buff, then you will have loads of fun watching this one.

Abbas-Mustan are back with perhaps their best effort since Humraaz. They have mastered the thriller genre, but with their last couple of efforts, they left a lot to be desired. They went back to the drawing board and finally get it right with this one. They have made sure the film has been paced correctly. They have filled the movie with great action, suspense, thrills, and surprises. As a matter of fact, they have given the film a very a Hollywoodish feeling which makes the movie seem even more tight and crisp. From the action to the styling to the locations, they all have the international flavor we love tasting. Kudos to Abbas-Mustan for providing us with such a spicy dish of a film!

The screenplay, as mentioned before, is filled with many twists and surprises. The only problem with this is that there are so many shocking moments in the film that once you digest one of them; another one is thrown at you. It might be too much to bear for some people. It also takes away from the general plot at times because the new twist that is introduced starts taking you to a different tangent altogether. All of this may cause some sort of confusion for the viewers. But you are so at awe with what is being displayed, that sometimes you forget the loose ends in the plot. This flaw is covered only because you leave satisfied with the thrilling moments.

The cinematography of the film (Ravi Yadav) is simply brilliant. The way he has shot the locales of Durban, South Africa has to be seen to be believed. What is most commendable is how he moves the camera during all the action scenes. They make the scenes even more breathtaking. Speaking of the action, Allan Amin does a fantastic job with it. All the action in the film is very well done and compares to a Hollywood film. It is definitely not the tacky type of action if that is what you were wondering. Special mention must go to the climax scene. The action, as well as the camera work, is just awesome in this scene. The cinematography and the action of the film are perhaps the two areas that brought the film to greater heights!

Anaita Shroff Adajania just may be the queen of styling. She weaved magic with her work in Dhoom 2 and now she does it again with Race. Everybody is given a great look in the film and some of the actors have even been given a new image. The guys look cool, the girls look hot, is there anything more we can ask for? If you want to make a sexy movie, just hire Anaita as the stylist. She never fails to deliver. The editing of the film is very well done. The movie moves at a break neck speed and there are no dull moments to speak of. It may run at approximately 2 and half hours, but it feels much shorter because of the crisp editing.

The music, although good, feels completely unnecessary. There are instances where things start heating up and a song is put in for no reason whatsoever. It actually dampens the mood of the film. But luckily, the tracks are rock solid and provide for a good listen. Out of the lot, Allah Duhai Hai and Pehli Nazar Main are the best tracks. The choreography to Touch Me and Sexy Lady are pretty good as well. The only song that actually seems like it fits into the film is Dekho Nashe Mein. If you ask me, this is one film that should have stuck to a song in the beginning credits and another one in the end credits. That method seems to be really popular these days anyway. But one thing to be noted is the background music is fantastic. It is totally in sync with the mood of the film.

When it comes to multi-starrers, Saif Ali Khan usually plays second fiddle. But this time, he is the main man. Leading such a big cast does add pressure on him, but a great actor like him should never feel pressure. He delivers a wonderful performance and has your attention every time he is on the frame. He gives the film that extra lifeline with his dashing personality and chilling dialogue delivery. He also deserves special credit for performing his own stunts in the film. Not to mention, he has never looked this cool before. All in all, another feather in Saif’s cap!

Akshaye Khanna is no less as the younger brother. He has become a fixture in Abbas-Mustan films and it should be safe to assume he will always deliver when working with them. His character has great depth and it would have been easy to falter in such a role. But Akshaye is one of the best we have in the industry at the moment and he stays on his two feet the entire movie. If Saif provides that extra lifeline in the film, he provides the initial lifeline with his fine performance.

Anil Kapoor enters into the narrative in the second half, but leaves his mark as well. Some of his dialogues may be a bit crude, but he is there to provide the comic relief in the film. Nonetheless, he is damn good at what he does and only adds to the entertainment of the film. It can be safe to call him the scene stealer of the film.

Bipasha Basu is given a role of substance and delivers a very good performance. She just needs the right roles to show off her talent. Granted, this film focuses on her sex appeal as well (rightfully so-she looks gorgeous), but this time she is not a mere prop in the film and is very important to the narrative. She is very convincing and a delight to watch.

Katrina Kaif doesn’t have much to do in the first half, but her character picks up drastically in the second half. Although she has a bigger role in this film than what she has been getting recently, she is still a bit inconsistent as far as her acting is concerned. It definitely does not help that she doesn’t dub for herself. That being said, she looks beautiful, but then again when does she not.

Sameera Reddy is there alongside Anil Kapoor to provide the comic relief. She is able to bring out a few laughs with her dumb girl act. She is not that annoying and doesn’t go over the top and that is all we can ask for.

Overall, Race is a very cool, slick, and entertaining film that will keep you at the edge of your seat all throughout the film. The film is full of twists and turns which only make it more fun to watch. It is not without its share of flaws, but they are overshadowed by the thrills that occur throughout the movie. It is a true thriller in every sense of the word and Abbas-Mustan are back to doing what they do best- making entertaining thrillers that keep you guessing. If you’re in the mood to have some fun, get your fair share of action, suspense, thrills, and surprises, then give Race a shot. You surely will not be disappointed as it is one hell of an entertaining watch!

Race is a post from: BollySpice

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Match #1- Comedian Battle Royale (Rajpal Yadav vs. Arshad Warsi vs. Ritesh Deshmukh vs. Paresh Rawal vs. Johnny Lever vs. Javed Jeffrey)

The rules of this match are simple- throw all the opponents out of the ring with both of their feet touching the floor, and you are the winner. This match is to decide who the best comedian in the industry is. The match starts with all six men going after each other like they got their lunch money stolen from them. The first man to be eliminated from the contest is Johnny Lever, which is apt as his prime days of being funny are long behind him. He is eliminated by the favorite of this contest, Paresh Rawal. The next to go is Ritesh Deshmukh (eliminated by fellow Dhamaal mate Javed Jeffrey) proving he still has a way to go before he can reach the throne of funny in Bollywood. The remaining four guys just keep beating the crap out of each other with little Rajpal getting the biggest beat down from the other three. But out of nowhere Rajpal pulls down the rope trying to pick himself up while Javed charges towards him, and he falls to the floor and gets eliminated! Rajpal spits in his face and says, “Egjactly,” acting like he actually knew what he was doing. Then all of a sudden Arshad gets a “short-circuit” in his head and Paresh takes quick advantage and throws him out of the ring like a sack of potatoes. The favorite and the underdog are left now and Paresh is beating the holy hell out of Rajpal. The little man looks like he’s out for the count. But wait! Rajpal’s Hungama fury takes over and he just starts decimating Paresh. In the miracle of all miracles, the little man picks Paresh up on his shoulders and throws him out of the ring, turning himself into the King of Comedy in Bollywood! Paresh is shocked, and frankly speaking, so are we as Rajpal celebrates with his Chota Don dance in the ring.

Winner: Rajpal Yadav

Match #2 — Rani Mukerji vs. Kajol Devgan (Blood is Thicker than Water Match- No DQ)

A video is played prior to the match showing us the history of the two cousins. The highlight of the video being the cold vibes they shared in their appearance in Koffee with Karan, which set up this match. Both the ladies make their way to the ring, and it’s immediately noticeable who has the size advantage in this one. As the bell rings, Kajol gets off to a quick start and puts an assortment of moves on Rani. Rani doesn’t know what hit her and takes the beating like only she can. As Kajol gets more aggressive, you can actually see tears come out of Rani’s eyes (a far too familiar sight). But then Rani realizes this is a no DQ match and decides to use it to her advantage. She starts using all types of weapons on Kajol, such as tables, ladders, and chairs. Oh my! The beautiful touch up Kajol had done on her face prior to the match is obviously ruined now. Rani keeps on laying down the smack on Kajol’s candy coated ass. This definitely means the world to Rani as she wants to prove she is not her cousin’s bitch. The vengeance in her eyes is a sight to behold. The whole crowd is frightened and you can even see some kids covering their eyes at the frightening display. As Rani keeps the aggression going, it seems as if we are headed for a second straight upset. But not so fast! Coming to ringside is… AJAY DEVGAN!!!! He is not alone as he brings a shotgun along with him! Now the crowd is really starting to get scared. Ajay Devgan, trying to protect his wife, shoots Rani in the leg Company ishtyle, which drops Rani to the ground! Kajol quickly gets on top of her for the cover. 1…2…3! Kajol wins the sister battle! Ajay and Kajol celebrate together on top of Rani’s beaten and shot up body.

Winner: Kajol

Match #3- Saif Ali Khan vs. Shahid Kapoor (Cage Match)

The rule of this match is the first person to leave the ring from the cage is the winner. This match needs no introduction as we all know Saif stole Shahid’s woman and now he wants Saif’s blood. That will be easier said than done as Saif was the ultimate badass, Langda Tyagi. Shahid is still waiting for that good badass role. Shahid makes his way to the ring like the lost puppy dog he has been since he got dumped. The crowd sympathizes with him and gives him a nice ovation. Saif makes his way to the ring, alongside Kareena Kapoor, who is looking ravishing this evening in a Manish Malhotra designed gown. The crowd is indifferent towards the twosome because they all are rooting for the brokenhearted Shahid. Before the two combatants are locked inside the cage, Saif and Kareena share a passionate kiss that makes Shahid look like he just wet his pants. Now time for the match to begin and both men look very determined for a victory as neither is letting up and is hanging tough. Shahid being the smaller of the two has a distinct speed advantage and uses it to run all over the ring and hang onto the cage like he is Spiderman. He performs various aerial moves from the cage that leaves Saif shell-shocked. Saif eventually starts using his size advantage and performs power moves on Shahid which leaves the little shrimp writhing in pain. Saif tries to make an early exit from the top of the cage, but Shahid meets him up there and throws him down 20 feet back to the ring! Then Shahid performs this sick frog splash type move from the top of the cage onto Saif. The crowd screams in unison, “HOLY SHIT!” Just when he is getting ready to open the cage door and leave the ring, Kareena bashes him with a chair to the face which busts him wide open. Saif gets up and easily walks out of the cage as Shahid is knocked out cold. Kareena is comforting Saif after the match and the two share another passionate kiss as Shahid looks on, adding insult to injury. Then Saif sticks the finger to Shahid and starts laughing at his face as he stole his woman and now the match from him. Saif- 2, Shahid- 0.

Winner: Saif Ali Khan

Match #4- Deepika Padukone vs. Sonam Kapoor (Mud Match for the rights to Ranbir Kapoor)

We all know both these lovely ladies have been linked to the Kapoor heartthrob. We also know that they both want him. Now the only way to settle this is to have a match with the winner getting the services of the “toweled one.” Both the ladies enter the pool of mud in their shortest and skimpiest of clothing because this one is going to get dirty. Not much actually happened in this match, other than two beautiful women parlaying in the mud making a mess of themselves. This match is dedicated to all the men out there and both these women delivered the goods. They got really dirty and muddy, and frankly speaking, they never looked sexier. But unfortunately, Ranbir Kapoor interrupts the proceedings and is greeted to a chorus of boos (get used to it kid). He goes on and says in a cocky demeanor, “Ladies, there’s enough of me to go around for the both of you,” followed by his goofy Saawariya laugh. The ladies are put off by this and push Ranbir to the mud. They leave him all alone as they leave arm in arm together with the crowd cheering them on.

Winner: No Contest

Match #5- Madhuri Dixit vs. Karisma Kapoor (Dance-off)

Now this one isn’t exactly a match. It’s a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the hit film, Dil To Pagal Hai, featuring the two queen bees. The match has been dubbed, “The DTPH 10th Anniversary Dance-Off.” The judge for this contest is none other than the director of the film, Yash Chopra. Both the women are looking incredibly fit and as beautiful as ever, even after popping out three kids between them. Up first is Madhuri who mesmerizes the audience with her amazing dance moves. She goes classical for us and leaves Yash Chopra impressed. Then it’s Karisma’s turn and she matches Madhuri at every step, only she goes a bit contemporary. The audience is amazed with both acts and cannot decide who deserves to win. Thankfully it’s not their decision, but that of Yash Chopra. He also looks like he is in a dilemma as to who to pick as the winner. When he finally speaks with his froggy toned voice, he states, “Madhuri deserves to win, but in her comeback film for my production house, she gave me a huge flop and I lost millions because of her. I can no longer count on you, and therefore, I declare Karisma the winner! Also, I would like to say here for the first time that I am signing Karisma for my next film because I know she is bankable,” as he gives Madhuri a stone faced glance. Karisma celebrates the victory, as well as, her new film, and this smells too much like the Russian judge from the Olympics a few years back. Madhuri is appalled and throws her prized dancing shoes at Yash Chopra’s face. The crowd follows suit as they throw tomatoes at his egg head because of the bogus judging. Yash Chopra leaves the vicinity running for dear life.

Winner: Karisma Kapoor

Match #6- Kareena Kapoor Gauntlet Match Invitational (participants include Amisha Patel, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Preity Zinta, Vidya Balan)

It is a well known fact that Kareena Kapoor has some sort of beef with almost all the leading ladies in Bollywood. That is why she is involved in this gauntlet match against some of her biggest foes. This match involves Kareena facing each of her opponents one by one. After she beats one, another one comes in and they fight and so on and so forth. A tough task indeed for Mrs. Ali Khan. Kareena enters the ring with her game face on as she is ready to go and keeps telling herself she is the best and nobody can touch her. First up is Amisha Patel, who comes into the ring with a burst of flurry like a caged animal who has just been let loose. She gets quite a few good moves on Kareena, but quickly runs out of gas and Kareena takes advantage and does away with her with a lethal combo of body shots. Up next is Priyanka Chopra- one of the newest additions to the Mrs. Ali Khan hate list. This match goes on for a bit longer as Priyanka shows off her Don skills and gives Kareena quite a fight. But in the end, she was no match for Kareena as she falls prey to Kareena’s thunder thigh lock of death and submits before any more pain can be dished out. The next combatant is Bipasha Basu, who has as much disdain for Kareena as she has for her. This one was a classic cat fight. With both women all over each other like it’s a schoolyard brawl. Although this one was not as titillating as the mud match, it still kept the attention of its viewers. Bipasha was getting the upper hand on Kareena and was on her way to victory, until Kareena got down to her cheating tactics and hit Bips in the face with brass knuckles behind the referee’s back. That eliminated Bipasha for good. Next up was Preity Zinta- the woman who stole her role in Kal Ho Naa Ho, which she will never forgive her for. Preity constantly used the mouth of death, where she does not stop talking and it literally makes your head want to explode. It almost worked on Kareena too until she gave her this lethal kick right inside her mouth breaking her larynx to stop her from talking for good and pinning her for elimination. Kareena was one opponent away from ultimate victory! Vidya Balan, rumored to be in an affair with Kareena’s ex-flame Shahid Kapoor, was the last combatant. This was an intense battle with neither woman giving way at all. Vidya’s downfall was when she transformed into the Bhool Bhulaiyaa ghost. You would think it would creep Kareena out and help Vidya to victory, but instead Vidya didn’t know who or where she was and that worked to Kareena’s favor as she broke her neck and then pinned her for the ultimate victory! Kareena starts celebrating in the ring, as future hubby, Saif comes and joins her for celebration. The two literally cannot take their hands off of each other as they walk backstage together and oh so in love.

Winner: Kareena Kapoor

Match #7- Abhishek Bachchan/Aishwarya Rai Bachchan vs. Akshay Kumar/Katrina Kaif (Mixed Doubles Match)

There is really no bad blood between the men in this match, but it’s the females that are the intriguing element in the contest. One is the former lover of Salman Khan, while the other is the current lover of Sallu Bhai. So why isn’t Sallu a part of this match? He is too busy preparing for the main event, so Akshay fills in his shoes as no one shares better on-screen chemistry with Katrina than him. ARAB comes to the ring together behind the tunes of Tera Bina. Katrina comes to the ring to the tune of Soni De Nakhre. Then the glitziest and coolest entrance ever- Akshay comes to the ring singing a variety of Bhangra tracks and dancing the night away kind of like Apollo Creed from Rocky IV. After all the hype and hoopla, we are ready for the match to begin. We start with the two men, who have great respect for each other, so they are not trying to do anything too crazy. Both get a couple of good moves in, but do not come close to victory. They both tag in their better halves and now the smack down begins! The two go all out trying to literally kill each other, at times having to be separated by their partners. They get so physical that they both take each other’s clothes off, as the fans respond with whistles and claps. The match starts getting out of hand as everyone enters the ring together and starts beating the crap out of each other. Abhishek and Akshay are tired of trying to stop their partners from beating the crap out of each other, so they start fighting each other just for the hell of it. Akshay has the upper hand with his black belt skills. But when it was all said and done, chemistry pays off and the real life couple had more of it than the reel life couple. Abhishek took Akshay out of the ring and let out the Yuva rage on him, while Ash brought out her Last Legion action skills on Katrina pulling off massive combos on her, which knocked her out and preserved a victory for ARAB. After the match was over, Abhishek and Aishwarya hug each other in celebration and go backstage. Akshay knowing he was just a throw in in this match, revives the scantily clad Katrina and starts dancing to Punjabi tracks with her once again much to the delight of the crowd.

Winners: Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Match #8- John Abraham vs. Hrithik Roshan (Street Fight for Dhoom Villain Supremacy)

This will be the battle for who was actually the better negative character in the Dhoom movies. Debates do not get tougher than this, so it had to be settled in the ring. Both men make their entrances to their respective Dhoom Machale songs with their Dhoom gear. The rules for this one are it starts in the ring, but it can end anywhere and anything goes. The match starts and both men provide Dhoom like action throughout the match. You see them jumping and kicking like they have suspender cables attached to them. It is really exhilarating stuff like watching a movie. But the fun begins when they take the match to the streets of Mumbai. The two starts beating the living daylights out of each other with anything they find in sight. But neither will give up and are relentless with their attacks. Both are too cool to even be injured as even when the match gets brutal, you do not see a single mark on either of their faces. Then they both get on their favorite motorcycles and try to collide on each other. They miss several times; until they finally both get off the motorcycles and meet in midair and bring each other down really hard. The fight ends up finding its way on a cliff. The two just keep beating down on each other providing us with more suspender cable action just like in the movies. Seriously, these guys are like superheroes. Hrithik’s hair starts flowing like he’s auditioning for a shampoo commercial and John tries to do the same, but no longer has the long hair to do so. That is when he realizes that he has the Sampson syndrome-his strength lies in his hair. Looking at a vulnerable John, Hrithik flashes a trillion dollar smile and dropkicks John off the cliff. But he hasn’t had enough as he flies like Krissh and delivers a severe elbow drop on John for the victory. As a result, Mr. A wins yet again. To celebrate, he rides his motorcycle to his secret hideout spot where he starts dancing to Dhoom Again with his background dancer friends.

Winner: Hrithik Roshan

Match #9 THE MAIN EVENT- Shah Rukh Khan vs. Aamir Khan vs. Salman Khan (Triple Khan Triple Threat Match with Karan Johar as special guest referee)

This one is for all the marbles. The question to who is the best Khan will finally be answered in the ring ladies and gentlemen. A video montage is shown of how we got to this point. The highlight being SRK showing off his six pack abs in Dard-E-Disco, which inspired Aamir to one up him by getting eight pack abs because he is such a perfectionist and claims to be the Ace Khan. We see Aamir go through rigorous training to achieve this. His trainer is none other than Darsheel Safary! After this highly emotional montage, we are ready for the match. Salman enters the ring first wearing his infamous booty shorts along with Shawn Michaels’ “I’m Just a Sexy Boy” theme song. Then SRK comes in to a compilation of some of his most chocolately hit songs. Aamir is last to enter into the ring with Darsheel accompanying him as the Taare Zameen Par title track plays in the background. Aamir shows off his abs and we see he has achieved the eight pack abs and it catches everyone, including his adversaries, by surprise. Karan Johar explains the rules to the match which is no holds barred and anything goes. He then winks at SRK showing where his allegiances lie. The match finally starts with all three men fighting one another in one hell of a slobber knocker of a match. There are numerous times where Karan tries to assist SRK to victory by accidentally hitting the other two Khans, handing him foreign objects to hit them with, and failing to count to three when the other Khans have the upper hand. All of these attempts fail. Finally, Salman and Aamir have enough of this and start ganging up on Karan. After forcing him to call a clean match, they start ganging up on SRK and beat him down good. After getting him out of the way, they start fighting each other using an array of moves knocking each other out. SRK tries to be a sneaky little fellow and takes advantage of his wounded opponents. SRK starts dominating the match and looks like he is ready for victory. He goes for the pin on Salman, but he kicks out just in the nick of time! Then Salman starts laying down the smack on SRK and is close to victory, but Aamir comes out of nowhere and breaks it up. Now all three men are once again beating the crap out of each other with none of them having the upper hand. This one is going down to the wire folks. SRK takes a chair and tries to knock Aamir out, but he ducks and hits Karan who was in the way! SRK turns around and meets a super kick courtesy of Salman. Darsheel notices Karan is down, so he makes himself useful and uses his buckteeth to bite SRK and Salman all over like a woodchuck. Aamir, with the strength of his eight packs, picks both the bitten up Khans up on top of his shoulders and slams them down, breaking the ring!! He covers both of them as Darsheel revives Karan who counts the 1…2…3! Aamir wins the grueling match! Aamir is now the greatest Khan in Bollywood! He achieved the title thanks to his little buddy Darsheel Safary. So he picks up little Darsheel on his shoulder and celebrates with him by going on each turnbuckle and raising his fist to the crowd. The crowd is going absolutely nuts as Aamir plays to them the whole time. Bollywood Mania ends with a lasting shot of a bloodied Aamir raising one hand in jubilation with the other hand holding on to the bucktoothed wonder!

Winner: Aamir Khan

THIS IS BOLLYWOOD MANIA!!!!!! *camera blacks out*

Bollywood Mania! is a post from: BollySpice

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It is already known that the film is about the marriage and romance of the Rajput princess Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai) and the Mughal emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan). The film starts off with a phenomenal battle sequence, which is a rarity in Bollywood. We get a brief backdrop of the history of the Mughal Empire and a backdrop of our main protagonists. The film then turns to the political alliance of a marriage between the two title characters. Akbar marries Jodhaa for benefits, but eventually finds himself falling in love with her. Jodhaa refuses to be used for a political alliance, but eventually caves in for the betterment of her nation. Eventually, she starts to warm up to Akbar and a love is eventually formed. The movie basically revolves around the politics of the empire and the threats to their relationship. The story is not complicated to follow and it is does not feel like a history lesson like many feel it may be. The screenplay is very tight and the script writers have done an excellent job with it. The one and only deterrent of the film is obviously the duration. The film runs at about three and a half hours, but honestly it does not even seem that long. There are some instances where the film slows down a bit, but overall the movie runs at a brisk pace and it keeps your attention throughout. Key sequences that stand out in the film are the opening battle sequence as mentioned above, Hrithik attempting to tame the elephant, Aishwarya’s confrontation with Hrithik’s foster mother (Ila Arun), the misunderstanding between Hrithik and Aishwarya right before intermission, the sword fight between Hrithik and Aishwarya, and the closing battle between Hrithik and his deceiving brother-in-law (Nikitin Dheer). All of these scenes just add to the drama and intrigue of the film and make it such a pleasure to watch.

Ashutosh Gowariker has gone out and proved exactly why he is one of the top most, if not the top, directors in Hindi cinema. Every scene is executed with the utmost precision. You can tell that he has given his heart and soul into this film. The two years he spent in bringing this film has sure been well spent as there is not a dull moment to speak of while watching this film. As mentioned before, the editing is the only place where the film could have been worked on. But Ashutosh’s direction and part in the writing definitely make up for the length of the movie. He deserves great credit for not turning this into a movie straight out of a textbook, but rather an entertaining and enthralling epic.

Huge props go to the cinematography of the film. It is absolutely superb. As a matter of fact, it plays a huge factor in lifting the film to an even higher level. The camera is always fixed on the appropriate places and helps build even more drama. The sets are to be seen to be believed. It only adds to the grand spectacle that the film is. The action of the film is also wonderful, as the battle sequences look very real and authentic. It’s safe to say that they belong to Hollywood standards, especially since the last battle reminds you of the film Troy.

AR Rehman’s music is very easy on the ears. He creates a wonderful soundtrack that may not create an impact at first listen, but once seen on screen, you can’t help but be mesmerized by each and every song. The best of the lot are Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah and Jashn-e-Bahara. In terms of picturization, In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein is very aesthetically shot and Khwaja Mere Khwaja is very soothing and beautiful. Overall, a beautiful soundtrack that sounds even better once you see it on screen. Also to be noted, the background music is awesome and totally captures the mood of the film every time it takes a turn.

The performances are nothing short of fantastic. Hrithik Roshan becomes Akbar and not once do you feel you are watching Hrithik on the screen. He is beyond brilliant and carries the film on his broad shoulders throughout. The way he emotes and delivers his dialogues shows that he is a super performer. This easily has to rank as the best performance of his career.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan matches Hrithik and delivers a wonderful performance as well. Although she does not have as many lines to deliver or have as much screen time, she still makes you sit up and take notice of her through her extremely expressive eyes. She emotes superbly with them and it only enhances her performance. This will go down as one of her career best performances. Also, the Hrithik and Aishwarya chemistry is as flawless as ever. They sizzle every scene they are in together.

Out of the supporting cast, the ones that stand out the most are Nikitin Dheer, Sonu Sood, and Ila Arun. They all are great and provide wonderful support to the lead actors. Kulbhushan, Punam Sinha, and Raza Murad are solid. Amitabh Bachchan is the perfect person to provide narration for the film with his baritone voice. Come to think of it, there are no bad performances in the film. Gowariker deserves all the credit for bringing out the best out of all his artistes.

Jodhaa Akbar ends up being a superb and extraordinary film that lived up to the enormous hype. It is a film that definitely needs to be seen in theaters in order to get the maximum impact. Everyone associated with the film has given their blood, sweat, and tears into this enterprise and we, as an audience, appreciate the brave effort by these brave and talented people. My advice to the audience is to not miss Jodhaa Akbar because doing so would be a huge mistake. It is a masterpiece and a definite must see. Don’t miss it!

Jodhaa Akbar is a post from: BollySpice

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