Kajol turns down Karan Johars new movie

Rumours were ripe that Kajol has finally given her nod to two projects. First being Ravi Chopra’s ‘Babul’ and second being Karan Kohar’s next with Shah Rukh Khan. The second filmd announcement had made almost entire film industry sit-back and notice as it was going to be a kind of re-union of the hit pair of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

But alas this news was too good to last. Kajol has declined both Ravi Chopra’s ‘Babul’ and best friend Karan’s projects. While Ravi has replaced Kajol with her cousin Rani, Karan has given indications that he will shelve the project and work on a new script.

Does that mean Kajol has said final adieu to film industry? No, people close to her say Kajol is looking for something seriously tempting before she accepts anything!
(more…)

30/10 New Music Releases from Movies

Swades:
With A.R.Rahman in composer’s seat, this one promises to be an interesting soundtrack. However the Lagaan hangover is there.

Bride and Prejudice:
Anu Malik is joined by Ranjit Barot. The soundtrack has a distinct Punjabi flavour and there are melodies to garnish the soundtract.

Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo:
Anuradha Paudwal, Jaspinder Narula, Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher give a different sound to the album which also has Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan.

King Arthur:
Hans Zimmer is the composer for this film. If you liked his score in lion King and Gladiator, you’d like this too.

13 Going on 30:
This OST offers an interesting mix, from Vanilla Ice’s hit ‘Ice Ice baby’ to Whitney Houston’s ‘I wanna dance with Somebody’, along with some other artists.

The Princess Diaries-II:
Ladies rule here - from Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Norah Jones, Jindsay Lohan, raven and Pink. That’s girl power!

Raincoat: A Monsoon Romance

After making many movies for the Bengali Cinema, noted director Rituparno Ghosh is trying his luck with his first Hindi movie ‘Raincoat’ starring Aishwarya Rai and trustable Ajay Devgan. Raincoat is a intense drama set in one rainy afternoon when two lover estranged by fate meet under strange circumstances.

Last year Rituparno Ghosh made it big when he casted Aishwarya in the Bengali film ‘Choker Bali’. The film made it to London Film festival. Those who liked Choker Bali would be eagerly waiting for ‘Raincoat’, because in this movie Ghosh is experimenting with a Hindi lingual film for the first time.

Aishwarya who is working with Rituparno Ghosh for the second time after Choker Bali feels that Ghosh is a fabulous director. Aishwarya dons the role of a traditional Bihari housewife with simplicity. Her looks are completely different from that seen in ‘Bride and Prejudice’.
(more…)

Money Talk: Bollywood works on Relationships, not everything is monetised

I hate to begin the piece with yet another quote, but no one has said it better about big money in movies than classic detective writer Raymond Chandler: “Hollywood’s idea of ‘production value’ is spending a million dollars dressing up a story that any good writer would throw away. Its vision of rewarding movie is a vehicle for some glamour-puss with two expressions and eighteen changes of costume, or for some male idol of the muddled millions with a permanent hangover, six worn out acting tricks, the build of a lifeguard, and the mentality of a chicken-strangler.”

Just substitute Bollywood for Hollywood and consider the script written for this season’s blockbusters. In the next four months, the nation is going to be deluged by big movies. From the Rs 30 crore Veer-Zaara to the Rs 35 crore Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo to the Rs 35 crore Kisna.
(more…)

Movie Releasing in October

The Manchurian Candidate, Fahrenheit 9/11, Exorcist IV, The Clearing, Princess Diaries 2, 13 Going on 30, Raincoat and much more. The October film diary has something for everyone. If you can’t decide which movie to watch, go for all! Here are the essentials: The cast, the plot and when it’s hitting the theatres.

The Manchurian Candidate
Cast: Meryl Streep. Danzel Washinton, Leiv Schreiber
Director: Jonathan Demme
Releasing: 15 October
Major Marco (Washinton) gives inspiring speeches about the heroics of Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Schreiber). But is Shaw really the hero Marco thinks he is?

Fahrenheit 9/11
Cast: Michael Moore, Ben Affleck, Khalil Bin Laden
Director; Michael Moore
Releasing: 15 October
The temperature where freedom burns! Michael Moore’s view on what happened to the US after 9/11; and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the event to push its ruthless agenda.

Exorcist: The Beginning
Cast: Stellan Skarsgard, Izabella Scorupco, James D’Arcy
Director: Renny Harlin
Releasing: 15 October
Years before Father Lancaster Merrin helped save Regan MacNeil’s soul, he first encountered the demon Pazuzu in East Africa. This is the tale of Father Merrin’s initial battle with Pazuzu.
(more…)

Bipasha thinks she is the most stylish woman in India

Last year Bipasha won the MTV Lycra Style Awards and was crowned the most stylish woman in India. A year hence, the crown was bestowed to Preity Zinta but as it seems Bipasha can’t swallow the fact that she isn’t considered hot enough.

In an interview with a leading Daily, she proclaims that she is the most stylish wpmen in India and her dressing sense apeals to youngsters (Hah! what clothes?). According to trade-analysts Bipasha’s oomph appeal is history and she is lagging in the sex appeal race she once started with Jism and Raaz.

With duds like Rakth, Zameen, Madhoshi, Aetbaar (the list is seriously very long…) and the likes people are wondering weather Bipasha has any future!

Morning Raga Movie Review

Cast and Crew
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Prakash Rao, Perizaad Zorabian, Nasser, Lilette Dubey
Direction: Mahesh Dattani
Music: Amit Hering and Mani Sharma
Language: English
Rating: 2.5/5

Movie Review
Morning Raga is Mahesh Dattani’s second outing as the director after ‘Mango Soufflé’. Mango Soufflé was a very different movie and Morning raga is no exception. Mahesh likes making simple moves about simple people where every character tells his/her story and everyone is engulfed in guilt.

Morning Raga is a fresh and beautiful film with each frame capturing the mystic Andra Pradesh like never before. The setting is so beautiful that you hardly notice the language barrier (the movie is in English with generous amount of Tamil thrown in). Another thing about the movie that may go against it is that it is created for that niche audience what visits film festivals. Usual audience won’t enjoy the simple movie.
(more…)