Mithun Da is a classic actor: Akshay Kumar

New Delhi (IANS): After working with Bollywood disco king Mithun Chakraborty in "Chandni Chowk To China", superstar Akshay Kumar says the former is a "classic actor".

"This is the first time I have worked with Mithun Da. He's a classic actor and a very warm human being. It was a pleasure to work with him.

"I used to connect with him as a father figure and it was very touching. I hope the audience feels it too by watching the film," Akshay added.

"Chandni Chowk To China", which also stars Deepika Padukone, released Friday to disappointing reviews.

Jimmy Shergill has no apprehensions in working for small screen

Bollywood actor Jimmy Shergill has no issues shifting gears from the silver to the small screen.

"As long as the kind of work I am being offered is good or even better, I have absolutely no apprehensions about working on the small screen because I'm not jumping the gun and shifting focus to just television," Jimmy told IANS.

The actor, who recently won an award for his performance in "A Wednesday", was offered his TV debut in Zee TV's crime thriller "Monica Mongre" but could not manage the dates for the show.

"I have been getting TV offers but I found this one really interesting. It was a thriller and a mini-series format and required just 10-12 days for shooting. But I couldn't manage the dates," he said.

Film promotion is not my cup of tea: Abhay Deol

Actor Abhay Deol, who is promoting his forthcoming film "Dev D", says he hates promoting a film.

"It's not about the ego, it's not about projecting an image, it's not about being lazy or anything else you might think. The truth is I love making movies, but I just don't have it in me to sell them," Abhay posted on his blog.

"I am an actor, not a salesman, but most people seem to think that the two are one and the same. I find promoting extremely tiring. It basically means I have to answer the same questions a 1,000 times in the span of eight to nine hours," he added.

Amitabh Bachchan Without Hair in Upcoming Movie

Wow…, when you see this photo of Amitabh Bachchan you will surely scream because this is the new look of Big B. He will be with bald (without hair) look in his upcoming movie.


As the summer at the end, Amitabh Bachchan is coming with the different kind of fashion. Amitabh is going to do a role with bald face in Balki-directed movie, Pa. Amitabh Bachchan will play Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan's son in the film.

This is because Big B has to look younger than his son Abhishek Bachchan. The shooting for the movie is currently going on in Delhi some of the shooting took place in Rajpath and Dwarka and the producers have even hired a metro for the shoot.

According to sources, the make-up artist is a firang lady and she takes about four to five hours to achieve this look. The make-up has been done at Amitabh's Gulmohur Park residence on all the days of shooting.

Keep waiting for this movie. Big B have to work hard to do this role but we know him he is the best actor of the century so, he will manage it very well.

Satyam Shivam Sundaram

In Satyam Shivam Sundaram,

director Raj Kapoor sets out to teach us it is not what is outside, but what is

inside that counts (Really, Raj? And you chose a scantily-clad Zeenat Aman to

illustrate that point?).

Sarcasm aside, once I got past the irony of it all, I found

SSS to be a fairly enjoyable film. There

was lots of pretty things to look at. The story was interesting. I added Zeenat

Aman and Shashi Kapoor to my list of actors I want to see more of. And I had my

first taste of 70s Bollywood--which, by the way, is just as groovy as everyone

says it is!

And, you know what? After watching the film, I think Raj Kapoor made the right

choice for his heroine. Zeenat gave the role a mysterious, mesmerizing tone that

perhaps only she could pull off. Yes, she was barely dressed and every movement

she made was super-suggestive...But it kept you watching...and created a

believeable backdrop for an otherwise unlikely tale. I mean, let's face

it...only Zeenat's bronze curves prancing through the forest could make a man

fall in love without even seeing her face (And by that I should clarify a man

like Shashi Kapoor's Rangeev, who was self-admittedly hung up on physical

appearances).

Now, I usually steer clear of plot summaries in my posts for two reasons: 1) I'm

extremely bad at pulling out main ideas and 2)I'm afraid of going on a tangent

and telling too much. But I'm beginning to think they might be helpful to those

who have not seen the film and want to decide whether or not it is something

they would like. So, I've decided to include a little plot synopsis in all of my

posts from here on out. And I promise, I'll try to keep them as simple and brief

as possible.

So, here goes: Rupa (Zeenat Aman) has been considered unlucky since the day she

was born. She is an outcast, a lonely young girl with few friends and a father

who considers her misfortune a curse. As a young girl, Rupa is burned in a

cooking accident, which leaves one side of her face scarred. Villagers whisper

that Rupa will never get married, and her father fears the same.

Enter Shashi Kapoor (Ranjeev), an engineer transported to Rupa's village to

oversee construction of a dam. One morning, Ranjeev is lulled out of his

quarters and into the forest by Rupa's enchanting voice, where he spies her

volumptous image from afar. He pursues her relentlessly, never once seeing her

scars (If the thought of Ranjeev meeting Rupa several times without noticing the

side of her face seems impossible to you, just watch the movie. You'd never

believe this would work, but it does. Way to go, Raj Kapoor). Ranjeev is head

over heels for Rupa, and asks her father for her hand in marriage.

We start to hold out hope for Ranjeev and Rupa until we discover Ranjeev has a

phobia for anything less than beautiful. In his own words, he "cannot tolerate

any form of ugliness". Uh-oh. What happens when Ranjeev unveils his new bride? I

won't reveal anything else, but the rest of the movie takes you down this path.

One nagging flaw in all of this: As the viewer, you seem to be the only one

other than Ranjeev who notices how hot Rupa is. The rest of the town appears

oblivious to this fact, which seems kind of ridiculous. Scar or no scar, Zeenat

Aman is one sultry babe. It's like watching Marilyn Monroe walk through an army

of soldiers without turning any heads.

Make no mistake, though--Zeenat Aman gave us more than sex appeal in her

performance. I hadn't really seen her in anything, except for

Laawaris, which I really didn't remember much about. I thought she was

awesome here--the role gave her an opprotunity to take on many different shades

to Rupa's personality, and she delivered every time. Her dancing was cool, too--

very snake-like and alluring. Check out this video of "Bhor Bhaye Panghat Pe"

and you'll see what I mean (also be sure to notice Shashi's adorable face at

4:22).

Gol Maal (1979)

Yes, Yes, YEEESSS!!! I've
finally found a Bollywood comedy to love!





Ahh, I've struggled so to get here. I know I

haven't

been making the best choices, but for a long while I didn't know where to
start. Gol Maal was recommended to me by

Doc Bollywood and was a favorite on Shweta's

Mac N' Cheese Movie Poll, so I just knew
this was going to be a good one (Shweta and Sanket will never steer you wrong!)

Amol plays Ram Prasad Sharma, a recent college grad living
with his sister. Knowing he'll be looking for a job, his uncle suggests he apply
for an interview at his friend's firm. But there is a catch: The uncle's friend
(Bhavani Shankar, played by Utpal Dutt) is extremely picky about who he hires
(He even has a plaque in his office that reads, "WORK IS GOD"). As a matter of
fact, there are several rules Ram must follow in order to get the job. His uncle
tells him that Bhanvani:

1)Hates recommendations, therefore he can't use his uncle as reference.

2)Doesn't want to hire anybody with the least bit of interest in sports (which
Ram loves) or music (which Ram also loves--see above images and video)...

3)Has a strong respect for Indian values...

4)Considers having a mustache a sign of strength and confidence!





Ram decides (somewhat reluctantly) to conform to this persona in order to become
the ideal candidate for the job. He borrows pyjamas and a kurta from a friend
(who happens to be in the film business, which leaves room for some fun
cameos!), slicks his hair back, and pretends to have no interest in anything
except work and his "rigid Indian values". The interview process goes smoothly,
he is hired, the boss is happy, Ram is happy, everyone's happy. Of course, since
the entire thing is based on a lie (Ram's carefree personality is miles away
from the "New Ram"), we know Ram's headed for trouble.

This guy means business.

Ram's very proud of his new job, and we see him living the "good life", singing,
throwing parties, feeding his friends. But when the gang invites him to a
cricket match that happens to be going on during work hours, it doesn't take
much convincing for Ram to devise a plan to get out of work early. He uses the
oldest, riskiest trick in the book: His mother's sick and he has to go see her
at once. Of course, since Ram has sort of become Bhavani's pet employee, he
agrees and Ram happily attends the game with his pals.
But guess who also shows up at the game!


That's right, the boss himself. Sounds like omething that would happen to me,
yaar!

Of course, Bhavani's ticked off, and confronts Ram the very next day. Caught on
the spot, Ram does the only thing he can do to save his hide: He tells his boss
it wasn't him, but his twin brother, Lakshman, that he saw at the stadium.
Bhavani actually feels guilty for mistrusting Ram and offers his brother a job
at the firm to make it up to him. Ram frantically declines the offer, saying
Lakshman is too incompetent for a job like this, since music is more his thing.
But Bhavani won't take no for an answer, and counters with a job offer for
"Lakshman" as a music tutor for his beautiful daughter, Urmila.


The boss' beautiful daughter

I'm sure you can see where this is going. Ram has to assume two identites, the
"New Ram" (which is the polar opposite of the real Ram) and the fictional twin
Lakshman a.k.a. "Lucky" (who is actually more like the real Ram, only with a
shaved mustache). By day he works for Bhavani in the office, and by night (which
looks more like afternoon since its always during broad daylight) he tutors
Urmila. Do they fall in love? This is Bollywood--Of course they do!



What follows is mixup after mixup, mishap after mishap, until Ram's lie blows up
to enormous proportions. Most of the time I felt like I was watching a sitcom
instead of a movie--and that ended up being a good thing! The comedic timing was
spot on, the actors looked like they're having a fun, and the movie didn't drag
one bit. It was just pure zany, wacky Bollywood fun! Like eating a bowl of mac
'n cheese, indeed!



It's probably no coincidence that Farah Khan chose the names of Shahrukh and
Zayed's characters in Main Hoon Naa to be Ram Prasad and "Lucky" Sharma
as well. I could see Gol Maal being one of her all time favorites,
since this looks like it would be right up her alley!

There are cameos galore in Gol Maal. While I'm sure I missed some of
them, the one with Amitabh Bachchan was appreciated, though I didn't get the
whole "Anthony Bhai" thing all the way.



I recognized Rekha, Zeenat Aman, and Hema Malini, in a fun song that I really,
reallyy wish would have been subtitled because it looked like it was
chock full of jokes and cameos!

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)

This two-part review concludes at Bitten by Bollywood. Hindustan Ka Hero was updated with links to Aamir Khan's CNN Talk Asia interview.

It begins and ends with the title (pun intended). The literal meaning of 'Qayamat' (the Urdu word is derived from the Arabic 'Qiyamah', which carries the same principal meaning) is the 'day of judgment'. Secondary meanings of the word include 'calamity' or a 'heartening implosion' (the word is used often in poetry, within the context of courtship!). No matter how one applies these meanings to the title of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), it makes sense. From one calamity to the next. Bringing hearts together. Through the day of judgment.

It's been 21 years since its release, through a generation. In hindsight, there could not have been a better coupling for the lead pair of Mansoor Khan's directorial debut. See, those who believe in the concept of an afterlife of any sort need not worry if they have been advocates for love and not hatred. This most certainly includes actors in their lead role debuts in this film, Aamir Khan (Raj) and Juhi Chawla (Rashmi), who will likely go to heaven for spreading all the Love, Love, Love! Which brings us to the premise of this film -- a family feud that gets in the way of love.

Honor killings around marriages are a terribly sad reality, and almost accepted by some. When it's not lovers being killed, it's family members. Like radicalism and terrorism, it is, in my view, somewhat independent of the class issue (here's an example of a North American family from India involved in one). So they're not restricted to the less educated or poor. Too often, parents are instigators. Which is why QSQT is an extremely well packaged film that carries a valid and relevant social message. It also includes implicit commentary on women's rights, and addresses the dynamic that often guides these unbelievably ignorant and hateful crimes. In so doing, it doesn't once deviate from being a good old family drama with a love story at its foundation.

Having said that, this is hardly (primarily) a message film. At its core, it's the tale of the young and the innocent. Here's a film that was different with its simplicity. The consensus is that QSQT was a landmark, a welcome drift from the violent films marking the 1970s and 80s, which led to a shift in filmmaking practices following. Innovation in cinema in some ways (innovation, by definition, isn't always 'new').

Before discussing the details of the film, here are some notes on the cast and one song (from the soundtrack by Anand-Milind, and with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri). It really was a family affair for Nasir Hussain's kin. Here's Reena Dutta wearing red (Aamir's first wife, they were married since before QSQT), in a special appearance. Reena was also the Executive Producer for Lagaan (2001).

Kismat Konnection

I just returned from the opening show of Kismat Konnection starring Vidya Balan and Shahrukh Khan...oops, I mean Shahid Kapoor.

Kareena Kapoor's Sensual New Look

Kareena Kapoor Profile

Name - Kareena Kapoor

Nickname - Bebo

Born - September 21, 1980, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Height - 5'5"

Occupation - Actress

Years active - 2000–present

Spouse(s) - None

Partner(s) - Shahid Kapoor (2004–present)

Parents - Randhir Kapoor, Babita Kapoor






Kareena Kapoor Biography

Kareena Kapoor, nicknamed "Bebo" (born September 21, 1980 in Bombay, India) is a Bollywood actress. She is part of the famous Kapoor family.

Kareena is the great-great-granddaughter of Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, and great-granddaughter of Prithviraj Kapoor, who was a famous actor. She is the granddaughter of actor and producer Raj Kapoor and daughter of Randhir Kapoor and actress Babita. Her great uncles are Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor. Her uncles are Rishi Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor.

Her cousins are Ranbir Kapoor, Riddhima Kapoor, Shivani Kapoor and Nikhil Nanda who is married to Amitabh Bachchan's daughter, Shweta Nanda. Her sister Karisma Kapoor is also in the film industry.

Her first movie was J. P. Dutta's Refugee which was released on June 30, 2000 and included co-debutant Abhishek Bachchan in the cast. Though the film didn't do well her performance was praised. Her first hit was the film Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai.

Her other notable roles include "Pooja" in the inter-generational melodrama Kabhie Kushi Kabhie Gham, "Kaurwaki" in Asoka, the title role in Chameli, in which she plays a prostitute and her role as a riot victim in Dev, for which she won the Filmfare Critics Award Best Performance.

Since then she has appeared in the hit Aitraaz, but succeeding film have not done as well.

She is currently dating actor-boyfriend Shahid Kapoor (they starred together in the 2004 movie Fida which did not succeed at the box office).

A passerby with a camera phone filmed Kareena kissing her boyfriend Shahid Kapoor (in a hotel's public area) and released the video. A Mumbai newspaper published stills from the video. Kareena and Shahid at first denied that the pictures were of them, but later reversed themselves and complained of an invasion of privacy.