Bollywood' s New Heroines

Shahana Goswami



Shruti Haasan



Kalki Koechlin



Sonal Chauhan



Mahie Gill

Hrithik Roshan Newborn Wallpapers From Cinthol Ad

The ad urges you to run for life, climb, glide, breathe and jump. I am serious. The corny copy apart, this is a well-executed film full of gloss and is likely to make Cinthol look contemporary. The range (deos, talcs) with nice new graphics is also shown in the last frame. I was curious to see if they have a website. They do and its an apology of a website. It's again an example of an opportunity missed. With the idea of 'confidence'- it can be taken forward to a true 'surround' idea.

Luck By Chance Wallpaper

Delhi 6 — Movie Review

“It Happens only in India” , well this is the line that Govinda proudly danced to in some song in the Nineties but it is this same line that can very well make you feel ashamed if you can understand the sarcasm behind it . Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is one film maker who has never feared of experimenting and now he is back with his latest experiment , Delhi 6 , which again has a social message wrapped around all the entertainment . His last film created quite a stir and he suddenly shot into fame for his distinct style of film-making . This film is probably the closest to his heart because he explores Delhi in this film where he has grown up .

Delhi 6 basically has a simple story but what makes it special is the treatment and also its characters . Every and I mean every character of the film represents a different shade of our society and has a story of its own to tell . Looking a little deep into the characters one can find that every character deals with something which is directly or indirectly connected to our society . Right from the kids to the grandma and from a sweeper to a NRI , every one of them represent some or the other reality of our society . These characters are very real and can be found anywhere in a typical Indian locality . In this case Chandni Chowk is that locality which in a way represents the overall Indian society . Rakesh has very well picked up a real life instance that took place in Delhi around 2001 and using that he has shown a mirror to our society . The real life incidence is that of the Monkey Man that haunted the streets of Delhi in Night in summers of 2001 . Believe it or not it was also featured in Time magazine . Take a look here : Time

Rakesh has formed a great story using that incidence and has tried to show the biggest weakness of our society and how we need to look inwards before we look at others . This tendency of ignoring the self and blaming it on someone else is what the film focusses on . Finding a scapegoat to blame is easiest way out and this is what our society has been doing since like forever . Just like Danny Boyle came from somewhere and understood one reality of our country and portrayed it in his film , the lead character of this film , Roshan a NRI , comes to India and tries to understand one more reality of our society .

I won’t talk of the story anymore and would just say that its a film that needs to be watched and needs to be discussed . The “Kaala Bandar” which represents a thousand things in the film is something that will make you think and make you laugh at the same time . Its a satire from start till end and Rakesh has clearly conveyed his thoughts through his film . I am not sure if the general audience can understand the Sarcasm in it which probably needs to understand it the most . The film thus would appeal more to the intelligent audience or the so called Multiplex audience . People expecting it to be usual entertainer would certainly be disappointed .

Rakesh has also very well used the Raam Leela sequence throughout the film to convey his message and this is not like the one in Swades . This one comes in small doses and probably leaves more impact . He needs to be applauded for using that sequence because in India people are more passionate about religion than the values associated with it . He has also very well used various other Indian practices that are followed since ages only in the name of religion and spirituality to represent the Hollowness (”Khoklapan”) of our society .

Coming to performances , all the actors have been perfectly casted and each one of them gives in a stellar performance . Abhishek after a long time has done a meaningful film and has impressed throughout . His portrayal of a NRI trying to understand the Real India is praiseworthy . Sonam also very well portrays the middle class girl who dreams big . Sadly she has a small part in the film and most of it has been shown in the trailers itself . Still , she acts well and makes her presence felt among the other good actors like Om Puri , Roshi Kapoor , Atul Kulkarni , Vijay Raaz , Pavan Malhotra,Waheeda Rehman , etc. . Two of the performances that surprised me were that of Mamdu , a Jalebi seller , played by Deepak Dobriyal and that of the sweeper which has been played by Divya Dutta . Rishi Kapoor is getting good roles these days and his part though a small one is still good . Every other actor has performed as expected and one which stood out was that of Vijay Raaz’s portrayal of a typical policeman .

The music of the film is also an integral part of the film and Rehman’s music does its job . Without his music the film would have been a little difficult to digest . The writers of the film have done a pretty good job and the film moves at a fine pace . The special effects in the picturisation of “Dil Mera Gira Dafatan” are good and worth mentioning . The song has a very nice concept and the special effects add a whole new dimension to it . The cinematography by Binod Pradhan is also great and he shows the real Delhi in a real way . The background score by Rehman is also good and some of the stunts featuring Abhishek were also good .

Overall , the film is one of its kind and it holds a mirror to our society which needs a change that has to come from within each of us . Rakesh has made a brave attempt by making this film and he needs to complimented for it . The producers UTV and whole of the cast also needs to be applauded for supporting such a fine film . Watch it and try to find the Kaala Bandar within .

Film Rating : Four out of Five ; a film depicting our society in its most real form .

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna — Movie Review

I’ve finally watched Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna almost two years after its release and the first thing I thought was that why didn’t I watch it earlier . Strangely this is a film that I always wanted to watch but somehow I just couldn’t but I think things happen for good . The film is definitely for a mature audience and I can say that though I would have liked it if I had seen it back then but probably I liked it even more today since I am a bit more mature than what I was two years ago . And I am sure as I would grow old this film might come even more close to my heart . I know there are very few people who would actually agree with me and going by the IMDB ratings of just 5 out of 10 based on some 3000 odd user votes , I am sure I am on the wrong side or probably the right one .

When it comes to relationships there is probably no one better than KJo who shows them on screen and though his films are always type-casted as “Candy-Floss Entertainment” and several other such Media terms but the truth is that his films have always had a good story to tell . So what if his style of story-telling is a bit larger than life .KANK in my opinion is not at all larger than life . What I mean to say is that the basic story of the film is not at all larger than life . It can happen anywhere in this whole world . A “Sexy Sam” might be a bit larger than life but an emotional father who pretends to be happy and live life to the max is not at all larger than life . In similar manner all other characters are very much real and its just that their packaging is a bit glossy which probably makes it feel a bit unreal . But I won’t blame Karan for this , I mean despite the characters being “interesting” the audience didn’t like them . Imagine what would have happened if they would have been very simple and quite boring .

Talking of film , the first half of the film is quite entertaining and is nicely paced . It introduces the characters and their lives in an entertaining way and also shows the nature of the relationships between them .This film is very different from Karan’s prior work and there are no Emotional Dialogues and Melodrama for majority of the film’s part . One thing that struck me in a pleasant way were the dialogues which were quite ordinary and there was no use of a very heavy Vocabulary . I almost felt like I’ve heard such dialogues in daily life . The verbal arguments amongst both the couples were kept pretty short and mature and there was no excessive screaming and “Rona-Dhona” . The film was kept as less dramatised as possible . The first half has some nice comic sequences which provide some nice light hearted entertainment along with some beautiful and rocking numbers . The film strangely comes from Karan who is still a bachelor and he for sure has seen some similar relationships in real life and probably very closely . The way he handled the entire Infidelity issue in a mature way shows that he has got a very close view to similar relations .

The film has almost a perfect cast with every actor very well suiting his/her character . SRK’s portrayal of a frustrated and a bit crazy “Dev” is really worth praising . His craziness though looks a bit nasty but has an element of Honesty all through out which makes it something special .SRK very well enacts a guy who is frustrated because both his Dreams and Relationships are shattered and weak . SRK very well understood the mood of the character and portrayed it in a great way . All other actors were perfect in their roles and even the small kid of SRK and Preity was cute and acted well .

The final part of the film which didn’t quite went down well amongst the majority of audience , in my opinion , is quite apt and is again a mature one . The audience just needs to understand the point of view of Karan on the whole issue of relationships and if one can understand that , I am sure he/she would like the film . This film though got famous because it talked of Infidelity but I think that more than infidelity the film talks more about relationships and how they should be .One can learn so much about relationships from this film .It is quite a modern take on institution of Marraige and Karan puts forth his point very well with no sugarcoating . Strangely when commercial actors do a slightly different and an honest film like this one it is not appreciated at all . Again , Karan was criticised that he always makes family films then why did he make such a film . If you ask me it is still a family film for any family living in a metro . The adult humour is not at all vulgar and if you have a modern family you can certainly watch it together .

The cinematography of the film is also good and New York Life has been shown in a beautiful way . The music of the film adds so much to the film and it is one of the albums that impresses me all throughout . The Dialogues by Niranjan Iyenger as I said earlier were very daily conversation types and that also added to the beauty of the film . The film has a gloomy and depressive feel all throughout in its underbelly and ironically it represents all those relations which look all happy and perfect from outside but have a lot going on beneath the surface . Karan has written a fine story and along with Shibani Bhatija he has done a good job on screenplay too . The film talks about relationship issues which we Indians mostly prefer to discuss only in hush tones . Karan knows how to direct and there is no question about that . His style is a bit different and I think he should not be undermined by classifying him and his films into various various categories .

Overall , its a real nice film and probably Karan’s best work till date . The film needs to be appreciated for its honesty and maturity . I hope Karan feels the same way for his next film as he did for this one and that one is also as honest as this one . The stars also need to be appreciated for standing by Karan to make such a film and they should do more such films .

Love Aaj Kal — Music Review

The team that gave super-hit music for “Jab We Met” is back again and this time they have a huge monkey on their back which would certainly result in comparisons . The music of “Love Aaj Kal” is out and I must say I was looking forward to this album with lot of anticipation . The film has an all new cast for director Imtiaz Ali who has never worked with them before and as a result expectations are running high . Pritam’s recent work , New York , is already on the charts and has got positive feedback .The lyrics which are done by Irshad Kamil , last worked on Jab We Met where he did a great job . This album has a total of 10 tracks with 3 remixes and 7 originals.

The first one on the track is the one that is already on air , “Twist” , which is a nice peppy track to begin the album . It has vocals by Neeraj Sridhar who is good with English vocals as always and has his distinct style of singing . The song starts with the famous “Been” tune from the hit song “Tan Dole mera mann dole” of Nagin originally composed by Hemant Kumar . The old classic tune has been given a modern feel and it is probably the best thing in the entire song music-wise . The lyrics don’t have much to offer and there’s nothing so great or catchy about them . The only catchy phrase that is there is “And We Twist” which has been given by some guy Indie according to Album Credits so lyricist gets no point for this song . The only two positives of the song are the classic music and the phrase “And We Twist” . Interestingly the credits to both these positives have been given in real small fonts somewhere in the corner on the Album Credits . Overall , a nice track , will get popular for sure but I guess in the long run wont work .

Then comes “Chor Bazaari” by Neeraj Sridhar and Sunidhi . How ironic , Pritam gets to compose a song by the name of “Chor Bazaari” , he he , he would have had no problem composing this one . Well , the song has nice music , I hope the source is Pritam only . The lyrics here are much better than the first track and add to the song . This song would be of the league of “Ye Ishq Haaye” from Jab We Met and I guess in this one also Saif and Deeps would be roaming around in some beautiful locales . I am looking forward to see this song on-screen . Niraj and Sunidhi have sung it effortlessly and did a good job . Pritams Chor Bazaari is of the better tracks on the album .

Remember the cool music in First Trailer of the film . Well , that was from “Aahun Aahun” which comes next . This was the part that made me look forward to the music and as always the best part was in the trailer itself , nothing more to offer . I just loved the first 50 seconds from this track after which it takes a whole different path . And guess what , the first 50 seconds that I loved again have an outside source . Both the lyrics and melody of the this part are from a Traditional Punjabi Track -”Kadi Te Hass Bol Ve” . Good part though that this part has been sung by Master Salim who I think has done a great job . At first I thought it was Mika (considering Jab We Met) but to my surprise it was not him . Anyways Salim does a great job in that part . Apart from the first part , the song in my opinion has nothing much to offer , neither lyrically nor music wise . The guitar piece in the beginning and throughout is good . Music is all about Passion and Feelings and that is very much visible in that first part of this song which are no where else in the entire album . I just loved it .

Then comes “Dooriyan” by Mohit Chauhan . Mohit got a great song in “Jab We Met” but I guess history doesn’t repeat itself so fast . This one is a good track but not a great one . This track would make much more sense after the film releases and when we watch it along with the story . The lyrics are also good . The song has a slow sad feel to it and Mohit adheres to it . He does a good job with vocals . Overall , its a nice slow track that would work with the film .

“Ajj Din Chadheya” comes next by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan which is a nice soulful track with a simple bit of music . The song has some nice lyrics with some inputs from Shiv Kumar Batalvi . The entire track has an element of simplicity to it yet it is certainly worth listening. The Punjabi lyrics have been very well sung by Rahat who as always does a great job . Irshad has done a great job with lyrics and his best on this album . In all , its a nice track that might grow on you with repeated listening and would grow even more once film releases .

Then comes a folk song like track “Thoda Thoda Pyaar” which is a bit different and has some traditional music in it . Though it has a folk song like feel but it is not something like “Genda Fool” which was a pure folk song yet done brilliantly . This one is meant only for film and would look good only in the film . Nothing so different about it and is just like usual traditional Punjabi track . The lyrics and singing both are good .

Finally comes “Mein Kya Hoon” by KK . He has sung this one in similar style that Shaan had sung “Aao Meelon Chale” in Jab We Met . I guess Pritam is responsible for that . Pritam though has failed to compose a good tune for this one . The music is pretty much average for this track and lyrics are also not that good either . The music of this track though would sound good on a good music system and bass lovers would love it . Overall , its an average track and doesn’t provide a good end to the soundtrack .

Then there is a series of remixes of tracks “Twist” , “Chor Bazaari” and “Aahun Aahun” all done by DJ Sanj . These are just like any other remixes , faster and some beats in it for the discs n clubs . The remix of chor bazaari has some bad English lyrics that make no sense as such . Last comes a remix of Aahun Aahun in which the part that I loved has been cut short so that leaves pretty much nothing in it .

Overall , a nice album but falls short of expectations

New York Movie Review

The year has been virtually empty when it comes to film releases . Those that managed to get released before the strike were all major disappointments and the year has been so far not good . The first half of 2009 has almost got over and now we finally have a film that one can look forward to , New York . The film’s subject matter is known to everyone and this film is not a typical entertainer . When a production house like Yashraj makes a film like this it is bound to get a bit commercialized . What matters though is that does the core subject matter of the film gets lost under the glossy outside .

The answer to that question is no . Kabir Khan is an intelligent film maker and he had proved that in Kabul Express . This time he re-confirms it . He has made sure that the big cast and budget do not affect the film in any way and affect it only in a positive way . The positive that I see is that when big names and big stars get associated with such a subject the message that the story aims to send reaches a far wider audience than what it would have in case of a smaller budget film .

Talking of film , it starts off in a great way and comes straight to the point . There’s no circumlocution and the director makes his point clear right in the beginning that this ain’t no usual masala entertainer . The introduction of characters on screen is one of the most powerful I’ve seen in recent times . The song “Junoon” has been Brilliantly used for this task and I could have never imagined that it would be used in this way . The small love angle that is there in the film is there just for some roughly 20-25 minutes in the beginning and that too done in a very swift and neat way . Time passes by in the film pretty fast and it takes no time for the director to come right from 1999 to 2008 . The whole introduction part has been done in a very fresh and brilliant way . The friendship of all the three characters has been portrayed in a very subtle manner and it is not in your face . They become friends just like normal people do , presentation might be a bit different and large . The emotional connect with the main characters gets established in this part and I must again say Kabir has done this job fabulously .

Once that connect is established , the film gets right down to business and talks of life after 9/11 for an average Muslim person in America . The film moves about in a very fast and a bit thrilling way . It talks about the inhuman torture that the non-american prisoners have to bear in the prison cells and how it got even brutal after the 9/11 attacks . Kabir and the actors have very well understood and felt the subject and carried it off brilliantly on screen . There is this small character of guy who has been traumatised by the treatment he gets for no fault of his own . He is just brilliant . Though a really small part but when he speaks about what happened with him , it shakes you to the core . The actor has done a top quality job for this small part and he has the strongest part apart from the main cast . This is one character that you would remember for a long time even after the film ends .

I don’t want to give out many details from the story as it is treated in a way that it would be better if you know them as you watch the film . The little bit of suspense that Kabir has kept has been done in a nice way in the film . The film’s story unfolds in a really nice way and it manages to hold attention of the viewer throughout the film . The first half of the film ends strongly and manages to hold the interest of the viewer and keep it alive for the second half .

If majority of the first half is seen through Omar’s (Neil) eyes then second half has Sam’s (John) view of things . The second half starts afresh and the story moves forward from there and doesn’t creep slowly towards the end . The serious tone of the film continues here too and it is this part where the director aims to send out his view on the things and also the message of the film . Though the tone of the film is a bit serious still it makes sure that it also entertains . The way story moves , the end is a bit expected yet the director manages to surprise a bit here too and executes it in an almost perfect manner . The end comes at a proper time and again comes at a swift pace . The film doesn’t have any emotional drama yet the emotional connect with the characters is good . Kabir proves his point that one doesn’t need long emotional dialogues to establish that connect .

The cast of the film is also great and they all look good together . The friendship of the characters has been portrayed in a very fresh and good way . Katrina , John and Neil look great on-screen together and a good friendly love film can be made using this chemistry . But I guess it won’t look as fresh the second time as it did in this one . Too bad that this film has none of that and has only small trailer of what could have been full length Yashraj feature film . The innocence of their friendship and their characters add a lot to the film and make the point of the film even more stronger . The young characters of the film also make sure that the message goes out straight to the young people of our country or as Pepsi calls it , the Youngistaan .

Talking of acting , everybody has done a great job and even Katrina who is accused to be a mere show girl does her part well . John and Neil both have felt the characters in the script and acted out them well . Irfan needs no compliments and he is great as usual . His character is also an important one . The small kid that is there in the film is also great and his really short part is also good .

Music of the film is also good and it has been brilliantly used by Kabir . He has made sure that almost through every song the story keeps moving and the songs don’t hinder the pace of the film . In fact the songs have been used in such a way that they add to the film in so many ways . The background score by Julius Packam is great and only in some parts it could have been a bit different . The cinematography by Aseem Mishra is great and he shows new york in a great way . While watching the film I realised that the trailer of the film had been cut in a really brilliant manner and kudos to Kabeer and his team for that . The editing of the film by Rameshwar Bhagat is also good and film is very brisk in nature and moves about at a constant rate .

In all , its a great film and you need to see it to believe it . The script of the film is great and when script is great things generally tend to fall in place automatically . The director Kabir Khan has done a really good job and he needs to be applauded for making a film on this subject . I don’t like Aditya’s decisions mostly but I respect him for supporting this film and also providing Kabir with a good budget to make it . He should support films like this and look forward and if not many then at least make one such film a year . Kabir is a good film maker and I am now looking forward to his next project , I hope it is also a good one . I would recommend this film to everyone and it is high time that we support good and subject oriented cinema no matter who produces it . If this film works on the box office which I am sure it would then many producers would dare to support such projects and not go for the usual masala entertainers .

Movie Rating : Four out of Five ; A good film made with a good intent