Hot 'n' Sexy -->Parvathi Melton<--
12/17/2007 05:47:00 PM
Bollywood
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Prachi Desai set to ‘Rock On’!!
'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa' has done wonders for the 19 year old Prachi Desai. The hit serial 'Kasamh Se' won good reviews for Prachi, but her choreographer Deepak transformed the girl totally to a glamorous doll and dancing diva in ' Jhalak'.
Now, Prachi has bagged in the lead role in a film opposite Farhan Akhtar. Titled 'Rock On', this film is going to be Farhan's debut vehicle too (in acting).
The film, to be produced by Farhan and his friend Ritesh Sidhwani will deal with a contemporary theme with great music. The film will be directed by Abhishek Kapoor and the producers intend to finish shooting for the film by March 2008.
Prachi is all excited and adds, "The shooting of Rock On begins in February next year. We are just waiting for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa competition to get over. I am very blessed to have got this kind of an opportunity. I have been a big fan of Farhan Akhtar since class 8, and now both of us will be making our acting debut together. I couldn't have asked for a better break."
Prachi has already planned her schedule and decided to block her dates for her film. She may take a temporary hiatus from TV once the shooting starts. The little girl is set to reach great heights!
Hrishikesh Mukherjee on his life and work
In this rare interview Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who died on 27 August 2006, talks about his life and work. The interview was done at his home in Mumbai by Lalit Mohan Joshi, the editor of South Asian Cinema Foundation , in 2000, soon after Hrishi Da got the Dada Saheb Phalke award, the highest award in Indian cinema. When asked about the absence of violence in his films the maker of films like Anari, Anupama, Satyakam and Anand said "standing on your balcony one can look down and see the dirty drains or can look up and see the beautiful sky and stars." Hrishi Da always looked up to portray an idealistic, truthful, humane and joyous society
Amitabh Bachchan: A Profile
Amitabh Bachchan is the older of the two sons born to Teji Bachchan and Harivansh Rai Bachchan , the acclaimed Hindi poet. He was born In Allahabad. He was educated at Sherwood College, a boarding school in Nainital, from where he moved to Delhi University for his Arts degree. His first film `Saat Hindustani' sank without a trace. He was introduced to Success by `Zanjeer', and he was instantly accepted (and adored) in the role of the `Angry Young Man' -- an image that became his calling card. `Deewar ' followed and further reinforced it. He became the hero who filled people's hearts with hope. In his films, he fought the corrupt system and the power brokers – a situation that appealed to the youth of the early-seventies; frustrated with unemployment status and the poor quality of life. Amitabh emerged as a different kind of an action hero, as a Messiah, a Superhero, who seemed like an answer to all people's problems. Analysing this actor's impact on society would probably need a thesis by itself.
Amitabh Bachchan has appeared in over 130 films, many of them, particularly those from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, were huge hits. He married Jaya Bhaduri, herself an accomplished actresses, at the peak of her career.
Due to his enormous popularity, not to mention the close association with the Gandhi, family, he was elected to parliament with a huge majority from his home city of Allahabad. But his stint in politics came to an abrupt end when he was embroiled in some political scandals. He gave up his seat in parliament, swearing off politics forever. His name was later cleared from the controversy.
He took a sabbatical from films for a few years. In this period, the actor grew a beard, flaunted his grey hair and floated his company ABCL. The exercise caused him more pain than gain. After five years, he announced his return to the 36mm but the magic had faded. He was no longer the `Angry Young Man' As an actor, he cannot be faulted, yet `Suryavansham', `Bade Miyan Chotte Miyan', `Lal Badshah', `Mrityudand', `Major Saab' each one of them crashed at the BO.
Recently, Amitabh took on a new role, as a host of the television show `Kaun Banega Crorepati' and created history once again. He is back where he belonged. In people's hearts. In their homes of people four times of week, charming them in that deep baritone of his. The Big B on the Small screen. Magic, all over again
Real Name - Amitabh Bachchan
Date of Birth - 11 October 1942
Place of Birth - Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Star Sign - Libra
Occupation - Model, Actor
Father - Harivansh Rai
Mother - Teji
Married to - Jaya Bachchan, an accomplished actress in her own right.
Children - (2) Shweta and Abhishek
Fan Mail : Pratiksha, 10th Rd, J.V.P.D. Scheme, Mumbai 400049.
Date of Birth - 11 October 1942
Place of Birth - Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Star Sign - Libra
Occupation - Model, Actor
Father - Harivansh Rai
Mother - Teji
Married to - Jaya Bachchan, an accomplished actress in her own right.
Children - (2) Shweta and Abhishek
Fan Mail : Pratiksha, 10th Rd, J.V.P.D. Scheme, Mumbai 400049.
The History Of Bollywood
Learn more about the world's biggest film industry
Cinema arrived in India on July 7 1896, when the short films of the Lumiére brothers were shown at the Watkins Hotel in downtown Bombay. In 1913 DG Phalke, a successful printer, was inspired by seeing The Life Of Christ on a trip to London. On returning to India, he made the nation's first feature film Raja Harishchandra, based on one of the stories in the religious epic The Mahabharata. The film was a huge success. India's film industry has never looked back
Silent cinema was seized by artists as an opportunity to create a truly international art, one which had none of the language barriers that emerged with the advent of sound. Whereas for the rest of the world it meant cinema could extend beyond national boundaries, for India, with hundreds of languages, silent cinema created an art that reached beyond the nation's many differences.
The flow of the Indian upper classes back and forth between England and India also contributed to a boom in the medium. Producer Himansu Rai and actress Devika Rani returned to India to run one of the first studios together, Bombay Talkies. Rani starred in his first talkie, Karma (1933) and went on to become India's first major female star. In 1931 sound came to Indian cinema with the blockbuster Alam Ara (dir Ardeshir Irani), establishing song and dance as part of the storytelling. It also split the film industry along language lines: these broadly being the Hindi belt in the north and the two major language blocks in the south, Tamil and Telegu.
But almost each language has its own cinema for those who only understand Kanada or Gujarati etc. Crucially, it also put a barrier up to the exhibition of Western films. With sound came isolation, and India was able to build up a thriving, distinct indigenous industry to serve its cinema-crazy, predominantly illiterate audience.
The flow of the Indian upper classes back and forth between England and India also contributed to a boom in the medium. Producer Himansu Rai and actress Devika Rani returned to India to run one of the first studios together, Bombay Talkies. Rani starred in his first talkie, Karma (1933) and went on to become India's first major female star. In 1931 sound came to Indian cinema with the blockbuster Alam Ara (dir Ardeshir Irani), establishing song and dance as part of the storytelling. It also split the film industry along language lines: these broadly being the Hindi belt in the north and the two major language blocks in the south, Tamil and Telegu.
But almost each language has its own cinema for those who only understand Kanada or Gujarati etc. Crucially, it also put a barrier up to the exhibition of Western films. With sound came isolation, and India was able to build up a thriving, distinct indigenous industry to serve its cinema-crazy, predominantly illiterate audience.
History of Bollywood
History of Bollywood
At the turn of this century, when the country was poised for major social and political reforms, a new entertainment form dawned in India-the Cinema. The first exposure to motion pictures which India received was in 1896, when the Lumiere Brothers' Chinematographe unveiled six soundless short films at Watson Hotel, Esplanade Mansion, Bombay on July 7. And the first exposing of celluloid in camera by an Indian and its consequent screening took place in 1899, when Harishchandra Bhatvadekar (Save Dada) shot two short films and exhibited them under Edison's projecting kinetoscope. Hiralal Sen and F.B. Thanawalla were two other Indian pioneers engaged in the production of short films in Calcutta and Bombay in 1900. Around 1902, J.F. Madan and Abdullah Esoofally launched their career with Bioscope shows of imported short films. In 1912 , N.G. Chitre and R.G. Torney made a silent feature film Pundalik which was released on May 18, and it was half British in its make. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, more generally known as Dada Saheb Phalke was responsible for the production of India's first fully indigenous silent feature film Raja Harishchandra which heralded the birth of the Indian film industry. The film had titles in Hindi and English and was released on May 3, 1913 at the Coronation Cinema, Bombay. In 1917, Bengal saw the birth of its first feature film-Satyabadi Raja Harishchandra made by Madan's Elphinstone Bioscope Company. In Madras, the first feature film of South India Keechaka Vadham was made by Nataraja Mudaliar in 1919. After stepping into 1920, the Indian cinema gradually assumed the shape of a regular industry. The industry also came within the purview of the law. The new decade saw the arrival of many new companies and film makers. Dhiren Ganguly (England Returned), Baburao Painter (Savkari Pash), Suchet Singh (Sakuntala), Chandulal Shah (Guna Sundari), Ardershir Israni, and V. Santharam were the prominent film makers of the twenties. The most remarkable things about the birth of the sound film in India is that it came with a bang and quickly displaced the silent movies. The first Indian talkie Alam Ara produced by the Imperial film company and directed by Ardershir Irani was released on March 14, 1931 at the Majestic Cinema in Bombay; The talkie had brought revolutionary changes in the whole set up of the industry. The year 1931 marked the beginning of the talking ear in Bengal and South India. The first talkie films in Bengali (Jumai Shasthi), Telugu (Bhakta Prahlad) and Tamil (Kalidass) were released in the same year. The thirties is recognised as the decade of social protests in the history of Indian Cinema. Three big banners-Prabhat, Bombay Talkies and New Theatres gave the lead in making serious but gripping sand entertaining films for all classes of the wide audience. A number of films making a strong plea against social injustice were also made in this period like V.Santharam's Duniya Na Mane, Aadmi and Padosi, Franz Osten's Achut Kanya, Damle & Fatehlal's Sant Thukaram, Mehboob's Watan, Ek hi Raasta and Aurat. For the first time Ardeshir Irani attempted a colour picture in 1937 with Kisan Kanya. The decade also witnessed the release of the first talkie films in Marathi (Ayodhiyecha Raja 1932), Gujarathi (Narasinh Mehta-32), Kannada (Dhurvkumar-34); Oriya (Sita Bibaha-34); Assamese (Joymati-35); Punjabi (Sheila-35) and Malayalam(Balan-38). The decade during which the second world was fought and Indian independence won, was a momentous one for cinematography all over India. Some memorable films were produced during the forties such as Shantharam's Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani, Mehboob's Roti, Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar, Uday Shanker's Kalpana, Abbas's Dharti Ke Lal, Sohrab Modi's Sikander, Pukar and Prithvi Vallabh, J.B.H. Wadia's Court Dancer, S.S. Vasan's Chandralekha, Vijay Bhatt's Bharat Milap and Ram Rajya, Rajkapoor's Barsaat and Aag. The first International Film Festival of India held in early 1952 at Bombay had great impact of Indian Cinema. The big turning point camp in 1955 with the arrival of Satyajit Ray and his classic Pather Panchali which opened up a new path leading the Indian film to the World Film Scene. International recognition came to it with the Cannes award for best human document followed by an unprecedented crop of foreign and national awards. In Hindi Cinema too, the impact of neorealism was evident in some distinguished films like Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin, Devadas and Madhumati, Rajkapoor's Boot Polish, Shri-420 and Jagte Raho, V. Shantharam's Do Aankhen Barah Haath and Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Mehbood's Mother India. Gurudutt's Pyaasa, and Kagaz Ke Phool and B.R. Chopra's Kanoon; The first Indo-Soviet co-production Pardesi by K.A.Abbas was also made during the fifties. The transition to colour and the consequent preference for escapist entertainment and greater reliance on stars brought about a complete change in the film industry. The sixties was a decade of mediocre films made mostly to please the distributors and to some extent, meet the demands of the box office. The sixties began with a bang with the release of K. Asif's Mughal-E-Azam which set a record at the box-office. It was followed by notable productions which include romantic musical and melodramas of a better quality. Rajkapoor's Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, Dilip Kumar's Gunga Jamna, Gurudutt's Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam, Dev Anand's Guide; Bimal Roy's Bandini, S.Mukherji's Junglee, Sunil Dutt's Mujhe Jeene Do and the experimental Yaadein, Basu Bhatacharya's Teesri Kasam, Pramod Chakravorthy's Love in Tokyo, Ramanand Sagar's Arzoo, Sakhti Samantha's Aradhana, Hrishikesh Mukherji's Aashirwad and Anand, B.R. Chopra's Waqt, Manoj Kumar's Upkar, and Prasad Productions Milan were the significant Hindi films of the decade. Among the regional languages, Malayalam cinema derived much of its strength from literature during the sixties. Malayalam cinema hit the head lines for the first time when Ramu Kariat's Chemmeen (1965) won the President's Gold Medal. Towards the end of the decade, Mrinal Sen's Bhuvan Shome, signalled the beginnings of the new wave in Indian Cinema. The New Indian Cinema emerged as a reaction to the popular cinema's Other Worldiness. It is a cinema of social significance and artistic sincerity, presenting a modern, humanist perspective more durable than the fantasy world of the popular cinema. Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen were the founding fathers of the new cinema in India. Acclaimed as India's foremost director Satyajit Ray has made 30 feature films and five documentaries, tacking a wide range of rural, urban historical themes. His cinematography places him away form the inheritors of the neorealist school, and yet his films are infused with an unusual humaneness. Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar, Charulata, Jalsaghar, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, Seemabadha, Jana Aranya, Ashani Sanket and Agantuk are some of his outstanding films. He was fortunate enough to present his films in almost all the leading films festivals of the world. The national and international awards won by Ray are numerous. Ritwik Ghatak swooped on the Indian scene with new dynamism. His films constitute a record of the traumas of change form the desperation of the rootless and deprived refugees from East Bengal .(Meghe Dhaka Tara, Ajantrik, Komal Ghandhar, Subarnarekha). Mrinal Sen is the ebullient one-experimenting with neorealism as well as new wave and fantasy. His notable films are Bhuvan Shome, Chorus, Mrigaya, Ek Din Pratidin, Akaler Sandhane, Kharij & Khandahar. He has also won several national an international awards. In Bombay, a new group of film makers emerged on the Hindi cinema. Notable amongst them are Basu Chatterji (Sara Akash), Rajinder Singh Bedi (Dastak), Mani Kaul (Uski Roti, Duvidha), Kumar Shahani (Maya Darpan), Avtar Kaul (27-Down), Basu Bhattacharya (Anubhav), M.S. Sathyu (Garam Hawa), Shyam Benegal (Ankur), and Kanthilal Rathod (Kanku). In Calcutta, following the trend set by Ray, Ghatak and Sen, Tapan Sinha and Tarun Majumdar also made some note worthy films. (Kabuliwala, Hatey Bazarey, Harmonium, Safed Haathi; Balika Bodhu, Nimantran, Ganadevta, Dadar Kirti). The seventies has further-widened the gap between multistar big budgeted off beat films. The popular Hindi hits of the decade include Kamal Amrohis Pakeeza, Rajkapoor's Bobby , Devar's Haathi Mere Saathi, Ramesh Sippy's Sholay, Zanjeer, Deewar, Khoon Pasina, Yaadon Ki Baarat, Kabhi Kabhi, Dharamveer, Amar Akbar Anthony, Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, and Muqaddar ka Sikandar. Of these majority of the films were action oriented with revenge as the dominating theme. Down in the South, the new wave cinema originated in Karnataka and Kerala. Pattabhi Rama Reddy's Damskara (70) and Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Swayamvaram (72) were the trend setters in Kannada and Malayalam respectively. This continued with a series of socially conspicuous films like M.T. Vasidevan Nair's Nirmalyam, B.V.Karanth's Chomana Dudi, Girish Karnad's Kaadu, Girish Kasara Valli's Ghatasradha, G. Aravindan's Uttarayanam and Thamp, K. Balachander's Arangetram, Avargal and Apoorva Ragangal, Adoor's Kodyettam, K.G. George's Swapnadanam and P.A. Backer's Chuvanna Vithukal and G.V.Iyer's Hamsageethe. The Hindi avante garde or new wave seems to have reached its bloom period towards the end of the seventies with the coming of film makers like Govind Nihalani (Aakrosh), Saeed Mirza (Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai, Aravind Desai ki Ajeeb Daastan), Rabindra Dharmaraj (Chakra), Sai Paranjpe (Sparsh), Muzafar Ali (Gaman) and Biplab Roy Chowdhari (Shodh). The movement spread to the other regional cinemas such as Marathi, Gujarathi, Assamese, Oriya and Telugu. Directors like Jabbar Patel (Samna, Simhasan), Ramdas Phuttane (Sarvasakshi), Ketan Mehta (Bhavni Bhavai). Babendranath Saikia(Sandhya Rag), Jahanu Barua (Aparoopa, Papori), Manmohan Mohapatra (Klanta Aparanha, Majhi Pahacha), Nirad Mohapatra (Maya Miriga) and Gautam Ghose (Ma Bhoomi) came to the scene with their films.Also from the South came film makers such as Jayakantan, John Abraham, Bharathan, Padmarajan, Balu Mahendra, Bharathi Raja, T.S. Ranga, T.S. Nagabharana, K.R. Mohanan, G.S. Panicker, Chandrasekhar Kambar, P.Lankesh, C. Radhakrishnan and Bhagyaraj who presented significant films like Unnai Pol Oruvan, Agraharathil Kazhuthai, Prayanam, Peruvazhiambalam and Oridathsoru Phayalvan, Kokila, 16 Vayathinile and Kizhakke Pokum Rail , Geejegand Goodu, Grahana, Aswathama, Ekakini, Kaadu Kudre, Pallavi, Agni, Suvar Illatha Chithrangal and Mundani Mudichu. The new cinema movement continued with full spirit in. the next decade (eighties) also . Shyam Benegal presented some good movies like Manthan, Bhumika, Nishant, Janoon , and Trikal. Nihlani's Aaghat and Tamas were remarkable works. Other important films with new style of treatment include Damul (Prakash Jha), 36-Chowringhee Lane (Aparna Sen), New Delhi Times (Ramesh Sharma), Mirch Masala (Ketan Mehta), Rao Saheb (Vijaya Mehta), Debshishu (Utpalendu Chakraborthy), Massey Saheb (Pradeep Kishna), Trishagni (Nabayendu Ghosh), Ijaazat (Gulzar), Umrao Jaan (Muzafar Ali), Dakhal, Paar (Gautam Ghose), Dooratwa, Neem Annapurana, Andhi Gali (Buddhadeb Dasgupta), Aajka Robin Hood (Tapan Sinha), Tabarana Kathe, Bannada Vesha (Girish Kasara Valli), Accident & Swamy (Shanker Naag), Daasi (B. Narasinga Rao) and Phaniyamma (Prema Karanth). The new wave masters of Kerala, Adoor and Arvindan, consolidated their position in the eighties with their films Elippathayam, Mukha Mukham, Anantharam, Esthappan, Pokkuveyil, Chidambaram, and Oridath, Elippathayam has won the prestigious British film Institute award for 1982. Shaji N.Karun's maiden film Piravi(1988) bagged several national and international awards and was shown in nearly forty film festivals. Meera Nair, the young woman director, won the Golden Camera award at Cannes for her first film Salaam Bombay in 1989. In 1990, Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Mathilukal won the FIPRESCI and UNICEF awards. The late eighties and early nineties saw the revival of the musical love stories in Hindi cinema. Mr. India, Tezaab, Qayamat se Qayamat Tak, Main Pyar Kiya, Chandni, Tridev, Hum, Ghayal, Saudagar, Rakhwala, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Hum Hain Rahi Pyarke, Baazigar, Aaina, Yeh Dillagi, Hum Apake Hai Kaun, Krantiveer, Raja and Rangeela were some of the popular Hindi films of the last decade. The first half of nineties witnessed the release of some better films in Hindi as well as in other regional languages. Drishti and Drohkal (Nihalani), Lekin (Gulzar), Disha (Sai Paranjpe), Prahar (Nana Patekar), Parinda (Vinod Chopra), Diskha (Arun Kaul), Kasba (Kumar Shahani), Rudaali (Kalpana Lajmi), Maya Memsaab (Ketan Mehta), Mujhse Dosti Karoge (Gopi Desai), Suraj Ka Satwan Ghoda & Mammo (Benegal), Who Chokri (Subhankar Ghosh)&Ek Doctor Ki Maut (Tapan Sinha), were some of the notable Hindi films from Bengal, Orissa, Assam and Manipur came films like Tahader Katha, Bagh Bahadur, Charachar (Buddhadeb Dasgupta), Uttoran (Sandip Ray), Wheel Chair (Tapan Sinha), Unishe April (Rituparno Ghosh), Adi Mimansa, Lalvanya Preethi ( A.K. Bir), Nirbachana (Biplab Roy Chowdhari), Halodhia Choraya Baodhan Khai, Firingoti (Jahau Barua), Haladhar (Sanjeev Hazarika), and Ishanou (Aribam Shayam Sharma). In the South Malayalam Cinema presented some notable films. They include Vasthuhara (Aravindan)_, Vidheyan (Adoor) Kireedom, Bharatham (Siby Mmalayil), Amaram (Bharathan) Innale (Padmarajan), Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Sargam, Parinayam (Hariharan), Devasuram (I..V.Sasi). Kilukkam, Thenmavin Kombath (Priyadarsan), Perumthachan (Ajayan), Daivathinte Vikurthikal (Lenin Rajendran), (Sivan), Manichithrathazu (Fazil), Ponthanmada ( T.V. Chandran) and Swaham (Shaji), From Tamil and Telugu cinema, there came few films like Anjali, Roja and Bombay (Mani Ratnam) ,Marupakkam and Nammavar (Sethsumadhavan),Karuthamma (Bharathi Raja), Surigadu (Dasari Narayana Rao), Swathi Kiranam ( K.Viswanath), Mogha Mul (G.Rajasekharan) etc. English film like Miss Beatty's Children (Pamela Rooks), and English August (Dev Benegal) were also produced during this period. All in all, it has been a long story of nearly nine decades, with the early shaky screen images turning into a multi pronged and multi winged empire of its own, that has yielded about 27,000 feature films and thousands of documented short films. Cinema has raised India's flag high in the world as the consistently largest film producer. But when it comes to quality the flag has to fly half mast. All the above information is courtesy of: All India.
I don't care about the fate of Aaja Nachle - Geeta Basra
"Whatever be the fate of the film, I don't really care", says Geeta who seduced audience with her act in The Train earlier this year. "For me, it was a dream come true to watch a Madhuri Dixit film in Mumbai, especially after seeing all her films in UK, my home country."
"Moreover, the film worked for me. Yes, there is bound to be bias at my end since I have been her fan since my childhood but then that's obvious, isn't it", she questions. "Each and every dance step of hers made the film so special for me. I was thrilled to see her carry herself so gracefully while playing her part in such an elegant manner."
Reflecting on the fact that the film was unable to connect with the audience, Geeta says, "Maybe majority of the audiences still have that romantic image of hers in mind. If there was a bona fide male lead alongside her with her comeback vehicle being centered on a love story, acceptance of that film may have been much higher."
"However, these are just ifs and buts. For me, Aaja Nachle would remain special regardless of it's fate. I have been a Madhuri fan and would continue to do so. I was awed when I saw her on the big screen. Now I am eagerly waiting to see what her next film would be all about."
On the professional front, Geeta is keeping the cards close to her chest. After two good back to back performances (The Train, Dil Diya Hai), she is making her moves carefully without signing multiple projects in a rush. In fact, she does have a biggie in her kitty already but is waiting for the producers to make a formal announcement.
Stay tuned as the petite girl makes much more than just her presence felt in 2008 which promises to be an eventful year for the upcoming actress.
Bollywood returns to Kashmir after 18 years
Pahalgam, Dec 14: Blessed with lofty mountains and breathtaking landscape, Kashmir the preferred destination of filmmakers 18 years back is once again being opted by Bollywood production houses to shoot films at locations that match or even surpasses in beauty many in Europe. Latest among the films being shot here is Dastaan, which is directed by ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan, whom Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan chose to direct his home venture Ashoka.
Dastaan is Sivan's second Hindi film as director.
The shot which commences early in the morning here in a village Dalseer, some 20 kms from here, depicts a man and a child draped in Kashmiri Pheran who arrive in this picturesque hamlet amidst snowfall and stand silently in surprise watching a marriage being solemnized there. And as the bride hugs her parents and relatives, tears are visible in eyes of the duo and others present there.
However, before the tears trickle down their cheeks, somebody shouted "good shot, cut" and everybody switched their roles, exchanging smiles. The man in Pheran was none other than versatile actor of Hindi and English films Rahul Bose.
The film being shot in Pahalgam for past over four weeks has Rahul Khanna, Anupam Kher and Sarika as lead stars.
Pulling a horse, Rahul Bose amidst snow walked through a muddy road as Santosh Sivan sitting atop a crane focused his camera on him. However, the little actor Master Puran who plays the character of Ihsan in the film struggled to move a mule on the mud.
The crew members and the cops had a tough time as hundreds of villagers gathered on the spot to see the shooting. But they managed to control them. It was only after few retakes that Santosh was satisfied with the shot and relieved the crew for lunch.
"It has been my fascinating experience shooting here. I have fallen in love with people and locations here on my first visit. I want to shoot in Autumn too as we can see through the trees and get different angles," Santosh Sivan, who has bagged 11 National Film Awards, told Greater Kashmir on the spot.
However, he refused to divulge details about the film. "All I can say that it is a story of a little Kashmiri boy and is set in Kashmir," said Santosh, who graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and has even made some international films recently. His Before the Rains was sent for Dubai Film Festival.
Coincidentally Santosh Sivan has worked as cinematographer in Mani Ratnam's critically acclaimed Roja, which touched sensitive subject of militancy in Kashmir in early 90s. Santosh has also worked in same capacity in Dil Se which dealt with similar theme in north-east.
After finishing the lunch, the crew made preparations for a marriage scene.
"The villagers will also participate in the wedding," said smiling Santosh clad in a pheran as he positioned an old man and women wearing traditional Kashmiri dresses behind the bride and groom.
"Action" Santosh shouted and the whole village reverberated with Kashmiri folk songs. It looked a real Kashmiri marriage. Santosh seemed to have done his homework about Kashmiri culture well as even traditional Isband in a copper utensil had been kept near the bride and groom.
Sitting near a tree, Rahul Bose despite his hectic schedule agreed to talk. "I was four years old when I came to Kashmir. You can consider this as my first visit," said Rahul who has acted with many Bollywood actors including Kareena Kapoor in Chameli, and Mallika Sherawat in Pyar Ke Side Effects.
Pointing towards the snow-clad mountains, Rahul said, "Kashmir is absolutely wonderful place and people are very good. I am in greats spirits shooting there. Any place is safe and any place is unsafe in India and I don't find Kashmir any different in this respect," he said.
About the condition of roads in villages in Pahalgam, Rahul said "in other parts of the country the road are worse. Taking it as yardstick, Kashmir has got some good roads," he said.
Did Rahul find the life in villages of Pahalgam hard? "I couldn't find out life hard as I am shooting as a star. I just come on the spot by cars, shoot and when I want food I get it. So it is an unreal, pampered existence as an actor. But as a human being who has to go and experience life in villages, it will take me months," he said.
"Each film has a subject that dictates the location. I would love to come here not just as an actor but as a tourist. Kashmir is a special and unique place," Rahul, who besides actor is a social activist and an international rugby player.
Mubeena Ratansi, producer of the film, said "Actually the film was scheduled to be shot in Manali in Himachal Pradesh. "When I for the first time came to Kashmir with my family few months ago, I saw everything normal. There was nothing like what is being projected outside about Kashmir. I wondered why have people stopped shooting here. So we had a recce and decided to shoot the film here," she said.
However, it was not a smooth job for Mubeena. She had to convince the actors and the crew that Kashmir is a safe place and managed to get nearly 100 crew mostly from Mumbai and south. Rest she is using locals for logistical support.
"I believe that whatever has to happen can happen anywhere. If safety is the concern then Mumbai is as unsafe as Kashmir. I am not denying the fact that there has been lot of activity in the past, but I think situation is not so bad now and people are moving along," she said.
For Mubeena shooting in Pahalgam has been an exciting experience. "It is one of the beautiful locations. The cooperation and welcome we received from people and administration is outstanding. Even though the people are not film friendly there is a lot of excitement among them as it is after a long time shooting is taking place here,"
"It has been my most fantastic experience. I think everyone should try this place once. There is no need to go to Switzerland. Weather is beautiful, seasons are beautiful, we should tap its potential. Not only Bollywood, but film industry of south should be receptive to Kashmir," she said.
Policemen wishing not to be named said it has been a new experience for them to provide security to the actors and the crew. "After seeing the shooting, now we realize how difficult it is to make a film. The actors are very down to earth and Anupam Kher is a lovely person. We put our lives at risk and rescued the crew and actors when they were stranded at Chandanwari due to heavy snowfall on Sunday," the cops said.
Quoting Anupam Kher, a Kashmiri Pandit, who left for Mumbai after completing his schedule here, one of the unit members said Dastaan will change Kashmir's perception not only at local level but outside too."
"Kher Sahib is very optimistic about the film," he said.
"Dastaan is a story weaved around culture, ethos and traditions. That's all we have been told. The main theme of the film has been kept a secret," he said.
The shooting of this film in this off-season has provided livelihood to a large number of people.
"They are paying us good money. We wish more shooting units come here," said Ghulam Qadir, a horseman.
I'm not engaged to Yuvraj Singh: Deepika Padukone
"Please...this is the strangest thing I have heard, so far," said a visibly disturbed Deepika.
The actress was Thursday evening declared the new brand ambassador of Swiss watch brand Tissot.
Asked how endorsements work for actors, she said: "It works both ways. I mean celebrities connect the brand to the audience and the label connects them to the viewers, making them more popular."
Deepika, who is the daughter of former world badminton champion Prakash Padukone, said sports works to de-stress her: "I am very closely associated with sports. I have played games like badminton, basketball, tennis, throwball and baseball."
"My favourite sport is swimming however, any type of sport de-stresses me. It takes my mind off work and makes me feel relaxed," Padukone told.
The newcomer struck fame with her debut film "Om Shanti Om" opposite Shah Rukh Khan.
However, she denies being bogged down by any kind of pressure of meeting expectations while picking up projects or in her upcoming movies.
"No there is no such pressure on me! Dad taught me to enjoy my work and till the time I do so I will face the camera merrily.
"I always wanted to do an action flick and I am luckily doing 'Made In China'. Nikhil Advani is directing the film and I will share screen space with Akshay Kumar."
Apart from Deepika, viewers will soon see Priyanka Chopra doing heavy-duty action in "Love Story 2050" and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan swinging the sword in "Jodhaa-Akbar".
Commenting on the trend of more heroines taking up action roles she said: "This itself shows that with the evolution of the Hindi film industry women are getting to do more in films."
Deepika also has Siddharth Anand's next in her kitty where she is paired opposite Ranbir Kapoor.
Hansikaa: I'm not doing any film with Shoaib Akhtar!
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"I have not met Shoaib Akhtar, leave alone read a script or met anyone else form the production team. News of me doing a film with him is totally false and of now the only film I'm doing are a south film opposite Junior NTR called COUNTRY and Kumar Mangat's MONEY HAI TOH HONEY HAI opposite Govinda... that's all... these are all the projects I�m working on!!" says a peeved Hansikaa.
Future should be ‘Preity’ for Shiney!
We have no doubt about Shiney's acting ability and we totally admire the good-looking man for making a mark in Bollywood inspite of not having any filmy background!
However, we cannot help but notice how the man is being discussed everywhere for reasons other than his onscreen stupendous performances!
Just a few days back, in an interview with Indiatimes Movies , Shiney had clarified an allegation of him being high-handed by saying, "I can't understand why my name is being dragged into every controversy in town. Just because I don't react, people take it for granted. And, some section of the media adds spice to their stories without checking them with me. They think since Shiney doesn't have any backing and neither does he have any film background, so keep writing about it and no one will object to it."
However, as they say in the entertainment business, 'There is no smoke without fire' and that precisely seems to be the case with Shiney.
A crew member of Jahnu Barua's forthcoming film Har Pal told us, "Shiney threw loads of attitude on the sets of Har Pal . He would often complain that he had no time and acted as if he is the busiest Bollywood star. He would often snap at us, if and when we would request him to do an activity which was film related! For instance, he would crib and grumble even if we would ask him to pose for the movie stills, etc. His co-star Preity Zinta is a much bigger star but she was at her friendliest best! May be Shiney should have learnt something from Preity at least", complained our source.
"Preity Zinta on the contrary was humble and extremely sweet in spite of the fact that she is one of the
best actresses we have. She'd talk to all of us and make everyone around her comfortable" he further added.
Preity has always been inspiring but we wonder what Shiney has to say on this!
Aamir goes gaga over his 'Taare Zameen Par'
Actor Aamir Khan, who has lately been in the media spotlight for slamming the award winning film 'Black', says his upcoming directorial debut 'Taare Zameen Par' is the most important film on children to come out in India.
'In my opinion it is the most important film on children to come out of India. I mean in its content,' Aamir has written in his blog aamirkhan.com.
'How you all will like it I have no idea, but what I can say is that it has changed the way that I looked at my kids. And, mind you, I think that I am a good father. In fact it changed the way that I look at all children.
'As we take on the burdens of adulthood we often gradually distance ourselves from our children, even our own childhood. This script brought it all back into sharp focus for me,' he added.
'Taare Zameen Par' narrates the story of a dyslexic child and is slated for release on Dec 21.
The versatile actor is extremely excited about the release of his directorial debut.
'Have just reached home after completing the last bit of work on the film. I cannot believe it is finally over. Will be checking the print in a couple days, I hope there wont be any technical delays. The last one month has been killing. Can't wait for it to release now.'
However, the actor, who has been fondly termed as a perfectionist, strongly disagrees that the movie is a children's film.
''Taare...' is a film about children, not a children's film. It is aimed primarily at parents, and potential parents...youngsters who in a few years will become parents.'
Aamir is upbeat that his film would succeed in tapping the young audience.
'Of course, since it is about a nine-year-old boy, I expect that kids around eight years and above will identify with the boy and find the film engaging, moving and uplifting.
'I have no idea how kids below eight years will react to the film. Sure there are some fun moments for them like a couple of animation sequences, and the 'Bum bum bole' song, which I believe is a hot favourite with little kids, but in essence the film speaks to an eight years and above audience,' penned Aamir.
For the record, Khan's post, which was largely about his films, attracted 358 comments from his fans.
The actor recently caused a controversy by criticising Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film 'Black' on his blog, calling some scenes manipulative and over the top.
It’s Salsa Time For Ameesha Patel!
Ameesha Patel has been away from the limelight for quite a some time after the release of her super-hit film Bhool Bhulaiyaa.
So, whats the busty girl doing these days??
The buzz is that she is practicing salsa these days to keep fit and have fun at the same time.
Dancing and Ami go a long way. She hasn't only learnt Bharat Natyam in the past but has also taught the classical dance to some kids while she was in college.
Amisha's natural look and personal life makes news as much as her professional life. With the recent successes of Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. and Bhool Bhulaiyaa.. her career is on a high.
And now it's Kunal Kohli's next film, which is currently being shot until February next year and is looking for a release date in summer 2008. This is the movie for which she got a completely new look styled by Manish Malhotra and chopped off her long hair!
That was quite shocking to many people.. but it's what the directors wanted.
With or without her beautiful hair.. she's still got the looks!
Bollywood makes a comeback to Kashmir
SRINAGAR: Bollywood appears to have made a comeback to one of its favourite shooting locales in the country, Kashmir Valley, but film-makers and state authorities want to keep it a low-key affair.
The move is part of a well thought-out strategy to avoid hype as the authorities here had a bitter experience of highlighting the arrival of tourists who became soft targets of militants over the past two years, highly placed sources said.
They said the presence of film personalities who have started flocking to Kashmir after a long gap, will give a fillip to tourism in the state.
The Valley was a favourite shooting spot for Hindi film producers in 1960s, 70s and 80s before the onset of militancy in 1990 with several Bollywood blockbusters like "Silsila", "Karma", "Aarzoo", "Mangal Pandey", "Betaab" and many others being shot here.
However, the eruption in militancy forced the film-makers to look for other places as the security situation did not permit shooting of movies in the Valley.
Although bits and parts of several Bollywood films were shot in Kashmir in the post-militancy period, the producers as well as the authorities here now want to maintain a low profile during the stay of the stars in the Valley.
Recently, a crew from Santosh Sivan Films Limited were in Pahalgam tourist resort for a 25-day shooting for an untitled movie but their movement and schedule was kept a tightly guarded secret.
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