Now easily download Yash Raj films from the net

Yash Raj Films has given its whole library to a new venture between Intel and Hungama Digital Entertainment, which is making available a selection of famous Bollywood and international movies for downloading and streaming by movie buffs.
‘We are very much delighted that Intel is debuting their newest technology with Yash Raj Library. We are very happy with the association. Now the audiences would have all the films of their choice at their fingertips,’ Yash Chopra, chairman (entertainment) of FICCI-Frames told reporters at the conclave.
‘Because of this Intel Insider technology, every film could be watched at high definition on their computers and they would be able to download whatever they want, whenever they want,’ he added.
Chopra claims that, regardless of the medium, if each time a viewer pays a nominal sum for watching a film, no film across the world would ever flop.
‘Honestly, I am not just saying it but I mean it, any film of any producer is shown in any form of technology like mobile, TV, film, downloading and if the person seeing the movie pays even Rs.1 he watches it, no film in this world would be flop,’ said Chopra.
Isn’t he afraid of piracy?
‘I am not worried about piracy. I feel very secure and it would generate revenue. My whole library is with them,’ said Chopra.
Aprat from Yash Raj Films, this technology would also facilitate a huge range of films by Paramount Pictures, T-Series and Reliance Home Video.
Source: in.movies.yahoo.com

The uniqueness of being Vidya Balan

She took people back to the black and white era with her role in the period film ‘Parineeta’. Then came her fashion faux pas and a dip in the career graph. But a careful and confident Vidya Balan is on the rise again in Bollywood.
Though at 33 she is just six years old in the Hindi movie industry, her oeuvre is so impressive that there was a Vidya Balan retrospective at the Indian film fest in two Australian cities.
From playing a foul mouthed, manipulative vengeful woman in ‘Ishqiya’ to the mother of a progeria patient to a grieving sister in ‘No One Killed Jessica’, Vidya has been proving her versatility with her nuanced handling of different characters.
Her much-talked-about forthcoming releases - director Milan Luthria’s ‘The Dirty Picture’, based on the life of Silk Smitha, south Indian cinema’s sex symbol, and Sujoy Ghosh’s thriller ‘Kahani’ in which she plays a six-month pregnant woman - are expected to take her creativity to another level.
Applauding her work and choice of roles, director Sudhir Mishra said: ‘She is very brave and very gutsy. Hats off to Vidya. She will last longer. It will pay her off very well. She will be remembered as another kind of actress and remembered more than a lot of people. She should continue doing this kind of roles. She should do what she can do well. She should retain that uniqueness.’
Director Anurag Kashyap feels what Vidya is doing is pathbreaking. ‘I think she is showing the way for everyone else. Vidya’s fan following has increased 50-fold after the kind of work she started doing. We need her,’ he added.
This Iyer girl from Palakkad in Kerala grew up in Mumbai. She did her graduation in sociology from St. Xavier’s College.
After award-winning debut with the period drama ‘Parineeta’ (2005), she charmed her fans in a modern avatar in ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’. Her small but impressive role in ‘Guru’ too earned her accolades.
But after a meteoric rise to fame, her career took a dip post ‘Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love’ and it seemed as if lady luck had deserted her completely. She was in the news for all the wrong reasons—from her choice of roles to co-stars to her looks in movies like ‘Heyy Babyy’ and ‘Kismet Konnection’—she was criticised for everything.
But the rough patch ended and wagging tongues came to a halt when Vidya returned as Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in critically acclaimed ‘Paa’ (2009) after staying away for a year. Undoubtedly it was one of her best performances and Vidya walked away with the Filmfare Best Actress Award for portraying the dilemma of a woman living with her child’s illness.
There are reports that Vidya may work with southern superstar Rajnikanth as well.
‘She should start a legacy of such kind of acting. She is one of the top actresses in the industry because she does such kind of unique roles,’ said director Vikramaditya Motwane whose ‘Udaan’ amassed trophies at every award function this year.
Not only that, Vidya’s sartorial elegance has been at its peak ever since she appeared in ‘Paa’. Be it flaunting ethnic saris by her favourite designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee or her plain Jane look at public events to promote ‘No One Killed Jessica’, the talented actress floored everyone.
Mumbai-based designer Anand Bhushan, a regular face at Lakme Fashion Week, said: ‘Yes it’s true that designer Sabyasachhi Mukherjee did an awesome job with her Indian image, giving her all sorts of dresses which not only reflected her Indian face but also made her look glamorous.’
‘But who says we only want to see Vidya Balan in Indian dresses. It’s time to get some credible Western designer to celebrate her persona. Her dressing sense has always been a point of discussion for the media and film critics, especially whenever she is portrayed in Western wear.’
She made a late entry in films, but it hasn’t taken her long to carve a niche.
Source: in.movies.yahoo.com

Masaba Gupta apologises to Gauri-Nainika

After Bollywood, fashion industry seems to be engaging in Twitter war of words. Young designer Masaba Gupta irked designer duo Gauri-Nainika by posting a nasty comment about their grand finale show at Lakme Fashion Week. But now she apologises to them on the micro-blogging site.
‘I’m a very junior designer and it’s none of my business to comment on one of the veterans in the industry,’ Masaba posted on her Twitter page Thursday. ‘I’d like to apologise for my comments on Gauri and Nainika’s show the press is blowing it outta proportion (sic).’
Daughter of West Indian cricketing icon Vivian Richards and actress Neena Gupta, Masaba had skipped the grand finale show March 15, but before the show began, she posted a message saying, ‘Skipping LFW finale. But I’m sure Valentino and Oscar De La Renta (Gauri and Nainika) did a great job (sic).’
There were reports that the Delhi-based designer duo’s finale collection was similar to ace international designers Oscar De La Renta and Valentino clothes.
Source: in.movies.yahoo.com

After ‘Munni’, ‘Sheila’, Bollywood gets ‘Jalebi bai’

Following the success of item numbers like ‘Munni badnaam’ and ‘Sheila ki jawaani’, Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat will now be seen in a sizzling song titled ‘Jalebi bai’ in comedy movie ‘Double Dhamaal’.
Mallika, famous for her sultry moves in ‘Maiya maiya’, recently finished shooting for her new item number, in which she sports a sexy, crystal-studded bustier and a low waist, maroon-coloured brocade lehenga.
The four-day schedule of the song was shot at Mehboob Studios, where a lavish set of a casino was created to give the song the right look and feel, said a source.
The song has been choreographed by Ganesh Acharya and the music has been composed by Anand Raj Anand.
‘Double Dhamaal’, a sequel to the 2007 comic riot ‘Dhamaal’, is slated for release this June.
The movie is being produced by Reliance BIG Entertainment and Maruti International, and is directed by Inder Kumar.
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Sharman Joshi replaces ‘Fido Dido’ as 7UP brand ambassador

Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi has replaced the cartoon character of Fido Dido as the face of PepsiCo’s aerated drink 7UP.
Sharman has been signed up for two years, and sources said he has been paid Rs.5 crore for the endorsement deal.
The campaign for the drink, ‘Gussa Hatao, Chill Machao’, involves two television commercials and will focus on simple issues of anger management.
Sharman said he was excited about the commercials, which will be aired by the end of March.
‘I have always enjoyed drinking 7UP, hence I believe this endorsement was meant to be. I am glad to be a part of this interesting and exciting campaign, which delivers a message I personally believe in, as anger leads to nothing but regret,’ Sharman said in a press statement.
The actor, who has featured in films like ‘Rang De Basanti’, ‘Golmaal’, ‘Life...In A Metro’, ‘Sorry Bhai’, ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘Toh Baat Pakki’, also admits he was quite upbeat about the campaign as he was getting to shoot with his ‘3 Idiots’ director Rajkumar Hirani.
A PepsiCo spokesperson says Sharman has been roped in for his calm attitude.
‘Sharman, with his calm, unruffled and extremely affable personality, is a perfect match to highlight the brand’s positioning of a cool, refreshing drink,’ said Alpana Titus, category marketing director (flavoured carbonated drinks), PepsiCo India Beverages.
Sharman’s forthcoming projects include ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ with Deepika Padukone, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
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Kashmera Shah in item number for NRI’s film

Bollywood actor Kashmera Shah, who has been in the news for her topless calendar shoot recently, has shot for an item number for NRI filmmaker Manan Singh Katohara’s ‘9 Eleven’, touted as the first Hindi film shot entirely in Washington.
Kashmera, who is seen more on the small screen than in movies these days, will be shaking a leg in a song called ‘Let’s do chummaalingan’.
The item song is composed by Jatin Pandit, who earlier worked on films like ‘Khiladi’, ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander’ and ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’. The lyrics have been penned by Sanjay Chhel.
‘9 Eleven’ is made under the banner of Amar Durga Films & JMD Creations. The film portrays the life of 10 people from different walks of life thrown together in an unfamiliar place and terrorised by an unknown entity.
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Aishwarya to honour Hugh Jackman

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai will present a memento to Hollywood star Hugh Jackman at the FICCI-FRAMES 2011 annual convention on the business aspects of the entertainment and media industry here March 23-25.
The 37-year-old star will honour Jackman on the final day of the event, a press statement said.
Aishwarya, an internationally known actress, was asked by FICCI and its entertainment committee’s co-chair, filmmaker Karan Johar, to attend the function and present Jackman with a memento of appreciation.
Jackman, 42, has played a variety of roles in Hollywood and is well known for his role as Wolverine in the popular ‘X Men’ series.
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Soha prefers punctual guys

Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan says that the most essential thing that she looks for in a guy is punctuality and time management.
‘My father says that ‘judge a man by his shoes and his watch’, but my definition of a perfect boy comes from his time management skills and how punctual he is,’ Soha, daughter of a cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore, told reporters
Looking glamorous in black knee-length dress teamed up with red shrug, the 32-year-old actress was in the capital to inaugurate a Titan watch store. She also unveiled the new Titan Automatic collection.
‘What makes Titan a great brand is a combination of the fantastic collections that they keep bringing out every season and the emotional connect the brand has with all of us in India,’ said the actress who will be soon seen in ‘Life Goes On’.
Located in South Extension, the store is spread over 5,000 sq ft and has over 2,500 watches and 30 brands on display.
‘I personally like the Raga collection from Titan, but now I have to think again as every piece is superb,’ said Soha while taking a walk through the store.
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I consider myself labour class: Shah Rukh

He might be called the Badshah of Bollywood, but superstar Shah Rukh Khan considers himself labour class.
‘I consider myself labour class as I like to maintain an active lifestyle. I like to work all day round and when it is taken away, it affects me mentally. And that percolated down to my family... as a result, everyone in my house also becomes sad,’ said Shah Rukh while speaking at the India Today Conclave here Friday.
The actor has been dealing with a problematic back for a long time which has slowed him down.
Shah Rukh says he enjoys sharing his life with his fans as he has worked hard to achieve where he stands today.
‘All my life I have worked so that I can be recognised. I want thousands of people to scream my name out. I want girls and youngsters to tear my clothes. I have worked very hard to achieve this, then I find it very stupid when I see stars hiding their faces.
‘I want to be disturbed and troubled by people for as many years possible. I want to be remembered as ‘he tried and he tried very hard’,’ he added.
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SRK’s three essentials to make Hindi films global

Bollywood lacks three very essential skills - screenplay writing, technology and discipline - says superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has been in the industry for almost two decades.
‘Hindi films lack in three very important aspects of filmmaking. The first amongst them is screenplay writing. We need to understand the format and adhere to screenplay writing technique like them (Hollywood). The sooner Indian filmmakers realise that screenplay writing is not an art form but a science, the faster our films will globalise,’ Shah Rukh said Friday at the India Today Conclave.
‘Secondly, I feel so odd that on one hand we have the biggest software developing industries of the world, but somehow we are lacking behind in it’s usage in India. We have the means to buy the machines, but we don’t have mechanics to stand by them. That is a big investment we are looking for from Hollywood.’
‘We need our own people who can make us our own cheaper, better, faster software for visual-effect teams,’ he added.
‘The third important thing that we need to learn is the discipline with which they (Hollywood) do their business. It does exist in other sectors, but it is lacking in the film industry.’
‘If our industry wants to thrive economically, we also need to figure out and learn ways of selling our dreams to the largest number of people in the shortest span of time. We need to learn the science of marketing from them,’ he said.
The actor also felt that if one didn’t understand the importance of these aspects, sooner our young audience will stop watching our own domestic product.
At the same time, Shah Rukh felt that Indian filmmakers need to maintain their own individuality.
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Politicians should not use religion as agenda: Shah Rukh

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan says politicians should not use religion as an agenda and spread derogatory feelings about one another.
‘I don’t understand why it happens, but I truly believe that politicians should not use religion as an agenda,’ Shah Rukh said Friday at the India Today Conclave.
‘It is just not acceptable. The issues like education, women’s upliftment, leadership qualities, which are sidelined under the term of social issues, are the basic political issues which need to be looked upon and should be brought into light,’ he added.
The 45-year-old says religion is not subjective, but is all about having faith.
‘I am a Muslim myself but my children know about all religions and its my conscious decision to make them aware of it. Religion is nothing but to have faith in your god, it should not be subjected to Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian. Nobody in this world has the right to come between you and your god,’ he concluded firmly.
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I am an untouchable for big banners, says Om Puri

He is one of India’s most respected actors, having done an enviable range of roles spanning not just the worlds of art house cinema and mainstream Bollywood but also the west. Om Puri, however, is still deeply dissatisfied and says he’s an ‘untouchable’ for commercial cinema.
‘I don’t get any meaty roles because there are hardly any meaty parts for character actors in our films,’ the 60-year-old actor, who is looking at directing a film in the future, told IANS in an interview.
Who can forget his comic timing in ‘Chachi 420’ and in that ultimate satire ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron’, or his nuanced portrayals of grey characters in ‘Yuva’ and ‘Maqbool’. But the actor knows that he has a lot more to give.
‘I’ve not been fully utilised in commercial cinema. I mean the big banners have not touched me; I don’t know why I am an untouchable for them.
‘Barring Karan Johar, with whom I worked in ‘Kurbaan’ and now in the remake of ‘Agneepath’, other big banners usually don’t come to me,’ he said.
‘I think I will direct in the near future. I’ve still not seriously thought about it but occasionally I do think in that direction. So maybe in another five years, if I’m still around, I will take up direction.’
In his over 35-year acting journey, Om has given prolific performances in critically acclaimed non-commercial ventures, beginning with ‘Ardh Satya’ and moving on to films such as ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Aakrosh’ and ‘Dharavi’. He also acted in English films like ‘East is East’ and ‘City of Joy’.
As far as commercial movies are concerned, after the success of ‘Hera Pheri’, the Padma Shri awardee has been mostly cast in comic roles in films like ‘Singh Is Kinng’ and ‘Malamaal Weekly’.
Om says he is not happy with the content of today’s comic capers and feels filmmakers need to work more on quality comedies.
‘It should have the quality of ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron’. Lots of films have meaningless humour. In the recent past it was even worse. People used to laugh at the accent of a South Indian or a Bengali or a Punjabi or on a fat man. That was humour at the cost of someone else. But humour should be where everyone can enjoy together,’ he said.
His next is also a laugh riot called ‘Teen Thay Bhai’ and Om totally endorses it. ‘The script of this film is hilarious. I totally loved it.’
The film is a Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra production and helmed by debutant director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba. It is the story of three brothers who dislike one another and details how fate unites them. Slated to hit the marquee April 15, the cast also includes Deepak Dobriyal, Shreyas Talpade and Ragini Khanna.
Apart from liking the script, the actor agreed to the film because it was Mehra’s project, a filmmaker he deeply admires. The two have worked together in ‘Rang De Basanti’ and ‘Delhi-6’.
‘I’m a great admirer of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s work. It’s his production though he is not directing it this time but he chose this project and I want to be in every film that he is associated with,’ said Om.
Apart from ‘Teen Thay Bhai’, the actor will be seen in films like ‘Life Goes On’, ‘Agneepath 2’ and ‘Don 2’.
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John Abraham injured while shooting Force

John Abraham is the macho guy of Bollywood. With a sturdy and well worked out body, he can surely be the best pick for a super hero film.
But even he is not infallible. A couple of days ago, the actor had a bad fall while shooting for a stunt scene for Vipul Shah’s production, Force.
The stunt required him to jump from one moving goods train to another. Instead of landing on his feet he lost his balance and fell on his back over a heap of stones.
The actor was severely injured and suffered as many as 40 injury marks on his back. Despite being given an immediate medical attention, John was visibly in discomfort. But the actor braved and finished the shot he was required to.
In December last year too, again while he was shooting for Force, John had a ligament tear and was in excruciating pain.
A source who was present on the sets while John met with the accident, says, “John seems to be getting injured time and again.
Earlier he was injured at Filmcity and now at the Jogeshwari yard. He had a bad fall and his entire back was injured badly and there were injury marks.”
Producer Vipul Shah said, “We were shooting a scene with two moving goods trains. John had to jump from one to another.
Although all the precautions were taken, this is something that can never be controlled. He was supposed to land on his feet but he fell on his back, the compartment of the goods train was full of stones which hurt him badly.
The impact with which he fell down was huge and that’s why he got hurt badly. Both, my director Nishikant Kamath and I were extremely scared. We were scared that he might have severely injured his spinal chord.
When we saw his back, he had as many as 40 injury marks and scratches all over. We somehow finished the shot as it was the last day of this schedule. He is now taking rest.”
Now that the schedule is over and John can rest and get back in shape. We wish you a speedy recovery, John.
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‘3 Idiots’ coming to US on DVD April 26

Bollywood’s highest grossing award winning hit film “ 3 Idiots” is all set to be released in DVD in the US and Canada on April 26 by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
The DVD of the film starring award winning actors Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Sharman Joshi has some new, exclusive bonus features: Idiots in Ladakh, Aal Izz Well, 100 percent Idiots and Making of Miss Idiot.
The refreshing comedy about a rebellious prankster with a crafty mind and a heart of gold name covers the exploits of “Rancho” at India’s most prestigious university.
Rancho’s outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down-along with the lives of his two newfound best friends. Together, they make life miserable for “Virus,” the school’s uptight and heartless dean.
But when Rancho catches the eye of the dean’s sexy daughter, Virus sets his sights on flunking out the “3 idiots” once and for all.
“3 Idiots” won six FilmFare Awards in India including Best Picture and Best Director. It also swept the International Indian Film Academy Awards with an impressive 16 wins.
With a total run time of 164 minutes the DVD in English/Hindi would be available with subtitles in English, Spanish and French.
The DVD will be available starting April 26 on Amazon.com, Target, Transworld (FYE) and other stores.
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Salman Khan gives second chance to Zarine Khan

Zarine Khan, the Katrina look-alike who went unnoticed after her debut flop ‘Veer’ will make her comeback with an item number in Salman’s Ready.
Remember Zarine Khan? The Katrina Kaif look-alike who made her debut last year alongside Salman Khan in Veer! The film might have come and gone and Zarine Khan might have gone unnoticed. But the actress seems to have got another chance in Bollywood thanks to Salman Khan again.
“The actress is close to Salman Khan and Salman is known to help out his good friends. So he got Zarine an item number in his upcoming film Ready “, says a source. The actress shot this item number with Salman in Bangkok. The song is choreographed by Raju Khan and Mudassar Khan.
Zarine hasn’t done any film after her debut film Veer bombed badly at the box-office. After playing a traditional character in Veer , this item number will have Zarine in a hot-n-happening avatar. And knowing what item numbers have been doing to actresses off late, seems like Zarine might just get a new lease of life.
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Model Esther Jamir enters Bollywood

Delhi based model Esther Jamir is soon making her entry in the world of Bollywood.
Well, and this time you will not see her walking the ramp, instead she would be strumming the strings onstage and playing the role of a rock artist in the promotional song of the movie “ Dear Friend Hitler”.
When we asked her how excited she was to accept the role, she said, “I’m extremely excited. This would be my first break in films. Interestingly, I’m doing a bollywood flick where I have no dialogues. Now that sounds weird, but I’m still happy about it.”
Talking more about her role in the song, she told us, “I will be playing the lead role of a singer in the music video. The song will be shot today, in Delhi. Earlier, we had plans to shoot the movie at the India gate and DU campus, but later the director zeroed in on the film city in Noida. The shot will include more than 1000 people from North East. The scene shows artists performing onstage wearing torn jeans, bandanas and holding guitars in their hands. The message through the song would be to bring people of all the communities together.”
So, would she choose to take up Bollywood as a full time career, and pat came the reply, “Why not? It’s just the beginning and I have never said no to anything. I think it would be a great exposure for me. But that doesn’t mean that I would give up modelling. They would go hand in hand.” We hope you are able to balance both, Esther.
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Lahore bans Bollywood for showing vulgarity

The performing arts council in Lahore has decided to ban all song and dance performances based on Indian films because of the presence of “vulgarity” in them and to promote only classical dances in Pakistani theatre.

The decision of the Lahore Arts Council (LAC) has, however, infuriated producers and artistes who believe the council was trying to damage their business, the Express Tribune reported.

The decision was made to facilitate quality theatre, a council spokesperson said.

Chaudhary Zulfiqar Ahmad, chairman of the Commercial Theatre Producers’ Association, said: “How many films are made in Pakistan annually? From the handful that are made, how many have songs that we can use in our plays?”

“If we don’t have performances on Indian songs, and cannot include any dance performances other than classical dance, then what are we left with,” he said.

“Some artistes and producers don’t follow certain moral standards when including dance performances in their plays, they should be banned - not the dances.”

“Only a limited section of the audience appreciates classical dances, while large numbers of theatregoers have little or no interest in such performances. This ban will have major financial repercussions on commercial theatre,” Ahmad said.

Suggesting a remedy to the “vulgarity” in commercial theatre, he said the council should strictly censor the scripts and not impose a ban.

“The script of a play is first approved by the LAC and the Punjab Arts Council and only then it is sent to the home department for clearance. Writers on the panel of the council approve the scripts,” he said.

Each submitted script mentions the dance performances included in a play. If the council has objections to any performance, it should censor that, instead of banning all dances featuring Indian songs, he opined.

“As far as Indian songs are concerned, many of them are now sung by Pakistani singers and are popular here. If we can allow them in the form of CDs, DVDs and screen them in our cinemas, why can’t we include them in our stage plays,” asked another producer on the condition of anonymity.

On the other hand, popular Pakistani artistes like Samina Ahmad and Usman Peerzada are supporting the ban on Bollywood dance performances.

“Quite often, the dance performances in these commercial theatre productions are vulgar. The performances have no theme or relevance. It’s better to ban such plays in their entirety instead of allowing them to have dances,” Peerzada said.

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