Bheja Fry 2 Movie Review

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Cast: Vinay Pathak, Kay Kay Menon, Aditi Govitrikar, Amole Gupte, Minissha Lamba

Director: Sagar Ballary

'Bheja Fry 2', directed by Sagar Bellary, is a disappointing and not-so-funny follow-up to the original 2007 comedy that starred Vinay Pathak as a bumbling tax inspector who inadvertently turns the tables on a man intending to make a laughing stock out of him. In the new film, Pathak reprises his role as Bharat Bhushan, but the lovably dimwitted man-child has turned into an annoying oaf this time round.

The action unfolds on a luxury cruise and a marooned island in 'Bheja Fry 2', and Kay Kay Menon stars as the fraudster businessman whose turn it is to be mentally battered by our eccentric protagonist. Yes, Bharat Bhushan is still a fan of the golden oldies and breaks into an evergreen track at the drop of a hat. But you have little patience for his idiosyncracies now, which have gotten stale.

Joining the cast is Amole Gupte who plays a mad photographer on the island, and Suresh Menon who takes the part of Bhushan's colleague, an earnest tax inspector investigating Kay Kay Menon. The laughs are fewer, the jokes less funny, and the set-up entirely familiar. Vinay Pathak succeeds in delivering a few moments of genuine comedy, but for the most part good actors like Kay Kay Menon and Amole Gupte are wasted in this lazily-scripted mess.

I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for 'Bheja Fry 2'. The original film, although entirely plagiarized, had a charming innocence to complement its outrageous humor. This one is dead dull, and a total waste of two precious hours.

Rating: 1.5 /5

Kareena knows how to keep the rival Khan’s happy

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Kareena Kapoor is one of the rare B-town celebrities who can manage a sound relationship with both the Khans – Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan simultaneously.

When Shahrukh recently came to Delhi to promote his film Ra.One, Kareena was missing from the event. The reason? Well, she is currently shooting for her upcoming movie Bodyguard with the Dabangg Khan – Salman.

If the buzz is to be believed, Kareena was mighty upset about the fact that she could not join Shahrukh in Delhi. Another buzz is that King Khan is waiting for Kareena Kapoor to join him for the promotions, so that he can officially launch the much awaited item song – Wanna Be My Chammak Challo. But Shahrukh understands that the shooting of Bodyguard cannot be left in between.

Apparently, Kareena has already spoken to Shahrukh about the time management problem and has decided that as soon as the shooting of Bodyguard completes, she will make sure that she remains available for the long tour promotion campaign of Ra.One, planned by Shahrukh.

Confirming the news, Kareena’s spokesperson is quoted as saying: “She’ll be joining Shahrukh soon for the promotions and that will happen as soon as she finishes the schedule of Bodyguard. She’s quite excited with the way the film has turned out.”


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Buddha Hoga Tera Baap (2011): First Look and Mp3 Downloads

Release Date: July 1, 2011

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Language: Hindi

Genre: Action

Director: Poori Jagannath

Star Cast:
Amitabh Bachchan
Raveena Tandon…… Special Appearance
Hema Malini
Minissha Lamba
Sonal Chauhan
Neha Sharma
Sonu Sood
Prakash Raj
Charmi
Mahie Gill
Makrand Deshpande
Shahwar Ali
Rajeev Mehta
Rajeev Varma
Vishwajeet Pradhan
Atul Parchure

Singers: Amitabh Bachchan

Music Director: Shekhar Ravjiani, Vishal Dadlani

Costume: Nahid Shah

Ragini MMS Movie Review

Cast: Kainaaz Motiwala, Raj Kumar Yadav

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Director: Pavan Kriplani

In 'Ragini MMS', a young couple head off to an abandoned bungalow on the outskirts of the city so they can finally have some privacy and do the nasty. Uday (played by 'Love Sex aur Dhokha's Raj Kumar Yadav) has previously arranged to have every corner of the house rigged with video cameras so he can secretly film his steamy encounter with Ragini (played by Kainaz Motivala) and hand over the footage to a shady producer who has promised him a film role in return.

By the time he's able to shoo away her friends who dropped in for a surprise visit, Uday can barely keep it in his pants any longer. The couple retires to the upstairs bedroom and just as things start to get hot and heavy, an angry spirit decides to make its presence felt.

Director Pavan Kriplani relies on familiar tropes to deliver plenty jump-in-your seat moments, but he disregards the genre's most important rule - don't show the ghost; what you don't see is always more scary. But because he does show the ghost - and so many times in fact - much of the thrill of watching this film is diluted.

The movie benefits from an inspired performance by Raj Kumar Yadav as the short-fused, profanity-spouting cad who's desperate to exploit his shy but eager-to-please girlfriend. Borrowing visual references generously from previous hits like 'Paranormal Activity', 'The Blair Witch Project' and so many Ramgopal Varma offerings, 'Ragini MMS' delivers very little in terms of novelty. Still, in constructing a story around sex and scares, the makers of this film adopt Hollywood's foolproof B-movie formula and come up with a watchable but ultimately over-long adult movie.

I'm going with two-and-a-half out of five for Ragini MMS. It's nothing you haven't seen before, but it keeps you engaged for most of its 100-minute running time.


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Rating: 2.5 / 5

Haunted 3D Review

Cast: Mahaakshay Chakraborty, Tia Bajpai, Achint Kaur

Director: Vikram Bhatt

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How do you not laugh when the horror film you’re meant to be watching, unexpectedly turns into a comedy? 'Haunted', directed by Vikram Bhatt in 3D no less, is about a young man (played by Mimoh Chakraborty, now rechristened Mahaakshay) who comes to learn that the sprawling home he’s been put in charge of, has spirits running around inside for the last 80 years or so.

Turns out a horny piano teacher (played by Arif Zakaria) tried to get cozy with an unwilling female student (played by newcomer Tia Bajpai) who killed him in the process. Borrowing a page out of 'The Entity' his spirit then proceeded to return and rape the girl repeatedly, till she killed herself a few days later. Decades on, the spirit of the teacher continues to rape the spirit of that girl in our hero’s home, which explains all that screaming and shrieking. Wait, there’s more: Our hero who by now has oddly fallen for this girl (or her spirit, more precisely!), makes a trip back into the past so he can change the poor girl’s destiny.

If you’re willing to overlook the consistently wooden performances and the ridiculous dialogue in this film, there is fun to be had here. Like that scene after our hero has gone back into the past, when he’s showing the young lady some cool dance moves and some nifty cell-phone tricks. There’s something endearing about characters so cheerfully dumb that they’d sit outside in the dark and amuse themselves when they know there’s a spirit out there hungry to rape one of them. I wanted to scream out aloud: "Woman, you’re about to get raped! And it’s not even like you don’t know it’s going to happen! Get inside!"

To be fair, Bhatt sets up an ominous mood and uses special effects impressively. There are some particularly well-executed scenes in which a dead caretaker character (played by Achint Kaur) wreaks much havoc like leaping out of a forest to attack the protagonists, and walking sideways down a tree to scare the living daylights out of them.

For the most part Bhatt exploits the 3D to make things jump out at you, and while it’s not as much as fun as the last 'Final Destination' movie, there are moments that will make you leap in your seat.

I’m going with two out of five for director Vikram Bhatt’s 'Haunted'. You’ll be laughing hard for hours after you’ve watched this film. Not what you expect from horror, is it?



Rating: 2 / 5

Shaitan Review

Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Kalki Koechlin, Shiv Pandit, Kirti Kulhari, Gulshan Deviaya, Neil Bhoopalam

Director: Bejoy Nambiar

Hindi cinema seldom makes films about unapologetically amoral characters. The protagonists in director Bejoy Nambiar's 'Shaitan' are a group of five wayward youngsters who snort cocaine, get drunk, and drive around recklessly through the streets of Mumbai. This is a group of mostly 'poor-little-rich-kids' who're emotionally estranged from their families. When they mow down two innocent people in a rash-driving accident, they must come up with big money to close the case. Going to their parents is not an option; hence one of them, Amy (played by Kalki Koechlin), an NRI with unresolved mommy issues, suggests that her friends fake her kidnapping so they can demand ransom from her dad. Expectedly their plan spirals wildly out of control, and that's when the devil inside each of them decides to rear its ugly head.

First-time-feature director Nambiar tells his story confidently and stylishly, and uses various narrative devices like voice-overs and flashbacks-within-flashbacks to keep things from getting predictable. One of the film's most exciting sequences is a shootout and subsequent chase in a crowded chawl cut to a remixed version of the classic song 'Khoya khoya chand'.

But Nambiar punctures the narrative repeatedly with Kalki's visions of her mother, and those flashbacks serve no purpose but to justify and apologize for Kalki's eccentric personality, which in turn is a disservice to the very bravura of this film. It's hard also to connect with these characters or empathize with their condition when Nambiar seems to be putting all his effort into distracting you with his fancy technical skills.

He has more luck when he shifts his focus to the track involving the tightly wound cop (played by Rajeev Khandelwal) who remains unfalteringly committed to his job, even as his marriage is coming apart. There is a smoldering intensity to those wordless scenes in which Khandelwal watches his wife leave their home, or when he loses his patience with a bureaucratic officer in the divorce court. Khandelwal is easily this film's biggest strength, and even his tiniest moments have something to offer - like that scene in which he kicks a resistant auto-rickshaw driver into action.

The film's other key weapon is its remarkable soundtrack that is credited to as many as five composers. Nambiar uses music cleverly to maximize dramatic impact. Of the central cast, the three boys - Neil Bhoopalam as Zubin, Shiv Pandit as the rakishly charming Dash, and Gulshan Devaiya as KC - get a better shot than the girls at realizing their characters. But the film itself goes south post intermission, with giant loopholes in the plot and repetitive scenes, not to mention that cop-out climax. What could have been a terrific, thrilling film is ultimately an impressive first-time feature. Nevertheless, Nambiar makes a confident debut and delivers a brave, engaging film that shouldn't be missed.

I'm going with three out of five for director Bejoy Nambiar's 'Shaitan'. It isn't as daring as Anurag Kashyap's debut 'Paanch' whose themes it clearly mirrors, but it's got many moments that'll surprise you.

Rating: 3 / 5

Pyaar ka Punchnama Review

Cast: Raayo Bakhirta, Nushrat Bharucha, Sonali Sehgal, Ishitta Sharma, Divyendu Sharma, Kartikeya Tiwari

Director: Luv Ranjan
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Disguised as a light-hearted comedy, 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' is such a misogynistic film that you can't help but wonder if it was made by someone who's had his heart brutally stamped on by a woman. The plot is centred on three male roommates in Delhi who can't stop moaning about their dull jobs and boring lives. When each of them falls in love, things begin to look up. But director Luv Ranjan offers female leads that are such scheming, insensitive shrews that the boys quickly realize bachelor life wasn't so bad after all.

The film starts off promisingly enough, focusing on the 'bromance' between the three boys. Liquid (played by Divyendu Sharma) is a job-hating nerd, Chaudhary (played by Rayo Bhakirta) is a brooding guitarist who practically lives in his undies, and Rajat (played by Kartikeya Tiwari) is the funny one. They cuss at each other and rib the geeky one endlessly, but there's inherent warmth in the relationship that's reminiscent of 'Dil Chahta Hai'.

Unfortunately it all goes downhill when the women show up. Liquid falls for a manipulative co-worker who exploits his goodness, Chaudhary doesn't know where he stands with his girlfriend who can't seem to shake off her ex, and Rajat makes the fatal mistake of moving in with an attention-seeking harridan.

Aside from one surprisingly insightful outburst by Rajat in the film's second half where he explains why men can never win against the fairer sex, 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' is neither smart nor particularly funny. It falls into a repetitive rut of petty squabbles between the boys and their partners, and the women are singled out as the villains of the piece. Of course it doesn't help that the three actresses - Nushrat Bharucha, Sonali Sehgal and Ishitta Sharma - don't have one acting bone between them; and to top that, they're so unflatteringly photographed it's hard to understand what our heroes see in them.

'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' is positioned as a comic take on real urban relationships, but the jokes are mostly lame, and the conflicts so exaggerated that it doesn't work on any level. At best, Divyendu Sharma gets a few laughs out of you in the early scenes, but it's not enough to put yourself through the misery of enduring this interminably long film.

I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for director Luv Ranjan's 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama'. It's about as much fun as walking on broken glass.


Rating: 1.5 / 5

404 Error Review

Cast: Rajvvir Aroraa, Imaad Shah, Nishikant Kamath

Director: Prawaal Raman

'404', directed by Prawaal Raman, is the third film in three weeks that features the spirit of a dead person as a prominent character.

Set on a medical campus, this psychological thriller stars newcomer Rajvvir Aroraa as Abhimanyu, a freshman who stands up against the harsh ragging meted out to younger students at the hands of college seniors. When campus bully Chris (played by Imaad Shah) disregards Abhimanyu's complaints and continues to harass the juniors, our young hero decides to move into Room 404 of the college hostel. This room has remained locked since a student committed suicide inside a few years ago. Rejecting his friends' theories that the room is haunted, and insisting that he doesn't believe in ghosts and spirits, Abhimanyu earns the respect of the visiting psychology professor (played by Nishikant Kamath) who encourages him to falsify these supernatural stories. But as the ragging only intensifies, Abhimanyu finds himself being visited by the spirit of the room's last occupant, leaving him to question what is real and what is imagined.

Ominously shot, but without the standard tropes of bad horror films, '404' unfolds a little too lazily for its own good. Director Prawaal Raman relies heavily on atmospherics and gives us a moody thriller for the most part, till too much dialoguebaazi undoes all the good. There is some nice understated acting too, but the film never succeeds in spooking you out completely because of its overbearing background score.

I'm going with two-and-a-half out of five for director Prawaal Raman's '404'. It's tense and eerily treated; and it almost works.

Rating: 2.5 / 5

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Ready Movie Review

Cast: Salman Khan, Asin, Paresh Rawal, Arya Babbar, Mahesh Manjrekar

Director: Anees Bazmee

Earlier this week while interviewing Asin, I joked to her that it was probably futile on my part to ask about her role in 'Ready'. She said she was relieved I wasn't taking the film too seriously: "It's an Anees Bazmee film, I play the female lead opposite Salman Khan. What else is there to say?" Not much, you reckon as you sit there in your seat watching 'Ready', and waiting for a joke - any joke, even half funny - to draw a laugh out of you.

'Ready' is strictly for die-hard Salman Khan fans (are there any other kind?) who're willing to forgive the fact that this tasteless, senseless film has no plot to speak of, yet lazily unfolds over two hours and thirty minutes. Director Anees Bazmee asks very little of his charming star: flash a few adorable smiles, romance the girl, beat up the bad guys, and don't forget to take your shirt off. It's an indifferent performance from an actor who showed us only last year that he can be riveting if he so much as makes the slightest effort. Remember 'Dabangg'?

The problem with 'Ready' is that the film doesn't even try. It's depressing to think that Salman would use his considerable star wattage to get such a lousy film made, which in turn only tarnishes his own brand. This film's wafer-thin story involves Salman falling in love with Asin, then trying to reconcile her two criminal uncles who have fallen out with each other. You're expected to laugh in a scene where little boys line up on a balcony and pee on the villains; and dialogues like "Main kutta hoon, yeh meri kuttiya hai" are meant to be funny.

To describe this film as paisa vasool or time pass is to confess that you really don't have a life. Because apart from two energetically filmed songs - 'Character dheela hai' and 'Dhinka chika' - this film offers little by way of entertainment. Salman Khan fans, I assure you that reruns of his 'Dus Ka Dum' episodes on Youtube are more likely to make you smile than this agonisingly boring film that wastes the charm of its immensely charismatic star.

I'm going with a generous one-and-a-half out of five for director Anees Bazmee's 'Ready'. Salman Khan deserves better than this. And so do we!

Rating: 2.0/ 5

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Is Ready another Dabangg for Sallu Bhai??

New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) Last year it was his rural action-drama "Dabangg" that broke the dry spell at the box office by earning Rs.48.25 crore in the opening weekend, and this year Salman Khan's comedy "Ready" has brought the much needed respite at the box office by grossing Rs.41 crore over the weekend.

Trade pundits, however, admit that "Ready" is not on par with "Dabangg" in terms of content and appeal and many not enjoy a long innings at the box office, but it is an entertaining film and got a good opening.

"Ready has had a good opening. The occupancy has been 90-95 percent. It is more of a family entertainer. One would not see the kind of action that was in 'Dabangg' and 'Wanted'," Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (Cinemas) of Wave Cinemas told IANS.

"Salman is perfect in the film he has done full justice to his character. Asin, is also good in the film," he added.

In contrast to Rs.18 crore "Dabangg", a small town cop drama shot in Wai in Maharashtra and partly in the UAE, "Ready", shot entirely in Thailand, is expensive, has an urban setting and is said to have cost Rs.50 crore.

Released on 1,900 screens, 'Ready' earned Rs.13.5 crore on the opening day, Rs.12.5 crore on Saturday, and Rs.15 crore on Sunday.

"People are enjoying the film a lot, specially Salman Khan, although the shows have not been back-to-back houseful like 'Dabangg' and 'Wanted'. The audis have witnessed 80 percent occupancy," said a source in PVR.

Shot in the exotic locales of Thailand, the film is about happy-go-lucky guy Prem (Salman). He mistakenly helps a girl Sanjana (Asin Thottumkal) escape from marriage and later falls for her. Paresh Rawal, Arya Babbar and Mahesh Manjeraker also feature in it.

Just like Salman's 2008 hit "Wanted", his "Ready" is performing much better in single screen theatres. Confirming this, Piyush Raizada of Delite Cinemas said their shows are going houseful.

"The response to 'Ready' is terrific. Till now, our shows are going housefull. Everyone is appreciating Salman's acting. It is too early to say whether the film will be as big as 'Dabangg' because today, every day counts because of the number of shows being played today," he said.

At a time when most of the big-budgets, with big names like Akshay Kumar starrer "Patiala House", Abhishek Bachchan's "Game" and "Dum Maaro Dum" failed to stir the box office, Salman's magic worked again as "Ready" has brought smiles on the faces of distributors, cinema hall owners and audiences alike.

"I really enjoyed the film. Salman is really good. The first half is a bit boring but the film picks up after the interval and I couldn't stop laughing till the end," said Madhu Verma, a housewife.

College student Priya Chawla liked it so much that she wants to watch it again.

"I found the movie extremely entertaining from the very first scene. Some of the one liners are hilarious and they could become popular pick-up lines. Salman is superb with his comic timing. I plan to watch it again," she said.

Last year too, when the box office was reeling under flops, Salman bailed it out with "Dabangg" and conquered it not only by earning the maximum profits of reportedly Rs.145 crore, but scooped the maximum awards, including a National Award for the best entertainer of the year.

Ritika Sinha, also a college sudent, said the film lacks focus, but has some really good punch lines.

Trade pundits, however, admitted that "Ready" will not enjoy long stay at the box office like "Dabangg".

"The film doesn't seem to sustain for long. We are looking at the occupancy. If it drops down to 50 percent then we will put another film. However, film is doing really well on single screens," said the source from PVR.

Piyush Raizada said: "Gone are the days when films had to run for many days to be declared a hit. Today, in two to three weeks a film is declared a hit."

Hrithik Roshan gets bulkier for Karan Johar's Agneepath remake

Actor Hrithik Roshan is working out hard for his looks in the upcoming film Agneepath remake. The actor will look bulkier in the film. Reportedly, he will add up 12 kilos of more muscles to look more bigger in Karan Johar's Agneepath.

Reportedly, the actor has bought more gym equipments worth lakhs of rupees for his personal gym. Hrithik has been working out for three hours daily with his trainer Satyajit Chourasia despite his hectic shooting schedule.

Satya told Mid Day, "Hrithik wants to look bigger and heavier than he normally does. He expanded his earlier gym last month to include eight new work-out machines which include chest and leg presses, rowing machines and a cable crossover machine which is like a small gym in itself and includes all body exercises. He used to be 70 kgs and has now gained eight kilos. We are now aiming for 84 kgs".

Hrithik, however, will not be putting on flab, he is working more on bodybuilding for gaining more of a muscle mass. Satya explains that with proper and regular work-outs Hrithik needs proper sleep, correct nutrition, knowledge, motivation and dedication to attain the goal.

The trainer adds, "We will improve and bring variations in exercises for faster results. Specific exercises and circuit training are given for specific body parts. Hrithik does a lot of functional training freehand exercises using body weight like gymnasts and also yoga for flexibility. I have worked with Hrithik since Lakshya. This is the first time I have seen him so bulked up after having a lean and sharp physique".

Salman Khan learns from the real bodyguards for his new movie BODYGUARD

Actor Salman Khan is leaving no stone unturned for this year's Eid release, the remake of the south super hit, Bodyguard. Salman watched the last two World Cup cricket matches very intently to follow the security men in the stadium, who were managing the VVIPs.

Salman observed the bodyguards of the VVIPs and the SPG (Special Protection Group). He tried to follow the body language and ways of these highly trained security personnel in charge of the security for the Prime Minister and Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

He noticed how these bodyguards manage the VVIPs through the crowd and how they move about in the crowded situation and also how these bodyguards take care of these important people.

Salman wanted to give a natural touch to his character as a bodyguard in the film, therefore he made sure he learns a lot from the real bodyguard to do justice to his role. Says producer Atul Agnihotri to PTI, "Salman Khan wanted to know the body language of the SPG. These guys are trained to blend and protect Z plus personalities. All protection is an eye play. Salman, though not a franatic cricket buff,watched the Indo-Pak match without missing a second."

Cricket Worldcup Final 2011 Match Summary

Match Summary (India Won by 6 Wickets)

Sri Lanka Inning– 274/6 in 50 Overs

M.Jayawardne- 103*

K.Sangakkara–48

Yuvraj Singh– 10-0-49-2

Z.Khan- 10-3-60-2

India Inning– 277/4 in 48.2 Overs

G.Gambhir- 97

M.S.Dhoni – 91*

L.Malinga– 9-0-42-2
T.Dilshan- 5-0-27-1


FULL SCORECARD-
http://cricket.bozzmob.com/?BozzMob=/cricket-archive/scorecard/2215/0

Sreesanth not satisfied with performance in WC final

Temperamental pacer S Sreesanth, who gave away 52 runs in 8 overs in the final of the ICC World Cup against Sri Lanka, on Monday said he was "not satisfied" with his performance.

 Talking to reporters at the airport after arriving from Mumbai, Sreesanth said, however, he was "extremely happy" to have been a a member of the title-winning squad and also pleased to have played in the final.
Sreesanth was a surprise pick for the tie, being chosen ahead of spinner R Ashwin following an injury to first-choice pacer Ashish Nehra.
He was received at the airport by his parents Santhakumaran Nair and Savithri Devi and officials of the Kerala Cricket Association and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, who bought him in the IPL auction in January. 

ICC confirms World Cup slashed to 10 teams

The world governing body endorsed the move at an executive board meeting in Mumbai, following Saturday's thrilling World Cup final when India lifted the trophy after a tournament featuring 14 teams.
"The executive board confirmed their decision made in October 2010 that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand and the ICC Cricket World Cup in England in 2019 will be a 10-team event," a media release said.
The move comes despite support from prominent figures for "minnow" nations such as Ireland, Kenya, Canada and the Netherlands, all of whom took part in the 2011 edition.
Ireland pulled off one of the shocks of the just-concluded tournament jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka when they came from behind to beat England by three wickets in a thrilling group stage clash.
"I really enjoy seeing the minnow teams getting an opportunity to be honest," Australia captain Michael Clarke said on Monday, echoing earlier comments by England spinner Graeme Swann.
"Why would you want to take the world out of the World Cup? Shocks can happen," Swann told Wisden Cricket magazine.
Cricket Ireland set up a Facebook campaign against the decision, which the body's chief executive Warren Deutrom called "frankly outrageous".
"I cannot think of a decision which is less cognisant of the principles of sport and fair play than the one that has been taken today," he said, in comments posted on the Irish Times website.
"It absolutely flies in the face of all the evidence that has been possible to accrue over the last four years as regards Ireland's performances, not just in the World Cup in 2007 but also in this World Cup and the intervening four years."
The decision means the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be contested by full ICC members: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
The 2019 edition in England will also include 10 teams, but there will be a qualifying process.
The latest World Cup had been criticised for its length, after it stretched over six weeks from February 19 to April 2.

[source:Yahoo Cricket]

Dabangg 2 shootings postponed to 2012

 The sequel of 2010 blockbuster film Dabangg is one of the biggest news today. The recent news to the shooting of the film informs that Dabangg 2 project which was supposed to take off in December 2011, will now go on floors only in March 2012.

Producer Arbaaz Khan, who will also be directing the film, instead of the original Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap, doesn't want to take any kind of risk with Dabangg 2. He wants to take time and live up to the expectations that the audience have from the film sequel.

The script of the sequel is being worked upon and a lot of things are still remains to be finalized. Arbaaz views that between November and February there are a lot of festivals and holidays, which will affect the shooting of the film, therefore March schedule will be proper for seriousness of the project.

Arbaaz has managed to get actor Salman Khan's dates for March 2012. Hope the sequel turns out to be a bigger hit than Dabangg.

Murder 2 shooting stopped by MNS

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has done it again, they have once again interfered in the functioning of Bollywood. Reportedly, MNS Party workers barge in on the sets of the film Murder 2 at Film City on Friday. The producer of the film Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt did not give in for their demands and called the cops for rescue.

Mahesh Bhatt told to TOI, “They came in on the pretext of examining cards of the unit members which is not their mandate. The authority to examine unit members' cards belongs to the Film Federation and Cine Aritstes Association. Mohit panicked and so he called me. I sent a message to Commissioner of Police, Arun Patnaik, who acted promptly. I also spoke to the Home Minister, R R Patil. I just fail to understand how anybody can get into a state owned property like Film City and disrupt an on-going shoot. And mind you this is happening often these days.”

Director Mohit Suri, who was present at the scene couldn't handle the situation and called the Bhatts for help. Then the cops were called. When Mahesh was questioned why the MNS would do this, he revealed, “The MNS has started interfering in the film industry as if they have the power to do so. They want us to work with their people. Many other film producers have been subjected to harassment of a similar kind. But we shall not bow down to their demands to have their party people employed in the film industry. It's our choice who we want to work with. Political interference of any kind, in this regard, is simply uncalled for."

Bel Ami makers worried about Robert Pattinson's role

Robert Pattinson's role of a corrupt journalist in the upcoming film Bel Ami has become a reason to worry for the makers of the film. They feel that his portrayal in the film may not go well with a section of people.

Robert Pattinson plays a unethical journalist in Bel Ami. His character in the film manipulates his way by seducing a rich women to reach the top position. The makers of the film are sceptic about the market, as they are not sure about how fans would accept him in this role. Especially female fans, who love to see him in good characters, may not like the actor doing baddie's role.

The actor has also expressed the same on his role in Bel Ami. He has said that they have done complete justice to the novel. He said: “We were really true to the book and because the guy is basically a s**t who wins everything at the end it’s really difficult to market it – especially with me in it”, reports the Contactmusic.

However, the movie features Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and Kristen Scott Thomas in the key roles. The movie is directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod. It is produced by Simon Fuller and distributed by Optimum Releasing.

First Official Hangover 2 Poster hits the net

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group has released the first official poster for their upcoming comedy The Hangover: Part II. The poster was launched via the studio's official Facebook page. It has received mixed response from various websites and newspapers.

Now, Wolfpack is back for a second installment, which is set to hit screens in May. The poster of The Hangover: Part II, which is the sequel to the 2009 break-out hit, shows Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and a giggling monkey. It fakes the actors' faces look in the one-sheet.

It is all about the fun foursome, who set out on tour to Thailand for Stu's wedding, but end up in a spot of bother after a quiet pre-wedding lunch turns into anything. The film also features cameos from Liam Neeson and Ken Jeong, while Mike Tyson is back to reprise his role.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 first look out

The much-awaited first official poster of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has been released by the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group at the CinemaCon in Los Vegas on Thursday. Meanwhile, the studio has also premiered the first trailer of last installment of Harry Potter series on the occasion.

Jeff Robinov, Ryan Reynolds and Todd Phillips participated in the final presentation from a studio at the convention on Thursday. Warners Bros. was the last studio to present footage from its upcoming films at the CinemaCon. However, the studio has planned lots of promotional activities for the film as it is the last franchise in the Harry Potter series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find and destroy Voldemort's final horcruxes, but when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.

127 Hours

Director Danny Boyle's much-hyped movie 127 Hours, which was released on November 12, 2010 in US, has hit the screens in India yesterday ( January 26). The Hollywood thriller has got positive review from 93% critics in US. James Franco's performance has received lots of appreciation from them. Moreover, the movie has snatched several nominations in Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe awards in the categories like best story, best screenplay, best actor and best music. It is a bravura piece of film-making that captures the resilience of the human spirit. Truly! It deserves all these awards.

Buzz up!
The film 127 Hours is an action movie with a guy, who cannot move. It is movie made on real-life incident of Aron Ralston and is an adaptation of Ralston's book 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' James Franco's acting is the main attraction of the movie. AR Rahman music score, breath-taking cinematography and excellent storyline are its other highlights.


When most of the Hollywood deals with imaginary science fiction, Danny Boyle can not stop himself from making movies on real incidents. In his previous, the director has heavily focused on physical pain, mental paranoia and personal treachery faced by the hero. Now, he has returned with a same subject in 127 Hours too.

The movie is all about mountain climber Aron Ralston, whose remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crushes his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Canyonlands National Park of Utah. Director Danny Boyle re-creates this true story of survival with incredible brio. By using flashbacks, hallucinations and kinetic editing, Boyle transforms a necessarily static situation into a collage in which we get to see a man pondering his imminent demise and discovering whether he has what it takes to save himself.

Aron Ralston (James Franco), a mountain climber, embarks on a wilderness jaunt in a Utah national park without informing anyone where he was going. After a frenetic couple of hours on a mountain bike, he continues on foot and meets Megan (Amber Tamblyn) and Kristi (Kate Mara), who are lost. But in a freak accident, he is literally stuck between a rock and a hard place trapped by his forearm between a boulder and a cliff-face. Over the five six days, with no sign of rescue and his water having run out, the brutal solution to his ghastly predicament became increasingly clear.

Promising actor James Franco has delivered a hair raising performance that matches Danny Boyle's technical brilliance with a mesmerising depiction of Ralston's strange internal journey. AR Rahman's music has also boosted the strength of Boyle's gory conclusion. The amputation scene is the handiwork of makeup artist Tony Gardner and his team. It is made with medically accurate in every minute detail. Multiple cameras are used to shoot the entire scene. Camerawork is really excellent in this scene.

All in all, 127 Hours has neither a message, nor a metaphorical meaning. It just deals with terrible story of Aron Ralston's magnificent survival. But it is an exciting, touching and visually compelling film.

Producer: Christian Colson, John Smithson, Danny Boyle, Sharan Kapoor

Director: Danny Boyle

Cast: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Clémence Poésy, Lizzy Caplan, Treat Williams, Kate Burton

Music: AR Rahman

Cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak

Burlesque - Movie Review: Watch it for Cher’s performance

Burlesque tells the story of a retired dancer Tess (Cher), who owns the Burlesque Lounge. It is about her struggle to keep the theatre alive among artistic and financial challenges.

In the meantime, Ali Rose (Christina Aguilera) enters the scene with a small town background. She leaves her waitress gown to prove her talent on stage. She approaches Tess and tries to impress her with failed attempts. However, she gets selected a waitress by Tess. But the big dream of Ali and her vocal range impresses pianist Jack (Cam Gigandet), who allows her to crash at his place.


One day, Ali’s talent is unveiled by Nikki (Kristen Bell) and she turns centre of attraction of a shrewd businessman named Marcus Gerber (Eric Dane). Gerber wants to acquire the lounge from Tess but this does not go well with Jack, who is not sure about his feelings for Ali.

Cher has performed well but Aguilera was at her best vocal form often shouting her undisputed vocal prowess. It has a very predictable storyline with some clichés taking the story forward. Stanley Tucci offers a great performance as the manager Sean, who stands as a pillar of strength for Tess. It is a treat for the homosexual fans of Cher.

Director: Steve Antin

Cast: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Alan Cumming, Cam Gigandet, Kristen Bell, Eric Dane, Stanley Tucci.

Rating: **1/2

Sucker Punch - Movie Review: a stunning visual treat

Hollywood movie Sucker Punch is a passion project of director Zack Snyder, who has produced, directed and co-written the story and screenplay with Steve Shibuya for it. It is an interesting fantasy film, which is completely an original flick by Snyder. It has been done with a great in-depth and is definitely a visually stunning film, which is fairly impressive to watch.

Sucker Punch, which has been rated PG-13, has the plot within the plot within the plot. It is a fantasy world within a fantasy world within a fantasy world. It is a mess on many levels and is a fairly hard film to review. There is a main plot very loosely dispersed throughout the movie, but it is so muddled by the other layers that it is very hard to tell what is actually going on.

Sucker Punch is all about how a girl named Baby Doll, who has been lobotomised due to her stepfather's greed and how she escapes from the asylum. Snyder, who helmed such techno-thrill adventures as Watchmen, lets his imagination run riot again in this ultra-violent potboiler that unravels like an expensive video game. He has worked extra hard to insert high outlook into every single. His brain is geared towards directing and visuals.

The mother of Baby Doll (Emily Browning) dies leaving behind her estate to her two daughters in 1955. But Baby Doll is institutionalized by her stepfather at the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane after accidentally shooting her sister while trying to prevent him from molesting them. He even bribes asylum’s orderly Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac) to lobotomise her before she reveals the reality. She has five days before the Doctor (John Hamm) arrives to lobotomize her. She befriends Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung) in the asylum. How she escapes from there along with them with the advice of Wise Man (Scott Glenn) will form the rest of the story.

Zack Snyder has been in his characterisation and has given enough scope to explore its strength. Although all character looks like an angel does not appear to be in real wold, each has its own strength and credibility to make the audience sit back and watch the movie till its end. The director is also successful in tapping out the right kind of acting from all the actors like Emily Browning, Oscar Isaa, John Hamm, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung and Scott Glenn.

Sucker Punch has sound technical elements Larry Fong's cinematography is excellent. The plot is just something that is there to explain the visuals in the same way that a video game and the camera never stops moving. There is never a scene without multiple things going on and it is hard to follow. It is like watching the world through the eyes of a hyper-active kid. Tyler Bates and Marius de Vries' music is mind(less)blowing. William Hoy's editing is also commendable.

Overall, Sucker Punch is a fantasy world. It is a video game and has massive fights, which do look great. Moreover, it has a message that each human being has some tools, but he/she has to decide what is worth fighting for. All the character and scenes are symbolic. It is a mindblowing entertainment and Snyder is to be commended for attempting to do something totally original. It is a visual feast.

Producer: Zack Snyder

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac

Music: Tyler Bates and Marius de Vries

Scriptwriter: Zack Snyder and Steve Shibuya

John Travolta to play notorious John Gotti

John Travolta is all set to play the role of mobster John Gotti in his biopic Gotti: Three Generations. The movie is mainly based on the relationship of John Gotti Sr, and his son John Gotti Jr.

John Gotti was a mob boss, who was the head of Gambino crime family. Now, Leo Rossi has etched his role, which is reportedly played by John Travolta. The movie is directed by Nick Cassavetes.

It may be recalled that Nick Cassavetes and John Travolta have worked together in Face/Off. However, The major part of the film will be shot in New York and it is produced by Marc Fiore.

Hugh Jackman searching for new director for Wolverine

Actor Hugh Jackman is quite optimistic about his upcoming Wolverine movie, which is sequel to X-Men series, despite facing several problem. Sources claim that the Hollywood star is now in search of new director for the film after director Darren Aronofsky was dropped out of the film.

It is reported that the production of Wolverine sequel is facing a few problems. The story was set to have Wolverine combating ninjas and samurais. It was to be shoot in Japan, but recent flooding and earthquake disasters has now posed threat for the production of film. But Jackman remains optimistic that the film will be able to get underway soon.

However, Hugh Jackman recently made an appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Addressing his fans, the actor has reportedly revealed his fans that the search for a new director is on. The production house is determined to find a good director, who will be committed for the project.

Shahrukh brings the Don quality effortlessly- Farhan

Lately away from media focus, actor-director-singer-producer Farhan Akhtar speaks to Subhash K Jha

How has life been lately?
Hectic. Everything is going great. 2010 just swished by. It was an exhausting year. I am hoping that all the hard work pays off this year. Fortunately, my wife and daughters could join me during my long schedules in Spain (for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) and Berlin (Don 2).

Do you get to spend enough time with your daughters?
How do you define 'enough'? They're happy children. The older one is a lot aware of what I do. She has begun to understand what I do. As of now she's more reactive to the music in my cinema. Even the younger one loves the Rock On music. Now both my daughters are into the music of Zoya's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD).

How was the long first schedule of Don 2-The Chase Continues in Berlin?
I haven't really figured out the full title. As of now it's just Don 2. It follows Shahrukh's character into a different adventure. Yes, the character has grown.

Will there be a Don 3?
Yes, why not? Let's see. I do enjoy making Don. Right now I'm just happy creating a whole new story for this character. It's a big challenge for me. We are 60 percent done with Don.

Is it more action-oriented than the first Don?
I don't know how to answer that. There was action in that one, there's action in this one. I hate saying things like, 'You've never seen anything like this before.' Yeah there are action sequences where Don being Don is up to no good.

What was you equation like with Shahrukh this time?
I feel in terms of his real-life personality Don, suits Shahrukh to the hilt. In real life too there's a certain flamboyance and magnetism about Shahrukh. He brings these qualities effortlessly to the part. Also, like me, he has great respect and love for the original Don (featuring Amitabh Bachchan). At the same time he gives the character his own spin. In the second Don we've taken some of the essence of what Shahrukh did in the first Don. But we've also given him some new things to do.

You wear so many hats. Are comfortable with all your roles?
I guess. I've no regrets about any of my roles. It's been more than two years since my acting debut in Rock On. Its impact lingers. However, I genuinely feel my dad (Javed Akhtar) did not get enough credit for the lyrics he wrote in Rock On. After such a long time these were songs that were so non-situational. Without any reference point he wrote lyrics that were so contagious and identifiable…Of course everyone loved the music of Rock On. But my dad's calibre of writing in the songs didn't get its due.

In 2010 you were directed by your sister Zoya in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD). How was the experience?
Yeah, all of us-Zoya, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin and me…became this little commune travelling across Spain. We travelled a lot. Spain has everything from beaches to mountains. So far only Bollywood songs have been shot in Spain. There's a serious change in topography as you drive through. The important thing was for us to look like we belong to one group

All of you do look very Hispanic?
(Thinks) Come to think of it we do have a similar skin-tone and hair. And the Spanish crew was wonderful. What's most important is that we were working with like-minded people. We made sure every scene was fun. Abhay, Hrithik and I spent a lot of time together. We really had some serious fun. Hrithik I knew for a long time. Abhay I got to know during this film. He's a very cool guy.

ZNMD looks like the last part of your trilogy on male bonding after Dil Chahta Hai and Rock On?
Funny, you say that. And why the last? No, I don't have any major fascination with cinema on male bonding. Dil Chahta Hai is the only script I wrote on the theme. Gattu (Abhishek Kapoor) wrote Rock On a fab script about a rock band. Zoya's script for ZNMD is about three guys on the verge of making commitments in life.

Don't you think Abhishek Kapoor and Zoya were influenced by Dil Chahta Hai?
They never told me. I never asked them. I know both liked Dil Chahta Hai very much.

How was it being directing by your sister a second time?
In Zoya's Luck By Chance I was a sneaky social climber. In ZNMD it's a sea-change. I play this guy who for the longest time takes nothing seriously. I am not even rich and I don't pretend to be. I'm just happy being the way I am. I got to just let my hair down. Many moments in this film gave me a chance to have lots of fun. After Rock On, Luck By Chance and Kartik Calling Kartik which were all serious angst-laden characters in ZNMD I play a fun character.

So you had fun doing the film?
Not just me. All of us. It was the nature of the script. There was so much improvisation. There was only so much that could be put on paper. So yeah we did improvise. We participated in the Tomatino festival in Spain.

And a bull fight?
Let me clarify that once and for all. There's no bullfight in ZNMD. We had animal-rights organizations questioning us about it. We sent them a letter saying there was no such thing. We did participate in a Running With The Bulls festival. No bulls got injured in that. We shot it in a completely controlled environment. We plan to release it at the end of May.

Reema Kagti's film starring Aamir Khan which you are producing must be very expensive considering Mr Khan doesn't come cheap?
No it's not that expensive. It's a very straightforward thriller. It doesn't demand an expensive treatment. The final cast is Aamir, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee. And we have a host of other good actors in other roles

What about your singing?
All three of us Hrithik, Abhay and I, have sung in ZNMD. It's a party situation. It seemed interesting to lend our own voices to our characters. It's turned out really really well. I am very excited. That's the only song I've sung in a movie this year. Otherwise I am constantly singing in real life. I was singing before this interview. I'll be singing after we're done.

If that's a hint I am not taking it.
(Laughs) Seriously I enjoy singing, though I haven't sung for anyone else on screen apart from myself.

Why not? You get so many offers including one from A R Rahman.
It's not because I am possessive about my voice. I don't know if my voice will work on anyone else. I feel my singing adds to my performances. I don't know if it would add to other actors' performances. In Kartik Calling Kartik I didn't see my singing adding to my character, so I didn't. If I feel really kicked about singing for someone else, I will. Singing is not a profession for me. As of now I'll sing only for myself.

Do you also look into the individual productions that emerge from your banner, or do you leave that to your partner Ritesh Sidhwani?
Ritesh deals with the day-to-day decisions. But the larger decisions, we sit and discuss. Our formula for success? To focus relentlessly on telling a good story. To me that's really important. People remember a good story. Filmmaking begins for me with finding a good story.

Tanu Weds Manu Review: a feel good entertainer

I have often observed on my visits to the West that people living overseas are far more seeped in Indian ethnic values, customs, festivities and rituals, when compared to a lot many Indians living in Hindustan. Those who live there believe that by observing and practicing the Indian traditions, they would continue to remain Indian at heart. Most of them also wish to wed an Indian because they consider that their respective spouse would bring along with them time-honored Indian values.

For some strange reason, Hindi cinema has often projected an NRI youngster as a cool and hep dude, pretending to speak Hindi with an English accent. But that, in my opinion, is merely a façade. It's far from real. Sure, there could be exceptions, but every NRI who arrives in India isn't wearing an Armani or Versace. Neither is he a die-hard romantic like Raj or Rahul. In fact, a lot of NRIs I know are amused to note that while they held on to the traditions, the ones in India are more inclined towards the West.

Yet, the East-West love story remains a pet theme that continues to invade the Hindi screen. Films like Purab Aur Paschim, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Namastey London have explored this topic most convincingly. In fact, a lot many people feel that YRF and Dharma have highlighted this aspect in various films, which the diaspora has lapped up with glee. But, of late, films that carry with them the scent of the soil are being attempted by our storytellers. Tanu Weds Manu too highlights this facet.

The NRI in Tanu Weds Manu is docile, unassuming and soft-spoken, has no accent or attitude, believes in arranged marriages, relishes the evergreen songs of Mohammed Rafi, is old-fashioned literally. The girl is contradictory. She's belligerent and dominating, also smokes, drinks and uses expletives, has had many 'affairs', has her new boyfriend's name tattooed on her chest, is a straight-forward and fearless babe. This is their story!

Like his directorial debut Strangers, director Aanand L Rai opts for unconventional and unpredictable situations in Tanu Weds Manu. Of course, the fact that Tanu and Manu would tie the knot sooner or later is at the back of your mind, even before the reels have begun to unfold, but you want to experience their journey - their voyage from strangers to lovers.

Tanu Weds Manu has some great moments, some standard ones, some tedious ones as well, when you feel that the story is being stretched for no particular reason. The drama tends to get heavy after a point and that takes a toll on the film. In fact, the writing gets shaky in the middle of the second hour, although the finale is well thought of and implemented. You may call it clichéd or formulaic, but it works big time.

Meet Manu [R. Madhavan], a seedha saadha Doctor from London. Intelligent, temperate and from a respectable family, the perfect groom which every parent wants for their daughter. When he arrives in India, he realizes that India has changed and so have the people. The Indian women in particular are more attracted towards the Western lifestyle. Family pressure leads him to Kanpur to meet Tanu [Kangana Ranaut], the quintessential small-town girl who has studied in Delhi.


Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) is a smart, intelligent girl who will do everything that her parents will disapprove. With a mind of her own and a love for rebellion, Tanu is dead against an arranged marriage. But destiny holds something totally different for these diametrically diverse personalities.

Although not similar to Jab We Met, Tanu Weds Manu conjures up memories of the Imtiaz Ali-directed film. The Punjabi setting and the rebellious girl are two prominent similarities that one recollects instantly. Besides, in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Pardes, Jab We Met as well as Tanu Weds Manu, the girl is in love with someone else and the protagonist helps them take the relationship forward. But director Aanand L Rai ensures that Tanu Weds Manu retains its individuality and doesn't come across as a replica/clone of those immensely likable films. In fact, his handling of several light moments as well as dramatic ones is exemplary.

Tanu Weds Manu has some wonderful moments in the first hour, but I'd like to single out the sequence when Madhavan confides in Deepak Dobriyal about Kangana Ranaut not wanting to marry him. Also, the sequence at the interval comes as a bolt from the blue. It's the writing in the post-interval portions that bothered me. Jimmy Sheirgill's sequences aren't as convincing. Also, since Kangana is shown to be a blabber mouth and also forthright and outspoken, why does she turn docile all of a sudden? It doesn't go with her character, honestly. Also, since Ravi Kissen has Madhavan's photograph [presumably handed to him by Jimmy Sheirgill], why is Jimmy unaware that Madhavan is the same guy when he meets him for the first time? A few hiccups, but not the type that really go against the film. However, the penultimate 15/20 minutes bring the film back on tracks. Actually, the climax is the highpoint of this enterprise.

The soundtrack takes you by complete surprise. It is earthy and charming. 'Sadi Gali' and 'Jugni' are two tracks that act as pillars and would help attract moviegoers to cineplexes. Also, the popular track of yesteryears, 'Kajra Mohabbat Wala', is well integrated in the narrative. Chirantan Das's cinematography captures the lush locales of North India well.

Even though Madhavan enacts the role of an NRI, he doesn't come across as a stereotypical phoren returned desi. He is real, restrained, yet forceful. To essay a character in such an understated manner is a challenge for any actor and he does it with complete understanding of the character. Unlike her past films, Kangana Ranaut plays a part that has a zest for life and is bold and fun-loving at the same time. She's audacious, but lovable. Nonetheless, she needs to work on her pronunciation/diction, which sounds so peculiar.

Jimmy Sheirgill springs a pleasant surprise. Known for portraying soft/positive roles, this one comes as a complete shocker. Though his role isn't well etched out, he leaves a solid impression in the latter reels. Ravi Kissen is wasted. What is he doing in this film? Deepak Dobriyal is superb yet again. This dynamic actor is under-utilized in our films. Rajendra Gupta, K.K. Raina, Navni Parihaar and Deepti Mishra are effective. Eijaz Khan and Swara Bhaskar are wonderful.

On the whole, Tanu Weds Manu is a feel-good, light-hearted entertainer with the right dose of humor, drama and romance, besides a popular musical score and some smart dialogue that act as toppings. If you like simple, uncomplicated films that tug at your heartstrings, then chances are that you might just like this sweet little rom-com. In terms of economics, the right holders have already recovered a substantial amount from the sale of Satellite Rights. The merits of the film coupled with no major opposition till 1 April will ensure healthy returns on their investment, thus making the investors recover the remainder amount easily. The only concern is the inopportune release period for movies [World Cup] and chances are its business might get affected on days when crucial matches are played, especially when India is on field.

Game Review: Misses the thrilling element

“Magic of thrillers will return with film Game,” claimed the debutant director Abhinay Deo. Lets analyse if the magic is back.

When we think about suspense thrillers there are few things that viewers want to see in the film. First and foremost is holding on to the audience interest till the last moment of the film. The identity of the killer should come out as a shock to the viewers and finally the logic behind each action should be convincing enough for the audience to believe in the script. But, unfortunately, Game misses on the main elements of a whodunit.

Game is a story of four strangers- Neil Menin (Abhishek Bachchan), O.P. Ramsay (Boman Irani), Tisha Khanna (Sahana Goswami) and Vikram Kapoor (Jimmy Shergil), who are invited by a billionaire Kabir Malhotra (Anupam Kher) to his private island of Samos, Greece.

While, Neil is a businessman with several legal and illegal investments. Ramsay is a politician from Thailand. Vikran is a well known Bollywood superstar and Tisha is a crime journalist. All the four of them including the owner of the island are strangers to each other. The very next morning all the four will wish they had never come to that island.

The second half of the film leaves you bewildered and struggling to get the connections between each actions occurring in the film. In fact, Game has a direct resemblance from the 1960s and 1970s cinema, which doesn't go with today's mindset.

Abhinay Deo fails to narrate the story. Game lacks the flow in the storytelling and fails to convince the viewers. Even the screenplay written by Althea Delmas Kaushal goes for a toss after the very first hour of the film. The first hour of the film manages to hold your attention with its little twist and turns, the second half however, tests your patience. It leaves you irritated and puzzled.

It is difficult to believe that Farhan Akhtar is behind the very existence of the film, Javed Akhtar had written the lyrics of Game and Shankar Ehsaan Loy has composed music for the film. Even after having such big names attached to Game, the story and even the music fails to touch the audience. Neither of the songs are striking enough to seep into your subconscious mind, not even the item song performed by Sara Jane Dias.

Though Game fails to make an impact, Abhishek Bachchan gets a lot of scope to prove his acting skills. He has given a fine performance, but even a mind blowing performance of an actor can't manage to hide the loopholes in the script. Kangana as usual was good at her acting. Though the efforts taken by her in her dialogue delivery is seen though the film, she still has to go a long way to get the correct English diction.

Sara Jane Dias, gave a decent debut. She looks gorgeous and stylish in the film. Anupam Kher is wasted in the script, while Boman Irani is over the top this time. Jimmy Shergil has a minute role. Even Sahana Goswami is wasted in the film. Gauhar Khan is alright. Mohan Kapur is first-rate. Benjamin Gilani is adequate.

F.A.L.T.U – Movie Review

It is not guarantee that films with ingredients like love, romance and fun will appeal the youths. Director Remo D'Souza has managed to pump in lots of fun into his latest film F.A.L.T.U but it has it's share of shortcomings.

F.A.L.T.U. is a comedy flick about a youth, who tries to do something new and weird to help out his troubled friends. Jackky couldn't get admission for higher studies, as he is terrible at studies. He comes across Pooja and Angad, who also failed to get admission. This circumstances makes him start Fakirchand And Lakirchand Trust University (F.A.L.T.U.).

The film tries to drive home the importance of alternative education. It showcases the students of the fake college becoming winners by doing what they love. But the director fails to bring in logic to the story.

The music of the film is soothing and executed well but the script of the films is weak. Jackky has tried to bring in charm but not very convincing. Riteish Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi too have failed to evoke much laughter though they are known in the genre. However, Pooja Gupta looks lovely while Angad Bedi and Chandan Roy Sanyal have done their job well.

The film has lots of flip sides but it has a message to take home. On the whole, F.A.L.T.U is a film for the youths – with lots of fun and energy. Go for it if you are game for illogical fun!


Director: Remo D'Souza
Cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Pooja Gupta, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, R Madhavan, Angad Bedi, Chandan Roy Sanyal

Karan Johar at loggerheads with Siddharth

All is not well between filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Siddharth of Rang De Basanti fame. Something that started off as a friendly banter turned into something ugly with the duo exchanging heated words on a socio-micro blogging site.

It all started when a fan of Siddharth posted on Twitter - “You look so much like Karan Johar!” The actor then sparked the fire by replying that his fan needed spectacles. Karan, who is active on socio-micro blogging site, retorted and tweeted, “Didn't know I looked that bad Sid! Apologies!” Siddharth then tried to add humour to his comment by saying, "Ha! Ha! Of course you don't. Welcome back Karan." But the harm was already done, and Karan kept away from the site.

On learning that the director has not taken his comments lightly, he tried to make peace with him and apologized by writing, “Karan Johar is a very genuine, respectable filmmaker who I am very fond of and have enjoyed meeting and knowing. He has always been a very helpful senior and friend. If a silly, unintended joke goes awry, let me just say I had absolutely no intent to hurt Karan or his many admirers. That's all there is to be said! No more comments! Peace!..”

Well, we hope this is just a friendly banter. After all, Karan is known for being a jolly man!

Shahrukh Khan has a fan in Shahid Afridi

Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi might be a hero in his country with huge fan following but he is a big fan of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan. He was even disappointed when he learned that the actor would be watching the semi final match between Indian and Pakistan at Mohali.

Javed Afridi, younger brother of Shahid Afridi, has revealed that his brother is a huge fan of Shahrukh Khan and even might have watched My Name Is Khan at least a dozen times. He went on to say that his brother was upset on missing the chance to meet the actor at the semi final match against India.

It may be recalled that Afridi had earlier met Shahrukh Khan a couple of times and has since then become like a star-struck kid!

RA.ONE vs. DON 2

The King of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan is a ready to rule the box-office. His two major releases RA.ONE and DON 2 will be releasing this year. So SRK’s fans are all eager and excited as the two films will release within two month’s span. Earlier RA.ONE was slated to release in June, but now is postponed to Diwali, while DON 2 will be released in December. Being a Shahrukh Khan fan, I am sure the whole year wait is worth it.

RA.ONE is India’s first sci-fi film with higher standard animation and special effects. Anubhav Sinha is directing the movie under Shahrukh’s Red Chillies Entertainment Banner. The movie stars Shahrukh as the superhero G.One, Karrena as his lady love and Arjun Rampal as the villain Ra.One. This movie is one of the most awaited films of this year. SRK has also incorporated international stars Tom Wu and pop sensation Akon. Kareena will also do an item number ‘Chammak Challo’ in the film.

For Shahrukh, it was his son, Aryan who was the main reason to make this film. Aryan loves superhero flicks and always wished that his father would play a superhero in any film. So that’s when SRK decided to make one film to fulfill his son’s dream. The target audience for this movie is kids.

On the other hand, there is DON 2, sequel to Farhan Akhtar’s Don. This film is too highly anticipated. The film stars Priyanka Chopra, Om Puri, Arjun Rampal and Lara Dutta. Rumors say Hrithik will do a cameo in the movie. In DON 2, Shahrukh plays an international gangster. The shooting of the film is taking place abroad with all international sets and crew. SRK and Farhan have decided to target the European markets with DON 2. Tom Cruise’s MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2 is also releasing at the same time.

The expectations and moolah is riding high on both the movies. So it will be interesting to see how the two movies compete with each other and finally which one will be successful in ruling the box-office.

SRK: I have thrown everything into RA.ONE

There is an old proverb, 'Do not put all your eggs in one basket', which in these times appears quite outdated because we have had several examples where courageous, ambitious and enterprising people from all walks of life have chosen to do so and have come out triumphant, battling all odds and taking immense risks! But as they say, fortune favours the brave and indeed in showbiz it takes a brave man to go against his image and do something that has never been attempted before.

As can be guessed from our headlines we are indeed talking about, Bollywood's global super star, Shahrukh Khan, who contrary to his safe as a house romantic image is now producing and working in an ambitious sci-fi SFX laden super hero film, RA.ONE. As we all know the film is being directed by techwiz Anubhav Sinha of DUS fame and is one the most lavish, hugely mounted, big star cast film, featuring Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in never before roles. SRK being the producer admits that he has thrown everything in making RA.ONE a memorable film, for which he expects to be remembered in the years to come and also applauded for attempting something as daring and as novel.

Shah Rukh confesses that he is definitely taking a chance, a risk, as he has put in a whole lot of money, time, energy and also his creativity in RA.ONE and hopes that the risk would pay off with people accepting his new and bold step with open arms and making the film a big success.

Well, we are sure that the audience which is slowly and surely maturing would definitely give a thumbs up to RA.ONE, and seeing the way the film is shaping up we are quite sure of being on dot!

Anubhav: Shahrukh wants RA. 1 to be hugest

After CASH, an action thriller, was panned by most and didn't quite work at the box-office despite a good start, many wondered if it was a right decision for Shahrukh Khan to be actually putting his money on the film's Anubhav Sinha. However the actor and the director went on to surprise many when they not just went ahead with bringing RA.ONE on floors but also pitched it as the biggest and the costliest film ever made in the country.

'The amount of money that Shahrukh has pumped into the film is unimaginable. I can see how passionate he is about this film and he has taken it upon himself to make RA.1 the hugest of them all', says Anubhav who has seen success coming his way earlier in the form of DUS and TUM BIN.

This can well be reflected from the fact that while a couple of years were spent into the pre-production of the film, the actual filming was spread right through a year. Now even the post production would be consuming almost a year before the film arrives at theaters this Diwali.

CHECK OUT: I have thrown everything into RA.ONE

Meanwhile Anubhav decided to stay quiet right through the making of the film instead of trying to be in the limelight over a last couple of years. So much so that even Shahrukh was prompted to comment in a recent interview - 'Anubhav apne kaam se kaam rakhta hai'.'

Concludes Anubhav on a lighter note, 'I like it the way it is currently. I didn't mind whatever was written about me in the months gone by. At the end of it, all I want now is that people spell my name right when they write about me and put a nice picture of mine. Bass itna sa khwab hai.'

Kareena sidelined from RA.ONE promos?

Now, read this stunner. Bebo, one of Bollywood's top heroines is not getting her due credit and has been apparently sidelined into anonymity in her forthcoming release and one of the most talked about films: RA.ONE

Though Bebo and SRK are known to share a warm chemistry and history, the fact that her role in the film is not more than a filler types is the talk of the town. Everyone is wondering where Bebo is in the recently released promos of the film.

According to our sources, "There is not much difference between RA.ONE and ROBOT, when it comes to the treatment meted out to the female protagonist. Like everyone is aware, the role of Aishwariya Rai in ROBOT was largely inconsequential barring her song and dance sequences and those curve showing moves. It seems Kareena, despite being the female protagonist in the film does not have much to do in the film either. Now, it only goes on to show that Bollywood still a man dominated territory."

RA.ONE is scheduled to release during Diwali.

RA. ONE brings US, London, Paris, China & Bangkok closer

When Shahrukh Khan said that he was looking at RA.ONE to be the biggest film ever to be coming out of India, he indeed seemed to have done all his calculations before making such tall claims. This is the reason why when he allocated a budget in an excess of 100 crores for his VFX heavy action entertainer (some trade sources even peg the budget at a staggering 125 crores), he made sure that he put the money where the mouth is, what with the visual effects alone costing a bomb with the bills running into crores.

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Since the film is a super-hero saga, competition of RA. ONE would be with the likes of SPIDERMAN, SUPERMAN and BATMAN series. Also, for Indian audience which has been exposed to AVATAR and 2012 now, there isn't anything lesser which would be acceptable.

"Yes, Shahrukh realises that and after due deliberation, he along with director Anubhav Sinha short listed companies all over the globe to work on different pieces of RA. ONE. Every visual effects company comes with its own speciality," continues the source, "A lot of outsourcing has happened to as many as three companies in USA and India each with London, Paris, China and Bangkok contributing as well. It is truly turning out to be a global project."

Confirms Anubhav Sinha who is mighty excited about the reactions to the First Look that was unveiled last week and is now supervising film's extensive post production that would continue for next six months, "Yes, as we talk, there are close to a dozen odd companies across the globe making RA. ONE for us. Never before has a Hindi film seen such collaboration.