Posts Tagged ‘boyfriend’
It’s a love story that’s been brewing for a while now, though both Dev Patel and his Slumdog Millionaire co-star Freida Pinto have carefully avoided either confirming or denying it in public. But after Dev’s mother confirmed that they are seeing each other, another little development seems to underline that the relationship may be headed towards more official territory.
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| Freida Pinto and Dev Patel |
In a hush-hush visit, Frieda came to visit her parents in Mumbai over Christmas — and guess who accompanied her?
“Freida and Dev were in Mumbai last week for a couple of days. Dev visited her home in Malad where Freida introduced him to her parents and family,” reveals a source. “Dev was down here with a couple of his friends from London and they also partied in Mumbai. Freida took them around and in fact, both of them were seen at Hawaiian Shack. But they wanted to keep this visit low profile and made sure that their itinerary was kept under wraps.”
When contacted, actor Mridul Singhvi (who also manages the Bandra nightspot), confirmed, “Yes, Dev and Freida were here with a couple of friends on Wednesday night. We dedicated the song ‘Paper Planes’ from Slumdog Millionaire to them. We all were very excited to see them but they were extremely hesitant about their pictures being clicked. They came in at about 11.30 in the night and were there till the time the club closed at around 1.30am. However they weren’t very social and stuck to a corner on the 3rd floor.”
By Taran Adarsh, January 1, 2010 – 12:30 IST
What do you do when you, accidentally, bang into someone on the road? Flee from the spot? Call for help? Dial the cops? Rush the victim to the hospital?
Pick up a newspaper and chances are you might glance upon a hit-and-run case only too often. ACCIDENT ON HILL ROAD, a remake of STUCK [Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea], raises a few questions in its own way. Perhaps, the intentions were right, but what eventually unfolds on screen isn’t.
The problem with ACCIDENT ON HILL ROAD is that it loses focus after a point and that takes away the seriousness from the issue.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
Sonam [Celina Jaitly] is a nurse who accidentally steers her car into the harmless Prakash [Farooque Shaikh], sending him flying through the windshield. Not wanting to jeopardize her future, Sonam, along with her drug-peddling boyfriend Sid [Abhimanyu Singh], chooses not to get him medical help, leaving him clinging to life in her garage.
But soon her psyche begins to unravel as the captor and captive are pitted against each other in a battle for survival.
ACCIDENT ON HILL ROAD had the potential to be a thought-provoking film that pricks your conscience, but what comes across is a half-baked attempt that runs out of steam soon after the intermission. In fact, the film begins quite well and a few moments as well as the twists and turns in the first half do keep you on the edge.
But the writing [screenplay adapted by Mahesh Nair and Siddharth Parmar] is shoddy in the second part and does not yield the desired outcome. The sequences prior to the climax are a complete downer, while the climax is the worst part of the film. The drama fails to become the nail-biting one that it ought to be.
Also, the assorted people that flit in and out of the story [the kid and his mom, the cabbie and the nosey neighbour with a dog] are half-baked characters as well. Pray, why were they included in the first place?
Mahesh Nair’s direction is a shade better than the poor and sketchy script. Also, he is unable to involve the audience in the drama. Ravi Walia’s cinematography is ordinary. The film has just one song [music: Raju Singh] – ‘Nasha Nasha’ – which is quite erotic.
Farooque Shaikh doesn’t get any scope, frankly. One definitely expected more, since the veteran returns to the big screen after a hiatus. Abhimanyu Singh enacts his part well. But it is Celina Jaitly who pitches in a commendable act and catches you by complete surprise.
On the whole, ACCIDENT ON HILL ROAD will fail to make any headway.
HARSHADA REGE (BOMBAY TIMES; December 2, 2009)
If there was a formula for success I would pay pots and pots of money and buy it (laughs). But seriously, I feel that while choosing your films, all one needs to do is follow your gut feeling and have faith in the project.
You tried your hand at some unconventional stuff with Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Mithya and Dasvianiya. What kind of response did you get for them? And are you going to be part of more such films?
I have got a fabulous response for all the different cinema that I have attempted, and am looking forward to a lot more in the future. My film Raat Gayi, Baat Gayi? just won the viewers choice award at a film festival. That will be my next release after De Dana Dan. I agree it’s a mixed bag, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
How important are hits to you?
While making a film we put in a lot of hardwork, and the only way it gets appreciated is when the audience views it and it becomes a hit… unless the critics are really kind (laughs).
After doing realistic and masala movies, do you want to see yourself doing an absolute rom-com kind of movie?
Yes, I would love to, I am screaming out loud that is my most favourite genre. I hope someone’s listening. But on a serious note, I have done one that’s in the same space… it’s called Pappu Can’t Dance Saala and will be releasing soon.
You and boyfriend Ritwik Bhattacharya have been going steady for some time now. So, are wedding bells in the offing?
Not at all!
2009 has been a very bad year for UTV. After three films — What’s Your Rashee?, Main Aur Mrs Khanna and Kaminey — failed to set the cash registers ringing, they were heavily banking on Karan Johar’s Kurbaan, directed by Rensil D’Silva.
But their hopes of having a hit were dashed with Kurbaan proving to be a turkey at the box-office.UTV had bought the film from Karan for about Rs 50 crore and released it across 1,700 screens.
One could understand if the audience gave it a thumbs down after watching it. However, the shocker is that the film didn’t even get a good opening when it released on November 20. Despite being a solo release, it barely managed 35 per cent occupancy on the first day. The box-office collections thereafter have been far from encouraging, flattering reviews from film critics notwithstanding.
Endorsing the fact that the film did not register more than 40 per cent collections in its first three days, trade analyst Amod Mehra says, “Shockingly, the collections on Sunday were even less than that on Friday and Saturday. The film is a big blow to Dharma Productions and UTV. “
Mehra adds, “People are not interested in seeing terrorism any longer. New York did fairly well but that’s because it wasn’t publicised as a film based on terrorism. It looked like a very youthful film with fun elements by John and Katrina. The entire publicity of Kurbaan was wrong. If the heroine of Kurbaan doesn’t want her mother to see her steamy scenes with her boyfriend, how can one go with family members to see such a film?”
Distributor Ramesh Sippy says cautiously, “I don’t want to make any assessment. But yes, Kurbaan has not lived up to its expectations.”
We also spoke to some of the theatre officials. Manoj Desai (of Maratha Mandir, Gaiety-Galaxy) says, “I registered 80 per cent collections on the first three days whereas it did not go beyond 40 per cent in other theatres. However, the collections have nosedived since yesterday. Koi picture dekhne ke liye tayyar hi nahin hai. The overall feeling is that it’s a very serious and cruel film.”
An official from Cinemax, Andheri, says, “We had expected that this film would rake in around 85-90 per cent collections. But from day one, we knew that it wouldn’t be a hit. First day, we registered only 40-45 per cent collections. People have not related to the film, it has no repeat value. On Saturday and Sunday, we recorded only 50 per cent ticket sales.”
Vikram Varma, Fun Republic, communications manager, says, “We recorded 35 per cent in the first three days. But today (Monday), we only have 15-20 per cent occupancy. I think that too many films were released in the past few weeks and this has adversely affected Kurbaan.”
We then spoke to the public to find out why they haven’t gone kurbaan over Kurbaan. 23-year old Eka Lakhani from Lokhandwala says, “I was dying to see Kurbaan as I had heard a lot about it. The film started very well, but soon I realised that there was neither any love story nor any terrorism track. Kareena and Saif got lost in the second half and I had to look for their scenes together. The terrorism part wasn’t explained well either.”
34-year-old Menka Chandiramani from Seven Bungalows says, “I was quite impressed by Kareena and Vivek’s acting but the film hasn’t stayed with me. It had nothing new to offer. Moreover, I wonder why there was so much brouhaha about Kareena and Saif’s sex scenes. We have seen much more than this in Hindi films.”
The director of Kurbaan, Rensil D’Silva, put up a brave front. He says that people are trying to bring down his film. “That happens with every new film. But you know, I am getting a lot of calls and text messages from people whom I don’t even know saying that they have enjoyed my film. I am basically a creative guy. The best people to talk about this will be the distributors of Kurbaan (UTV).” However, Siddharth Roy Kapoor, CEO of UTV remained unavailable for comment.
Karan’s first film with UTV, Wake Up Sid raked in average returns but failed to be a profit-making proposition. And the audience’s thanda response to Kurbaan has only made things worse for Dharma and UTV.
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Kareena Kapoor’s love-making scene in Kurbaan with her boyfriend Saif Ali Khan has been the talking point for months on end.
Even on their recent show Date with Kurbaan on national television, Karan Johar who is the producer of the film asked Kareena point-blank whether she would have done such an intimate scene with any of her other male co-stars. And Kareena replied that she may have done it but it wouldn’t be quite as explicit as it is now.
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| Kurbaan |
She also said that the reason why she agreed to do it was because it was integral to the script and that she was happy that director Rensil D’Silva had done it so aesthetically. She added that knowing Saif in real life made things just a wee bit easy. “But at the end of day, Saif and I are professional actors and would do whatever a script demands from us,” she said.
Having said all this, one would have thought that the reigning Bollywood diva would be blasé about the whole affair. However, news has it that after watching the cast and crew trial of Kurbaan at Yash Raj Studios on November 12, Kareena, who was very nervous about the bare-back scene, actually put in a request to her friend and film-maker Karan Johar asking him to delete the love-making scene in just the one show which would be attended by her mother Babita and her friends.
A nervous Bebo wasn’t sure how her mother would react to seeing her do something so bold on-screen. She admitted that she was indeed nervous of her mother’s reaction. “I asked Karan if he could hide that one reel only from mom’s trial,” said the young actress.
However, Karan is said to have pacified his lead actor and told her she has no reason to be afraid.
Karan is also said to have told her in jest, “Shut up Bebo, and go take a walk. I’m doing no such thing.”
Kareena is of course in Sydney at this point shooting for Karan’s Step Mom with Kajol. But those close to her say that right till the time she boarded her flight, the thing that topped her mind was how her immediate family would react to this one scene in Kurbaan.
Guess the physical distance between Mumbai and Sydney will help ease Bebo’s nervousness.
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| Babita | Karan Johar |
Manisha in Bhansali’s next
Posted on: November 4, 2009
Thirteen years after the hit Khamoshi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Manisha team up again for another film
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After Khamoshi: The Musical, Manisha Koirala will again be teaming up with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for a film which takes her back to the same Catholic milieu. Manisha, who has just returned from a trip to the US, where she was with her steady boyfriend Chris, is glowing with pleasure. Though she is planning her foray into politics and perhaps intends to settle down with her boyfriend, it’s obvious that her passion for cinema is undiminished. She says, “Sanjay and I worked really worked well together. I wanted to work with him for quite a while now. But I waited for him to find the right part.” The pivotal part in Bhansali’s production My Friend Pinto, directed by Raghav Dar, has finally come her way. Says Manisha, “I’ve been dividing my time between Mumbai and the US, where things are going well between Chris and me. I also miss my home country Nepal and would like to spend some time there too but cinema will always remain my primary passion. After I did my friend Deepti Naval’s film Do Paise Ki Dhoop Char Aane Ki Baarish I’m hungry for challenging roles. None of those two-songs five-scene roles.” Manisha and Bhansali met recently and she was on for a pivotal role with Pratik Babbar whose mom Smita Patil has always been one of her favourite actresses. Manisha is also on the verge of signing films with Yash Raj Films and Raj Kumar Santoshi with whom she had earlier worked in Lajja. Says Manisha, “I’ll be working with soon with Mr Chopra and Mr Santoshi. Actually when I met them, I had lost a lot of weight. But now after my return from the US, I’ve gained some weight. I’m going to lose the extra kilos and then make a public appearance again. So you see, cinema and I can’t be separated. I’m looking forward to a fresh start.” |
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Katrina cold towards Ash?
Posted on: November 2, 2009
Yesterday afternoon, the usually affable Katrina Kaif made her displeasure apparent by flatly refusing to wish Salman Khan’s former girlfriend Aishwarya Rai on her birthday. That too on national television. Katrina was in the midst of giving television interviews with good friend Ranbir Kapoor for their film, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. During the course of one of the interviews at Mehboob Studios, a reporter suddenly asked Ranbir to give a sound byte to wish Aishwarya on her birthday. Ranbir gladly obliged by wishing Aishwarya warmly. When the reporter asked Katrina to wish Aishwarya, Katrina told the reporter that she doesn’t need to wish the actress as Ranbir has already done the needful. Certainly a clever way of masking her vexation on being asked to wish Salman’s ex-girlfriend.
As soon as the interview ended, Katrina, who had kept a tight check on her anger, stormed out of the studio floor and rushed into her vanity van. She refused to come out for 45 long minutes. Guess she wanted some much-needed space to calm down. One thing is for sure, Katrina is slowly but surely learning that being one of the most successful actresses in Bollywood requires a healthy balance between friends and rivals.
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Nayanthara in Wanted sequel?
Posted on: October 21, 2009
South star Nayanthara is ready to make it big in Bollywood. She will play the female lead opposite Salman Khan in Most Wanted, the sequel to Wanted. Buzz is that she has been finalised to star in the film on the insistence of Prabhu Devaa, director of Wanted and Most Wanted. This is not surprising as there are reports that Nayanthara is Prabhu Devaa’s girlfriend and rumours are that they have secretly tied the knot.
When asked about his forthcoming film, Boney Kapoor said, “Nothing has been finalised. We have just got an idea right now and are working on it.” Prabhu Devaa remained unavailable for comment. |
A source said, “Producer Boney Kapoor announced Most Wanted as he was keen to repeat the magic of Wanted by working with the same team again. When Prabhu suggested Nayanthara’s name for the female lead, Boney, who knows that the actress is a big name in the south, was glad to have her on board.”Mughda’s bf slaps designer
Posted on: October 3, 2009
Fashion designer Surya Sarkar is still reeling from the shock on being slapped by actress Mugdha Godse’s boyfriend, Mithun. It all started with Surya designing clothes for Mugdha in her forthcoming film, All The Best. Things turned ugly when Mugdha refused to pay Surya. Surya says, “Arre maine kucch galat nahi kiya hai. I have supplied Mugdha clothes for All The Best but she is refusing to pay me. When I insisted, Mithun came over to my house and slapped me.” The drama unfolded when Mithun visited Surya’s house to pick up Mugdha’s clothes. Surya says, “Mugdha had said she wanted me to design her costumes for All The Best. When the bill amount kept increasing, I asked her to pay me, which she refused. I told her that she would only get the remaining clothes only when she cleared my dues amounting to Rs 1 lakh. Mithun came to my house and asked me to handover Mugdha’s clothes to him. I demanded my money and that’s when he slapped me.”
“I can’t fathom why Mugdha did this to me. She is a lovely hardworking girl and we have worked together in Jail too. I thought of filing a police complaint, but then decided otherwise.” Despite repeated text messages, Mugdha remained unavailable for comment. |
