Posts Tagged ‘sikandar’
By Joginder Tuteja, December 31, 2009 – 16:43 IST
Yesterday, we went across the B-town and found that 3 Idiots was the unanimous choice when it came to the best that 2009 had to offer. The closest contender was Paa while Avatar led from the front when it came to Hollywood flicks. However, it was quite a divided opinion when it came to the worst of 2009. Quite a few names popped up, some big (Delhi 6, Chandni Chowk To China), some small (Dil Bole Hadippa), some relatively unknown (Videsh – Heaven on Earth, Victory) and a few completely irrelevant (Deshdrohi). There was also an emotional angle involved with a filmmaker or two criticizing their own effort (Sikandar). Read on:
Ramesh Taurani – Victory, which came at the beginning of the year, stays on to be the worst film of 2009 for me.
Shirish Kunder – (Smiles) Yes, there is one movie which is really the worst for me. Still, I can’t name it since it’s been made by people known to me!
Kalki – Worst of the year was Billu (Barber) because it was just a series of music videos and nothing else.
Sajid Khan – Worst movie of the year was Delhi 6. Really, I had a lot of expectations from the film but it turned out to be such a disappointing fare.
Hasnain Hyderabadwaala – The worst film of 2009 is Dil Bole Hadippa. Really, what were the makers thinking? Audiences were taken for granted that the protagonist out there won’t be able to differentiate between a girl and a boy despite a different physicality and voice.
Jagmohan Mundhra – I have to pick two films here – Chandni Chowk To China and Kambakkht Ishq.
Rituparna Sengupta – There is nothing really which is worst for me because every movie has some effort going in there.
Ruslaan Mumtaz – Blue is the worst movie of the year
Piyush Jha – Even though I directed it, I believe worst film of the year was Sikandar. That’s because no one saw it and the media totally ignored its significance. Perhaps that happened because Sikandar didn’t have stars/big backers/comic entertainment. Whatever is the reason, the fact is Sikandar was ignored, and that is the real truth.
Sonu Sood – (Smiles) Even as the entire year is through, I still can’t decide on one worst movie. Maybe I have missed it.
Suneel Darshan – 2009 started with its worst film Chandni Chowk to China It was a ‘directionless’ disaster that disrespected the viewer’s sensibility.
Sadaa – You are asking me about the worst film of the year? You know what; there have been so many that I don’t even care to remember.
Boney Kapoor – Preity Zinta’s Videsh – Heaven on Earth was the worst that 2009 had to offer.
Robby Grewal – Worst of the lot would be Deshdrohi (the film had a staggered release across 2008 and 2009)
Ananth Mahadevan – If I pick one WORST FILM of the year, I might just stir up a hornet’s nest. For, another one might cry out that it was more deserving. So let sleeping dogs lie!
Aanand L Rai – For me, the worst movie in 2009 was Delhi 6. It was a very fine concept and from a rock solid director. Still, it failed.
Hansika Motwani – I don’t really wish to pick and choose the worst film of the year because for me every movie is good. I know what are the kind of difficulties that we actors go through so it would be wrong on my part to say that this or that movie was bad!
Tusshar Kapoor – Worst of 2009 would be all those films that were released during the strike. Ha ha ha!
Kunal Deshmukh – Chandni Chowk To China was the worst film of the year. What a waste of effort. They could have done so much with the film but that was not the case to be.
Raksha Mistry – Isn’t it ironical that the first film which I saw in 2009 stays on to be worst for me? I am talking about Chandni Chowk To China. Maybe I was expecting a lot from the film’s association with Warner Bros. But then it neither had any locations of China nor Chandni Chowk. Worse, it had no story!
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, December 31, 2009 – 12:22 IST
Best Film
3 Idiots
Dev D
Kaminey
Love Aaj Kal
Paa
Best Director
Anurag Kashyap – Dev D
Imtiaz Ali – Love Aaj Kal
R Balki – Paa
Rajkumar Hirani – 3 Idiots
Vishal Bhardwaj – Kaminey
Best Actor (Male)
Aamir Khan – 3 Idiots
Amitabh Bachchan – Paa
Ranbir Kapoor – Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
Ranbir Kapoor – Rocket Singh – Salesman Of The Year
Saif Ali Khan – Love Aaj Kal
Shahid Kapoor – Kaminey
Best Actor (Female)
Deepika Padukone – Love Aaj Kal
Kareena Kapoor – 3 Idiots
Katrina Kaif – New York
Priyanka Chopra – Kaminey
Priyanka Chopra – What’s Your Raashee?
Vidya Balan – Paa
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)
Abhimanyu Singh – Gulaal
R Madhavan – 3 Idiots
Rishi Kapoor – Love Aaj Kal
Rishi Kapoor – Luck By Chance
Sharman Joshi – 3 Idiots
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)
Arundhati Naag – Paa
Divya Dutta – Delhi-6
Gauhar Khan – Rocket Singh – Salesman Of The Year
Neha Dhupia – Raat Gayi Baat Gayi
Shahana Goswami – Firaaq
Best Actor in a Negative Role
Amole Gupte – Kaminey
Boman Irani – 3 Idiots
Kay Kay Menon – Gulaal
Mahesh Manjrekar – Wanted
Manish Choudhary – Rocket Singh – Salesman Of The Year
Best Actor in a Comic Role
D Santosh – Rocket Singh – Salesman Of The Year
Omi Vaidya – 3 Idiots
Paresh Rawal – De Dana Dan
Sanjay Mishra – All The Best
Vinay Pathak – Raat Gayi Baat Gayi
Best Background Music
Amit Trivedi – Dev D
Ilaiyaraja – Paa
Salim-Sulaiman – Rocket Singh – Salesman Of The Year
Shantanu Moitra, Atul Raninga, Sanjay Wandrekar – 3 Idiots
Vishal Bhardwaj – Kaminey
Best Music
A R Rahman – Delhi-6
Pritam – Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
Pritam – Love Aaj Kal
Pritam – Tum Mile
Vishal Bhardwaj – Kaminey
Best Playback Singer Female
Kavita Seth – Iktara – Wake Up Sid
Rekha Bhardwaj – Genda Phool – Delhi-6
Shreya Ghoshal – Zoobi Doobi – 3 Idiots
Shilpa Rao – Mudi Mudi – Paa
Sunidhi Chauhan – Mere Sang – New York
Best Lyrics
Amitabh Bhattacharya – Emosanal Attyachaar – Dev D
Irshad Kamil – Chor Bazari – Love Aaj Kal
Javed Akhtar – Sapnon Se Bhare Naina – Luck By Chance
Piyush Mishra – Ranaji – Gulaal
Prasoon Joshi – Man Ko Ati Bhavey – London Dreams
Best Story
Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani – 3 Idiots
Anurag Kashyap, Aparna Malhotra, Raj Singh Chaudhary, Sanjay Maurya – Gulaal
Imtiaz Ali – Love Aaj Kal
Nandita Das, Shuchi Kothari – Firaaq
R Balki – Paa
Best Screenplay
Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra – 3 Idiots
Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane – Dev D
Imtiaz Ali – Love Aaj Kal
Pankaj Advani – Sankat City
R Balki – Paa
Best Dialogue
Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani – 3 Idiots
Imtiaz Ali – Love Aaj Kal
Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane – Dev D
R Balki – Paa
Vishal Bhardwaj – Kaminey
Best Editing
Aarti Bajaj – Dev D
Aarti Bajaj – Love Aaj Kal
Anil Naidu – Paa
Meghna Manchanda Sen, Sreekar Prasad – Kaminey
Rajkumar Hirani – 3 Idiots
Best Sound
Bishwadeep Chatterjee, Nihar Ranjan Samel – 3 Idiots
Dileep Subramaniam – Love Aaj Kal
Sanjay Maurya, Allwin Rego – Dev D
Shajith Koyeri, Subhash Sahu, P M Satheesh – Kaminey
Tapas Nayak – Paa
Best Special Effects
Charles Darby – Aladin
Prime Focus Ltd – Blue
Best Cinematography
C.K. Muraleedharan – 3 Idiots
P.C. Sreeram – Paa
Rajeev Ravi – Dev D
Shankar Raman – Frozen
Tassaduq Hussain – Kaminey
Best Art Directon
Acropolis, Rajnish Hedaa, Sumit, Snigdha Basu – 3 Idiots
Sabu Cyril – Aladin
Samir Chanda – Delhi-6
Samir Chanda – Kaminey
Sukanta Panigrahy, Helen Jones – Dev D
Best Choreography
Ahmed Khan – Prem Ki Naiiyya – Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
Avit Dias – Aal Izz Well – 3 Idiots
Bosco- Caesar – Zoobi Doobi – 3 Idiots
Prasanna – Marjaani – Billu
Baawre – Vaibhavi Merchant – Luck By Chance
Best Action
James D Bomalick – Blue
Huan-Chiu Ku – Chandni Chowk To China
Shyam Kaushal – Kaminey
Tinu Verma – Acid Factory
Vijayan Master – Wanted
Most Promising Newcomer (Male)
Amole Gupte – Kaminey
Chandan Roy Sanyal – Kaminey
Navin Kaushik – Rocket Singh – Salesman Of The Year
Omi Vaidya – 3 Idiots
Most Promising Newcomer (Female)
Gauhar Khan – Rocket Singh – Salesman Of The Year
Giselle Monteiro – Love Aaj Kal
Jesse Randhawa – Gulaal
Kalki Koechlin – Dev D
Mahie Gill – Dev D
Most Promising Debut Director
Ayan Mukerji – Wake Up Sid
Nandita Das – Firaaq
Pankaj Advani – Sankat City
Shivajee Chandrabhushan – Frozen
Zoya Akhtar – Luck By Chance
Best Child Artiste
Jahan Bativala – Little Zizou
Iyanah Bativala – Little Zizou
Rahul Kumar – 3 Idiots
Parzan Dastur- Sikandar
Pratik Katare – Paa
Best Ensemble Cast
Delhi-6
Firaaq
Gulaal
Luck By Chance
Sankat City
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
By Subhash K. Jha, December 11, 2009 – 19:00 IST
Post the grand international success of Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Mumbai slums have become fashionable and popular visiting places for international audiences. Just how much so, Sudhir Mishra discovered when he took his long-delayed film on slum life Tera Kya Hoga Johnny (featuring Neil Nitin Mukesh, Soha Ali Khan, Shahana Goswami and Karan Nath along with a real street-child Sikandar) to New York’s South Asian Film Festival held from October 28 to November 3.
At the festival American critics reacted to Sudhir Mishra’s Tera Kya Hoga Johnny as another Slumdog Millionaire.
Now Sudhir will release the film in a dubbed English version. “After Slumdog Millionaire, the West is looking with much curiosity at the slum culture of Mumbai. I had no plans of doing an English version of Tera Kya Hoga Johnny. But everyone who saw it in New York suggested I do it. Every frame in my film has been shot in the lanes and gullies of South Mumbai in Colaba.”
With Tutu Sharma now taking over as co-producer of Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, the film is all set for an early January 2010 release.
Thus ends the blame game whereby Neil Nitin Mukesh was being accused of trying to stall the film by not dubbing for it.
Defends Sudhir Mishra, “First of all most of the film is in sync sound. There was just about a day’s dubbing to be done by Neil. He finished it long ago. Why blame the poor guy?”
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
Bollywood tends to have this fixation with certain character artistes and they tend to get recast in similar roles endlessly. The doting, loud and aggressive Punjabi mother which has been played oh-so-well by Kirron Kher has been accepted and applauded by Indian audiences. She has gone on to become a favourite in films like Hum Tum, Rang de Basanti, Om Shanti Om, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and in Dostana.
Fans have loved the spirited, loud, over-the-top at times, yet ever-affectionate and loving mother played by Kirron Kher. We have actually come to a point when we can only think of her when it comes to the Bollywood Punjabi mother. However, Kirron is not very happy with this. “I’m really fed up of the Punjabi mother roles I have been playing,” says this National Award winning actress who would love to do something more, something different. Her screen sons have included the likes of Saif Ali Khan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, and even a Sunny Deol. Ask her who among them is her favourite son and she promptly replies, “I do not have any favourites. Everyone is a professional, and they are all good colleagues. I have even played mother to actors who are just a few years younger to me, but then that is how the Hindi film industry works.” While she may reserve her comments on playing ‘mommy’ to heroes in her age group, Kirron does have her wish list of heroes that she would like to play mom to. “I don’t mind playing to mom to the younger lot. Like Ranbir, whom I’ve seen as a child,” she says. Kirron’s favourite roles have been the ones she played in Bariwali and Khamosh Paani – which won National and International awards, and received critical acclaim across the world. But she has her favourites in popular cinema too. “My role in Devdas and Rang De Basanti are amongst my favourites in commercial cinema,” says the gifted actress. Her son Sikandar’s career has still to take off as he’s yet to get a hit to his credit. But his talented parents are making sure to leave no stone unturned to make sure he makes a niche for himself in the industry. “We (Anupam and I) are planning to produce a film with him in the lead,” she shares. She’s also excited about a film she’s doing with Homi Adjania (who directed Being Cyrus). Her eyes sparkle when she gushes, “I have high hopes from the film. I have always wanted to do films laced with black humour.No one has offered something like this to me before.” Her other forthcoming releases include much-talked-about films like Kurbaan with Dharma Productions and Action Replay with Vipul Shah. |
Fenil’s Bollywood Talk # 63
Posted on: August 27, 2009
SIX HINDI FILMS THIS FRIDAY!
There would be no biggies for the next four weeks. The Ramzan month has commenced, during which a sizeable chunk of audience stay away from the theatres. Taking advantage of this, every year, a number of small and medium budget films hit the theatres in this holy month. The producers of such films hope that their film would do a good business in the absence of any biggie. Last year, ‘A Wednesday!’, 1920 and Welcome To Sajjanpur released during Ramzan and became hits.
And this year too, lots of small-budget films are all set to hit the screens. These films failed to get a proper release before the Ramzan as all weeks were booked by the biggies, owing to the producer’s strike which happened in summer. And this has resulted in a chaotic situation as around 20 films are planning to release in this month! 2 of them released last Friday-Shadow and Sikandar. In fact, tomorrow, as many as 6 films are all set to hit the theatres. These films are Daddy Cool, Kisaan, Quick Gun Murugun, Toss, Yeh Mera India and Love Khichdi!
Any layman can understand that it is indeed foolish for 6 films to release on a single day. And we should not forget the 2 Hollywood films that are also releasing tomorrow- Race To Witch Mountain and The Taking of Pelham 123. So this takes the number of films arriving tomorrow to 8! Madness!
But if observed, then producers don’t have much of a choice. If they won’t release their films now, then they won’t be able to do so till the end of 2009. Once the month of Ramzan ends, biggies will start releasing week after week. And releasing a small budget film with a biggie can be suicidal. So, they prefer releasing it with half-a-dozen other small films. Still, I fail to understand why only two films released last week and 6 films are releasing this Friday. What I mean is-2 of the films releasing tomorrow could have instead released last week. This would have made the situation less chaotic.
Out of these 6, Quick Gun Murugan surely has an edge over the others. It is a spoof of western cowboy and Rajanikant films and its promos have been impressive. The film is releasing in 4 languages-English, Hindi and Tamil and Telegu. Kisaan (*Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Jackie Shroff, Dia Mirza, Nauheed Cyrusi and Rahul Dev) has the ability to do a great job in the North. Daddy Cool doesn’t have much chance. It is an official remake of the popular Hollywood film Death At a Funeral and is backed by Big Pictures. There are hardly any promos on TV which show as to what the film is actually about. Toss is the popular Ranvijay’s debut film, Yeh Mera India looks hard hitting while Love Khichdi’s promos started just a week ago! But these three films have dim chances of succeeding in this rat race due to no hype.
There’s a possibility that the next two weeks will also see 4/5/6 films releasing. God save all these films!
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DHAN TE NAN IS NOT ORIGINAL!
The song which has taken the entire nation by storm, Kaminey’s Dhan Te Nan is not an original song! Yes, you read it right! It was used around a decade back in Gubbare, a popular serial at that time on Zee TV comprising of short comedy stories. But before you blame composer Vishal Bharadwaj of being Pritam-2, here’s the entire truth-Vishal Bharadwaj himself had composted the Gubbare’s Dhan Te Nan! In fact, he was also the director of the episode in which the song is played. And even the lyricist for both the songs is the same (Gulzar)!
Although Bharadwaj did some changes in Kaminey’s Dhan Te Nan, there are many similarities in both of these versions. Even the line ‘Teli ka tel’ was incorporated in the original song. I wonder, why no one’s sentiments were hurt at that time?! Anyways, I’ve uploaded the original below. Do watch it and have a laugh! DO NOT MISS IT!
P.S.: The actor in red coloured shirt…is he Sharman Joshi?
Sudhir Mishra to make a sequel to Iss Raat ki Subah Nahin with Irrfan Khan and Chitrangda Singh
2 Days, 2 Nights & a Morning is what the quasi-sequel to Sudhir Mishra’s 1996 film Iss Raat ki Subah Nahin is called. And while the experimental film featured Sudhir’s then favorite Smita Patil lookalike Smriti Mishra, for the sequel he will go ahead with his current favorite, Chitrangda Singh. Along with Chitrangda will be Irrfan Khan and Arunoday Singh, politician Arjun Singh’s grandson who has debuted with Sikandar and is currently filming Ayesha with Sonam Kapoor. Sudhir says, “While Iss Raat ki Subah Nahin had an assortment of characters, the new film is basically about two people on a collision course over a period of three days. While Iss Raat ki Subah Nahin unfolded in just one night, this one will take longer.” While the earlier film was set in Mumbai, 2 Days, 2 Nights & a Morning will take his cast to Delhi and Haryana. To be produced by Reliance Big Pictures, Sudhir wants to start working on the sequel right away. Sudhir’s political drama, Dhruv, starring Farhan Akhtar and Kareena Kapoor is on a hold right now due to Kareena’s dates. “Kareena is keen to do Dhruv, but only after Saif Ali Khan’s Agent Vinod is completed. She is holidaying with him these days. So in the meanwhile, as I simply can’t be resting at home and need to direct films, I’ll get started on the new film.” |
By Taran Adarsh, August 21, 2009 – 01:00 IST
There have been path-breaking films on the plight of children. Children affected by poverty/conflict. Films like THE CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, TURTLES CAN FLY and CITY OF GOD have left an indelible impression on millions of minds. These films, says director Piyush Jha, have also been his inspiration.
Jha’s SIKANDAR looks at the conflict in Kashmir, without taking sides. That’s because the focus is on a kid who becomes a pawn in a dangerous game played by politicians and terrorists. One has often read in newspapers and also watched television programs that highlight the fact that kids are being used in wars waged in the name of religion. SIKANDAR tackles this theme as well.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
SIKANDAR has a refreshingly different story to tell, since themes like the one here have rarely been told on the Hindi screen before. But how one wishes the screenplay would do justice to the thought. For, the film holds your attention in bits and spurts, not in totality. Also, the culmination to this story falls short of expectations.
In a nutshell, SIKANDAR had the potential to strike a chord, but it leaves your hand midway.
Sikandar [Parzaan Dastur] is a 14-year-old schoolboy in Kashmir. Ever since his parents were killed by militants 10 years back, he has lived with his aunt and uncle, in a small town in Kashmir.
One day, on his way home from a school football match, Sikandar finds a gun lying on the path. Despite admonishments by his newly-made school friend, the 14-year-old Nasreen [Ayesha Kapur], Sikandar picks up the gun and thus begins a journey into the darker side of his nature. The quiet yet strong Nasreen becomes Sikandar’s conscience keeper. She tries to dissuade him from giving in to the lure of the gun.
However, all is not what it seems. Sikandar gets embroiled further and further in situations beyond his control. As layer upon layer unravels, it becomes clear that Sikandar is the innocent victim in a game being played out between the militants, the peace bartering politicians and the religious heads of the little Kashmiri town.
You realize that SIKANDAR is not the usual film on terrorism at the very outset, when a kid kicks a football and a bomb explodes. The story takes off the moment Parzaan finds a gun and the sequences thereafter keep the viewer involved, especially the scenes between Parzaan and Arunoday Singh [the terrorist]. The point at which the first half ends makes you look forward to the second hour, but it doesn’t.
The problem is that the story suddenly moves into the suspense-thriller genre and that robs the film of its originality. Even before you’re told who the culprit is, you’ve guessed it already thanks to the been-there-seen-that kind of situations that this film relies on.
Sure, a few sequences do leave an impact – like the one when a blast occurs during the pre-climax – but the screenplay isn’t cohesive at this juncture. To cite an instance, the army officer hands a gun to Sikandar to avenge his father’s death. Now this looks implausible. Also, the politician’s daughter has a change of heart in the end, which is so difficult to absorb.
What director Piyush Jha needs to be complimented for presenting the viewers the scenic beauty of Kashmir. The DOP presents some stunning visuals of Kashmir to the viewer and that’s something you carry back home.
Parzaan acts quite well, but Ayesha doesn’t work. Also, the accent is hard to ignore. Madhavan does a decent job. Sanjay Suri underplays his part beautifully. This is amongst his finest works. Arunoday Singh makes an impressive debut. Also, he’s blessed with a strong personality to carry off this role.
On the whole, SIKANDAR doesn’t quite hit the goal.
 So what if R Madhavan’s plans to join the Indian army were thwarted? He has kept alive his love for the defence force through his films. After he played a dashing air force pilot in Rang De Basanti, he plays Lieutenant Colonel Rajesh Rao in his next film, Sikandar. Madhavan, who wanted to be an army officer ever since he was a young boy, plays an army commander of the area where Sikandar, whom the film is based on, lives.
Talking about Madhavan’s reaction after he heard the script, director Piyush Jha said, “After the narration, I sat back wondering where this was leading. Then Madhavan suddenly smiled and said that he believed the role of Lt Col Rajesh Rao was made for him. He told me that he was a diligent NCC cadet in his growing years. He wanted to join the army but his application was rejected because he had crossed the age cut-off by six months. He was also awarded the Maharashtra Best Cadet award when he was 22 years old. This granted him a trip with three other NCC Cadets to England where he received training with the Royal Army, the Navy and the Air Force.” “After Madhavan lost out on being in the army, he took lessons in public speaking, which eventually helped him enter the film industry. Somehow, he couldn’t follow that dream and ended up becoming a film star instead,” added Jha. Jha, of course, wasn’t oblivious to Madhavan’s army aspirations. He said “But, I didn’t tell him that I knew about his desire to be an army man and that’s precisely why I had approached him for the role.”
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• After Madhavan lost out on being in the army, he took lessons in public speaking, which eventually helped him enter the film industry 
