Posts Tagged ‘luck by chance’
Luck By Chance
Posted on: January 2, 2010
MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; January 2, 2010)
Yet, the reality of the matter is something else. It is usually who is available; and sometimes who is more saleable.
Take the latest: Aamir Khan was never meant to be playing the idiot in his latest film. It was to be Shah Rukh Khan. Since SRK and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra had a difference of opinion, the Bollywood Badshah was replaced by Aamir. And while the rest is history, there are innumerable such examples in the film industry.
History knows that Amitabh Bachchan was not Prakash Mehra’s first choice for Zanjeer. It was meant to be Dev Anand or Raaj Kumar. When both actors said no, the Big B stepped in. Jaya Bachchan even thanked Dev saab for refusing the Zanjeer role. The film gave her — her real life husband and it gave Bollywood one of its most revered screen couples.
Today you wonder how Dev saab would ever have fit into the angry young man mould. But that’s an after-thought.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee wanted Raj Kapoor to play Anand. When he couldn’t, Hrishida sent for Shashi Kapoor but Rajesh Khanna wormed his way in. And till today Anand is synonymous with the 70s phenomenon.
Shatrughan Singh continues to smart that it was he who was to be Jai in the Jai-Veeru jodi of Sholay but because he was riding a crest of super-success then, he didn’t want to do a twohero film. Amitabh Bachchan got the role instead.
Aamir had been pencilled in for Yash Chopra’s Darr but at that point he ‘accused’ Yash of playing games. And SRK made a permanent place for himself in the YRF camp.
Saif Ali Khan had qualms about playing a pansy in Dostana so John Abraham was brought in. John got male and female temperatures rising with this fun flick and is now a part of its sequel.
Kareena Kapoor asked for too much money for Kal Ho Na Ho; result — Preity Zinta landed this memorable film. Shah Rukh was meant to be playing Munnabhai but since he walked out after some miscommunication, Sanjay Dutt became Munna. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was in Chalte Chalte till Salman dropped in as an uninvited guest forcing SRK to call Rani Mukerji to replace her… and Rekha and Jaya would never have had their screen face-off in Silsila had Parveen Babi and Smita Patil done their roles.
Unlike real history, reel history is often made by default.
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
SUBHASH K JHA Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; December 7, 2009)
Sonam refuses Zoya’s next?
Posted on: November 27, 2009
HITLIST TEAM (Mid-Day; November 27, 2009)
Sonam Kapoor was the first choice for Zoya Akhtar’s next starring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol.
But the young lass turned down the project saying she didn’t have much to do. Zoya personally approached Sonam with the script, who politely refused the offer.
The movie revolves around three childhood friends who take a road trip in Spain.
A source reveals, “Sonam knew it’s a guy film and that she wouldn’t have much to do. She’s being extra careful choosing her films as she’s still waiting for her first big hit.
Also Luck By Chance didn’t light up the box office, so doing Zoya’s next would be a big risk for her.”
Let’s talk about Sex baby!
Posted on: September 30, 2009
BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL: (From top) Stills from Luck By Chance, Kaminey, Love Aaj Kal
DEEPALI DHINGRA Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; September 29, 2009)
Did you cringe with discomfort when a seemingly innocent child woman Isha Sherwani seduced Farhan Akhtar into bed in Luck By Chance? Or, more recently, when a salwar kameez-clad Priyanka Chopra managed to convince a reluctant Shahid Kapoor to have sex with her in Kaminey, by telling him that she knows ‘homescience’ and that it’s ‘safe to do it’? More likely than not, you smiled at their boldness and prepared for more to come. Seduction was a game played by vamps in Bollywood in the 70s and 80s. Much later, lead actresses like Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra were sexually charged in Jism and Aitraaz respectively. But even then, they were the ‘bad girls’. Well, times have changed — even the ‘good’ girls are taking a turn for the ‘bad’ and the audiences are lapping it up!
Watch newcomer Mahie Gill throwing herself in full abandon at Abhay Deol in a mustard field in Dev. D and you’ll know what we’re talking about. Trade analyst Komal Nahta says he isn’t surprised at this change. “Films, after all, are a reflection of today. Girls are proposing to guys, they are using seduction as a tool even in real life. The major composition of the audience comprises youth, so they have to show what the young generation identifies with,” he says. So Kareena Kapoor playfully hands Akshay Kumar her bra in Tashan and Konkona SenSharma suggests a quick bout of love-making to Rahul Bose in Dil Kabaddi before they turn in for the night and Deepika Padukone has no qualms with Saif Ali Khan kissing her full on the mouth in the car in Love Aaj Kal. Agrees Mahie, “Reel life follows real life. Women today are more vocal about their sexual desires than what they were about a decade back. The audience today wants to see characters they can identify with. That’s why the boldness depicted by the newer lot of actresses has been accepted.”
According to film director Onir, a growing section of audiences in urban centres are accepting this change. “Independent working women watch these films with their male friends and colleagues who treat them as equals and therefore, accept their portrayal on screen as well,” he says. Also, the younger generation of filmmakers who have grown up seeing women as friends and colleagues, are showing female characters as they are, says Onir.
deepali.dhingra@timesgroup.com
English titles chalta hai!
Posted on: September 16, 2009
AAKANKSHA NAVAL-SHETYE Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; September 15, 2009)
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh agrees, claiming that it’s a healthy trend looking at global cinema, “Bollywood films have an international audience. Ever since English lyrics in Hindi songs became a hit, filmmakers began exploring these options. As long as the title suits the content of the film, it’s bound to work.” Vashu Bhagnani, whose next film is titled Do Knot Disturb, adds, “When the masses can accept English songs and words in our films, why not titles? The audience targeted is largely the youth and they can easily identify with such names.” Rohit Shetty, director of All the Best and Golmaal Returns, defended his titles, “Words like Welcome, All The Best, Luck, and No Problem work well even with the non-English speaking masses in the interiors. These titles have tested positive with the multiplex audience so it’s a win-win scenario all across.”
Trade analysts also believe TV has made English and ‘Hinglish’ popular. “Thanks to the serials, talk shows and advertisements, ‘Hinglish’ has become well-accepted. So if the words are simple and part of daily usage, the names are more likely to work than not,” say trade analysts.
However, filmmaker Vipul Shah, whose films — Singh is Kinng, London Dreams and Action Replayy — all have English names, has a different take. “London Dreams is the name of a band associated with my film, whereas Action Replayy was the name of my play done several years ago. So, the name has to show some connection with the film theme and should not be a random word,” he says. Will the trend of long names that kickstarted with Hum Aapke Hain Kaun pave way for English shorties? Time will tell.
ENGLISH SHORTIES RELEASED THIS YEARFox, Luck, Three, Life Partner, Daddy Cool, Sankat City, Shortkut: The Con is On, Quick Gun Murugan, Bachelor Party, Bad Luck Govind, Chandni Chowk To China, Luck By Chance, Victory, The Stoneman Murders, 13B, Straight, Team, Runway, Let’s Dance, Morning Walk, Perfect Mismatch, Shadow, Toss
ENGLISH SHORTIES TO COME
Fenil’s Bollywood Talk # 64
Posted on: September 3, 2009
RENUKA SHAHANE TURNS DIRECTOR!
Everyone who has seen ‘Hum Aapke Hai Koun..!’ (HAHK) must be aware of this actor. In the film, she played Pooja, Prem’s (Salman Khan) elder sister who meets with a tragic death. Renuka Shahane had become very popular after this film. She also acted in some of the sitcoms earlier. Although she became a known face after HAHK, she wasn’t seen in many films. But now she’s back as a director. Her first film, a Marathi one, titled Rita, is all set to release tomorrow. Renuka Shahane is also there in the film along with Pallavi Joshi, Suhasini Mulay, Mohan Agashe and others. Jackie Shroff also has an important role in the film. Rita in fact is Jackie’s first Marathi film. Surprisingly, just last week, he was seen as a Punjabi farmer in Kisaan.
Rita is adapted from a Marathi novel Rita Welingkar written by the eminent critic Shanta Gokhale, who is also Renuka’s mother. One look at the promo of the film proves that Renuka has sensitively handled the film and will surely impress the audiences. Co-incindentally, women debut directors have fared exceptionally well this year. Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance was a top-notch product while Firaaq by Nandita Das was one of the most impactful films of this year.
The reason why I wrote about this film is because Renuka Shahane stays just a minute away from my house! She used to stay there with her mother until she got married. She occasionally visits her mother but still, I haven’t seen her even once. But I had a chance to meet his husband, actor Ashutosh Rana. I remember the date quite well-it was Jan 5, 2003. My friend stays in the building opposite Renuka Shahane’s and both these buildings share a common compound. I and my friends were playing there when a car stopped outside the compound and Ashutosh Rana came out. He was dressed as a neta-it was the get-up for his film, maybe. He went straight to Renuka’s house. At that time, I didn’t even know that Renuka Shahane’s home is located there and that Rana is her husband! After my knowledge was updated about this, I and my pals decided to take his autograph. I quickly went to my house and got a diary. We all were too scared to press the bell of the house. Finally, I went ahead and did the needful. Renuka’s mother (Ashu’s mother-in-law Shanta Gokhale, who wrote the novel from where Rita is adapted) opened the door. I told her about our wish to take Ashutosh’s autograph. She smiled, pinched my cheeks and went inside to call the actor! He came out and was too glad to fulfill our wish!
From that day onwards, whenever I hear about Renuka Shahane or even Ashutosh Rana, this incident instantly comes to my mind!
—————————————
SHOB CHARITRO KALPONIK RELEASED
Just imagine-a Bipasha Basu film released last Friday and hardly anyone knows about it. The film in question is Shob Charitro Kalponik (SCK), a Bengali film by the well-known director Rituparno Ghosh. The film had created some hype ever since news spread that Bipasha will be seen in a Bengali film. Last I had heard was Bips’ voice is dubbed and that Big Pictures have backed the film.
The film got a good release in Kolkata. In Mumbai it was released only in 2 multiplexes, 1 show in each and both these multiplexes are in South Mumbai. It is shocking that a Bipasha Basu film got such hype-less release. English subtitles were also there and so even non-Bengali viewers would have surely come to see the film, provided the film was promoted well and adequate shows were organized in more multiplexes throughout the city.
4 years back, even Antar Mahal (AM), starring Abhishek Bachchan, Soha Ali Khan, Jackie Shroff and Raima Sen had released without any hype. But compared to SCK, AM had more number of shows. Critics had reviewed AM but in the case of SCK, I didnt see it’s single review in any newspaper. Maybe even the critics werent aware of its release! Very unfortunate!
Very rarely do you come across a film which fulfills all your expectations and in fact, provides more than expected. This year, however, we were mostly bombarded with some pathetic flicks. But behold as Love Aaj Kal has arrived! The film sees love and relationships in a new light but what works big time is its terrific execution and smart storytelling. Love Aaj Kal is surely one of the most refreshing romantic flicks to come out of Bollywood!
The story of the movie: Jai (Saif Ali Khan) and Meera (Deepika Padukone) is a modern-day couple based in London. They are always together but are clueless whether they can be categorized as ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’! Meera gets an opportunity to move to Delhi which she doesn’t want to miss while Jai is soon going to be at San Francisco. Jai and Meera conclude that their long-distance relationship won’t work and thus, decide to break-up (happily). At this point, Jai comes across veteran Veer Singh (Rishi Kapoor) who is shocked to see how Jai treats relationships and break them so easily. He is of the view that the present generation can’t understand love. Love is that trap in which he got entangled 4 decades back when he was the dashing and cool Delhiite Veer (played by Saif again) and when he came across Harleen Kaur (Giselle Monteiro). Jai laughs at Veer as to how he had travelled thousand kilometers from Delhi to Calcutta just to catch a glimpse of Harleen.
Jai-Meera…Veer-Harleen-both these ‘love stories’ were poles apart and of different generations. But love is the same as it was 4 decades back. Jai soon realizes that he’s having the same feeling and experience that Veer must have gone through when he fell in love with Harleen!
The opening scenes give a strong indication that Love Aaj Kal is a different and unique film. During the opening credits, the glimpse of the scenes to follow is shown but yet, you won’t be able to guess what’s going to happen in the film! The execution and editing really works wonders in this film!
The first half of this film is very interesting and surprising. The way the couple break-up was indeed hilarious! Jai and Meera keeping in touch with all modern-day means of communication (sms, call, internet, Mobile Internet) makes you smile. And the eternal Jai-Harleen cute love story also flashes a smile on one’s face, albeit for a different reason!
Telling two stories that run parallel in a film is not easy but Imtiaz executes them with élan and even intersects them wonderfully, a la Rang De Basanti style! Also, the film, especially in the 2nd half reminds one of Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na.
The film gets slow and drags at few places in the 2nd half. But the final 30 minutes compensates for the cons. The film manages to show a true picture of today’s confused individuals who fail to think rationally before taking big decisions and denounce and detest love.
When it comes to performances, each one is brilliant in their place. Saif Ali Khan shines wonderfully and manages to come up with one of the outstanding performances of his career. He had two diverse roles in the film and he performed both of them perfectly. It was a treat to see Saif as Jai getting confused, irritated, sad, shocked-all at once in a couple of sequences. At the same time, he looked like a convincing Sikh and was extremely likeable as Veer Singh too. It’s great to see Saif in another modern and fresh love story (after Salaam|Namaste) and this time, he scores as the producer too. He’s definitely on a roll!
Deepika Padukone was simply outstanding and gives a charming performance. Her brilliant job will surely put an end to all speculation regarding why Kareena was not casted in her place. Deepika was perfect for her role and she and Saif look excellent together. Love Aaj Kal would surely be another feather in her cap. Great going, Deepika!
Rishi Kapoor also manages to impress as much as Saif and Deepika. Everyone will surely love him in the still-young-at-heart role. After Luck By Chance, this is surely another brilliant performance from this actor. The one who enacted the role of Harleen is actually a Brazlian, Giselle Monteiro. Yet, she is likeable as the Punjabi kudi of the 60s. Only someone like Imtiaz Ali can extract such fine desi performance from a firangi! Rahul Khanna is as usual charming. It’ll be great if he gets the role of protagonist too! Neetu Kapoor comes in unexpectedly! Raj Zutshi and others were okay.
One can argue that songs weren’t necessary in the film. Quite true, since many songs crop up unexpectedly and the film could have been a romantic songless flick! However, although songs at several places weren’t necessary, it doesn’t bore or put a brake on the narrative. And the songs itself are so good that one doesn’t mind! Pritam scores a sixer with this album and is surely one of his best compositions. Also, songs are also very well picturised, esp ‘Mein Kya Hoon’. It was just outstanding and also impactful. ‘Ajj Din Chadeya’, the best song of the film in my view, also brings a smile on one’s face, even though only the initial part of the song is played in the film. Rest of the songs, ‘Twist’, ‘Dooriyaan’, ‘Chor Bazaari’ and ‘Thoda Thoda Pyaar’ are brilliant too!
Irshad Kamil’s lyrics also deserve a special mention. The way he has used some unusual words in songs is extraordinary. For instance, in Chor Bazaari, the word ‘ghatna’, which is never before heard in any song before, is used here!
N Natarajan Subramaniam’s cinematography was flawless. It’s great to see the lensman didn’t show the popular landmarks of the city in which film is shot. For instance, in scenes of London, not even a single scene or frame show Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square or any other popular London landmark. Similarly, Red Fort and India Gate are missing in the Delhi sequences! It is little things like these that make Love Aaj Kal special!
Salim-Sulaiman’s background score, as expected, was top-notch. Aarti Bajaj’s editing was sharp, slick and brilliant. Watch the film and you’ll get my point! Production design was marvelous and eye-catching, especially in the sepia coloured 60’s scenes!
Finally, Imtiaz Ali, the writer and director, comes out with flying colours! His debut film, Socha Na Tha flopped but it was noticed and appreciated by moviegoers. His second offering, Jab We Met, succeeded across the country. And now with his third flick, he has surely been hailed as the one of the finest directors of our country. The way he treated both the diverse stories and found out striking similarities is worth appreciating and extra ordinary! Also, it’s fabulous to see Imtiaz comparing Calcutta and San Francisco. Both the cities have a tram network and if SF has the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, Calcutta have the rustic Howrah Bridge! Hats off Imtiaz for your wonderful effort!
Some of the best scenes of the film:
- All songs (well shot and picturised)
- Jai and Meera’s break-up
- Jai and Veer Singh’s conversations (damn interesting!)
- Jai and Meera at the airport
- All scenes of Veer-Harleen’s love story
- Drunk Jai escorting drunk Meera to her home
- The New Year’s eve at Delhi
- The marriage
- The last 30 mins, including the SF scenes!
On the whole, Love Aaj Kal is a very interesting take on the modern relationships and surely emerges as one of the best films of the year. Performances, songs, cinematography rocks but it is Imtiaz Ali’s touch which works wonders! Highly recommended!
My rating-**** ½ out of 5!
Fenil and Bollywood 