Archive for the ‘cast & crew’ Category

WTF : Bombay Times is Himesh Times today!

Posted: December 9, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, first look, News, pics, shit, Thoughts, WTF
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Beat this! This is called guts! Even when his recent release Radio has proved to be a big dud at the box office and has been killed by every possible sane reviewer, Himesh Reshammiya is again threatening us with a new film. Bhaag Bhola, Run Lola, Himesh Bhai is back!

The film is Kajraare, directed by Pooja Bhatt! T-Series is producing the film and its written by Mahesh Bhatt. A man trying to run away from his past….A woman trying to escape her future! Sounds like they are going to meet on the sets of new tv show “Raaz Picchle Janam Ka“.

Out of 12 pages of today’s Bombay Times, three full pages have Himesh on it. The first page, second page and one more. The morning chai rarely taste so better! Mr Pinky-dinky-lips! Take a look and enjoy!

And here is the third page. The list of critics you should never trust! Our favourite is Juginder Chuteja, oops, Tuteja!

 

So whats “very rare” in this father-son-son-father-whatever-it-is story ? Club ICB reports.

Posted: December 8, 2009 by moifightclub in Bolly Jokes, bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, film review, News, shit, Thoughts
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Finally managed to catch Paa. The film which is touching every heart, making everyone cry, the “very rare” story. The “moving” film of the year.

Not sure what “very rare” exactly means. Beacuse we always felt that the word “rare” has “very” attached to it. May be Balki can explain it better. But here is the list of “very rare” things that we discovered in “Paa”.

1. The film moves in montages. Some 15-20 montages. No scenes, no dialogues. Everytime you are stuck, the answer is simple. So how does it happen ? Just play the background music and put the visuals. It doesnt matter, just increase the volume, it will flow. Father-Mother meet. Check montage. Father-son meet. Check montage. Politician goes for the act. Check montage. Kingfisher Airlines. Check Montage. The list is long and its boring!

2. Paa is the official theatrical trailer of Ramu’s next release Rann. Big B does it religiously, almost everyday, before going to bed. He blogs about it. The Small D has done it on the big screen. He suddenly goes for the big expose, which has no relation, no meaning to the main story. Media-bashing! And the way its done, we thought it looked like an internship project of  B-handarkar Woods International. Has B-alki done a short-term course from there ?

3. Paresh Rawal has one dialogue after every 12 minutes 52 seconds. And interestingly, it doesnt matter what he says, why he says and where he says. He is there to make you smile.

4. Balki is obsessesd with two things. Age – over age, under age, age difference. And over-smart kids who will mouth over-smart lines and will tickle your funny bones.

5. It breaks every rule of screenwriting. Even the eternal ones. Remember “dont say, show it”. Jaya Bachchan makes a special appearance to “say” the entire credit roll. Why ? Because its “very rare”.

6. Progeria ? Whats that ? Its a “very rare” disease. And ? And thats it. Synonym – Prosthetics.

7. The most important relationship in the film – Paa & Progeria. What do you feel when you see the bond ? Nothing. Because its cut to one more song. Check montage. There is nothing more to it. Where is the bond ? The relationship ? The “very rare” father-son-son-father-whatever-it-is ? Remember Masoom and that killer line – Kya main aapko Daddy bula sakta hoon ? The ever reliable Naseeruddin Shah & Jugal Hansraj at his career’s best. The montage works only when there is a pre-roll and post-roll to it. Otherwise, its nothing. 

8. A very-rare mutant creature on top of a clock. Is it a fish, a cockroach, a bird, a plane or a super-insect ? Every 15 minutes, there is a shot of it. Why ? Because its “very rare”. The most repetitive visual. Time’s running out!

9. Is Vidya Balan the new brand ambassador for FabIndia or some such brands. Every scene, she is in a new saree that reminds you of the previous one. Sometimes, even in one scene there are few saree changes. (Courtesy – my friend Deepak confirmed it). The film can be alternately titled Saree-spotting!

10.  Balki = Pure Gimmick = “Very Rare” talent. Give him 15 seconds and he will rock. His advertising background explains that. The promos of Cheeni Kum and Paa re-confirms it. Like Cheeni Kum, Paa is just 15 seconds idea with some smart one-liners. All that you need in advertising.

Everything else is a mess. A big mess, which is boring and is desperately begging for sympathy. Not sure if any kind of glycerine will also help in that cheesy death scene.

OR are we the only members left in the Club ICB ? Not actually, if you read the Guardian and The New York Times reviews. Click here and here to read the reviews.

And one thats not rare….

Arundhati Nag. She is still the same. Such natural presence. In every scene, whenever she is there, the keyword is effortless acting. Can we please see her more often!

PS : ICB – Inglourious Cynical Basterds. 

Aamir Khan’s Peepli Live to compete with 13 films at Sundance Film Festival

Posted: December 7, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, Film Festival, News, Story / Plot / Synopsis
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Produced by Aamir Khan and directed by debutant Anusha Rizvi, Peepli Live has been selected for the Sundance Film Festival. The film will compete with 13 other films in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Total 1022 international narrative features were submitted for this category.

And this one is real big! Not the fake olive leaves that everyone loves to put on their poster for every gulli-nukkad festival and keep on counting the numbers. Some even boast of 30-40 festival rounds, except, ofcourse the top five. Its been  ages since an indian feature made it to the competition section of any top rated international film festival. And Sundance is rated among the top five film festivals. 

To quote the official synopsis…

Peepli Live / India (Director and screenwriter: Anusha Rizvi)—A satirical look at the predicament of a poor farmer who creates a media frenzy when, beset with debt, he announces that he will commits suicide so his family can receive government compensation. Cast: Omkar Das, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Raghubir Yadav, Shalini Vatsa, Farukh Jaffer.  World Premiere

And here is the one the Screen published….

Peepli Live, is not just a take on farmer suicide but also on media’s obsession with ‘breaking news’ and publicity-hungry politicians. While Raghuvir Yadav plays the role of a farmer who announces his suicide days in advance, Nawaz (last seen in New York) essays the role of an aspiring hotshot reporter who decides to go town with Yadav’s announcement. His news catches the attention of news channels and politicians, which in turn results in Yadav’s character failing to commit suicide. The story’s irony lies in the fact that Nawaz’s character, which unknowingly acts as a catalyst in saving the farmer’s life, kills himself after he finds himself disagreeing with the ethical standards being practised by certain sections of the media. Interestingly, while shooting across homes, fields and roads at Badwai village near Bhopal, the unit managed to keep reporters, shutterbugs as well as locals at bay.

The details of other 13 films are as follows….

“All That I Love” (Poland) – Directed and written by Jacek Borcuch, about four small-town teenagers who form a punk rock band in 1981 during the growth of the Solidarity movement. With Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Jakub Gierszal, Mateusz Banasiuk, Olga Frycz, Igor Obloza. North American premiere. 

“Animal Kingdom” (Australia) – Directed and written by David Michod, which centers upon a 17-year-old boy who, in the wake of his mother’s death, is thrust precariously between a criminal family and a detectives who hopes to save him. Stars Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, James Frecheville. World premiere.

“Boy” (New Zealand) – Directed and written by Taika Waititi, a study of how two young brothers reconciles fantasy with reality when their father returns home after many years. Features Waititi, James Rolleston, Te Aho Eketone. World premiere. 

“Four Lions” (U.K.) – Directed by Chris Morris, written by Morris, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, a comedy about some self-styled British jihadis. With Chris Wilson, Kevin Eldon. World premiere. 

“Grown Up Movie Star” (Canada) – Directed and written by Adriana Maggs, which spins on a teenage girl left to care for her rural father when her mother runs away. Features Shawn Doyle, Tatiana Maslany, Jonny Harris, Mark O’Brien, Andy Jones, Julia Kennedy. U.S. premiere.

“The Man Next Door” (Argentina), written and directed by Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat, about two neighbors who clash over a wall separating their properties. With Rafael Spregelburd, Daniel Araoz, Eugenia Alonso, Ines Budassi, Lorenza Acuna. International premiere. 

“Me Too” (Spain) – Directed by Alvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro, about the unconventional relationship between a 34-year-old college-educated man with Down syndrome and his free-spirited co-worker. With Pablo Pineda, Lola Duenas, Antonio Naharro, Isabel Garcia Lorca, Pedro Alvarez Ossorio. International premiere. 

“Nuummioq” (Greenland) – Directed by Otto Rosing and Torben Bech, written by Bech, a contemporary story of how a young man pieces together aspects of his past and gets on with his life while journeying through Greenland’s imposing landscapes. Stars Lars Rosing, Angunnguaq Larsen, Julie Berthelsen, Morten Rose, Makka Kleist, Mariu Olsen. World premiere. 

“Son of Babylon” (Iraq) – Directed and written by Mohamed Al Daradji, the tale of a young Kurdish boy and his grandmother as they travel through Iraq searching for the remains of their father/son in the wake of Saddam Hussein’s fall from power. With Yasser Talib, Shazda Hussein, Bashir Al-Majid. International premiere. 

“Southern District” (Bolivia) – Directed and written by Juan Carlos Valdivia, a look at social change that envelopes an upper-class family in La Paz, Bolivia. Toplines Ninon del Castillo, Pascual Loayza, Nicolas Fernandez, Juan Pablo Koria, Mariana Vargas. North American premiere. 

“The Temptation of St. Tony” (Estonia) – Directed and written by Veiko Ounpuu, which centers upon a mid-level manager with an aversion to being “good” who confronts life mysteries as he loses his grasp on his once-quiet life. Features Taavi Eelmaa, Rain Tolk, Tiina Tauraite, Katarina Lauk, Raivo E. Tamm. World premiere. 

“Undertow” (Colombia-France-Germany-Peru) – Directed and written by Javier Fuentes-Leon, an offbeat ghost story in which a married fisherman on the Peruvian seaside tries to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within the town’s rigid traditions. Stars Cristian Mercado, Manolo Cardona, Tatiana Astengo. North American premiere. 

“Vegetarian” (South Korea) – Directed and written by Lim Woo-seong, about a housewife whose strange dreams and resulting meat aversion cause trouble with her husband and attract the interest of her artist brother-in-law. Toplines Chea Min-seo, Kim Hyun-sung, Kim Yeo-jin, Kim Young-jae. International premiere.

First Look : Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti

Posted: December 3, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, first look, pics
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The first official poster of Raajneeti is out. The film is directed by Prakasha Jha and stars Naseeruddin Shah, Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal, Ranbir Kapoor & Katrina Kaif.

First Look : New song promos of Pyaar Impossible, 3 Idiots & Chance Pe Dance

Posted: November 29, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, first look, songs & videos
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Few new song promos out this week. Putting it all together. First one is from Yashraj Films’ Pyaar Impossible starring Uday Chopra and Priyanka Chopra and directed by Jugal Hansraj. Second one is ‘give me some sunshine’ song promo of 3 Idiots. And the last one is from Ken Ghosh’s Chance Pe Dance. Enjoy!

Pyaar Impossible has nothing “impossible” to offer and Chance Pe Dance looks like come, count my packs!

Xclusive : Dibakar Banerjee’s Love Sex Aur Dhokha – story details!

Posted: November 26, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, News, Story / Plot / Synopsis, writing, Xclusive
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Dibakar Banerjee is ready with his new film titled Love Sex Aur Dhokha. LSD, ah…killer! With LSD, Dibakar is going digital, low budget ( just 2 cr), all new actors and even ADULT! And here is the story/plot/synopsis of the film….

Rahul, a final year film student, gears up for his diploma film. With his digital camera, with an amateur cast, he starts etching the perennial themes of the great bollywood love epic – his ideal – into his low budget magnum opus. While testing actors for his film he falls in love with Shruti, a new student who he casts as his heroine.

Somewhere in the same city, Adarsh, an unemployed young man, installs security cameras in a small upcoming 24 hour departmental store. Under pressure to pay off a loan shark – Adarsh gets persuaded by his friend from the camera company to act ina  porn clip recorded through the security cameras in the shop.

In another corner of the city, Prabhat – once a committed sting journalist following cases of national importance – tethers on the brink of collapse. When he meets Naina, a dancer, who is trying to commit suicide, Prabhat sees the last chance to set his life right –a  sting that exposes India’s biggest pop star, Laki Local.

LSD is a roller coaster ride told through three different cameras that instead of passively recording the characters invades the drama, affecting the outcome of the characters’ destinies, snooping, prying, baring the fangs of real perversion hidden deep inside all of us.

And if you want to know more about LSD, how and why, click here for our previous post on the film and its treatment.

Production designer Sukant Panigrahy turns director and needs money to complete ‘Atlas’

Posted: November 25, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, first look, News, songs & videos, Story / Plot / Synopsis, Thoughts
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Its always nice to bump into someone whose work you are familiar with and about whom you have heard some good stories. Met Sukant Panigrahy at Film Bazaar (IFFI Goa) today. Though I had never met him but we had some movie connection too. A box of dvds (from USA) sent to me by a common freind of ours landed up at his place because I was too lazy/busy to collect. And Sukant knew that the second box of dvds sent by the same freind reached my place.  Ok, time to barter then.

Sukant started out as a production designer and has worked on some big budget films (Gangajal, Tashan, Chak De India, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom among others. Click here for the IMDB list). He candidly admits that its all bullshit for Bread & butter. His last release which got noticed was Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D. And now he has turned director with a film titled Atlas.

Atlas is the story of a waiter in a beach side bar, who has a fragmented isolated existance. His lonely life is alieviated by an obsession with Laila, a free spirited woman of the night. Satish Kaushik &  Helen Jones are in lead roles. With whatever funds he could manage, Sukant has shot some portion of the film and has cut a trailer out of it. He is now looking for a producer who can help him complete the film. Do check out the trailer and if you like it, do spread the word.

 

Ruskin Bond writing Vishal Bhardwaj’s next – The Seven Husbands (plot details)

Posted: November 23, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, News, Story / Plot / Synopsis, writing
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The name is Bond. Ruskin Bond.

This one comes as a surprise. We had no clue about this development, though we make sure to track every move of one of our favourite filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj. In an interview to Indian Express, Ruskin Bond has given out the details of the story that he is writing for Vishal Bhardwaj. Its called The Seven Husbands. Last time they came together to create the magical Blue Umbrella. And this one, it already sounds delicious. Read on.

To quote Mr Bond….

Vishal asked me if I could do another story for him and I saw no reason why I wouldn’t. He liked a four-page short story of mine, Susanna’s Seven Husbands. I expanded it into a 200-page episodic piece that can be filmed. My protagonist is a femme fatale who bumps off her seven husbands… I had to find ingenious ways of bumping seven people off while writing the story. Not something that I am used to contemplating generally.

On Priyanka Chopra and some more….

I haven’t actually seen her films. She gives a lot of interviews on TV so I have seen her occasionally. My protagonist comes from an Anglo-Indian background, she is a beautiful lady, but reserved. She isn’t very glamorous like Ms Chopra and doesn’t try to charm men in obvious ways. I hope Vishal will keep that in his characterisation. She is very smart too. She even gives an old husband of hers an overdose of Viagra in my story, who of course can’t take it. No, no, I can’t give out anymore of the story. My only regret will be, I couldn’t be cast as one of Ms Chopra’s seven husbands. Guess I am too old for that (laughs).

Woohoo…Piggy chops goes chop chop! And its not big surprise that Vishal Bhardwaj is again working with Priyanka Chopra. The performance that she delivered in just 10-12 scenes of Kaminey, any director would want to repeat that act. You can read the full Ruskin Bond interview here.

First Look : Shah Rukh Khan in Dulha Mil Gaya

Posted: November 14, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, first look, News, songs & videos
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After making many headlines, Dulha Mil Gaya is finally ready for release. The film is directed by Mudassar Aziz, produced by Viveck Vaswani and stars Fardeen Khan, Sushmita Sen & Shah Rukh Khan has a guest appearance.

Guest appearance ? Well, Shah Rukh is on screen for 45 minutes in the second half of the film, but he hasnt charged anything for it. Its all for good ol’ Dostana! When Shah Rukh came to Mumbai and had no place to stay, it was Vaswani who opened his doors for SRK! No pun intended, if you have heard different version of the story!

ET reports that the film has finally found a buyer in Rajat Jhunjhunwala, a finance professional with an investment and restructuring background who is making his foray into bollywood. Click on the video to check out the trailer of the film. The quality is not good but its easy to figure out that they are trying to sell it as a Shah Rukh Khan film.

Aamir Khan & Kareena Kapoor’s zoobi doobie in 3 Idiots!

Posted: November 11, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, first look, News, songs & videos, Thoughts
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Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Mani Ratnam wanted them together, Vishal Bharadwaj also wanted them, but for some or other reason the films never happened. The two actors are working together for the first time in RajKumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots. A new song from 3 Idiots, featuring both the actors is just out. Those of you who love dissecting the chemistry (or physics/biology) check out the video and let us know what do you think. 

The music of the film is by Shantanu Moitra and lyrics by Swanand Kirkire. The song zoobi doobi has retro sixties  club number feel to it and the intial hook sounds a lot like Main Hoon Na’s gori gori, which we love. There are few things which nobody does better than Farah Khan!

And if this rewind to bollywood’s sexy sixties club number is a genrae, then our favourite is Woh ladki hai kahan from Dil Chahta Hai. This song is also choreographed by Farah Khan. Bollywood is in her blood! Enjoy!

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