Menka arrested for false charges against Veeresh

Sujata is completely shattered by what she saw - Veeresh in Menka’s arms! Her regret and pain is that she always believed that Veeresh only loved her and she was the only woman in his life. No amount of explanation could console her. Her mother-in-law, her daughter everyone is with her but her trauma and anguish is irreparable.

A distraught Veeresh finally declares in front of Sujata that he is leaving home and going to Menka since Sujata and the family are not ready to forgive him. This was the moment Menka was waiting for. She is very happy to see Veeresh who informs her that he is divorcing Sujata. In the meantime Sujata reaches Menka’s house. Menka is so sure of Veeresh’s decision that in between her conversation she owns up in front of Sujata & Veeresh that she avenged Veeresh with a faulty allegation of rape. Little does Menka know that this was a trap set by Sujata & Veeresh to instigate her to speak up the truth? The cops who were present there hear Menka’s confession & arrest her.

Saara, Sam and Rukmani are hoping that Veeresh and Sujata will patch up and they can get them married again. In the meantime MD Shah, Veeresh’s father, learns about Veeresh’s bankruptcy. He arrives at Veeresh’s house and discloses about Veeresh’s bankruptcy in front of the entire family and throws an offer at Veeresh. He tells Veeresh that if he leaves Sujata he will restore all his lost fame, money and glory. Rukmani, Sam, Saara and Sujata are aghast to learn the truth.

According to the prediction it is Sujata’s last day – it’s the 20th day of the prophecy and there is a janamashtmi pooja. Sujata sees Veeresh pleading to a financier who takes this opportunity to humiliate him. Seeing Veeresh’s helpless situation Sujata is determined to save him before she dies! Sujata leaves the pooja & meets MD Shah… Will Sujata be able to win over MD Shah?

There’s drama, emotion, anger… Stay tuned to Sujata from August 25 - 28, Monday to Thursday, at 10.00 p.m on Sony Entertainment Television.

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Salman Khan is unwell

Salman Khan is resting at home thanks to a tummy upset that lead him to fall sick. Last week he reported on the Yuvraj sets not feeling well but eventually abandoned this shoot after vomiting, reveal unit sources.

Sources further added, “Salman was not feeling well on his arrival on sets so he was resting for a while before starting his shooting. But then as he started vomiting continously, he decided it was pack up time for him for the day. He left the sets immediately to go home and take rest. It was a result of a stomach upset as he was heard saying so to the production members.”

“Only a few days of shoot for Yuvraj is left as the film is almost complete. But now with Salman’s participation being a must in it, the shooting has been completely stopped until he gets well and ready to shoot. It may now happen in next month only.” the source concluded.

Yuvraj is going to release on November 21st and the music launch of the film is to take place on October 1st. The film also stars Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor, Zayed Khan and Boman Irani.

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Esha Deol goes chanting with Tattoo

Esha is chanting these days. Speaking more precisely, her beautiful back is chanting these days. Still can’t get it.

Esha has got a tattoo made on her back which recites lines of the famous ‘Gayatri Mantra’. She has got the tattoo made on her right back part of her upper shoulder.

We really wish to know what gave her this unique idea of having Gayatri Mantra. Guess she’s becoming religious these days. Somebody please ask Esha to recite a few lines too (conditioned to, if she knows any).

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Aamir gets in touch with feminine side

IT'S the X and Y chromosomes at war within Aamir Khan. The actor plays a woman again, or at least half man and half woman. For a hilarious TV commercial for Tata Sky, Aamir plays both a Punjabi bride and bridegroom bickering over what satellite TV connection to install.

The commercial, that airs on Monday, shows the actor dressed one half in a pink salwar kameez complete with dupatta and the other half in a blue sherwani.

This Punjabi bride and bridegroom squabble on their suhaag raat over what satellite connection to install - the woman says she'll go back to her maaike in London if she doesn't get 'technological' Sky, while the groom forcefully insists that he will only use the 'barosemann' Tata. Of course, it all ends lovey dovey when the couple find out that they are quarrelling over the same product.

The star was so taken in by the idea that he agreed to produce it himself. Aamir Khan Productions has worked on the creative by Rediffusion and the ad has been directed by dialogue writer and Phir Hera Pheri director Neeraj Vora.

Aamir Khan, currently in the US, comments in the making of segment, "I had to change my body language from a woman to a man in a split second so the mind had to be alert and sharp." Indeed, it is this quick back and forth between the man and his wife that keeps the viewer in splits - Aamir does it so effortlessly, switching his voice from high-pitched to baritone in the blink of an eye. "It was bizarre because it's me as a man and a woman, just by turning around," he says.

Director Neeraj, whose association with Aamir dates back to his Rangeela and Mann days, told Sunday MiD DAY, "Aamir has the capacity to surprise. Working with him is like driving a Mercedes or BMW over any other car."

Neeraj remembers how Aamir painstakingly spent six-seven hours in a parlour to transform into a woman for a song in Baazi. "But he captures the attitude and essence in such a correct manner that it's never undignified. It doesn't look as if he's mocking women, just playing them."

Neeraj is curious to see how viewers respond to the man-woman. "We chose a Punjabi couple because they are usually outspoken, their excitement is wider and they are so colourful. I knew Aamir would play it best."

Since Aamir's look was key in the ad, make-up was done by the gifted Mickey Contractor, who fashioned one side of his lip with a curvy moustache and painted another a plum red. Costume designer Arjun Bhasin also got into the act, creating an outfit that was one half a sherwani, the other a salwar kameez down to the separate jootas, while hair stylist Adhuna Akhtar fashioned a wig that was both a crop and a long, decorated choti. "The wig was tricky," grins Aamir, who even wore a half-bra to get into the act.

Aamir is now signed on as the new face of the brand, confirmed Vikram Mehra, chief marketing officer of Tata Sky. "We were really holding our breath when we approached Aamir with the concept, but he bought it."

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"Industry is shocked by the success of 'Phoonk'" - Ram Gopal Varma

Professionally, 2007 was a particularly bad year for Ram Gopal Varma. Nishabd, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, and Darling - nothing seemed to be working at the box office for the filmmaker who otherwise has been a trailblazer when it comes to pushing the envelope. However, respite came this year when his Sarkar Raj proved to be a success at the box office. Though Contract came and went without any hype or hoopla, his latest release Phoonk has taken a thunderous opening across the country. Just when not many were willing to give this star-less, song-less horror film much chance at the box office, Phoonk has surprised (and shocked) quite a few with the terrific response it has gained from the paying public. Over to Ramu who is clearly in an exhilarated mood with his small film becoming a big success.

Ramu, did you do black magic in theaters which helped fetch audience for Phoonk?
[Laughs] Well, let that be a mystery! What I can see though is that industry seems to be in a state of shock with the success of the film. They were not really hoping that a film like Phoonk would actually fetch a 100% opening across the country.

What do you feel is so shocking about the way Phoonk has performed at the box office?
First and foremost it has broken the fallacy that films with no stars and songs can't work at the box office. So many in the industry are shocked because we have constantly lived under this impression that a film can be a success only if there are big stars, item songs and comedy ingredients. Now tomorrow if someone says this, Phoonk can be clearly looked as an exhibit because isme naa comedy thi, naa gaane, naa hi stars!

But stars can't be discounted, isn't it?
No way can they be discounted. But then how many saleable stars do we have? 10-12 maybe! In how many films can they act in a year? Perhaps 20 or 25! Now Bollywood needs at least 120 movies to be churned out every year to keep the distributors and exhibitors running. So who acts in these remaining 100 odd movies? You need to have an alternate mechanism in place. This is where the subject matter comes in. You may not have stars but then you should have a subject which is good enough for an audience to be enticed enough to walk into theaters, just like Phoonk did.

You would still continue to make films with stars as well as newcomers, isn't it?
That's exactly the point. It is the subject which warrants whether you need stars for them or not. I would have films with star power and also actors like Sudeep (lead actor in Phoonk) who fit into the character definition. See, if you go to a DVD library, so many times you pick a DVD if the three line synopsis on the cover excites you enough. The film may not boast of known names but the subject could be interesting enough. Hollywood has realized that and is quickly moving in that direction where it is not being dependent on stars any more. Bollywood too can be seen going in the same direction.

Talking about Sudeep, he seems to be having a terrific screen presence.
Oh, he is a superb actor and that's exactly the reason he is seen in Phoonk. He is quite a name down South in Kannada movies.

Coming back to the success of Phoonk, your favorite critics still seem to be continuing their hate-affair with your films.
[Laughs] They seem to be in love with thrashing my films. In fact at so many places, the reviews for Phoonk have been worse than even Contract. They certainly seem to be oblivious about the audience reception for Phoonk. On one hand our film had posters that only screamed of crew members since there were no stars in it while on the other hand there were posters of this other film which boasted of the likes of a Mallika Sherawat. Now it is hardly a secret that which film eventually managed to bring in the audience!

You really seem to have surprised quite a lot of people here?
While the all-India success of Phoonk is indeed heartening, what takes the cake is to see it turning out to be the biggest success of my career in a place like UP. I guess more than me, it is the audience which has managed to surprise many out here in the industry!

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Hrishita Bhatt In Bikini

Whoa, no work makes bollywood actress Hrishita bhatt a sexier girl! Lack of work has made her drop a couple of clothings, I just wosh there is some more time of no work situation for her - let us see if she can drop some more. Jokes apart, she looks teasingly sexy in the white bikni.

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God…Tussi Great Ho

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Priyanka chopra
Rating: *

Who but a David Dhawan follower can turn Tom Shadyac's Bruce Almighty into 'Bruise The Almighty'.

This unintentional subverted farce insults God and humanbeings alike. It pretends to say something deep and indelible. It ends up being as profound as a bowl of soggy noodles staring at you for eadible nirvana.

Arguably one of the most botched-up comedies in recent times God, Tussi Great Ho takes us into territory that the Khan brothers Salman and Soahil have been together in David Dhawan's Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya.

The cartoon-like cat-and-mouse game between Salman and Sohail to get the perky pretty Priyanka's attentions is completely devoid of zing despite the familiar ring, though admittedly Sohail who's rapidly emerged as one of our most delightful comic actors(see him in Salaam-e-Ishq, Main PyarKyun Kiya and now this and watch him give Bade Bhai a run for his money) takes the lead.

The inhouse channel- war between the two Khans is reminiscent of Shah Rukh-Juhi's comic competitiveness in Aziz Mirza's hugely underrated Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. In fact Sohail is wickedly inventive in a plot that pulls the characters down with each creaking push of the writer's pathetic pen.

Who wrote this garbage? You wonder. And why must Mr Bachchan be subjected to this sort of tripe trip at this juncture of his career?

After Rishi Kapoor in Kunal Kohli's vastly-superior other-wordly satire Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic it's Mr Bachchan's turn to play God on a set that has a cascading waterfall, cotton-candy clouds and Salman suitably dressed in a formal suit.

What's missing is the fizz in this askew cocktail. As a writer Rumi Jafrey is on shockingly shaky grounds. Just like Salman's Volkswagon which changes colours from drab pink to bright red in the second-half when Salman gets godly powers from the 'real' God.

Never mind. Because Priyanka's nose- ring changes from left nostril to right. That's about all that the narrative gets right in the trite second-half.

The post-interval half is so crummy and scattered you wonder what happened to the director.Was he was on leave while God ghost-directed the second-half?

Appalling in structure and abysmal in content God, Tussi Great Ho is somewhat bearable for Sohail's comic aptitudes.

And yes, Priyanka is easy on the eyes.

Watch her in the soap ad on television rather than being part of a film where the characters are nothing more than a prop for the pale parody where all the colours come from the hyper-excited art director who was probably told to pull out all stops.

Wish our directors would know where to stop before comedy becomes a travesty.

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Phoonk Movie Review

The great debate between science and superstition continues, but RGV's new film Phoonk tilts in favour of superstition. Surprising, isn't it?

The makers of the film had organized a contest. You'd be given a handsome reward if you've the courage to watch Phoonk all alone in a theatre, we're told. Honestly speaking, Phoonk isn't scary by any standards, but as a subject, it works big time because somewhere deep within us, we've heard of the power of the unknown.

Whether you're superstitious or not, you may've heard tales/experiences concerning jaadu tona. And you're all eyes and ears the moment someone comes up with an alibi.

Phoonk is easily amongst RGV's finest works (although BHOOTH was scarier) and it holds your attention all through.

As a viewer, you're keen to know how RGV would culminate this story. The culmination, of course, would meet with extreme reactions.

Some would rubbish it, but the believers might endorse the finale. In my individualistic opinion, it's outstanding!

All said, Phoonk is a fantastic experience. The subject -- black magic -- is its biggest star and that alone would ensure House Full boards outside plexes/cinemas.

Rajeev (Sudeep), a successful construction engineer, with a loving wife and two children, is an atheist to the core. He scowls at people who believe in the dark forces, till one day when an evil is let loose in his happy home, which threatens to destroy his family and shake up the very foundations of his convictions and beliefs.

Thanks to the hype and curiosity generated around the movie, you expect to be scared from Scene 1 itself. And RGV emphasises on lighting and artefacts, besides an eccentric woman (Ashwini Kalsekar), to create the right atmosphere.

Of course, you do get the jhatkas in a scene or two, but you don't clasp your hands tightly even once, nor does your heart goes dhak-dhak at a lightening speed.

Gradually, RGV plays with the camera (excellent camerawork by Savita Singh) and sound (Kunal Mehta, Parikshit Lalwani) to heighten the impact.

Like all RGV films, the camera angles bear the unmistakable RGV stamp, while the background score (Bapi-Tutul) takes an ordinary scene to the next level.

RGV is back with a bang. There's a certain consistency from start to end and this time, he gets the right subject to prove his detractors wrong. Every sequence bears the stamp of a genius that RGV is, hits and flops notwithstanding.

The performances are uniformly good. Sudeep impresses you with an excellent performance. Amruta Khanvilkar is efficient. Baby Ahsaas Channa makes a strong impression. Ashwini Kalsekar is top notch.

Zakir Hussain's tantric act is superb. Ganesh Yadav lends good support. K.K. Raina and Lilette Dubey, both doctors, are competent. Kenny Desai, Anu Ansari and the actress enacting the role of Sudeep's mother are perfect.

On the whole, Phoonk is a fascinating cinematic experience on a subject that's rarely tackled by the dream merchants in Bollywood: Black magic. The subject itself is the biggest star of the film, which would ensure a flying start at the box-office and in turn, prove a jackpot for its producers who've distributed the film themselves.

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