Dashavtar - Movie Review

Starring Kamal Haasan, Kamal Haasan, Kamal Haasan & Some More Kamal Haasan. Also Starring Mallika Sherawat, Asin, Jaya Pradha & Others Directed by K Ravi Kumar Rating: dunno! 12 hours after I saw the amazing camera chameleon Kamal Haasan transform into ten utterly different characters my head is still reeling “Is that also him?” my daughter kept asking about every character, man woman or child who popped up in this action- reaction drama on the dynamics of destiny, karma, religion, politics and global terrorism. Matrix meets maya in thunder land would be an apt description to this film which very honestly, defies allotting. Phew! Got that? No? Well, you still have to see Dashavtar to know what the astounding Kamal Sir has attempted and failed to achieve in this woefully ambitious tale of greed and lust for life…and I don’t only mean the emotions that motivate the characters. The actor who’s also the screenwriter of this flamboyant tale of rebellious warriors, international gangs and parochial accents, is also motivated by a lust and ambition for more more and more of himself on screen. He doesn’t just hog footage. He wallows it up without a burp. On-screen megalomania is not a good thing for the well being of a film. When the actor becomes several sizes larger than the vehicles invented to accommodate his restless talents, it’s time for the actor to slow down and consider why cinema flourished as an art-form in the first place. Was it so that one day an actor of Kamal Haasan’s stature could monopolize screen time to the detriment of all narrative equilibrium? Indeed the actor’s audacity takes your breath away. Right before our stunned eyes Kamal Haasan transforms into characters ranging from an old cantankerous woman to George Bush. The funniest of them all is an impersonation of a pompous parochial Bengali government agent (whose ringtone is R.D Burman’s Jaane-e-jaan tu kahan main yahan in Bengali), assigned to bring an global terrorist (played with snarling lip smacking relish by, who else, Kamal The Chameleon) to book. They case one another on land and in space. They create mayhem but no pace or space for the narration to breathe in any semblance of grace. This is an epic that loses control over its resources. A Tamil maestro of the performing arts, doing a Bengali accent is as outrageous as Jaya Prada playing the wife of a cancer-stricken Punjabi Bhangra-pop singer. Oh, didn’t I tell you? Kamalji also does a Punjabi. And why not? Dashavtar is an ode to Indianess in all its gory glory. It starts several centuries ago and ends in in 2004 with the Tsunami waters creating a havoc and catastrophe (impressively staged) far more containable than what what this film has achieved. Dashavtar is one chaotic messy and exasperating mass of mammoth ambitions gone awry. An ongoing theme in all of Kamal Haasan’s cinema is the opposition between religion and cynicism. As in real life in this film the actor (in one of his dus avatars) or is an agnostic who ironically has to run around with a Krishna status that has a deadly vial secreted in its clay body. Wow, God meets the NASA! For company the agnostic has the hysterical Asin screeching and fretting like Kajol on drugs. Then poor Mallika Sherawat appears to perform a snazzy cabaret to an indeterminate Himesh Reshammiya tune and gets impaled to the nearest wall like a comic book amazon who forgot to let us know she could and would go from oomphy to grisly without bothering about the strange range of moods that this bizarre film covers. Don’t blame her. It’s the atmosphere of constant hyper-activity that Kamal Haasan with some help from director Ravi Kumar creates. Some of the aerial action sequences are no doubt breathtaking. And a couple of Kamal Hassan’s avatars specially the Japanese samurai and the wizened senile woman looking for her long-lost son are outright awesome. By the time the old lady thinks she has found her son, the director has lost the plot. Completely. This film is more a triumph of prosthetic excesses than creative passion.

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Star-studded parade in SA kicks starts IPL 2009

The biggest cricket extravaganza, Indian Premier League (IPL), is back and this time things only get bigger and better as the action moves to South Africa. The biggest cricketing stars have all descended in South Africa and joining them are some of Bollywood's biggest names. Last evening saw a star-studded parade where the 8 teams waved to their fans in the busy streets of Cape Town from an open-air bus. Along with the cricketers, the team owners and franchisees were also present in full attendance. We bring you an exclusive slideshow of the fun-n-frolic that took place at the IPL Carnival in Cape Town. Last year's winners 'Rajasthan Royals' were in their element and this time they also had the gorgeous Shilpa Shetty to cheer them. Shilpa, who was not involved with the IPL last year, is now the co-owner of the 'Rajashthan Royals' team this year along with her beau Raj Kundra. Apart from Shilpa, the team bus had most of the Rajasthan Royals team members including the team captain Shane Warne and last year's star performer Swapnil Asnodkar. Shane Warne seems to be in the mood for some fun as he tries to stick a fake moustache and get the typical Rajasthani look. Shilpa obviously can't stop laughing at the captain's funny antics. The atmosphere at the IPL carnival only got bigger and better as Shah Rukh Khan and his 'Kolkata Knight Riders' waved to fans from their open-air bus. While SRK was in his element waving and blowing air-kisses to his fans, even his team-members like Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum seemed to be having a blast. Post the parade, the team owners addressed a press conference and here too it was the Bollywood trio of Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty who seemed to be the most popular. In fact so popular is the presence of Bollywood in South Africa that the organizers have decided to introduce a 'Miss Bollywood SA' contest with winners to be selected from the audiences attending matches. The idea came from IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, who has employed the help of the three Bollywood idols associated with the tournament. One 'Miss Bollywood of the Day' will be found at each of the 56 round-robin matches and her name will be announced during the 'strategy' break. The lucky girl also stands a chance of winning a trip to India, a role in a Bollywood film and 5,590 dollars if she eventually wins the 'Miss Bollywood South Africa' title. The bubbly Preity Zinta is seen sporting her dimpled smile as she addresses the media at the Press conference in Cape Town. Preity's team 'Kings XI Punjab' did pretty well last year to make it to the semis where they eventually lost to Dhoni's 'Chennai Super Kings'. Preity would be hoping that her team goes all the way this time in winning the prestigious IPL 2009. Shah Rukh's team 'Kolkata Knight Riders' started with a bang last year but failed to perform when it mattered the most. King Khan would be hoping that his Knights deliver the goods and emerge victorious in this year's edition. Shah Rukh and Preity have co-starred in a quite a few films together and are pretty close friends. However, when their respective teams clash on the cricket field, there would be some friendly rivalry between the two. From the looks of it, SRK seems keen on finding out what tricks Preity has up her sleeve this time around.

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The secrets of having a shapely butt like Malaika

Want to have the perfect and shapely butt a la Hollywood star Jennifer Lopez and Bollywood's very own beauty Malaika Arora Khan? If yes, then eat healthy, exercise, do yoga or else go under the knife, suggest experts. According to Leena Mogre, it takes a good combination of a balanced diet as well as the right weight and fitness training for a woman to get a firm posterior. "Women in India do have an innate tendency to put on weight on the butt. To keep them fit, it is very important to eat a balanced diet. Besides, one must get into a routine of weight training, squats, lunges, step-ups and cardiovascular exercises," Mogre, who is the fitness trainer to Bollywood actresses like Katrina Kaif, Kangana Ranaut and Sameera Reddy among others, told over phone from Mumbai. "Even uphill running is a good option," added Mogre, who is the director of Leena Mogre's Fitness in India's entertainment capital. Shiv Inder Singh, managing director of Firefox Bikes Pvt Ltd that offers a range of cycles designed for the body structure of women, feels that among cardio exercises cycling can really help in getting a well-shaped butt. "There are various important benefits that cycling can offer to women, out of which the main one being shaping their butt. Moderate cycling helps reduce 35 calories in about an hour that makes cycling an effective weight control activity," Singh explained. Mogre agrees that cycling does help in shedding extra pounds, but weight-training does the additional bit of shaping up the posterior. Another option to get a perfect butt is yoga. "More than men, women come to me for butt sculpting, but one has to first determine things like the body structure of the person, the requirement and the limitations of the person to chart a right module," said Yatharth Sehajpal, a Delhi-based yoga expert. "If the person is overweight and has flab, then first we have to work on tightening that extra fat and only then we can emphasise on the backside and there are various set of asanas and exercises that one can use for butt sculpting," he added. Sehajpal's clients who emphasise a shapely butt are mostly women in their early 30s. Many of them are married. Some wish to get rid of their post pregnancy fat. Thanks to increasing awareness, women in India have started talking about their dissatisfaction with their butt and are consulting cosmetic surgeons to solve their problem. "One model came to me and said her backside was darker than the rest of her body. And to be able to confidently wear swim wear and bikinis, she wanted them to be lighter. I had to do spa peels on her backside to solve her problem. So yes, women are getting extremely conscious about their bodies," said Anup Dhir, senior cosmetic surgeon at Apollo Hospital. The trend of going under the scalpel for butt enhancement, lift and liposuction has emerged in the past five to 10 years, but it isn't so popular yet, said Dhir. "These procedures are more of a Brazilian or American concept where people can and are used to roaming around in thongs and bikinis on beaches. But such an acceptability has not seeped into India yet. Here breast enhancement is still 10-20 times more in demand than surgical treatment for butts. Such surgical treatments cost anywhere between Rs.60,000 and Rs.150,000, depending upon how complicated the procedure is. What's more, with the summer season setting in, women are preparing themselves to fit into sexy swimwear, shorts, chiffon saris or the favourite short black dress. So ladies, pick your way to shape your derriere and flaunt your clothes with panache.

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Now 'Dhoni's girlfriend' lands in Bollywood too

Actress Lakshmi Rai who made a name for herself with her performance in Dhaam Dhoom has shifted her base to Mumbai. Considering the increasing offers from Bollywood, the actress has now bought a house in the suburbs of Mumbai, Malad. The actress became popular in Bollywood after her link-up with cricketer Dhoni. Recently the two were again spotted together at a coffee house in Mumbai, where Dhoni had landed to shoot a commercial. Meanwhile Lakshmi Rai is all excited about couple of her forthcoming films ready to hit the theatres, Vaamanan and Naan Avanillai – 2. It seems after actresses like Asin and Shriya, now Lakshmi would be concentrating more on her acting career in Bollywood.

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Thanks to Anushka, Anushka lands in Bollywood

Following the footsteps of south heroines like Asin and Shriya, yet another south actress is all set to make it big in Bollywood. Gorgeous Anushka would be stepping into the world of Hindi Cinema with a movie which is going to be a remake of her Telugu blockbuster Arundhathi. The film did well at the box office, not only in the Telugu version but also when it was dubbed in Tamil and now the Hindi audiences would get a chance to cherish the great storyline of this flick. Earlier, Asin was preferred by Producer Madhu Mantena of Geetha Arts (Producer of Aamir’s Ghajini). But then, as the producer of Telugu version M Shyam Prasad decided to make his entry into Bollywood remaking this film, Asin was dropped from the option. Sonu Sood, who donned baddie role in Telugu version, will be performing the same role in this remake version too.

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Mallika: Mingling with the Best in the West

Looks like Mallika Sherawat is a favourite in the ‘West’! Last we heard was that the actress was invited as a special guest at a Wine-Tasting Luncheon at the Malibu Family Wines, Malibu, California. Mallika was also ‘auctioned’ there as part of a fundraiser hosted by IFFLA (Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles). And now, while the sexy actress is in Los Angeles for the post-production work on her much-talked about project ‘Hissss’ with Hollywood Director Jennifer Lynch, she recently attended an elite luncheon hosted by the Mayor of LA. And though the gorgeous lady has been in the city for only four short weeks, she is already rubbing shoulders with the who’s who of the glamorous city. She will also be attending the weekend’s Fangoria Conference at the LA Convention Center to talk about ‘Hissss’ and interact with fans there. Well, seems like Mallika Sherawat is not just a favourite among the Hollywood celebrities but is a regular on the U.S social circuit too!

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I just love to get into my bedroom: Minisha Lamba

Q. How would you define beauty? A. There’s exactly no definition for beauty. I believe in internal beauty which always comes out externally through one’s expressions. Q. Do our like summer? A. I love every season of the year because I love life. Q. How do you take care of your complexion in summer? A. I go for lots of water and I prefer to eat green vegetables during summers Q. What kind of liquids do you prefer to keep away from dehydration? A. Water comes first off course. Then I like to keep afresh with lime juice and coconut water. Q. What measures you take to prevent your skin from sun burn? A. I do prefer sunglasses and caps to keep me out of it. Q. Do you avoid any kind of food habits in summer? A. Yup, I like to avoid food which is oily. It’s always better to have light food when you face the sun’s heat. Q. Is there any change in your fitness regime too? A. Not at all. Whatever season may it be, my fitness regime never goes through any change. Q. Which place do you prefer to chill out in Mumbai? A. There’s nothing better than one’s house. I just love to get into my bedroom. Q. What about your summer holidays? A. See, it’s hard to get holidays in Bollywood. But then too if it happens I would love to spend it in Katmandu, Nepal.

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I will test ride all my prospective 15 grooms: Rakhi Sawant

Rakhi Sawant get’s up front and personal regarding her marriage on NDTV Imagine's Rakhi Ka Swayamvar. Why marriage? I want to settle down. I have worked a lot, made good money. Now I am feeling lonely. And like all Indian woman, I too want to have a loving husband, caring in -laws and God willing, later kids as well. I also feel the need to come home to somebody after a hard day at work. Unlike popular perception, I am quite a traditional girl at heart, I want to do my husband’s seva. I will also touch my mother in law's feet as the way to a man's heart does lie through his mother. Will you work post marriage? Yes I hope to work if I get time from my domestic responsibilities Dance is my passion and I would not want to leave that. Everything is possible, if I get a broad minded husband. But sometime back on Karan Johar’s show, you had said that you will not marry? Agreed I had said that, but then things do change. Most girls in the industry will not want to get married, until they are established. What’s your personal take on marriage? Marriage is a holy institution, a sacred commitment. It’s quite sad that these days’ people walk in and out of marriage in a jiffy. I believe in the age old concept of Jeena Marne Ke Kasme. Describe your ideal dhula? He should be smart, fit, confident, honest, caring and above all should respect woman. I will not change my lifestyle for him. I don’t go for caste, language or religion. Hence he can be a Hindu, Christian Muslim or anybody. I am open for even a good NRI groom. Should he be rich? He should be capable enough to take care of me. My husband should earn at least Rs 5000 a month, so he can be rickshaw driver as well. Alternatively a doctor, engineer or even actor will also do. Would you want a ghar jamai? No I want to move to in laws place. Would you slap your husband like the way u clipped ex beau Abhishek? Everybody makes mistakes and so did I in choosing him. But I am hopeful that it will not happen again and I also expect my maika NDTV Imagine to help me zero on Mr. right. Can we expect season 2, where we will cover your divorce? Please would you wish the same for your sister or daughter? I expect your blessing’s to have a long and blissful martial life. There are supposed to be 15 prospective contestants, but what will happen if you like somebody quite early? No I will check all properly. I will test ride them all. Why marriage on TV? I want to do things differently. I did not want to go through the normal routine of a guy coming to see me over tea and try to judge me in a short while. On my show, I will get time to properly understand each guy and then only make an informed choice. I owe my name and fame to television; hence I want to invite the entire media to cover my wedding. I am not like some celebrities who don’t even allow the media into their gates. They forget that its public who makes them who they are. Why a Swayamvar? It shows that woman have arrived and we can now choose our man. After Sita’s Swayamvar mine will be next, even if I don’t get Ram, I will surely get Shyam. Among the celeb who would you to get married to? Rahul Gandhi is a good bet. Hope he sees me today as I look very beautiful in the bride’s outfit. Please also mention that I would love to get hooked to a cricketer. How should your guy propose to you? He should come straight like Salman Khan, be open like Aamir Khan and kiss my hand like Shahrukh Khan. You like to create publicity? Why blame only me? what about Akshay Kumar, who gets his trouser's unzipped by his wife in public. Most other reality shows have artificial drama, but I am truthful and always speak from my heart. Have you taken any money from the channel? No not a pie. Why should I? This was my concept and they have graciously agreed to host it, what more can I ask for? But they will use you for publicity? Don’t NEWS channels do the same, when they air my sound bytes and visuals. What are your honey moon plans? After marriage I would like to go to Switzerland or New Zealand. Do you have your folk’s blessing? My mother has no idea about this plan. But I feel that this is my life and I deserve the right to choose my own life partner. I am hopeful of winning their blessings though. What will your husband get in dahej? You see, I am already dressed in gold. He will get India's number 1 item girl as his beloved. I also promise him love and honesty. How will other girl’s benefit from your marriage? Possibly other single girl’s may get inspired by my action and also hold similar swayamvars in their respective cities and towns.

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