Is the Salman – Katrina affair finally over?

Gossip mills are running rapidly again in industry circles claiming that Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif have finally headed towards a split. Just when the news is out the couple is seen together at events again there have also been reports that Salman Khan’s over possessive nature has widened the gap between the two. The couple has never openly spoken about their relationship but yet stood strongly besides each other in the hour of need. Everyone in the industry knows that Salman helped Katrina at a time when she was new to the industry. Her debut venture Boom in 2003 was a box office disaster and Salman was his peak of success with films like Baaghban and Mujhse Shaadi Karoge had just been released. That is when Salman Khan was introduced to this new comer who had nobody in the industry and was all set to try her luck with good looks and anglicized accent. Apart from a few commercials Katrina Kaif had not signed any film. That is when Salman Khan came to her resuce as her knight in shining armour. His family accepted her graciously and she became a part of the entire Khandaan. They went on do films together like Maine Pyaar Kyon Kiya in 2005 which failed to appeal the audiences. Their next David Dhawan’s Partner was a hit but they were not paired opposite each other. Their latest offering Subhash Ghai went to become another box office failure. Though they have been accepted as an offscreen couple they still haven’t managed to create the same magic on screen. Katrina in the mean time went on to do films with other heroes and churned out one hit after the other. Slowly and steadily she climbed the ladder of success finally conquering the pedestal of the number one position. Be it films; commercials or endorsements the Katrina has made her place secure everywhere. Yet she humbly states, “I feel lucky and privileged and have been bless that God has answered all my prayers. I am trying to give my best and am working hard. The whole journey has been wonderful. What more can I say.” Today their positions are reversed. Salman has had a series of flops to his credit at the box office amongst them the recent ones being God Tussi Great Ho, Yuvraaj. Quiz Katrina about it and she once again supports her hero, “For me Salman is an icon. His stardom can never be affected. He will always be iconic whether his films are successful or not successful.” Successful or not only time will tell whether Salman and Katrina will ever appeal to the audiences as an onscreen couple.

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Kangana: I think two actresses fighting is very unfashionable

For her show on 5 April for Femina Kangana paid a tribute to two screen queens Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. And when she got to know that Priyanka Chopra too will be performing Kangana gladly gave over the Fashion songs to her colleague and friend. Says Kangana, “When I got to know that Priyanka is performing I asked her about her songs. When she said she was doing the Fashion songs I happily decided to do the tribute to Aishwarya and Madhuri. I’ll danced to tracks like Madhuri’s Mera piya ghar aaya and Aishwarya’s Nimbooda. This gave me a chance to try out my Kathak which I’ve been learning for three years.” So much for the belief that two actresses can never get along together. Ironically Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra couldn’t agree over the allotting of songs from Dostana during the Filmfare awards. Priyanka had ultimately opted out. Says Kangana, “I think girl bonding is very cool. I can’t say Priyanka and I are best friends. I think two actresses fighting is very unfashionable. After Fashion there’s a comfort level. And if we can share a platform without getting in one another’s way then isn’t that just great?” Non-stop dancing for two back-to-back shows has taken its toll on Kangana Ranaut’s legs. On Friday when she was scheduled to perform for an FM channel (98.5) Kangana’s legs could barely move. Wincing in pain Kangana recounted her horror.“On Thursday I kept rehearsing non-stop for two shows for six hours. I never realized what I was putting myself through until the next morning when I woke up with swollen legs.” Kangana somehow managed to drag herself to the show where she danced to her Fashion tracks.

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Priyanka: Which girl doesn’t want to be called the sexiest

Priyanka says she loves being the centre of the male gaze. “I love the attention I get. Which girl doesn’t? To be considered hot is …cool! To be called the sexiest, the most desirable, etc in magazine and website polls is very flattering. I take it in my stride. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and I’m glad a lot of men behold me. There’s no special man to make me feel special. Between my family and career there’s no room for for anyone else.” Priyanka Chopra is busy playing a dozen desirable divas in the same frame. She has 12 roles to play Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Raashee. But it was Hurman Baweja who slogged his butt off in the 3-day schedule of the film in Chicago. Priyanka spent her time with her cousins in Chicago. Sighs Priyanka, “It was more masti than work. We chose this time to shoot in Chicago because the script needed snow. And we got it in plenty. I loooooove the snow. And since I’ve a lot of in family in America I called them over to Chicago. It was more fun than work really.” Priyanka loves shooting in the US. “I love going to America. I’ve so much family there. Earlier during Dostana in Philadelphia I had a ball. Now in Chicago 1-15 people including my Naani, my aunts and my cousins would be on the sets to visit me. And luckily there was very little work for me. It was Hurman’s character which is from Chicago.” Priyanka was glad to have this chance to unwind. “I let Hurman do all the slogging. Raashee is a very taxing film for me. This kind of role has never been done. For the first time in my career I plan to take a two-week holiday after Raashee.”

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John 'drives' me crazy, Bipasha hits back

It’s not for a film. Not this time. Starting this week, Bipasha Basu is taking a month off to fulfil one of her long- cherished dreams. “This month-long holiday fell into my lap when the Lamhaa schedule got postponed by a month. I’m now using this time to do what I always wanted to. I’m learning…bellydancing”. Bellydancing? Is it for a movie? “No no it’s something I wanted to learn for a long time. I wanted to indulge in a dancing skill that didn’t require too much pressure on my knees which are not doing too well. So salsa and other dance forms were out.” So is this for a film. Or for private performance with John Abraham? “Neither, ” Bipasha chortles. “I’m learning belly dancing for myself. I love dancing. I don’t have really fantastic knees. And I did’t want to learn any dancing that would put pressure on my knees. Of course I’d love to do belly dancing on screen too.And I’ll incorporate it into my roles for sure.” Earlier this week Bipasha woke up her business manager in the middle of the night to look for a belly dancing school. “The impulse just came on me. She located a proper institute which I’m enrolling into.” Belly-dancing is not all that Bipasha is learning. “I’m also learning swimming and driving in this month-long unexpected holiday. Swimming is something I learnt a bit for Dhoom 2. For Dhoom no swimming skills, only the body was required. So I pulled it off. But I really don’t know swimming and I’m finally learning it. For Goa’s sake.” Bipasha explains, “Goa is my favourite holiday spot. When I get into the water in Goa I just float. Now I want to swim in the Goan waters. Not just for fun. But because it’s a very good exercize. And swimming brings so much grace to your body language.” As for driving, it’s more of a challenge that Bipasha has taken up to prove her boyfriend John wrong. “As we talk I’m in the fourth day of my driving lessons. I can drive straight left and right. But I can’t reverse yet. So now I can look convincing when driving. In almost all my films I’m shown driving. But I’ve never actually know how to drive.” Learning driving is Bipasha’s way of self-empowerment. “I don’t want to be dependent on others to drive me around. I want to drive myself to the gym. And if there’s a medical emergency in the night I can drive my way to the hospital.” Bipasha’s boyfriend thinks women make terrible drivers. “All these years John has been cribbing about women drivers. He feels they can’t drive well. I had warned him he’d have to zip up the day I learnt to drive. No more cribbing about women drivers.” Laughs Bipasha, “When I tell my friends I’m learning so many things in the next one month they think I’m gone mad. But I’ve this unexpected month off. And I want to surprise myself.”

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Salman dumped Katrina for Asin? Asin denies...

There’s a bit of worry for gorgeous Katrina as the rumours doing the rounds is that Asin and Salman Khan’s off-screen chemistry is really working very well. It’s been said that Asin’s room is full of Sallu’s poster so that she can see his face, the first thing in the morning. Not only this, recently a Mumbai based tabloid reported that Salman has gifted a flat to Asin in Mumbai suburbs, Lokhandwala, so that Asin could have a permanent residence in the city of Bollywood. The duo is working in London Dreams and it seems that their closeness would surely be bringing horrible dreams to Kat baby. But again Sallu Mia is known for his generosity so it can be that it is his yet another generous gesture towards the southern star. But the Ghajini girl rubbishes all the speculation. She says that it’s nothing more than a professional relationship. She has clearly said that Salman didn’t enter her room, as reported by the tabloids. She said, ''No one has access to my room.'' She tried her best to clear the air about the Bollywood bad boy: ''I am working with Salman in a film. Nothing more or nothing less than that."

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Nandana Sen refuses to go topless

After the controversial nude scenes in Ketan Mehta's Rang Rasiya, Nandana Sen got another highly-prestigious offer that required her to go topless. Italian filmmaker Italo Spinelli offered Nandana the lead of a tribal woman who's surreptitiously shot nude by a photographer. The film is based on Bengali litterateur Mahashweta Devi's provocative and controversial story Choli Ke Peeche. The role offered to Nandana was pivotal tempting and challenging. Nandana was sorely tempted. But doing a full-on topless sequence which is a crucial part of the narrative, so soon after Rang Rasiya, was just not on Nandana's agenda. She has reluctantly and after much deliberation said No, throwing the whole project to be started later this year, into back gear. Nandana explains, "It's a good project directed by Italo Spinelli, produced by RAI, shot by Blasco Giurardo, the cinematographer of Cinema Paradiso. It's a powerful story and although I support it fully, I feel the subject matter is such that the tribal girl's nudity cannot avoid becoming unintentionally voyeuristic and eroticised even though that is definitely not the objective. If you remember, previously too I passed on various other international projects because of a similar concern." Nandana made an exception with Ketan Mehta's film. "Rang Rasiya focuses on the increasing critical topic of censorship of art. Remember what happened in Jehangir art gallery last month? Ketan's film deals entirely with the freedom to paint the human figure in its natural beauty. The emotional drama as well as the political message of the film revolve around one critical and excessively talked- about scene of Sugandha, the muse, having the courage to break the rules of the time to pose for Ravi Varma (Randeep Hooda) and create a masterpiece of art together." But having said this, Nandana says no to nudity, no matter how aesthetic. Could the fact that she intends to tie the knot with steady boyfriend Madhu Mantena have something to do with her decision to forego such a plum assignment?

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The Myth of Ash and Kareena's blockbuster story

Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai are perfect examples of being famous for their flops. Kareena Kapoor has had it easy, literally. It hasn’t exactly been a rough ride for the Kapoor babe from Day One itself. Even though she left the blockbuster role of female lead in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai against macho Hrithik Roshan to Ameesha Patel, she managed to garner much more publicity for her flop debut, Refugee, than what Ameesha did for her superhit starter. And that was the beginning of a new mantra to market a diva — hit or no hit, the Brand has to hit the headlines. And it was this very marketing mantra which saw the rise, rise and only rise for Kareena Kapoor. Even after a spate of flops like Asoka, Yaadein, Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, Jeena Sirf Tere Liya, etc the youngest Kapoor kid saw all the big names from Karan Johar to Yash Chopra to Mani Ratnam and Boney Kapoor vying for her attention. Film after film flopped, but nothing changed much for Bebo. She continued to demand very high rates, which paradoxically kept rising with each flop! And following in her footsteps closely was none other than our very own grey-green eyed goddess, Aishwarya Rai who, in spite of not having given a single hit in the start of her career for very long hit the jackpot with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and is the most ‘sought-after’ Bollywood actress today. So, this is the Bebo-Ash blockbuster story. What is it that makes the two divas eligible for the big league which otherwise has names like Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta and Priyanka Chopra who, by now, must have lost count of their hit films? “Both Ash and Bebo have class. I know them closely. They have talent as well as beauty, and I guess this combination is more than enough to please the audience. At the same time, one must not forget that Ash is a big international star, ” asserts Showman Subhash Ghai who has earlier directed Ash in Taal and has done as many as three films with Kareena. Film critic Indu Mirani punches in a more logical explanation to this unique phenomenon. “I think Aishwarya and Kareena are totally different girls as far as personality and presentation go. But their careers are similar in the sense that they have got all the good stuff in spite of not having hit films. I think it’s because there are very few actually hot leading ladies in the industry today. Rani, Preity and Priyanka cannot take up all the roles, right? There are very few A-grade heroines. And these two girls know how to present themselves. They are also very media-savvy and hence it has been easy for them, ” she says. But why isn’t it easy for other talented good-looking girls too as, say, Lara Dutta? Why hasn’t she matched up to this grade? “Kareena, of course, is a pedigreed girl. She has been lucky as she belongs to the Kapoor Khaandaan. She also had her sister Karisma, a superstar in her own right. For Ash, I think it’s more of media hype with her scintillating beauty helping in a big way.” explains Mirani. And if we throw back a look, this trend doesn’t seem to be very new. There are examples in the past also where artistes, even though they hadn’t given a single hit, had dozens of movies in their kitty. For example, in the 80s, the pinup girl of that time, Sonam, had close to 40 films in her kitty even before her first film was out for review! Similar was the case with Chunky Panday who, apart from Aankhen with Govinda, has no film to be remember him by. But he was one of the hottest dial-a-quote stars of late 80s. Production designer Bindiya Dutta, wife of filmmaker JP Dutta, and herself hyped as a Hema Malini clone in her heyday, has had the experience of working with Ash and Bebo; and sums it up. “For us, hits and flops are inconsequential. We are only here to do good work and definitely we choose our leading ladies according to what they suit best. Like Refugee wouldn’t have been the same without Kareena and Umrao Jaan without Ash was unimaginable.” What a hit explanation! Branding, anyone?

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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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