Shah Rukh Khan

After his recent spat at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, Shah Rukh has dug himself deeper in the pit of infamy. The actor allegedly abused MCA officials after a cricket match. Earlier, it was news of SRK getting detained at the airport that made headlines. And news of the Khan hitting filmmaker Shirish Kunder is still fresh in public memory.

Remember the time when it was Salman who was in trouble for hitting his girlfriends or running over people or hunting down animals? Then it was the Salman versus Shah Rukh duels that used to be the biggest talk of town, but while Salman manages to keep his head low now, luck seems to have run out for this 46-year old star.

While film writer Mushtaq Shiekh has spoken up for SRK, “Somebody physically pushed Suhana for playing! Any parent would have done what @iamsrk did! Why wouldnt he be angry? If a parent stands up for his child…how does it become hooliganism? Can the press explain what’s all this negative reportage on @iamsrk ?”, Twitter.com seems mostly bereft of support for Shah Rukh.

Enough of all the bad publicity. Will Shah Rukh finally get his act together?

But was the wait worth it? We beg to differ. As hot as she looks in the sari, she looks slightly out of shape and the music is very so-so.

The song is sung by Urmila Dhangar and composed by Pritam.

Mala Jau De – Ferrari Ki Sawaari

Vidya Balan In Ferrari Ki Sawaari

Ferrari Ki Sawaari releases on 15 June 2012.

The Raven Movie Review

Rating: 3/5 stars (Three stars)

Star Cast: John Cusack, Alice Eve, Luke Evans, Sam Hazeldine, Brendan Gleeson and Kevin McNally.

What’s Good: Interesting plot; witty dialogues and decent acting.

What’s Bad:The beginning is slow; the blood and gore are too much to take at times; lack of depth to the plot.

Verdict: An interesting watch if you are a fan of a different take on historic events.

Loo Break: Not really.

Watch or Not?: Watch it if you love suspense and dig ingenious takes on history.

Intrepid Pictures’ The Raven is an ingenious web of fiction and history, based on the life of poet and author, Edgar Allan Poe.

“It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee”

Edgar Allan Poe is the name that will ring in your ears when you hear these words. But what is amazing is that with the lucidity that he wrote such poems on love, life and death; he wrote grotesque and murderous short stories with the same ease.

Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack), a poet, a short story writer, an alcoholic, a loner but desperately in love with Emily Hamilton (Alice Eve), has stopped writing murder mysteries for a while. Unaware of the happenings in the world around him, he drowns himself in alcohol and the hope for a future with Emily. A double murder has suddenly brought attention to Poe’s stories and Detective Fields (Luke Evans) summons him for questioning. Soon another murder takes place in the exact fashion as described in his story. On one hand, Poe’s stories form the basis of a killer’s murders; while on the other hand, the very stories turn out to be clues for the investigators to catch the psychopath.

Soon the killer decides to make Poe’s involvement more obvious and asks him to follow his lead if he ever wishes to see the love of his life, Emily, alive again. Helpless, Poe starts taking clues off of the bodies of the victims of the murderer. Each murder leads him one step closer to Emily. It is Poe and Detective Fields responsibility to stop each and every story of Poe from turning into a gruesome reality. Can they stop this lunatic? Can Poe save Emily? More importantly, can Poe ever forgive himself for writing such brutal murders and giving inspiration to a sick man? These questions are answered as the mystery unravels.

The Raven Review: Script Analysis

For the non-literature fans, this is just another murder mystery waiting to be solved. But the title The Raven, the symbolic ravens flying all over the place, the poems, the poet: everything will make sense only to an ardent Edgar Poe fan. The beginning of the movie is a bit slow and the lack of drama initially might bother you, but with the entry of Detective Fields, the movie picks up pace.

Although the entire drama is a fiction, it has been put forth very craftily making it almost believable. The only point of contention would be in case of the blood and gore as those scenes raise the argument whether they were absolutely necessary in the movie or not.

The Raven Review: Star Performances

John Cusack is good as Edgar Allan Poe although his dialogues often tend to be inaudible. His overall performance is pretty decent. Luke Evans’ character of Detective Fields a bit clichéd but he has done well. Alice Eve has a brief but an impactful role as Emily Hamilton. Sam Hazeldine as Ivan, although has the smallest role, has made his mark. He is perfect for his role. The rest of the cast offers good support to the thrilling mystery.

The Raven Review: Direction & Technical Aspects

James McTeigue’s direction is pretty engaging although at times it does give a very Sherlock Holmes movie-feel, it is satisfying in the end. Screenplay writers Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare though, could’ve taken a more in-depth view of the entire story. Some parts were more highlighted than the others making the story abrupt at times. Like the part where the murderer asks Poe to write a story after each murder hasn’t been clarified well. The sets, the costumes, the music and the cinematography are worth appreciating.

The Raven Review: The Last Word

For those who cannot stomach blood and gore, The Raven is better avoided. But for the rest, The Raven is like a mystery novel which will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Raven Trailer

The Raven releases in India on 18 May 2012.

Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra In Teri Meri Kahaani

“It could well have been a walk of thorns for Kunal but he just went ahead,” informs a source, “Everything about the film including the script and various looks of Shahid and Priyanka had been locked and there was no going back. Meanwhile Kunal was convinced that the changed equation between the youngsters won’t put him in any lurch. He didn’t have to go and have any specific conversation with the duo, he just continued with the flow and once there was confirmation from both the actors about being on board, he concentrated on putting together the film instead of worrying about the liaison between them.”

Thankfully for Kunal, his film emerged unscathed once the principal shoot was through and now that the on-screen chemistry between his pair is making heads turn; he is elated with the decision that he took.

“I didn’t face any hindrance during work and that was good enough for me”, says Kunal, “Shahid as well as Priyanka were very professional on the sets and that helped. Honestly speaking, beyond that whatever happened off the sets was their own problem and I was not inclined to poke my nose into it.”

Guess we would have to talk to Shahid and Priyanka to get those stories.

Nathalia Kaur In Department

What goes in the favour of Department though are two major factors and they are Ram Gopal Varma and Sanjay Dutt. RGV is going back to his familiar territory with cops, gangsters and guns, something that has time and again worked for him as well as his audience. On the other hand Sanjay Dutt has found a renewed interest generated around him since the release of Agneepath. Ideally, these two factors should have been the driving force of the entire promotional campaign and that would have helped it take a much better start than what it may take now.

As of now, it would be a pleasant scenario for the film if it manages to take an opening in the range of 50%. That would be a fair result for the film which is basically aimed at the gentry instead of family audience. While single screens should take a better start than the multiplexes on the first day, weekend could sing a better tune provided word of mouth is good. What makes the stage set for Department is the fact that there is no other big film in the running in and around that while the week of 25 May doesn’t have a single notable release. This gives Department a chance to rake in moolah, provided the product is good.

Mr Bhatti On Chutti Movie Poster

Alongside Department, there is another film releasing – Mr. Bhatti On Chutti. It would be a miracle if the films manage to get more than two shows per multiplex and that too across the country. A delayed film, it doesn’t stand any chance whatsoever at the box office, more so as it is releasing without any promotion.

Rekha

While we’ve still not tired of the ‘Hema, Rekha, Jaya aur Sushma…’ joke, Rekha joins other stars like Shatrughan Sinha, Chiranjeevi and Jaya Bachchan in the Upper House of the Parliament. Speaking of which, it was a bit surprising that even the RS cameramen went a little wild when Rekha arrived at the podium and swung the cameras to Jaya to note her reaction. It would have been even wilder if they had gone the ‘Award Function’ way and used older footage of Jaya making faces or swearing, but we guess that was enough of an adrenaline rush for the RS broadcasters for one day (Plus, it’s a live event).

Oddly enough, Mrs. Bachchan didn’t give any filmy reactions. But it was old Amar Singh whose comment was the icing on the cake, “Its Jaya Bachchan’s own ‘Silsila’.”

And for those wondering who Rekha’s lucky neighbour would be, it’s a bit of a dampener for guys as social activist Anu Aga gets the seat.

Got any wisecracks on this? Share them with us in the comments section below:

The song has been sung by Shekhar Ravjiani and Raja Hasan with lyrics by Neelesh Misra and composed by Vishal-Shekhar.

Khudaaya – Shanghai

Emraan Hashmi In Shanghai

Directed by Dibakar Banerjee and co-starring Abhay Deol, Shanghai releases on 8 June 2012

Love Recipe And Rakhtbeej Movie Poster

“Yes, there are eight Hindi films and one Punjabi and English film each releasing on 25th May,” confirms an insider, “Expect bloodshed on this date because never before in the history of Indian cinema has such a flow of films been witnessed. Chances of survival of most of these films are near to nil and it is nothing but suicide. Bollywood is sitting on a ticking bomb and sooner the producers of these films realise that a clash like this isn’t going to help any of them, the better.”

Chutki Bajaa Ke And Love, Wrinkle Free Movie Poster

However, as of now, none of these films are willing to budge even though not even one of them boasts of a single notable name. These are Love Recipe, Rakhtbeej, Dhama Chaukdi, Chutki Bajaa Ke, Love, Wrinkle-free and MLA – An Inside Intruder.

Yeh Khula Aasmaan, Arjun And Men In Black 3 Movie Posters

“Due to such rush in theatres, even ‘Yeh Khula Aasmaan‘ may go unnoticed even though it deals with a noble issue. Also, it is rather surprising to see animation film ‘Arjun’ releasing amidst this mayhem. However the film which should remain un-impacted is ‘Men In Black 3′ which should take the widest release and would be the first choice of cine-goers. On the other hand in Punjab, it would be ‘Rahe Chardi Kala Punjab Di’ leading the show”, an exhibitor adds.

What further makes it difficult for most of these ten films is the fact that films like Department, Ishaqzaade and even Vicky Donor would be continuing their run that would leave hardly any screen space for others to survive.

“Each of these films is living in a worst case scenario because when ‘Rowdy Rathore‘ arrives in the immediate next week (1st June), it would be the sole choice of audience”, an expert adds.

However the makers of these small have films have their own reasons to arrive in a rush. “What can we do”, says a producer on the condition of anonymity, “We can’t come with big films and since there is one such film arriving every week, the only choice we have to clash with over small counterparts and hope for the best.”

Wishful thinking, we must add.

Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider Man Movie Still

The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance–leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, the Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

The Amazing Spider-Man releases in India on 29 June 2012.

Department Movie Preview

Alarmed at the hitherto unseen escalation in underworld criminal activities some top officials including the home secretary, the home minister, and the director general of police hold a secret meeting in which they take a decision to create a new unit which is unofficially referred to as ‘The Department’.

Department is a story of a terrifying power struggle within the bowels of the mother of all powers – the police ‘Department’.

Department: Star Cast

Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Lakshmi Manchu, Rana Daggubati, Deepak Tijori, Anjana Sukhani and Nathalia Kaur.

Department: Release Date

18 May 2012

Department Trailer

All You Wanted To Know About Department

Amitabh Bachchan To Play Arun Gawli In Department?

Department Music Review

Kammo – Department

Dan Dan Cheeni – Department

Rana Daggubati Isn’t Restricting Himself To Only Bollywood

Department Movie Stills

Department: First Look Poster

The Amazing Spider-Man and Men in Black 3 Movie Poster

Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans and Irrfan Khan, Spidey will cast its web in Indian theatres on 29 June (it releases in the US on 3 July). But before that, we have a meeting with the secret agents. Men In Black 3 will release in India on 25 May.

Also in the pipeline is the remake of the 1991 action film Total Recall starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel (3 August). There’s also Adam Sandler’s comedy That’s My Boy, Joseph Gordon Levitt action film Premium Rush, Resident Evil: Retribution (14 September), Here Comes The Boom starring Kevin James and Salma Hayek and the 3D animated film Hotel Transylvania starring Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez. Drawing the curtains on the year will be Bond’s Skyfall (2 November) and Sparkle, featuring the last film appearance of the late Whitney Houston.

“After completing 75 years as a studio in India, 31 of which I have personally been part of, I can say without a doubt that this is our biggest and most exciting line-up ever with tried and tested record-breaking performance at the Indian box office,” said Kercy Daruwala, Managing Director – Sony Pictures India.

Commenting on the advance of the release date of The Amazing Spider-Man, he said, “Each of the Spider-Man franchise films has broken records on its release in this territory. We are very confident that Indian audiences will enjoy the new reboot of the franchise even more because they are watching it before the US and also as this film has an India connect.”

Ishaqzaade Movie Poster

Arjun Kapoor, who didn’t quite make a flashy entry into Bollywood and had a faux pas in the form of Virus Diwan (which never got made and was shelved in favour of Ishaqzaade), is clearly the new toast of the town as his natural act has been appreciated all over. Parineeti Chopra is now sitting pretty amongst the promising newcomers as well, and the audience too has given a green signal to both youngsters. This means that even though the film did find some criticism coming it’s way from some quarters, by and large the response was positive which means even the weekdays won’t see a crash.

Since films coming from the house of Yash Raj Films boast of in-house economics, the costs are cut down and various rights (satellite, music, DVD etc.) ensure return for such medium budget affairs. With box-office throwing good moolah as well, Ishaqzaade is fast moving towards the ‘semi-hit’ mark at the least and may do even better if it holds on well in the second week (despite opposition from Department).

Dangerous Ishhq Movie Poster

On the other hand Dangerous Ishhq didn’t have any such luck and all predictions failed for this Karisma Kapoor starrer. One had expected the film to open decent at single screens and 3D screens at the least. However even that didn’t happen as the film had a disastrous start and stayed on the same course over the weekend. With just over Rs. 3 crore being accumulated over the first weekend, the writing is clear on the wall that this Vikram Bhatt film has been rejected. Other than the fact that the film didn’t find any opening whatsoever, the fact that even word of mouth was hardly encouraging further dented its chances.

Forest, the third release of the year, went an expected route and didn’t even find any good shows for itself. The film wasn’t even reviewed by most critics and ‘junta’ wasn’t interested either. Result? A box-office disaster.

Amitabh Bachchan In Bol Bachchan Movie Song

“Nostalgia at shoot .. coming out of egg (easter egg in AAA ) and Abhishek dancing with me .. in AAA he had come to set in a pram !!” tweeted the elder Bachchan.

Ajay Devgan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan Bol Bachchan Movie Song

Amitabh has a guest appearance in Rohit Shetty’s upcoming film, Bol Bachchan.

Ajay Devgan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan Bol Bachchan Movie Song

Considering the mention of the egg, we’re sure Rohit has in mind to recreate the magic from the song My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves in Amitabh’s 1977 film Amar Akbar Anthony.

Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan Bol Bachchan Movie Song

Rohit’s film stars Ajay Devgan and Abhishek Bachchan with Amitabh in a guest song.

Amitabh Bachchan In Bol Bachchan Movie Song

The film is reportedly inspired by the 1979 comedy film Gol Maal.

Amitabh Bachchan In Bol Bachchan Movie Song

Despite his weak health (post surgery), Amitabh tried hard to make the best of the situation. He tweeted, “Creaking legs … but love the enthusiasm .. Bol bol bol Bachchan !! Sun sun bole kya Bachchan! Move it baby !! On set BolBachchan”.

Arjun Kapoor in Ishaqzaade

Ishaqzaade has turned out to be some violent fun. Quite a kick-start for a debutant, isn’t it?
Well, it has been even as I enjoyed working and giving it my best. What had impressed me most about the script was the fact that it had the whole gamut of emotions, right from love, hate, jealousy, humour and anger. As Habib (Faisal) sir often says, emotions takes a film closer to real life and audience can always relate to it. The unique factor here was that the story was set in a small town where the characters were different, their challenges were unique and their attitude towards life was aggressive. It was fun to discover these and getting into each and every layer of the characters.

Now that you have worked in a film, do you think that acting is something that comes naturally to you? Or do you feel you had to really work towards it?
I am glad you asked me this question. For Parma’s role I had to (give an) audition and though I was sure of my capabilities as an actor, I was not 100% convinced whether I would be able to bring the character into life in the way that Habib sir had envisioned. Things changed though once I was in Lucknow. Because while shooting there I realised that this is the only thing I wanted to do and this is the only place where I wanted to be. The only doubt that remains in your mind once you start shooting is whether people would accept you and will they genuinely and wholeheartedly appreciate your work.

Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Choopra In Ishaqzaade

Now that the film has released, I am sure compliments must be coming your way from the industry. Anything really flattering that made your day?
I am overwhelmed with this emotion that has been showered on me. I still cannot believe that people have accepted Parineeti and me with open arms. It’s not only now though, as the hooting and cheering started before the release itself, which was a pleasant surprise. There was so much encouragement on Twitter as well as other social and media dos which felt really nice and encouraging. Now post release of the movie, the furore has continued which makes me happy and humble.

Arjun Kapoor with Boney Kapoor

While the film is doing well for you as well as the Yash Raj Films, one does wonder what made you associate with them for your first film. After all, many would have thought that you would be launched by your own banner since your dad (Boney Kapoor) is an established producer.
Dad and I were planning to do something together but then we had to come up with something that made sense financially as well. A launch-pad is good but then it has to make business sense too. My family believes in taking calculated decisions instead of going by the T. Just because I had to start my career in films doesn’t mean that by default, my dad would go ahead and make a movie. Also, I too didn’t want to put pressure by doing something like that; I wanted my launch to be devoid of such expectations. Moreover, it was in between all this when I met the YRF casting director (who, by the way, had seem my pictures only Facebook and wasn’t aware of me being Boney Kapoor’s son) and she asked me whether I would like to audition for their film. I took it as a golden opportunity and went for it. I would have been a fool to do anything else. As for working in my own production house then well, whenever a right script and movie comes along, I am sure we will work together. Aakhir dad ke saath toh poori zindagi kaam karma hai!

Emraan Hashmi In Jannat 2

That would be a good box-office outcome for the all involved since the film was made on a controlled budget and that too in quick time. For Emraan this is yet another success in a row, for Randeep Hooda it is a shot in the arm, for Kunal Deshmukh it is a second lease of life, for Bhatts it is yet another catalogue addition and for Esha Gupta, the film has acted as a good visibility exercise. All in all, the film has turned out to be a win-win situation with the kind of moolah coming in that would keep all happy. With the film turning out to be successful, Jannat 2 is yet another instance of a film being salvaged primarily by its opening weekend.

Ranvir Shorey and Gul Panag In Fatso

On the other hand Fatso couldn’t manage even that and failed to find any audience whatsoever. Its opening weekend was disastrous and there was no improvement whatsoever during the weekdays either, hence resulting in a lost cause for everyone felt. In fact looking at the way this film was marketed, promoted and released, it seems like an excess baggage that everyone involved with it has eventually managed to get rid off. One just hopes though that this camp’s other film I Am 24, which again has been stuck in cans for long, finds a better release for itself.

Jiya Ho Bihar Ke Lala – Gangs Of Wasseypur

Gangs of wassepur Movie Stills

Starring Manoj Bajpayee, Jaideep Ahlawat, Tigmanshu Dhulia and others, GOW releases on 22 June 2012.

Hrithik Roshan in Guzaarish & Emraan Hashmi

“Hrithik was quite impressive in ‘Guzaarish’ but what he did suits only him. You can’t expect massy stars like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar or Emraan Hashmi to be repeating that. Perhaps such an outfit and personality, as seen in ‘Guzaarish’, could suit the likes of Saif Ali Khan or Ranbir Kapoor. However others want to play their own game, especially Emraan who has found his bearing over the years. For ‘Ek Tha Daayan’ he has formed a body language of his own while the costumes too have been handpicked to go with his image”, informs a source attached to the film.

Though his look is being closely guarded, our source informs that despite boasting of a massy touch, it would be entirely different from what Emraan has donned over the years. Also, rumours about his character being designed on the lines of P.C. Sorcar, a famous Indian magician, who was an internationally known magician through the 50s and 60s, have been dispelled as well.

“Neither is it on the lines of Hrithik nor is it like that of Sorcar. Hrithik’s magical act in ‘Guzaarish’ was akin to making love while Sorcar was known for his Indrajal shows. However Emraan is doing none of that. His hunt is for the ‘daayan’ and while being a magician is a backdrop for Emraan, it is his ‘wild encounters’ with Konkona Sen Sharma, Kalki Koechlin and Huma Qureshi that would shock audience”, the source adds.

When contacted, Emraan refused to comment about the look and just smiled away without revealing much. Perhaps he would throw a hint or two closer to the film’s release.