The Good

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Freida Pinto And Mallika Sherawat

Although I’m not perfectly happy with the way Bollywood portrayed itself at Cannes this year round, there definitely were some enrapturing sites that literally worked at compensating for the lack of perfection elsewhere.

a)      Aishwarya Rai in her Regal Avatar

Beauty only gets better with time, and Bollywood’s yummiest mummy, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has testified the same. Her outfits were adorable, but what struck me the most was her form – the lit-up face, enhanced confidence, and of course the beautiful womanly figure that she has attained after having lost the excess kilos.

After I take my eyes off her natural beauty I arrive at my verdict of the clothes. The spectacular black gown by Elie Saab is by far my favorite pick among all the clothes that she donned on the red carpet.

I quite like the black Sabyasachi hybrid saree with heavy golden work; now if only the gaudy tiara was given a miss and the hair were let loose!

Another great dress that is only tad bit away from perfection is the Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla anarkali gown. The intricate overall embroidery is impressive, so is the hair, clutch, and makeup, but I felt a slight lack of balance in the silhouette; a subtle empire line and a monochrome scarf draped around the arms could have done the trick.

The teal one-shoulder gown complemented by pink accents differs from ARB’s regular color choices and is surely a fresh change. Although she carries the bright shades well, I would still prefer watching her in the classic neutrals that she has been hitherto sticking to, eight days out of ten.

The look that made a truly lasting impression: White blouse and black fish-cut skirt with a train that the star wore to a media call. Ash looks so mesmerizing here that I can’t scroll away from the pictures for a considerable while!

b)      Freida Pinto Adorned to Perfection

A puff of fresh air, Freida Pinto has been the belle among Bollywood celebrities at the Cannes red carpets. She has put together excellent outfits; and the ease with which she carried them off gets her brownie points. The metallic gown by Sanchita is an awesome combination of bling added to a minimalistic silhouette. Shoes, accessories and makeup, not to mention, are perfectly in sync; the soft romantic hairdo sets the overall look to heavenly perfection.

The flowy pink halter neck gown is a good pick too, and is made even better by the ornate belt. A side fishtail braid might have complemented both, the contours of her face and the flow of her dress, better than a braided bun though.

c)       Mallika Sherawat’s Surprising Makeover

I look at a lady on the red carpet wearing an elegant gown and I stare in amazement: Is it really the same Indian actress who was, till then, infamous for displaying too much skin and too little elegance? Oh yes, it is! I love the Dolce and Gabanna gown for its Victorian air; loose hair, a dainty locket and subtle makeup truly bring out the best in her. Where were you hiding your charm all these years, Mallika?

The Bad

Amitabh Bachchan And Vidya Balan

a)      Amitabh Bachchan Getting High on Bling

We saw a medley of sorts in the fashion scene at Cannes, and the most saddening aspect of it all was Mr. Bachchan’s dressing errors. It is really tragic that the gentleman who is known for his suavity made such a great international mess as wearing a blingy tuxedo with a loud sequined bowtie.

The blue striped coat with a casually knotted belt, teamed with white trousers was no less of a disappointment. I mean, where is the KBC stunner of a host gone? How I wish he had dressed in his original avatar instead of going wild with experimentation!

b)       Vidya Balan’s Tryst with Tradition

Excess of anything is bad, be it bling or be it tradition. And Vidya Balan seems to have insinuated an excess of both these elements in her Cannes wardrobe.

The oversized nose ring and two heavy necklaces worn at once, to the premiere of “Jeune & Jolie”, make her look like a Maharashtrian fisherwoman.

What’s with the veil on her head? Despite being a supporter of unique, unprecedented fashion statements, I can just not come to terms with this one; for, appearing different is great, but doing silly stuff just to appear different is a grave folly.

The greatest culprit in Vidya Balan’s looks-diary de Cannes is the center-parted, slicked back hair that she is wearing in nearlyall appearances; it’s unfortunately working more on marring her natural beauty than enhancing it, and is also making her appear older than her years.

What on earth stopped Vidya from wearing one of her rich silk sarees with a peekaboo blouse and soft waves that frame her face so sensuously?

c)     Sonam Kapoor: The Impeccable Diva’s Disappointing Show

Sonam Kapoor was India’s answer to Hollywood’s best dressed celebrities, or so I used to think. The bubbly, young girl who was always impeccably dressed however minor the occasion may be, has committed a fashion tragedy second in line to Amitabh Bachchan: of going over-the-top.

The Cinderella dress, although it had a lovely silhouette, had a motif which is way too overpowering for a slightly built woman as Ms. Kapoor.

The Anamika Khanna white saree at the opening ceremony which was brilliantly styled with a regal cape is truly drool worthy; only as long as we don’t shift our eyes to Sonam’s face! Cat eyes, pronounced lips, excess blush, center-parted hair and the conspicuous nose ring are crashing violently with one another. The nose ring is marvelous per se, and the fashionista could have done the outfit and the trinket much greater justice if only she had done her face in subtle nude-golden shades.

The only flawless look is the street-length pink Elie Saab lace dress donned by Sonam Kapoor at the opening night dinner gala. This one is appropriate to both her age and personality.

Sonam Kapoor, Sherlyn Chopra And Vidya Balan

The Ugly

Sherlyn Chopra and her Quintessential Exposure

Well, we won’t even talk of the skimpy black dress here. The white lehenga, although better by far than the previous day’s mishap, didn’t do much to win our praises. Oily skin and dark makeup work in an evil collaboration to make her appear dull. Sorry, Sherlyn, for the harsh review, but you left me with no other choice.

Arjun Kapoor in Aurangzeb Movie Poster

Let’s talk about a movie that rocked the screens with a full -blown awesome trailer and could not do any justice to the viewer’s expectations with the movie as a whole. If you haven’t guessed yet, we are talking about the last week release Aurangzeb. After the recent release Aiyyaa, you probably did not ask much from Prithviraj Sukumaran but Ishaqzaade bloke Arjun Kapoor came up with the exact freshness a Bollywood cop-crime reeling would need to become a success. While you will be supporting the richness of the script, here is a little source of inspiration that went without any confession from the creative crew behind Aurangzeb.

The 2011 biographical thriller under the direction of Lee Tamahori, The Devil’s Double is centered on a plot where a man is being forced into playing the precautionary double to Saddam Hussein’s son. The government and mafia nexus in a country dotted with corruption – reminds you of any other country closer to heart?

May be it was after all a good script for Bollywood to draw inspiration from. We do like Ravikant’s brilliance in plotting a sting operation, only to realize this is Don all over again. The 1978 Chandra Barot movie is a true blue blooded Bollywood classic. So much so that the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Farhan Akktar went ahead with a remake and a sequel to the storyline, starring Arjun Rampal, Priyanka Chopra et al.

If you compare the Don and Vijay chemistry with that of Ajay and Vishal from Aurangzeb, you cannot help but wonder if Aurangzeb has borrowed mainly from the hits of an ancient Bollywood formula than a Hollywood prism of similar ideas.

Aurangzeb, it seemingly had it all, crime, cop, family, extensive mafia scheming, and all such hooks that can come together to be a good crime drama. The elements are probably what actually engaged Yash Raj Films to the project. Why Atul Sabharwal got together a compelling script yet failed to make it come alive on screen with his directorial skills, is a question that remains unanswered.

While the writers’ credits for The Devil’s Double went to Michael Thomas and Latif Yahia, the dialogues and scripts of both the 1978 releases Trishul and Don go to the celebrated duo: Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan. Atul Sabharwal had the fabric of a fantastic story, though closely borrowed from the premise of many 1970s’ classics, yet it is his inaccurate treatment that botches upAurangzeb.

Satyagraha Movie Poster

The movie traces the story of a middle class uprising against India’s corrupt diktats. The Gandhian quote will serve as a prologue to the the film.

According to reliable sources, “Satyagraha” as a concept is based on Mahatma Gandhi and Prakashji is planning to start the film with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography “My Experiments With Truth.”

Having said this, the buzz is that Prakash Jha is going to request film’s lead actor Amitabh Bachchan to do the voice over of it on screen. Bachchan’s character is fashioned on the demeanor of social activist Anna Hazare who single handedly evoked a war against corruption in India.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna Movie Poster

Karan Johar’s first solo production came with Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, which he directed as well. It is the rare concept that the film introduced in Bollywood, bringing out the issue of marital discordance and extra marital affairs that incurred him critics’ harsh words yet boosted his morale for continuing to trust his conviction on films whose concepts are such a rarity. The film for its indomitable star presence of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Priety Zinta and Rani Mukerji, managed to become quite a hit at both the domestic and global box office. Earning a lifetime collections of 46 crores at the domestic box office, it still remains one of the most prominent films produced by KJo.

Dostana Movie Poster

He next took up a laugh riot of a script by Tarun Mansukhani and backed it up to make Dostana. The film that was mainly a romantic comedy was a hit for the unbeatable chemistry of John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan who posed as gay lovers in the film. Though cheekily clichéd and offensive depicting homosexual relationships stereotypically, the film was a hit and earned a total domestic collection of 45 crores approximately.

Kurbaan Movie Poster

After tasting a much heightened success at production with two money spinning ventures, he decided to score up for script and its honesty. Backing a controversial and bold film Kurbaan, centered around Islamic fundamentalism and global terrorism, Karan Johar focused mainly on delivering a powerful story rather than counting his bills. The film could not manage a decent box office collection and rested its nett earnings at 24 crores at the domestic box office.

Wake Up Side Movie Poster

It was hard to deter Johar’s faith on scripts especially on ones his conviction laid. Despite not being able to deliver a hit from the Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer Kurbaan, Karan still backed debutant director Ayan Mukherji’s heartwarming film Wake Up Sid starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor. The film traces the coming of age of its protagonist’s lackadaisical nature that must learn the value of responsibility. The film went on to become a hit with a total domestic collection of 28.50 crores.

My Name Is Khan Movie Poster

Karan gambled a large part of his money on his dream venture My Name is Khan. Starring his favorite actors Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, the film was set on the backdrop of victimization of Muslims following 9/11 scenario. The film an all-in-all SRK was lauded by critics as a perseverant effort at showcasing the issue without a judgmental approach.

Agneepath Movie Poster

2012 began brilliantly for KJo. Working on a remake of the classic Big B film Agneepath, starring Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra, the film went on to become his most successful venture ever. The film made a marvelous business of 123.50 crores at the domestic box office, becoming his first film to venture into the esteemed 100 crore club.

Student Of The Year Movie Poster

Dharma Productions followed up the success of Agneepath with their high school romance film, Student of the Year launching three new faces in Bollywood – Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. The film was a typical slice from trademark KJo style of ornate film sets set up in posh locations. The film went on to become a super hit by earning over 70 crores at the domestic box office despite the presence of new stars in lead roles.

Though a couple of his co-productions had doomed concepts like Kaal with Red Chillies and I Hate Luv Storys with UTV, yet there is one memorable co-production out of Dharma that deserves a special mention. Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan starrer Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu was a beautiful concept that stays true-to-the-term modern age love story.

While Bombay Talkies is getting Karan Johar brilliant reviews for making a bold short film, quite unlikely his style and sensibility of cinema, it quite brought out the man’s honest affinity towards building earnest films. With Gippi working on the same lines delving into a story of an adolescent girl dealing with peer pressure, looking towards beauty and popularity, it is a realistic film from KJo’s brand that will definitely earn back its investment. However, it entirely depends on the film’s essence whether it will earn any beyond. Karan Johar’s stamp on the film will attract its initial audiences but the eventual pull will be based on a positive word of the mouth which depends on the film’s intrinsic value.

The film, that was made on a budget of 6 crores has almost earned its investment and is slowly moving towards acquiring some profits, earned a shabby collection of merely 80 lacs on Monday. The film now stands at a domestic total of about 5.85 Crores at the Box Office.

A Still from the making of Bombay Talkies Movie

The film’s occupancy though picked up meagerly on Saturday and barely sustained through the weekend, stood in a grievous state on Monday with a drastic drop in its income and occupancy both. A very limited segment of the multiplex audiences who are viewing the film with a celebratory vigor, cannot make up for the lucrative circuits in which the film’s performance has dropped majorly.

Bombay Talkies Review

Rating: 3.5/5 stars (Three And Half Stars)

Star cast: Randeep Hooda, Rani Mukerji, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Naman Jain, Ranveer Shorey

Director: Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee

What’s Good: The overwhelming romanticism of cinema and its stars that majorly weighs heavy all through the film.

What’s Bad: The film despite being independent works of sheer geniuses suffers from one major flaw. Celebrating the centenary year of Indian cinema, the link and relevance to the larger picture is hard to decipher.

Loo break: None

Watch or Not?: Bombay Talkies in each of its story is indeed magnum opus. While these gently framed short films are individually the few most unbeatable concepts of recent times, the film’s major pitfall is that the stories have no thematic link or relevance to the overall rationale. Despite the glitches, the ensemble film is indeed a must watch for Karan Johar’s powerful story, Dibakar Banerjee’s minute detailing, Zoya Akhtar’s technical prowess and Anurag Kashyap’s splendid script; with special emphasis on phenomenal performances from Rani Mukerji and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

User Rating:

A sexually repressed wife and her successful husband’s subtle marital discordance is exposed in the open when a young homosexual boy, befriends the lady at work. The story which follows henceforth is heart breaking-ly spectacular.

The second story heavily based on Satyajit Ray’s Patol Babu Filmstar is an emotional film where a man from a theatrical background, questions his caliber and aspirations. His motives are centered on becoming a hero for his little bedridden daughter whose only source of happiness is the stories of films her father narrates to her.

Zoya Akhtar’s film is perhaps the most relevant one of the lot. Battling an authoritarian parent, a small child is learning to nurture his dream of becoming Sheila from a world that emphasizes on a man’s need to be masculine.

The final story is a sweet little ode of a tale, where an ailing father send his son with Murabba from Allahabad to Mumbai , for Amitabh Bachchan. Dealing with India’s fixation with star mania, the film is a convincing plot that works on a multitude of metaphorical instances.

Rani Mukerji and Randeep Hooda in a still from Bombay Talkies Movie

Bombay Talkies Review: Script Analysis

When there are four most talented new age film makers compiling an anthology film to celebrate a century of Indian cinema, it is natural for comparisons to arise. Personally, the most poignant story for me was Karan Johar’s. Dealing with the societal cringe on homosexuality, the film unravels how queer sexuality is mostly preferred hidden inside the closet of the social stamp of marriage. While the wife tries to pin point why isn’t she satiating enough for her husband, a young guy makes a married man realize his misplaced sexual tug. Working on a multitude of layers, this film is a standout for Karan Johar’s excessively honest plot; a rave quality the man often loses amidst the race for commercialism. This half an hour short film is by far Karan Johar’s best work!

Dibakar Banerjee’s film is an ultimate tribute to the genre of Ray’s cinema. Done meticulously, the film is almost replicable of Ray’s perfect sense of detailing, every nook and corner of the scene before it is translated on celluloid. This film scores mostly for Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s brilliant ability to lure the audience’s attention to the film’s centrifugal emotional point. Indeed the most riveting performance of the film that will compel a round of applause from you.

Zoya Akhtar’s story though lacks in luster, she makes up for it with her technical expertise. A tyrannical father forcing masculine tendencies into his son who wants to explore his sexuality latently dominates the story by enthusing  the correct amount of fear. The child cannot simply fathom ‘Kyun Ladki Hone Mein Kya Burai Hai?’ Aspiring to become Sheila, the little boy’s happiness is in dancing to the steps of Katrina’s iconic song.

Anurag Kashyap exhibits his power to create a story out of most commonplace elements indeed makes him what he is. Centered on star power and hero worship, this story is unique for its ingenious dialogues. Written sharply, the story is about a man trying to get Amitabh Bachchan to eat Murabba.

Bombay Talkies Review: Star Performances

There aren’t many stars to talk about as the entire onus of the film is how the directors framed it. Yet, there are actors who have to be mentioned. Rani Mukerji has never looked more beautiful before. Despite the extra kilos she has acquired, she looks stunning. Gleaming like her brilliant old self, she emotes with her eyes conveying the tender feelings of wrath and satisfaction with very few verbal dialogues!

Nawazuddin Siddiqui subtly evokes sympathy and humor through his minimal stint of a role. He assuredly engrosses you in a story that carries the brand name of an Academy Award winning genius director.

Bombay Talkies Review: Direction, Music & Technical Aspects

The film has only one essential flaw. The mesmerizing romanticism gets over bearing and the synchronization of the films’ stories fails to converge into the main thematic premise. However, each short film is deemed excellent. It is hard to compare four story tellers of such different styles, my story pick would easily be Karan Johar’s. But an overall unbiased view suggests that it is Dibakar’s film that was the most wonderful piece of cinema in the compilation. With every element from cinematography to acting and editing, all mystically well blended, he catapults himself light years ahead, aiding his story well by casting a flawless actor like Siddiqui. Zoya’s film had a narrow plot and still her excellent artistic bent of mind managed to blossom the story well enough. Anurag Kashyap has immortalized Amitabh Bachchan in the most relatable plot of the lot. His unbeatable wit that reigns through the film makes its ending so endearing.

Bombay Talkies Review: The Last Word

Bombay Talkies is a novel concept, glistening with bravura short films. With the script predominating the film’s flavor, it is a sincere attempt to provide a Eulogy for Bollywood. The passion and craze for cinema in India dictates most part of the film. Here’s a piece of advice -Walk out of the hall before the 20 star song. The bromidic and hackneyed feeling it leaves by, spoils the entire beauty the film distinctively weaves all through. I am going with 3.5/5 for Bombay Talkies. It could have been way more entertaining, but overall it comes across as a perseverant effort!

Bombay Talkies Trailer

Bombay Talkies released on 3rd May, 2013.

Share with us your experience of watching Bombay Talkies.

Intriguingly its release clashes with that of Dada Saheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra which had released on 3rd May 1913, exactly 100 years ago.

Bombay Talkies Movie Stills

The compilation film which runs four short films by notable directors Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee is their individual salutation to their perspective and approach of Indian cinema.

The film should open to a decent occupancy based on the repute of the notable directors attached but in general it would rather not expect greater than a 30%-40% opening. Having a general tendency to allure the intelligentsia more than the masses, its pick up won’t be excessively arresting, targeting mainly the multiplex audiences.

Though the releases this year hasn’t really followed a predictable route, what with Himmatwala and Ek Thi Daayan falling way below the expectation mark, Bombay Talkies won’t hopefully disappoint those who are holding it high in regard. Content driven in its structure, the film shifts all its onus from star power to direction and script mainly which is a rising trend of the new age Bollywood market.

Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan And Amrita Rao

Big B took to twitter to inform his fans about the concluding details of the film. He tweeted, “Its a wrap on the film Satyagraha today. Film shooting over, releasing August 23, 2013.”

On 21st April, after finishing his part in the film, Arjun Rampal tweeted, “Just wrapped filming for #satyagrah have had a blast, thank you to the whole unit who have worked so very hard and of course Prakash. Love”

With a post Independence day release, reeking of nationalistic theme, the film is produced by UTV Motion Pictures and is slotted for a 23rd August release this year. A remake of K.V Anand’s Tamil film Ko,the film was rumored to release on the eve of 15th August.

Koimoi here eases out their job by closely looking at the television careers of both Salman and Shah Rukh, and whether each is just as good as the other here or we indeed have a winner on this one.

Salman Khan’s first taste of television came in 2009 with Sony Entertainment Television’s Dus Ka Dum. A money making, reality game show, it was a hit feat for Salman mainly. His first venture at TV popularized him vastly. This show opened to a good Television Rating Point and continued for two consecutive seasons. The show was instrumental in catapulting a sinking Sony back to the third leading position, as per the Indian Televisions Ratings.

Shah Rukh Khan And Salman Khan

Following the success of his 2009 film Wanted, Big Boss’ team decided to rope him in as the presenter of their show. Succeeding Amitabh Bachchan, who had hosted Big Boss 3, Salman undoubtedly put up a brilliant work. He was immensely popular and quirky, which made the team retain him for the next two seasons to come. Though there are doubts over his appearance in Big Boss 7, one can easily predict it is hard to match his footsteps at this for sure.

This year, Star Guild Awards decided to assign the role of main presenter of the evening to Salman Khan. Keeping the audiences tickled and interested all evening, it was a pleasant surprise package of his trademark entertainment. One question mentally knocked people all evening, why had he never got this chance before, as he was so darn good at it! That successful stint is obviously the cue for many Award show teams to approve him and he will definitely be approached to present a greater number of Award shows in 2014.

Shah Rukh Khan, who has largely had a more tried and tested fate at presenting and hosting shows has been doing it for ages. Initially, he began by hosting award shows, it was Kaun Banega Crorepati’s third season in 2007 which saw him as a full fledged television host. KBC in its first and second season, after being hosted by the gigantic colossal figure of Amitabh Bachchan, had almost become synonymous with his name with news of SRK replacing Big B, there were also reports of alleged animosity and ego clashes between the two popular stars. KBC 3 though opened to great reviews, audiences still were aching from the heart-sore of Amitabh’s exit from the show. After successfully hosting one season, Big B was convinced to return for the next season of the reality game show. Shah Rukh Khan’s efforts were however amply recognized by Indian Telly Awards and Global Film And Television Honors, both of them handed out to SRK the year’s Best Presenter Award.

SRK continued in television throughout 2008 with Star’s Kya Aap Panchvi Paas Se Tez hai. Armed with fifth graders, the show was an adorable one with oodles of General Knowledge meted out to participants and audiences. The show opened to a decent TRP.

In 2011, SRK was back with reality show Zor Ka Jhatka, which was most unimpressive and a dismal failure. The first season was hurriedly wrapped up within fortnight.

SRK is however one of the most sought after Awards show presenter in Bollywood. He keeps his audiences in tuned with his wit and sarcastic fun that he brings on stage. He has served as the host of many editions of Cine Awards and IIFA too, but mostly he has become synonymous with Filmfare. Along with, Saif Ali Khan, since the 48th edition of Filmfare Awards, he has hosted the 48th, 48th, 52nd, 53rd, 55th, 57th which he hosted with Ranbir Kapoor and 58th Filmfare awards. He definitely is one of the catchy elements that makes Filmfare Awards the interesting feat that it is, to stay hooked on.

As always, to choose between Salman and SRK is hard and offensive. To choose between the best is impossible, but both definitely bring to their shows their peculiar characteristics which are equally good! We at Koimoi are absolutely in awe of both stars and won’t taint our hands by picking out one from the two but will leave it to you. Who according to you is a better presenter? Vote on.

Check out the video:

Prithviraj Sukumaran And Amitabh Bachchan

With a host of established actors starting Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh to John Abraham, all have showed keen interest in the Regional films productions. While Amitabh Bachchan’s production company AB Corp’s latest Gujarati release Saptapadii  already did great business, Akshay Kumar on the other hand has already announced his second Marathi film Adhantari, to be produced by his venture company Grazing Goats Pictures. The biggies are willing to invest in Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi and Malayalam films which offers an expansive audience base and flourishing takings.

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan

These regional films experiment with distinctive subject matter and quite often secure rave reviews. Bachchan’s production house is laden with numerous projects and regional films scores a high on their list.  Be it Saptapadii, which deals with a couple whose life is altered with the arrival of an orphan, a survivor of terrorist attack or the Marathi film, Vihir, which narrates the story of the comradeship of two cousins and their unconventional outlook on life and family bonding, the films are gratifying expectations. Directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni, Vihir also a Bachchan production was internationally acclaimed in the Berlin International Film festival (2011) and screened at the 2010 Rotterdam International Film festival. Saptapadii has also garnered its share of accolades since its release receiving the “Special Mention for the Green Rose at the Jaipur Film Festival”.

Not just critically, these regional films are successfully making their mark at the box office. The Bachchan Sr. basking in the film’s success appealed people to watch Saptapadii and appreciate the regional cinema in his social network site. He wrote, “Everyone who has seen the film has enjoyed it much…Go and see it…!! It will give huge boost for the Gujarati film industry.”

Amitabh further commented on his company’s agenda, “AB Corp has been actively involved in producing and promoting regional cinema. Our film Vihir in Marathi won several awards of recognition across the globe at various festivals.”

AB Corp, which has produced the critically acclaimed Paa, earlier had also a fair share in the Bengali art film, Antarmahal: Views of the Inner Chambers (2005). The Rituparno Ghosh directed film starred Abhishek Bachchan, Soha Ali Khan and Roopa Ganguly.

Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar

The Khiladi aka Akshay Kumar too has embarked on the production of Regional films, with his debut Marathi film, 72 Miles: Ek Pravas, slated for release very soon. He teamed up with Ashwini Yardii for ‘Grazing Goats Pictures’. Very recently, the house announced its second Marathi venture Adhantari. The film will see the pairing up of Tanisha Mukherjee (Kajol’s sister) and television actor Sumeet Raghavan. “We are very excited about our second Marathi film after 72 Miles-Ek Pravas. We will shoot it on a huge scale, it only shows how Marathi films are getting bigger,” said Yardi. When asked of the recent upsurge in regional film production Yardi agreed saying, “Regional cinema is really growing. We have already made a Marathi film and it’s in the post-production stage.”

“We are looking at the Punjabi market as well because Akshay is essentially from Punjab. Since I am from a Maharashtrian background, I think I know that market well. We are also looking to try Bengali films as well,” Yardi added.

Riteish Deshmukh

Ritesh Deshmukh

Even industry’s funnyman Riteish Deshmukh turned producer with the modest budget Marathi film, Balak Palak. The Ravi Jadhav film, which has a funny take on sex education in schools made for a runaway hit, earning great moolahs since its release. With this film, Riteish aimed to pave way for Marathi films on a national level viewed Genelia D’Souza, his wife and an actress. On a previous occasion she had said, “I wish Marathi cinema grows and that’s one of the reasons why Riteish is doing a Marathi film next year and we hope to see a lot more Marathi films next year.” The success of Balak Palak and positive reviews it fetched has made producers rethink of a similar Hindi remake.

John Abraham

John Abraham

John Abraham whose bold maiden production Vicky Donor struck a chord with the masses and settled as the greatest hit of the year, too has been enticed with the idea of making regional film. John has said, “I am producing a Marathi film. Definitely, I would love to produce a Malayalam film.” His production house is entitled as John Abraham Entertainment Limited.

The fresh trend of Bollywood stars donning producers’ hat catering to regional movies showcases their ingenuity and an updated investment scheme for the business minded celebs. Given the celeb’s partaking, it would not only rekindle the stakes of regional film industries but in all possibility augment the quality of the films made regionally.

Arjun Rampal, Prakash Jha, Kareena Kapoor, Amrita Rao, Ajay Devgn And Amitabh Bachchan

Our source informed us, “A plan is being auctioned right now for a screening in South Africa for Satyagraha because of its inherent Mahatma Gandhi connection. It is being finalized which cast members will be travelling for the screening.”

Starring brilliant actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Ajay Devgn and Amrita Rao, it is slotted for an August 23rd release. The film was extensively shot in Bhopal.

Check out the video right here:

Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Dilip Kumar on Filmfare Special Edition Cover

‘Give it up for Bachchan’ stars a couple of odd young kids, dressed in various attires of popular avatars of Amitabh Bachchan. Sung by Sukhwinder Singh, the song has a catchy tune and is extremely vibrant.

Enjoy the song right here:

still from Give It Up For Bachchan Song from Bombay Talkies Movie Stills

Bombay Talkies is an upcoming anthology film putting together 4 unique short films by the above mentioned directors. The film is being produced by Viacom 18 and the music score of the film is composed by Amit Trivedi. The film is scheduled to mark the 100th year of Indian cinema and slotted for a May 3rd release.

Of the most notable invitations at Cannes this year, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stands foremost. The actress who was given a special civilian award by the Government of France for the contribution to cinema on the eve of her birthday last year has been especially invited for the Film Festival.

Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan

Richier confirmed the news and added that Aishwarya’s long standing association with the Cannes Film Festival has earned her immense love and respect from France. She has been walking down the Cannes Red Carpet every edition since 2002, is the most strikingly significant face of Indian cinema abroad, mostly in France. He went on to inform that this year’s CFF will have a special focus on the cultural richness of Indian cinema and will invite other important Indian film stars as well.

Among the other important invitees at Cannes this year, will be legendary actors Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth. The two were last seen together at Big B’s Grand 70th Birthday Bash, will be present to promote their respective films.

While Rajnikanth’s Kochadaiyaan will give Indian cinema a newer level and dimension, Amitabh Bachchan has a cameo role in the upcoming Hollywood film The Great Gatsby starring popular actors Leonardo Di Caprio and Tobey Maguire.

Kochadaiyaan, starring Rajnikanth along with Deepika Padukone and Jackie Shroff is scheduled to complete by 15^th July, is abundant in technical brilliance.

There is a lot more for Bollywood to look forward to at Cannes Film Festival this year, mostly their kind gesture of celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema.