It's probably a season that can see a beautiful coming together of Bollywood and Philanthropy. Not that we're surprised but instead it makes us very proud how some of the most popular stars have taken it upon themselves to do their bit for the society. The name that has just pencilled itself in to this group is the pretty Preity Zinta who has been appointed the goodwill ambassador of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS in India.
One might think that she would give a few speeches and do a few commercials and be done with. But no! Miss Zinta takes such responsibilities quite seriously. The lady would be travelling to the rural areas of Punjab where AIDS is quite rampant, and create awareness as to how one can keep the disease at bay.
If that wasn't enough, she has taken the decision that all the players of her IPL Premiere League team - King XI Punjab will be donning red ribbons and for the match against Delhi daredevils, an HIV positive person will do the toss to spread the message against stigma and discrimination.
The lady is truly a bundle of surprise. Besides shooting an AIDS commercial with her team's captain Kumar Sangakkara and other team players, the team will be donating 25% of the profit they earn from selling their merchandise to UNAIDS.
India is home to 2.3 million HIV positive people; it makes us so proud to know that someone like Miss Zinta, who holds the position to create awareness about AIDS, is taking her responsibility so seriously. ]]>" target=_new> by Bollywood Hungama News Network
Sanjay Gupta now treads a new path and is launching his new brand White Feather Arthouse Films. He is signalling off this journey with two films that are slated to chart new territories in the realm of `new age sensibility' movies. The two films are The Great Indian Butterfly and Pankh.
The first film to be released is The Great Indian Butterfly that releases on the 26th of March, 2010. Directed by Sarthak Dasgupta, the film stars Aamir Bashir, Sandhya Mridul, Koel Purie and Barry John. The film has already been invited to prestigious film festivals like the Indo-America Arts Council Film Festival and the River to River, Florence Indian Film Festival, which is the first festival in the world to be devoted entirely to films from and about India. The Great Indian Butterfly is about a young couple searching for a mystical butterfly that brings peace, love, luck and happiness. Even though a simple story, the film recounts the complexities of a changing India. Says Sarthak Dasgupta, "We have made a difference in the world through the power of our ideas. The film tries to capture that unique Indian spirit. It's not esoteric and complex. It's a simple story of discovery in present day India". The Great Indian Butterfly will be releasing on March 26.
With Pankh, which releases on the 2nd of April they set out to present trailblazing movies. This film pushes the envelope so far that it has torn it open. It has already generated a raging controversy in the media. The film stars Bipasha Basu, Mahesh Manjrekar, Lilette Dubey, Ronit Roy, Sanjeeda Sheikh and introduces two new kids Maradona Rebello and Amit Purohit. It is directed by Sudipto Chattopadhyay a national award winning director. The film is a heart rendering tale of the plight of a young man with a traumatic past. It reveals the sordid reality of gender confusion within a dramatic and controversial context. About a young boy who plays a girl's role on screen. Says Sudipto, "This was a story that needed telling. It is a film that will touch every sensitive soul. Pankh is Bollywood's wildest take so far." Pankh will be releasing on April 2. ]]>" target=_new> by Bollywood Hungama News Network
According to a communique received from Mukta Arts, RIGHT YAAA WRONG has opened at 21 screens in Pakistan today [Friday]. This is the first Sunny Deol starrer to release in the neighbouring country.]]>" target=_new> by Taran Adarsh
Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranvir Shorey have been teamed in a suspense-thriller, which will go on floors shortly. Produced by Denis Selarka and directed by first-time director Amitabh Verma, the suspense-thriller has every character knitting a conspiracy against the other. The film will be shot in Alibaug.
Says producer Denis Selarka about his yet-untitled film, "Every character has grey shades. Every character is trying to outdo the other. There is a mastermind though." Plans are on to release the film in November this year.]]>" target=_new> by Taran Adarsh
Kareena Kapoor is busy with films and endorsements that are pouring her way while sister Karisma is on the family way.
Karisma Kapoor, 36, gave birth to a baby boy today morning at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. He is Karisma's second child after her daughter Samaira.
Gathered at the hospital along side Karisma is the entire Kapoor family to give the latest arrival a grand welcome.
Bollywood Hungama congratulates Karisma and the Kapoor family, on this very special day and wishes them the very best.]]>" target=_new> by Ryan Lobo
With immense stardom comes immense credibility. How and why is completely debatable. But it's a fact that Kareena Kapoor can easily vouch for.
The Bollywood Diva is a wanted entity by one and all brands. If Anne French, Sony Vaio, Head and Shoulder and Airtel weren't enough, joining their league now is Sony Ericsson. Yes! Kareena will now be the brand ambassador for Sony Ericsson Mobiles. No wonder then that she is termed as the endorsement queen in Bollywood.
The ad film of her newly adopted brand has been directed by Director Anuj Alia, and is shot in Mehboob Studio. With a line up of big films and a number of endorsements deals, this woman is completely on a roll.]]>" target=_new> by Bollywood Hungama News Network
A year back, Tansen was a hot project in the making. While Barjatyas from Rajshri Productions were backing this mega budget project, Satish Kaushik was already on board as the director of the film. Though there was no official confirmation on the main lead, it was being whispered in the industry circles that Abhishek Bachchan had already been sounded for the much coveted role.
However, post Karzzzz, Delhi 6 and Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi, all seemed to be forgotten about Tansen. Abhishek Bachchan had double trouble with Drona followed by Delhi 6. Karzzzz was a shocker for Satish Kaushik because in spite of so much hype, it was the remake factor that went against it. As for Barjatyas, their small budgeted Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi (Sonu Sood, Esha Kopikar) didn't quite turn out to be another Vivah and folded up rather soon. Tansen seemed to be a talk of the past and it was more or less apparent that it was shelved for good.
This is where a pleasant surprise comes in with Satish Kaushik coming out of a brief hibernation (as a director) and announcing that the epic musical drama is still pretty much on. Explaining the delay in the film coming on floors, Satish Kaushik says, "Tansen was a big budgeted film and we wanted to give it the best possible platform. We could have got it earlier but then there was a big slap of recession during last couple of years. However, the film never stopped and we continued to work hard on the script."
As things stand now, the script is being written by Irshad Kamil, popular lyricist who has written number of chartbuster songs for composer Pritam. As per Kaushik, Barjatyas are gung go about the project and taking active interest in giving Tansen the best shape possible so that it lives up to the great expectations that audience has from a character and film of this stature.
"Raj (Barjatya) Babu and Sooraj Barjatya are sitting on the script sessions with us from Day One", says Kaushik, "In fact there have been days when we have worked on it for more than 12 hours at stretch. They are totally involved in the making of Tansen and even though Sooraj isn't directing it, he is taking active interest in the film. In fact just a few days back, we spoke again on taking the film forward. I hadn't announced any new film after Karzzzz since my time was completely eaten up by Tansen. Rest assured, Tansen is pretty much on and certainly not shelved."
When the film first came in news, Satish Kaushik was heard as stating - "Abhishek is someone who can play the role well as he also has a certain star status and fan following. He has the look and intensity. He also has the dialogue delivery of his father. And we do need a Tansen who thinks in Hindi and talks the language fluently." Even spokesperson from Rajshri had admitted that Abhishek was approached for the role. He had said, "Yes, we have spoken to Abhishek about Tansen and he has agreed to sit with us for the narration once our script is done. We are still busy scripting the film. "
So coming to the million dollar question, is Abhishek Bachchan finally playing the role of Tansen? There is a shocker in store as Satish Kaushik goes on record to state that the young man hasn't been finalised for the film yet. "No, Abhishek is not confirmed for Tansen. There is an entire rethinking being done on the film's cast. Why just Abhishek, nobody has actually been decided and formalised to star in Tansen. We would be casting in a couple of months and it would be there for all to know then."
With probability of Abhishek featuring as Tansen seemingly quite low, one wonders whom do Satish Kaushik and Barjatyas have in mind for the title role. There are only a handful of actors who could fit in well when it comes to a period film. Add to that the genre being musical and the film's scale being high, there are further limitations that are set when it comes to making a project viable. Watch this space for more!]]>" target=_new> by Joginder Tuteja
The big news
Now this development really gets the antennas stand right up with all attention reserved for what next is really in the offing. Believe it or not but a major Hollywood-Bollywood collaboration is right up in the anvil and two of the bigger superstars from different ends of the world are all set to share screen space. The film in question is Xtrme City and the men in question - hold your breath - Shah Rukh Khan and Leonardo Di Caprio.
Yes, even though all of this seemed like a dream till a few years back, it is indeed turning out to be a reality since work is progressing on brisk speed to get the scripting in place for the film. There is quite some action on pre-production front as well and Xtrme City is looking positive at going on floors by end of 2010. If that indeed happens, Shah Rukh can well be expected to be really busy all through 2010 and 2011 with Ra 1 and the sequel of Don required to be wrapped up before Xtrme City starts taking a shape.
How it happened
Informs our source, "Not many know but when Shah Rukh visited Berlin for the premiere of My Name Is Khan, his agenda also included a groundbreaking movie deal. He was power-dining with Hollywood bigwigs like director Martin Scorsese and screenplay writer Paul Schrader over the project which is touted to star Bollywood's reigning superstar with Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo Di Caprio. Karan Johar, David Weisman and screenplay writer Mushtaq Shiekh were present at the meeting."
The film doesn't really come as a complete piece of surprise though. Yes, Shah Rukh's presence has raised quite a few eyebrows though one could have expected to see this coming since his close friend and associate Mushtaq Shiekh had already been commissioned to write the film. The director was finalised as Paul Schrader, the same man who had made Robert De Niro come up with a career defining act in Taxi Driver. On the other hand, Mushtaq has made Shah Rukh Khan go over the top as never before in Om Shanti Om.
When Paul Schrader had earlier visited India in 2008, he had indeed talked about collaborating on a project that would marry Indian ethos with Western sentiment. His Xtrme City was touted to combine the cinematic traditions of both Bollywood and Hollywood and provide wholesome cross-culture entertainment. For this purpose, he had written the film along with Mushtaq who does come with a super strong Shah Rukh connection. In the past, he has authored bestselling biographies for Shah Rukh Khan like 'SRK: Still Reading Khan' and 'Shah Rukh Can'. He has also written books like 'The Making of Asoka', 'Devdas - The Indian Hamlet' and 'The Making of Om Shanti Om'. Of course his claim to fame are screenwriting credits for Om Shanti Om, Billu and Shah Rukh's under production Ra 1.
At that time, another piece of announcement had stated - "This groundbreaking production will showcase a Bollywood mega-star and a Hollywood movie-star sharing top billing in a major motion picture. The film is destined for both the subcontinent and international markets. In fact, Xtrme City is already in the process of casting the two star leads. The film is going to be a hugely mounted affair with a multi million budget."
The superstars
However, not many would have assumed that the two leads would be none other than Shah Rukh Khan and Leonardo Di Caprio. Meanwhile, Paul Schrader had been hinting all along that he would work only with the biggest Bollywood star and that is why he was keen to sign Shah Rukh for the leading role. It was also quite clear that if the two actors indeed sign up on the dotted line to star in the multi-million project, both Shah Rukh and Leonardo Di Caprio would get top billing. Xtrme City will be an action-thriller set in Mumbai covering the criminal underbelly of the city.
When contacted, Mushtaq Shiekh said, "It's too premature to discuss the casting of the film. But yes, Shah Rukh and Leonardo did meet up in Berlin. The meeting was just a casual one; they were there for the premiere of their films Shutter Island and My Name Is Khan respectively. The highlight of the meeting was Karan Johar who entertained everyone with absolutely delightful Bollywood trivia."
On the other hand Paul Schrader, who has directed 18 films, confirms that the Hollywood-Bollywood collaboration is certainly on. "I hadn't thought about working in India", says the man who has previously worked in Japan, Italy, Romania, Israel and Morocco. However, now I see Bollywood as the next great frontier. Xtrme City is a cross-cultural entertainment that merges the cinematic traditions of Bollywood and Hollywood. I am indeed excited to make a film which is accessible and meaningful to both Indian and American cultures."
Adds Mushtaq, "Working on Xtrme City with a master screenwriter like Paul Schrader has been exhilarating and a marvellous illumination for me. He is tireless. We kept at it until achieving a perfect emotional balance for our story. We wanted to reveal the best of each world in surprising, entertaining, inspiring ways. That's what I like about Paul's screenplay. Ours is a film that never takes either culture for granted."
The Martin Scorcese factor
Meanwhile another big name, Martin Scorcese, too turned out to be quite a handful in this meeting that saw Shah Rukh Khan, Leonardo Di Caprio, Karan Johar, Paul Schrader and Mushtaq Shiekh coming together. The man who has directed Leonardo in Shutter Island, The Departed, The Aviator and Gangs of New York in the past is pretty abreast with the going-ons in Bollywood as well.
"I was amazed by how Martin Scorsese was completely in sync with all that is happening in Bollywood. His knowledge about old Hindi films left me shocked", says Mushtaq in awe, "In that one room, seeing such gigantic movie business folks was almost like seeing a mega Hollywood-Bollywood movie live. Their interest in Bollywood cinema is just as animated as how we marvel at their film culture."
The release
Adds the source, "The film is aiming for a late 2010 shoot in Mumbai, New York and the Persian Gulf. The makers are hoping for a 2011 release. As with many Bollywood films, Xtrme City will integrate thriller, drama and comedy elements. The movie will be family-friendly though there would certainly be elements of violence. However, sex will be downplayed, though there would be quintessential song and dance routines."
Well, My Name Is Khan has already earned its stripes in America by being declared the highest grossing 'specialty film' of 2010. Though this tag does make one look at the overall success a little more closely, the term 'specialty' may get a whole new perspective if he succeeds in pulling off a casting-coup. Also, it is now obvious that Shah Rukh's hush-hush meeting in Berlin will spark off a new interest in Bollywood stars actually managing to make a Hollywood breakthrough. Will Shah Rukh lead the pack with Xtrme City? From what it seems, both Shah Rukh and Leonardo Di Caprio might be pulling off one of the biggest movie collaboration in recent times. What we have heard is just the tip of the iceberg!
About Xtrme City:
Xtrme City is an action thriller set in the brutal, impenetrable, criminal orbit of Mumbai, India. Curtis Hawkley, a former U.S. Ranger, is obliged to return to Mumbai when his father-in-law's youngest daughter is kidnapped by a powerful underworld Don. In order to save the girl he must first find his old friend Raj Rangan, an Indian Special Forces Commando who became a crime world enforcer. After reuniting and saving the girl, the two men are drawn deeper into the "bhai" underworld of Mumbai than they expected. Sense of duty compels them to take on a system of corruption, revenge, and familial obligations.]]>" target=_new> by Joginder Tuteja
Entering the industry as lead actor is the famous playback singer Udit Narayan's son Aditya Narayan. He made quite a rage few years back as a child artist alongside SRK and Salman in Pardes and Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai respectively. But gone are those days as he is back in the industry ready with his debut as the leading star in Vikram Bhatt's horror flick Shaapit. In fact Aditya has also written and composed the promotional song for the film. Seems like he is extremely geared up about his maiden venture.
Burdened with expectations or confident with experience, that's for you to ask and for him to answer as he joins us for a celebrity live on Friday, March 12, at 1330 hrs IST exclusively for you on Bollywood Hungama. Be here to meet this new chocolate boy of Bollywood.]]>" target=_new> by Bollywood Hungama News Network
The Best Picture Oscar winner The Hurt Locker's victory came as no surprise to some big Bollywood names, specifically, Abbas Tyrewala, John Abraham and Madhu Mantena. David Bryan, Supervising Art Director on The Hurt Locker who was widely praised for his life like replication of the battle scarred streets of Iraq in Jordan, is the Production Designer for Abbas Tyrewala's next venture, starring John Abraham. The really interesting story however, is that David's only managed to convince Abbas to join his project as a Production Designer after showing Abbas footage from The Hurt Locker and how he'd recreated the streets of Iraq in the award winning film. David has on several occasions impressed Abbas with his detail and precision in Production Design.
Looks like the Abbas is going to every extent recruiting genuinely talented people to mount this film (earlier titled 1-800 Love) on a large beautiful canvas. It may be recalled that during the shooting of the film in London, the production had managed to block off traffic completely on Tower Bridge for 3 nights and had shot several scenes with even boat traffic on the Thames being restricted!
David's first release after The Hurt Locker is to be Abbas's film, which is now under post-production.
Speaking on this film, David said, "We wanted to portray the real London that is rarely seen, it's an amazing city with very diverse locations. In particular we were looking for a real iconic Studio Apartment for our lead actor John Abraham. Later in autumn, the climax to the film grew into an epic 4 nights filming on Tower Bridge with John doing his own stunts, a real star!"
He went on to further add, "Working with a Bollywood crew was a great experience, much more than on a similar British film."
Expectations are already high from Abbas's new film, coming as it does on the heels of the scripting and debut directorial magic that he displayed in the smash hit Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Now with a key member of the history making Oscar Best Picture winner responsible for creating the look and feel of his film, the expectations are only bound to grow.]]>" target=_new> by Bollywood Hungama News Network
After the tremendous success of 3 Idiots, the actor has landed the biggest endorsement deal in Indian advertising history. He will promote new telecom entrant, UAE & Etisalat, for Rs 30-35 crore for three years. He, along with his Bollywood competitor Shah Rukh Khan, already commands the biggest rates, pegged at Rs 6-8 crore per year per endorsement. Aamir is already the brand ambassador of several brands like Parle, Coca-Cola, Tata Sky and Samsung.
Away from the prying media eyes Indian tennis diva Sania Mirza today got engaged to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza at a plush city hotel. A glittery ceremony at Hotel Taj Krishna here was attended by a few special and close invitees, close to 300, including Indian tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi, south movie star Chiranjeevi and some political personalities.
The 23-year-old Sohrab will pursue MBA in Britain and his father owns a chain of bakeries in the city. His family migrated from Iran many years ago and lives in Anand Nagar in the heart of the city.
Much to the disappointment of curious and byte crazy media army, posted outside the venue, not even a single peep into the ceremony was allowed by the Mirza family, which termed it a ‘family oriented’ event. Anxiously waiting shutterbugs were also a dejected lot as they were not allowed to click photographs and were promised distribution of photographs through special arrangements.
Delhi based designers Nikhil and Shantanu had prepared Sania’s green and gold lehnga, a traditional dress, which the tennis sensation wore with old family jewellery. The engagement of the Indian tennis poster girl also put to rest all the speculation about her romantic links with sport stars and bollywood actors
If you thought cricket was big, wait for this. The IPL promises to be bigger than anything India has ever seen. We give the inside-out of this billion-dollar baby.
What is the Indian Premier League?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) launched the Indian Premier League (IPL) on September 14, 2007. Based on the lines of the English Premier League (EPL) and the National Basketball League (NBA), the IPL is said to be the brainchild of BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi. The idea was first floated in 1996 but was shot down as the board felt it would go against the zonal system of domestic cricket. The project moved into top gear when the Zee group launched a rival Indian Cricket League on similar lines in April 2007.
The following are the bid amounts and winners for various teams in the Indian Premier League:
Vijay Mallya won the bid for the Bangalore team for $111.6 million.
Shah Rukh Khan won the bid for the Kolkata team for $75.09 million.
GMR Holdings won the bid for the Delhi team for $84 million.
Mukesh Ambani won the bid for the Mumbai team for $111.9 million.
India Cements won the bid for the Chennai team for $91 million.
Deccan Chronicle won the bid for the Hyderabad team for $107.01 million.
Emerging Media won the bid for the Jaipur team for $67 million.
Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia won the bid for the Mohali team for $76 million, reportedly.
Controversies and fame are like two sides of a coin. If someone is getting fame should be ready for the controversies also. One who is afraid of controversies should not think of getting fame. Sania Mirza’s decision of not playing in next month’s Bangalore Open in order to avoid controversies is a childish decision. This shows lack of passion towards the game. Instead of avoiding all controversies she is quiting the battle field. A true sports person fights in any circumstance. I agree that she has been a victim in all her controversies, but this doesn’t mean that she should quit playing in events where people want to see an Indian to win.
Many times you might have wondered what is the use of RSS feeds and what is it? So today I am going to tell you what are RSS feeds and how this can help us.
What’s a feed?
A feed is a list of updates certain websites publish that displays new content when it’s posted. When you add a feed to your profile, orkut monitors that feed for updates. Putting feeds on your profile allows you to easily share your content from other websites, such as blogs, pictures, or news updates, with your friends on orkut. They also alert you when your favorite websites have been updated.
RSS and Atom are the two most popular feed formats. Like most feed readers, orkut supports both formats.
Any feeds that you add in orkut will appear as buttons above add stuff on the sidebar in your profile.
How do I add a Picasa or Blogger feed to my profile?
orkut will auto-detect if you’ve got a Picasa or Blogger account linked to the same Google Account you use for orkut. If you do, you’ll see an add button next to the name of the album or blog. If you don’t, you’ll see buttons that prompt you to sign up for Picasa or Blogger.
If you’re a Blogger or Picasa user but use a different Google Account to access those services, click on the hyperlink next to the product you’d like to use. Then, sign in with a different Google Account and find the URL of the album or blog you’d like to use. Simply enter this URL in the add box in the feeds section of your orkut profile.
Notes:
You can add up to 5 feeds to your profile. Your feeds will appear above the add stuff button on your profile.
Simply click on the button with the feed name to view a given feed (hover over the button to see the complete name of the feed).
Keep in mind that any content on orkut.com needs to adhere to our Terms of Service. Feeds containing questionable content may be removed by the orkut team without advance warning.
How do I delete a feed from my profile?
To delete a feed from your profile, please follow these steps:
1. Click the add stuff button the sidebar of your profile.
2. In the My feeds section, find the feed that you’d like to delete.
3. Click remove.
