Bollywood
BOLLYWOOD BUZZ
Beauty Queens on the Bollywood Bandwagon
Beauty queens Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra are sashaying into Bollywood together. If all goes well, Andaz produced by Suneel Darshan and directed by Raj Kanwar, will be the first release for both girls and the first movie to star both a Miss Universe and a Miss World. Akshay Kumar is the lucky guy who gets to woo both the lovelies in the movie. Another beauty queen Mrs World Aditi Govitrikar made her debut in Bollywood with Soch, a psychological thriller directed by debutant director Sushen Bhatnagar. Starring along with her in this movie which released recently, are Raveena Tandon, Arbaaz Khan and Sanjay Kapoor. But things are not so picture-perfect for former Miss World Yukta Mukhey. The tall leggy beauty?s film career just doesn?t seem to be taking off. After her pow-wow with the producer of her debut film Pyaasa, we now hear that she is out of Shrey Srivastava?s Bandhak for reasons of ?misbehaviour and starry tantrums?. Yukta was reportedly asked to shed a little weight for the movie, which she flatly refused to. And she?s far from being a star yet, just pyaasa (thirsty) for some roles!
Tennis Champ Aces Beauty Queen
On to another beauty queen, Diya Mirza. The former Miss Asia Pacific has struck a friendship with the matchless Boris Becker, former tennis ace. The two met each other while shooting for an advertisement in the Indian city of Jaipur, also known as the Pink City, and became a smash hit together. Diya can?t stop raving about how professional, energetic and humble Becker is. And did he flirt? Well, says Diya turning pink, he?s an outrageous flirt ?but he does it with such polish and charm.? She goes on to reveal that when he first saw her, he remarked: Am I glad I came to India! Any plans to meet again? Yes, the pretty girl says, he insisted that she meet up with him whenever she made a trip to Germany. (For those who don?t know, Diya?s father is a German). Quite clearly, if it?s advantage Becker on the court, it?s ad-vantage Becker off it too!
Dream On, Shah Rukh
While on friends, the closest of pals, Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla have reportedly drifted away from each other. And the reason comes in the shape of the beautiful Paro of Devdas, Aishwarya Rai. Apparently, SRK has begun to talk in the most glowing terms about Ash, both about her histrionic skills and beauty, in the wake of Devdas, and that is too much for the possessive Ms Chawla to stomach. According to sources, the one person who is pretty pleased about this development is Gauri, Shah Rukh?s wife who we hear never took kindly to her husband?s closeness to the chirpy Juhi. One wonders what will become of Dreamz Unlimited, SRK?s and Juhi?s production company, what with the dream turning into a nightmare, both on the professional and the personal front.
A Hollywood-Bollywood Cocktail
Salman Khan, it seems, has risen from the Ash (es)! American Studio Hyperion has signed the balding handsome hunk for their next production titled Marigold, a cross-cultural venture between Hollywood and the Hindi film industry. The movie will reportedly be an out and out commercial film. Wilfred Carroll, the writer and director of the film, incidentally, has also directed Playing By Heart, a Hollywood film starring Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie. Marigold will be shot in English and Hindi and will be replete with the mandatory Hindi songs. The cast will be entirely Indian except for two roles which will be played by American actors. ?It?s an American film but it will introduce Bollywood, Indian society, its culture and its people to the world,? says Carroll. Salman will play the romantic lead opposite a Hollywood actress (playing the title role) who is yet to be finalised. It?s the story of a spoilt and demanding Hollywood actress who finds herself stranded and penniless in India. Unable to return home, she takes up a role in what the filmmaker calls a gaudy Bollywood production Pyar Bina Kya Zindagi. Khan plays the role of a stylish choreographer who teaches Marigold to shake a leg or two in the film which will mostly be shot in Mumbai, the beaches of Goa, Agra and the golden sand dunes of Rajasthan.
MOVIE REVIEW
Dil Hai Tumhaara
Starring: Rekha, Preity Zinta, Mahima Chowdhary, Arjun Rampal
Director: Kundan Shah
Music Director: Nadeem-Shravan
This is not the Kundan Shah we knew - the guy who gave us that delightful comedy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron and later Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. After the surprise hit Kya Kehna, the filmmaker seems to think that pampering box office taste is the only way to ensuring success. Though promoted as a film that explores the relationship between mother and daughter, Shah's latest offering is actually all about who gets whom in the end. Shalu (Preity) loves Dev (Arjun Rampal) and Sameer (Jimmy Shergill) loves Shalu. Nimmi (Mahima Chowdhary) loves Dev too but the guy falls for Shalu. Nimmi's mother Saritaji (Rekha), a smalltown mayor, doesn't much care for Shalu (well naturally! Shalu is the daughter of Rekha's dead husband from an illicit liaison) and wants Nimmi to get married to Dev, the US-educated industrialist. The much hyped conflict between mother and rebellious daughter Shalu is pretty contrived. A pity because it could have been turned into an engaging facet of the film. The first half is breezy enough and enjoyable, thanks to Preity's pranks, but in the second half Shah gets into the sacrificial mode and the pace slackens.
The film undoubtedly belongs to Preity. With her endearing mix of vulnerability and brashness, the dimpled damsel delivers a spontaneous performance. Regrettably though she's not as comfortable playing the sacrificial lamb as she's playing the mischief-maker. Mahima Chowdhary as Preity's sympathetic stepsister struggles valiantly to bring life to her underwritten part. Preity's spirited presence dominates everything else in the movie, so much so that that even the matriarch Rekha appears to be a shadowy figure. As for the males, Arjun Rampal is wasted in his role and Jimmy Shergill as the ventriloquist friend of Preity is but a little more animated than the props. He is given the privilege of singing! In any case, Dil Hai Tumhaara is a women-centric film.
Nadeem Shravan's music is an undeniable asset of the film and some numbers are really nice and catchy.
The movie is a must see for fans of Preity Zinta, not for those who aren't.
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