Ram-Leela: Lahu Munh Lag Gaya

Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyaan: The Sensual Version



After we all realized Lahu Munh would take place in a Holi setting, it was pretty obvious that SLB was going to go for an Aankhon ki approach (and lord, did he). Both a slow song against a festive backdrop. Again, not complaining but really there are some scene for scenes similarities. Am I just a die-hard HDDCS fan or is it obvious to most? Also, this movie is an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (how original) and I'm going to go ahead and assume this is the "masquerade ball," which is really kind of brilliant. Sanjay really is the Baz Luhrman of India. I can't be the first to say that right? Yup, I'm not, but I digress.

With this and Nagada Sang, Deepika keeps proving this role was for her. Really imagine Kareena or Priyanka attempting these numbers? It would kill it and totally not in the way Deepika is.

Trailers, Promos and Friends: Ramleela

If Sanjay Leela  Bhansali (of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas fame) and Vishal Bhardwaj (of Omkara, Kaminey fame) had a baby, the world would get this:

You want old school colorful Bollywood? Check. You want nitty gritty non-flakey acting? Check. There is a lot of promise that comes with this trailer, but given SLB's last two films it will be hard to say if he manages to balance the drama and opulence. If anyone can, it's him. I guess the man heard me when I said I miss vintage Sanjay. This movie could really help bring him back into the game as long as he doesn't get caught up in trying too hard and if the "mature" content is handled tastefully-- very tricky terrain.

A long time ago when Kareena was signed for this role, I was very fangirl stoked to see her work under Bhansali and then she was replaced with Priyanka and I was still really stoked and then she was replaced with Deepika and then I got confused. Then future projects of Deepika began to surface and she was slowly building a strong resume and by 2012 it was very obvious that 2013 was going to be the year of the Deepika. Ramleela might just be the movie that confirms her position as a top actress. Ranveer Singh has done nothing, but well for himself and I have no doubt this film will only prove once again why he's the next big thing. Though Priyanka was replaced it's believed that she'll still be appearing in a song. Holla.

One thing is guaranteed though, as with all SLB films, this thing is going to be aesthetically flooring especially with the undeniable chemistry. We'll have to wait until November 15th to see. 

Trailers, Promos and Friends

TRAILERS

FINALLY! The much much awaited and talked about KITES trailer has dropped. The film stars Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, and Kangana Ranaut. It's directed by Anurag Basu and produced by daddy-dearest, Rakesh Roshan. The chemistry between Hrithik and Barbara is supposed to be incredibly hot. So hot that there were rumors of an alleged affair, but those died when wifey Sussanne Roshan claimed her and Barbara were friends. The dancing in this is supposed to be spectacular and I don't doubt it. It looks action packed, thrilling and passionate. Here's the theatrical trailer, you judge for yourself.



Next up is a promo for BADMASH COMPANY, the Shahid-Anushka starrer I talked about earlier.



This looks like Bunty aur Babli meets Dhoom, but honestly I don't mind. I'm loving the cast. Seeing Shahid-Anushka on screen is sooo refreshing. Nice, adorable, young and promising faces. AND IS THAT MEIYANG CHANG FROM INDIAN IDOL?? Oh, but it is. How did that even happen? I don't know nor do I care. I'm just glad to see him on screen again. (Btw, if you're wondering how/why there is a Chinese man who can speak Hindi so well don't be alarmed. He was born and raised in India. His family has been living in India for three generations. He's more Indian than I am American. Weird.) Also, I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for a good dance number... but all I sense are annoying club bangers... that are catchy and I grow to love and hate. P.S. this film is directed by Parmeet Sethi. Parm-who? "Kuljeet" from DDLJ, "Raj Malhotra" (the boss) from Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin. He's also Archana Puran Singh's husband. Archana Puran Singh = "Ms. Borganza" from KKHH and "Preeto" from Mohabbatein.


...AND FRIENDS

So I made a mistake in one of my previous posts. Arjun Rampal IS in Ra.One. How exciting!

Other upcoming films are BREAK KE BAAD which stars Deepika Padukone and Imran Khan. I haven't decided what it is about the two of them that's similar, but they are similar and I hope good things happen for them with this film.

Forthcoming Films

KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SEY (KHJJS): Before anything, can I just say how old school that poster looks? Like a flop movie from 1995. Just saying. Anyway, it's directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, stars Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and is produced by Ashutosh Gowariker Productions and PVR Pictures. The release date is undecided but is expected to be sometime at the end of 2010. KHJJS is based on Manini Chatterjee's book Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-1934.

I feel like I wouldn't be able to sum up the uprising properly so here's a link to the Wikipedia article. I have no idea how accurate it is. It's nice to see a film will be showcasing what present-day Bangladesh was like in the pre-independence era. I'm not sure if Bangladesh allows Bollywood films to be shot there. I'm going to guess not because they've been shooting in Goa. Hm, I wonder why they didn't film in West Bengal? On another note, let's hope Manini is aware of how much of the film is based on the book and where in the film she's going to recieve credit ;) Glad to see Gowarikar is slipping back into his comfort zone after the disastrous What's Your Rashee? The film originally had Asin the leading role, but she opted out a month after signing claiming the role wasn't substantial enough. I wonder what the script of London Dreams had over this one? Maybe her choosiness is a result of London Dreams not doing well? So many question, no answers so let's just move onto the next film.

ATITHI TUM KAB JAAOGE? Directed by Ashwani Dhir, stars Konkona Sen Sharma and Ajay Devgan and produced by Wide Frames Films and Warner Bros. The film's about a distant relative (Paresh Rawal) who overstays his welcome in a happily married couple's home. Licences to Wed anyone? Paresh looks very Baburao Ganpatrao Apte from Hera Pheri, but this looks so funny and the following picture literally made me l-o-l:

The film's expected to release February 26, 2010.

Next up we have a Shyam Benegal movie, yaaaay. He's going the comedy route again, after Welcome to Sajjanpur, with WELL DONE ABBA which was formerly titled Abba ka Kuan. It stars Boman Irani, Minnisha Lamba, Sameer Dattani, and Ila Arun This film, too, is inspired by a book! I'm not even going to make jokes about whether it'll be controversial or what not because that's so beneath Benegal's caliber. Anyway the books he was inspired by were Narsaiyyan Ki Bavdi (I really want to say that word is "bawli") by Jeelani Bano and Phulwa Ka Pul by Sanjeev and a short film. The plot is about Arman Ali (Boman Irani) who takes leave from his work in Mumbai to find a groom for his daughter (Minnisha Lamba) who lives somewhere near Hyderabad (represent!). He goes back to his job after three months where he's waiting to be fired. Story's simple but I can't wait to see how Benegal plays it all out. It's going to be cool to see Irani under Shyam's direction. What a talented combo. Also, I'm really happy that Lamba was casted, I feel like she has potential. Even though Yahaan (her debut film) wasn't appreciated I fell in love with her in it and I think she did well with what she had in the story Pooranmasi in Dus Kahaniyaan. Maybe I just like seeing her in conservative roles, which may be the case for this film too.

Well friends, I'm pretty tired but watch out for posts mentioning 'Action Replay' starring Jr. Bachchan and Wifey Rai-Bachchan, 'Striker' starring Southern sensation Siddharth (best alliteration ever) and 'Crooked' starring Farhan Akthar, Hrithik Roshan and a third unsure party. Whoa, all those titles are in English.

Peace out.

[Photo Courtesy: Bollywood Hungama]

Trailers, Promos and Friends

I wish I had an excuse for my hiatus from blogging, but I don't. I let winter break get the best of me and I went into 100% lazy mode. So I apologize.

Here are some overdue trailers and stills:


Here's the first song promo, Sajda, from MY NAME IS KHAN:


The song is so divine. I can't wait to hear it in its entirety. I'm also pleased to see the Shajol (as the duo's been christened) magic is alive and evident. I was afraid it wouldn't meet up to it's insanely high expectations thanks to the hype.

Next up is RGV (Ram Gopal Verma)'s upcoming film, RANN. It features Riteish Deshmukh, Amitabh Bachchan, Sudeep, Neetu Chandra, Mohnish Behl, Paresh Rawal and Gul Panag. I'm happy/surprised Riteish was casted, even if RGV films haven't been up to par as of late. Hopefully it will reveal a shade of Riteish's acting skills we haven't seen before. Paresh, it appears, will be taking on the role of a villain. Something we haven't seen a while and something he is pretty freakin' good at.

The film's plot centers around the corruption of the media. An appropriate topic to approach because, evidently, there has been a lot of resentment toward the media in India as of late. According to the celebs, anyway but do they ever like the media?? Anyhow check out this trailer of RANN:


After the success of his two critically acclaimed films (Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! )Dibakar Banerjee is ready to drop his latest directorial venture, LOVE, SEX, AUR DHOKA also known as LSD. The film is about voyeurism and was inspired by an incident that occurred in Delhi. Apparently, a girl was getting intimate with her boy toy while he recorded her on his phone and later sent a mass text with the footage and soon it went viral all over Delhi. Sound familiar? Anurag Kashyap featured a similar scene in Dev D. The Delhi incident isn't the only instance and these scandals have caused quite some drama. Director Banerjee says,

The film is not just about the MMS scandal but shows what happens before it. It is about love in our real life and love in Bollywood. It is about what media makes of spy camera investigations

. he also goes on to say it's about "the digital eyes that surround us everywhere." It's a bold film and I'm excited to see what he does with it. The film's produced by the queen of telly, Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures. I love how the topic of her soaps are so insanely unrealistic (I'm guilty of watching some, though) and this movie touches upon a very real subject. See for yourself, check out this trailer:



Lastly, here is the movie poster for KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK. Deepika looks freaksihly like Priyanka Chopra... again. Last time I thought that was in Om Shanti Om.



Oh and if for some freakish reason you haven't caught the My Name Is Khan trailer check it out! We've seen the Bollywood touch on the terrorist drama multiple times before (most recent being Kurbaan) but because of the big names involved this one seems like it may come out a winner, plus the whole autism twist helps. Which, that angle too, isn't all that original. Taare Zameen Par, Koi Milgaya, Main Aisa Hi Hoon all feature a character with a type of disability. I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Here's the trailer:



Lots more to blog about. Hopefully I'll have it up by tomorrow night!

More Weddings! W/ semi-Glitter-freakin'-ati

I guess 'tis the season for Konkani women to get hitched [btw, has anyone ever seen an unattractive Mangalorean girl? I haven't]. After Mrs. Shetty-Kundra, Lady Isha Koppikar got married to long time boy toy Timmy Narang (Last time I heard someone named 'Timmy' was the kid off of Fairly Odd Parents). As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of her sangeets was Barbie and Ken themed and I guess she had another (which, fortunately, had no theme). Throughout her entire wedding, there were a lot of pink hues. The woman is stunning (and totally underrated. Here are some pictures from each event, enjoy!:

This is from her engagement from a while ago, but I just HAD to post it because she's wearing a KHADA DUPATTA aka a traditional Hyderabadi outfit, hollla. Our culture is rarely presented via celebs so I had to flaunt this one :)



The Barbie & Ken Sangeet (I cringe every time I type that):



The (I believe) regular sangeet (TOTALLY digging the color combo):


Does anyone else think she resembles Deepkia Padukone??

At the wedding:



Is she crying? I can't tell:


At the reception:


Diggin' the cutout work at the bottom of her lehenga.


Haiii...

Some celebs and "celebs" who attended the reception include: Celina Jaitley, Aamir Ali & Sanjeeda Sheikh (when oh when will they get hitched?), Prem Chopra, Manoj Kumar, Shibani Kashyap, Rakshanda Khan, Naved Jaffery, Shruti Gera, Subhash Ghai, Tulip Joshi, Vishal Malhotra, and Chunky Pandey.

Congratulations to the couple. I hope she doesn't stop acting because I really like her and she should continue to act JUST FOR ME. Yes.

[Photo Source: Bollywood Hungama & Hamara Photos]

Forthcoming Films

There's quite a few films lined up so I'll try to stick with those that are worth mentioning.

First, we have Rajneeti expected to release sometime in 2010. The film has quite a list of talented actors. We have Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi, Manoj Bajpai and Katrina Kaif. Whilst reading that list did that record halting noise (you know, the one that indicates a negative surprise) play in your head too when you came across Katrina's name? Get this, she plays Sonia Gandhi. Director, Prakash Jha is a talented man who only casts best of the best so maybe he sees potential or maybe he just likes the idea that he can actually cast a half-Indian half-Caucasian actress. I have faith. I want to like Katrina, which don't get me wrong, I don't hate the girl but she is definitely overrated. Maybe this will be her breakout role. Let's cross our fingers. Also, it's nice to see Ranbir (who plays an NRI) branching out and not sticking to one genre or one camp. I guess that's what happens when you're part of the Kapoor lineage (I think they're my favorite Bollywood family). Oh, fun fact for the post: Ranbir, Bebo and Lolo are the first generation in the Kapoor Khandaan to have all been successful. Woohoo, glad that happened in my lifetime.

Next up we have Delhi Belly. Produced by Amir Khan, directed by Abhinay Deol and starring Imran Khan, Kunaal Roy Kapoor, Vir Das, Poorna Jagannathan, Shenaz Treasurywala, Kim Bodnia, Vijay Raaz, Ravi Khaanwilkar, Monica Dogre. I'm going to shamelessly admit the only people I've heard of are Imran Khan (obvs), Vir Das and Shenaz Treasurywala. I'll research these other folks soon and get back to you. I don't know much about the movie except that the phrase "Delhi Belly" means you have an upset stomach... usually us NRI/foreigners get it. Gross. No idea if the film touches upon that metaphorically or what. It's also supposed to be a sex-comedy. We also know that Imran had to sport a jungli-disheveled look for the film. Have a looksies (be sure to look at his promotional shirt):
Lastly, Ranbir Kapoor and Chitrangada Singh were to have originally been casted. She opted out due to little acting scope but we're not sure about Ranbir. Maybe it was a 'dates issue', isn't it always?

There's Karthik Calling Karthik (which I'm pretty excited about) starring Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone, Ram Kapoor and Shefali Chaya. What a lovely cast, I absolutely adore all four of them. It's directed by Vijay Lalwani and produced by Farhan A. and Ritesh Sidhwani and the music was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The film is about a man who recieves a call from himself. It's supposed to be a psychological-thriller sprinkled with some humor and a bit of romance on the side. It's slated to release February 26th and since it's so far, much information isn't out. All I know is that Deepika plays an unconventional role and I'm excited to see that.

There are more upcoming films that should be mentioned but I'll save it for another post.