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Think. Really hard. What are we all doing with the opportunities that life so generously provides us? In the mad mindless rush towards self-gratification, are we somewhere sacrificing those values that brought us, kicking dragging and sacrificing from a hard-earned freedom from colonialism to the new millennium where we, the collective civilization, are now poised at the brink of a moral disintegration? Rann is that rare cinema about the collective conscience which we often like to think has gone out of style. Like Mehboob Khan's Mother India and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Satyakam, Rann shows how tough it is to hold your head high up in dignified righteousness in a world where ethics crumble faster than cookies in wide-open jar left out too long in the sun. Ironically there isn't much sunshine in Rann . The film has been shot in an anaemic light, symbolizing a world that's largely losing light. Cleverly, Ram Gopal Varma situates his morality tale in the cut-throat wor

When a film is titled Love Sex Aur Dhoka , it spells trouble from the word go...or does it? That's not what director Dibakar Banerjee seemed to believe. He went ahead and exposed himself to any and every kind of comment or criticism that could possibly come his way. He screened the 20 min edit of his film for youngsters at SIES College, Nerul at their film festival called 'Frames', and led them on to a very healthy discussion on the film and their views on every topic under the sun ranging from voyeurism, caste-ism, love and sex. This hundred and fifty minute session between the students and the director revealed that a lot of the stereotypes harnessed for so long are farce and need to be abandoned. The discussion revealed that to a lot of the youngsters 'it was ok' to sleep your way up the corporate ladder. Where such a forum was an eye opener for the director it was also a moment for him to celebrate as midway into the session, Dibakar was congratulated for winn

Arshad Warsi is elated. No, it isn't because 2009 was exceptional for him with any major hits up his sleeves. Instead it was torrid to say the least with number of films of his that were rotting in the cans finally seeing a release and pronto making a silent exit from theatres without much ado. No wonder, Arshad is happy that finally the entire backlog of films is out of his way and he is beginning on a fresh note as the first decade of the new millennium approaches its end. With newer lot of films like Ishqiya all set to make a mark, Arshad can be seen and heard in good spirits as he converses with Joginder Tuteja about the love of his life - Ishqiya . Looking at the promos of Ishqiya , it seems like we are heading towards a romantic thriller, right? True, basically the film is a thriller with a dose of action to it. The twist here though is the relationship between me and Naseer which brings in certain lightness to the script. In fact if you get this characterisation aspect ou

The spoken language in debutant Abhishek Chaubey's Ishqiya turned out to more problematic than just a censorial issue. The film's leading lady Vidya Balan too was having major linguistic issues. Last month, when Vidya got down to dub her dialogues, she was shocked by the content. Says a source, "While shooting the scenes Vidya knew the dialogues were crudely colloquial in content. But she didn't realize their impact until she saw herself speaking on screen. When Vidya saw herself mouthing words that she had never heard before this film, she was horrified. She begged off from the dubbing saying she had a bad throat and rushed off." Continues the source, "Vidya actually walked out not once but twice. After hearing the lurid content and the way she said those words on screen, Vidya simply sighed and said she couldn't say those lines again. The panicky dubbing-in-charge cajoled her back. But again Vidya left." Director Abhishek had to step in to convinc

There's a tele-pathic war brewing in the skyline between John Abraham and Farhan Akhtar. In their respective next releases, Farhan in Karthik Calling Karthik , and John in 1: 800 Love the two actors spend a majority of playing-time on the phone, because that's where their love grows. A large part of the drama in both films unfolds through telephonic conversations. And every actor knows emoting on the phone is one of the most difficult forms of acting. Says the 1: 800 Love 's director, Abbas Tyrewala, "It's a challenge for the most seasoned of actors. A lot of the relationship between John and Pakhi (John's co-star and also the director's wife) unfolds on the telephone. It was tough. But Pakhi insisted on being on the sets in London to give cues even when John alone was doing all the telephonic talk. That made it far easier. She was providing him the cues while he delivered his lines on the phone." Regarding the similarities to Karthik Calling Kar

Filmmaker Anil Sharma is exasperated. Even though his Veer has opened well at the box office, there are questions being raised around its expected eventual box office outcome, courtesy it's heavy budget. Though the film is undeniably set on a huge scale and has an extravagant look and feel to it, Veer - as per Anil Sharma - isn't really carrying a mega expensive multi crore budget tag as is being perceived. "It is certainly not in Rs. 100 crores range as is being said out there", fumes Anil Sharma who last saw such comments working inversely for his Sunny Deol starrer The Hero , "It's completely untrue. People just come up with certain imaginative figures but the real fact is something that the makers know best. Rest assured, Veer isn't as costly as some people want to believe." His comments come with a fair reason. When released, The Hero was touted as a Rs. 50 crores film. Since it was his next release after Gadar - Ek Prem Katha , there was

Ram Gopal Varma speaks to Subhash K Jha about his upcoming film Rann and working with Big B . You've cast Amitabh Bachchan in a larger-than-life role in Rann ? It goes without saying that if I had to personify the conscience of the media it had to be Mr. Bachchan. I called his character Vijay after all the popular man-of-the-masses he played in the 1970s and 80s. How do you think this film will effect Mr. Bachchan's equation with the media? I think he'd be very much liked by the media. There are bad media- persons and good media- persons in my movie, just as there're good and bad cops. Eventually the media as an institution is noble. We must not confuse some bad elements in the media for the whole institution. Eventually the media as an institution is noble. We must not confuse some bad elements in the media for the whole institution. It was rumoured that Mr. Bachchan didn't want to work with you after Sarkar ? What do you want me to

The madam opened the brothel door to see a rather dignified, well-dressed good looking man in his late 40s or early 50s. "May I help you?" she asked. "I want to see Valerie," the man replied. "Sir, Valerie is one of our most expensive ladies. Perhaps you would prefer someone else," said the madam. "No. I must see Valerie," was the man's reply. Just then, Valerie appeared and announced to the man that she charged $1,000 a visit. Without hesitation, the man pulled out ten one-hundred dollar bills, gave them to Valerie, and they went upstairs. After an hour, the man calmly left. The next night, the same man appeared again, demanding to see Valerie. Valerie explained that none had ever come back two nights in a row--too expensive--and there were no discounts. The price was still $1,000. Again the man pulled out the money, gave it to Valerie and they went upstairs. After an hour, he left. The following night the man was there again. Everyo

I've tried my best to express one aspect of my culture in two minutes. Hope I'll be successful in conveying my message to every human being who bears a heart. (Some part of video is dark due to dim light of restaurant). I found these cute little girls working in different homes. I asked them why they do so? They answered, “Our parents ask us to work so they can have more earnings” .More, they told they have a brother who goes to school and does not work any where. I asked them a reason, they said, "Because he is a son". They are daughters that’s why they have no right to study, play and enjoy the life like their brother or other children of their age. I found so much sympathy and love for them in my heart, so I took them along with my kids to celebrate the birthday of my younger son. The poor little girls did not know "What is a Birthday?" I explained them and even taught them how to eat a burger which was totally a strange and new edible for them. They enjo

An older couple was lying in bed one night. The husband was falling a sleep, but the wife felt romantic and wanted to talk. She said, "You use to hold my hand when we were courting." Wearily he reached across, held her hand for a second, and tried to get back to sleep. A few moments later she said, "Then you used to kiss me." Mildly irritated, he reached across, gave her a peck on the cheek and settled down to sleep. Thirty seconds later she said. "Then you use to bite my neck. "Angrily, he threw back the bed clothes and got out of bed. "Where are you going ?" she asked. "To get my teeth!"

Brilliant. In one word that's the best way to describe 'The History of Indian Film Music' which indeed is a chronicle at it's best. The book takes a reader through a musical journey right from the 30s till the end of 2009 and brilliantly captures all the relevant details that would satiate the appetite of a music lover. Did I just say 'relevant'? That's right. And this is where the essence of this compact 130 odd pages book lies. Putting together a book which is required to capture the musical journey of 80 years gone by is certainly not joke. In fact it could easily put the author in a dilemma around what to take or leave. Should there be all the details captured and hence make the effort come close to being an encyclopaedia? Or should there be certain highlights and lowlights captured in plain text and presented to the audience? Choosing any of the two options is perhaps an easy task and though the time taken in completing any of the two jobs can well be

A US Air Force C-141 is scheduled to leave Thule Air Base, Greenland at midnight. During the pilot's pre-flight check, he discovers that the latrine holding tank is still full from the last flight. So a message is sent to the base and an airman who was off duty is called out to take care of it. This guy finds that the latrine pump truck has been left outdoors and is frozen solid, so he must find another one in the hangar, which takes even more time. He returns to the aircraft and is less than enthusiastic about what he has to do. Nevertheless, he goes about the pumping job deliberately and carefully (and slowly) so as not to risk criticism later. As he's leaving the plane, the pilot stops him and says, "Son, your attitude and performance has caused this flight to be late and I'm going to personally see to it that you are not just reprimanded but punished". Shivering in the cold, his task finished, he takes a deep breath, stands up tall and says, "Sir, with al

Characters: Naseeruddin Shah: Khalujan Khalujan is a pure romantic at heart. He is a bit of an odd cookie in the world of crime. Sure, he has a sharp mind and body and has been toughened up over the years living in the world of guns and gangsters; yet, he is very emotional and tender at the core. He wants to go back to his village and wants to settle down in a quiet, peaceful country life existence. Only, life had other plans for him. Love happens to him. Krishna happens to him. Arshad Warsi: Babban Babban is, in more ways than one, the antithesis of the kind of man his uncle is. If Khalujan is all heart and soul, Babban is all flesh and blood. He is hot-blooded, lustful and scoffs at the idea of true romantic love. Babban is cynical, indifferent to finer things in life and tough as nails. Through the course of the film, Babban discovers what it is to love and to be betrayed. It makes the dormant softer side of him come alive. Perhaps for th

This is one team that is always ready to bend the way Hindi film music is perceived, conceptualised and presented. Time and again Gulzar and Vishal Bhardwaj have created a kind of musical outing which sounds absolutely fresh and yet bears their trademark quality stamp. Also, the power of soundtrack which is made as a result of their collaboration belongs to the kind that doesn't just loose itself amongst all the noise created by beats but also has a lyrical tale to tell. One doesn't expect anything lesser from Ishqiya . MUSIC Ever since the release of Kaminey , it has been established that Vishal Bhardwaj is a strong admirer of Quentin Tarantino. This is evidenced once again in the opening sound of ' Dil To Bachcha Hai ' (first in the original and more prominently in the 'remix version') with clear influence of Tarantino. Due to the country flavour of the film, the music too carries a similar mood. One can be assured that even Rahat Fateh Ali Khan would hav

Soon after the National Awards were announced and his film Fashion fetched Priyanka Chopra and Kangna Ranaut an award each for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively , Madhur Bhandarkar thanked the Almighty. After going through the round of congratulations and dozens of Q&A sessions with media, he instinctively decided to visit Ajmer Sharif Dargah. He planned the travel with his close friends and associates for Sunday, 24th January, and offered a traditional and holy 'chaddar' at the dargah. Says Madhur Bhandarkar, "It is with God's grace that I am having a successful run, both personally and professionally. With Fashion getting two National Awards, I couldn't thank God enough. I, then and there, decided to come to this serene place and offer my thanks to the one who has given all this success. I also prayed for all my fans, my audience and of course whole team of Fashion ." Meanwhile, awards for Priyanka and Kangna have only add

It is a natural gift of the human psyche to be able to terrify itself and by qualification learn how to terrify others in order to control them through manipulation by fear. The new barons are those from the Press and the Media....and of course, director Ram Gopal Varma. Read on. Their control over the minds of the populace is greater now than at any other time in the earth's history. Media communication is the latest power in the history of suppression and like all suppressive devices it appears to offer that which it deprives you of; freedom of speech and interchange of information. Today, the power of the media moguls has grown in tandem with the increasing innovation and effect of communication technologies. Today, the Media barons built an industry of immense wealth and power and refined their persuasive methods to a fine technological pitch. Today a well-oiled intelligence gathering machine of global proportions is run by a 'new aristocracy' which has

This story is about Nuclear test at Pokharan in the year 1998. It was the year when India and Pakistan were on the verge of a war. The bitterness between both the nations was at its peak. But declaring a war wasn't all that easy especially for Pakistan. So they planned to attack India by hiring a few militants. When Indian officials got this information they realized that there is only one man who can do the job for them and that is Mr. Jawahar. At the time of partition Jawahar had left all his relations, settled in Delhi with his father and started his business. Since his roots were from Pakistan his contacts were still alive and he knew all the influential people there. That was exactly why he and his services were used during the 1965 war with Pakistan. Although dedicated to the benefit of his country, Jawahar's son Jatin, serving in Indian Army was declared traitor by the BSF in 1978. Unable to bear such humiliation, Jatin commits suicide. Due to this shock, Jatin's wif

Ramgopal Varma is itching to tell a new story in his movies. You may garland him for his efforts or loathe him if you feel letdown, but you need to hand it to him for picking up stories that defy stereotype. This time, in RANN, the maverick film-maker does an expose on the games the heavyweights in the media play to further their interests. RGV goes into the newsrooms and also behind it and throws light on the politician-industrialist-media nexus. Also, it's an insider's account of how news channels that are greedy for ratings sensationalize stories to grab eyeballs. On surface, you don't want to know what goes behind the scenes and how, at times, news are 'created' by vested interests. But RANN scratches the surface and opens a can of worms. RANN also mirrors the fact that just like there are good and bad people in every field, there're some rotten ones in the media too who succumb to temptations and create news to climb the ladder of success. RANN is a seriou

This is what Bollywood's celluloid made of. Director Anurag Basu has been in the news for quite sometime now, courtesy, his most awaited film Kites , which stars Hrithik Roshan alongside Barbara Mori. Well, the news is that, even as the release date of the film has been oscillating from one end to the other, Anurag Basu now been roped in by Goldie Behl for a film. The friendship between Abhishek and Goldie is as old as the indomitable 'Jai-Veeru' jodi. So, it comes as no surprise that Abhishek has been signed as the male lead for the film which will be produced by Goldie and directed by Anurag Basu. One of Bollywood Hungama 's confirmed sources said, "Hrithik required his father to back Kites and now Abhishek's close friend Goldie will produce his next and that the movie will be Anurag's most ambitious project till date. It truly has a genius script." From what we got to hear, the said film will be shot in exotic locations with never seen before vis