IBLOG SPACE

In a significant development which is a first in the Indian entertainment space, a very popular television series is serving as an inspiration for a film backed by an international studio. Fox Star Studios that brought Slumdog Millionaire and My Name Is Khan to audiences in India is presenting the feature film which takes off from the popular sitcom Khichdi. Bringing Hollywood practices to India where popular and successful television shows like Mr. Bean, Batman, Simpsons, Mission Impossible, Star Wars and Sex and the City get made into films regularly, this would be the first time in India that a series will migrate onto the cinema platform. Given the challenge that Bollywood has to create new content - this could be a start of a new trend! The film titled Khichdi - The Movie produced by Hats Off Productions, written and directed by Aatish Kapadia is an all out fun and crazy ride and is best described as "Comedy Family ki Family Comedy". The

There have been lots of people in Bollywood who have been talking about their Hollywood ventures, but only a few manage to crack the deals. One star who has managed to launch his international project is Akshay 'Khiladi' Kumar, who has always lived upto his middle name, be it films or be it brand endorsements. Well, this man has always been in the news of late and that too, for all the right reasons. The recent one being that of his Hollywood venture Break Away , a film is based on the sport of ice hockey as the backdrop is being directed by Robert Lieberman. The film will be produced under Akshay's banner Hari Om Productions. Akki just created history of sorts by sealing a deal with Alliance Films, even before the said film could go on floors. Readers may note that Alliance Films is the same studio that has distributed films like The Lord Of the Rings trilogy and Kill Bill . It has even co-produced Steven Spielberg's Munich . While on Brea

Raveena Tandon may be out of sight these days, but she is definitely not out of mind. How can one forget her effervescent performances in films like Patthar Ke Phool, Andaaz Apna Apna, Satta, Shool etc. Well, the good news is that the lady is back and how! Bollywood Hungama's confirmed sources told us that the lady has now been signed up as the brand ambassador by Godrej for its upcoming brand 'Godrej Protekt'. The sources also added that the company was impressed by Raveena's personality and her happy-go-lucky nature, something that was expected of the brand ambassador to have! Well, on a professional front, Raveena does have a couple of films, to rave about, both of which are women oriented subject. They include Agni , a film that's based on the (in) famous Khap killings and Laboratory , a film that's based on the late Ravindranath Tagore's life. Welcome aboard again, Raveena!

While Aamir Khan had a general screening of Peepli Live for his other colleagues and friends earlier during the week, for the Big B and his parivar, Aamir had a special exclusive screening of Peepli Live on Thursday evening at Pixion to which only the Bachchans were invited. Both Aamir and his wife Kiran were there to receive the Bachchans and watch the film with the mega-star. After the show the Big B's response to the film? "Superb!" The fact that Aamir insisted in holding a special screening of the film exclusively for the Big B although Big B had offered to come for the screening earlier during the week with the rest of his colleagues, is significant in the light of the recent bonding between the Big B in Aamir. Mutual friends of the two mega stars insist there's definitely a film with the two of them in the offing.

Banner Planman Motion Pictures Status Under Production Color C Release Date October 8, 2010 Language Hindi Genre Comedy / Social Producer Arindam Chaudhuri Star Cast Rishi Kapoor Neetu Singh

Banner Unilux Films Saregama India Limited Status Under Production Color C Release Date August 27, 2010 Language Hindi Genre Drama Producer Sudhir D. Ahuja Director Ashoke Viswanathan Star Cast Rajat Kapoor Victor Banerjee Priyanshu Chatterjee Simone Singh Raj Zutshi N. Viswanathan Rachna Shah Anup Hazarika Simon Wilson Sudip Mukherjee Punyadarshan Gupta Manjushree Ganguly Papiya Sen Iqbal Sultan Fatima Zareen Cassettes and CD's on Saregama-HMV Singers Sonu Nigam Sunidhi Chauhan June Banerjee Rupankar Lyricist Rakesh Tripathi Music Director Bikram Ghosh Cinematography Vivek Banerjee Choreography Sukalyan Bhattacharya Action Santanu Pal Art Sudeep Bhattacharya Editor Debakanta Chakraborty Screenplay Ashoke Viswanathan Sound Alok De Dialogue Rakesh Tripathi Costume Sabrai Chakravarty Gitanjali Jolly Alagh Story / Writer N. Viswanathan

Banner Illuminati Films Status Announced Color C Release Date May 2011 Language Hindi Genre Director Sriram Raghavan Star Cast Saif Ali Khan Kareena Kapoor Cassettes and CD's on Sony BMG

EXPECTATIONS Ok, so the music of much hyped Anjaana Anjaani is finally out and it is time to check out what exactly does it have in store. Frankly, the way makers (Sajid Nadiadwala and Siddharth Anand) have chosen to call Anjaana Anjaani a true blue musical of just 2010, the expectations have soared to a great high. Though the year so far has seen some good musical scores, Anjaana Anjaani has pitched itself quite strongly as a film where music is its key strength. Now this by itself is a double edged sword because nothing less than superb is expected when the claims are so high. More so because the film sees Vishal and Shekhar coming together with Siddharth Anand again after Bachna Ae Haseeno (very good), Ta Ra Rum Pam (decent) and Salaam Namaste (good). Also, music in Sajid Nadiadwala's films ( Housefull, Kambakkht Ishq, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Heyy Babyy ) has traditionally gone well as per the genre. No wonder, as a listener, you want to see the music progress

EXPECTATIONS You don't expect anything from the music of Help for the sheer reason that there has been no buzz whatsoever that has been created prior to the release. In fact not just has there been utter lack of promotion, even the music CDs for the film are hard to find on the stands which further sets one thinking if it was a good idea after all to have any music created here? Add to that the fact that this is a horror film with no scope for any romance whatsoever and you don't really play on this soundtrack by composer Ashu with much enthusiasm. MUSIC  It is a slow and serene beginning for ' Kehna Hai ' which kick starts with Joi Barua coming behind the mike. A love song that has an Indian-Western fusion to it, ' Kehna Hai ' is haunting which goes with the mood of the film but not quite enthralling enough to hook you on. Irshad Kamil writes ' Kehna Hai ' that has a bit of English passage as well. Suzanne D'Mello is Joi's pa

Sometimes, your reputation precedes you. Pradeep Sarkar carries the reputation of making women-centric movies. Films like PARINEETA and LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG prove it. Who would've ever thought Sarkar would do a 360 degree turn in his third film by calling it LAFANGEY PARINDEY, set it in a chawl and make his characters speak tapori lingo? Hard to digest, isn't it? Frankly, the skilled storyteller takes you on a trip least expected from him. When you attempt something you haven't attempted earlier or ventured into before, you either fall flat on your face or walk with your chin up in air. Sarkar doesn't slip, although LAFANGEY PARINDEY does have its share of hiccups that show up intermittently. Unlike PARINEETA and LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG, Sarkar narrates a simple story this time around and though it has nothing to do with the Rajesh Khanna - Mumtaz - Meena Kumari starrer DUSHMUN, you can't help but draw parallels with it, which, frankly, could be a

Horror films produced in Bollywood follow the same route. At least most of them. The aatma/ spirit seeks revenge for the wrong done to him/her. The spirit breathes fire, spits venom, scares the daylights out of the wrong-doers and eliminates them one by one. But, in the final tally, the protagonist puts an end to the aatma 's atrocities. All's well that ends well. HELP is no different. It follows the same rules, except that it has an interesting twist to offer, which, again, is sure to have its share of advocates and adversaries. Unfortunately, the screenplay, based on an interesting concept, gets repetitive at times and excruciatingly slow at places. Besides, the unspoken rule for horror films is that they ought to scare you at the right places, but barring a sequence or two, which do give you jhatkas , the film lacks in the scary quotient. Simply put, the chills are missing.  Final word? Strictly okay! Vic [Bobby Deol] and Pia [Mugdha Godse] are going through

Characters: Manoj Bajpayee: Shankar Sunar A goldsmith who is in love with a rich astrologer's daughter Suvarnalata. Shankar is simple, friendly and caring. Sunar family - Shankar's father - Bhaskar, an old man - who is seen and heard coughing - is so unwell that when he stops coughing for a bit the village panics and gathers around him assuming him to be dead. Most of the scenes which open on him have him staring blankly into the screen and we are made to assume that THIS time he has died - only to blink a few seconds later. So much so that the family too is exasperated and embarrassed! Dilip Prabhawalkar: Pandit Daya Shastri Suvarnalata's father - he doesn't support this budding relationship. He is supposedly an expert in astrology. He is a stern stubborn man who loves his power and wealth. Shastri family - Pandit and his wife Lakshmi. Both materialistic and cunning. Suvarnalata, their daughter's equally sm