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Okay, here's the FIRST LOOK of the most awaited movie of the season -- BODYGUARD. The Salman Khan - Kareena Kapoor starrer is expected to storm the cinemas worldwide on 31 August, on the festive occasion of Eid. A lot is riding on this film, more so after Salman delivered three gigantic hits, WANTED, DABANGG and READY. Salman Khan fans worldwide have been eager, in fact very eager, to have a look at the posters of the film. Here they are, being launched on Bollywood Hungama EXCLUSIVELY. Relish!

Finally, it's the old Priyan favourite Sameera Reddy who will be performing the sizzling item song for Priyadarshan in his thriller  Tezz . Sameera, no stranger to Priyan's cinema, is a close family friend. She and Priyan's wife Lizzie are best friends and whenever Sameera shoots a Tamil film in Chennai she stays with Priyan and his wife. With such proximity, is it any wonder that the  Tezz  sizzler has finally gone to Sameera when apparently a lot of the screen queens were keen to perform to the peppy Sajid-Wajid number? Priyan just back from a longish holiday abroad, is quick to defend the number as belonging to Sameera. "How can anyone else dance to that number? Sameera plays a club dancer in  Tezz  and the number rightly belongs her." Incidentally, Sameera had also performed an item song in Priyadarshan's  Aakrosh  last year. The song in  Tezz  will be shot in Mumbai later this month. Currently, Priyan is in Kerala, as he has just been appointed

Katrina Kaif finds herself in yet another controversy following her remarks about Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi. When she was asked about her Nationality, Katrina replied that she wasn't ashamed to be half Indian and half Brit. She further said even Rahul Gandhi is half Indian half Italian. These remarks have not gone down too well with Congress members who are fuming at how the actress could make such statements. However, the actress has now apologised and said that the statement was blown out of proportion by the media and made in a completely different context by her. She has added that it was not her intention to hurt anyone. Hope this puts all rumour to rest.

Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt have shared screen space in films such as  Saajan, Chal Mere Bhai  and recently were even seen together in a shot in  Ready . Now the duo will be seen together on the small screen hosting the popular reality show 'Bigg Boss 5'. While Salman was the host of 'Bigg Boss 4' earlier, this is the first time Sanjay Dutt would be seen hosting the reality show. While it is yet uncertain whether Sanju Baba will be co-hosting the entire season along with Salman, one thing is for sure, the audiences won't complain even if they get to see the duo create magic on the small screen for a few episodes.

There is no denying the fact that Hrithik Roshan is the demi God of Bollywood, no matter what! He is what one can call as the 'personified' version of perfection. Besides casting his spell on the silver screen, he is an equally hot property for brand endorsements as well. After having endorsed all the 'A' list FMCG brands, now, Hrithik Roshan is all set to be the brand ambassador of Liberty Shoes, so inform  Bollywood Hungama 's reliable sources. The official announcement of the same is being awaited.

July 13, 2011 is a day that still manages to give shudders to Mumbai's populace… a day when the entire city was rattled with bomb blasts in the city. However, the makers of the film  Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara  and Kishore Lulla from Eros have decided to donate a certain amount of the film's collections towards the victims of the serial blasts. It is learnt that the makers Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani and Kishore Lulla have decided that the collections of the Thursday evening show from selected theatres will be distributed amongst the blast victims. The selected theatres include PVR in Mulund, Goregaon and Juhu, Fun Cinemas in Andheri, Chembur, Kandivali, Vashi and Kalyan, Cinemax in Sion, and Inox in Nariman Point. When contacted, Ritesh Sidhwani said, "We were all in a very low mood after the blasts. That is when we decided that it is time to do something for the city." Later he added, "Since the film is doing well, we can contribute significantly. We hav

Amitabh Bachchan will be flying to Patna to watch his upcoming film  Aarakshan  with Mr. Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar. Nitish Kumar is an ardent fan of Big B and expressed his desire to watch the film with Bachchan and director Prakash Jha. Nitish Kumar and Prakash Jha have been friends for a very long time. Jha had even campaigned for Nitish Kumar during the elections in Bihar. Jha invited Nitish Kumar for a special screening of  Aarakshan  when the latter came to visit a new restaurant at Prakash Jha's shopping mall in Patna. Nitishji then told Prakash that he would watch the film only if Big B and Prakash both were present at the screening. Jha conveyed the Chief Minister's request to Amitabh Bachchan who immediately agreed to fly down to Patna for a day despite his hectic schedule. Big B's travel arrangements to the city are currently being made. Aarakshan  revolves around caste-based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. The f

It's become a trend these days, to 'sue' big filmmakers by some of the wannabe starlets. The latest to join the bandwagon is a certain model- actress Pinki Gaur, who is planning to sue the Bhatts by sending a legal notice to Vishesh Films, for using her photograph in the film  Murder 2  without her approval. The scene in question is when an agent is talking about supplying prostitutes and showing pictures of a number of girls. Pinki Gaur (who has earlier featured in shows like  Dil Dosti Dance, Karam Apna Apna  etc...) says that one of the pictures in the shot was hers. She feels that the filmmakers should have procured her permission for using her pictures. She also added that while it may or may not be of any concern to the filmmakers, her picture in that particular scene may just prove as a dampener to her career. That's why, on the suggestion of her friend, she is planning to send a legal notice to Vishesh Films today. She also added that if they (Vishesh Films) d

It's common for actors to opt out of or be replaced in films. However, in the case of the upcoming film  Gandhi To Hitler , the fine line between publicity and harassments has long since been blurred. Apparently, the makers of the film  Gandhi To Hitler  are all set to sue Anupam Kher for breach of contract. The case in question cropped up almost a year back, when Kher opted out of playing the Nazi dictator in the film, citing that his fans have appealed to him against playing that role. However, the film's producer, Dr. Anil Kumar Sharma, is now suing the actor to the tune of Rs. 2.5 crore for the breach of contract, before the movie opens in cinemas next week. Nalin Singh, who is co- producing the film, confirms that he paid Rs. 4 lakhs to Kher and that he had signed the contract too. After the production work had started (dates were blocked and costumes were designed), Kher announced at a press conference abroad that he wasn't doing the film. Surprisingly, the produc

In  Ready , it was Zarine Khan who heated up the screens with her scintillating performance in ' Character Dheela ' along with Salman Khan. And now for his next film  Bodyguard , Salman's former flame Katrina Kaif will be heating up the scene. ApnaDesi  has learnt that the Katrina won't just be doing an ordinary cameo in Bodyguard . Instead, Kaif is all set to sizzle in a grand item number that will play during the opening credits of the film. It is said that Salman was so impressed with success of ' Sheila Ki Jawaani ', that he requested Katrina to be a part of the opening-credits of the film. The item song in question for the opening credits will be composed by Himesh Reshammiya and Ganesh Acharya will choreograph the song. If that wasn't enough, we also hear that the item number will be on the lines of James Bond's opening credits. The song will be shot on July 26.

Though John Abraham starrer  No Smoking  wasn't quite well received by the 'aam junta' when released in India in 2007, it is still continuing to make an impression in the festival circuit abroad. The Anurag Kashyap directed film has recently won a few awards for itself at the Indian Film Festival and would be enjoying repeated screening for itself. The festival would first play at three venues in Beijing (China) and then also travel five cities globally. Says the film's producer Kumar Mangat, "I am very happy that my film  No Smoking  is being awarded and appreciated even outside India. It has been almost four years since  No Smoking was released and it's still getting a huge platform and a chance to be part of these festivals. What more can a producer wish for?" Vishal Bhardwaj, who had co-produced the film with Kumar Mangat, adds, "I felt very pleased and contented on learning about my film being recognized and awarded internationally.  No Smoki

Prakash Jha's  Aarakshan  was in the midst of a controversy recently when The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) had asked the filmmaker to screen the film for them before release. The Commission wanted to make sure that the film does not misrepresent the constitutional stand and laws on reservation. However, Jha refused to screen the film to any independent body other than the Censor Board for Film Certification (CBFC) Now Jha seems to have had the last laugh as the Censor Board has cleared the film with a U/A certificate. The certificate was awarded after an examining committee, set up with representatives from the Dalit, OBC, SC and ST community reviewed the movie. Amitabh Bachchan, who stars in  Aarakshan , too expressed his joy on Twitter. The veteran actor tweeted, "'Aarakshan' seen by Censors today and gets a UA Certificate without a single cut …that is something !!" Big B further added, "There has been an immense amount of speculati

Sexy siren Celina Jaitly has made her mark in Bollywood and now, the stunning beauty has waved her magic in the South film industry as well. Celina recently appeared in a Kannada film  Srimathi  which is a remake of the 2004 Bollywood film  Aitraaz , starring Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. The film released last Friday and the actress has quite literally become the talk of the town. Srimathi , which features Celina playing an all-out villainous character which was originally played by Priyanka in the  Aitraaz , has been loved by the audiences there. Apparently, every time she appears on screen, there's uproar in the auditorium and the audiences start whistling and clapping after her dialogues. Celina, who made her debut in Kannada cinema with this film, is quite excited about the same. The actress is ecstatic with the love and appreciation she is getting down South.

Birthday is a special day, well that's one day when we throw caution to the wind and party. However, Priyanka Chopra who celebrates her birthday today seems to have other plans. The actress who recently returned from a long vacation to LA is spending her 29th birthday shooting for SRK's  Ra.One . Priyanka tweeted some time back saying, "Back in Mumbai. Loving the rains. On my way to set to shoot for Raone. Should be super fun." Further she added thanking her fans for the birthday wishes, "I am completely & totally overwhelmed. Thank you all for making my birthday so special with all the wonderful messages & wishes. So touched." Well Priyanka, we're totally impressed by your professionalism.

Prachi Desai is one actress who definitely knows how to keep herself busy. When she is not shooting for films, Prachi is busy signing up brand endorsement deals. After having endorsed Goa tourism, Active Wheel, Sofy sanitary napkins and Neutrogena,  Apnadesi 's reliable sources say that Prachi Desai has been signed up to be the brand ambassador of Pureit water purifier. The official announcement of the same is being awaited.

By now its common knowledge that yesteryears' diva Sridevi is making her big screen comeback with a film directed by Gauri Shinde (wife of director R.Balki). The film titled  English Vinglish  has Sridevi playing the role of a housewife, who in order to please her husband and family, enrolls for an English speaking course. While the actress has begun shooting for the film couple of weeks ago, she was yesterday joined on the sets by none other than Amitabh Bachchan. Big B incidentally has a cameo in the film and shot with Sridevi yesterday after a gap of nearly 18 years when they last shared screen space in  Khuda Gawah . In the film, Big B plays the role of a fellow passenger who meets Sridevi on board a flight. Bachchan even tweeted about it last night, "Shooting today with the effervescent SriDevi after eternity almost for R Balki's wife's directed film 'English Vinglish'...SriDevi still the same … spontaneous and lovely ..!!" Besides the scene wit

We all know that Priyanka Chopra and Sanjay Dutt will be making a cameo in Shah Rukh's upcoming film  Ra.One . Well, Dutt who willingly did the cameo in the film for free was 'repaid' with a thoughtful gift by SRK. Dutt, whose passion for bikes is well known, received a gift worth approx Rs. 15 lakhs in the form of a high-end Italian cruiser bike from SRK! Speaking about this, Dutt said "I really appreciate what Shah Rukh has done. It's a thoughtful gesture." And that's not all. Priyanka Chopra shot for  Ra.One  yesterday, despite it being her birthday. The shoot went on till late night. SRK however, thanked Priyanka in his own sweet way. Since Priyanka loves musical instruments, he gifted an expensive acoustic guitar to the actress, after the shoot.

Aftab Shivdasani was recently taken aback with the kind of treatment that he was subjected to at the Tel Aviv airport in Israel. Just recently, he was invited by the Israeli government to attend the Jerusalem Film Festival. But, poor Aftab got the most unexpected shock of his life when the hosts treated him like a terror suspect! The incident occurred late last week at the Tel Aviv airport where he was detained for interrogation whilst he was en route to Istanbul for a short holiday at the end of the annual 10-day fest. His ordeals just did not end there. News has it that, his frequent visits to the Gulf countries (as per his passport) had caught the attention of the airport authorities, who had apparently, bombarded him with questions like his purpose for visiting the Gulf countries so often to the people whom he knew there and also what his name actually meant! One can imagine what must have gone through Aftab's mind when even his baggage was not spared! Each item was checked m

Shah Rukh Khan was stopped and interrogated by the custom authorities at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport while he was returning with his family from London last Thursday. SRK had gone on a vacation with his family to Holland and London. They seemed to have shopped excessively as they were carrying about twenty bags with them. The custom officials at airport stopped SRK for interrogating him regarding the excess baggage, but they let his family leave. The interrogation took a lot of time as SRK was carrying a lot of baggage. Mr. Sameer Wankhede, the Deputy Collector of the customs and his team interrogated Shah Rukh Khan and fined him with a custom duty of approximately Rs. 1.5 lakhs. Reportedly, SRK was not given any special treatment by the custom authorities and he was treated just like any other passenger.

The moment a film hits the bull's eye, becoming a hot fav of moviegoers, everyone expects the maker to announce a sequel pronto. In fact, the makers also think on those lines because it's easier to lure the audiences once the brand gets established. Now everyone's hoping that Aamir Khan makes a sequel to DELHI BELLY. In fact, the media feels, and rightly so, that DELHI BELLY has achieved cult status and Aamir ought to make a sequel soon. However, Abhinay Deo, the director of DELHI BELLY, feels there're no plans for a sequel currently. "Akshat Verma [the writer of DELHI BELLY] took six years to write the film. I don't think he will be ready with a sequel so soon [smiles]. Jokes apart, there's no sequel on the cards yet," he clears the confusion.

Everyone's talking about  RA.ONE  and  DON 2 . The two biggies, starring SRK, will be releasing in quick succession, on 26 October and 23 December, respectively. However, everyone's wondering if the promotions will overlap, since there's not much gap between the two releases. Ideally, the moment SRK completes promoting RA.ONE, he will soon move on to DON 2, which might lead to overexposure for the star in question. However, SRK, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar have decided to promote the two films simultaneously from September onwards. In fact, the trio has thought of a brilliant idea, which would help promote the two biggies at one go. So all you SRK fans worldwide, await your fav star unleash a new marketing plan/strategy of his films in the forthcoming weeks. SRK has been a frontrunner when it comes to marketing his movies. Now he's sure to bowl you over with a new strategy. Await details!

Aamir Khan broke free of his three years of no drinking rule on Friday night ...actually Saturday morning, when he threw an unscheduled impromptu party for the spectacular opening of his production  Delhi Belly  at his residence in Bandra. Yes, Aamir can be unrehearsed and spontaneous too, if he wants. He proved it on Friday night with his impulsive decision to have a party and an even more impulsive decision to drink after staying away from alcohol for three years. Says an invitee at the party, "Yes, Aamir suddenly decided to host a party for all the cast and crew of  Delhi Belly  at his residence. He drank for the first time in three years. Aamir had champagne and Bacardi. We were all surprised when he phoned us to come over to his house post midnight on Friday evening. We thought it'd just be a small and brief celebration for the delightful opening of our film. But the celebration went on until morning. We left at 4 am." Significantly the film's official dire

Sonu Sood, is one dude who can truly be called as the proverbial 'lambi race ka ghoda'. Be it his impressive debut in  Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh  or his spine chilling villain in  Dabangg or his cop's role in the flavour of the season  Bbuddah...Hoga Terra Baap , Sonu has indeed come a long way. It took a smash hit like  Dabangg  for the producers and directors who don't even mind coughing astronomical  moolah  to sign for their film. Talking of cough, according to  Bollywood Hungama 's ever reliable sources, Sonu Sood has been chosen to be the brand ambassador of Vicks. The official announcement of the same is being awaited.

Guess this is one spend that the makers of  Joker  didn't quite see coming. In an endeavour to make their film bigger and better than the best, Shirish Kunder and Farah Khan haven't shied away from giving their fantasy flick the best of the treatment. However, in the process of that happening, the film's budget has already shot up by Rs.3 crores. This when only two schedules have been wrapped up so far and the film is far away from being completed. "Shirish is quite excited about  Joker , rightly so since this is only his second film after  Jaan-E-Mann  and that too after five years. Moreover, since the film boasts of the kind of subject where he can afford to let his imagination go wild, he is looking for nothing but the best. However in the process of that happening for his Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha starrer, he has adopted the no-compromise approach", informs a source. This can be evidenced from the fact that just the cost of the sets that have been er

Rohit Shetty may be busy with his upcoming release  Singham  which opens on July 22 but the talented filmmaker already has big plans for his next venture  Bol Bachchan . The comedy flick was announced a while ago with Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan in lead roles and now the buzz is that Rohit has got Asin and Genelia DSouza to play the female leads in this fun-filled film. Interestingly, this is the first time that Asin and Genelia would be working together and its does make for an interesting casting. Bol Bachchan  is produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. and Ajay Devgn Ffilms. Shooting begins in mid-August this year and the film will release in early 2012.

Minissha Lamba, who was recently seen in  Bheja Fry 2 , has been signed for the multi-starrer Zilla Ghaziabad . The film, directed by newcomer Anand Kumar, stars Sanjay Dutt, Vivek Oberoi and Arshad Warsi in lead roles. Minissha is paired opposite Arshad in the film which talks about politics, crime and mafia in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The actress even tweeted, "Zilla Ghaziabad!! My new project, starring Sanju baba, Arshad n Vivek Oberoi. Can't wait for it to begin."

Nagesh Kukunoor's last few films such as Aashayein, 8 x 10 Tasveer and Bombay to Bangkok may have failed at the Box Office but the director is not losing hope. He has already moved on to his next project titled Mod. The film is a love story and stars Ayesha Takia and Rannvijay Singh. Mod is based on a Taiwanese film Keeping Watch and the makers have even bought the rights of the film to avoid any unnecessary controversy. The unit recently completed a major schedule in Ooty and the film is likely to release sometime in September 2011.

Bheja Fry 3 , for those who are interested, is delayed until that time when director Sagar Ballary cracks a screenplay worthy of that fascinating bore Bharat Bhushan's return trip. In September, Ballary starts another film. Entitled  Guftagoo , this is a chamber piece with only 6 characters. Sagar has signed his old favourite Vinay Pathak and Pathak's best friend Ranvir Shorey for two of the roles. But the most important part of the film is to be played by a 30-plus leading lady whom Ballary has already sounded out for the part. Says Ballary, "I wouldn't like to mention her name yet until she has signed the film. But it'd be a dream-come-true to work with her. Luckily for me she likes my work, has seen  Bheja Fry 2  and called me to congratulate me after seeing it." Sagar wants to cast this iconic actress and his old favourite Rajat Kapoor as man and wife in  Gufatgoo . Speaking of Kapoor, he was sorely missed in  Bheja Fry 2 . Sagar Ballary promises

When it comes to being punctual and doing his duties perfectly, Lovely Singh is unmatchable. Taking great pride in what he does, he spares no effort in giving his everything to his profession. Summoned for an assignment of guarding Divya, the daughter of Sartaj Rana, a business tycoon. Lovely Singh accompanies her to her campus, but ends up rubbing her the wrong way with his over-protective nature ...and paranoia about security. She finds him to be a major obstacle in leading a regular campus life. To throw him off-track and get him out of the way, she comes up with a 'master-plan'- that of trapping him in a fake love affair. 'Once he's smitten by the girl of his dreams and is reveling in his new-found romance, he will leave us alone, and we shall be free to do our own thing unhindered', says Divya to her friends. She becomes an anonymous admirer of his and starts hounding him, expressing her 'feelings' in no uncertain terms. Lovely Singh however proves

Phillip Hughes might be in the form of his life, but he is sitting out of Australia A's second four-day match against Zimbabwe. Hughes has made two hundreds from his four innings on the tour of Zimbabwe and is expected to partner Shane Watson when Australia head to Sri Lanka for a Test series beginning in late August. The demotion of Simon Katich has left Hughes as the logical replacement, and although he struggled to have any impact when he replaced the injured Katich during the Ashes, he finished the summer with Sheffield Shield scores of 54, 115, 138 and 93. However, he was left out of Australia A's side for the Harare match that started on Thursday - the last game of the trip - with David Warner and Aaron Finch listed to open. Greg Chappell is the selector on duty and he must feel he has seen enough of Hughes to know that he is the man for the Test spot. However, Hughes spoke to ESPNcricinfo earlier in the week, before the Australia A team was finalised, and he was putting

Chhutanki is a live-cum-animation feature film made in 3D (Stereoscopic). It revolves around the animated lead character Chhutanki, his mysterious birth, upbringing and training by his guru Akhand Dev. Takla Baba (Puneet Issar) who is master of magical powers heads the evil forces with his sidekick Surili (Upasana Singh) and his animated goons Saand, Crocodile and Dragons. He has captured the childhood of Chhutanki to create a powerful clone force. Chhutanki is on mission to save his childhood and to thwart Takla Baba's devilish idea and powers; two youngsters Suraj (Anuj Pandit) and Chanda (Nikita More) help him in his endeavor. Film is made to entertain all specially kids and youngsters & is full of fun, action, adventure and fantasy.

Characters: Parvin Dabas:  Rajbir Rajbir is an orphan and belongs to Kanjhawla village and is 31 years old. He's friends with Ambani, Sexy and Doctor and works under Fauji along with them. He's the de-facto leader of the group and the other guys look up to him.Rajbir has been working for Fauji since he was 17. He's the most introspective of the gang and gets along with Doctor the most. Kuldeep Ruhil:  Doctor Doctor's real name is Devendra. He got his nickname because he owns a medical store which he runs when he's not with the guys and keeps giving the guys medicine for all their ailments. He was born and brought up in Kanjhawla, outer Delhi. He gave up on his education after the 12th class because he had to support his family. His father is a bus conductor and an alcoholic who's money goes into his booze. His mother is a housewife and works in the fields as well. He got married when he was 22 with a girl who he saw in a rival gang guy's village. He has t

The story is about a young Sikh named Ranveer Singh Sodi. Ranveer is a young, confident, intelligent and a very well settled man in India. Ranveer's elder brothers Balbir Singh & Bikram Singh are citizens of America. They are doing very well for themselves. They run restaurant business in the USA. Ranveer's parents leave for holiday to the US to meet their son. Ranveer doesn't want to join them as he is busy attending his friend's wedding in India. Life is easy going for this family. The story takes a turn when Ranveer receives a call from his mother. Ranveer's life changes in a flash as he comes to know that his brother Bikram is dead. His father is seriously injured and his elder brother Balbir is missing. The cause of this is unknown. Ranveer is in a dilemma and he has to leave for the US. 

DAM Disaster DAM999 is a tribute to the lost souls of the world's worst man made dam disasters which claimed a toll of lives. Around 250,000 people died in 1975 Banqiao dam disaster in China. The collapse of this dam did not make it to the world for over 15 years. It was worse than what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. DAM999 spreads the message about the consequences of an unfortunate disaster which is predicted in the near future. Dam999 , a fact worth waiting for. Emotional Thriller Suspense in the movie titles it as a thriller. DAM999 portrays the realities of life, some shared and some unshared. Navarasa or 9 human emotions are shown by 9 characters in the movie. Just as a Dam holds water, the 9 characters in the movie hold back their emotion, which eventually breaks out during a disaster drawing the audience to a gripping climax. Navagrahas The foundation of astrology, considered as the pillars of influence on human beings. According to Hindu customs, the Navagraha are ty

The trend of atypical masala entertainers began all over again with WANTED, which was effectively emulated by the super-successful DABANGG. The larger-than-life hero knocks down 50 thugs and sends them flying in the air with just one punch. He romances the heroine. Puts his life at stake by catching the bull by the horns. Emerges victorious in the finale... Come to think of it, the Indian audience is starved for true-blue masala entertainers that were admired and revered in the 1970s and 1980s. Oh, can we ever forget the serpentine queues outside cinema halls to watch those movies, starring our fav stars? With SINGHAM, the Ajay Devgn - Rohit Shetty team goes back to their roots; both started with action films, if you recall -- PHOOL AUR KAANTE and ZAMEEN, respectively. SINGHAM is one of those earthy, traditional, uncomplicated masala movies that most of us grew up on. The protagonist of SINGHAM is not the  desi  version of James Bond, nor is he any kind of a superhero.  SINGHAM pays

I was recently discussing companies that are trying to make it big with living room entertainment products with a friend, when he asked me which company — Microsoft or Apple — was doing a better job. My first reaction was to say Apple. After all, as I noted on these pages earlier this week, the new Mac mini is the best computer to hook up to a television, and I’m a firm believer that the Apple TV is the top set-top box in the market. It seemed like an open-and-shut case. But then I started thinking about things a bit more deeply. More specifically, I thought about Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Kinect devices and all that they offer. Upon doing so, I came to a new conclusion: Microsoft is actually making Apple look bad in the living room, and it’s doing so with ease. See, when I think about Apple’s living-room products compared to Microsoft’s, I’m left wanting more. For years now, I’ve hoped that the Apple TV would feature gaming, and it still doesn’t. I’ve wanted it to allow me to record li

The Toshiba Thrive isn’t a sexy tablet. It’s plump, homely, a little bit awkward, and although smart and supportive, you won’t be showing it off much to your buddies. But if you’re reading this review, you probably already know that. You’re considering the Toshiba Thrive because you see past a pretty exterior and a tight slender body. You want great specs inside, a good clean install of Android 3.1 Honeycomb, ample full-sized ports, and a swappable battery among other unique features. Hardware

I’m going to start by congratulating myself. I have stuck with some of my original Anti-Tech Resolutions longer than I have ever stuck with a resolution in the past. Before I get specific about my progress with each of my original goals, I’ll say that the first thing I learned about keeping a resolution is that it is much easier to vow NOT to do something than it is to promise yourself you WILL do something. Maybe that’s a lesson I will take into any resolutions I make of a non-technical nature. Instead of vowing to lose weight, I will vow to not drink sugary soda. Instead of vowing to go to the gym, I will vow to not go to the gym. I can already see the flaws in my plan. [Image credit: Grant Hutchinson] In any case, my original Anti-Tech Resolutions were made to encourage more personal interaction between myself and others, and to try to free myself from the cables and bonds than bind me to my gadgets. Here is how things have worked out so far: 1. Call Instead of Text For the most par

By and large, after graduating from school/university, before one steps into a fresh phase in life, friends do settle on having some fun… It could be an extended bachelor party. It could be an excursion. Living each moment to the fullest is what most of us are thinking at that point of time. ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA is also about living each precious moment, as if there's no tomorrow. It's a film that also deals with surmounting and overpowering our personal fears. In this case, it changes the lives of three youngsters who embark on a road trip to Spain. Zoya Akhtar represents the new brigade in Bollywood. But the talented storyteller is mired in controversies pertaining to ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA. Is it similar to HANGOVER? Or is it a present-day adaptation of Farhan Akhtar's directorial debut DIL CHAHTA HAI? 

I'd said this before and I'd like to repeat it here: If you don't have a star in your film, the story of your film better be the star attraction, the champ. CHILLAR PARTY may be backed by star names, but it doesn't have a 'star' to call the shots. Thankfully, the story of CHILLAR PARTY does the talking! Children's films are rarely attempted in Bollywood, though film-makers often talk of luring not just adults but also kids when they plan a film project. Post KACCHA LIMBOO and STANLEY KA DABBA, CHILLAR PARTY attempts to focus entirely on kids. Eight kids stand up to a mighty politician, their mission is to save a dog that belongs to an urchin who's part of their group. The film actually advocates a message in the garb of entertainment: Children can bridge the class difference that's prevalent in the society. Honest intentions, indeed!  I've often felt that children are more impulsive, more courageous and have a completely non-manipulative appr

We live in an era wherein brands and franchise have become the order of the day. When a movie works with the audience and also has strong recall value, the film-makers plan to keep the franchise breathing by either making a prequel or sequel. Though MURDER had released more than seven years ago [April 2004], it continues to linger in public memory for varied reasons and not only for its sizzle factor. MURDER had a spellbinding story, great music and proficient performances by its principal actors. In fact, MURDER catches the attention of spectators to this date and obtains high TRPs, despite several telecasts on TV. 'Tremendous repeat value', like they say in filmi parlance. Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt choose not to make movies with big stars. Instead, they substitute stars with big initiatives and innovative concepts. In fact, their penchant to work with a new cast and crew is simply unstoppable. Besides, the success ratio indicates that their strategy has paid off rich div

EXPECTATIONS  One doesn't quite know for sure what to look forward to in the soundtrack of  Singham . After all this is a hardcore action film and though love story forms a part of it, this Rohit Shetty affair hasn't quite been spoken for its music. With relatively new composer duo of Ajay-Atul coming together, Swanand Kirkire as the lyricist and only three songs filling up the album, one plays on  Singham  and keenly listens to what follows. MUSIC  The way 'shlokas' begin the opening track ' Singham ', you are instantly reminded of the chants in Sunny Deol's  Ghatak  as well as the kind of flavour which was last evidenced in Ajay's own  Omkara . Soon Sukhwinder Singh comes to the fore and turns ferocious as per the theme of the film as well as the need of the situation. There is an out and out Indian flavour to this song which basically details the character of Ajay, a brave-heart cop who is all there for people in his territory. Expect the sound of

Banner Factory Status Completed Color C Release Date August 26, 2011 Language Hindi Genre Shooting Studios Filmcity Producer Ram Gopal Varma Executive Producer / Co-Producer Anku Pande Director Lalit Marathe Star Cast Eesha Koppikhar Manish Wadhwan Pradeep Rawat Raj Arjun Zakir Hussain Cassettes and CD's on T-Series Cinematography Amit Roy Screenplay Lalit Marathe Dialogue Lalit Marathe Story / Writer Lalit Marathe