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Aiyyaa  is making news for reasons more than one. Just when it seemed that the film may get trapped in racism row, the song ' Dreamup Wakeupum ' has caught further attention for its lead pair Rani Mukerji and Prithiviraj. "In front of ' Dreamup Wakeup ', it seems as if ' Ooh Laa Laa ' from  The Dirty Picture  was a kindergarten affair. What had seemed scandalous about Vidya Balan's act in the film has been taken to a different level by Rani. In a career lasting over 15 years, she has never done something like this and even for her most loyal fans, this is nothing less than shocking", comments a filmmaker. On her part though, Rani is glued to the feedback coming the song's way and feels that instead of being called as a spoof, it is more of a tribute to the South Indian films. Says Rani, "Don't read too much into ' Dreamum Wakeupum '. After all, this girl is just trying to understand the 'pyaar ki bhaasha' for her love

Kareena Kapoor is enjoying an eventful year. She started off the year with a success in the form of  Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu , didn't really have much to celebrate with  Agent Vinod  but is now seen, heard and spoken about all over with  Heroine  around the corner. No wonder, this is also one of those films where she is driving the film entirely on her own (along with her director Madhur Bhandarkar of course) with  Heroine  carrying a firm tag of being (obviously) a heroine centric film. Even as one waits to see how many skeletons come out of the cupboard, Kareena is happy to see the film gain momentum en route to its arrival. Kareena Kapoor playing the title role of a  Heroine  in a Madhur Bhandarkar film. Isn't this something that just doesn't need any introduction and sets the stage right for the film at the very onset?  Well, it’s a Madhur Bhandarkar film after all and he is not known for making preachy or message oriented films. He tells stories which are exciting and ent

Aamir Khan is heaving a sigh of relief and there are reasons more than one. While the new promo of  Talaash  has met with a fantastic all around response, there is another big burden off him, that of giving clarifications around the film being similar to  Kahaani . "When  Talaash  was earlier supposed to release in the month of June, Vidya Balan's  Kahaani  had already released and some mischief mongers had started spreading rumours that the two films were similar to each other. This isn't all as parallels were drawn between each of the three principal characters in the two films", informs a source. At that time it was also said that as a cop, Aamir Khan was playing the same part as that of Nawazuddin Siddiqui in  Kahaani . Aamir was deeply disturbed by the rumours and when the film was postponed to November owing to his 'Satyameva Jayate' arriving first, there was added fuel to the fire. "The new promo has totally quashed any similarities whatsoever

Madhur Bhandarkar is hours away from realising his dream. Carrying  Heroine  in his heart for years, he has now managed to bring the story to the big screen. The enthusiasm is pretty much intact, the energy that he brings in every conversation is unmistakable and he is as animated about  Heroine  as he was for a  Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji ,  Fashion  or a  Corporate . However, what is evident is the sheer quantum of promotion that he is indulging in along with his leading lady Kareena Kapoor. As the two 'brands' associated with the films, they just seem to be all over. Over to Madhur. You have always been known for promoting your films to the hilt. However Heroine seems to be exceptional.  Definitely yes. I believe in aggressive marketing and  Heroine  is no different. This has always been my mantra and I always feel that in today's world where there are so many channels and media forums, it is absolutely necessary to register your product in the consumer market. This is som

Not just for the sequels and the remakes: Hindi films are known to have a plethora of titles shared by more than one film over the decades. And the current trend of using a lot of English titles is as much an option to bypass this shortfall in inspiration as it is to be ‘contemporary’ and global. After all,  Heroine  sounds so much trendier and universally-accepted than  Abhinetri!  Nevertheless, Bollywood will always continue to repeat titles for films in the years to come. The purpose of this piece is not to enumerate all the cases, which would take space enough for a booklet, but to delve into some of the interesting and lighter side of this business of repeat titles, which in many ways is unique to Hindi cinema, mainly because of the quantum of films dished out and the limitations of commonly understood Hindi and Urdu, for Hindi films have to appeal from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and likewise the breadth of the country. Hollywood and regional films are barely known to do so, excep

Anupam Kher's much-applauded Hollywood film, David Russell's  Silver Linings Playbook  has won the prestigious 'People's Choice' award at the Toronto Film Festival. Those from the Bollywood fraternity who attended the just-concluded Toronto Film festival say Anupam's role in  Silver Linings Playbook  is just about the best most substantial role by an Indian actor in a Hollywood film. Anupam is guarded in his response to the compliment. "I'm not saying anything about my role. I neither want to raise expectations of my audience back home nor play down my part. I know what it is. And I am very happy. I remember I was the first Indian actor to be in an Indian film  Bend It Like Beckham  which broke into a non-Indian viewership. Today when I hear good things about my role in  Silver Linings Playbook , I feel I've come a long way. As an actor it has always been very important to keep growing. To me the country of a film's origin is not important. T

Esha Gupta is having a great run at the BO with back to back hits in her kitty. The young actress sizzles on the cover of The Man this month. In an exclusive interview, the magazine delves into the life of the Kingfisher model turned actress, exploring the dream run she has been having especially with the success of her latest film  Raaz 3 . Draped in a bikini saree, with just a simple diamond ring, Esha looks the perfect temptress. Speaking about her modeling days and sharing her thoughts about the Miss India pageant, Esha says, "I signed up Miss India thinking it was just a matter of a few months and then I'd be off to study law and make a career out of that. But that day hasn't arrived." The actress even talks about her latest hit  Raaz 3  saying, "My role in  Raaz 3  is the one I could relate to the most since I play this young actress who is doing really well and the whole industry is talking about." Source: BollywoodHungama

It's not rocket science to say that post her  The Dirty Picture  and  Kahaani , Vidya Balan is a hot property not just in Bollywood, but also in the brand land. One such brand that she has been associated with is Nihar Natural Oil. Bollywood Hungama  brings an exclusive sneak peek into the brand's commercial that she shot for recently. The concept of the ad is about the decisions that women take which brings vulnerability in them with people judging them on their decisions. The ad portrays Vidya Balan being in the same vulnerable position, where she makes choices based on what she really wants in life. The advertisement clearly portrays the aspect of Vidya Balan's personality, where she achieves progress as she takes the right decisions- be it her career or choosing the brand.  Talking about the Nihar Natural's new TVC, Vidya said, "Through the years we have seen that women on the path of progress are often faced with certain difficult decisions that will real

In the 14 years I have known him, I have never seen ace choreographer Shiamak Davar ruffled. He is as chilled-out as ever when we catch up at his downtown office, days after the release of his third music album  Shabop ! The living legend who has made dancing a fashion statement, a mass-appealing and highly-trained art and a mission all at once, makes little of his having choreographed a dance sequence for the Hollywood blockbuster  Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol  or his recent staging of a 1000-strong performance at the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi with A.R. Rahman. And of course here's the scoop: the man is set now to produce a mainstream feature film with "a very strong soundtrack in these days when technology is ruling music and making it less soulful"! It's been a long and challenging journey for Shiamak towards becoming a world-famous icon. "The humiliations I faced and the suffering they caused were good for me because they helped build m

It all started with ' D.K. Bose ' and now it seems like the slang vocabulary with a hint of naughty content is pretty much catching pace with other Bollywood songs as well. For his upcoming film  Kismet Love Paisa Dilli  a.k.a. KLPD, where the title by itself is a common slang, Vivek Oberoi is heard and seen in a song that goes as ' Don't Fuff My Mind '. "Promotion of this song is on and the lyrics go as ' Don't Fuff My Mind Its Dilli, Kismet Love Paisa Dilli '. It is clear that the makers have tried to bring in a mischief element in the song. It is picturised on Vivek Oberoi and he has even rendered a few lines in the song", informs a source.  The song comes a year after ' D.K. Bose ' turned into a rage. Though there were protests by the morale brigade and even Censor Board had made a note of the song, argument by Aamir Khan and his team to look at the song as-is instead of drawing any insinuations had allowed it go scot-free. Now the

Anurag Basu speaks with Subhash K. Jha about  Barfi . How do you plan to take  Barfi  ahead of the non-Hindi audience?  Well, I've to confess we're toying with the idea of putting out an English version of the film. I can't say much about that right now. Let's see. The film has been to the Busan and Marrakesh film festivals. The only reason it isn't at the Toronto Film Festival is because we were too busy releasing the film worldwide to take it to Toronto. But those sections of non-Indian viewers who have seen  Barfi  say it has the potential to break through the language barrier.  You had a frightening brush with mortality when you fell ill with cancer. Is that what gave you the strength to celebrate life so vigorously in  Barfi ?   Yes, I think so. After my illness I wrote other darker films namely  Gangster  and  Life In A Metro . But I think  Barfi is my coming-of-age film. It's not a perfect film. But this is my most personal film.  Did you ever fea

After  Jannat 2 , newbie Esha Gupta has made it two in a row with  Raaz 3  turning out to be an even bigger success. In an industry where an actor is known more by the stardom that he/she manages to accumulate, Esha has managed to strike big with consecutive successes. However that hasn't come without its fair share of controversies. In a freewheeling chat, Esha comes clean on each one of them in her own words. On the scene involving kissing and love making with Emraan... I know some have questioned that how could I and Emraan kiss and make love soon after seeing a gruesome murder (of a medium in a cemetery). I too had similar doubts and had asked Vikram about it. His reasoning was that once you have near to death experience, you feel very different; that you may feel a very strong sexual urge in a way like never before. Also, you may feel love very differently. I was convinced. This is the reason you would see that I am crying during the love making sequence since I am also thanki

Secretly, and without fuss, Karan Johar's pretty protegee Alia Bhatt's mother actress-filmmaker Soni Razdan has scripted a film that she will direct soon after  Student Of The Year  is released. At the moment, Soni is evasive about her plans for making a film with Alia, "It will happen when it happens. Let her make her debut in Karan's film. She couldn't have hoped for a better launch."  Soni Razdan put her own directorial project on hold to ensure a smooth passage into purported stardom for her daughter. Soni set aside her own directorial plans to devote herself to the process of making Alia's debut in  Student Of The Year  as comfortable as possible.  Says Soni, "Last year I was with her on the outdoor location because I think initially while she found her bearings in the film industry, she needed me around. But now I think Alia is fairly confident of herself. I can now go back to writing my film. When Karan Johar spotted her in school and signed he

Till the release of  Barfi!  it had seemed that Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra would be the most notable factors associated with the Anurag Basu directed film. However what has turned out to be a pleasant surprise indeed is the presence of Ileana D'Cruz who has managed a very good Bollywood debut. An experienced actress from down South, she has reinforced her standing in the industry and has announced loud and clear that she is here to stay. Even as she continues to gain accolades around her performance in the film, Ileana gets into a tete-a-tete and reiterates the confidence she had in the film. Ileana, you have managed to make everyone stand up and take notice. In fact it was good to see that the film was actually narrated from your point of view. See, when  Barfi!  came along, I knew that Anurag (Basu) was there to keep it all together and he would pay good attention to every aspect of the film. I knew that I wouldn't be insignificant to the film. In any case, I didn'