Top Bollywood Artists

After the release of "Shuddh Desi Romance", actor Sushant Singh Rajput will take some time off to prepare for his role in Dibakar Banerjee's "Detective Byomkesh Bakshi".

"Shuddh Desi Romance", produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF) hits the silver screen Friday.

Sushant, who will play the popular detective, says a lot is to be done for his role in the movie, which is based on one of the 33 crime thrillers written by renowned Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandopadhyay.

"I have taken leave for two to three months for 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshi' after the release of 'Shuddh Desi Romance'. A lot has to be done for the film like the look of the 1940s' hairstyle, body, accent ... but all after this film," Sushant told journalists at a radio station.

Directed by Maneesh Sharma, "Shuddh Desi Romance" also stars Parineeti Chopra and newcomer Vaani Kapoor. 

Bollywood actress Malaika Arora Khan was lately spotted launching a charity-themed campaign 'Taiwan Excellence Cares' in Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion the 40-year old actress told, "Charity is a very personal equation, like we say charity begins at home. It starts with your immediate help in the house, the people who work for you. That is where you have to display certain amount of charity and if at all you do, you believe in a cause or you believe in a certain way of going about in life and bringing about a change in your society and your environment, so that alone is something you are doing and that is charity".

The 'Dabangg' star has been signed as a celebrity endorser to boost the international brand image and reputation of Taiwan.

Actress Priyanka Chopra, who is busy hopping from one TV show to another to promote her upcoming movie "Zanjeer", tells she would love to become a 'bahu' (daughter-in-law) in a daily soap one day.

"I would love to play a TV bahu. The most special thing about TV bahus is that when they go to sleep they look beautiful and when they wake up that time also they look beautiful," told the 31-year-old.

"Besides, they are loaded with jewellery all the time. So why wouldn't I want to be a bahu of that kind," added the actress on the sets of TV serial "Bade Acche Lagte Hain".

Priyanka was on the sets here with her "Zanjeer" co-star Ram Charan Teja.

The actress admitted she doesn't watch TV serials but she stays updated about every show thanks to her mother and grandmother.

"There are a lot of daily soap fans in my home. My grandmother, my mother, everyone watches them together. In the evening, it gets tough to talk to them at the dining table. They know the story of every TV serial and I also get to know about them because of them as they tell me everything during dinner time," she told.

Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, "Zanjeer" hits theatres Friday. 

The Bollywood industry is all about garnering mass appreciation by whatever means, which has given rise to the breed of mindless comedies and masala entertainers in the recent times. But, in contrast, one of the crucial facts that cannot be ignored is the mindset of some intelligent brave heart filmmakers of the new millennium, who have time and again proved their guts and boldness by trying their hands in controversial genres.

One such newest example is Shoojit Sircar's new film Madras Cafe, a devastating drama of war violence conspiracy and betrayal. The movie is a very brave, honest and genuine attempt and has been mired in controversies for its striking resemblance to real political events associated with the Sri Lankan civil war and the ideas of a rebel group.

Featuring John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri in the leads, Madras Cafe is a serious saga, set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war. Madras Cafe is strong, gritty, explosive and sombre, that throws light on the brutal killings of the innocent Sri Lankan Tamils, in the late 80s and early 90s.

The credit for bringing Madras Cafe to the silver screen solely rests with John Abraham and he should receive a standing ovation for this. Political films are not easy to make, more so releasing them in theaters.

Well, John should have courted the Tamils too to have a smooth overall release. John has broken some records too in his political venture. He comes across as a fine actor, who was hiding behind the nonsensical masala movies but had given enough glimpses of an actor in Water (2005) and New York (2009). He also came across as a bold producer, who refused to give in to political bullying in Tamil Nadu.

Major Vikram Singh (John Abraham) is a RAW agent, who is assigned to go to Jaffana (Sri Lanka) to help bring political stability. He has a tough job apprehending Anna Bhaskaran (Ajay Ratnam), leader of a Tamil outfit LTF. In the course of his assignment, he meets Jaya Sahni (Nargis Fakhri) who is a British war correspondent. And slowly the plot unfolds. It is not only the war and political situation but there is a sinister plot of assassinating the former Prime Minister of India (Sanjay Gurbaxani).

Madras Cafe starts with the protagonist Vikram Singh (John Abraham) in a shocking and unrecognizable state of a drunkard, who was once the special Indian RAW officer. Singh narrates the story of the horrific experience that he had undergone, after he was appointed by the intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing to conduct covert operations in Sri Lanka shortly after the Indian Peace Keeping Force was forced to withdraw.

As he journeys to Sri Lanka, with the intention of disrupting a rebel group, he discovers the larger issue. What's the larger issue? and how does he uncover a conspiracy in the process? The protagonist gets caught in the Indo-Sri Lankan political conspiracy and turmoil, finally getting targeted by the groups.

Madras Cafe exposes the culture of violence that every nation bears, in which the only people who suffer are the commoners who seek only peace and happiness from their lives. Madras Cafe is an unquestionably impressive and well-thought out flick that reveals a lot of lesser-known facts about the Sri Lankan War and the pathetic plight of the Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka during the 80s.

Cinematography brings out the lush green scenery. The action scenes leave one right in the midst of battlefield. There are three mesmerizing songs that reflect on the ongoing happenings in the movie. Ajnabi tugs at the heart-strings, Sun le zara is effective in the war zone and Khud Se is like a dialogue with oneself.

The actors chosen to play LTTE leader V Prabhakarn (Ajay Ratnam) and Rajiv Gandhi (Sanjay Gurbaxani) need special mention as they bear uncanny resemblance to the characters they play. Anita Pratap too would be left comparing her life with Nargis's portrayal. The cast has been aptly chosen and they infuse life in their roles.

We get to see the best of John Abraham in Madras Cafe. He's just an excellent and very convincing in the role of a RAW officer. Nargis Fakhri gets saved from hindi dialogues finally and is seen in an absolutely new avatar in the film. She is much better than what we had last saw her in Rockstar.

Siddhartha Basu was outstanding, while Raashi Khanna doesn't get much opportunity to display her acting skills.

But, unnecessary political controversy created will certainly dent the box office collections but the question is hasn't this controversy also deprived the viewers to watch a well-executed movie that brings alive a crucial part of India's political history and shows a snuffed out young political life? It is definitely not the movie's loss but of the viewers. It goes without saying the movie will win many awards in the coming days.

John is a forerunner to change that brings in intelligent movies. Once in a while you watch such RAW and rustic movies that it is almost rare.

Overall, it is commendable to see once.

The film industry's fascination with gangster movies dates back to the 1970s. But, this year has witnessed an excess of gangster movies invading our cinema halls, while a few of them were inspired by real-life characters as well. Additionally, the year also marks a substantial rise in sequels, since the original movies have tremendous recall value.

Milan Luthria's ONCE UPON AY TIME IN MUMBAI DOBAARA! takes off from where ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI concluded -- the fight for power. But unlike most gangster films, ONCE UPON AY TIME IN MUMBAI DOBAARA! takes the precarious route of narrating a love story, with two criminals falling in love with the same woman, besides focusing on the game of one-upmanship between gangsters and the power struggle being played in the lanes and streets of Mumbai.

Milan Luthria has never been a great filmmaker. At least his earlier movies like "Kachche Dhaage" and "Dirty Picture" had some interesting conflicts between characters who are driven by a desire for revenge but are frustrated in their malevolence by their love for the very same people they want to hate.

ONCE UPON AY TIME IN MUMBAI DOBAARA! narrates the story of an underworld don, Shoaib (Akshay Kumar). His only confidantes are his best friend Javed (Sarfaraz Khan) and former lover Mumtaz (Sonali Bendre). He notices Aslam (Imran Khan) and takes him under his wings. Slowly, Aslam becomes one of his trusted confidantes.

Shoaib stumbles upon an aspiring actress Jasmine (Sonakshi Sinha). Slowly, but surely, his attraction towards Jasmine goes on to becoming an obsession. This creates a rift between Shoaib and Aslam and results in the ultimate face-off between the mentor and protégé.

Milan Luthria, who replicated the bygone era in his last two movies (ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI and THE DIRTY PICTURE) successfully, seems like a complete pro in recreating the long-gone decades with flourish. Right from the ambiance to the outfits to the dialogue the protagonists or the assorted characters deliver, everything mirrors the 1970s and 1980s with accuracy and aptitude.

Unluckily, the first hour doesn't cut ice, focusing on the compulsory light moments, songs and dramatic moments that seldom seize your attention. But, Milanand writer Rajat Aroraa make sure they reserve the best for the second hour, packing the movie with heavy-duty drama and conflict that makes it captivating and engaging. Also, Milan doesn't resort to action and bloodshed -- the key aspects that are inevitable for any gangster movie -- to carry the story forward. These elements, although part of the narrative, are used as garnishing wherever essential. In a way, Milanattempts a gangster film, but steers clear of factors that could eclipse the love story, drama and conflict in the story.

ONCE UPON AY TIME IN MUMBAI DOBAARA! suffers because the grip is absent from the very start itself (which was the highpoint of the prequel). Also, the villain (Mahesh Manjrekar) is just not reliable or commanding enough here. But the writer springs a surprise by making the don (Akshay) vicious and vindictive towards the latter half, which adds a lot of weight to the proceedings. The final moments, starting with the fiery confrontation involving Akshay and Sonakshi, when she mistakes his friendship for love, right till the closing stages of the movie, the graph of the movie only soars upwards.

Milan gets ample support from the DoP by Ayananka Bose as well as the art department (well done, yet again!) to impart his vision on screen. The styling is perfect, while the background score enlivens the ambiance at many junctures. The high point, of course, is the dialogue penned by Rajat Aroraa, which contributed enormously to the last two movies and makes a significant contribution this time too. The conversations are compelling, forceful and power-packed. Pritam's music is in sync with the mood of the movie. 'Yeh Tune Kya Kiya' and 'Tayyab Ali' are remarkable compositions.

Milan is an expert who extracts proficient performances from his actors and this is apparent in ONCE UPON AY TIME IN MUMBAI DOBAARA! as well. Akshay enacts the grey character with flourish. He adds a lot of novelty and uniqueness to his character, underplaying it magnificently and modulating his voice dexterously. After playing urban characters in his earlier movies, Imran plays a desi character (his second this year!) this time, catching you by complete surprise yet again. It won't be erroneous to state that he's the dark horse. Sonakshi seems to be improving with every movie. Besides exuding the right amount of innocence, she goes on to demonstrate that she can handle emotional outbursts really well, especially during the climax confrontation with Akshay.

Sonali Bendre Behl doesn't get much scope, but shines in the powerful sequence with Akshay. Sophie Choudhry sizzles in a cameo. Sarfaraz Khan does well. Mahesh Manjrekar is wasted. Abhimanyu Singh doesn't get much scope. Pitobash, Hussain Shaikh, Mushtaq Khan and Chetan Hansraj are good.

And really, what this film has done to the Mohd Rafi Qawwalli "Tayyab ali pyar ka dushman" would make Manmohan Desai wince if he was alive.

On the whole, it is praiseworthy to watch once.

Chennai Express has been the most awaited film.

The film's story has been told many times previously. Rahul (played by Shahrukh Khan) is a 40-year-old man who goes on a journey to a town in Tamil Nadu to fulfill the last wish of his grandfather (played by Lekh Tandon) to have his ashes immersed in Rameshwaram.

On his way, he stumbles upon a South Indian girl Meenamma a.k.a Meena (played by Deepika Padukone). Meena wants to flee from the clutches of her father (played by Sathyaraj) who wants her to get married to a person she doesn't love Thangaballi (played by Nikitin Dheer).

Meena is being escorted back home by four beefy cousins after a failed attempt to flee her village. Rahul is caught in the game that the girl decides to play with her father.

The film's story has been told several times by many film makers. What makes the film special here is the best execution by Rohit Shetty who is the 'King' of Action and Masala films.

Shahrukh Khan as Rahul is simply astonishing. Again, the King Khan goes on to prove that he is just invincible. Deepika Padukone is India's best actress and we cannot deny this fact. But with her Chennai Express character, she will steal your heart and make you fall in love with her again and again.

Sathyaraj in his first Hindi movie is just overwhelming. Back home in South, Sathyaraj is considered a legend. Nikitin Dheer, Mukesh Tiwari and others land in with a good support.

Yes, this is an out-and-out Rohit Shetty masala entertainer with his own trademark.

People may also say that this is Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge in a Rohit Shetty style, but it is a Romantic Action adventure from the director who just knows how to entertain a common man.

The production value and camera-work is superior. Music wise, the film's songs are already a chart-buster. Editing is a little weak and drags in many parts.

Overall, it is commendable to watch once.

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has explored the scenic locales of Kashmir to shoot a romantic song for his next project "Satya 2".

A source close to Varma told, "This is for the first time that Ram Gopal has shot for a song in Kashmir."

"Even in 'Satya', he had shot for a romantic song. Though 'Satya 2' is an underworld story, but there is also a strong love story in it. It's a beautiful romantic song which has been shot in the valleys of Kashmir. The song is visual treat for the audience," the source further added.

The song was seemingly shot in Kashmirin June.

Of late, Varma has helmed movies with dark themes, but in the past, he was credited with movies like "Rangeela", "Daud" and "Mast", which had a romantic tinge.

"Satya 2" is a sequel to "Satya", which was released in 1998. It features all newcomers.