By: Anand. J (Cinema Correspondent for Monsoon Journal)
Guru
A Mani Ratnam film is special. So what if he hasn’t tasted box office success in Hindi films so far, his work has always been par excellence, whether it is ‘Dil Se’ or ‘Yuva’. With ‘Guru’, he embarks into narrating an epic tale that is supposed to be based on none other than Dhirubhai Ambani. Coming together of Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Mithun Chakravorty, Madhavan and Vidya Balan along with A.R. Rehman and Gulzar handling the music department is a good enough reason to check out the film. Want to see this tale unfold on the big screen? Then wait for next year to begin as the film releases all over on 12th January, 2007
Baabul
B R Films have been associated with making socially relevant films for half a century now. Last film coming from their stable was ‘Baghban’ which turned out to be a phenomenal success when released. Film’s success was special because it came at a time when the trend of making money in the first couple of weeks was just about catching up in India whereas ‘Baghban’ didn’t really set the cash registers ringing in the first few days. Later, it was due to audience’s nod of approval that the film rose from strength to strength and word of mouth ensured that ‘Baghban’ continues to be one of the most talked family films even today. This time around director Ravi Chopra picks up the issue of widow-remarriage and creates a film with his ‘Baghban’ cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Salman Khan. A soul stirring drama that promises to raise a lot of questions and act as an eye opener for the society we live in, ‘Baabul’ also stars Aman Verma, Parmeet Sethi, Rajpal Yadav, Smita Jaykar, Avtar Gill, Gargi Patel, Sharat Saxena and Vaishnavi with music by Aadesh Shrivastav. The film releases all over on December 8th.
Salaam-E-Ishq
Come 2007 and the year begins on a blockbuster note with ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’ that is destined to be an ideal follow-up to an eventful and highly successful 2006. Directed by Nikhil Advani who made his directorial debut with ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’, ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’ is in one word - HUGE. With half a dozen stories running in parallel and then coming to a common conclusion in the end, this certainly is going to be one cinematic experience of its kind.6 different couples 12 different lives. 6 different worlds. One common problem – LOVE. That’s the essence of this film which goes by the name of ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’ which narrates the tale of 6 couples who are not related to each other by any means but are eventually brought together by one destiny. For knowing more await the release of the film which happens all over on January 24th next year.
Provoked
What happens when a woman is pushed to the hilt? What happens when her suffering becomes unimaginable? What happens when the only way to escape is death - either yours or your tormentor’s? What happens when the tormentor is none other than your husband? That’s the essence of Jagmohan Mundhra’s ‘Provoked’ that is slated to release early next year. Starring Aishwarya Rai in the lead, it is based on a story about a woman who was based in London.
Kabul Express
What happens when India’s biggest and highly successful movie making house ‘Yash Chopra’ moves away from the formula to make a film that has world audience as a target and a subject that is its most unconventional and challenging ever? ‘Kabul Express’ is born! A film for which the shooting was completed last year followed by an extensive post production and rounds of various film festivals, ‘Kabul Express’ marks the debut of director Kabir Khan who takes you to a journey of war-torn Afghanistan and tells a tale through his own experiences in the country, The story revolves around 5 different individuals – 2 Indians, 1 Afghan, 1 Pakistani and 1 American. The movie stars John Abraham, Arshad Warsi and Salman Shahid in the lead roles and is slated for release on December 15 all over.
Bhagam Bhag
What happens when Priyadarshan, Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal come together? Probability of a riotous hungama becomes close to 100%. Now add on Govinda to the enterprise. Well, there is no way that the product won’t be superlative! Now how about pushing in some thriller and mystery element to the comic genre of the film. Irresistible would be the term that would be left to describe the kind of film that goes by the name of ‘Bhagam Bhag’. The movie has an impressive starcast with Akshay Kumar and Govinda in the lead roles supported by Paresh Rawal, Jackie Shroff, Lara Dutta, Tanushree Dutta, Rajpal Yadav and Arbaaz Khan. Produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd and Popkorn Motion Pictures Private Limited, ‘Bhagam Bhag’ is now THE most waited film of the year before 2006 comes to a close. It releases all over this Christmas i.e. on December 22nd.
Bollywood Marriages
December is the month of marriages and this year is no exception. On December 9, actress Perizaad Zorabian, who won acclaim for her performances in JOGGERS PARK and EK AJNABEE, will marry Boman Irani. Wait, Perizaad’s prospective husband is not the famous actor Boman Irani [KHOSLA KA GHOSLA, MUNNABHAI series], but he’s into the construction business, heading the leading Keystone Group. Will Perizaad continue to work in movies, post marriage? “Of course, I will. 140%. I have three films lined up for release — HIGHWAY 2003 [with Kay Kay Menon], KABHI UP KABHI DOWN [with Sanjay Suri] and P.N.C.-Meghna Gulzar’s JUST MARRIED. Plus, there are a couple of offers in the pipeline,” Perizaad truly sounds excited. Is Boman cool with the idea of an actress-wife? “Of course! He respects me and my thoughts. He’s a sweet guy,” she adds. A few days later, on 14th December, Emraan Hashmi will wed his sweetheart Parveen at an elaborate ceremony. At the launch of AWARAPAN a few days ago, when this writer quizzed Emraan whether he’d continue ‘kissing’ his co-stars in movies, post marriage, the actor had remarked, “I think the media took the issue too far, going to the extent of stating that kissing in movies ensures success. I don’t believe in it,” he smiled. Okay, we got the answer!
Bollywood-Clooney
George Clooney is quite impressed with Hindi film music and is considering signing up for a Bollywood movie to improve the status of Indian cinema in the US. Clooney praises the recent advances in the genre and says he would love to broaden his acting horizons by appearing in a high-profile musical set in India, reports hollywood.com. He says: “I’d love to. There are some filmmakers whose films when you see (them) you say, ‘That could be an interesting story to tell.’ I was watching a film the other day and the music was just amazing. It’s become such a huge industry.” “There is a small market in the States as of now, but it will be fun if it catches on because it is such a positive way of looking at filmmaking and I really love that. I truly think it’s fun,” Clooney added.
Hrithik-Abishek
Hrithik Roshan is elated at the world over praise for his performance as the suave Aryan in Dhoom 2. “The thing is, I’ve never played someone as cool as Aryan before. That’s what people like so much, I guess. It’s too early to gauge the film’s impact. The one thing that Hrithik is gung-ho about is actor Abhishek Bachchan. “I’m not saying this for effect. But Abhishek really inspires me. He has the potential to be one of our truly great actors. In fact we’ve made a pact. Abhishek and I will do one film together every two years. You’ve no idea how much fun Abhishek, Uday and I had doing Dhoom 2. There was never any one upmanship between Abhishek and me. We were constantly giving each other inputs to better our scenes together,” said the actor. And now Hrithik is looking forward to the world tour with the two Bachchans in mid-2007. For now, Hrithik seems to be looking at Dhoom 2 as the present tense and Jodha-Akbar… as the future perfect. “I never knew a costume drama could be so tiring! We’ve shot a battle sequence and I’ve been oblivious to the current world. Now I feel I’m back into the land of the living. Doing Jodha-Akbar… is like entering a totally different world. I feel I’m getting to know things about myself as an actor that I hadn’t known before,” said Hrithik.
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