The Sikh blood in me beckons – Amitabh Bachchan

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, whose mother was a Sikh, says he feels drawn towards the religion and wants to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar with his children Abhishek and Shweta but can’t because of time constraints.
“Abhishek shoots ‘Bingo’ in the holy city of Amritsar and his sister Shweta joins him to pay homage and prayer at the Harmandir Saheb. I wish I could do the same, but am unable to. Soon however I shall find the time. Or as they say in such situations, when the time comes He will call you…,” Amitabh posted on his blog.
The actor, whose mother, late Teji Bachchan, belonged to a Sikh family, says the Sikh bloods in him “beckons”.
“The Sikh blood in me beckons and I must honour it. It is rather strange, but in the last few months, my attraction and interest towards my Sikh links attain some prominence and I feel drawn towards it,” he said.
Amitabh says he wears two lockets of Guru Nanak all the time and even has a photograph of all the Gurus, presented by director Raj Kanwar, that finds space at his place of worship.
“I seek blessings from them each morning – ‘Sat Naam Wahe Guru’ , I recite, as I touch their images and a strange sense of fulfillment and strength consumes me,” he added.

Karthik Calling Karthik

Karthik Narayan (Akhtar) is a simple, unassuming guy who just can’t help being bullied. You could say that he has very little sense of self, or various neuroses which consume his sleeping hours – whatever it is, Karthik has it bad. He’s got an aggressive landlord who hounds him for money, a nasty boss who won’t give him rightful credit, and co-workers who dismiss him as a loser.
But life changes for Karthik when he starts getting self-affirming telephone calls from someone who claims to be . . . himself. This telephone Karthik seems confident and assured and gives loser Karthik advice which helps transform his life. The landlord is now subservient, the boss applauds him, and Shonali Mukherjee (Padukone), the stunning co-worker who doesn’t know Karthik exists, suddenly wants to be his girlfriend! Will this wonderful life last, or is it just another trick of fate?
This is quite an ambitious film, seeing that it has a pretty unconventional subject, almost no masala, none of the usual flamboyance of Hindi cinema, or the neatly ordered endings that the masses clamor for. The first half was a breeze as we watch Karthik justly asserting himself, and the nasty people getting their comeuppance. This is also where happy Karthik sings all the melodious songs with Shonali.
The second half where all the serious stuff happens drags a bit, and there is need of some strong editing here. Attention spans are limited, and the camera pans a little too long on shot endings, which lessens impact and takes away some of the tautness that a thriller must have to work.
Farhan is easy to watch as down-trodden Karthik. He just as easily transforms to suave, confident Karthik – really some very fine acting. Deepika is lovely as Shonali, and while she probably is a bit understated (as she almost always is), she still does very well. Ram Kapoor who seems to be expanding in girth every time I see him on screen (big and small) plays a rather clichéd character Mr.Kamath; the nasty boss done to the hilt. He shouts, threatens, swaggers and insults and that’s pretty much his role. There’s also Shefali Shah as Dr. Kapadia, the bespectacled psychiatrist, and she is adequate in her small role.
For a first film, director Vijay Lalwani does a pretty good job, the biggest flaw in this film being it’s editing. In this thriller, the telephone is the chosen instrument of torture. And while there is some ominous buildup everytime our hero reaches out to take the call, it takes too much time to do anything. It’s like the camera is thinking about panning, while we the audience are already at the scene! Classic camera lag – bad for any fringe horror film worth it’s salt. Lovingly lingering camera shots are good for romantic fluff, or serenely beautiful films which hint at the meaning of life. For a thriller, we’d expect more snap and crackle, and short bristling takes.
It might be that the story is not totally sound, but it also feels like Lalwani hasn’t quite figured out how to make a thriller feel like one. KCK while adequate, lacks the intensity so needed for this genre. The ending is a bit ho-hum, although logical once you wrap your mind around it, and the film itself is little under-whelming. You’d want a thriller, even a subtle one, to get in your face, and wrest from you your undivided attention. KCK can’t do that, because it’s not a tight, taut package.
This movie is still worth a watch, if you need some spooky-time, or a break from the usual masala-fare.

Arjun Rampal to play villain opposite SRK in Ra.1

By now its common knowledge that Shah Rukh Khan and Arjun Rampal are close friends. The duo have starred together in super-hit films like Don and Om Shanti Om. Shah Rukh even made a fleeting appearance in Arjun's home production I See You that released a few years ago. Now SRK and Arjun Rampal will once again be seen together in Shah Rukh's home production Ra.1 to be directed by Anubhav Sinha.
While Shah Rukh plays a super-hero kind of a character in the film, the buzz is that Arjun will be playing his nemesis. The sci-fi film which is expected to go on floors very soon features Kareena Kapoor as the female lead.

82nd Oscars : The Winners Are !

Actor: Jeff Bridges, 'Crazy Heart'
Actress: Sandra Bullock, 'The Blind Side'
Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, 'Inglourious Basterds'
Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, 'Precious'
Director: Kathryn Bigelow, 'The Hurt Locker'
Foreign Film: 'El Secreto de Sus Ojos', Argentina
Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, 'Precious
Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, 'The Hurt Locker'
Animated Feature Film: 'Up'
Art Direction: 'Avatar'
Cinematography: 'Avatar'
Sound Mixing: 'The Hurt Locker'
Sound Editing: 'The Hurt Locker'
Original Score: “Up", Michael Giacchino
Original Song: "The Weary Kind (Theme From 'Crazy Heart')" from 'Crazy Heart', Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Costume: 'The Young Victoria'
Documentary Feature: 'The Cove'
Documentary (short subject): 'Music by Prudence'
Film Editing: 'The Hurt Locker'
Makeup: 'Star Trek'
Animated Short Film: 'Logorama'
Live Action Short Film: 'The New Tenants'
Visual Effects: 'Avatar'

Big B, Guru Dutt among 25 Asian legends of silver screen

Bollywood legends Guru Dutt, Nargis, Meena Kumari, Amitabh Bachchan and Pran have been named in the list of CNN’s top 25 Asian actors of all time released ahead of the Oscar night Sunday.
With five actors listed, India tops the list featuring actors from India, China, Pakistan, Japan, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea.
“In the history of the Academy Awards, only two Asians have ever taken home a Best Actor or Actress statue (we don’t count Ben Kingsley as true Asian),” said CNN announcing the list celebrating “the top Asian legends of the silver screen.
“Yet Asia has produced incredibly talented thespians that have changed the course of their nation’s cinematic history.”
Guru Dutt has been “frequently compared to Orson Welles for directing and starring in films that ushered in a golden era of Hindi cinema. Because of his soulful acting, Guru Dutt’s ‘Pyaasa’ and ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ are now included among the greatest Indian films of all time”.
Dutt’s best role was listed in “Pyaasa” (1957), a story of a struggling poet in post-independence India, produced, directed and starred by him.
“Amitabh Bachchan’s deep voice and broodiness immortalised him as the ‘angry young man’ of 1970s Bollywood. Although films such as ‘Sholay’ made him an action hero, he also successfully played comic and romantic leads,” CNN said.
Bachchan’s best role role is listed as Inspector Khanna in “Zanjeer” (1973) cemented his image as a dark and deep character, triggered to explode.
Pran, CNN said, is “the pre-eminent villain of Hindi cinema, appearing in over 350 films (typically listed last in the opening credits as “…and Pran.”) He was equally at ease playing a powerful lord or an impoverished villager. So great is his notoriety as a villain that some Indian parents dare not name their sons Pran.”
“Upkaar Upkaar” (1967) demonstrated Pran’s versatility and earned him a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, CNN noted. He surprised audiences by playing a good Samaritan and singing the chart-topping “Rishte naate pyar wafaa sab”.
“From the 1940s to 1960s, the beautiful Nargis starred in many commercially successful as well as critically acclaimed films. Because of her versatility and natural expression, she is regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema,” CNN said.
“Nargis stole the show in the Oscar-nominated ‘Mother India’ (1957), known as the Indian ‘Gone with the Wind.’ She plays a strong-willed woman, Radha, who survives tragedy after tragedy,” CNN noted.
Meena Kumari, the channel noted, is famous for playing grief-stricken parts that mirrored the sufferings in her private life.
Dubbed “The Tragedy Queen”, Kumari starred in more than 90 films in a career that spanned from 1939 to her premature death by cirrhosis in 1972. Many of her works, such as “Baiju Bawra” and “Parineeta”, are considered classics today, it said.
Meena Kumari’s “troubles in ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’ (1962) were eerily similar to her own: alcoholism, destructive relationships, the yearning to be understood”, CNN said describing it as her best role.
Two actors from Pakistan, Mohammad Ali and Zeba Bakhtiar, have made it to the list.
Zeba also starred in Bollywood film “Heena”, a cross-border love story between an Indian boy and a Pakistani girl.
India is followed by China, which has three names in the list Zhou Xun, Gong Li and Ruan Lingyu, the faces of Chinese silent cinema.

Shah Rukh’s top seller in US with record haul

Washington, “My Name Is Khan” has set a new all-time career record for Shah Rukh Khan by becoming the Bollywood star’s top-grossing film in North America with total sales of $3,635,000 after 17 days of release.
The film Sunday surpassed Khan’s old record of $3,597,372 for 2007’s “Om Shanti Om” and continues to play in 119 theaters across the US and Canada in its third week of play.
On Feb 22, after only 11 days of release, “My Name Is Khan” also became the highest grossing film ever for director Karan Johar beating the $3,275,444 of 2006’s “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” which starred Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta and Abhishek Bachchan.
A week earlier, with a Sunday sale of $761,000, “My Name Is Khan” recorded the highest one-day gross ever for any Hindi-language film in North America.
The film’s Feb 12-14 opening weekend sales of $1,939,000 was again a new record for a Hindi film beating the $1,764,131 of 2007’s “Om Shanti Om.”
With an estimated four-day opening weekend figure of $2,275,000, it was the fastest Hindi film ever to break the $2,000,000 mark. It beat the previous record of 5 days set in December by “3 Idiots” which grossed $2,149,227 in its five-day opening over the Christmas holiday weekend.
In North America, “My Name Is Khan” was distributed by Fox Searchlight and marketed by Box Office Guru.