Friday, April 30, 2010

Asin Youth icon of kerala


Southern siren Asin who seems to be winning one accolade after another has just added another feather to her cap.

The Ghajini girl has won the title of "Youth Icon of Kerala" - following a public voting poll that was conducted over a period of 15 days.

"The poll was conducted for over 15 days and involved a lot of personalities - Asin came out the reigning winner since she is intelligent and representative of the thinking youth. She is talented, beautiful and has done Kerala proud," said a source.

Asin was bestowed with the honour in the presence of the who's who of Southern Film Fraternity, political leaders, and Cultural Affairs Ministers.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Sandra receives another apology from her husband



Hollywood star Sandra Bullock has received another apology from husband Jesse James' alleged mistresses.

Stripper Melissa Smith, who claims to have had an affair with the motorcycle entrepreneur after meeting online via social networking website MySpace, sent a fax to the Oscar-winning actress saying she was sorry for the pain and hurt she had caused, celebrity website TMZ online reported.

A copy of the document obtained by the website shows Melissa wrote, "I felt I needed to reach out to you and tell you how deeply sorry I am for everything that you've been through."

"And I know nothing I can say in this letter is going to make the pain of my actions go away. I am sorry for any hurt or pain that I have caused you. My actions of engaging with a married man are unforgivable. I never meant you any harm. I compromised my beliefs on several occasions and as a result will never forgive myself," she further wrote.

Melissa wrote that she would welcome her getting in touch, adding, "Please contact me if you wish to discuss on the phone or in person."

Melissa is not the first of James' reported extra-marital lovers to have sent their apologies to Sandra.

Tattoo model Michelle 'Bombshell' McGee, who claims to have had an 11-month affair with the father-of-three, wanted to show Bullock how sorry she is for her actions but was adamant James is the one who should take most of the blame.

"Sandra, I'm sorry for your embarrassment. I'm sorry all this is public. I'm sorry for everything. I feel like I was duped just as much as Sandra was. I feel like I was lied to just as much as she was. If Jesse was upfront with me in the beginning, we wouldn't be in this situation," McGee had
said.

James, who is currently in rehab receiving treatment for sex addiction, has been accused of having at least two other affairs.

Bullock and James married in 2005 and sources say the 45-year-old beauty is ready to divorce him once he completes his rehab stint.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Alicia SilverStone Desperate to become a Mother



Hollywood actress Alicia Silverstone is desperate to become a mother as she has fallen in love with pregnancy after portraying a young lover in the hit Broadway play Time Stands Still.

The Clueless star donned a fat suit for her role as a pregnant woman in the critically acclaimed production, and she insists the prop has kickstarted her maternal feelings, People reported online.

"Wearing a pregnancy suit was so much fun. I loved the feeling of pretending to be pregnant and having little arms and legs and this big belly," Silverstone said. The 33-year-old actress is married to musician Christopher Jarecki and will celebrate her fifth wedding anniversary with him on June 11. "I've been wanting to have a baby since I was 2 years old I'm destined to be a mother. I can't wait to be pregnant," Silverstone said.

The American beauty is currently shooting for upcoming comedy Butter

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

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Monday, April 26, 2010

Shilpa Shot continuosly for a reality show




Shilpa Shetty had a tough time shooting for her upcoming reality show Zara Nach Ke Dikha when she had to shoot for 22 hours at a stretch.

"Started shooting for Zara Nach Ke Dikha. Shot for 22 hours at a stretch. There was a technical glitch and had to shoot two episodes as to get the combination dates of all artists again would have been impossible before the cut off... well our lives are not as glamorous as they look!" she wrote on her blog.

The show, set to go on air from May 1, will see TV actors and actresses competing with each other on the dance floor.

The girl's team include Aditi Gupta, Hazel Crowney, Kritika Kamra, Mukti Mohan, Rakhi Sawant, Rashmi Desai, Sangeeta Ghosh, Sanjeeda Sheikh, and Sparsh Khanchandani.

The boys participating in the show are Aamir Ali, Abhishek Avasthi, Angad Hasija, Karan Kundra, Kapil Nirmal, Aksshat Seluja, Siddhesh Pai, Sushant Rajput and Ayesh Khedekar.

Apart from Shilpa, the judges panel also includes actor Arshad Warsi and choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant.

Shilpa had earlier judged celebrity dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. 

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Aish is a strong woman in raavan



Aishwarya Rai started her film career with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Iruvar in 1997, but says she feels "confident" about doing more Tamil films only now after the multilingual Raavan with the National Award winning director.

"I understand a bit of Tamil and speak a bit of it. For me, it is very important that I understand the meaning of my dialogues before I deliver them. I can't just mug up the dialogues. So for Raavan, I made sure I knew what I was saying and yes, I have improved a lot on the language and I am confident about doing more Tamil stuff in future," Aishwarya said.

"After Raavan, it was like - 'Come on! Bring on Robot (now Endhiran)," she told reporters at the music launch of Raavan.

Raavan

Aishwarya plays Ragini, a classical dance teacher. The first look into the movie shows her dancing gracefully in a song where she has been picturised getting cosy with Vikram, who plays her husband in the Hindi version of the film.

One mention of how beautiful the dance moves looked, and Aishwarya said: "Aww...Thank you so much."

Talking about her role, she said: "This was an extremely challenging role for me. To shoot it in Hindi and Tamil at the same time was quite a task. But the experience was so wonderful that if Mani sir asks me, I am ready to do it all over again."

According to the 36-year-old, her role was a discovery and a mystery.

"Ragini is a strong woman and very relatable to the modern Indian woman. She speaks her mind. I say discovery because we kept discovering fantastic locations and got to see so many places. We used to trek every morning to be on the sets

"The role remained a mystery because I was playing the leading lady and there I was with no make-up, no fancy clothes and all drenched in rain with mud all over. But that's what Mani sir expects from us to keep it all as real as it can get," she said.

Aishwarya says they used to give shots with "snakes a whisper away" and that they "must have donated blood to 300 leeches".

"All in all, it was an incredibly original experience. It was almost like being on a Fear Factor show," she added.

The movie, co-produced by Reliance BIG Pictures and Madras Talkies, is expected to release June 18.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

A film to be made on Indo-Canadian Girl



Academy-award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon has teamed up with Canadian producers to make a film on the shocking murder of Reena Virk, an Indo-Canadian teenager.

Witherspoon's company, Type A Films, has partnered with Canadian companies Brightlight Pictures and Rhombus Media to make a film on Vrik, who was beaten and drowned in Victoria city near here in 1997, the Globe and Mail reported.

Titled Under the Bridge, the film is based on the 2005 book by Rebecca Godfrey of the same name.

"Rebecca's book is a stunning and heartbreaking tale that looks at a very dark side of teenage life. We are committed to bringing Under the Bridge to the big screen and making a film that does this story justice," said Jennifer Simpson, Witherspoon's partner in Type A, in a statement.

Godfrey's book investigates circumstances leading up to Virk's brutal death and the aftermath of it.

The 14-year old girl was bullied by a group of eight teenagers (seven girls and one boy). The names of six of the girls involved in the first beating, known collectively as "the Shoreline Six," have not been released.

She was beaten second time by Warren Glowatski and Kelly Ellard from the group, who again beat her and drowned her in Victoria city.

Glowatski was given a life sentence after being convicted of second-degree murder in the case.

The Virk family came to Canada from Ambala city in
Haryana in 1979.

The announcement about the cast, director and writer will be made within the next two months. The production on the film is expected to begin in 2011 in British Columbia, with a release date set for 2011/2012.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Keira Knightley to work for a Periodic Drama


Matt Damon is all set to star alongside Keira Knightley for a new period drama Tender Is The Night.

The movie is an adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's classic of the same name.

The Invictus star will reportedly play the role of a talented young doctor called Dick Diver, living on the French Riviera in the 1920s with his wife.

A director is yet to be attached to the project, which will be produced by 20th Century Fox, Contactmusic reported. 

The movie, which so far has only a script written by David Nicchols, tells the tale of Dick as he goes through life, weighing up different issues in his mind such as his wife's wealth.

The film does not have a release date as yet. The female lead has been offered to Knightley who is said to be keen to star with the American star. 

Damon recently admitted he has such a busy schedule this year he doesn't plan on taking any time off.

"I want to direct someday and I can't really pass up the chance to work with the people I'm getting to work with.

I've worked with Paul Greengrass three times now, and Clint Eastwood twice, and Steven Soderbergh five or six times, and the Cohen Brothers this month. As long as that keeps happening, I can't see myself taking time off, unless the work dried up

Monday, April 19, 2010

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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Avatar 2- Ready and set to start in Ocean



Filmmaker James Cameron has now set his eyes on making the sequel to his sci-fi 3D blockbuster Avatar, which will move from the lands to the water with focus on Pandora's ocean.

The 55-year-old director has outlined where he sees the adventures of Jake, Neytiri and the rest of the Na'vi race heading in the sequels to the highest-grossing film of all-time.

"We created a broad canvas for the environment of film. That's not just on Pandora, but throughout the Alpha Centauri AB system. And we expand out across that system and incorporate more into the story not necessarily in the second film, but more toward a third film," Cameron said.

"Part of my focus in the second film is in creating a different environment a different setting within Pandora. And I'm going to be focusing on the ocean, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative, but it just won't be a rain forest. I'm not saying we won't see what we've already seen; we'll see more of that as well," he added.

Cameron admits the challenge ahead of him is to make the next film in less time, spending lesser amount of money, Los Angeles Times reported.

"The challenge on the next Avatar is to do what we did before at half the price and in half the time. Again, that's an impossible goal, we won't accomplish that, but if we can reduce by 25 per cent in both categories, we'll have really accomplished something," he said.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Genelia shares her Melbourne experience


There were attacks on Indian students in Australia in the recent past. But Genelia D’Souza says she finds Melbourne a safe mutli-cultural haven and she likes a lot shooting in the exotic locales in and around the Australian city.

Says the actress, who is shooting in Melbourne for her ‘Orange’, “I personally think it's a great city. I feel safe here. There are always some unsafe places everywhere in the world and not just in Australia.”

Singing paeans on the beauty of the country, she says, “Australia is amazing. The real beauty is that it is so multicultural and so cosmopolitan. You can see different people at one place here. I have had a lot food.”

On the attacks made on Indians, she says, “It is sad that some violent incidents have happened in Australia and Indians have been targeted. But I feel very safe. I have been riding on the trams and enjoying the multi-cultural cuisine on offer.”

Genelia, who is currently acting in a Tamil film titled ‘Uthamaputhiran’, opposite Dhanush, recently met Bronwyn Pike, the Education Minister of the State of Victoria and told him she is enjoying exploring the city.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Emily Blunt to wed next month


British actress Emily Blunt is planning to wed her fiance John Krasinski in a grand ceremony next month.

The 'Devil Wears Prada' actress is busy finalising her nuptials to 'The Office' star, and the wedding will take place in either London or Los Angeles, reported E! Online.

"They'll get married in about a month. She is planning the wedding right now and is down to the last-minute details. They picked up their wedding bands yesterday. It will be a big wedding," said a source close to the couple.

However, Blunt is yet to decide on her wedding dress and has tried on several designer gowns.

"She looked at Monique Lhuillier and Vera Wang. She is definitely considering Monique Lhuillier," added the source.

The couple, who began dating in November 2008, announced their engagement last August but didn't give any details about the proposal.

The couple have been extremely tight-lipped about their romance, even arriving at the Screen Actors Guild Awards separately last January.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

DISCLOSURE POLICY

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.The owner of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact kutty1510@gmail.com

Keira worked pennyless in her latest flick


British actress Keira Knightley worked penniless in her latest film, 'Maze', by the painter turned filmmaker Stuart Pearson Wright because she just clicked with his ideas.

The 23-year-old beauty appears as Elizabethan lover Constance in 10-minute short film 'Maze' which features the actress and her lover played by the artist in full period
costume, lost in a maze trying to find each other and was shot in one day for just 15,000 pounds, The Independent reported.

"I loved the idea of doing something that was purely creative, weird and wonderful and not a commercial venture. Ideas were emailed and then developed at Stuart's studio over cupcakes and tea, and under the skeleton of his dog, and a film piece was decided on: a collision of our worlds," Knightley said.

The filmmaker too insists he was pretty hesitant initially to work with a star like Knightley in his debut film, but she instantly put him at ease.

"I was impressed Keira agreed to do the film straight away. She had the humility to take direction from somebody who
lacked experience. She was as un-diva like as anybody could be, because she is so down to earth. She is not into playing the whole star game. She genuinely loves acting and I think she gives a great performance, in this film, in a very uncomfortable dress," Stuart said.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Barbarra Mori About Kite



Even as Hrithik Roshan's sizzling chemistry with Mexican actress Barbara Mori has created enough buzz about their forthcoming film Kites, the actor's father and producer Rakesh Roshan says he wasinitially hesitant to sign her on.

When Rakesh and director Anurag Basu first met Barbara for Kites story narration in Los Angeles, the actress just had inch long hair as she had gone completely bald for her role in a Spanish film.

She had just completed shooting for her film Cosas Insignificantes (Insignificant Things) that spoke of the intricacies of human relations.

Barbara had shaved her head to express solidarity with her son who loses hair in the film due to cancer. Rakesh admits that when he saw his future heroine with only one inch long hair, he was hesitant to sign her on.

"I was aghast," said Rakesh. "I asked her how we would shoot with her six months down the line, but she was confident that her hair would grow or else she suggested that she would put hair extensions," he said.

Director Anurag added, "Barbara looked beautiful in short hair too. I had an option to have her with short hair in 'Kites', but in our industry actresses generally don't have short hair."

"So later when she came to India, we did some look tests with Barbara in short hair and also with hair extensions and she looked even prettier in long hair," Anurag said

Monday, April 12, 2010

By-Products Costing meaning & Features

When two or more products are simultaneously produced in a process and one of them has comparatively high value and other significantly low value, the former is main product and the later is by-product.The following are the main features of by-products

There may be one or more by-product in addition to the main product from the same process.
By-products are relatively small value.
They may be sold and as when they are obtained.
They may also further processed to enhance their value.
Main product is produced in larger quantities and the by-product are usually low in quantity and value.

There is always the possibility that what is considered as a by-product one stage may become a joint product or even the main product at a later date due to the change in market conditions.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Absent Piece Of Flesh


Amma,
I reserve the right to call you thus,
To make you remember I was born,
From the flesh and blood of a womb your own,
Seeped in your sweat, the fluids of your loins,
That I was not bloodied, unwanted flesh
To be smothered with my first faltering cry.

Amma,
I remember the night all too well,
The hut at the edge of the village,
The howling winds, the darkened sky,
The pillow that pressed over my mouth,
The black night descending to my eyes,
My legs and arms dancing in the throes of death,
I remember the cord that joined me to you,
Still intact while I slowly turned blue.

Amma,
I cant forget the shadows on your face,
The loathing and the fear creeping in your eyes,
When you first looked between my legs,
And sealed my fate with a shake of the head,
I still dream that there had been,
A smudge of grief somewhere within.

Amma,
Before maggots devour all that is left of me,
And my bones crumble to fine sawdust,
I curse you to think of me every time,
-Of my lolling tongue and my foaming mouth-
While you lie unmoving on your bed,
Under the heaves and brutish grunts of your man,
Hoping for the stars for once to bless,
Your womb with that absent piece of flesh.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

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Genelia Upset with rumours regarding her marriage



Genelia D'Souza is upset with rumours of her wedding with actor Riteish Deshmukh. The actress says she isn't getting married to anyone for the time being.

"To set the record straight, I am not getting married to anyone. I have always maintained that my personal life is not something I would like to discuss. But this time since it was something that would affect my family, I decided to take a stand," said Genelia in a statement released here Tuesday.

"My films and my brands are my priority as of now and I'd like to keep it that way. And if I do decide to settle down, you will hear it from me when as and when it happens," she added.

A tabloid had reported the romance brewed between Genelia and Riteish on the sets of Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003) and that they are planning to get married this year.

"It's rather funny that we have to read about the progress in our lives in the press before we even know it ourselves. I wonder how news like that can be put out without any confirmation from the people whose lives are being discussed," she said.

Genelia is right now looking forward to the release of Chance Pe Dance. She is paired with Shahid Kapoor in the film, which is releasing on Jan 15.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Aishwarya's wish to her Mother-in-law



There is always a buzz which goes around the bachan family.Someway or the other they end up hitting the headlines.Also they are always associated through online networking to most of the people.The whole Bachchan family is associated with some or the other social networking site except Jaya Bachchan. Hence daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai has taken upon herself to convince her mom-in-law to join the micro-blogging site Twitter.

"A big hello from maa, I am insisting her 2 join Twitter," Aishwarya posted on her Twitter account.

While Aishwarya and her actor husband Abhishek are regulars on Twitter, Amitabh Bachchan is an active blogger.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

How to make Dhaba Dal recipe


Ingredients: 200 gm split urad dal
75 gm channa dal
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 rounded tbsp butter
4 tbsp ghee/oil
3 chopped onions
6 chopped green chillies
2 chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp mint leaves/ chopped coriander

Salad
1 sliced onion
1 sliced tomato
1 peeled and sliced cucumber
1 sliced stick of white radish
1 chopped carrot
1 cooked beetroot

Dressing
3 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp roasted ground cumin seeds
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1/2 tsp black salt
1 tbsp roasted pine nuts

Method: Soak lentils in water for 1 hour. Drain. Heat a litre of water. Add lentils, 1 1/2 tbsp of ginger, 1 1/2 tbsp of garlic and butter. Cover and cook until soft. Mash the lentils against the side of the pan.

Heat ghee in a frying pan. Add onions and fry until colored. Add remaining ginger and garlic. Fry for two minutes. Stir in chillies tomatoes and mint. Pour over lentils. Season well. Serve with salad.

For the salad, combine the sliced salad ingredients. Sprinkle on dressing ingredients and serve with dal.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

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Katrina to become hurricane kat next


Actress Katrina Kaif, who is playing an item girl opposite Akshay Kumar in Farah Khan's upcoming film Tees Maar Khan, has been named as "Hurricane Katrina" by the movie team.

The team had a good laugh at the expense of Katrina during a wind storm that took over while they were shooting in Malshej Ghat, a tourist spot near Mumbai.

During the wind storm the team would scream "Hurricane Katrina" and tease the 24-year-old actress.

"Malshej Ghat has these common wind storms and they are pretty strong since they have the strength to blow things off the set. At such times when the shooting would come to a halt the team would gang up and tease Katrina about it," a unit source said.

"We shared a couple of laughs on the sets during the wind storm," the source added.

Farah, who has previously directed blockbusters like Main Hoon Naa and Om Shanti Om with good friend Shah Rukh Khan, had created a stir by casting Akshay in the lead. The film is being produced by Farah's husband, Shirish Kunder.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

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Sharukh : I will dance nude- it was a joke


"Doesn't anyone take a joke anymore," asks Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan after his statement of dancing naked if his team Kolkata Knight Riders wins the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) was blown out of proportion by media.

"Read in some paper that I can be taken to court for my dancing in the buff statement at IPL. When will people develop a sense of humour," the actor posted on his Twitter page.

"I just joked about dancing like that at IPL... obviously I won't even if my team wins. Who does? Doesn't anyone take a joke anymore... ha ha," he added.

The actor didn't even hesitate from cracking another joke on the controversy.

"...from now on I am also bathing with my clothes on, ha ha," he said.

Shah Rukh's team presently ranks sixth in the eight-team IPL-3.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Shutter Island Film Review

Shutter Island takes place off the coast of Massachusetts in 1954. I’m sorry, that should be off the coast of Massachusetts! In 1954! since every detail and incident in the movie, however minor, is subjected to frantic, almost demented (and not always un enjoyable) amplification.

The wail of strangled cellos accompanies shots of the titular island, a sinister, rain-lashed outcropping that is home to a mental hospital for the criminally insane! The colour scheme is lurid, and the camera movements telegraph anxiety. Nothing is as it seems. Something terrible is afoot.

Sadly, that something turns out to be the movie itself, directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted by Laeta Kalogridis from a peculiar contraption of a thriller by Dennis Lehane.

Like Shutter Island in the opening scenes, the full dimensions of the catastrophe come into view only gradually. At first everything is fine, or at least not quite right in a way that seems agreeably intriguing.

Scorsese uses his considerable formal dexterity – his intimate, comprehensive understanding of how sound and image work together to create meanings and moods – to conjure a tingly atmosphere of uncertainty and dread.

The vessel of these anxieties is Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Teddy Daniels, a US marshal taking a ferry ride out to the island to investigate the disappearance of a patient.

DiCaprio, having grown perhaps overly fond of his accent from The Departed, brings it along for the ride, and it spreads through the movie like a contagious disease.

Teddy’s partner (pahtnah), Chuck Aule, played by Mark (Mahk) Ruffalo, is supposed to be from the Pacific Northwest but he seems to have left all his R’s back in Seattle. Michelle Williams pops up in smudgy, color-drenched memories and hallucinations as Teddy’s dead wife, Dolores, her intonations as thick and clammy as chowder.

Those dialect-coached Boston inflections predominate in Shutter Island, but are not the only voices heard on the grounds of the asylum, where the patients perambulate like zombies and the orderlies lurk like vengeful specters.

Ben Kingsley is Dr Cawley, the psychiatrist in charge, with silky upper-crust menace in his voice and a diabolical little beard on his chin. Max von Sydow spouts Freudianisms in insinuating Germanic tones that remind Teddy – and of course not only Teddy – of Nazis, an association that helps to induce gratuitous flashbacks of corpses stacked outside death-camp barracks.

Those images emanate from Teddy’s troubled mind, the status of which is one of the movie’s chief mysteries. There are many others besides. Intimations of conspiracy, supernaturalism, Cold War shenanigans and a whole lot more float around in the atmosphere, which is convulsed by operatically bad weather and the energetic furrowing of DiCaprio’s brow.

As he interviews patients and staff members, trying to figure out how a woman named Rachel Solando could have vanished, barefoot, from her cell, Teddy is plagued by headaches, bad dreams and paranoia. Everyone he talks to seems to be harboring a secret, but what can it be?

Is there some kind of espionage-related psychological experimentation going on? Is it connected in some way to grisly medical research undertaken during the Third Reich? Are Dr Cawley’s methods, which he claims are a humane advance over the cruelty and superstition of the past, really a form of madness in their own right? And what about the strange coincidence that Shutter Island apparently houses the firebug who caused Dolores’ death?

All of these riddles send out tendrils of implication that end up strangling the movie, the plot of which does not so much thicken as clog and coagulate.

Scorsese, ever resourceful, draws on the influence of Alfred Hitchcock, the master of carefully orchestrated psychological confusion, and also nods in the direction of Mario Bava, the Italian horror maestro whose gothic fantasias routinely assert the triumph of sensation over sense.

Scorsese’s camera sense effectively fills every scene with creepiness, but sustained, gripping suspense seems beyond his grasp.

And the movie’s central dramatic problem – the unstable boundary between the reality of Shutter Island and Teddy’s perception of it – becomes less interesting as the story lurches along.

You begin to suspect almost immediately that a lot of narrative misdirection is at work here, as MacGuffins and red herrings spawn and swarm.

But just when the puzzle should accelerate, the picture slows down, pushing poor Teddy into a series of encounters with excellent actors (Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson) who provide painstaking exposition of matters that the audience already suspects are completely irrelevant.

Scorsese in effect forces you to study the threads on the rug he is preparing, with lugubrious deliberateness, to pull out from under you. As the final revelations approach, the stakes diminish precipitously, and the sense that the whole movie has been a strained and pointless contrivance starts to take hold.

There are, of course, those who will resist this conclusion, in part out of loyalty to Scorsese, a director to whom otherwise hard-headed critics are inclined to extend the benefit of the doubt.

But in this case the equivocation, the uncertainty, seems to come from the filmmaker himself, who seems to have been unable to locate what it is in this movie he cares about, beyond any particular, local formal concern.

He has, in the past, used characters whose grasp of reality was shaky – or who stubbornly lived in realities of their own making – as vehicles for psychological exploration and even social criticism. But both Teddy’s mind and the world of Shutter Island are closed, airless systems, illuminated with flashes of virtuosity but with no particular heat, conviction or purpose.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Jiah Khan-Akshay is lucky charm



From heroins like Karisma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon and Shilpa Shetty in the 90's to current beauties Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif, actor Akshay Kumar has proved to be a lucky mascot for many actresses, delivering a number of hits with them.

No wonder, newbie Jiah Khan is hopeful about the prospects of a blooming career post her pairing with Akshay in Housefull.

"Well yes, it's a fact that Akshay Kumar has been a lucky mascot for a lot of actresses over last so many years. However, personally I do believe that everything is not in my hand. I am very spiritual and religious person and so far have believed that God has aided in my journey. It is he (God) who would decide how my journey is going to be in the film industry," Jiah told PTI.

"Of course Housefull is a great prospect for me as well. Akshay is such a huge star and I am one of his leading ladies in the film. Still, the thought of my career seeing a great push after the release of the film is a little scary," said Jiah, who is currently in London.

"Yes, in the past there have been a few things that have gone wrong for me but then I have always believed that this is how God wanted it. If Housefull brings me good work then that would indeed be great. But then I would rather wait for that to happen before making any tall claims," she added.

For the 22-year-old actress, last three years have been quite eventful in Bollywood. After making a beginning with none-other-than Amitabh Bachchan in Ram Gopal Varma's Nishabd (2007), she went on to work along with superstar Aamir Khan in Ghajini (2008).

She apparently shot for a significant portion of the Ken Ghosh directed film Chance Pe Dance opposite Shahid Kapoor, but was later replaced by Genelia D'souza.

Now Jiah arrives in an out and out masala affair like Housefull which is set to hit the theatres on April 30.

"When I look back at the years gone by, I feel I have been truly blessed. I mean to have Big B, Aamir and Akshay as your co-stars in the first three films itself is something that most actors can only dream of.

Akshay has been such a fantastic human being. Whether he is an action hero or a comedian or a serious character or a romantic guy; he is just so superb. I have learnt so much from him as well as Aamir and Amitabh Bachchan during all these years," Jiah said.

It wasn't an easy kick start for her though before she started shooting for Housefull. Since the Sajid Nadiadwala production is her first multi starrer, Jiah was a bundle of nerves working with the cast that includes Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Riteish Deshmukh along with Arjun Rampal, Boman Irani, Chunky Pandey and Randhir Kapoor apart from Akshay.

"That's true, I was really so nervous. I mean Akshay is such a huge star, Riteish has a standing of himself in the industry while Deepika, Lara and others have made a good impact in the industry as well. I have admired them all and I was wondering if I would be able to gel well with them," Jiah said.

"However, all credit to them that they never allowed me to feel aloof or cut off. They were all so mature and professional and loved me to be around them," she added.

Since Housefull has been shot across the globe, it was one big all-expenses paid holiday for the actress.

"Really, I never felt that I was stepping out for work. It was just amazing; more so because I could see so many beautiful locations. Being with the crew was like being a part of the family," Jiah said.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Friday's role in Cinema's release

FRIDAY, the day in which most of the Tamil movies operate their child to be born in the silver screen. This has become a custom with some actual funda behind it. When a movie hits the silver screen on Friday, which is the last working day in India, the production unit rely on the fact that people tend to approach cinema malls during Friday weekend followed by two weekly holidays. Hence, the production unit tosses the movie on Friday to get good profit immediately in the first three days of the release so that it can act as a psychological advantage to showcase the box office report in the news and media sites. Well this year was quite a boon as it started with FRIDAY, 01-01-2010. But unfortunately not many producers were ready to compete with last year biggies, AVATAR which continued to dominate the box office for nearly 8-10 weeks running at packed houses. All we had was just 3 income tax releases on the opening day of the year, namely, Pugaipadam, Thunichal and Nil Kavani Kadhali. No one even knows that these duds were released on the auspicious day of the year but as usual they did their part not to run more than a week doing justice to their producers.

Now comes the Pongal clash with no movies from the leading stars Ajith and Vijay. It was a peaceful Pongal but we had the Magnum Opus Aayirathil Oruvan, the much-awaited release at last hit the silver screen on Pongal, the Tamil New Year. The movie had mixed reviews from the day it was released and it had also created rich interest amongst the audiences of quality cinema who went a step higher in decoding the nuances in the movie. But in the end, Selva has to re operate his child as the audience failed to understand most of the second half and also chopped a few unnecessary scenes. But the movie made a good show in the business and it was clear winner in the Pongal battle with other movies Kutty, Dhanush starrer failing to do enough business and Porkkalam, which was nothing other than waste of money. The other dark horse in the pongal battle was the Capital Cine Work's Naanayam, which earned decent reviews, but the movie failed to run well because of poor marketing.

Moving to the end of the month, we had close to 5 movies with screens swarming to get the biggies. We had the much-publicized Tamizh Padam, a spoof of popular movies. The movie and the marketing strategy has created enough hype to attract the audience with it's pre release interviews and the famous 'Mirchi' Shiva, doing the lead role, which is a in deed quite a controversy role as he had to spoof the most popular heroes of south. But quite surprisingly the team has managed to keep up their expectations and I would say they lived to their expectations. They spoofed in each and every form from the trailers, songs, names and even the newspaper advertisements. Along with Tamil Padam, we had another Production debutant, Soundarya Rajnikanth came with Venkat Prabhu's Holiday 'Goa'. Venkat Prabhu carried the hopes from Chennai 28 and Saroja but this time, it was more close to a spoof and dry humour. The movie didn't do good business in the box office as it lacked in the fundamental story. Not all movies with Prem Ji can fetch you good profit in the box office is what Venkat Prabhu learned from this movie. The movie which created controversy in the internet media, which was leaked in the internet even before the movie hit the silver screen, Jaggubhai, from KSR and Sarath combo with the comedy legend Goundamani getting back to acting also released along with these two movies. When you don't have content, no matter you create as much hype as you can, Tamil audience has been matured enough to place the movie in the garbage when it does not have any content to satisfy their money that they spent. Jaggubhai clears grabs a place in the wastebasket. Now a days, it has become a principle of telecasting trailors imitating Sun Pictures with a few taglines and punch dialogues from the movie. It was 'Vaaaa Daaaaa' with Vettainkaran where Sun Pictures kept shouting in all their channels to promote their production. We had an english version of 'Vaaa Daaaa' with Dhairiyam, P Kumaran starrer shouting 'Come Onnnnnnnnnnn'.

Who can answer the following question? Name the list of theatres in which Dhairiyam was released? Hint: No of days the movie ran is equal to the list of theatres the movie was released.

Perfect month February first witnessed Ajith's Aasal. With no major hopes because of the production company and with not much pre release hype, the movie literally bombarded at the box office. The fans and the neutral audience did not have any relieving factor that they can cherish for except for the factor 'Ajithkumar' and his so-called screen presence. Another humorous part of the movie was the promotion that they made or rather the promotion from an actor to a co-director Ajith kumar. Sluggish dry humour, senseless songs, irrelevant fights, not-at-all-necessary screenplay has made the movie to find the next place in the waste basket. With this, I hope the end of Charan can soon come. A quarter without Sun Pictures? Defintely not, this time they had an interesting impossible combo of Vishal playing a play boy character in TVP - Theeratha Vilayaatu Pillai. Once again, Sun Pictures proved and stand strong in claiming that 'We will promote only movies with rubbish masala'. Can someone please show them quality movies please?

Failed to release on the Valentine's Day, Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya was released towards the end of February. With Gautam's magic the movie stood tall and won several critics and also made good money at the box office. The movie, for the first time had Simbhu with a neat acting and has showcased Trisha as a good and hot heroine. The X factor of the movie is that it made the audience to feel their presence in the movie as it was taken in such a manner that it would have happened in every man's life. Not to forget the Oscar Winner's return to Tamil Cinema after a long gap. The songs are still ruling the box office and each and everyone's hello tune.

The month of March, where every producer scared to release their baby because of the violent IPL season 3 also had a few releases. We had Jai starrer 'Aval Peyar Tamizharasi'. The movie was pretty decent and also did arguable money in the business because of the killer IPL that literally made every human being to sit and watch the match. We also had other few duds like Thambikku Endha Ooru, Veerasekaran, Kumarin Pennin Ullathile and Yaadhu Maagi which won the straight seat in the waste basket. With Chennai Super Kings, literally failing in most of the matches, hope started to shift its focus towards cinema again. At the right time was released Vasantha Balan's Angadi Theru. The movie gave a brilliant portrayal of the Angadi Street and it earned excelled reviews from all corners of the world. With the quarter almost getting over, we wish to see more Angadi Therus and more 1000 in 1 movie to come.