BOLLYWOOD (Hindi)

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'Ferrari Ki Sawaari' producers spend 5 lakh on fruit!

While Shah Rukh Khan has spent over Rs.100 crore on RA.One, the producers of Ferrari Ki Sawaari have splurged Rs.500,000 on arranging sweet limes for a song sequence.

"We were shooting for this song in Mumbai and we were told that because of the off season there aren't enough fruits available for the scene. The crew panicked initially but after a lot of struggle we managed tons of mausambis (sweet limes) for the song sequence," Rajesh Mapuskar, the film's director, said in a statement.

The fruit had to be arranged for a song called Life, which compares life with a fruit like sweet lime. The crew managed to arrange the fruits from wholesale markets at the eleventh hour.

Ferrari Ki Sawaari is about a young father's' endeavour to fulfill his son's dream. It features Sharman Joshi in the lead.

Read more at: 'Ferrari Ki Sawaari' producers spend 5 lakh on fruit!

Read more at: 'Ferrari Ki Sawaari' producers spend 5 lakh on fruit!

[breakingviews]

Downey Jr. hasn't got his due, says Amitabh

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan rates Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr. as one the best in the industry, but feels Chaplin star has not got his due.

"This afternoon as we run through the list of films that appear on the TV screen, we suddenly stop at Chaplin the film directed by Richard Attenborough, with that master with the camera Sven Nykvist and a host of some of the most brilliant actors from the world of cinema," Amitabh posted on his blog bigb.bigadda.com.

"And playing the lead role, that actor who many rate as the best, well I certainly do, Robert Downey Jr. What a performer and what an actor! An actor I feel that has never been given his due. One that perhaps strayed a little due to his drug abuse, but one that has come out of that successfully and still continues to surprise us in film after film," he added.

Downey Jr, 46, made his screen debut in 1970 at the age of five by appearing in his father's film Pound and since then he has featured in string of films like Iron Man, Charlie Bartlett and Sherlock Holmes amongst others.

But there was a dip in his career between 1996 and 2001 as he was frequently arrested on drug-related charges and went through several drug treatment programs.

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Jannat sequel to be called `Blood Money'

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who is coming up with a sequel of his hit film `Jannat', today said it would be called 'Blood Money'.

"BLOOD MONEY is the title for our Kunal Khemu and Amrita Puri film which is directed by a brilliant new director Vishal Mahadkar," Bhatt said on twitter.

In his quest for a suitable title, the filmmaker had yesterday sought help from his fans through twitter.

"I am looking for an attractive title for my new film staring Kunal Khemu and Amrita Puri. HELP!," Bhatt had tweeted last evening.

Earlier, Bhatt had used Twitter to announce the cast. `Jannat', a 2008 film, was directed by Kunal Deshmukh and starred Emraan Hashmi, Sonal Chauhan, Sameer Kochhar and Javed Shaikh in pivotal roles.

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AARAKSHAN GETS A CLEAN CHIT FROM THE CENSOR BOARD: SILENCES THE CRITICS

There has been an immense amount of speculation regarding the censorship of the film, “Aarakshan.” This has stemmed mainly from parties that were concerned that the film would offend people of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes. Even anti-reservation groups were worried, that the film may be too pro-reservation.
There was pressure on the filmmaker Mr. Prakash Jha to show the film to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes prior to the release.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes sent a notice to the Censor Board that the film should not be cleared by the Censor Board without the approval of the Commission.
However, the Censor Board did not comply with this notice. Instead it formulated an expert panel of its own to review the film.
In an unprecedented move, the Censor board set up a committee of experts, who were especially flown down from Delhi to examine the film. The examining committee had a total of nine members and two officials.
Retired Justice Mr. Mukul Mudgal, Chairperson of the Censor Board Ms. Leela Samson, Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Dalit activist Ms. Rajni Tilak were the expert committee members who came from Delhi. The examining committee further comprised members drawn from the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled tribes and Other Backward castes.
Pankaja Thakur, the Regional head of the Censor Board, was also part of the committee.
Drawing on people who specialize in issues related to backward castes, and taking people from the community itself to examine the film, is a very unusual and unprecedented move on the part of the Censor Board.
The Censor Board has passed its verdict – Aarakshan has been given a U/A certificate, without a single cut.
This speaks volumes about the responsibility and sensitivity with which the film has been written and directed. This certification should silence all critics who thought the film will upset the sentiments of people from the backward castes.

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[breakingviews]

It's raining Hits!

July 20, 2011 - 08:08 IST
Is this real? Or am I dreaming? Is it *really* raining Hits in Bollywood? Jokes apart, the tally of flops keeps mounting week after week, so the current phase comes as a complete shocker. Post READY, which embarked on a thunderous start at the ticket window, the business has only shown an upward trend on most Fridays thereafter. The terrific start of DOUBLE DHAMAAL, DELHI BELLY, MURDER 2 and now ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA at the ticket counters has revived the industry and brought cheer. Also add TRANSFORMERS and HARRY POTTER to the list of super openers and one can't stop smiling from ear to ear.

Oh yes, there's fierce rivalry week after week, but it's the survival of the fittest. Besides, it's all about how robust the business is on the opening day, opening weekend and opening week in today's times. Next Friday, a new opponent will not only cut into the business, but also stake claim on the screens and shows at plexes. It's now or never! Of course, the naysayers and eternal pessimists will continue to nitpick, but the glorious phase that the industry is enjoying currently must've come as a rude shock for them too.

Now let's talk of ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA. The business is clearly divided. Multiplexes are rocking. Single screens of urban centres are good/decent, but dull otherwise. But there's no reason to worry. The business of multiplexes has more than compensated for the lack of business at single screens. Recall WANTED. The business from single screens compensated for the lack of business from plexes then. The bottom line is, the film ought to pack a solid total at the end of the day. Whether it comes from plexes or single screens, whether it comes from urban centres or mass belt, whether it comes during weekend or weekdays is not important. Solid total hona mangta hain, boss!

ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA has been lapped up by youngsters and also by the young at heart. And it's so good to see diverse genres being embraced in consecutive weeks: READY, DOUBLE DHAMAAL, DELHI BELLY, MURDER 2, ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA, TRANSFORMERS, HARRY POTTER. 3D works, masala works, urban themes work, out of the box concepts work… we are talking to a far more evolved audience today and this revolution needs to be welcomed.

Also, everyone's talking of ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA economics suddenly. Yes, it's an expensive film. But the distributors [Eros] have to recover the amount from not just India and Overseas theatrical, but also Satellite, Music, Home Video and various non-theatrical avenues. In fact, Eros has recovered 55% of their investment from Satellite and Music rights. Of course, the forthcoming days will decide where ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA eventually stands vis-à-vis the economics, but like they say in filmi parlance, a terrific start signifies winning half the battle.

As for HARRY POTTER, it's all set to emerge one of the biggest hits of the year in India. Like I pointed earlier, film-makers here will now have to be extra careful while announcing the release date of their films. The competition is fierce from not just home-made products, but also Hollywood.

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[breakingviews]

Neil-Asin’s SMS breakup!

A short text message ended the couple’s relationship

Bina Trivedi



Asin Thottumkal broke up with Neil Nitin Mukesh through a text message that simply said: “It’s over”, reveal close friends. Since then, there has been no communication between the two actors, who started out as friends and later began dating. A source reveals, “In any case, they never made their relationship public. Asin had made it very clear that Neil shouldn’t ever talk about them to the press or otherwise. Strangely the two are poles apart — she’s controlling and fiercely ambitious, he’s fun-loving and easy going. Like every other couple, they too had fights; teething problems, if you please. But the real trouble began when Asin started getting close to Salman Khan.” Apparently, Neil had issues with her attending SK’s house parties. When he confronted Asin, she told him to back off. “She was bonding with everyone from John (Abraham) to Akshay (Kumar). Even though all this was for work and to sign big films, Neil felt he was getting sidelined. He raised the issue often but she refused to address it.” Soon, Asin just stopped answering his . calls. “His phone calls and messages . went unanswered for days. Her ‘it’s over’ text was the final nail in the coffin. The two have gone their separate ways since.”


GOT THE MESSAGE? Asin and (inset) Neil Nitin Mukesh.

[GangsteR]

thanx ramjith

[breakingviews]

Reliance home video releases Vikram Bhatt’s ‘Haunted’ on 3D DVD

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By BollySpice Editors
Posted on July 20th, 2011 in Editors, Movies, News


Reliance Home Video launched Vikram Bhatt’s 3D directorial venture ’Haunted‘ on home video today. The launch took place at an exclusive retail event at Planet M, Andheri.
Besides the Director Vikram Bhatt, Haunted’s lead pair Mahakshay Chakraborty and Tia Bajpai were present to formally release the DVD of the film.
Other key members from the cast & crew of Haunted who were present at the event included Achint Kaur, story and screenplay writer Ameen Hajee and music director Chirantar Bhatt.
Haunted is India’s first stereoscopic 3D film and Reliance Home Video brings this 3D experience to home viewers on DVD and BLU Ray.
Speaking on the occasion of the launch, Sweta Agnihotri, COO of Reliance Home Video said “Haunted has been a proven success at the box office, it is amongst the top grosser of 2011. We are now bringing the 3D experience to home viewers with this launch on 3D DVD. Each DVD (priced at Rs. 399/-) comes with 4 3D glasses. Viewing the DVD does not require any special DVD player or 3D. Our association with Vikram Bhatt started with his earlier film 1920 and we look forward to associating with him on his newer ventures as well. ”
A special AV showcasing the film was screened following which Vikram Bhatt addressed the well attended press event and shared his experiences about making of the film. In response to a question from the media, Vikram spoke about the possibility of Haunted 2 in the near future. Vikram also spoke about his plan to enter the 3D fray just to ensure that Haunted got a good response at the box office. “My expectation from Haunted was nothing less than a super hit film”. The audience verdict at the box office has proved Vikram right making Haunted the highest grossing hindi horror film of all time.
The DVD has a special feature on making of the film. A 2D version is also available on VCD and is priced at Rs. 99/- and also comes with 4 sets of 3D glasses. Viewing the DVD does not require any special DVD player or 3D TV.