Probably the only scene with sense in Salman Khan’s latest film ‘Hello’ got snipped at the hands of, may I say, our Stone Age-d Censor Board. The scene in reference is the one where actor Gul Panag asks co-star Sharman Joshi whether he is carrying a condom before they have sex.

As absurd it may sound, but the Censor actually committed the crime of stupidity. When on one hand, we get to see soooooooooo many ads on radio and TV urging us to talk about sex freely to avoid health hazards and unplanned pregnancies. After all, if the public outlook does not change we might soon be the country with largest AIDS cases in the world and of course, largest population too. Then recently, weren’t we hearing all those ‘condom, condom’ ringtones?

Read the rest of this entry »

I really didn’t expect that I would be reviewing Abhishek Bachchan’s latest debacle of a fantasy film ‘Drona’ had it not been for this article on Indiatimes. Well, the writer feels that Indians suffer from a Hindi film ‘inferiority’ complex (ya, the ‘inferiority’ is amiss in the original sentence) and so cannot appreciate brave attempts by desi directors. He goes on to draw a parallel between some recent crappy fantasy films of Hollywood like ‘The Mummy Part 3’ and ‘Wanted’.

Well, honestly I did not like either and the same goes for ‘Drona’ too. I can’t seem to understand that aren’t directors the least bit embarrassed to steal popular film plots (that are like epics), add their own masala (unrequired, of course) and create a complete disaster!

What made Abhishek (or even Jaya Bachchan for that matter) accept this film?
a. OK, the Bachchans wanted to launch Abhi baby as the next super hero what with Krissh stealing all the limelight (wonder when they will stop comparing their bonny boy to Hrithik). But why the Harry Potter theme? Did they actually think we’d be that stupid to fall for it!
b. Why use a phirang land? Honestly, I was kicked about this film when the trailers began showing in because I thought this film would probably take us back into mythological times. But no, all illusions were shattered.
c. What made the ultra modern chick Priyanka Chopra talk in ‘shudh’ Hindi. The recurring references to her father as ‘bauji’ were completely out of sync. I think ‘dad’ would have been more apt or else she should have worn a different outfit altogether.
d. Kay Kay Menon…just why in the world did you become Riz Raizada? A total let down.
e. The songs….ugggghhhh! As the fantasy mood began to be developed, a song would come and interrupt. On top that, they weren’t even hummable.
f. About Jaya Bachchan? Actually, I just sat and cringed through her cranky song of ‘ma-beta milan’.

That’s what I thought in the 40 minutes that I could tolerate ‘Drona’ for. After that, I decided to walk out of the movie theatre.

Sharon Stone has been the daughter of controversy ever since she crossed or didn’t cross her legs in that notorious movie a couple of decades ago, which we all know. The smoking blonde has always managed to gain publicity whether negative or positive. This time however, she has gained a lot of negative publicity thanks to her bad mothering skills, which apparently are as much in mess as her. Californian officials have criticized and also rejected her request to change her child’s custody arrangements.

They have blamed her for overreacting to her son Roan’s medical issues. The court was especially infuriated with Stone’s suggestion that her son must be treated with botox as his feet were smelly. Now it has also come to notice that Bronstein will have complete custody over the boy and Stone may just have to worry endlessly if he would be taken care of by the jubilant father properly. The crux of the matter is not the custody of the child or Stone concern for her son’s health but the fact that celebrities usually end up over reacting to every tiny incident no matter what.

Probably, the entire attention and media glare showered and sometime forced upon them make them notice even small changes and worry about that endlessly. Probably the celebrities must be left alone and allowed to live a life in privacy. And the ones that like to be in the media glare are best avoided.

Image

Via: IMDB

Sometimes, a busy life and an equally attention providing lifestyle can make one seek solace in things that are more mundane and banal. Take the example of Leonardo DiCaprio. He recently admitted that he would like to settle down and take a break from it all. In fact, the guy has been so much under the spotlight that he probably needs to become a hermit. Leo is tired of traveling around the world and living on the movie sets and he feels that he has lost the meaning of life and what it is like to get married, have a family and settle down.

He has been dating the Israeli model Bar Rafaeli on and off and he has many a times spoken against marriages. However, the fact that now he is interested in settling down suggests something else about marriage and the institution of family. It could be a refuge where you take rest and relax, after having loads of fun elsewhere. In fact, it has been proven scientifically that those that have been professionally, sexually and socially active in their younger days look for the quiet and calm a marriage and family provides.

It must have something to do with our evolutionary process. Propagate the genes as much as possible when you are young, and once you get old, you will need to relax and be at home and make way for younger genes.

Image

Via: IMDB

If you had been wondering from where all the heroin of the world comes, it must not be too difficult to guess. It’s from the most troubled nation on earth, Afghanistan. The country depends literally on the money that comes from the sale of homegrown opium and poppy and also the derivatives like heroin and morphine. These narcotics make way to Western Europe through the neighboring Tajikistan.

Just 13 hours ago, many afghan smugglers were killed in a shootout in Tajikistan when they were caught red handed smuggling heroin into Tajikistan’s borders. These drugs after reaching France, Germany and elsewhere, are sold at exorbitant prices. What I fear is that the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan has actually encouraged the Afghan opium farmers to grow more as lawlessness has increased many folds after the Americans have entered.

Only through proper negotiations with the U.N. and afghan government can the drug route and trade be blocked. I wonder how things will go in the near future. Though listening to the news of the smugglers being shot dead isn’t a very pleasant one, it may just have the right thing to do, for the Tajik forces, whose land is being used as a transit for drug delivery to Europe.

Via: AfghanConflictMonitor

There has been a lot of discussion about men going bald and losing charm. However, if there is a standing example to the fact that hair really doesn’t matter as long as someone is really capable of attracting attention through other ways, it has to be Fran Healy from the Scottish alternative rock band Travis. The man behind singles like ‘Why does it always rain on me’, ‘Sing’, and many others, has publicly stated that he doesn’t worry about getting old or not looking as great as he used to.

Well, I couldn’t agree more with such great music he and the guys make and also his deep blue eyes. I just wish Travis’ new album ‘Ode to J. Smith’ gets released soon and we can listen to what is being called the greatest alternative rock album to be released in 2008. The album has already received critical acclaim and a favorable critical mood.

For now, I would say baldness or any other matter really doesn’t matter as long as a man remains committed to his true mission and talents, be it music or politics or sports. Showbiz unfortunately has concentrated more upon a celebrity’s looks rather than the talent behind what makes him or her a celebrity.

Image

Via: GodsInTheTVZine

India cinema will soon be world cinema what with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group forming independent collaborations with prominent Hollywood names like Steven Spielberg and Ashok Amritraj. I think this attempt shall take Bollywood to a whole new level altogether, maybe it will now be called ‘Globallywood’. We have talent and now with the perfect international packaging, the films will be watched by a mixed global group. No wonder Anil Ambani has stepped forward to invest his money because the returns will be huge. The song-dance routine and traditional Indian values integral to Hindi movies have always been appreciated abroad. Now the approach will be a bit more international with the content being desi.
Amritraj calls the endeavour blending the world. He wants his films to overcome the cultural bridge and bring everyone together to celebrate life. His first film with Reliance is called ‘The Other End of the Line’ starring Jesse Metcalfe aka John Rowland of ‘Desperate Housewives’ and Shriya of ‘Sivaji: The Boss’ fame. The film also features Anumap Kher and is shot in Mumbai and San Francisco. It will be released in America on October 31.
Via economictimes

Finally, the sexual crime against men is being talked about in India. And who better than Bollywood to deal with the issue! Haven’t we heard of hundreds of ragging stories in college boy’s hostels where newcomers were asked to strip off completely, and some unfortunate ones even ending up getting raped? Well, no one’s really bothered to bring up issues like these before probably because we live in a male-dominated society. So quite obviously, the ‘superior male’ cannot be raped or abused; even the idea is completely unacceptable for the typical Indian mindset. But we all know how wrong they are. So you can see how the male domination goes against both women and men as well.
Scriptwriter Manish Gupta, a product of the RGV factory, is ready to don the director’s hat with his film ‘Hostel’. And nobody is going to witness a chocolaty college romance here but a grim tale of sexual abuse that male students are subjected to. Manish had been wanting to make a movie on this subject for a long time now. Apparently during his engineering college days, he once came across a male rape victim, who gave an expression as if he just died when asked if the rumours about his rape were true. As a positive step, the censors have cleared the film.
Quite a paradigm shift for India here, I must say. After all talking about a social evil is as good as preventing it.
Via delhitimes

Does homosexuality really stand against Indian culture? Studies beg to differ. Apparently, it were the British who imposed a ban on gays (150 years ago) while Hindu, Buddhist and early Muslim cultures were tolerant towards same-sex relationships.  And now the gays in India demand that the British apologise to them. But are the goras really to blame? C’mon haven’t the British become homosexuality friendly? It’s us, the Indians who have chosen to lag behind.
Who can forget the treatment meted out to ‘Fire’, the first film to depict homosexuality in India, 1998? The Shiv Sena stated that they would have been okay if the characters had Muslim names instead of Hindu. Even a sleazy film like ‘Girlfriend’ (it was film made for vouyeristic pleasure, but I am all for the rights of a film to be screened peacefully) was asked to pulled down as it depicted scenes that went against Indian values.
Then again, the moral policing done by the cops has indeed crossed the lines of decency and human rights. Now, you can’t even hold hands without getting a rebuke from the man in khaki. Here we are talking about their attitude towards heterosexuality. Imagine what it must be like to be gay in India. Listen you cops, don’t you have criminals to catch on to? There are far more important issues that need to be addressed by the self-proclaimed preservers of Indian society than pummel homosexuals.
Via nitawriter

Aamir Khan accepts awards on his own terms. How else will you explain possibly the first ever Indian film award that the acclaimed actor received himself! The country sat in shock yesterday when Khan graciously accepted the 11th Golapudi award for ‘Taare Zameen Par’ from film veteran K Balachander.
We have grown up listening about Khan’s anathema of awards because he doubts the authenticity of the selection and winning process. Well, he isn’t the only one to believe that. The reigning clout in Bollywood does seem to take the call on who should get the award and who should not. But aren’t times changing a little. C’mon SRK doesn’t bag an assured award every year. I don’t mean to target him as I’m a loyal fan. But thinking objectively, there have been breaks in his award-winning career that suggests the growing transparency in the Indian award system.
We all know Aamir made an exception once before the Golapudi when he participated in the Oscars in 2001 with his film ‘Lagaan’. On that note, I would like to ask Aamir how transparent does he think the Oscars are? C’mon after Heath Ledger’s death people have already declared him a winner at the Oscar this year. Why? Maybe the scandal involved in his death, could be one reason, I’m not sure.  
My point is, Aamir films are about pleasing the masses or should I say popularity that it enjoys. The awards cannot be decided along a strict guideline. It’s the ‘clicking’ that usually works because we are talking about the art of filmmaking here. So, why don’t you give Indian film awards a chance? Make an appearance at award functions and please your fans. Frankly, we are quite tired of Sajid Khan poking fun at your poster and of you not ‘giving permission to show a clip of TZP in a film nomination’ in awards hosted by SRK and SAK.
Via ibnlive