Bollywood Bites Plus

Shah Rukh Khan celebrates 44th birthday!

Shah Rukh Khan, the badshah of bollywood who turned 44 on Nov 2, celebrated his special day not at his own house ‘Mannat’ but at close friend Sanjay Kapoor’s house in Juhu.

Shah Rukh Khan’s close friends were present on the occasion to greet the reigning Khan of tinsel town at the party. Some of his close friends who were present at Sanjay Kapoor’s house included sizzling hot bollywood babe Kareena Kapoor with beau Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor(who is pregnant) with hubby Sanjay Kapur, ace directors Karan Johar and Farah Khan.

Aryan, Shah Rukh Khan’s young son, was also seen on the occasion wearing a trendy T shirt and a short. The talk of the town is that Karan Johar gifted King Khan a laptop bag and an expensive pair of shoes, while socialite Parmeshwar Goderj sent him a beautiful gift.

Shah Rukh Khan’s party at Sanjay Kapoor’s house was a very intimate and private affair and did not have the usual party goers from the tinsel town. Those present at the party included only close pals of Shah Rukh Khan, whom he trusted completely, perhaps showing his not-so-pleasant equation with many others in bollywood.

It may be recalled that Shah Rukh Khan recently admitted that he had only six-seven close friends in bollywood, and that he was not very good at making close friends. And perhaps this party was true reflection of that fact.

Whatever, but this friendlessness does not affect Shah Rukh Khan’s fan following the world over. After an Australian fan bought a piece of moon for King Khan in space on his birthday, now a fan has bought land in SRK’s name in Scotland.

While King Khan’s fans and well wishers are showering him with gifts, Shah Rukh Khan is himself well aware of his dismal outing in year 2009, and hopes to turn it around in the coming year with some of his biggest films like ‘My Name Is Khan’ and ‘Ra 1’.

Shah Rukh Khan is especially excited about Anubhav Sinha’s ‘Ra 1’, wherein he plays the part of a superhero. In fact, King Khan promises the film to be a treat for children and those fans who love to grand special effects and superman movies.

King Khan is also working on his book ’20 Years of a Decade’ and hopes to complete it very soon.

- - Reeti A

This article first appeared HERE

It’s a diamond ring from Raj to Shilpa!

Shilpa Shetty finally got engaged to her beau Raj Kundra in the witness of close friends and relatives in Raj’s posh apartment in Mumbai. The engagement ring from Raj to Shilpa is a huge diamond that will nearly costs the size of a posh flat in South Mumbai!

After the mangni, now the duo is planning for their wedding which is going to take place at Raj’s friend’s farm house in Khandala and Raj had already ordered for gorgeous designer outfits for Shilpa’s assistants from Manish Malhotra. In the engagement also, Shilpa wore bright pink saree designed by Manish.

Shilpa and Raj’s wedding date has been finalized and it is learnt that as soon as Shamita gets out of the Bigg Boss house, she will directly head to the wedding venue.

- - Reeti A

SRK, Gauri sizzle on the ramp

Badshah of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan and his real Begum Gauri Khan scorch the ramp as they walked together for the first time. They walked the ramp for their best friend Karan Johar at the HDIL India Couture Week. Karan launched his chain of exquisite collection in collaboration with designer Varun Bahl. 

Deepika commented on looking at the dynamic couple, "Oh, they looked wonderful together. It didn't look like Gauri was walking the ramp for the first time, as she was walking with confidence. It was a great show."

Imran Khan and Ranbir Kapoor also rocked the evening dressed in an elegant black outfit. The front row was occupied by Bollywood bigwigs cheering for the couple and they were Hrithik Roshan and Suzanne, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Kajol, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Jaya Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Uday Chopra.

KJo's collection basically targeted to the young generation. "The line is basically formal but has a rock star feel to it. But it is completely wearable," said Johar. His collection consists of every range of clothes from stylish shirts, sherwanis, coats to hot-pants, slim fit trousers and waistcoats.

- - Reeti A

This article first appeared HERE

Amitabh Bachchan Celebrates 67th Birthday!

The Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan celebrated his 67th birthday on October 11, 2009. The birthday celebrations were made incredible by his ardent fans in Mumbai. They gathered outside his residence 'Pratiksha' and prayed for his happiness and future success.

Bachchan celebrated on the eve of his birthday by attending a promotion of his ensuing movie 'Rann'.
The actor in a span of his 40 years career in the film industry has performed some brilliant roles. Bachchan once again came face to face with these very characters played in movies like 'Zanjeer', 'Coolie', 'Shahanshah', 'Namak Halal', which were portrayed through dummies.

The movie 'Rann' deals with the prevailing ethos in the world of journalism. It has taken its inspiration from the bourgeoning Indian media. The movie has delved in various issues involving journalistic integrity, dilemma and professional ethics confronting the business aspect of a media house.

The movie “Rann” has a critical projection of the fourth estate. However Bachchan said that he has deep respect for the ideal journalism, which happens to be the 'eyes and ears of the nation'. But within the way the media functions, there can be developed a story which can have great human value.

The media is the conscience of the nation. What the film deals with is that it’s also a business. Do we
compromise conscience for our business? Do we compromise our business for our conscience?
In the film, Bachchan plays role of a hardcore professional journalist, who runs a private TV news channel. Bachchan added the artiste within him continues to aspire for diverse and demanding roles.

- - Reeti A

This article first appeared HERE

Bollywood Love Story on Oprah

Indian actors, hailing from the Bollywood film industry, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan are the most talked about couple in India, and indeed, the world. Their interview with Oprah aired on the “Meet the Most Famous People in the World” episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Aishwarya Rai, who was crowned Miss World in 1994, went on to become one of Bollywood’s most coveted leading ladies, and has done over 40 films to date, including Pink Panther 2. Abhishek Bachchan is son of Bollywood’s beloved and legendary actors - Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, and has himself achieved superstar status and starred in over 40 films so far.




Abhi and Ash (as they are referred to in India) have over 5 billion fans around the globe. That definitely makes them the world’s most famous couple! In their interview with Oprah, they discussed their relationship, being the most sought after couple in India, and their family values and customs.

It is the norm for Indian couples to live with the husband’s parents in their home, and Oprah didn’t fail to ask the famous couple about their living arrangements with Abhi’s parents.

"It's normal," Ash says. "It's absolutely natural to us. … I lived with my parents before we got married, so it's a natural thing." Abhi added that his grandparents also lived with them before they passed away.

What’s interesting to note are the cultural differences that exist in Indian films as opposed to films in other parts of the world.

"For example, boy meets girl, they fall in love, they want to express their love for each other. So in the West, they would kiss, and they're in love. In India, we have a song," Abhi says. "You have this intimate moment, and suddenly—snap, cut—you're in the mountains singing and dancing!" "It’s fun!" Aishwarya added.

- - Reeti A

This article first appeared HERE

Kajol and Shah Rukh grace cover of Indian Vogue

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the couture version.

Like many of you, there is a special place in my heart for the Karan Johar film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.  To say I loved everything about it is an understatement.  It is the standard by which I measure most Hindi masala films. 

Now, I know that Shah Rukh and Kajol have real lives with real spouses, but in my heart they are eternally Rahul and Anjali, living happily ever after under the gazebo.

That's why I was so thrilled when I saw these pics from the recent Bollywood edition of Vogue India.  I bring them to you courtesy of High Heel Confidential.  Check these out. They blew me away.

Here they are wearing Blumarine. Sigh.

  

Kajol rocking it in Versace.

 

Again Blumarine.

 

In Gucci. Have you ever seen a smoky eye look this good?

 

And for the finale...

  
 
 
 
 

Google Baby

In the world of globalization, who knew that babies would also become commodities! Israeli director, Zippi Brand Frank’s feature documentary Google Baby takes a stark and shocking look at this new commercial trend. It is an offspring of global economics that a baby production business based in Israel sends embryos from USA for surrogate implant to a clinic in Gujarat, India for delivery and pickup. Opening with a statement of how reproduction has become an act independent of sex, Frank moves across three continents like an investigative journalist. However at no point is she judgemental.

Google Baby was screened as part of the Reel to Reel program at the Toronto International Film Festival 2009. The film begins with real life footage of a baby being delivered at Dr. Nayna Patel’s infertility clinic in Gujarat and immediately puts the surrogate mother in focus. The procedure which is extremely expensive in the States is quite affordable in India. As a result, couples from all across the globe are rushing to the clinic with the hope of fulfilling their parenting dreams. However instead of focusing on the joy of the parents, Frank turns the camera on the agony of the surrogates who must part with the child they have carried for nine months soon after it is born.

Through interviews and conversations it becomes evident that the surrogates take on the job for the sake of a house or a better life for their kids and family. Dr. Patel who runs the clinic practically explains the risks to both the surrogates and the couples who come to her seeking help. She affirms that both parties are doing a good deed for the other, the surrogate by helping out and the couples by paying the surrogate. However this apparent win-win situation raises many questions on the moral, ethical, social, economic and scientific level.

The absurdity of the situation especially comes out full bloom when a 57 year old woman calls up the Israeli entrepreneur in the baby business asking for help in obtaining both an egg and a sperm for a surrogate implant. A gay couple screen potential egg donors online trying to find the perfect looking donor for a baby. Meanwhile the motivation of the egg donor is simply to renovate her home and pursue her hobbies with the extra money.

On the other side of the globe, a surrogate’s husband in India is already planning to send his wife back to the clinic where her recent delivery helped finance the family’s new home. It is for the sake of their son’s education and career he proclaims. Isn’t that just brutal? Frank’s attempt is sure to get Google Baby the attention it truly deserves.

Reviewed by Preeti Thandi for MyBindi.com

Abhishek and Aishwarya on Oprah today

Check it out:

Bollywood Bound

That millions of people have Bollywood dreams in India comes as little surprise. But Canada?

This month, the Canadian Institute of Management and Technology in Mississauga, outside Toronto, launched the Bollywood Acting Diploma, a four-month course costing $9,000 and targeting students who want to break into the business.

They are people like Dubai-born Maya Noel, 18 years old, who graduated high school in June and was all ready to study drama in college. When she heard about the academy, she reassessed her goals and thought, "I grew up with Bollywood not Hollywood."

And she signed up.

Her interest is a fitting tribute to the Indian institution that went "global" before that became a buzzword. Indeed, before Benetton and Big Bazaar, there was Bollywood, stealthily offering Indian audiences tastes of the West and nostalgic expatriates glimpses of the homes they left behind. Today, Bollywood has become the ultimate bridge for nonresident Indians, global Indians and everyone in between. While the rest of the world debates protectionism and outsourcing, Bollwood makes room for a new formula: take actors raised and trained in the West and welcome them back home.

There's precedent for this, namely Katrina Kaif, the consummate global Indian -- "Hong Kong-born British-Indian actress and model," according to Wikipedia -- but more importantly "one of the popular actresses in current Bollywood." (But usually, the talent's looking longingly east. Consider former Miss World Aishwarya Rai playing a detective in Pink Panther 2.)

The eight students enrolled are seven Indians and one West Indian – most born or raised in Canada -- who all dream of landing a role in a Bollywood movie. Their aspirations come amid increased fluidity of the film industries of the U.S. and India. Last week, Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group's Big Entertainment sealed its deal to purchase a $325 million stake in Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG.

The man behind the class is Jagdev Raj Sanda, a child actor who emigrated to Canada and became a caterer, better known by his apt nickname, "Lucky." He got the idea for a formal school devoted to Bollywood acting after watching an amateur performance among his community of local Indians. "We are clapping and then everyone goes home," he says. "Some of the students will go back to their colleges and their dreams are gone."

The students are in class seven days a week and study areas fundamental to India's garish film industry: lip-syncing, fake fighting and, of course, dancing. Their journey underscores the message of a 2001 documentary titled "Bollywood Bound" about four Indo-Canadian actors and their struggle to break into Indian cinema. One of the actors, Ruby Bhatia, explains why: "Weekdays we'd be totally Canadian, and on the weekends we'd be totally Indian....salwaar kameez, Diwali functions, Holi functions and the songs...we'd always dance to Hindi film songs and the more you knew about the movies, the more Indian you were...."

To be sure, Bollywood has served as many an NRI's badge of authenticity. The diploma offered outside Toronto just makes it a little more official now.

"You need a platform to get into this or else you will always be in the background like an extra actor," Nitin Patel, 50 years old, told me. "To break the ice, it's very difficult in India. Here, there's less competition."

He was an engineer on a dam project in India. After arriving in Canada six years ago, Mr. Patel struggled to find similar work --and finally settled on a job as a security guard. Recently, he got laid off and now collects unemployment insurance to make ends meet. He heard about the course and explained his situation to school officials—also regaling them with stories about the dramas and plays he'd performed in India and Canada. They agreed to waive the course fee.

Mr. Sanda says he guarantees employment to the students -- which sounds improbable given the number of would-be actors in India. But he has linked up with a satellite television company to produce his own films. If the students don't make it in Bombay, he says he'll take a chance on them. After all, what's a class devoted to Bollywood without a happy ending?

- - Reeti A

This article first appeared  HERE

Cooking With Stella – Dilip Mehta Stirs up a Spicy Stew

For his first feature, well known photographer, Dilip Mehta has come up with quite a delectable entrée. Cooking with Stella is a light hearted social satire which had a gala premiere film at the Toronto International Film Festival 2009. Collaborating on the script with his celebrated sister, Deepa Mehta, the film has interesting observations on the master-servant hierarchy in India. Flipping the pan, Mehta also brings out the gullibility of westerners when they visit India.

The film is as appetizing as it sounds to begin with but becomes predictable towards the end. Cooking with Stella may not appease to the same segment of people who were of the view that Slumdog Millionaire made India look bad. But in his support Mehta makes every attempt to bring Delhi alive. Parts of the film were actually shot in the compounds of the Canadian High Commission. In the same instant Mehta captures the pulse of high profile parties and also the sizzle of the Delhi dhabas (road side eateries).

The film is based on the events that ensue after Maya, a Canadian diplomat (Lisa Ray) is posted at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, India. Eagerly awaiting their arrival is their cook, Stella (Seema Biswas) who is ready to show “diplomat sir, madam and baby” their new home. Little does Stella know that her perception of a traditional diplomatic family is going to be completely transformed. When morning dawns, Sir stays home to take care of the baby and it is Madam who is heading to work! Not only that Michael (Don McKellar), Maya’s husband, is also ready to encroach on Stella’s domain, her kitchen. The family on their end are not used to having help around the house and try to adapt to their new life. 

Soon it becomes apparent that Michael and Stella do have something in common – a love for cooking. An avid chef, Michael asks Stella to be his guru. After initially refusing Stella eventually agrees. As the curries thicken, it becomes apparent that Stella is actually stirring up saucy schemes of her own quite oblivious to her naive master. The film takes a twist when the family hires a nanny (Shriya Saran) to take care of their little baby girl.

 

Like always, Seema Biswas gives an amazing performance especially as she diligently remembers Mother Mary after every sin she commits. Lisa Ray is in command as a Canadian diplomat with mixed Indian roots. Shriya Saran appears fresh as a seemingly coy nanny. Don McKellar tries to be a passionate cook and shares a good peppery chemistry with his guru Biswas. However even though he lays out a fine table, it’s Seema Biswas who steals the whole cooking show!

- - By Preeti Thandi : A Toronto based Freelance Journalist/Writer. For comments e-mail: cronaca@hotmail.com