Where Bollywood Comes Alive
Posts tagged balcony
Bloopers galore at MAMI fest opening
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
The much-awaited MAMI festival got off to a bit of a false start, with an opening ceremony that left a lot to be desired
Satyen K Bordoloi (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 22, 2010)One cannot dispute the exemplary lineup of films at the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) this year, which holds much promise. The opening ceremony held on Thursday (October 21) at Chandan cinema, Juhu, was quite memorable, albeit in a different fashion from what was intended.
Starting late, as we all know, is a pardonable offence in India. What is not, are goof-ups. At the ceremony, these were aplenty: some bad, few outright unacceptable.
The acoustics of Chandan cinema were disgusting. Those sitting in the balcony where left stretching the human limit of their hearing. Two huge speakers in the two corners were silent, and the two below were good enough to carry sound only to those sitting below.
All this, however, did not deafen the audience enough for them to ignore some embarrassing bloopers.
Starlets Minissha Lamba and Prachi Desai proved themselves unworthy to host the event as they made an unpardonable mistake. After calling out the names of four members of the all-woman jury, they forgot the fifth: our very own Suhasini Maniratnam.
A barrage of apologies followed, but only after Academy Award winning president of the jury, Jane Campion, called out for Suhasini correcting the mistake made by the two hostesses. The smiling Mrs. Maniratnam not only forgave the oversight, but More >
Nirmal Pandey-Death of an actor
13 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Meena Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 20, 2010)
“I’m not afraid of death. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.’’ —Woody Allen. B-4, Flat 48, Greenfields, Andheri East, a pokey little flat in a nondescript society was the address of international award winning actor Nirmal Pandey (Bandit Queen, Daayraa, Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin, Train to Pakistan) until his untimely demise on February 18, 2010. Like his address, his fate under the arc lights too didn’t change in the last 15 years.
The National School of Drama alumni, who was born in Nainital in 1962, is one of those countless actors who came to Mumbai in the early ‘90s to find his place in the sun. And though he got his 15 minutes of fame, he never could quite crack the Bollywood code – a fact that left him disillusioned till the end.
On February 19, an ambulance (bedecked with red roses) bearing the registration MH-10 2530 carried the dead actor to the crematorium in Oshiwara. A cloth banner that said ‘Nirmal Pandey Amar Rahe’ attempted to show reverence to his fame. With the exception of his immediate family; and two lesser-known actors Girija Prasad and Ramesh Goyal, a handful of anonymous B-town types followed the body on bikes.
A lone cameraman captured the actor’s last journey; and even the two policemen on duty at Cooper Hospital, seemed indifferent. They had no crowds to man, no road to cordon off. No paparazzi turned up to capture this funeral; nor were there any grieving crowds to suggest that a famous More >
Hrithik shouting ‘Mujhe mukti de de’ from his home at 2 am?
03 years ago
“Mujhe mukti de de”…that’s what hrithik roshan was saying loudly from the balcony of his juhu flat at 2 am. And no, he hadn’t had a fight with his wife. so involved is he with Guzaarish, that he stays up nights rehearsing the dialogue. is his obsession telling on his health?
By Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 09, 2010) Hrithik Roshan pic: yogen shaHrithik Roshan’s life is consumed not just by love, but also by sheer dedication to his role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish. Don’t be surprised if you find him spending sleepless nights, rehearsing his dialogue to himself with emphasis on details.
Hrithik is known for his diligent approach to his roles, but the big question here is: is his obsession with a great performance taking a toll on him?
Last night at 2 am, Hrithik was spotted by this reporter in the balcony of his apartment, pacing frenetically and reading out his dialogue. Despite Hrithik being on the 8th floor of his Juhu residence (Palazzio), he could still be heard loud and clear on the street.
Perhaps burning the midnight oil is the reason for the deep lines that mark his weariness. His face reflects the exhaustion, and it’s hardly surprising. As it is, his personal life is tumultuous, his party hard ways are causing concern and now he is pushing himself to the limit as far as his role goes.
Apparently, he had just reached home and within five minutes, he was slaving over the dialogue. They sounded rather dramatic, as a Bhansali More >
Kareena is more than a wife: Saif
03 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Sarita Tanwar (MID-DAY; July 31, 2009)
Saif Ali Khan walks in 10 minutes late. He’s looking fresh and surprisingly fit. He gives me a typical filmy hug and announces, “I haven’t had a bath yet.” I tell him that information would’ve been appreciated a few seconds earlier. Even though he is in his gym clothes, he’s not carrying his workout on him.Must be the blue blood. He settles down on the other end of the couch and dons his serious glasses, “This is the Bengali in me finally coming out. Very Basu Bhattacharya.” Point noted and it’s time for some serious business. He orders coffee and me conversation. And then, we talk about his love, aaj and kal. Excerpts….
The last time you did a light romantic film (Hum Tum), you won a National Award. What are you expecting with Love Aaj Kal (LAK)? I am not in the least interested in awards. It is a kind of celebration that comes much later. I am hoping for a decent opening and a successful run. That’s it.
That’s it? I am hoping and expecting that people will like the movie and enough of them will watch it so that the people who have invested in us are not disappointed. I think it is a good movie and it has a good story. I think stories are really important parts of our lives, whether it is reading or watching them or listening to them from an old tailor in Bhopal, sitting at the foot of my bed, when I was a baby. My parents would be on the balcony, talking with adults and this old man would tell me tales of shikar and tigers and More >