Posts tagged mahesh bhatt

Hrithik Roshan does a no-show for Sanjay Dutt?

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22 hours ago
by Fenil Seta in

DNA (May 18, 2013)

 

When Hrithik Roshan had dropped in to meet Dutt at his home immediately after his sentence was announced, he bumped into many actors there. Ajay Devgn and Mahesh Bhatt who were also present, were garnering support for Dutt. They were urging Sanju’s pals to speak up for him. When Bhatt asked Hrithik if he would show his support for his Agneepath co-star Sanju, in front of the TV crews, Duggu immediately said yes. Ajay, who was scheduled to talk to the channels the following day told him that he would call him to inform him of the venue and the timing. But the next day Hrithik remained unavailable to give bytes to the channels. Says an insider, “The venue was fixed at Devgn’s office (a few minutes away from Hrithik’s Juhu home). but there was no response from the Krrrish 3 actor. After many calls, Ajay received a message from one of Hrithik’s staffer that the actor was unable to attend as he had to attend to some other prior commitment!” Perhaps the actor who is known for approaching things in a very correct manner, didn’t want to make a statement on a judgement passed by the honourable court. But Dutt’s friends and family took notice of this ‘rebuff’.

Wondered how Sanju would cope with brutal world he was about to enter-Mahesh Bhatt

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23 hours ago
by Fenil Seta in

Mahesh Bhatt (BOMBAY TIMES; May 18, 2013)

 

Even beneath the heaviest winter snow lies a potential spring waiting to bloom. It was when the time finally came for Sanjay Dutt to go back to prison that he discovered within himself a spring of strength in the middle of the harshest winter of his life.

This wasn’t the same man I saw the day before. Somehow, in the middle of the night something changed in him. The teary-eyed, crumbling, trembling man looking for any straw of hope he could find had been replaced by a samurai like persona. This kind of awakening could only have come because his family had formed a firewall of love and protection around him.

His wife, whose face still bore traces of tears, but who stood like a rock; his beautiful sisters, his brothers in law Kumar Gaurav and Owen Roncon, and all the lovely kids in the family, his nephews and nieces; all of them rallied round him and helped him find the strength and courage he so desperately needed.

Just before the hour of parting came, they formed a circle holding hands, and Owen read out a prayer. He asked God to help Sanju and the family survive this fire of life intact, and to bring him home soon. They then hugged and kissed and led him out of the living room in the same manner they would someone going on a long journey to a unknown and faraway land. On the wall behind them hung Sunil Dutt’s photograph, and he looked down on them smilingly — the elder who had braved so many tragedies.

The scene got rather More >

Salman Khan makes a comfort call to Sanjay Dutt’s daughter

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1 day ago
by Fenil Seta in

Bharati Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; May 17, 2013)

 

Salman Khan has reached out to his friend Sanjay Dutt’s daughter Trishala. The actor, who visited Dutt’s residence on Wednesday night, has called Trishala and told her that he will always be there for her. Though Dutt has not spoken to Trishala for over a-month-and-a-half, Salman has been in constant touch with her. A source said, “Salman was in America when the news of Dutt’s conviction broke. The first person Salman called was Trishala who has been away from her father for a long time. Sallu promised to be there for her whenever she needed him.”

Trishala, it is learnt, did try calling Dutt on Wednesday night, but there was no response. The two have a long distance father-daughter relationship. Sanju had met Trishala in the Bahamas in 2008 when he was shooting for Blue.

In the meantime… The media circus below Sanju’s residence Imperial Heights, reached a crescendo on Thursday afternoon.

Members of the press were informed that the actor would leave for the Sessions Court between 12 noon to 2 pm. Bombay Times brings you pictures of the distraught Bollywood star and his family members as he left his residence for the court.

Sanjay Dutt bid adieu to his family and friends; goes to jail

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1 day ago
by Fenil Seta in

Kunal M Shah (MID-DAY; May 17, 2013)

 

After keeping the media on its toes for around two months, Sanjay Dutt finally left his Bandra residence to surrender to the TADA court and commence his three and a half year jail term.

There was a frenzy that ensued as everyone — media persons and common man alike — gathered wanted to catch a last glimpse of the actor being driven away to the court.

Dutt left his Pali Hill house around 1.30 pm and reached the court in the presence of the waiting media.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, his sister Priya Dutt and his wife Mnayata accompanied the 53-year-old actor.

As Dutt’s car screeched to a halt, Bhatt disembarked first, requesting the media with folded hands to make way for Dutt to make his exit. And as the actor reached the court, the formalities began for his surrender.

B-Town bids farewell

Earlier in the day, his close friends from the industry including Bunty Walia, Apoorva Lakhia, Kiran Kumar, Soham Shah and Rahul Aggarwal visited Dutt.

Before he left his Imperial Heights residence, the actor chose to spend some precious time with his kids Shahraan and Iqra and his weeping wife. Earlier in the week, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan also came in to visit Dutt.

Time travel

The Supreme Court in its March 21 verdict awarded five years’ imprisonment to the actor for illegal possession of arms.

The apex court on May 14 refused to grant him more time to surrender. On May 10, the Supreme Court had dismissed Dutt’s plea seeking More >

Soon watch films on your computer/phone/iPad one day before release

1
1 day ago
by Fenil Seta in

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 17, 2013)

 

With giant strides in technology, telecom companies are now pitching for ‘internet rights’ to films and if all goes well, movie buffs may soon get to watch new releases on their very own computers/iPads/iPhones a day before they hit theatres. A source told Mirror, “Leading producers have had meetings with telecom officials about this.”

It is learnt the ‘One pay, One show’ proposal will not only benefit telecom companies, filmmakers too stand to get 50 per cent of the earnings. What’s more, the telecom firms will be aided by external service providers to ensure the Internet copy is not downloadable so as to avoid piracy. Not surprisingly, a majority of filmmakers are hooked.

Elaborating on the mechanics of the system, the source said: “At Rs 100-Rs 150 per log in, the entire family will be able to watch a movie on their computer screen the night of Thursday. iPads and iPhones too will have this facility. Even at a conservative estimate of 7 lakh subscribers across the country logging in, the telecom company would earn about Rs 7 crore per show. Half of the proceeds would go to the makers of the film. For any producer, earning Rs 3 to 3.5 crore is pure profit with the risk factor greatly reduced.”

When contacted, Mahesh Bhatt called it ‘a worthy proposition’. While brother Mukesh advised treading with caution. “I am aware that telecom companies are looking to bring films on the Internet. But I will not jump the gun. I cannot More >

Sanjay Dutt breaks into tears at the drop of a hat?

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2 days ago
by Fenil Seta in

BOMBAY TIMES (May 16, 2013)

 

To say the Sword of Damocles has been hanging over Sanjay Dutt’s head since the Supreme Court asked him to surrender for his involvement in the 1993 bomb blasts case is not an exaggeration. The scene of events that has played out in the period following the judgment has been typical of Bollywood. Initially, many of the actor’s friends paid him a visit at his residence, Imperial Heights. He also had shooting and dubbing assignments to keep him busy. But, in the last few days — the period when he actually required a shoulder to lean on — there have been virtually ‘no friends’ visiting him. A staffer says, “Baba is very vulnerable at this point. He breaks into tears at the drop of a hat. He has also spent a lot of time alone.”

It is said that while his wife Manyata and the twins — Shahraan and Iqra — have been with him, most of the film industry has steered clear of Pali Hill. Last night, few of his old faithfuls did make fleeting visits. However, the traffic to his home has been negligible and the media has shown more empathy towards the actor than his ilk.

Mahesh Bhatt, who is Dutt’s well-wisher and guardian, has been the only constant in his life through the last two months.

I am living the male fantasy-Emraan Hashmi

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5 days ago
by Fenil Seta in

Emraan Hashmi reveals the secret of his success

Sarita Tanwar (DNA; May 13, 2013)

 

Emraan Hashmi would come off as arrogant to most people. There is a lot of arrogance there, but it’s not an aftereffect of stardom, not that he cares how you interpret it. He is defiant, dead against chamchagiri and indifferent about everything but his career. He does what he wants to, always has. From his professional choices (doing heroine-oriented films, wooing the classes after winning over the masses, turning down a KJo film!) to his personal life (not attending film parties, not befriending his colleagues, and not bowing to people who matter). It’s not a facade or a carefully cultivated image. It is all him. He has always been that guy. Even when he was an assistant director on his uncle Mahesh Bhatt’s set to now being the leading man in big banner, big budget films. His attitude doesn’t change according to the amount on the pay cheque, or the stature of the person in front of him. He is real, unapologetic and that’s refreshing. Here Emraan talks about what he hates most about acting, why he leads a double life and why he doesn’t watch Hindi films. Read on…

Are you content with your success? Never, one can’t ever be content. If there’s no higher place to get to, then you…(trails off). I am very ambitious. But I don’t show it. I might even come across as someone who is mildly disinterested. It’s part of my personality. But my career graph is very important to me. It wasn’t always the More >

From A to U/A: Filmmakers dodge censors

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6 days ago
by Fenil Seta in

Bharati Dubey & Hemali Chhapia (THE TIMES OF INDIA; May 12, 2013)

 

MUMBAI: In recent times, moviemakers across the country have become adept at producing content that can pass through the censor board’s scrutiny with a U/A certificate – movies that can be watched under parental guidance.

A Right to Information (RTI) Act application reveals that today Indian cinema, cutting across genres and languages, produces the largest number of movies that appeal to young adults. In 2012, 389 of the total 880 movies made were awarded the U/A certificate. On the other hand, the count of adult movies fell from 244 to 150 in just one year.

Experts said over time, producers have figured out ways to smartly weave in an adult scene, a smart line, a romantic scene or violence, into the movie, without any major cuts.

The censor board applied a total of 521 cuts in 2008 for passing 1,325 films, 529 cuts in 1,255 films that were made in 2009, 432 cuts in 2010 for reviewing 1,274 films, 444 cuts in 1,255 films in 2011, and 330 cuts in 880 films reviewed in 2012.

RTI activist Vihar Durve, who received this information, alleged that these days, censor board officials are in hand in glove with film producers and have been clearing films containing obscene content.

A senior producer, though, told TOI that there are two reasons for the trend towards U/A certificates – one, dodging the increasingly vociferous moral police; two, fear of losing revenue. “After all, broadcasters are hesitant to More >

100 years of Indian Cinema: Mahesh Bhatt on 18 great filmmakers

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2 weeks ago
by Fenil Seta in

BOMBAY TIMES (May 4, 2013)

 

In 1951, the Hollywood Moghul David Selznick was strolling through an empty, ghostly movie studio when he was struck by an uncomfortable thought. The maker of such giant classics like Gone With The Wind was in heavy debt. Television was beginning to be a threat to the movie business. Pointing to the empty stages, he said to his writer friend Ben Hecht ‘Hollywood is like Egypt… full of crumbled pyramids. It will just keep crumbling until finally the wind blows the last studio props across the sands.’

Thankfully, Selznick’s prophecy did not come true. The global movie business today is a multi-billion dollar industry. No wonder then that India, the film family’s most hyperactive child, is celebrating its 100th birthday party this year.

If I was given the chance to invite filmmakers for this bash, who would be on my list? Undoubtedly, the first person would be Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Dadasaheb Phalke), who is the Brahma of Indian Cinema and whose 40-minute film Raja Harishchandra set the cinematic ball rolling in India. It was this brave son of India who understood that it is mythology that motivates cultures, not reason, race, or ideology. Next to him would sit Satyajit Ray, the only genuine auteur Indian cinema has ever had. Ray not only wrote his scripts and dialogues and songs, but also designed the sets, costumes, posters, operated the camera, edited the film and composed the music. He is the only Indian who has got a lifetime award at the More >

Ek bhi achcha gaana karte ho, notice ho jaate ho-Ankit Tiwari

0
2 weeks ago
by Fenil Seta in

Sun Raha Hai Na singer and composer Ankit Tiwari on his big Bollywood break and destiny taking its time

Bryan Durham (BOMBAY TIMES; May 3, 2013)

 

Almost everybody has listened to Sun Raha Hai Na from Aashiqui 2. A track that’s high on melody, the male version has been composed and sung by Ankit Tiwari. The seemingly overnight success story, however, has been several years in the making and the 26-year-old from Kanpur has struggled in Mumbai for six years at least.

More at ease speaking in Hindi than in English, he comes across as confident yet refreshingly humble and with realistic aspirations. It could have something to do with a grounded upbringing in a musically inclined family and a strong support system backing him all the way. But he makes no bones about the fact that he realises that fame and success are temporary and hard work the only constant.

Tell us how you began musically. My mom is a singer at jaagrans. My dad and her form part of a troupe called Raju Suman and Party and they perform at Mata ki Chowkis and I would accompany them as a child. Aap keh sakte ho ki usi mahaul mein rahe. Main school mein hi tha and I told my mom and dad about my musical dreams. Meri zidd, mera sapna tha… so, they understood and let me try my luck. And over the years I did. I believe there is one universal truth: ek inner calling honi chahiye. And I knew I could do it. I only do those things that I can do. I can’t cook, for example, no matter however hard someone tries to teach More >

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