Where Bollywood Comes Alive
Posts tagged oscars
Slumdog actor loses home, awards in Bandra blaze
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Bharati Dubey | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 6, 2011)
Mumbai: Rubina Ali, who essayed the role of young Latika in Slumdog Millionaire, lost all the international awards she had won in the Garib Nagar blaze that took place on Friday night.
Rubina, now a Std III student, had to miss school on Saturday. “I lost the six trophies I had won in the fire. Thankfully, my passport was spared.” She won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Slumdog Millionaire and was also honoured at the Academy Awards. “We couldn’t save much. All her clothes, including the dress she wore at the Oscars, and jewellery are gone,’’ her father, Rafiq Qureshi added.
Both Rubina and her co-star Azharuddin were promised homes and education by filmmaker Danny Boyle. While Azhar moved into his new house in Santa Cruz, Rubina and her family were still living at Garib Nagar. Qureshi sought a home in Bandra as he had set up his business there. Niraja Mattoo of Plan India, the NGO which is funding the children’s education and homes, said, “Rubina has got a house in Bandra (West) and will be moving there by next month.”
Rubina and Azhar are not the only kids from Garib Nagar who work in films and television. Parvez Shaikh, coordinator for child artistes, had been living here for 20 years. “I got work for 25 to 30 kids in films and television serials. I managed to saved my family, but our belongings were burnt in the fire. Mera sab kuch khatam ho gaya (It’s all over for More >
Aishwarya’s prediction comes true at the Oscars
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
By Devansh Patel, February 28, 2011 – 13:30 IST
At 6 o’clock this morning, a million alarms went berserk in India that woke up the million Oscar enthusiasts, and their Monday blues came to an end as soon as they switched on their television to watch the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, Live. But on the flip side, what really opened their eyes was the moment they all had least predicted. At the Oscars, India’s hottest celebrity couple, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were seen looking bold and beautiful.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was wearing a brown gown designed by Armani and Abhishek was seen wearing the Oscar trademark black suit with a bow tie. India’s most well known face in Hollywood, Aishwarya quoted, “We were on our holiday in the U.S when we received an invitation to attend the Oscars too. Armani is a dear friend and I had to wear this dress designed by him.”
On asking who they found to be on their wish list of winners, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan quoted, “Colin and I are very good friends and we did a film together called The Last Legion. So I am predicting Colin Firth to be my favourite to win the Best Actor Oscar. We have seen the film and I loved it.”
Abhishek Bachchan adds an Indian touch too. He said, “My wife and I are representing India. And we are fully going to support A.R. Rahman with whom we both have worked in the past. I hope he wins the Oscars in the two category he is nominated this evening.”
All said and done, Mrs. Bachchan’s More >
2010: The year of small films
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Some small-budget films and first-time filmmakers did Bollywood proud in 2010
Meena Iyer | TNN (BOMBAY TIMES; December 31, 2010)
A quick recap: 2008 was a great year for what Bollywood calls the smart movie. So what is the description of the smart film? “Well, it is film made on a realistic budget with thought-provoking content,’’ said Siddharth Roy Kapur of UTV Motion Pictures. Kudos should go to UTV Spotboy who recognised gems like Raj Kumar Gupta’s Aamir, Nishikant Kamat’s Mumbai Meri Jaan and Neeraj Pandey’s A Wednesday; giving these films the right release window in one calendar year.
However, in 2009, avaricious producers destroyed the funda of the smart movie. Several small films proved to be tacky affairs with no quality control. When an obituary was written for the small film, established makers like Pritish Nandy rightly said it was premature to dismiss this genre. Pritish is right. But the fact is that at the start of 2010, there seemed to be little or no hope for the small film. It is estimated that 150-odd small films are lying in the cans waiting to be claimed by some film corporation who can shell out monies for their release.
What is also heartening is the fact that just before the smart movie breathed its last on the Bollywood operating table, oxygen was infused into this genre by some virgin filmmakers who had foolproof scripts and the right amount of spunk. And 2010 saw the marquee adorned with some of the More >
People feel I need therapy- Anurag Kashyap
12 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Anurag Kashyap on being called the champion of New Age cinema, making ‘dark films’, his take on the Indian films being sent as official entry to the Oscars and more
Meera Vohra | TNN (MUMBAI MIRROR.COM; December 08, 2010) Anurag Kashyap (Pic: BCCL)
Anurag Kashyap, who is currently shooting for his untitled film in Obra, Uttar Pradesh, talks about why Indian film critics need a reality check, and why his films are considered ‘mild’ internationally
Your critics say you make dark films…
Critics do not know what dark is, yet. Compared to the Indian mainstream cinema my films seem dark. But when I take my films outside to the international festivals people say that I make very mild films. They feel I’m too scared to push my boundaries. But in my country every time I make a film, people feel I need therapy. Real seems dark here. Their definition of dark needs to change.
How do you feel on being called the champion of New Age cinema?
Maybe I’m more visible so I am called its champion. But I really don’t believe that, for I have my own champions of New Age cinema. There are people like Sasi Kumar from Tamil Nadu, Dibakar Banerjee, Vishal Bhardwaj and even what my brother Abhinav has done, going mainstream the 70′s way, when we loved mainstream cinema. This type of cinema was missing.
What does your new film deal with?
I want to say many things through my film – talk about what is really happening with the coal mafia, politically and More >
SRK rebuilding his social network
02 years ago
King Khan is now on the mend with many of his fractured relationships. Mumbai Mirror counts his ‘frenemies’
Vickey Lalwani and Mauli Singh (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 23, 2010)
The saying goes: you’ve got to be careful about who all you offend on your way up because these are the same people you will meet on your way down. What this means in Shah Rukh Khan’s context is gradually coming to the surface now.
Yesterday, we told you that Shah Rukh called up Sanjay Leela Bhansali and mended fences with him, praising his latest film Guzaarish.
The latest is that King Khan apologised to Sunil Gavaskar close to two weeks ago, at a sports awards function. After lashing out at Gavaskar in 2009 for his comments on the Kolkata Knight Riders’ coach John Buchanan, Shah Rukh made an extra effort to mend his differences with him.
Says an eyewitness, “When Gavaskar came up on stage, SRK politely told him that whatever had been reported had been misconstrued by the media, that he respects him very much and loves him for the several honours he has brought to the country.” And Gavaskar apparently smiled and told SRK that things often get blown out of proportion.
We agree. But Mumbai Mirror gives you a tell-it-as-it-is account of King Khan’s attempts at patching up with friends he almost lost.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra: The SRK-Vidhu war started after Vidhu justified Eklavya being nominated for the Oscars by saying, ‘If the SRK starrer Paheli could be India’s official entry More >
Udaan producer rips apart Peepli Live
22 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Play it as it lays, they say. Here is a no holds barred, angry response on his film being sidelined in the official entry race for the Oscars
Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 30, 2010)
Sanjay Singh, producer of Udaan is mighty upset as his film is not the official entry to the Oscars while Aamir Khan’s Peepli Live is. Singh feels that the film has only been selected because of the mighty star power of Khan.
Sanjay Singh said, “Aamir Khan is a very talented and respected actor. His film Peepli Live is good but to say that it is deserving of India’s entry to the Oscars is open to debate. While the subject of farmer’s suicide was dealt with in an interesting way, the media issue has been seen in some 100 odd movies these days.
There was nothing new in it. Only merit plays an important role in the selection of films for the ‘Best Foreign Language’ film category in the Oscars.”
Singh further said, “The last five years have seen Rang De Basanti, Eklavya, Taare Zameen Par, Harishchandrachi Factory and Peepli Live as India’s entry to the Oscars. Three of these movies have Aamir Khan in them in either acting or producing roles (even one directing role). Does this mean that there is no other good cinema being made in India? Is Aamir Khan the only ‘creator’ of good cinema in one of the largest film industries in the world? Why are movies being judged because of the presence of an actor? When will we realize that in the West it is the director More >
Peepli [Live] to be India’s official entry at Oscars
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, September 24, 2010 – 20:26 IST
Aamir Khan has done it again. His latest release Peepli [Live] has been selected as 2010′s India’s official entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category. After Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par, this is the third time that an Aamir Khan Productions’ film has been selected to compete at the prestigious Academy Awards. However, now it remains to be seen whether Peepli [Live] will get short listed by the Academy to compete at the Oscars.
Peepli [Live] is the story of Natha, a poor farmer from Peepli village who is about to lose his plot of land due to an unpaid government loan. A quick fix to the problem is the very same government’s program that aids the families of indebted farmers who have committed suicide. As a means of survival, Natha can choose to die. However, Political bigwigs, high-ranking bureaucrats, local henchmen and the ever-zealous media descend upon sleepy Peepli to stake their claim of this situation.
Peepli [Live] is written and directed by Anusha Rizvi.
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
Crowe’s Bollywood debut
03 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Hollywood heavyweight joins Oscars team in bilingual being made on Haridwar’s Kumbh Mela
SUBHASH K JHA Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; April 15, 2010)
Talk about a bouquet of Oscar winners working together on a Hindi-English film being made in India. Check this out. Hollywood heavyweight Russell Crowe, who has been in and out of India lately, is all set to play a middle-aged German writer who travels to the Kumbh Mela to attain moksha and falls in love with a 21-year-old Bengali girl. Sudipto Sen (of The Last Monk and Akhnoor) is directing this Crowe-starrer as a bilingual: in Hindi to be called Amrit Kumbh, and in English with the title In Search Of Immortality. Crowe will speak in English in the Hindi version as well.
Apparently another very fine actor, the German star Michal Zebrowsky who played the Nazi officer in Roman Polanski’s The Pianist, was almost finalised for the role. But when Crowe showed a keen interest, plans were immediately revised to accommodate the Hollywood actor who it was felt would bring a larger global appeal to the project.
Sudipto Sen, currently in fierce pre-production with his crew at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, confirmed, “Crowe is indeed on. The project explores the journey into self-discovery. I want the importance of the holy Kumbh, which is a sacred bathing place for eight crore pilgrims from all over the world, to connect with the West.” The young Bengali girl in the film will be played by More >