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Posts tagged r balki
Major B-Town stars give Sridevi-Subrata Roy’s bash a miss?
03 weeks ago
by Fenil Seta
in Rumour has it
Boney Kapoor shrugs off Bollywood’s no-show at the party in honour of Sridevi’s Padma award
Soumyadipta Banerjee (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 25, 2013)
By Sahara standards, this was possibly one of their quietest parties in a long time. Especially when you consider the recent gala that brought India’s most famous and most powerful together to bless Subrata Roy’s grand-daughter at her naming ceremony in Delhi.
It came as a surprise then that most of the A-listers mentioned in the media invite did not turn up for the bash in honour of Sridevi’s Padmashri award.
The actress however, made the most of the moment. Dressed in a white Manish Malhotra lehnga, Sridevi beamed happily, flanked by her gorgeous daughters and her proud husband. If their host was feeling the weight of controversies and the sound drubbing that his IPL team had received earlier that day, he certainly did not show it.
Notable among those who attended were media baron Subhash Chandra, Jeetendra, Anil Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Anupam Kher, Madhoo, R Balki and Gauri Shinde. While the event managers insisted Hrithik was expected to arrive, he did not. Neither did any of the Bachchans, who until recently were frontrunners at every Sahara do. Missing in action were all three Khans as well as the younger crop of actors, who have often professed their love and admiration for the veteran actress on social media.
When Mirror quizzed Boney about the disappointing turnout, he shrugged it off. “I would say the success of such More >
Bollywood & imaginations of a mad ad world
01 month ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
On the big screen, Hindi film actors may defy stereotypes but when it comes to TV commercials, things are a bit too clichéd
Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; March 24, 2013)
Aamir Khan is all set to appear as a woman in an upcoming ad. However, it’s nothing new for the actor. He has donned this persona twice for TV commercials (TVC) back in 2005 and 2008. What’s worth noticing is the actor’s penchant for experimentation.
Interestingly, what it also indicates is a persona cultivated over the years.
It’s almost impossible to imagine a Shah Rukh Khan or a Salman Khan in sarees. On the advertising backdrop of the small screen, the battle seems to be between the stars and the products.
And the resulting campaign is a synergy between the two.
Bollywood actors may attempt to overcome stereotypes in their filmographies by choosing not to stick with one particular image for long. For instance, Akshay Kumar, who started off as an action star, gradually found his way into comedy films. But when it comes to the ads that he features in, it’s always the Khiladi who triumphs.
Why so? Theatre personality Rahul Da Cunha says, “Akshay recently did Special 26 where he is neither playing an action hero nor a comic character. But then, he isn’t known for serious roles. So to the populace, the image already set for him is that of a guy who can leap from buildings without injuring himself.”
Apparently, an onscreen image is the ultimate selling point. The actors are signed because the brands More >
Check out Akshay Kumar-Prabhu Dheva in Dollar Bigboss TVC
12 months ago
BOMBAY TIMES (March 15, 2013)
FIT HAI TOH HIT HAI: Matching steps with master dancer Prabhudheva is never easy. But when apna Akki pulled it off in style, the choreographer-director had just one thing to say: “Fit hai boss”. All that was part of the duo’s first TVC together for Dollar Bigboss, scripted by R Balki. Akshay Kumar has been associated with the brand for three years
Check out Stevel Spielberg in conversation with Amitabh Bachchan
12 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
The world’s most famous director charmed the filmmaking fraternity and even praised the Bandra-Worli Sea link
Chandrima Pal (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 12, 2013)
In a recent article in the New York Times, Steven Spielberg was hailed as Hollywood’s Secret Santa. Reportedly, the world’s most influential filmmaker is a “sounding board” for directors not always working with him. However, when the publication wanted to speak to him about the invaluable creative inputs he shared with the aspirants, Spielberg declined, saying they were private conversations.
Bollywood just got lucky on Monday night. In a discussion organised by Anil and Tina Ambani, and helmed by Amitabh Bachchan, over 40 filmmakers here got a glimpse of his generosity and vision.
A suburban five-star was the milieu for the unique congregation – when did you last see Abbas-Mustan sit next to a quiet, and evidently restless Prabhu Dheva, or a Sudhir Mishra share a table with Javed Akhtar or for that matter a Rajkumari Hirani win a nod from Spielberg himself – he said he loved 3 Idiots.
It was interesting to see filmmakers with similar sensibilities share tables – so you had Kiran Rao, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti with Anurag Kashyap at one place, while R Balki and Rajkumar Hirani sat close elsewhere.
The conversation flowed from Spielberg’s earliest works, to his wife, who is “the smartest person” in his life while taking in almost all of his seminal works and how they were put together. The director-producer was at his More >
61 Indian directors to interact with Steven Spielberg
02 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Jigar Shah (MID-DAY; March 11, 2013)
It’s almost impossible to not know who Steven Spielberg is. And for some lucky Indian directors, the dream of meeting and knowing him better is about to come true. Turns out the celebrated Hollywood filmmaker will be interacting with about 60 personalities from Indian cinema and share tips on filmmaking.
Spielberg, who is known for films like Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, ET, Jaws and Jurassic Park, is making his maiden trip to India. This development is a direct result of his association with Anil Ambani. The industrialist’s entertainment production house has a tie-up with the American’s film studio. In fact they both produced the much-acclaimed Lincoln, amongst other films. Fittingly enough, a special party in his honour has been organised on the March 12 where Spielberg shall be meeting the who’s who of Indian film industry.
What’s more interesting about this event is that Spielberg would be having an interactive session with a room full of directors from the country who have already confirmed their presence. A well-placed source says, “It can easily be called as master class session wherein Steven Spielberg will be imparting knowledge to Indian directors and would be learning from them as well and the list includes the biggest of names like Rajkumar Hirani, Anurag Kashyap, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Abhishek Kapoor, Habib Faisal, Ram Gopal Varma, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Farah Khan to name a few.”
And the invitation goes More >
Deepika’s name to appear before SRK in Chennai Express credits
02 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 7, 2013)
Shah Rukh Khan, who has an enviable following among women, is doing his bit for their empowerment. The actor, who recently shot a short film for R Balki, which will be released on Women’s Day, is keen to change the rules of the male-dominated fraternity, one film at a time.
Starting with his upcoming film Chennai Express, the credit rolls will not feature his name first, but that of his leading actress. Traditionally, it has always been the male star, who has been the first one to be credited, followed by the rest of the cast and crew. Unless of course, it was a completely heroine-centric film. In Chennai Express, Deepika Padukone’s name will appear before that of SRK.
Confirming the story, a friend of the star said: “Starting with Chennai Express, his female costar’s name will appear first. SRK has always maintained that it is the women in his life who have been the reason for his success – mother, wife, sister, daughter, co-star sand staff. This is a small but significant step that takes the philosophy forward.”
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Hencorforth in all SRK’s films, the name of the leading ladies will appear before his
Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 7, 2013)
On International Women’s Day, Shah Rukh Khan will be making an announcement that would make the entertainment world sit and salute the King for his gracious conduct. On March 8, Shah Rukh will declare to the world that henceforth in all his films the heroine’s name would appear More >
No SRK, only Big B in Balki’s next
12 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
The director puts to end rumours of him working with King Khan in his next project
Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 6, 2013)
After Cheeni Kam and Paa, R Balki has secretly been bulking up another high-concept project with Amitabh Bachchan. And it won’t feature Shah Rukh Khan, like a report recently suggested.
Laughs Balki, “I don’t know where that came from. Maybe because I shot a short-film with Shah Rukh last week. The same thing happened with my wife (the English Vinglish director Gauri Shinde). Gauri directed a Tamil ad for jewellery with Sridevi, and the news spread that she was working with her again. Well, we both wish we were working with Sridevi and Shah Rukh on feature films. But not right now.”
Balki’s next movie will feature the Big B. The initial plan was to cast Abhishek in his next film. That script has not materialised as yet. The director says he hit upon another original idea for the Big B and has been working on it for some time. Apparently Balki’s script got delayed as he got busy playing the perfect producer to his wife’s directorial debut. The Big B script is almost ready now. All Balki would reveal about its content at the moment is that it again takes the Big B into an area where he has never been before. “But he won’t be in love with a much younger woman (Tabu in Cheeni Kum) or stricken with a rare genetical disorder (progeria in Paa),” jokes Balki.
R Balki’s next to feature Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan?
02 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Rumour has it
Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; March 2, 2013)
Renowned filmmaker R Balki, who won accolades for Cheeni Kum (2007) and Paa (2009) is reportedly working on a film that will bring together two of the Hindi film industry’s biggest names — Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.
Our source says the two actors will be associated with the same film, but not in a conventional way. Though we at Bombay Times know the details, we think it’s unethical to reveal the exact nature of the Big B and SRK’s association with the film because Balki is still working on the script. And, it is his prerogative as a filmmaker to reveal the finer details when he chooses. We asked the filmmaker for his comment, and he said, “Where did you hear this? Ha ha.”
Odd for me at this age to hit nightclubs with Abhishek-Amitabh Bachchan
03 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; February 3, 2013)
At 70, Amitabh Bachchan’s film and social diary is jam-packed. Indian cinema’s biggest icon, who has just wrapped up the sixth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), barely has time to take a breather as five films with celebrated filmmakers await him. Excerpts of a brief conversation with Big B…
Is there a void now that this season of KBC has wrapped up? One always misses KBC because it gives me great joy to meet different kinds of people. I’m eagerly waiting for the next season. One tends to get involved with the people who come on the hot seat. Now, I’ve got film shootings beginning in a week’s time. Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha will be the first to go on the floors. It has Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Arjun Rampal and me. I like Prakashji’s cinema. He makes films that deal with topics that have some social or moral standing.
Are you playing Anna Hazare in the film? No. I’m not playing Anna Hazare. I play a man of principles who fights for rights.
Which are the other films that you will do in 2013? There is a host of other films that I need to just programme. There is Sudhir Mishra’s Mehrunissa, Bhoothnath-2, R Balki’s film, Sujoy Ghosh’s film and then there is television. Yes, there will be the next season of the game show.
Mehrunissa is a love story. Does it feel good that makers are writing love stories for you even at this age? Mehrunissa is not a love story in the traditional sense. This is all I can say. More >
Siddharth lets you be the way you are-Vidya Balan
03 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; January 31, 2013)
Vidya Balan, 34, may have been termed the ‘jinx factor’ at the start of her career, but today she has won the award for the best actress back-to-back four times, a feat achieved by none other. In an hour long conversation, she opens up to Bombay Times about her reasons for falling in love with Siddharth, her sister Priya, who is her hero, and the men who changed her life. Excerpts:
The obvious question first. Tell us about your love journey with your husband Siddharth Roy Kapur? We met for the first time at the Filmfare awards. I had won an award for Paa after which I got introduced to him for the first time. I had started shooting a day before for UTV’s No One Killed Jessica and knew of him, but had not met him till then. But we didn’t meet during the film. We met again much later and we started seeing each other even later. A live-in relationship is not for me. I did not see myself living in with Siddharth till we were married. He is my first serious relationship. Marriage was the most natural progression for us and it has happened and I am happy to be married. I don’t think marriage has changed me in any way, except that it allows me to wear the sindoor that I really enjoy wearing.
What attracted you to Siddharth? Apart from his looks… just the person he is. He is non-judgemental, which is rare. He lets people be. He is self-assured and is accepting of people the way they are. He is very easy to be around. He likes to have a More >