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They wanted to keep me in dark-Asha Bhosle
07 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
For the first time since her daughter’s death, Asha Bhosle opens up to Mirror about the tragedy
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 13, 2012)
Just a week since singer Asha Bhosle’s 56-year-old daughter Varsha Bhosle ended her life, and a pall of gloom shrouds Prabhu Kunj, the Mangeshkars’ residence at Peddar road. Sources close to the family say the tragedy has smothered Asha’s spirit. She continues to be in a state of disbelief. Both sisters Asha and Lata Mangeshkar are in deep shock and have stopped all public appearances. Despite the magnitude of her loss,
Ashaji did speak to Mirror when contacted: “I was in Singapore when it happened. They wanted to keep me in the dark about it. But my son Anand thought it was better if I knew. When I was told, I just fell to the ground. I wanted to return by the first available flight. Didi (Lata) has taken this very badly. She just can’t stop crying. I wish she hadn’t been told about it. Didi is mostly in her room, so she needn’t have known. But when it happened, the place was swarming with activity. So it couldn’t have been avoided.”
An insider revealed: “Ashatai is no longer the same. Varsha has taken away her spirit. The good thing is that the two sisters Lataji and Ashaji have bonded in grief. This tragedy has brought them closer than ever before.”
This goes far beyond bereavement for the loss of a daughter of the family.
Said the insider: “For the first time in the history of the Mangeshkar family, an ignominy of this More >
Akshay Kumar hits a century!
010 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Aakansha Naval-Shetye (DNA; July 17, 2012)
Actor Akshay Kumar, who’s just had a mini-vacation in Singapore with son Aarav is gearing to plunge headlong into work again. The actor is currently juggling his films Joker with Oh My God as well as Khiladi 786, but these films on floor apart, Akshay’s also into pre-production for Naam Hai Boss. His back-to-back films apart, apparently what the actor’s also excited about is hitting the 100 mark with his upcoming sci-fi flick. “Joker will be Akshay’s 100th big screen outing and more than him it’s his co-stars including Sonakshi (Sinha) who are excited about being a part of his 100th film,” says a source.
“This year has been a year of 100s for him and filmwise too it’s a 100 and going strong, for him,” adds a film insider also talking about the actor hitting the Rs100 crore mark twice this year after a dull phase in his career.
Talking about his journey in Bollywood, the actor says that even though there have been films that haven’t hit bullseye at the BO, he’s happy to have treaded his own path. “The one most important thing I’ve learnt here is that the Friday numbers don’t matter beyond the theatres. I have learnt to leave them where they belong before I get home,” smiles Akshay.
The actor, who’s been on a hit spree this year, despite the buzz of all the Rs100 crore pressure on his upcoming films, adds “Sure, I would like all my films to do well, but I never aim for a Rs100 crore as such, so that’s never an added pressure for me More >
Nanny-free Aarav joins Akshay for adventure holiday
010 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Travelling without his mother or his nanny for the first time, Akshay Kumar’s 10-year-old son gets an opportunity to bond with his khiladi dad in Singapore and Malaysia
Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 3, 2012)
With Twinkle expecting their second baby, Akshay Kumar is suing the opportunity for some father-son bonding. The actor left for Malaysia last night to shoot an ad film over two days and will go to Singapore for a seven-day adventure holiday. And since Twinkle cannot travel at this point, Askhay wanted his son Aarav to be with him. Not only is this the first time father and son are headed for a vacation together, for 10-year-old Junior Kumar, this marks the start of his nanny-free years.
A source told Mumbai Mirror, “As a child, Aarav always a nanny to take care of his basic needs. Even when the Kumars travelled as a family, they always had a nanny with them. Well, Aarav is a grown up boy now and can travel without one.”
As for Akshay’s plan after the shooting of the ad the source adds, “He is taking Aarav to Singapore for a week long vacation and he will indulge in some outdoor sports with his son in true Khiladi style. He had cancelled his annual family vacation because of the ongoing construction of a nursery in his house but at the first opportunity, whisked Aarav away for a vacation.”
Akshay Kumar was unavailable for comment.
Emraan Hashmi heading the Aamir Khan way?
011 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Rumour has it
Emraan Hashmi will attend IIFA but not for the awards gala, only for the premiere of ‘Shanghai’
Hiren Kotwani (MID-DAY; May 31, 2012)
Remember a time when Aamir Khan avoided all award shows? Now, buzz is that Emraan Hashmi is all set to walk the same path by giving an upcoming award show in Singapore a miss. The actor is said to be only flying to Singapore to attend the premiere of his next, after which he will catch a flight back.
A friend of Hashmi confirms that the actor has no intentions of attending the award ceremony. “He’s not too enthusiastic about the awards show any more now. In fact, he made it clear to the organisers that he was flying only for the premiere of his upcoming film helmed by Dibaker Bannerjee,” says our informer, adding that the only thing that could goad him to be present inside the premises of an award show is if he’s paid to perform.
“And since he’s not performing at this event, he’ll fly back to Mumbai a night before.” Over a decade ago, Aamir Khan’s Lagaan was premiered at this particular awards weekend. However, Aamir, who had sworn off attending any awards event, went only to the get-together to discuss his then-maiden production venture.
Harvey Keitel in city; speaks to Mumbai Mirror
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Harvey Keitel, of Reservoir Dogs and Taxi Driver, says stardom comes from who you are, not what you’ve done
Kunal Pradhan (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 21, 2011)
In the Emerald Room of the Taj Mahal Hotel, the congregation is talking in low voices. There’s an audible whisper from one corner asking when he’s coming down; a guttural croak from somewhere in the middle enquiring how old he is exactly.
Harvey Keitel, a few weeks short of his 72nd birthday, walks in a few minutes later. Dressed in a blue t-shirt, with off-white trousers, and a matching linen jacket, he puts on square-rimmed sunglasses that take the attention away from his incongruous leather chappals.
Rana ChakrabortyThere is something disconcerting about him but it’s not his attire. Harvey Keitel is smiling like a beatific grand-daddy, mellowed with age. The expression doesn’t go with Mr White from Reservoir Dogs, the clean-up man from Pulp Fiction, the oppressive de-programmer from Holy Smoke, the dirty cop from Bad Lieutenant, or a 12-year-old Jodie Foster’s pimp from Taxi Driver.
“Bad people are not completely bad,” he later tells Mumbai Mirror. His voice is soft but hoarse; he drinks warm water and two cups of green tea to calm his vocal chords during the course of the interview.
“In Taxi Driver,” he continues, “I wanted to break the notion of a pimp who is brutal and portray someone who loves, really loves, the girls he’s working with. It was a difficult concept for me to grasp, More >
Bheja Fry 2 postponed
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Sagar Bellary’s Bheja Fry 2 release will be postponed as the filmmaker has to return to shoot some of the footage that was bypassed due to budget constraints
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 08, 2011)
Penny wise and pound foolish is an understatement when describing director Sagar Bellary’s decision to cut corners for Bheja Fry 2.
Instead of the film coming to theatres in the first week of April, it will now be postponed to the last week.
This delay is a result of incomplete footage as some of the shots that needed to be captured in Singapore were cancelled due to budget constraints.
On Tuesday, Bellary not only has to rush back to Singapore with a team of core cinematographers to capture the missing shots but is also footing the bill himself.
A still lfrom Bheja Fry Sagar Bellary (Yogen Shah)Bellary confirms the incident, telling us “We are indeed short of some crucial shots on a luxury cruiser in Singapore.
The film had to be postponed because of this and since our producer cannot afford any more expenses I am footing the bill,”
He adds, “A major portion of Bheja Fry 2 is shot on a cruiser called Superstar Virgo, which connects Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
We also shot a lot of the film on the Bintan Island. We had to rush through our shooting and did away with some of the scenes because of budget constraints.
We thought we”d be able to manage without them but now we realize we need long shots of the cruiser and the island, not only More >
Will B-town ban Fateh Ali Khan?
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
While a minor section of the country is lauding the Pakistani singer’s release, Bollywood is still reeling from his detention by I-T officials
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 16, 2011)
It’s doubtful if Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will return to Mumbai to record songs, let alone perform at live concerts in India.
And if he decided not to, what will happen to all the pending songs that Mumbai’s composers have planned to record with him? On February 13, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was detained by I-T officals for carrying unaccounted foreign currency, an incident that created further panic when his business manager, Chitresh Srivastava, was also found with $200,000.
We are told that at least four composers had planned to record numbers with Rahat in the next six months but three of them have dropped the idea.
One of them argues, “Rahat saab’s sufiana voice is not non-existent in our country. We have singers who can bring the same kashish to any track.
I’m planning to record my song in Daler Mehndi’s voice.” However, another composer argues that the singer’s voice is “irreplaceable” and adds, “Composer Nadeem who was extridated from the country continued to create tunes in exile.
Rahat is not an offender by law in India. I’ll certainly continue to record with him.” Despite the optimism of a few, it’s clear that the singer’s arrest has had some serious ramifications.
Ironically, singer-actor Ali Zafar arrived in India a day after Rahat was released. Ali was here More >
Gold’s Gym’s star studded calendar for 2011
02 years ago
By Satish Sundaresan, January 28, 2011 – 14:56 IST
Gold’s Gym, the very name that’s synonymous with fitness and celebrities (and vice versa), is also celebrating a milestone this year with 50 gyms being operational in India. With a plan to open 50 more this year, Gold’s Gym India is also looking to open centers in territories like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Maldives.
Like every year, this year too, they have come up with a star-studded calendar that features one star every month. The following are the stars who will grace your desktop: January – Sangeeta Bocki (Winner of Gold’s Gym Ms. Fit & Fab 2010), February – Neil Nitin Mukesh, March – Emraan Hashmi, April – Mandira Bedi, May – Amrita Rao, June – Rahul Khanna, July – Urvashi Sharma, August – Neha Dhupia, September – S Sreesanth, October – Ashmit Patel, November – Dino Morea and December – Riteish Deshmukh
Bollywood Hungama gives you a sneak peek at some of the pictures:
Neha Dhupia This stunner is the same babe, who made a stunning Bollywood debut with the Ajay Devgn starrer Qayamat. Further still, she made many hearts flutter and raised the mercury levels with her bold, sensuous act in few films. However, her role in the latest film Phas Gaye Re Obama has made everyone stand up and take notice of this powerhouse of talent.
If that wasn’t enough, this talented actress has a body to kill for. Neha, being the daughter of military personnel has always been someone who More >
The Ups and Downs of MAMI
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
The good, the bad and the outright funny at the just concluded 12th Mumbai Film Festival
Satyen K Bordoloi & Suprateek Chatterjee (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 29, 2010) (From left) Yash Chopra, Oliver Stone and Jane Campion (Pics: Satyen K Bordoloi)
A film festival, as the name suggests, should be about cinema and only cinema. However, as filmmakers and audiences converge upon a festival with tight schedules, the good, the bad and the downright hilarious often creep in. The 12th Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), which just concluded on Thursday, had its share of each.
With 215 feature films from 59 countries (including 44 for the Japanese retrospective), 15 documentaries, 20 short films and a crore rupees in prize money, it’s hard to pack such a strong cinematic concentrate. As Fardeen Khan and Raima Sen said at the closing ceremony, this might have been the largest film festival ever in terms of the number of films that were screened.
Here are some highlights that defined this year’s MAMI.
Global Cinematic Village For those who cared, many global filmmakers came to the city. There were of course the famous ones: Oliver Stone, Jane Campion and Samira Makhmalbaf. But for those interested in the art and craft of filmmaking, most of the directors of these 14 films in competition – from Denmark to Thailand, Germany to Singapore, Canada to Turkey, Spain to India, roamed around, perhaps, as one said during their press conference, trying to More >