Goodbye Bollywood

Yup, this blog is coming to an end. It doesn't actually make sense blogging about Bollywood separately when I don't have the time and energy for it. But do catch up with my eclectic tastes at Toe Knee Unplugged

Shilpa's dilemma - Chicago or Bombay Dreams

Shilpa Shetty has been offered the role of Roxie Hart in the West End musical Chicago. But what of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams? Looks like Shilpa has a tough choice on her hands.

FULL COVERAGE (on this blog)
Shilpa Shetty in Big Brother

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - Ruchi Narain

Meet Ruchi Narain. The 30-something filmmaker, a protege of renowned director Sudhir Mishra, scooped up critical acclaim for her debut film Kal - Yesterday and Tomorrow. The Shiney Ahuja-Chitrangada Singh thriller picked up the critic's award at the 2005 Osian's Cinefan film festival, New Delhi.

Narain, who also co-wrote Mishra's Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Calcutta Mail, then disappeared from the Bollywood scene - ostensibly to take a break from four years of non-stop work since 'Hazaaron..'. But she kept herself busy by dabbling in music videos, ad films and documentaries.

Fans of this young filmmaker need not despair. Ruchi told Toe Knee Unplugged she's hard at work on three feature film scripts - a thriller, a love story and a romantic comedy - and promises it won't be too long a wait coz she's itching to make a feature film.

So, how has Ruchi spent her 'off' year?

"I directed the Indian Idol II video, a couple of ad films (one with John Abraham). But frankly, more exciting for me was to produce two wildlife documentaries directed by my sister Ashima."

The documentary 'In The Pink' (about flamingoes in Mumbai) was bought by Discovery, earning both sisters a shot at another documentary, this time 'The Last Dance' (about dancing bears). A different kind of world, eh?

"For me, this was a whole new world. Quite invigorating to see another 'kind' of life after being immersed in one's own films and imagination for so long."

Surprisingly, Ruchi is not writing mentor Sudhir Mishra's latest flick Khoya Khoya Chand which stars Shiney Ahuja (once again!) and Soha Ali Khan. But she's associated with the film as its Second Unit Director. And notice how Ruchi goes ga-ga over Soha's work.

"Soha is an absolutely brilliant, natural and sophisticated actor. She will floor everyone with this film not just with her acting ... she looks beautiful."

Since Khoya Khoya Chand is a love story in the backdrop of the Hindi film industry in the 1950-60s, Ruchi shot reel premieres for the film, including one set in Delhi's famous Regal cinema.

But even the magic of cinema fails when it comes to Ruchi's first love. The young director had the most fun shooting action scenes involving horses.

"Because in between takes, I'd jump onto one of the horses and take off for a quick ride"

More trouble for Shilpa on the home front

This time from Bollywood director Anubhav Sinha's wife Ratna who hasn't taken too kindly to Shilpa Shetty's friendship with her husband. Read more here

FULL COVERAGE (on this blog)
Shilpa Shetty's stint on Big Brother

The New Censor certificate

I think this cartoon in The Hindu (Feb 12) aptly conveys the problem of moral policing plaguing Indian cinema today.

ALSO READ
Much Ado about Parzania

UK celebrity lashes out at Shilpa's attitude

Shilpa Shetty might be in the limelight in Britain but she's facing quite a few brickbats as well. The latest to join the 'Hate Shilpa' bandwagon is sixty-something TV horse-racing pundit John McCririck.

McCririck, a former Celebrity Big Brother contestant himself, let flow a flurry of anti-Shilpa comments during a television interview.

According to him, the Bollywood actress is "up herself".

"She's no wonder girl. How many times has she had sex ? Probably very few and not very often. These girls are very precious. Their bodies are so special that no man may penetrate it. She is difficult."

Well, McCririck can't be accused of racism, can he? But isn't there a law against making remarks like that?

In other (more positive) news, Shilpa now has a work permit in Britain - very necessary for her to make money from interviews and public appearances. All thanks to NRI Keith Vaz who took a personal interest in the case.

Currently in Mumbai, Shilpa will soon be back in London to take part in the Zee Carnival from February 16. This time around she will shake a leg with the likes of Priyanka Chopra and Esha Deol. A Bollywood onslaught - seems like it.

ALSO READ
Shilpa in a Hugh Grant flick!
Shilpa fever rocks British Parliament
Shilpa's life after Big Brother
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1

VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act

The 'Guru' of all tales

Mani Ratnam's latest is no classic and yet it's great how he manages to make a biopic so interesting (Yes, I would certainly classify it as a biopic - the similarities to Dhirubhai Ambani's life are far too many to be just coincidental).

And so what if the protagonist succeeds using not-so-honest means. Today's audience is not naive enough to believe that a Gandhian approach will take people places in this day and age.

Abhishek Bachchan excels as Gurukant Desai - a role tailormade for him. But the surprise package of 'Guru' is Arya Babbar. The otherwise flop actor puts in an understated performance as Gurukant's righteous bro-in-law. Wish there had been more of him in the second half. But Arya disappears after a row with Gurukant and the director doesn't take the trouble of tying up this loose end.

There are several other good performances - Mithun Chakroborty, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan, Vidya Balan. But the real winner is the script which is taut and never allows audience interest to flag.

Another plus is the music. People say A R Rahman's music in Guru didn't quite touch the heights of Dil Se or Rangeela. But when you watch the film, the songs just seem to blend in and help take the story forward. Even Mallika Sherawat's hummable cabaret number.

Rating: ****
Remarks: Abhishek's five-minute soliloquy in the courtroom sequence was a tad too melodramatic for my tastes but others seemed to love it

Shilpa fever rocks British Parliament

The Indian actress met UK Prime Minister Tony Blair today (has he ever met Big Brother winners before?) and caused a near riot at the House of Commons with a posse of mediapersons and even MPs queuing up for a glimpse.

Shilpa was all praises for Blair, who along with wife Cherie gifted her a signed photo of the House (of Commons not Big Brother).

"He said I had carried myself with the utmost dignity. I thanked him for the support he showed. He was very, very sweet. I feel like Britain has become my second home. People show me such love and warmth."

The highlight of the tour - The menu. There was salmon, there was chicken and also a Shilpa's Delight for dessert.

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1

ALSO READ
Shilpa in a Hugh Grant flick!
Shilpa's life after Big Brother
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial

VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act

Much Ado about Parzania

Poor Rahul Dholakia. He takes the trouble of making a movie about a child who goes missing during the 2002 riots in Gujarat. And then the moral police play spoilsport - by not allowing its release in the state.

The villain of the piece (or at least the one in the public eye) is a guy called Babubhai 'Bajrangi' Patel, head of the local unit of the Hindu nationalist Bajrang Dal. Bajrangi feels the film is biased and could ignite communal passions once again.

Call it moral policing or what you will, a film cleared by India's Censor Board is being held ransom by someone who hasn't even seen it yet. An unabashed Bajrangi claimed on TimesNow last night that Dholakia made 'Parzania' only to mint money.

If they want to find the missing child, let them go to the police. Just by showing the film, will the child be found?

Exhibitors, fearing violence and riots, have decided not to screen the film in Gujarat. Having watched the critically-acclaimed film at its Goa film festival premiere in 2005 and then closely followed the director's attempts to get it released in India, I must say I am disappointed.

But I also know Dholakia won't give up that easily. A fortnight ago, he told me that several NGOs had come forward to help him screen 'Parzania'. The truth will be out some day. But until then, Dara and Rupa Mody's wait for news of their son Azhar is destined to be a long one.

Shilpa to star opposite Hugh Grant in new film

Yes, you read that right. Writers are working on a script that sees Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty and British actor Hugh Grant star in a romantic comedy on the lines of Notting Hill.

An industry insider told Daily Star the script is about a Bollywood actress (Shilpa) and a producer (Hugh) "who promises to help her crack the British and US markets".

Ummm...seems like Shilpa's crossover film is in the offing. The Bollywood actress was also spotted at Leicester Square on Monday at the premiere of Hugh's new film Music and Lyrics. Did the two discuss the possibility of acting together? We'll have to wait to find out.

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1

ALSO READ
Shilpa's life after Big Brother
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial

VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act

Salaam-e-Ishq: Snippety-snappety

Ya, ya - I've heard all about how long this movie is. But then a monumental epic never hurt anyone - as long as it's entertaining. Nikhil Advani's Salaam-e-Ishq has all the right ingredients - an incredible cast, rocking music and six delightful stories about love. The Problem? When the theatrewallah gets into scissorhands mode, viewers are in for some trying times.

How did Anil Kapoor get his arm in a sling? Apparently, he fell down (a colleague informs me). But shouldn't I see it on screen instead of wondering why Kapoor is sling-free in one frame and sling-full in the next. Media reports suggest that Advani, bombarded with complaints of the film being unbearably long, decided to make a few cuts himself. Bad move cos there's nothing worse than bad editing.

Anyway, that's not the only problem. Advani also has problems weaving in the six love stories together - the stitches are quite visible in some cases.

My favourite couple - Govinda and Shannon. The taxi-driver falling for an American was quite an original concept. Can't say the same for the Haryanvi combo of Sohail-Ishaa though. That track could have been safely edited out.

John Abraham and Vidya Balan have done some good work too and so have most of the others (including Priyanka Chopra). But Advani lacks the finesse of Karan Johar (who btw has a phone-in cameo in the film). In Johar's hands, Salaam-e-Ishq would have been gold. In his protege's hands, the film is not the blockbuster it could have been.

Rating: ***
Remarks: Watch out for Kailash Kher's Ya Rabba number. It left several in the audience teary-eyed and is easily the best song of the film.

Shilpa Shetty and life after Big Brother

Twenty-six days. That's how much time it took Shilpa Shetty to catapult herself from an unknown entity in Britain to an international celebrity. Her stint on Celebrity Big Brother brought her to the big league and the Bollywood actress is flooded with offers to peddle everything from diapers to lottery tickets.

Also in the pipeline are dozens of film and television offers, a book deal and a chance to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams stage revival. Of course, not counting reports of her being nominated for the Nobel Peace prize.

One of the first Bollywood filmmakers to reveal his plans for Shilpa was K Shashilal Nair, someone who doesn't have too many hits to his name. Best known for his titillating Ek Chhotisi Love Story (2002), Nair says he wants Shilpa and arch-rival Jade Goody as protagonists for a new movie.

But Nair hasn't revealed the plot and methinks it cannot be a mere dramatisation of the Jade-Shilpa row. For one, far too many people have seen the video of the Day 14 stock cube argument. And more importantly, would anyone still be interested in it having already witnessed the 'real' fight on the show.

Maybe Shilpa and Jade will star as the premiers of India and Britain respectively in the midst of a diplomatic row. Nah! Or would you rather have Shilpa as a call-centre employee in Bangalore having a telephonic spat with irate UK customer Jade. Plausible but still not interesting enough.

Methinks we should leave Nair to his plots and cheer Shilpa on as she prepares to enter the House of Commons on February 7 to shake hands (and hopefully shake a leg) with British premier Tony Blair, Chancellor Gordon Brown and other parliamentarians.

The biggie for the Indian beauty - a meeting with the Queen - will come on March 12 during a reception at Marlborough House in London to celebrate Commonwealth Day. And that's surely tops Shilpa's itinerary on the British Isles.

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1

ALSO READ
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial

VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act