Abhishek Bachchan obviously needs to introduction. His film Guru where he plays the title role is all set to hit the screens this Friday and IndiaFM caught up with him in an exclusive interview where he spoke about the film, on working with Mani Ratnam, his co-stars and a whole lot more.
This is your second movie with Mr. Mani Ratnam, how was your experience with him?
Working with Mani is always a great experience. According to me, he is possibly the most gifted and talented director that we have in India today. He is a great ambassador to Indian cinema, and just to get the opportunity to stand in front of his camera is a matter of great pride and honour for any actor. I know a lot of actors who strive to work with him. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to do two films with him already.
What is Guru all about?
Guru is about Guru. I think the poster has brilliant lines. It says a villager, visionary, winner. It is the life story of Gurukant Desai. It is a rag to riches story of a common man from a small village who has a large dream- a huge dream and how he sets about achieving it. It is a very interesting film. After a long time, we are going to get to see a film which is specifically about just one character and its growth.
You are playing Gurukant Desai. Tell us something about this role, and how did you get into this character?
I guess Gurukant Desai is from a small village in Gujarat, how he leads his small village in the chase of his dreams. He finishes his studies and comes to Mumbai. Gurukant’s greatest ability is that he never says No. He never gives up and he will do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. Once he has decided he wants to achieve something he will do whatever it is to achieve it.
As the film’s promotion line says, “the most controversial man of the year”, tell us something about that. What is the controversy in the film?
There is no controversy in the film; it is just that Gurukant Desai, through the screenplay of the film ends up being very controversial because when you start achieving what you have set out to achieve. He ruffles a few feathers; people who have already established and who rule the country are not really happy with this common man who has come out of nowhere and who is achieving stuff that even they have not managed to achieve. Especially when he achieves it in a span of five years which they have taken generations to achieve.
So obviously, when there is a new entrant into a field who starts doing very well, the people at the top do not like it. So, hence, there is a huge campaign to try and bring him down. The authorities do not believe how somebody can have such a meteoric rise and they do not want this man to succeed. Hence he is always dragged into the controversy which is a bit sad because in life when something does have a meteoric rise, we do not tend to believe it. Gurukant Desai is one such a character who does achieve and does achieve very fast through his sheer hard work and brilliance. Hence he turns out to become a very controversial figure, so the tagline, “the most controversial man of the year.”
What is the one thing you like about this character?
I like the fact that despite achieving whatever he achieves near the end of his life where he has conquered all his dreams; he still has never lost that small town boy in him; you can still see that villager within him. In other words, he stays very routed to where he is from. He remembers where he is from and I like that about him. I think it is very important, no matter who you are, where you come from or what you have achieved to remain routed.
I like his brilliance. I think he is a brilliant mind, the schemes he devises when he faces to the problem, how he decides to tackle that problem, he does it all on his feet and he is very fast and he is a brilliant mind, I like his mind.
So is that the reason you took up the film?
I think that first and foremost, when a director like Mani Ratnam offers you a film; I do not think any actor has to really bother about what the role is going to be. It just so happened that when Mani came to me with the film I knew that it is going to be a great character like this. Guru is a film, which actors do not get everyday. I am pretty convinced that I will never get a movie or a character like Guru ever again. It is once in a lifetime opportunity and there was no way I was going to let that up.
We spoke to Mani Ratnam and he said that you have put on the weight for your character, is it true?
What does it like? Yes, I put on eleven kilos for the film.
Do you like experimenting with your characters?
I think experimentation derives from what you want to do. We do not experiment. We are actors and we enact a role. Gurukant Desai is a different role than what Jay Dixit was in Dhoom. They look different, they are different people. So you will have to do whatever it takes to make that character as believable as possible. I think if I would have put a white wig and white moustache and put on padding all over myself, it would take away from the believability factor of Guru.
Yes and it looks very artificial.
Yes, we are actors. We are meant to mould ourselves to what the character demands and Guru demanded all this, so we did it.
A. R Rehman’s has done its music. Tell us something about it?
A. R Rehman is a genius. He is a maestro and I think he is an exceptional talent and he has given some wonderful music for Guru.
Which is your favourite track?
My favourite track would probably be Tere Bina.
How was it working with Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan, Vidya Balan and Mithunda?
It was wonderful. Look at the star cast that Mani had put together. Any actor is going to be excited to work with Mithunda, Aishwarya, Vidya and with Madhavan. They all are immensely talented actors and as actors and actresses. They have achieved so much. So it is obviously a dream to get a star cast like this to work with.
What is the USP according to you of Guru? What do you think why should people come and watch Guru?
Because they want to. It is wrong to say what the USP of the film is because there in itself you defeat the purpose of the film. I think that a film has to entertain you. That is the most important thing and you cannot have one unique selling point of a film. Why should people come and watch the film? They should come and watch Guru if they want to watch the film. It is as simple as that. They should not come and watch the film, because it has some fantastic songs. It is a nice star cast and the costumes are good. They should come watch it because they want to watch it.
What is the first thing comes to your mind, when I say Guru?
The movie. Nowadays whenever anybody says Guru I think of the film.
Tell us something about your other film.
I am currently shooting for a movie called Drona, which is directed by my friend Goldie Behl but the next release after Guru, would probably be Jhoom Barabar Jhoom which is directed by Shaad Ali. After I finish Drona, I will start work on Sarkar and take things forward from there.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Hello I am Abhishek Bachchan
Toronto mayor David Miller has personally invited Abhishek Bachchan and the star cast of ‘Guru’ for the world premiere of the film ‘Guru’- India 's first mainstream international premiere in Canada.
Says Mayor Mr. David Miller, “It's a pleasure to host the world premiere of ‘Guru’ in Toronto. This presentation represents a landmark event for the city of Toronto and all of Canada. It is an unprecedented occasion for the city to have film artists of the stature of Mani Ratnam, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, along with the producer Bobby Bedi choose to premiere this major film outside of India. That they would select our city is an indication of the high regard Indian filmmakers have for Toronto. This is an opportunity to bring Indian Cinema to a larger appreciative audience and, at the same time, to further develop economic, creative and personal ties between our two countries."
Abhishek Bachchan, who plays the main protagonist in the film seemed pretty excited about ‘Guru’ being the first film to be premiered in Canada. Says Abhishek, “Hello, I'm Abhishek Bachchan. You have always come to see my movies and now its time to come and see you. Join me for the world premiere of my film ‘Guru’ in Toronto, Jan 11, 2007 . See you there!!”
The organizers are expecting around 10,000 people to line up the street for a glimpse of the Abhishek Bachchan and Aiswarya Rai for the red carpet premiere in true Hollywood style.
The film opens in theaters Canadawide Cineplex, AMC and Empire January 12th, 2007
Source: Indiaglitz
Says Mayor Mr. David Miller, “It's a pleasure to host the world premiere of ‘Guru’ in Toronto. This presentation represents a landmark event for the city of Toronto and all of Canada. It is an unprecedented occasion for the city to have film artists of the stature of Mani Ratnam, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, along with the producer Bobby Bedi choose to premiere this major film outside of India. That they would select our city is an indication of the high regard Indian filmmakers have for Toronto. This is an opportunity to bring Indian Cinema to a larger appreciative audience and, at the same time, to further develop economic, creative and personal ties between our two countries."
Abhishek Bachchan, who plays the main protagonist in the film seemed pretty excited about ‘Guru’ being the first film to be premiered in Canada. Says Abhishek, “Hello, I'm Abhishek Bachchan. You have always come to see my movies and now its time to come and see you. Join me for the world premiere of my film ‘Guru’ in Toronto, Jan 11, 2007 . See you there!!”
The organizers are expecting around 10,000 people to line up the street for a glimpse of the Abhishek Bachchan and Aiswarya Rai for the red carpet premiere in true Hollywood style.
The film opens in theaters Canadawide Cineplex, AMC and Empire January 12th, 2007
Source: Indiaglitz
Friday, December 01, 2006
Preview: Guru - A tale of a visionary
A Mani Ratnam film is special. So what if he hasn't tasted box office success in Hindi films so far, his work has always been par excellence, whether it is 'Dil Se' or 'Yuva'. With 'Guru', he embarks into narrating an epic tale that is supposed to be based on none other than Dhurbhai Ambani. Coming together of Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Mithun Chakravorty, Madhavan and Vidya Balan along with A.R. Rehman and Gulzar handling the music department is a good enough reason to check out the film.
Guru Kant Desai, simply called as Guru [Abhishek Bachchan], belonged to a small village called Idhar situated in Gujarat. Coming from a humble background which comprised of a headmaster father, he was always taught to be content with what one has got rather than aspiring for something that may not be achievable by any means, whether it is materialistic or non-materialistic. But Guru had different plans.
He wanted it all!
So whether it was dreams, house or a village to live in, Guru always dreamt of something bigger. And all this since he was confident that he had it in him to achieve that, especially with a belief that he was the one who would be writing his own destiny.
And soon a simple villager was en route to be one of the biggest visionary ever.
He started his journey from a modest village in Gujarat to Bombay which was soon flourishing as the financial capital of India. It was year 1958, and those were the days when the rich ruled the world of business and newcomers hardly had any place in the sun for them. But Guru knew it was achievable, and he surely had ways to find a way for himself, whether by hook or by crook.
And the one who was with him in his journey throughout was Sujatha [Aishwarya Rai], who at one point of time was hesitant to marry Guru but it was a matter of time when she fell in love with him after being together as a couple in a one-room chawl! Her relationship with him became so strong over the years that regardless of what others had to say about him, for her Guru was the one who stood for love!
But this was not an emotion that Manikdas Guptha (Nanaji) [Mithun Chakravarthy] and Shyam Saxena [R. Madhavan] shared!
Nananji ran a newspaper called Swathantra and years back was pretty impressed with the kind of fire that he could feel within Guru. He knew that Guru was a young lad who had it in him to be successful and though his walk towards his destination seemed too fast, he attributed it to his young blood. He was warned about some of Guru's so-called evil ways but for Nananji, Guru was spotless.
Until he realized the truth...a bitter one at that. And now he wanted to fight to bring it to fore for all to see. Even if it threatens to destroy Guru....or even himself.
The same realization had struck Shyam too who didn't really have much love lost for Guru due to the way he worked and wanted him to be punished for his unethical and materialistic ways. He was ready for a fight and was all set to enter the arena.
But it wasn't as if Guru didn't have anyone else who cared! Apart from Sujatha, he also had support in the form of Meenu [Vidya Balan], a young woman who limped and could be seen on a wheelchair. From her childhood, she had seen Guru and while she could see Nanaji and Shyam being critical of him, for her he was the man to be respected and admired since he was the only one who never asked her about her handicap. Also, she could see that Guru's journey to the top was full of obstacles and hence a lot of things happened en route which in an ideal scenario should not have happened!
And during this journey, Guru knew only one fact that mattered most in his life - to be big. In fact not just big, but the biggest! And soon the man who had a strong vision turned into a winner!
A winner who could make a fortune in spite of coming to Bombay with only Rs. 15000 in a suitcase. From a modest beginning with a small establishment called 'Shakti Trading' that was set on 350 sq ft. and only had one telephone, one table and three chairs, he was running a company that was recognized as the first Indian company to reach Forbes Top 500 after 40 years.
Guru's philosophy behind making this happen? Think big, Think ahead, Think fast!
Want to see this tale unfold on the big screen? Then wait for next year to begin as the film releases all over on January 12th!
Source: IndiaGlitz
Guru Kant Desai, simply called as Guru [Abhishek Bachchan], belonged to a small village called Idhar situated in Gujarat. Coming from a humble background which comprised of a headmaster father, he was always taught to be content with what one has got rather than aspiring for something that may not be achievable by any means, whether it is materialistic or non-materialistic. But Guru had different plans.
He wanted it all!
So whether it was dreams, house or a village to live in, Guru always dreamt of something bigger. And all this since he was confident that he had it in him to achieve that, especially with a belief that he was the one who would be writing his own destiny.
And soon a simple villager was en route to be one of the biggest visionary ever.
He started his journey from a modest village in Gujarat to Bombay which was soon flourishing as the financial capital of India. It was year 1958, and those were the days when the rich ruled the world of business and newcomers hardly had any place in the sun for them. But Guru knew it was achievable, and he surely had ways to find a way for himself, whether by hook or by crook.
And the one who was with him in his journey throughout was Sujatha [Aishwarya Rai], who at one point of time was hesitant to marry Guru but it was a matter of time when she fell in love with him after being together as a couple in a one-room chawl! Her relationship with him became so strong over the years that regardless of what others had to say about him, for her Guru was the one who stood for love!
But this was not an emotion that Manikdas Guptha (Nanaji) [Mithun Chakravarthy] and Shyam Saxena [R. Madhavan] shared!
Nananji ran a newspaper called Swathantra and years back was pretty impressed with the kind of fire that he could feel within Guru. He knew that Guru was a young lad who had it in him to be successful and though his walk towards his destination seemed too fast, he attributed it to his young blood. He was warned about some of Guru's so-called evil ways but for Nananji, Guru was spotless.
Until he realized the truth...a bitter one at that. And now he wanted to fight to bring it to fore for all to see. Even if it threatens to destroy Guru....or even himself.
The same realization had struck Shyam too who didn't really have much love lost for Guru due to the way he worked and wanted him to be punished for his unethical and materialistic ways. He was ready for a fight and was all set to enter the arena.
But it wasn't as if Guru didn't have anyone else who cared! Apart from Sujatha, he also had support in the form of Meenu [Vidya Balan], a young woman who limped and could be seen on a wheelchair. From her childhood, she had seen Guru and while she could see Nanaji and Shyam being critical of him, for her he was the man to be respected and admired since he was the only one who never asked her about her handicap. Also, she could see that Guru's journey to the top was full of obstacles and hence a lot of things happened en route which in an ideal scenario should not have happened!
And during this journey, Guru knew only one fact that mattered most in his life - to be big. In fact not just big, but the biggest! And soon the man who had a strong vision turned into a winner!
A winner who could make a fortune in spite of coming to Bombay with only Rs. 15000 in a suitcase. From a modest beginning with a small establishment called 'Shakti Trading' that was set on 350 sq ft. and only had one telephone, one table and three chairs, he was running a company that was recognized as the first Indian company to reach Forbes Top 500 after 40 years.
Guru's philosophy behind making this happen? Think big, Think ahead, Think fast!
Want to see this tale unfold on the big screen? Then wait for next year to begin as the film releases all over on January 12th!
Source: IndiaGlitz
Monday, November 27, 2006
Aishwarya Rai performs puja in Varanasi with Bachchans
The gorgeous Aishwarya Rai , Bollywood mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan performed a puja at a temple in Varanasi in the early hours on Monday fuelling speculation about a marriage between Bachchan Junior and the former Miss World.
According to the district administration sources, Samajwadi Party general-secretary Amar Singh along with Bachchan and Abhishek, Shweta Nanda, brother Ajitabh and his daughter Namrata and Ash arrived in Varanasi around 10 pm on Sunday. They stayed at a five-star hotel in Varanasi.
Jaya Bachchan was already in the city for the past few days for the shooting of a Yash Raj banner film.
Sources in Varanasi said that the puja was performed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
There have been considerable speculation in the media about marriage between Abhishek and Ash but neither family has confirmed it.
Bachchan had said in London on November 9 this year that he wanted Abhishek to settle with a "good girl" of his choice.
Asked about the prospect of Abhishek marrying Ash, the older Bachchan had quipped: "I have also heard about it. You should ask the people who spread the rumour".
Abhishek and Ash have starred together in films like Dhai Akshar Prem Ke , Kuch Naa Kaho , recently-released Umrao Jaan and Dhoom 2 as also Mani Ratnam `s forthcoming Guru .
Astrologer Chandramouli Upadhyaya met the Bachchan family at the hotel for more than half an hour.
Later, he told reporters that there was no discussion on Abhishek`s marriage and the Bachchans have come here to offer prayers at the Kashi Viswanath temple and the Sankatmochan temple to overcome a problem relating to the horoscope of Ash.
Source: Apunkachoice
According to the district administration sources, Samajwadi Party general-secretary Amar Singh along with Bachchan and Abhishek, Shweta Nanda, brother Ajitabh and his daughter Namrata and Ash arrived in Varanasi around 10 pm on Sunday. They stayed at a five-star hotel in Varanasi.
Jaya Bachchan was already in the city for the past few days for the shooting of a Yash Raj banner film.
Sources in Varanasi said that the puja was performed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
There have been considerable speculation in the media about marriage between Abhishek and Ash but neither family has confirmed it.
Bachchan had said in London on November 9 this year that he wanted Abhishek to settle with a "good girl" of his choice.
Asked about the prospect of Abhishek marrying Ash, the older Bachchan had quipped: "I have also heard about it. You should ask the people who spread the rumour".
Abhishek and Ash have starred together in films like Dhai Akshar Prem Ke , Kuch Naa Kaho , recently-released Umrao Jaan and Dhoom 2 as also Mani Ratnam `s forthcoming Guru .
Astrologer Chandramouli Upadhyaya met the Bachchan family at the hotel for more than half an hour.
Later, he told reporters that there was no discussion on Abhishek`s marriage and the Bachchans have come here to offer prayers at the Kashi Viswanath temple and the Sankatmochan temple to overcome a problem relating to the horoscope of Ash.
Source: Apunkachoice
Ash, Hrithik Kiss Heats up Bachchans
Aishwariya Rai and Hrithik Roshan share a smoking hot chemistry between themselves in ‘Dhoom 2’. And in a moment of intimacy they end up lip locking too. The scene has been picturised aesthetically. But this display of emotions and other short clothes worn by Ash hasn’t gone down well with Bachchans who reportedly watched the final version of ‘Dhoom 2’ recently.
It is being said that Amitabh, Jaya and Abhishek were upset with Ash’s decision to smooch on screen after having said no in her English films. It seems they also don’t approve of the short stuff she’s worn at her age. Now, what’s age got to do with short stuff! When she can carry it off with élan, then what does age has to do with it. It seems Bachchans have forgotten what Big B did in that insipid ‘Boom’ and he seems to have a hot equation with an eighteen year old Jiya Khan in forthcoming ‘Nishabd’ too. Abhishek on his part has lip locked with Rani in ‘Yuva’ and ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ so what’s the big fuss on what Ash is doing?
Guys, when (or if) you’ve decided on a filmi daughter-in-law then deal with the package that comes along with it. What do you say…
Source: IndiaGlitz
It is being said that Amitabh, Jaya and Abhishek were upset with Ash’s decision to smooch on screen after having said no in her English films. It seems they also don’t approve of the short stuff she’s worn at her age. Now, what’s age got to do with short stuff! When she can carry it off with élan, then what does age has to do with it. It seems Bachchans have forgotten what Big B did in that insipid ‘Boom’ and he seems to have a hot equation with an eighteen year old Jiya Khan in forthcoming ‘Nishabd’ too. Abhishek on his part has lip locked with Rani in ‘Yuva’ and ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ so what’s the big fuss on what Ash is doing?
Guys, when (or if) you’ve decided on a filmi daughter-in-law then deal with the package that comes along with it. What do you say…
Source: IndiaGlitz
Dhoom 2 Review
Those blue-diamond-eyes make the king of thieves go ‘Krazy Kiya’ on her ‘Dhoom Again’ beats. And that’s not all guys. If you wish to saunter your way into the magnificent world of fantastic babes, brilliant-stunts-n-special-effects and whistle-evoking locations then Sanjay Gadhavi’s ode to Fantasy ‘Dhoom 2’ is meant for you. It would be unfair to compare the sequel to Bombay-to-Goa chor police excitement of ‘Dhoom’. For both are different in many ways. But in spite of everything going right for it, there’s something missing in ‘Dhoom 2’. I am sure you’ll notice that when you watch it (oh yeah it’s surely worth watching).
Alright…When I entered the theatre I didn’t have any notions of watching something outstanding in terms of a revolutionary story idea that can affect the mindset of the country like a RDB or Munnabhai’s Gandhigiri. It’s all about entertainment…That’s the punch line of a film like ‘Dhoom 2’. I’m all for it dude. But when you promise something out-of-this-world, and compromise with your own risk-taking-ability one feels let down. For Aryan (Hrithik) is the perfect thief who can pull off unbelievable heists on a moving-train-top in Namibia or through the skating zone of Mumbai Museum with superlative efficacy. He is the master of disguises and honestly Hrithik looks like a pinch-me-can-it-be-true Dream.
The problem arises when such a dare devil stuntman loses his focus and falls head-over-elbows in love with another thief (also a police mole) Sunehri (Aishwariya). They play basket ball and try their hands with various cuisines while you are left wondering….Hey…how about getting down to some work guys. Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) on the other hand has good old Ali (Uday Chopra) who has now turned a cop and a pregnant wife Sweety (Rimi Sen in a special appearance) to contend with. He gets down to some ‘Touch Me Touch Me’ groovy dancing with fellow cop Shonali Bose (Bipasha Basu) and Ali oogles himself to death at her sister Monali (Yes guys Bipasha in a double role….One good reason to chase this Dhoom) as she sets Rio’s beach sand on fire with her dare-bare-bikini-peep-show.
Hrithik and Ash make for a smoking hot pair. It’s great to feast your eyes on the christmas-turkey-crispness of Ash in those hot pants and in-shape-bare-belly. She looks cool being on the coy-negative-side. Hrithik carries off the Krrish flavour. This man is a God. Six-pack abs, talking-with-the-wind-locks, stylized body language, fantastic dressing sense and snazzy dance steps are the biggest plus points of ‘Dhoom 2’.
It’s a worth watching movie just because of Roshan alone. This man’s ambitions are unmatched as compared with anyone else around. And he’ll do anything to make them come true. The visual effects by Tata Elxi and action by Allan Amin is first rate. Cinematography by Nirav Shah and Vikas Shivraman is one of the best you’ve ever seen in Hindi cinema. Salim-Suleiman’s background music rocks (Check out the rock guitaring in the train sequence).
On the flipside, the whole plot goes haywire due to the love story between Aryan and Sunehri. I couldn’t help but recall John Abraham’s Kabeer act in ‘Dhoom’. He was a different kinda thief. But he was focused. As a viewer you sympathized with his end and yet his character graph doesn’t confuse you. In ‘Dhoom 2’ the biggest flaw is the sudden shift in the story where Hrithik undergoes a 360 turnaround in his character graph and from the most wanted criminal (If he is pulling off crimes worth Rs 30 to Rs 150 crores then he must be the biggest) he becomes a Mr-Goody-Two-Shoes loverboy willing to do anything (cry baby cry) to make his love life happy.
Uday Chopra as Ali impresses with his wisecrack one liners. In fact he elicits the biggest laughs from the audience. Yet, he is given a short shrift. His Baywatch touch-downs with I-can-give-Pamela-Anderson-a-run-for-her-money Bips on Rio beaches are a fabulous sight to watch. Wish we could have had more of him rather than him being an underused-side-kick. Bipasha looks gorgeous (She is a peep-show-factory and the guys most certainly won’t mind that) but her two diametrically opposite roles leaves you a bit confused as to what was she supposed to do in the film except flaunt that made-to-perfect shapeliness.
Abhishek looks haggard and disinterested. It is apparent Hrithik, Uday, Ash and Bipasha had worked hard on their bodies while Junior Bachchan’s puffy look is an eye-sore. Dude, do something about these crucial weighty issues. Right! One of the highlights of ‘Dhoom’ was its music. ‘Dhoom Machale’ became a national anthem. But the same can’t be said about ‘Dhoom 2’. Except for ‘Krazy Kiya Re’ and ‘My Name is Ali’ none of the songs make you go ‘Dhoom’.
Finally, get it right, ‘Dhoom 2’ is meant for the youngsters. And they’d like it too. All the adrenaline-rushing ingredients shall make them go ‘Dhoom’. I’d say watch it without any expectations and you shall have a fun ride. Yeah, it’s worth the hype. Partially…
Dhoom 2: Worth-a-touchdown-to-the-nearest-theatre
Star Rating: ***
Source: IndiaGlitz
Alright…When I entered the theatre I didn’t have any notions of watching something outstanding in terms of a revolutionary story idea that can affect the mindset of the country like a RDB or Munnabhai’s Gandhigiri. It’s all about entertainment…That’s the punch line of a film like ‘Dhoom 2’. I’m all for it dude. But when you promise something out-of-this-world, and compromise with your own risk-taking-ability one feels let down. For Aryan (Hrithik) is the perfect thief who can pull off unbelievable heists on a moving-train-top in Namibia or through the skating zone of Mumbai Museum with superlative efficacy. He is the master of disguises and honestly Hrithik looks like a pinch-me-can-it-be-true Dream.
The problem arises when such a dare devil stuntman loses his focus and falls head-over-elbows in love with another thief (also a police mole) Sunehri (Aishwariya). They play basket ball and try their hands with various cuisines while you are left wondering….Hey…how about getting down to some work guys. Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) on the other hand has good old Ali (Uday Chopra) who has now turned a cop and a pregnant wife Sweety (Rimi Sen in a special appearance) to contend with. He gets down to some ‘Touch Me Touch Me’ groovy dancing with fellow cop Shonali Bose (Bipasha Basu) and Ali oogles himself to death at her sister Monali (Yes guys Bipasha in a double role….One good reason to chase this Dhoom) as she sets Rio’s beach sand on fire with her dare-bare-bikini-peep-show.
Hrithik and Ash make for a smoking hot pair. It’s great to feast your eyes on the christmas-turkey-crispness of Ash in those hot pants and in-shape-bare-belly. She looks cool being on the coy-negative-side. Hrithik carries off the Krrish flavour. This man is a God. Six-pack abs, talking-with-the-wind-locks, stylized body language, fantastic dressing sense and snazzy dance steps are the biggest plus points of ‘Dhoom 2’.
It’s a worth watching movie just because of Roshan alone. This man’s ambitions are unmatched as compared with anyone else around. And he’ll do anything to make them come true. The visual effects by Tata Elxi and action by Allan Amin is first rate. Cinematography by Nirav Shah and Vikas Shivraman is one of the best you’ve ever seen in Hindi cinema. Salim-Suleiman’s background music rocks (Check out the rock guitaring in the train sequence).
On the flipside, the whole plot goes haywire due to the love story between Aryan and Sunehri. I couldn’t help but recall John Abraham’s Kabeer act in ‘Dhoom’. He was a different kinda thief. But he was focused. As a viewer you sympathized with his end and yet his character graph doesn’t confuse you. In ‘Dhoom 2’ the biggest flaw is the sudden shift in the story where Hrithik undergoes a 360 turnaround in his character graph and from the most wanted criminal (If he is pulling off crimes worth Rs 30 to Rs 150 crores then he must be the biggest) he becomes a Mr-Goody-Two-Shoes loverboy willing to do anything (cry baby cry) to make his love life happy.
Uday Chopra as Ali impresses with his wisecrack one liners. In fact he elicits the biggest laughs from the audience. Yet, he is given a short shrift. His Baywatch touch-downs with I-can-give-Pamela-Anderson-a-run-for-her-money Bips on Rio beaches are a fabulous sight to watch. Wish we could have had more of him rather than him being an underused-side-kick. Bipasha looks gorgeous (She is a peep-show-factory and the guys most certainly won’t mind that) but her two diametrically opposite roles leaves you a bit confused as to what was she supposed to do in the film except flaunt that made-to-perfect shapeliness.
Abhishek looks haggard and disinterested. It is apparent Hrithik, Uday, Ash and Bipasha had worked hard on their bodies while Junior Bachchan’s puffy look is an eye-sore. Dude, do something about these crucial weighty issues. Right! One of the highlights of ‘Dhoom’ was its music. ‘Dhoom Machale’ became a national anthem. But the same can’t be said about ‘Dhoom 2’. Except for ‘Krazy Kiya Re’ and ‘My Name is Ali’ none of the songs make you go ‘Dhoom’.
Finally, get it right, ‘Dhoom 2’ is meant for the youngsters. And they’d like it too. All the adrenaline-rushing ingredients shall make them go ‘Dhoom’. I’d say watch it without any expectations and you shall have a fun ride. Yeah, it’s worth the hype. Partially…
Dhoom 2: Worth-a-touchdown-to-the-nearest-theatre
Star Rating: ***
Source: IndiaGlitz
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Abhi-Hri: Who’ll Make Bigger Dhoom?
It goes without saying that Sanjay Gadhavi’s ‘Dhoom 2’ has generated a tremendous buzz both amongst the audience as well as the trade. There are several factors which are being discussed but one of the hottest one being Hrithik Roshan cast opposite Abhishek Bachchan at a time when both are figuring amongst the top names in Bollywood. I say opposite because Hrithik plays a negative character to Abhi’s good samaritan. So, who do you think will elicit the bigger whistles Come-Dhoom tomorrow?
Hrithik made a dream start with ‘Kaho Na Pyaar Hai’ that catapulted him to dizzying heights of fame while Abhishek took more than a dozen flops to rise to his present stature. Incidentally ‘Dhoom 1’ was the first certified hit to his name (‘Yuva’ established him as an actor of immense potential but it couldn’t do magic at the ticket window) and he is back with the sequel with a flop in ‘Umrao Jaan’ as his last release. Hrithik on the other hand is riding high on the huge success of his superman caper ‘Krrish’.
Hrithik and Abhishek are as different as chalk-n-cheese. Roshan magic relies on his excellent histrionics, superb dancing style, drop-dead-handsome looks, chiseled-to-perfection physique and a charismatic screen presence. Abhishek, on the other hand can ignite a fire through those deep-coal eyes, languid body language (It is finally finding its own vocabulary other than his father’s), versatile style of acting, can adapt to different production houses, gets along very well with everyone, has emerged as a fine dancer and sang his way to the nation with his ‘Bluffmaster’ rap-around.
What they have in common is the influence of their respective fathers in their lives as well as careers. All the big hits of Hrithik so far be it ‘Kaho Na Pyaar Hai’, ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ and ‘Krrish’ have come under his father Rakesh Roshan’s baton. He is yet to prove himself outside his comfort zone (‘Dhoom 2’ can very well be that answer). Abhishek on the other hand was always compared with dad Amitabh Bachchan’s acting style. To be fair to him, Abhi is emerging out of his father’s shadows and has given hits with varied directors like ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ (Shaad Ali), ‘Sarkar’ (Ram Gopal Verma), ‘Dus’ (Anubhav Sinha), ‘Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’ (Karan Johar) and ‘Bluffmaster’ (Rohan Sippy).
Hrithik and Abhishek were pitted together for the first time in Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon’. The film flopped miserably. Hrithik’s role was bigger than that of Abhishek but the critics lauded Abhishek’s performance while Hrithik’s loud performance came for severe criticism. It’s been a full circle since ‘Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon’. Now, who in your opinion is going to be the highpoint of ‘Dhoom 2’? Hrithik Roshan or Abhishek Bachchan. Take a pick….
Source: Indiaglitz
“I could have out-danced Ash, Hrithik,” says Abhishek Bachchan
“I am convinced that I could have out danced Aishwarya and Hrithik Roshan, Bipasha and Uday ‘toh baye haath ka khel hai’,” says Abhishek Bachchan jokingly in this exclusive interview. ‘Dhoom 2’ is a sequel to ‘Dhoom’ and Abhi is one of the actors (other than Uday Chopra) who have been repeated in the sequel and obviously he is very excited about being a part of such a big film as this. As for his rivalry with Hrithik then Bachchan Junior feels that Roshan makes him work harder. Over to the man himself:
Source: IndiaGlitz
Did you expect Dhoom to be such a blockbuster in the first place?
We actors expect all our films to be blockbusters because we put that kind of effort into them, we hope for the best we’d all worked very hard, we knew we had something normal and unique and simple. We then worked towards making the best possible film that we could make and thankfully the audiences appreciated our efforts.
Dhoom 2 will be your first sequel, did you have to reprise your mannerisms and attitude from the first role?
(In jest) Actually my first sequel was ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’, which I played a very prominent role, ….I did, I was the main guy in the film yaar, …then? So ‘Dhoom 2’ was my second sequel. Being a sequel it was that much more easier, because you know the character, you know what the character can do and cannot do and having worked on an entire film being that one particular character, it was interesting because in the sequel we just got to tweak Jai Dixit a bit but we didn’t have to establish his character as it was already established, so we got to play with him a bit, for e.g. in Dhoom 2 I feel Jai Dixit is slightly more relaxed that’s reflective in the way he dresses in his general attitude. I’d like to be believe he’s a bit more cooler in this film, cool in the sense he’s calmer and more level headed, has things more planned out.
How different or similar is Dhoom 2 from Dhoom?
It’s the same genre but I believe it’s a different film. I’d like to believe it’s a bigger and better film but being the same genre it can be associated as the same kind of film, but what I really liked about ‘Dhoom 2’ was that its not about fast bikes and thieves, it’s more than that. And at first I remember questioning Adi and Sanjay saying that it should have more of what the original had, to which Adi had a very good answer that if you give them the same thing again, they are going to get bored of it. The very reason why the audiences liked ‘Dhoom’ if you do that in ‘Dhoom 2’ they will say okay, what are you serving this time?
You have Hrithik and Aishwarya as your adversaries, what do they bring to the Dhoom board?
They bring a whole different dimension, they bring a whole lot more viewers we’d like to believe, we’ve been very selfish Uday and me in ‘Dhoom 2’, we’ve hired bigger stars so that more people come to watch the movie (in jest).
You have played a con man in Bunty Bubli and Bluffmaster, and in Dhoom 2 you play the cop, which is tougher and why?
Everything is challenging, the endeavour is to do challenging work and to push yourself to do work that you have not done in the past. So I thing everything has to be challenging, if it’s not challenging, it’s not going to be fun, and you’re not going to enjoy what you are doing and if you are not enjoying what you are doing, then you are going to be dishonest to your profession, which is sacrilege for us. Having said that, keeping in mind that I believe that your work should be challenging, the challenge in Dhoom 2 was to make Jai Dixit that much more interesting than he was in the first part, yes, he’s the same character and I am repeating myself here, but that’s where the challenge lay, having kept the same foundation, how do you make him more interesting this time round, how do you retain the audiences attention on him?
How did you like the music of Dhoom 2 as compared to Dhoom?
(Answered all in jest in his inimitable style) I think the music of ‘Dhoom 2’ is weaker than Dhoom …that’s because I only have one song in this film and in another song I am standing by the bar. I am convinced that I could have out danced Aishwarya and Hrithik Roshan, Bipasha and Uday ‘toh baye haath ka khel hai’. I have only 1 song in ‘Dhoom 2’ in ‘Dhoom’ I had 3 songs. I think it’s very unfair…but what can I do. It’s nice music
Did you do your stunts yourself and what was it like?
We did a lot of the stunts, but being an action film, there are a lot of safety precautions that are taken. Amin our stunt co-coordinator especially is very meticulous when it comes to safety and very very particular, so there are a lot of stunts that every actor is very willing to do and very keen to do buy Amin didn’t allow us coz he thought that we didn’t really need to do it. He believes in the mantra of safety first, and that his actors don’t need to do each and every stunt.
Did you feel you were in competition with Hrithik while shooting the film?
No not at all, I’ve never been one person who believes in competition, instead of competition I would like to believe Hrithik is more of an inspiration for me. He makes me work harder, he makes me a better actor, and he makes me want to do my best, so he’s more inspiration than competition.
Source: IndiaGlitz
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Guru Promo is a spellbinding Experience
Villager…Visionary….Winner….The master is back. And he is back to his supremely different ways. To his credit, the muse sparkles brilliantly as if clay turning into a priceless mural. The promo of Mani Rathnam’s ‘Guru’ is a spellbinding experience that leaves you stunned. For it is a treatise in transition from a simple villager taking pleasure in honking a school bell, climbing the temple stairs to an ambitious businessman who enthuses his workers to dream of becoming the biggest private company of India.
Abhishek Bachchan is looking stunningly real. The childish scampering of youth merges with the confidence of an entrepreneur conjuring big plans. Eyes of eagle can envisage the consequential future while making tough manipulative decisions. There’s a changing graph in his body language for it is apparent that he put on weight for the part when he is shown to have grown in years. His comfortable stance with Aishwariya Rai is palpable. A R Rahman’s goose-pimple-evoking background score creates an unmistakable aura of its own.
In other words, ‘Guru’ seems to be an amazingly promising film from whatever one can make from the sixty second promo that captures moods and has minimal dialogues. I guess, it’s going to be another landmark film in Abhishek Bachchan’s career.
Source: Indiaglitz
Abhishek Bachchan is looking stunningly real. The childish scampering of youth merges with the confidence of an entrepreneur conjuring big plans. Eyes of eagle can envisage the consequential future while making tough manipulative decisions. There’s a changing graph in his body language for it is apparent that he put on weight for the part when he is shown to have grown in years. His comfortable stance with Aishwariya Rai is palpable. A R Rahman’s goose-pimple-evoking background score creates an unmistakable aura of its own.
In other words, ‘Guru’ seems to be an amazingly promising film from whatever one can make from the sixty second promo that captures moods and has minimal dialogues. I guess, it’s going to be another landmark film in Abhishek Bachchan’s career.
Source: Indiaglitz
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Exclusive Synopsis of Dhoom 2
BACK IN ACTION... DHOOM:2 reinvents the action comedy genre and propels it into the 21st century.
Ali’s (Uday Chopra) dream of becoming a police officer has come true. He is now ACP Jai Dixit’s (Abhishek Bachchan) ‘right hand man’. Together, they are trying to keep a tight leash on the crime in India. Little do they know what they are going to be up against.
Enter Aryan - Mr. A (Hrithik Roshan) - A hi-tech international thief. After pulling off a series of impossible heists all over the world, his next target is Mumbai, India. The case is given to ACP Jai and Ali. Helping them put the pieces of the puzzle together is ACP Shonali Bose (Bipasha Basu), Jai’s college mate, now a police officer in her own right. For the last two years Shonali has been tracking these amazing thefts and is now an expert on this thief, who no one has seen.
Once in Mumbai, Mr. A finds his match in Sunehri (Aishwarya Rai), a petty yet clever thief. She makes him an offer he finds very hard to refuse. A partnership! Aryan accepts.
And so the game begins – a game of cat and mouse – a game of good v/s bad.
The “COPS” - Jai, Shonali and Ali; and they are after Aryan and Sunehri – “The ROBBERS”.
From the desert of Namibia to the backwaters of Goa, the mean streets of Mumbai and the ancient forts of Rajasthan, and finally to “Wild n Exotic” Rio, Brazil.
Does ACP Jai Dixit manage to nab Mr. A? Or does Mr. A prove to be too much for him?
Never-Seen-Before Action Sequences, Hi-Tech Heists, Breathtaking Hi-Speed Chases, Non-Stop Laughter and Excitement will lead you to the answer to these questions.
Go On…! Enjoy the RIDE…!! ONCE AGAIN…!!!
Source: Indiaglitz
Ali’s (Uday Chopra) dream of becoming a police officer has come true. He is now ACP Jai Dixit’s (Abhishek Bachchan) ‘right hand man’. Together, they are trying to keep a tight leash on the crime in India. Little do they know what they are going to be up against.
Enter Aryan - Mr. A (Hrithik Roshan) - A hi-tech international thief. After pulling off a series of impossible heists all over the world, his next target is Mumbai, India. The case is given to ACP Jai and Ali. Helping them put the pieces of the puzzle together is ACP Shonali Bose (Bipasha Basu), Jai’s college mate, now a police officer in her own right. For the last two years Shonali has been tracking these amazing thefts and is now an expert on this thief, who no one has seen.
Once in Mumbai, Mr. A finds his match in Sunehri (Aishwarya Rai), a petty yet clever thief. She makes him an offer he finds very hard to refuse. A partnership! Aryan accepts.
And so the game begins – a game of cat and mouse – a game of good v/s bad.
The “COPS” - Jai, Shonali and Ali; and they are after Aryan and Sunehri – “The ROBBERS”.
From the desert of Namibia to the backwaters of Goa, the mean streets of Mumbai and the ancient forts of Rajasthan, and finally to “Wild n Exotic” Rio, Brazil.
Does ACP Jai Dixit manage to nab Mr. A? Or does Mr. A prove to be too much for him?
Never-Seen-Before Action Sequences, Hi-Tech Heists, Breathtaking Hi-Speed Chases, Non-Stop Laughter and Excitement will lead you to the answer to these questions.
Go On…! Enjoy the RIDE…!! ONCE AGAIN…!!!
Source: Indiaglitz
Monday, October 30, 2006
Ash-Abhishek to marry next year
According to Kannada newspaper ‘Vijayakarnataka’, Aishwarya and Abhishek will tie the knot sometime in February, 2007 and Aishwarya will officially announce the news on her birthday, November 1.
The story was revealed to the newspaper by Bachchan family's astrologer Chandrashekhara Swamiji. According to him the year 2006 will be unlucky for the married couple and so he advised Aishwarya and Abhishek to marry in 2007.
There is, however, no official confirmation of the reported wedding. The two stars, who have been romantically linked since over an year now, have consistently refused to confirm media speculation on the issue.
Past media reports have suggested that the couple have kept their wedding plans in abeyance pending a nod from the
Bachchan family, something that has so far not been forthcoming. In the recent past Ash has made great efforts to assuage any misgivings that the Bachchan family may have harbored about her abilities as a homemaker. Her efforts at winning the hearts of the Bachchan family include a hospital visit to Abhishek's grandmother Teji Bachchan and frequent visits to the Bachchan home. Recently she and her family spent their Diwali with the Bachchans.
According to the report, Aishwarya (born in Dhanu Rashi) and Abhishek (born in Kumbha Rashi) marriage was likely to face roadblocks in 2006 problems but, from October 27, when the planetary positions change, both Ash and Abhi will have the support of Jupiter (Guru-bruhaspathi).
A horoscope match was confirmed in Nov 2005 when Amitabh's brother, Ajitabh, visited a priest in Bangalore in the company of Abhishek, at the behest of Teji Bachchan.
It is reported that the ailing Teji Bachchan is very keen to see her grandson wed.
However it still remains to be seen how much truth lies behind all these rumours. Aishwarya has always been tightlipped about the relationship while Abhishek has managed to evade the topic whenever he has confronted the issue.
Is it another publicity gimmick ahead of the release of Aishwarya and Abhishek starrer movies - Dhoom 2 & Umrao Jaan?
Source: Santabanta
The story was revealed to the newspaper by Bachchan family's astrologer Chandrashekhara Swamiji. According to him the year 2006 will be unlucky for the married couple and so he advised Aishwarya and Abhishek to marry in 2007.
There is, however, no official confirmation of the reported wedding. The two stars, who have been romantically linked since over an year now, have consistently refused to confirm media speculation on the issue.
Past media reports have suggested that the couple have kept their wedding plans in abeyance pending a nod from the
Bachchan family, something that has so far not been forthcoming. In the recent past Ash has made great efforts to assuage any misgivings that the Bachchan family may have harbored about her abilities as a homemaker. Her efforts at winning the hearts of the Bachchan family include a hospital visit to Abhishek's grandmother Teji Bachchan and frequent visits to the Bachchan home. Recently she and her family spent their Diwali with the Bachchans.
According to the report, Aishwarya (born in Dhanu Rashi) and Abhishek (born in Kumbha Rashi) marriage was likely to face roadblocks in 2006 problems but, from October 27, when the planetary positions change, both Ash and Abhi will have the support of Jupiter (Guru-bruhaspathi).
A horoscope match was confirmed in Nov 2005 when Amitabh's brother, Ajitabh, visited a priest in Bangalore in the company of Abhishek, at the behest of Teji Bachchan.
It is reported that the ailing Teji Bachchan is very keen to see her grandson wed.
However it still remains to be seen how much truth lies behind all these rumours. Aishwarya has always been tightlipped about the relationship while Abhishek has managed to evade the topic whenever he has confronted the issue.
Is it another publicity gimmick ahead of the release of Aishwarya and Abhishek starrer movies - Dhoom 2 & Umrao Jaan?
Source: Santabanta
Monday, October 23, 2006
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