Delhi 6 Review

February 20th, 2009

Film: Delhi 6 (Drama)
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan
, Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor
Direction: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Duration : 2 hours 20 minutes

We're like this only. We may not have much to boast about in our hand-to-mouth existence, but we're happy, contented, carefree. We're like this only. We fight, squabble, break bones and sometimes, heads too, but we're bhai-bhai, despite differences in caste and community. Of course, we're like this only: a great extended family that has its differences but ends up united in the end. So what if in between, some ugly `isms' -- like communalism, casteism -- do create a few schisms. After all the quintessential Indian experience manifests itself only in the slummy chawls of Mumbai and the grubby alleys of Delhi-6, better known as Chandni Chowk, where humanity overrules everything else.

After Rang De Basanti, which raised a toast to the young rebel, filmmaker Rakeysh Mehra chooses to become a flag bearer for the good-at-heart Indian in Delhi 6. Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan), the archetype for the NRI babalog, arrives in Delhi-6 on a short trip to leave his ailing grandmother (Waheeda Rehman) home. Now Dadi, a doughty old woman, doesn't want to die in the distant shores of New York and forces her son to send her back to her old, moth-balled haveli in Chandni Chowk. The son hates India, a communal cauldron which forced him to flee with his Muslim wife, so grandson agrees. After all, it's just a short trip, with a bit of sight-seeing thrown in, he tells himself. But hey, hasn't he heard about roots and the theory of relativity (read umpteen overzealous relatives)!

Dadi shakes off the cobwebs, swoons over a banarsi paan, snuggles up to all her biradari and bustee wallahs (friends and relatives) and picks up the strings of a life she'd never wanted to give up. Roshan however begins on a predictable yuppie-yankee note and smiles indulgently at the teeming chaos: the cows in the street, the kitschy Ramleela shows, the kite and pigeon flying soirees on the terraces, the polo session with Uncle Beg (Rishi Kapoor) and the jalebi sessions with the boys next door. And before he knows, he's gently sucked into the chaos himself. Specially when he can't understand why firebrand Imarti (Divya Dutta) is an untouchable; why the unfriendly neighbourhood cop (Vijay Raaz) has a Hitler fetish; why his uncles (Om Puri, Pavan Malhotra) have built a wall in their house, while their wives gossip relentlessly through a loose brick. Or else, why the beautiful Bittu (Sonam Kapoor) chooses to have her wings clipped, like the white dove, Masakali, when she too can fly and fulfil her dreams.

And if that isn't dramatic enough to hold our boy back to where he belongs, there's the infamous Monkey Man and his escapades that became an urban legend in saddi Dilli, not so long ago. The filmmaker interestingly uses the metaphor of the Monkey Man (Kala Bandar) to symbolise the beast within and blends different vignettes of contemporary India to create a composite picture. One that holds up the mirror to the modern Indian and shows him up as both heroic and beastly; communal and comrade-like. Ironically, it is this metaphor which becomes stretched and almost funny in the climax, drawing away from the appeal of the film. The shoddy climax, replete with a scene from heaven, and the sluggish pace of the film do detract from the delicious flavour of Delhi 6, which, all said and done, is a delectable paapdi-chaat of big, bustling, bulging India. The director creates a whole gallery of mesmeric characters, though one wishes he had focussed a bit more on bubbly Bittu, specially since Sonam has such a pleasant screen presence.

Unfortunately, she's left as a mere sketch on this colourful canvas, where, once again, Abhishek Bachchan proves he's in crackling, quicksilver form as the `burger-chaap' Amrikan who tells his bustee wallahs to `get real'. Rahman's Masakali music has already become a chartbuster, even as veterans like Waheeda and Rishi reiterate the truism about old being absolute gold. Watch it for the message of Delhi 6 and the ekdum desi India-feel.

Happy Birthday, Jiah Khan

February 20th, 2009

Smokin' hot, sultry, leggy and with gorgeous hair are the words that describe Jiah Khan. The dusky beauty from London turns 21 today. Let's get to know her better.

She was born in New York and raised in Chelsea, London, which is why she has a delicious British accent. Her parents, father Ali Rizvi Khan and mother, actress Rabiya Khan, separated when she was very young and her mother worked very hard to raise her three daughters. Jiah was born Nafisa, but changed her name to Jiah after watching the Angelina Jolie movie titled Gia.

Before becoming an actress, Jiah worked in a perfume store in the UK. Thus she can identify different scents perfectly. She has completed her 'A' Levels in Film Studies and English Literature and went to the prestigious Lee Strasberg's Institute to hone her acting skills- acting was always her passion. While she was there, she got an offer from Bollywood. Mahesh Bhatt's Tumsa Nahin Dekha was supposed to be her debut film opposite Emraan Hashmi, but she backed out of the project and was replaced by Dia Mirza.

She had her dream debut in the form of Ram Gopal Varma's Lolita-inspired Nishabd opposite superstar Amitabh Bachchan. The debutante held her own against the actor in the love story between a sixty-year-old man and eighteen-year-old girl. Jiah was extremely confident and sexy, her performance absolutely natural, like the role was tailor-made for her. The film was controversial, not only because of its subject but also because Jiah shared a kiss with her costar. Though critically-acclaimed, the film didn't do well at the box-office. Luckily for Jiah, she got noticed by the right people in Bollywood. She has a British accent, but her Hindi is perfect.

After Nishabd, Jiah kept shuttling between London and Mumbai. She is now settled here and resides in Juhu. Aamir Khan helped her buy a flat there. Jiah then bagged the role of a second lead in Bollywood's biggest hit, Ghajini. She was overshadowed by Asin and felt cheated due to it. Nevertheless, she got a lot of exposure and attention due to the film's success. Apart from films, Jiah and John Abraham did a sizzling hot campaign for Wrangler Jeans, huge hoardings of which were put up all over the city.

Most Bollywood actresses have few interests other than acting. Jiah Khan, on the other hand, is pretty talented. She studies astronomy in her free time and loves reading. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is her all-time favourite book and Paulo Coelho is one of her favourite authors. She has also been trained in various styles of dance such as Kathak, street jazz, hip-hop, samba, belly dancing and salsa. She plays the piano and is a trained opera singer. She showed off these talents in the song Take Lite from Nishabd, which she wrote, composed, sung and choreographed herself. Whew! The song is an extension of her character's favourite phase, 'Take lite, ok?" in the film and reflects Jiah's philosophy in life. Her video Lattoo, from Ghajini, has also become quite popular. Jiah worked really hard on getting all the steps right for the song. She isn't too much of an outdoors person and likes to stay in, reading and spending time with her dog and cat. Sushi and biryani are her favourite food. Maintaining her sexy frame is not a big task for her; she keeps changing her exercise routines and is currently into break dancing. She misses her mother and sisters the most when she is here. She also misses the streets and shops of London.

Though Jiah has been linked to several people, from Emraan Hashmi to Ram Gopal Varma, she hasn't officially dated anyone in Bollywood. She is one of the few lucky girls to have enjoyed a date with heartthrob Orlando Bloom. The two went out when she was holidaying in Venice and he complimented her on her long and lovely tresses.

On the work front, Jiah has Ken Ghosh's Yahoo! which is a dance musical opposite Shahid Kapoor. She will begin filming for Sajid Khan's Housefull in mid-2009. Sajid Khan promises that this film will showcase how hot and talented Jiah is and will reinvent her career. We hope so. Here's wishing Jiah a very Happy Birthday and many joyful and successful years to come.

Aishwarya Rai ranked highest among all Indian actors in new forbes list

February 20th, 2009

Forbes has made Aishwarya Rai bigger than the Khans. It has listed her as India’s most bankable star in Hollywood, pushing down the Khans of Bollywood in the ratings of the best bet for a film’s financial success.

She’s ranked highest among all Indian actors which also make her the only female actor from the country to be a part of the elite group.

There are five other actors in the new Forbes list of Hollywood’s Most Valuable Actors. Others in the list compiled by the American business magazine are Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Irrfan Khan and Hrithik Roshan.

She’s in the 387th position in the global list of as many as 1,411 actors from across the world and is ranked highest among all Indian actors. Aamir is ranked highest at 540th in the global list followed by Shah Rukh (735), Salman (753), Irrfan (825) and Hrithik (1,059).

Indian American actor Kal Penn who stared as actress Tabu’s son in ‘The Namesake’ has been listed at the 476th position.

So that makes his rank higher than all the Bollywood actors, except Aishwarya Rai, who stars in the new Hollywood venture ‘The Pink Panther 2′.

According to Forbes the global list, topped by Hollywood actor Will Smith, is based on the bankability of actors around the world as voted by members of the global entertainment industry. Smith is the only one who gets a ten-on-ten score and is followed by four Hollywood stars — Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie — sharing the second position followed by Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson in the top 10

Ravi Teja Favors Nayantara

February 20th, 2009

Actor Ravi Teja is extremely happy for getting what he wants, incidentally he always wanted to work with Nayantara after Dubai Sreenu became a hit, but somehow that was not happening until recently, but now in a latest development Ravi Teja and Nayantara are coming together again.

The actor is extremely happy with this news, he says Nayantara is the best costar that he has every worked with and acting with her again means great joy and fun for him, the actor and actress really hit it off well in Dubai Sreenu and their chemistry was perfect.

Ravi Teja concludes by saying that this new film would be a bigger success that Dubai Sreenu and he along with Nayan would rock again.

Sippy Apologizes for Distorting History

February 20th, 2009

Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy has apologized for a scene in his latest film “Chandni Chowk to China” which mentions India instead of Nepal as the birth place of Lord Buddha.

Nepal witnessed a huge uproar over the issue and there were large scale demonstrations when the film was released in the neighboring country last month.

The opening scene where a voice over describes the hero (Akshay Kumar) as a man hailing from the birth place of Lord Buddha (India) was deleted from the prints released in Nepal, whereas it was retained in India and elsewhere.

Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal, which is revered by Buddhists all over the world.

Talking to reporters, Sippy said the film did not intend to hurt anyone’s feelings. But, he admitted that the script writer of the film fell short in research work while handling a historical fact.

“The controversial scene is just a voice over and was not even required. It will be deleted,” he said apologizing on behalf of the entire cast and crew of the film.

The film, starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, has been penned by critics and was declared as a box office failure even though producers have claimed that it has earned Rs 45 crore.

Anil Kapoor Angelina Jolie

February 19th, 2009

Anil Kapoor, who has been paired opposite Bollywood's most gorgeous leading ladies in his hey days, is still young at heart. The actor was completely besotted by Hollywood beauty Angelina Jolie at the 66th Golden Globe Awards held at Beverly Hills, California. He wanted to be introduced to the Hollywood diva.

Our source close to Anil revealed, "Being part of Slumdog Millionaire, Anil was with the cast and crew of the film at the function where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were also present. The two were seated close to the film's crew."

Our source added, "When Anil spotted Angelina seated close by, he could not conceal his excitement. Anil knew that Irrfan had worked with Angelina in A Mighty Heart and they knew each other well. He then elbowed Irrfan and asked him if he could introduce him to her. Irrfan, along with Anil, walked up to Angelina and introduced Anil to her."

Our further said, "Anil was visibly excited and shook hands with her for full two minutes. It was a special moment that Anil will never forget." Irrfan Khan confirmed the incident and said, "Yes, I did introduce Anil to Angelina! Angelina, of course, was her usual sweet self."

Irrfan Khan Divya Dutta Lip Kissing Scene in HISS

February 19th, 2009

Irrfan Khan and Divya Dutta have shot for one of the boldest and longest love-making scene in Jennifer Lynch's Hiss. The scene has a long passionate lip-lock between the two actors.

Our source from the unit says, "Irrfan and Divya had to shoot for a scene which required them to be lip-locked for a long time. The scene was shot in Kerala sometime ago. Initially both Irrfan and Divya had reservations about shooting the scene as it was very long and passionate, and had to be shot in front of the entire unit. The director Jennifer Lynch instructed them to remain in that position and not to break the lip-lock until she asked them to do so."

We called Divya Dutta, who confirmed the news but did not wish to give any details. However, Irrfan Khan was more forthcoming, he said, "Yes, we do have a very lengthy and passionate kiss, but it was the requirement of the script. In the film we both go through some crisis and the love-making scene happens after that."

When asked if the scene was shot in front of the entire unit, he said, "Yes we had to shoot the passionate love-making scene in front of the entire unit, it was very embarrassing. We were not allowed to take a break."