Delhi Belly banned in Nepal
Just two years ago, Akshay Kumar starrer Chandni Chowk To China was banned in Nepal when it released. And now, just two days post its release, Aamir Khan’s Delhi Belly, which stars Imran Khan, Vir Das and Kunaal Roy Kapur has been banned in the Himalayan kingdom.
This ban ruling comes after the Nepal Censor Board recommended approximately five dialogue cuts in the film. However, due to non-compliance of the directive by cinema halls, which were screening the film sans the cuts, the board has decided to ban the film altogether.
Blast In Krachi Woman dies,3 children hurt
March 16, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under Breaking News
KARACHI PAKISTAN: A woman was killed and two children suffered injuries as an explosive ripped through soldier bazaar area of the city.
Police said the explosive material, thrown by unidentified people in a garbage heap, went off at Chandni Chowk in soldier bazaar area.
Initial reports said a passerby woman was killed and two children were injured in the blast.
Rescue teams rushed the injured to Civil Hospital Karachi.
Police and law enforcement agencies arrived at the blast site and cordoned off the area.
‘2009′ A Disastrous Year For Bollywood
NEW DELHI : The Hindi film industry never had it so bad. Recession, a producer-multiplex strike, and a string of duds led to one of the worst years for Bollywood. Experts say it suffered a loss of about Rs.700 crore (Rs.7 billion) in 2009.
“2009 has been a disastrous year for the Hindi film industry. We’ve had everything, from swine flu, cricket matches, elections to a strike against the industry this time,” trade analyst Taran Adarsh told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
“And then we had major flops like ‘Chandni Chowk To China’, ‘Aladin’ and ‘Kurbaan’ to name a few. People have lost almost 75-100 percent for a movie. Though the actual losses cannot be accounted, it is huge and more than Rs.500-700 crore,” he added.
Film critic Omar Qureshi echoed the same.
“It has been one of the bad years. Unfortunately, some of the big movies failed this year. Even Diwali, when we release the biggest movies of the year, was such a disappointment with failures in ‘Blue’ and ‘Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna’.”
The year started with not-so-happening movies like “The President Is Coming”, “Bad Luck Govind”, “Kaashh…Mere Hote” – none of them could ignite the box office.
It was followed by massively promoted big budgets like Warner Bros co-production Rs. 51-crore “Chandni Chowk To China”, Shah Rukh Khan’s home production, the Rs.23 crore “Billu”, and UTV’s Rs.45 crore“Delhi 6″ – all of them failed at the ticket window.
So far 120-odd films have released, but hits are few and far between. Movies that made business include low-budget ones like “Raaz - The Mystery Continues”, “Dev D”, “13 B”, “Phoonk”, “New York”, “Wake Up Sid”, “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani”.
Big-starrer and big-budget films like “Love Aaj Kal”, “Kaminey”, “Wanted”, “All The Best”, and “De Dana Dan” too clicked at the box office.
Films like “Luck By Chance”, “Firaaq”, “Gulaal” and “Quick Gun Murugun” couldn’t get the cash registers ringing, but received appreciation from audiences and critics alike.
The first few months were spent reeling under recession. Then came another blow in the form of the film producers-distributors’ tussle with multiplexes over revenue sharing. It led to a two-month strike – from April 4 to June 5 – and witnessed a virtual drought of movies. During that period, gap fillers like “Coffee House”, “99″, “Suno Na” and “Detective Naani” were released.
As soon as the strike got over, IPL matches and elections started, leading to low footfalls in theatres.
Bollywood events also took a nose dive in the wake of swine flu which led to the closing of cinema halls temporarily as well as cancellation of shootings.
“The year has been a tough one because of a couple of reasons. First, for three months there were no releases which caused a dent and a lot of movies bunched up that further ate one another’s revenues. Then, because of the abundance of movies, audiences declined,” Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO of UTV Motion Pictures, told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
Adarsh, however, felt “the two main reasons for the industry’s debacle this year have been the remuneration of actors and corporates that acquired movies at exorbitant prices, leading to doomsday.”
“The costing this year was the biggest spoilsport. It was so huge that it ruined the industry. The industry was thrown to the lions because of actors’ fees and it was very difficult for the producers to recover the investments,” he said.
Most big-budget films received tremendous openings courtesy round the clock promotions but fell flat at the box office.
Some of them were “8X10 Tasveer”, “Kal Kissne Dekha”, “Kambakkht Ishq”, “Luck”, “Dil Bole Hadippa”, “What’s Your Raashee?”, “Do Knot Disturb”, “Blue”, “Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna”, “London Dreams”, “Aladin” and “Kurbaan”.
Bollywood now awaits the much-talked about “Three Idiots”, which is releasing Dec 25. Trade pundits hope that the Aamir Khan-starrer repeats the same success story that “Ghajini” created when it was released last year on the same day.
They also suggest some revival strategy in the new year.
Qureshi said: “We must look at reinventing scripts with a good story and a good star cast. You cannot insult the audience now and take them for granted. You have to make intelligent movies. Look at a very intelligent stupid movie ‘Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani’ that worked wonders.”
Said Roy Kapoor, “2010 should be high on creativity and hope the production costs come down and a model is developed that is more effective than it was ever before.”
‘2009′ A Disastrous Year For Bollywood was first posted on December 17, 2009 at 2:34 pm.
©2009 “India News“.
Kate Winslet Named Best Actress
LONDON: Brit actress Kate Winslet has been named the Best International Actress at this year’s Bambi Awards in Germany.
Winslet, 34, had been awarded the prize for his role in the reader, in which he played a German woman with a secret Nazi past.
“Since we made the reader I am always trying to find a way back – that was special,” the BBC quoted Winslet, who made the film in Germany, the newspaper said.
The actress, struggled to maintain solid bronze trophy and 18 carat gold that was presented at the ceremony.
“This is very heavy, so I’ll put this down,” he laughed.
Bambi The annual awards recognize achievement in film, television, music and sports, and the panel praised it as “the actress who has just fallen into their roles, but places in the soul of his duties”
Kate Winslet plays Hanna Schmitz, a German woman in her thirties whose teenage lover is unaware of the dark secret of her past.
The awards, presented annually Hubert Burda Media, honoring the best of international and national music, film, television and sports.
Kate Winslet Named Best Actress was first posted on December 1, 2009 at 2:43 pm.
©2009 “India News“.
De Dana Dan Movie Review
In an interview to a music station, Akshay Kumar, the hero of this film, says: He had been told three times this script again, and still did not quite get it. This, I suppose, is a good reason to register for a film.
Akshay, it’s easy to say, is an instinctive comedian. Her career decisions should not be different. I am sure that had applied the same basis – “Eh, what’s this? Let’s make the movie, sure!” – Selecting the scripts for his recent work: Blue, Kambakkht Ishq, Chandni Chowk to China et al .
Surprisingly, the hero, halfway through, disappears from the screen altogether. Probably could not take it beyond a point. His character, a home help, nor can take your head obnoxiously demanding (Archana Puran Singh). He and his friend (Sunil Shetty) to kidnap his pet for ransom. Back home from the pet, Akshay, the servant, is considered kidnapped instead. This makes for a good plot. Not even for one quarter of this film.
Suddenly the action shifts entirely to other bullets, one after another unrelated. De Dana Dan, is the background score. Your ears begin to roll. Deciphering the narrative then becomes a minor problem in solving a math puzzle – with all the permutations and combinations.
Paresh Rawal, arguably the top movie star in Gujarat, money plays a Punjabi-swindler “Chadha Saab” instead. The cops are chasing. He has two girlfriends and their parents to their son’s dowry. All brokers Priyadarshan’s (Asrani, Rajpal Yadav, who has a day or two) are chasing someone or the other. Simply exchange purposes. Shakti Kapoor as the sleaze, is, of course, chasing a prostitute. Some sense, or is intended.
There is simply no recess of this excess.
The image is the longest known advertisement for a Pan Pacific hotel, where the action takes place and a flood at random.
The backdrop is Singapore, where, like all Bollywood films placed abroad, an Indian waiter materializes impeccable Hindi from all over:, police, children courier TV reporters … Gender is, literally, slapstick, so stick it as a character or the other gets slapped across your cheeks, often got into masala, mud or mud cake.
Millions have suffered (or unwilling) Priyadarshan past successes (and failures) of a similar flow: Dhol, Bhaagam Bhaag, Garam Masala, etc. Mere baap Pehle AAP earlier this year, the director picked up the National Award Kanchivaram: an environment warm, quiet left-leaning Tamil film about a silk weaver and his family. Few, including myself, have seen that one.
In another interview, Priyadarshan said, “Somewhere in the line I realized that if critics like a movie, not work, and vice versa. I hope the hate Dan Dana.” Well, we certainly have accomplished our half the operation. I guess it’s for the public to comply with its promises of Priyadarshan.
De Dana Dan Movie Review was first posted on December 1, 2009 at 3:03 pm.
©2009 “India News“.
