The much-awaited big budgeted film ‘Robot’ marked its music launch at a suburban five star in Mumbai with the honor of having two superstars of the Indian film industry - Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikant sharing the dais after a long long time.
The two iconic stars were all praises for each other. Rajnikanth said, ‘Amitabh is my inspiration, role model and guru. I have always valued his advice while taking important decisions. We have done so many films together like ANDHA KANOON, HUM, GIRAFTAR, and I can never forget the love, affection and care he showered on me’
A humble Big B too praised Rajni saying, ‘Rajnikanth is truly a son-of-the soil who is admired and loved by every Indian. I am just so honored and happy that I met a personality like Rajnikanth. And I am so happy that I was able to spend some time of my life with him and learn so much from him. His simplicity, honesty, and down-to-the-earth nature has always impressed me. I admire him because of his tender heart and humility. He is so grounded despite the adulation and fame he has enjoyed throughout his career.’
‘Many a times there were some very tough decisions to be taken, at that point I always remembered him as a colleague and a very dear friend and tried to think what Rajni would have done if he had been in this particular situation and I’ve always found a capable answer, despite of the tumult circumstances & stressful situations,’ he further added.
The gathering could not have asked for more with the entire Bachchan family - Amitabh, Jaya, Abhishek and Aishwarya, Media magnate & Producer Kalanithi Maran of Sun TV Network, Hansraj Saxena, COO, of Sun Pictures (a division of Sun TV Network) along with the lead cast & crew of the film consisting of Superstar Rajnikanth, Oscar winners - music maestro A R Rahman & sound engineer Resul Pookutty, Music moghuls Ganesh Jain, Ratan Jain, Champak Jain of Venus Records & Tapes, director Shankar, Sabu Cyril, legendary Danny Denzongpa, gracing the affair.
Aishwraya Rai Bachchan, looking as gracious as ever said, ‘ROBOT (ENDHIRAN) is a sincere effort. It is a landmark film in cinematic experience. Rajni sir is a legend. He is just an incredible artist, so dedicated, so committed and above all a wonderful human being. It’s truly humbling to be working with such a phenomena and I am grateful. I had the privilege of working with director Shankar very early in my career for the film JEANS. Though it was ahead of its time but I felt enriched as an artist.’
Despite not having a single hit in her kitty, actress Sonam Kapoor has made her presence felt in Bollywood with her elegance and style but this time it was her sister Rhea who impressed us with her subtle chic sense of style and poise with her first formal public appearances on Sunday, at the music release of the forthcoming movie ‘Aisha’. She chose the midway between a dire professional look and a young breezy style with a a pair of slim-fitted black pants from Alexander Wang, a white top from Zara and an asymmetrically-cut semi-formal jacket with white piping from Elizabeth & James. She completed her look with smart booties from Alexander Wang and earrings borrowed from her mother for the evening.
Made under dad Anil Kapoor’s banner, the movie has the honor of being Rhea’s first production venture. Rhea began her career as an assistant director with Ayan Mukherjee in Wake up Sid.
Bollywood stylist Rajat Tangri comments on the two sisters’ style funda saying, “While Sonam’s style is more out there and fun, Rhea sticks to understated and functional fashion. Their dressing styles clearly reflect the professions they have chosen. Sonam wears a lot of girlie dresses, pinks and frills just like a la-di-dah movie star. But Rhea is seen in pants and interesting jackets, quite like a young producer who attended school in New York. Even when Rhea has done the girlie dressing routine, on red carpet-outings with her family, she has stuck to the classic little black dress.”
Tangri adds, “What made Rhea’s style stand out at the event was that she chose the smart style of an uptown professional, true to her part as a producer. On the other hand, the cast of the movie - all girls her age, including Sonam, Lisa Haydon, Ira Dubey and Amrita Puri - wore feminine silk dresses and sequinned minis.”
Rhea had recently revealed her love for tailored trousers on Twitter, when she asked Sonam to get her some from Scotland. Sonam has been shooting in Scotland for Mausam with Shahid Kapur.
Despite controversies and boycotts, the 11th edition of the IIFA Weekend kick started in Sri Lanka with the host country rolling out the red carpet for glamorous Bollywood actors. The ceremony has been boycotted by the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce as a mark of protest against the alleged mistreatment of the Tamils in the country. Bollywood biggies like the Bachchans and SRK are also giving the extravaganza a miss. While Big B is currently shooting in Gujarat, Abhishek is in Istanbul for a film shoot and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai is in Paris to promote a brand. SRK is busy with the post production details of his forthcoming ‘Ra 1’.
Stars such a Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Bipasha, Lara, Neha, Kangana, Dia, Jacqueline, Riya, Sophie and many more were given a warm welcome by the Lankan fans as they arrived at the Bandarnaike International Airport.
Check out the glittering and dazzling stars as they attend IIFA red carpet on June 5, 2010.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has definitely many roles to play and the actress does need applauds for the ease with which she steps into each role perfectly. Be it being the Miss World, a versatile actress or a dedicated bahu- she does it all with same poise and perfection. Recently, she displayed her culinary skills in Greece when she cooked not only for hubby Abhishek but for the entire cast of the film ‘Game’ which included Kangna Ranaut, Jimmy Shergill, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Shahana Goswami, Gauhar Khan and the film’s co-producers Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar.
Recalling the time, Abhishek said to a news daily, “Whenever we had spare time, we did a little cooking for everyone. Apart, of course, from cycling, taking walks and playing volleyball on the beach.”
Talking about the film shooting experience, Abhishek said, “Shooting in Samos was an experience in itself, especially the action sequences, as we had all modes of water transport being used.”
Seems marriage is working out just perfectly for Junior Bachchan!
Slowly and steadily, Mugdha Godse is making her presence felt in the tinsel town. She got critical acclaim for ‘Fashion’ and then delivered a hit with ‘All The Best’ and now she is ready once again with another project, this time a horror movie titled ‘Help’ opposite Bobby Deol. Directed by debutant director Rajeev Virani and produced by Sanjay Ahluwalia, the movie was shot in Mauritius.
Both Bobby and Mugdha are satisfied and pleased with the way the movie has turned out. Bobby says, “The film has been beautifully shot and must say it’s the finest horror that one will see. It’s immensely gruesome and a kind of horror, which gives you goosebumps. Help will take horror to another level.”
Mugdha, too, is excited to be a part of a horror flick. She says, “I have done glamorous roles and de-glam roles in the past. But this is like a role of a lifetime and I had to prepare real hard. My character had to be really authenticated and to admit, it was a painful experience too. Then the makeup was such that it gave me jitters. The prosthetic makeup has been done by Vikram Gaikwad, who has done makeup for films like 3 Idiots, Kaminey, Ishqiya, Delhi 6, etc.’’
This is the third time there has been mishaps on the sets of Parmeet Sethi’s ‘Badmaash Company’. This time the cause of the accident was the chandelier which was being used to enhance the décor during the shoot of a music video for the film on Sunday at MT Studio, Andheri. The chandelier came down on the sets and if Shahid Kapoor had not been agile and swift enough to pull Anoushka towards him, it would definitely have hurt the pretty lass.
The movie is being made under the banners of Yash Raj films and is being produced by Aditya Chopra. It is slated for release in May this year.
Hrithik Roshan’s fans have yet another reason to wait his mega project ‘Kites’ as the actor makes his singing debut with the film. As such, the music of the film is being launched on 40 television channels by airing Hrithik’s debut song ‘Kites in the sky’, in English, along with some behind-the-scenes footage on 29th March at 9.30 p.m.
Talking about his feelings as a debutant singer, Hrithik said, “I was nervous to make my debut as a singer, considering I come from a family that is well known in the world of music, but for this very reason my chacha [Rajesh Roshan] and director Anurag Basu were most certain that I could sing. I have given this song my best and honest shot, but I still don’t consider myself a professional singer.”
“Early in the morning, I would start with my sa re ga ma… right from the time I would wake up to brushing my teeth to taking the shower, all the time I sang with hand movements trying to reach the highest scale and the lowest note,” he added.
Talking about his experience of recording the song he said, “I had fallen in love with the art of shutting your eyes from the world and going in meditative state where you just sing. But when I went to the studio, it was a totally different story.
They put you in this little compartment and you are not allowed to move because the mike is fixed. While practicing I had been so mobile. And now I was locked up in one place where I couldn’t even move my legs because the breath shifts in different direction.
Finally, I told them to just switch off all the lights of the studio because I wasn’t being able to get my best out. So they just blacked out the entire studio. I could not even see my mike because it was so dark. This blackout worked and helped me to come out of the inhibitions in the mind. That’s how I finally worked.”
It is not very common to see the Bachchan Bahu at the audio release of a film. But the occasion was special here as it was the audio launch of Tamil film “Rettachuzhi” produced by Shankar, who is directing her in “Endhiran: The Robot”.
Aishwarya looked ravishing as ever in a white saree at Sathyam Cinemas Monday evening.
“When we explained to her the significance of ‘Rettachuzhi’ and the cast of the film, she immediately agreed. It’s not just her beauty but her commitment towards her profession, which has made her a great actress,” said Shankar who was obviously thrilled to have her at the occasion.
Ash released the audio cassettes and CDs of “Rettachuzhi” which were accepted by noted lyricist Vairamuthu. Ash had once been described by Vairamuthu as a “Taj Mahal weighing 50 kilograms” in one of his lyrics for the film “Jeans”.
The fans were elated when Ash spoke in fluent Tamil and later switched backed to English.
“It’s an honour for me to have been present at this place among legends like Balachander and Bharathiraaja and I feel proud about it. I also feel happy that a woman is treated so respectfully at a public function like this,” she said.
“I can never forget the Tamil film industry and director Shankar in my life. Shankar’s ‘Jeans’ was my first successful film. The many things I learnt during the making of the film gave me enough self-confidence that I could continue to act for a few more years.
“I feel even more proud to be part of Shankar’s ‘Endhiran’ opposite superstar Rajnikanth…I watched a few songs and some sequences from ‘Rettachuzhi’…I think Karthick Raaja’s music and tunes are excellent. I would surely watch the film in future,” she added.
The ‘Smack That’ singer Akon is on a three-day visit to Mumbai to compose and record a song for SRK’s ‘Ra 1’ and Shahrukh is leaving no stones unturned to give the singer a very warm welcome. Akon got a traditional Indian welcome from Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor during a press meet in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Akon has also worked with A R Rahman on the album Freedom is Beautiful.
Asked whether he plans to work with other artists too, Akon replied, “I have worked extensively in America and after America, India will be my next big focus because I have got so much support here. Soon you will see me working with other groups too. I am planning a world tour and hopefully we will have a number of shows in India.”
For Ra One, I will be composing and singing a song. I will also appear in it. I want to give Shah Rukh different versions of the same song to choose from,” he added.
Again, SRK hosted a bash at JW Marriot for Akon. The party was more in news due to the absence of SRK’s one time very close friend Farah Khan. It was Gauri Khan who approved the guest list and insiders have it that the Morani brothers, who organised the party, were specifically told to leave out Farah’s and her husband Shirish Kunder’s names.
However, as soon as Khan became aware of this blunder, he told Moranis to invite Farah, but it was too late by then.
The party had glittering celeb list including Sherlyn Chopra, Riya Sen, Poonam Dhillon, Claudia Ciesla, Aarti Chhabria, Gauhar Khan, Anushka Manchanda, Sonal Chauhan, Rannvijay Singh, Madhu, Gaurav Chopra and Vidhu Dara Singh among others.
Holi songs have always been a hot favorite among Bollywood makers because they symbolize masti, colors, music, entertainment and fun-n-frolic. As the festival of ‘Holi’ knocks at the door yet again this season, lets have a look at some of the most popular Holi songs from Bollywood without which any holi bash seems to be incomplete.
Rang Barse:
One of the most memorable and cherished songs from Bollywood which ranks the top among all other songs is undoubtedly Rang Barse which displays clear chemistry and sparks between the ex-lovers Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha along with Jaya Bachchan and Sanjeev Kumar.
Holi Ke din dil khil jaate hain:
This song featuring Hema Malini, Dharmendra, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan is from the blockbuster hit ‘Sholay’ which is known for its simple joyful celebrations and the message of social harmony and love.
Are Jaa Re Hat Natkhat:
Though belonging to 1950’s era, this is the longest Holi song starring Sandhya and is still one of the most popular and loved holi song which has a religious note attached to it.
Aaj Na Chhodenge Bus Humjoli:
This song from Kati Patang features Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh and is famous for its naughtiness and the note of fun and masti underlying the entire song.
Holi Khele Raghuveera:
Amitabh Bachchan created a landmark with his Rang Barse song in Silsila. Three decades post Silsila he has tried to re-create the magic with the holi song in the same style as such in ‘Baghban’, this time with Hema Malini. Not to mention here that he has been quite successful in pleasing his fans, though only to some extent.
‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ had created stirs 22 years back as it exuded the essence of unity and nationality of India. This year, as India completes 60 years of its Republic, the song has been re-created as ‘Phir Mile Sur’ featuring more than 60 known personalities, including actors Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty and Juhi Chawla. In all, the song features 22 superstars, 18 musicians, 13 artistes and singers and 15 other known personalities. The song has been composed by jazz artists Louis and Geno Banks.
The earlier version of the song featured vocalists Bhimsen Joshi and Balamurali Krishna, sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, tabla maestros Allah Rakha and Zakir Hussain, sportsmen Narendra Hirwani and Prakash Padukone and film personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Lata Mangeshkar, Mithun Chakraborty, Jeetendra, Hema Malini, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Kamal Haasan, Sharmila Tagore, Tanuja and Waheeda Rehman.
Amitabh Bachchan, who released this album, expresses his gratitude and says, “I was part of the old Mile Sur… and now yet again I am fortunate to be part of this one. We have integrated many tunes together and that’s precisely the message of this video.” Featuring in the video is well known musician Sivamani, who says, “I wanted to do something unique for this so I started playing drums on water. This has never been done by any artist.
The music of Farhan Akhtar’s much awaited film, ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’, was released recently at a suburban multiplex of Mumbai amidst the cast and crew of the film. The trio of Shankar Ehsaan Loy has introduced a new singer in the film, Elisa Mendonsa, who happens to be Loy’s daughter.
Talking about the music of the film, Farhan said, “Shankar Ehsaan Loy could never manage to disappoint anyone with their music. Honestly, Karthik Calling Karthik has some of the best songs heard. I hope everyone will like it as me.”
Explaining the reason for not having sung himself for any song in the film, Farhan said, “There was no need for me to sing in this film since my character didn’t required to. Karthik doesn’t even talk much in the film so if I start singing, it would look out of character. Even in Luck By Chance I didn’t sing. In Rock On, singing was an integral part of the performance. So it depends on the film.”
Talking about the film and its making, Director Vijay Lalwani said, “This is my first film and I desperately wanted to get the film made. So honestly, I never thought whom to cast as Karthik. For me, Karthik was the main character in my story. When we started our company Magic Beans, Amit and I thought why not try Excel out. I narrated the script to Farhan and he was on. Even Deepika said yes to it, which was surprising. So everything fell into place.”
