Barfi, Kahaani win at Filmfare Awards

Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani and Anurag Basu’s Barfi struck big at the Filmfare Awards this year. Barfi was adjudged best film and got Ranbir Kapoor the Best Actor (Male) award while Vidya Balan bagged the Best Actor (Female) title for Kahaani that also won Sujoy Ghosh the best director prize.

The lifetime achievement award went to late director Yash Chopra who passed away in October last year. Anushka Sharma won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) award for her role in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, while lyricist Gulzar bagged the award for ‘best lyrics’ for the song Challa from the film.

The Best Debut Director award was bagged by Gauri Shinde for her film English Vinglish, while Ayushmann Khurrana won the Best Debut (Male) for his film Vicky Donor and Ileana D’cruz won the Best Debut (Female) for her film Barfi

The Best Actor Female (Critics) Award was won by Richa Chaddha for Gangs Of Wasseypur and the Best Actor Male (Critics) Award was given to Irrfan Khan for Paan Singh Tomar. Gangs of Wasseypur also bagged the award for Best Film (Critics) Award.

Film-director duo who have made action-genre films

(Find the answer under Caption Contest) also sung a song for the thriller.

“I have done many things in this film and one of them is rapping... I have rapped for the first time,” said the 53-year-old. He also credits his fit body to the young generation of Bollywood.

“I am blessed to be working with some of the fittest actors in Bollywood like John Abraham. Such actors inspire me to remain fit,” revealed the actor. “If I continue to work with such fit actors, then I am hopeful that I will remain like this even at the age of 90”.

And we have to conclude with a snippet about the lead actor, the hunky John Abraham, who will play Manya Surve, the first shirtless mafia don in Bollywood. So will John’s abs take the movie into the double-crore club? Let’s wait and see!

Anupam and Rekha together again

They worked together in films like Sansar and Mera Pati Sirf Mera Hai and now, after a long, long break yesteryears screen diva Rekha will act with the talented Anupam Kher in Super Nani, a film on women’s empowerment. And Anupam is tremendously excited to work with the actress again, more so because all his scenes are with the actress.

Praising the 58-year-old Rekha who acted in films like Utsav, Ghar and Umrao Jaan to the skies, Anupam said, “She is fantastic. She is another person who keeps reinventing herself. I am really looking forward to work with her. I am 100 percent sure she is looking as great as ever.”

The much-in-demand actor has gained popularity for quality films like Saaransh, Karma, Hum and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge among others, and he was also recently a part of Hollywood film, Silver Linings Playbook. The actor says he likes to challenge himself and feels an inner need to be different from the rest of the world. Well, sharing screen space with diva Rekha will certainly be a challenge, let’s hope he’s up to it.

RGV a gutsy filmmaker, says Gul Panag

From gang wars to the underworld to real life crime sagas, Ram Gopal Varma is known for making films on bold themes and actress Gul Panag, who will be seen in his production venture Ab Tak Chhappan 2, praises him for being so daring.

If his Rakta Charitra was inspired by slain political leader Paritala Ravindra, Ab Tak Chhappan and its next instalment Ab Tak Chhappan 2 are both based on real life encounter specialists. He has also made a film on the 26/11 terror attacks, which Gul says is a very promising film, having seen parts of it. The film will simply be titled The Attacks of 26/11

“As a filmmaker he (Varma) is gutsy and makes kinds of films he believes in,” said the 34-yearold actress, known for off-beat roles in Dhoop, Dor and Turning 30!!

Ab Tak Chhappan 2 is a sequel to Shimit Amin directed 2004 release Ab Tak Chhappan, that featured Nana Patekar and Mohan Agashe in prominent roles. Aejaz Gulab has wielded the megaphone with Nana in the central character, again in the sequel. Gul herself plays a crime journalist and claims that the movie’s trailers got a fantastic response. Bet this movie will be a true RGV treat!

Matru… becomes Bhardwaj’s biggest

Matru ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (MKBKM), political satire with a dollop of humour, may not have got an overwhelming response but it has recovered its costs by collecting Rs. 41.15 crore worldwide in the first week of its release, making it Vishal Bhardwaj’s biggest film yet. And the director is certainly happy with the film’s success. “This is my biggest opening and appreciation is coming from a lot of people. But I am really happy and relieved about the fact that I am able to make the kind of movie that I want to make, and still have a profitable film,” he said.

Critics have lauded Pankaj Kapur’s performance in the film, which also sees superb acting by Shabana Azmi. The two veterans are ably supported by Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma and Arya Babbar.

Pritish Nandy calls it a “wicked wit” and adds that Pankaj Kapur has proved again “his peerless acting prowess”.

A satirical commentary on the country’s social system, the MKBKM story takes place in a small town in Haryana.

Even Amitabh Bachchan praised Bhardwaj’s endeavour to target corruption in the society using satire as a medium to talk to the masses, and tweeted: “A land issue much like Singur, rich and poor divide, communism of takes, anti-alcohol, love triangle (DDLJ style), politics - all portrayed in a manner not unknown to us, yet unknown ….a composite satire, if ever satires could be composite.”

For Anurag Kashyap, Matru... is “the most kickass funny, intelligent and relevant film of our times”. Need a laugh or two? Watch the movie!

Soha likes the foreign style of working

Actress Soha Ali Khan is well-versed with the working culture of Bollywood, but working in an international project like Midnight’s Children was an enriching experience for her.

She admits she learnt some vital lessons while working on the Deepa Mehta film.

Recollecting her time on the sets of the film, Soha said, “I suppose we (Bollywood) have method in our madness in India. Busy film sets, no clear job delineations, last minute hustle bustle and adjustment. It somehow all comes together for the most part. In this international production, when someone yelled ‘silence’, you could literally hear a pin drop. We had workshops, rehearsals; one make-up and hair team for everyone, actors came on time, stood in for eye-lines and cues. It was incredibly professional,” she reveals.

Midnight’s Children is based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Salman

A true filmmaking eye-opener

Swara sights the jungle!

There is plenty of fresh blood in Bollywood, but up-and-coming actress Swara Bhaskar, who plays the lead in upcoming film Listen Amaya, compares the entertainment industry to a jungle where she believes the “survival of the fittest” dictum truly

“I think Bollywood today has a lot of great talent - very beautiful, good-looking people, who are also great actors. This is a good time for all of us. But Bollywood is a jungle; so everyone is in competition and I guess only the fittest will survive,” said the 26-year-old actress.

Swara began her acting career with 2010 film Madholal Keep Walking, and she was last seen in Kangana Ranaut-starrer Tanu Weds , where she played the second female lead. Her forthcoming film Listen Amaya, directed by debutant Avinash Kumar Singh, tells the story of Amaya and her widowed mother, who begins to develop a relationship with Amaya’s friend. The movie also features veterans like Farooque Shaikh and Deepti Naval, who have shared screen space 28 years after their 1983

Swara finds herself extremely lucky to be in the same frame as them so early in her career. “Deepti ma’am and Farooque sir were a great pleasure to work with. Just watching them both at work was a big lesson for me. They are both so effortless and easy in front of the camera and their performance is so fluid and convincing. That is a great lesson for an actor and the toughest thing to achieve in one’s performance,” she said.

The young actress is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, a pupil of the noted Bharatanatyam exponent Leela Samson. Her forthcoming movies include Aanand L. Rai’s Raanjhanaa, Atul Sabharwal’s Aurangzeb and Debolay Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai. So it certainly looks like Swara’s here to stay!

50 dance forms in ABCD!

Songs-and-dances are a routine feature in Bollywood, but would you expect a melange of around 50 dance forms in one film? Remo D’Souza’s forthcoming film ABCD: Any Body Can Dance offers just that.

“We are a country that loves dancing, be it on the streets, in the club, during festivities and even when India wins cricket matches. We connect while dancing and each one of us has a unique style of dancing,” Remo said in a statement. “If you are a dance lover, you are going to enjoy this film. One would be able to sample close to 50 dance forms in this film.”

He reveals that the soon-to-bereleased movie has “everything from western contemporary, ballroom, pumping and hip-hop to Indian classical forms - mainly kathak, Indian folk, semiclassical and local street dancing that people do during festivities.”

The film features veteran choreographers like Ganesh Acharya and Prabhudheva, as well as young dancers. A must-see for Bollywood fans of dance!