ThE bUZZ

Poor turnout for Pran’s funeral although he has been hailed as the greatest villain in the history of bollywood, the turnout from the industry at Pran’s funeral was abysmal. actor-politician shatrughan sinha made his disappointment clear, saying “I saw very few people from the film industry. a man who gave 70 years of his life to the film industry deserved a much heftier send-off”.

sinha himself cancelled a trip to Patna to attend the veteran acting legend’s funeral. only a handful of people like amitabh bachchan, anupam Kher, Karan Johar, raj babbar and shakti Kapoor came to pay their last respects to the 93-year-old actor. certainly not bollywood at its best! fortunately, Pran’s contribution to the hindi film industry is indelible and unforgettable. rIP, Pran saab!

pROUD TO bE pRAN

the man who gave a new status to villainy in Indian cinema is no more! Pran, the versatile actor who became a household name in the 1960s and ‘70s was a legend of bollywood. Pran saab as he was fondly called, had an illustrious career in the Indian film industry that spanned more than six decades, and saw him acting in over 400 films. on July 12, the veteran actor and redoubtable legend passed away after a prolonged illness.

Pran was a master of disguises. from the unforgettable smoke rings he created in the movie Badi behen, or as the flawless sher Khan in Zanjeer with the trademark flicking back of his hair, Pran’s versatility as an artist was evident from the ease with which he portrayed various characters on screen, bringing them to life and making them imminently believable.

as malang chacha of Upkaar, jailer raghuveer singh of Kaalia or the Nepali Pyarelal of Kasauti, Pran gave each character his unique touch. his dialogues are still popular after years; remember ‘Barkhurdar!’ rendered in his baritone voice? his famous run-ins with the big b in Kaalia and Zanjeer are still remembered and revered.

Not many people know that Pran played lead roles in a few films like Khandaan, Halaku and Pilpili Saahib some of his famous movies included Madhumati, Jis Desh Main Ganga Behti Hai, Victoria No. 203, Be-Imaan, Johnny Mera Naam, Don and Duniya amitabh owes his role in Zanjeer to Pran, the turning point of the megastar’s career.

at the time Pran commanded more money than top stars, a rare feat even today, considering that his roles were mostly those of a villain.

a man of great discipline and immense talent, Pran was fond of Urdu poetry and sports like soccer, hockey and cricket, even financing his own soccer team, the d ynamos football club. Pran, a kind human being, once even offered to finance a training trip for Kapil dev to australia, when the cricket board refused to do so.

With his natural good looks, charming mannerisms and rich baritone voice, Pran won millions of hearts globally. villains were at par with heroes in the hindi film industry, thanks to Pran. for him, it was the character that mattered the most, and not the fact that he was a hero or a villain. and he proved this true with his craft.

The fickle film fraternity had turned its back on Pran in the last decade or so. The veteran actor did not receive much recognition or even awards. Even the dadasaheb Phalke award came quite late, in 2013. It’s a real shame that bollywood failed to acknowledge this great artist much earlier. his demise has left a big void in Indian cinema that will be hard to fill. artistes like Pran are born once in a lifetime.

We salute this legend for entertaining the masses for so long with quality work and his outstanding contribution to the hindi film industry. Pran lived up to his name, infusing life into all of the characters he played on screen. Even though he is no more, sweet memories and indelible performances will always linger on in our hearts.

farewell, Pran saab! PERDY MOHINDRu

All about acting, by Vidya Balan from a single mother to a sex symbol, vidya balan has portrayed a range of characters on the big screen, and she’s done a great job. and vidya finds living in another person’s world exciting. “I don’t think it (acting) is about proving oneself. It is about inhibating another person’s world, one you have not been in before. I think as an actor, living another person’s life is exciting,” said the talented actress recently.

her latest role was that of a plump, loud Punjabi woman with an unusual dressing sense in Ghanchakkar, and the actress says she always finds a way to connect with her characters, and managed to do with this one too.

“There is also a part of them, which I connect with. my character in Ghanchakkar is not someone who I could identify with initially, but the point of identification was that she was just happy with herself,” explained vidya. “I might not be happy with myself all the time, but I love people like that. You find that point of identification with the character”.

The movie didn’t rock the box office, but the critics and audience alike have praised vidya’s performance, and she finds this appreciation humbling.

“I feel humbled when people say that. I am just doing work, which I believe in,” said the actress who played central roles in Kahaani and The Dirty Picture, but didn’t mind playing second fiddle in Ghanchakkar vidya is married to siddharth roy olympian athlete milkha singh’s biopic didn’t get an overwhelming review, but the Bhaag Milkha Bhaag box office success has thrown the movie business into a tizzy. director rakeysh omprakash mehra admits that collection has indeed surpassed their expectations with the bio-pic raking in rs.55 crore in the first week with rs.3.58 crore collected in the second week in mumbai alone. farhan akhtar who plays title role in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag chronicling the life of athlete milkha singh, was overwhelmed by the audience’s reaction to the film. farhan refused to comment on Jaya’s emotional response to the film and his performance, saying it was a private moment. but when contacted, Jaya said, “I loved it. farhan was brilliant. I enjoyed a film so much after a long time”. and that’s not all - showing exemplary attentiveness to the film’s far-reaching inspirational impact, the maharashtra government recently granted tax exemption to the bio-pic. Naturally, mehra is thrilled, saying, “The film would

“In the movie, sanju (Emraan hashmi) was the central character. I was not the protagonist. I was ok with that as I love the character. I don’t have set notions and don’t take on that kind of pressure. my only dream was to be an actor and I am living my dream to the fullest,” she said.

Kapur, managing director of studios, disney UT v, but unlike her husband, she does not want to enter the production business.

“I don’t want to start producing films. I am very greedy about being an actor and I always have a producer at home,” she said.

What about creative satisfaction?

“after The Dirty Picture, I thought I had done everything that needed to be done. but I was even taken aback when rajkumar Gupta came to me with Ghanchakkar. I felt grateful to him that he could think of me in this diametrically opposite character. but he was also making a diametrically opposite film”. Now vidya will be seen with farhan akhtar in Shaadi Ke Side Effects, another challenging avatar for the talented actress (and one which was filmed in australia in parts). but perhaps vidya’s newly married status will help her identify with the role!

More to Milkha than just the moolah!

“our film’s reach has exceeded all our expectations. We knew milkhaji’s story would have a resonant emotional impact. but we couldn’t have guessed it would reach so far and wide,” said a surprised mehra.

“I am just so happy. acceptance and recognition of one’s effort is such a wonderful feeling,” he said. The bio-pic tells of the strife and struggle of Indian sprinter milkha singh’s life. Even veteran actress Jaya bachchan couldn’t hold back her tears after watching a special screening of the movie. she seldom attends movie screenings these days, but made it a point to attend because of the family’s very close relations with the film’s director and farhan.

“after the screening, she just couldn’t control her emotions. she called farhan aside and wept openly, telling him he had lived the pain, suffering and triumph of milkha,” said a source.

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share your views with us on our Facebook page now be accessible to those middle-class Indians who cannot afford the ticket prices at multiplexes. That thought makes me very happy”. The filmmaker hopes other states would follow suit and grant the movie a tax exemption too. an excellent way of telling the stories and struggles of India’s sporting greats, albeit the bollywood way. Well, at least they are preserved for posterity!

The immediate impact of the ace runner’s saga has also brought about a heightened interest in films related to sports and sportspersons. director omang Kumar is shooting a bio-pic on boxing olympic medallist mary Kom with Priyanka chopra in the lead role, while Ekta Kapoor has bought the movie rights of the life of cricketer mohammed a zharuddin. and a biopic on the life of legendary hockey player dhyan chand is in the pipeline.

An Iftaar surprise a reconciliation between salman Khan and shah rukh Khan would have seemed unlikely, after years of cold-shouldering each other. since an incident at Katrina Kaif’s birthday bash in 2008 in which the two Khans began taking pangas at each other, they have refused to share space. so it was a surprise to all present when the actors shook hands and hugged each other openly at the Ifatar party of congress leader baba siddiqui recently. or perhaps they had no choice when siddiqui asked them to meet each other! both shah rukh and salman seemed perfectly fine, the latter being the one who took the initiative to shake hands and hug shah rukh. Well, looks like another bridge has been built in bollywood! What’s next, a movie featuring the two? I doubt that!

Madras Cafe cleared by censors filmmaker shoojit sircar has heaved a sigh of relief now that his film Madras Cafe has been cleared by the censor board with a U/a certificate.

“When I was making Vicky Donor, I was very worried about the censors. I thought, it’s a film that deals with sperms, which will get it an a-certificate, but thank God, things went well,” sircar revealed. Vicky Donor released with a U/a certificate and the audiences liked the film so much that the rs.5 crore project earned rs.45 crore at the box office.

“The film didn’t look vulgar and sent across the message perfectly. Luckily, Madras Cafe, which has so much action has got a clean nod from the censors and has got a U/a certificate,” said the director. The movie is a political-thriller, and deals with terrorism and civil war. It was reportedly shot in sri Lanka and India. sircar requested the audience’s indulgence for enjoying the sequence of events in his forthcoming offering.

“I would request the audience not to leave their brains at home. bring your brains and do a bit of research before you come to watch the film,” he stated. featuring John abraham, who has also produced the film, and Nargis fakhri, the film is slated to release in mid-august. In a snippet, John has recently become the brand ambassador for reebok, and promises some really exciting stuff in the near future. John in action is certainly worth a dekko!

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