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FASHION FAVOURITES: KARISMA-KAREENA

Today's actors are lucky to have a huge pool of design and style talent to choose from, says fashionista Karisma Kapoor.

"In my day, we had to wear what we were told, in movies. Over time, I got to have a say in what I wanted to wear and what I didn't want to wear. Today, there are so many talented designers and stylists out there."

She was speaking on the sidelines of the just-concluded Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2019.

"I think it's a great compliment that people continue to like my fashion sense even though I am not actively doing films,” the charismatic beauty added.

Karisma walked for Jaipur-based designer PunitBalana, who is known for his eco-friendly fabrics and dyes, and also for showcasing the talent of traditional artists.

Meanwhile, her sister Kareena Kapoor Khan brought the house down in the grand finale of the week-long festival as she turned showstopper for Shantanu and Nikhil. The Lakme Absolute Ultimate Finale lived up to its name, with the ever popular Kareena sashaying down the iconic central façade of Mumbai’s Sophia College. She looked bold and glamorous in a fitted black off-shoulder gown for the black-gold-scarlet themed line which was intended to reflect the millennial Indian woman’s strength and energy.

Those may be the qualities Kareena is known for, but she admitted to butterflies just before the show.

"I could feel the energy up on the ramp. I still get nervous even though it has been a decade. The fear is still there of 'Oh my God, will I look okay? How is it going to be'. But today, I think it was just a powerful feeling," Kareena said after the show.

REMAKES: YAY OR NAY?

Falguni At Grammys 2019

Look out for the US-based Indian singer Falguni Shah at this year’s Grammys: her album Falu’s Bazaar has been nominated in the Best Children's Music category.

Growing up in India, Falguni (aka Falu) was trained in the Jaipur musical tradition and the Benaras style of Thumri. She moved to New York in 2010, and worked with several internationally celebrated musicians like Wyclef Jean, Philip Glass, Ricky Martin, Blues Traveler, Yo-Yo Ma and A.R. Rahman.

Known for an “Indie Hindi” sound (even though you can identify five different South Asain languages in her work), Falguni’s music blends Indian classical and folk western pop, rock and electronic styles.

"I am honoured to be representing not only India at the Grammys, but also the millions of immigrants who have travelled to the US to achieve success," Falguni said.

She also hopes to use the platform to "motivate others to dream big and achieve their goals, whether it's through music or any aspect of life".

The 61st Grammy Awards will take place on 11 Feb in Los Angeles.

It seems as though the trend of remakes in Bollywood is here to stay. Many films, including the forthcoming Ajay Devgnstarrer Total Dhamaal, have at least one song that was once a chartbuster.

"Yes it is a trend these days,” agrees singer Arpita Chakraborty. “I absolutely love remakes. I feel that it is the best way to revive and re-live the melodies that were created by yesteryear's music directors, and make them more accessible and presentable to our youth."

Arpita of course is one of the singers of the remade version of the hit disco song Paisa yeh paisa, originally sung by Kishore Kumar and composed by LaxmikantPyarelal for the 1980 film Karz.

Talking about its new version, recreated by composers Gourov-Roshin, she said, "I love the way Gourov-Roshin have recreated the song. Initially, I was little intimidated, especially because I was offered to be the voice of superstar Madhuri Dixit but the composers made me sing with a lot of ease and got the best out of me."

Dev Negi and Subhro J Ganguly also lent their voice to the foot-tapping number. Remakes - what’s your verdict?

TIME TO KILL CENSORSHIP: ADOOR GOPALAKRISHNAN

Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Adoor Gopalakrishnan, whose oeuvre prominently placed Malayalam cinema on the world map, feels it is time for India to completely do away with censorship in films as that would help the art form thrive.

“Censorship is a big mistake - and one that has been perpetuated by the commercial cinema of Mumbai because they want the censor board's certificate as a shield against any litigation filed by other parties, both inside and outside the industry,” he said recently

"I feel abolishing censorship would certainly help cinema to thrive as an art form. Nobody should be allowed to interfere in filmmaking, not even the government. They are no specialists in this, so how can they interfere? The government often uses its authority in a wrong way," contended Gopalakrishnan, considered one of the greatest filmmakers of India and a pioneer of the New Cinema movement in Kerala.

Referring to a 1979-committee that he, Shyam Benegal and Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen were part of, Gopalakrishnan said they decided to recommend that censorship be abolished from Indian cinema but faced strong resistance from a number of director-producers of commercial cinema.

"When the time for the final decision came, there was a strong plea from both Ramanand Sagar and B.R. Chopra against it. They said censorship gives protection from unnecessary legal battles over films. So the recommendation couldn't be made," he reminisced.

Gopalakrishnan, who has often highlighted the socio-political issues through his use of symbolism in films, said talking openly about the loopholes in the Censor Board and the government's malpractices against films that question institutions, have turned him into "an enemy of the administration".

Asked about the protests and violence over a number of recent films, including Padmavat, The Accidental Prime Minister and Manikarnika, Gopalakrishnan said the trend of resorting to protests even before a film releases, is propaganda.

"People have their right to protest as long as they first see the film. We cannot stop that. But if people or groups are protesting even before they have seen the film, it must be some sort of a propaganda," he added.

HAS THE KHAN TRIUMVIRATE LOST ITS HOLD?

2018 was definitely not the year for the three Khan superstars in Bollywood.

While Shah Rukh Khan delivered a box office debacle in Zero, his Khan fellow-superstar Aamir Khan too came up with one of the biggest duds of his career, The Thugs Of Hindostan.

Earlier during the year, Salman Khan's

Race 3 underperformed abysmally at the box office.

Is the Khan triumvirate losing its touch?

Says trade analyst Amod Mehra, "The writing is very clear on the wall. It is time all three Khan superstars switched to more mature roles, or else they would no longer be superstars."

However, film and trade analyst Girish Johar doesn't see the setbacks of 2018 as detrimental to the Khans' careers.

"The three Khans are superstars: a film here or there doesn't matter. Their fan following does not decrease, nor does their stardom get affected. Yes, all three failing together in one year does raise eyebrows but I am sure they are bound to bounce back with their next outings. Also yes, they have to be much more careful now as audiences are growing, their taste patterns are changing. So what they bring to the table has to be extraordinary, as anything below neither suits their stature nor is it any longer expected from them."

Warns critic Raja Sen, "Their films may have underperformed this time, but each of the three Khans is just one hit away from being on top of the heap again. Any obituaries or celebrations by gleeful rivals would be premature."

What’s next for the Khans?

While Salman Khan has the eagerlyawaited Eid release Bharat which spans the life story of one man from India's independence in 1947 to present day,

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

ALIA BHATT OR TIFFANY HADDISH IN PRABAL GURUNG?

+ Share your views with us on our Facebook page /IndianLinkAustralia

Aamir Khan is taking a sabbatical from the big screen to do a web series based on the Mahabharat. Shah Rukh Khan is not committed to any new project.

All three Khan superstars need to do some serious career thinking and revamping. Their fan-following remains intact. Only their selection of roles needs to change.

DON’T RUIN APU, MADHUR!

We all know and love The Apu Trilogy: Pather Panchali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar, Satyajit Ray’s famed works based on the literary works of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhay that describe the childhood, education and early maturity of a young Bengali named Apu (Apurba Kumar Roy) in the early part of the 20th century.

Well, how would you feel if we were to tell you that Fashion director Madhu Bhandarkar is attempting to make a fourth film to carry on the series? The announcement has ruffled quite a few feathers, even causing an online petition on change.org that reads, “Frequently rated as one of the greatest film series of all time, this series is perfect in every way. Madhur Bhandarkar is trying to make a fourth Apu movie, and I think the government of West Bengal can save us from getting a treasure trove ruined.” Brutal, what?

On Twitter This Week

Match the following stars to the tweets that appear below:

Neha Dhupia, Anil Kapoor, Sonali Bendre

Being back on a set after a major sabbatical - one that has been testing in many ways on so many levels - is a surreal feeling.

I don't owe anyone an explanation because fat-shaming like this doesn't bother me one bit. But I do want to address this as a larger problem because fat-shaming needs to stop for EVERYONE and not just celebs.

Never have I been so proud of you @ sonamakapoor. It has been my honour sharing the screen with you beta.

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