PALLAVISI-IARDA:S MELBOURNE FAMILY FLYING I-IIGI-I

It was a Bollywood party with a difference. For starters, it wastimedto coincide withthefirst showing ofa new release.Guestswereaskedto come dressed notjust in Bollywood style but in 1890s period costume ifpossible, asthefilm in question wasfromthatera.And also, thelead actorfromthefilm called in on Skype. Later, theentire party headed outtothecinemasto seethe film.

ForhostNalin Sharda ofMelbourne, it was a veryspecial event indeed, becausethefilm wasthe much-awaitedHawaizaada, starring his own daughter Pallavi.His guests wereallfamilyfriends, who have watched Pallavi grow upovertheyears.

"They wereall uncles and aunties ofPallavi, who arenow taking a keen interest in herfilm career;'Nalintold IndianLink."They'veseen her perform on stage sincechildhood, and they'veall encouraged her as she decided totry her luckin films''.

And no,the rising star did not disappointthe uncles and aunties.

"Shelit upthescreeneverytime sheappeared!"proud papa beamed."It is notjustme,butthecritics have said so as well. She played two characters essentially, one ofaTamasha dancer and lateras a simple woman in contrast. Now I'vebeen known totell heroffbefore when she'sbeen out ofstep, butthis time round, I thinkshedid afantasticjob!"

On Skype, Pallavi admitted to being a bit nervous ahead ofthe big release, but wasthrilled to seethe extnded Melbourne'clan'out infull support.

Theconceptofthefilm itself, Nalin hasbeengushing over."I thinkit'stime welettheworld know ofIndia's scientificand mathematical inventions and discoveries.How manyofus knewthatan Indian built aflying machineten years beforetheWright Brothers?The record hasto besetstraight. Marconifor example was long believed to have pioneered radiotransmission, but the IEEE (InstituteofElectrical and Electronics Engineers) has now settledthat Indian scientistJC Bosehad gottherefirst."

But being atechnical man himself, an electrical engineer and academic by profession, some ofthemore scientific aspects ofthefilm grated on Nalin. "Yes,thereweresomebitsthatmademe go'Oh mygod;butyouknow,in theabsenceofmuch recorded evidence, we haveto acceptthatthefilm is a 'fairytale'versionofevents''.

As a man ofscience, butalso asfather ofthestar, Nalin hopes many more peoplecan go and seethefilm.

RajniAnand Luthra

Change ofmood for Taapsee Pannu

Afterherbriefrolein Babyas Akshay Kumar's accomplicein Nepal who beats thehelloutof Sushant Singh,Taapsee Pannu has finally gotthe kind ofattentionthat herdebutfilm ChashmeBaddoor didn't giveher. Sheis now gearing upfor an imagechangewith her nextfilm AgraKaDaabra.

Thechirpy and vivacious actress said, "Contrary to the kickass image in ChashmeBaddoorand Baby, I play an extremely demuresoftspoken simti sisehmisinazaaqatsebhari(subdued and delicate) Muslim girl inAgra Ka Daabra."

AgraKaDaabra is directed by Shoojit Sircar, and also features Ayushmann Khurrana.

Talking aboutBaby, she said,"Most peoplehavelovedthe film.Eventhose who haven'tlikedthefilmthatmuch havebeen extremely responsiveto my performance:'

Playing an undercover agent on a dangerous mission,Tapsee hadto pull out all thestops in her hand-to-hand combat with Sushant Singh.

"I did theentire lengthyfight onmy own without abodydouble,"Taapsee said, adding, "It hastaken atoll on me. My old legjoint injury has resurfaced. Duringthefight I wasthrown around all overtheroom.There weretimes when oneortheotherofmylimbs wouldn't move. I had totakepainkillersto return tothe stunt:'

The end result was worth it.

She gives credit to her action director and co-starAkshay Kumarforthe sequence.

"Wehad two gentlemen on board to train. My co-starAkshayKumar was such a big help. Being a discipleofmartial arts himself, he guided methrough the sequence. Ofcoursethefactthat I'vealways been a sporty outdoortype helped meto getthe scene right;'she said.

Kashmir opens up to Bollywood afterfloods

Fitoor, an adaptationofCharles Dickens' GreatExpectations starring Rekha,Katrina Kaifand Aditya RoyKapur, is thefirst Bollywood movie being shot in Kashmir afterlast year's devastating floods.

Fitooris a lovesaga directed by AbhisekKapoorwho made KaiPo Che that did fairly well.

Theromanticfilm isabouta love triangleinvolvingaKashmiriboyNoor (Aditya Roy), his ladylove Firdous (KatrinaKaif)and the Begum (Rekha).

Fitoorshooting started in thefamous NishatGarden onthe banks oftheDal Lakein summercapital Srinagar as Katrinaarrived atthe sets wearing a burqa in typical Kashmiristylein the morning.

Themovieis running behind schedule, as it was scheduledto hitthefloor last year, sources in thefilm unitsaid.

"Thefilm unit has been in theValleyfor the last three days and weare working overtimeto completetheshooting schedule;'asource said.

Tapsee Pannu

Fitoor is not onlythefirst Bollywood moviebeingshotin Kashmirafter last year'sfloods, but it is also thefirstto be shottherethis year.

Bollywood and Kashmir have had an intimate and mutually beneficial relationshipfordecades since 1960s.This was interrupted duetothe separatist violence in theValleythat started in early 1990s. Asthesituation improved overthe years, Bollywood has again returnedtoits choice locations.

Bollywoodblockbustersofbygone years like Shammi Kapoor-Saira Bano starrerJunglee, Shammi-Kapoor-Sharmila TagoreromanticbonanzaKashmirKiKali, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, Hema Malini super hitAndazand Yash Chopra's Silsilaare some ofthe memorable films that were shotin Kashmir.

Legendary BollywoodfilmmakerYash Chopra shot his lastfilmJabTakHaiJaan in Kashmir.

Celebrated Hollywood film maker David Lean shot parts ofAPassagetoIndia in old city Srinagarin mid-1980s.

ResidentsofSrinagarhad obliged DavidLean when he maderequests over thelocal media asking residents in old city Srinagartobringdown terrestrialTV antennaefrom rooftops for a day since E.M. Forster'snovel,APassagetoIndia is about India in the 1920s.

Singh

Is... Bling?

Ohdear.Apparentlythat'sthename of theSinghIsKing sequel.

Bollywood's actiontitan Akshay Kumar saysthe upcoming film will bea perfect mix ofcomedy, action and romance, a "wholesomeentertainer''.

TheKhiladiKumar, whose espionage actionthrillerfilmBaby, released Jan 23, will begin shootingforthe new film soon, intimefor itto hittheatres on Gandhi JayantiOct2.

GiventhatSingh IsKing was madehere in Oz, will thesequel becoming down here as well? Perhaps not, because with a namelikethat,thelocal industry might thinkit's Bollywood'sversionofPriscilla Queen ofthe Desert. Ha ha!

ThePrabhudheva directorial also stars Kareena Kapoor and Kriti Sanon.

Meanwhile,Akshay will next beseenin the action dramaMain Gabbaralongside ShrutiHaasan.He will alsobeseen in the Bollywood remakeofWarrior, which will bereleased as Brothers in India.

My, he's certainly been busy

New documentary on Gandhi's favourite hymn

Anearly six-centuries-old song written by Gujarat's most revered poet-philosopher Narsinh Mehta and made byMahatma Gandhi as his life's guidingforce, is now the subjectofan upcoming documentary. The documentarytitled Gandhi'sSong, being written and directed by Chicagobasedjournalist and writerMayank

Chhaya, begins production shortly with location shooting in Junagadh and elsewherein Gujarat, where Mehta spent his lifecreating some ofthemost popular metaphysical ruminations addressedto Krishna.

"Generations ofIndians sinceGandhi's assassinationsixtyseven years ago have

Ayushmann Khurrana

grown upthinkingthat VaishnavJan

To was written by him.This particular bhajan (hymn) is unique inthe sense thatit remains so currentin its moral underpinnings about what constitutes a civilized human being;'Chhaya said.

Mehta, who by most widely accepted consensus lived between 1414and 1481, was an unwittingfigurein India's great Bhakti Movement, whichflourished organicallythroughout thecountry during medievaltimes 800-1700 CE.

Inthetradition ofthefiguresofthe

Bhakti Movement ofthe time, Mehta was also apioneering social reformer who used thepower ofhis poetrytobreak down rigidcasteand class barriers.

VaishnavJanTo istypical ofMehta's deceptivelysimple but profound worldview. Each verseessentiallydefines whatkind ofmoral standards should drive humans.Thebhajanin many waysshaped Gandhi's larger sociocultural view that was attheheart ofthe country'sfreedom movement.

WI-IO WORE IT BETTER?

Don't like it, don'twatch it

Themoral policein India have kicked up a ruckus about comedy collective All India Bakchod'slatestventureAIB Knockoutfeaturing KaranJohar, Arjun Kapoorand RanveerSingh.

AIB,ifyouhaven't heardofityet, is India's premiercomedy collectivethat parodies Indian politics and public personalities on itsYouTubechannel.

Knownfortheir brazencomedy,AlB's sketches are gaining in popularityfor their underlying social messageas much asfortheirlanguage, whichmaybe explicit butwhich reflectsthepopular languageofurban Indianyoungsters.

Supportersarerising in solidarity with AIB, againstthisfreedom ofcreative suppression, butThe Knockout feature remains taken down asofnow. But giventhis unlikelypublicity,there can be no doubtthat people will be logging on and sharing AIB's previous works. Go on, log onyourselft Agood placeto start will beAliaBhatt:Geniusofthe Year, starring thegenius herself.

Big B for Adelaide's India-Pak game

"There's nothing Mr. Bachchan's voice can'tdo,"says R Saiki, director ofthe upcomingfilmShamitabh."Hehasdone voice-overs inmanyfeaturefilms and has also lenthis voiceto documentariesand social causes.Theonethingthat hehadn't donesofar is cricket commentary:'

Well, sothe country's mostfamous baritone is goingto rectifythat.

And whatbetter occasionthanthe keenly-awaited Feb 15 India-Pakmatchin the upcoming CricketWorld Cup.Amitabh Bachchan willtaketotheairwaves alongsidestalwarts Harsh Bhogleand Kapil Dev,forbroadcasterStar Sports Incidentally,theplotofthefilm Shamitabh also revolvesaroundthe baritone.

Looks likethe72-year-old will need to get his acttogether real soon, because afterarecentradio show that heguesthosted on Mumbai's REDFM, headmitted to being out ofsorts."I'm ata loss goodness, how dotheseguys manageit;' hesaid on social media.

ShareyourviewswithusonourFacebookpage /lndianlinkAustralia

Atleast he'sgetting his cricket terminology right, thanks totuitionfrom Harsha