Has Bollywood shut its eyes to movies on farmers?

New Delhi, Emaciated farmers ploughing the fields, parched fields, scheming land sharks, broken down huts – these may reflect the reality of many Indian villages, but seldom get captured in Bollywood films.

Audiences prefer an escape from the hard life of rural, agrarian India on screen, while filmmakers resort to idyllic, picture postcard landscapes in films with villages as their backdrop.

Actor-producer Sohail Khan’s attempt to revive the forgotten rural essence in Hindi cinema with “Kisaan”, which released Friday, has got a lukewarm response and not-so-encouraging reviews. It revolves around farmers being forced to sell their lands to rich businessmen.

“Such films are appealing only if they are packaged in a viewer-friendly manner. Movies like ‘Mother India’ and the lot were epics and brought about an absolute change in movies thenceforth…The audience will only watch such films when the right minds work on them and make them in an authentic yet mass appeal manner,” Madhur Bhandarkar told IANS.

Agriculture’s share in India’s GDP has plummeted from 46 percent in 1960 to 20 percent at present despite the fact that about 70 percent of the population is still engaged in the rural sector. Simultaneously, films on the rural economy have also dwindled.

Puneet Sira, who has directed “Kisaan”, says his movie is a tribute to the country.

“India is going through an economic change and today more than ever, people are paying attention to the problems of the country… I am sure after ‘Kisaan’, we will realise that the audience is aware and ready for such issues to be brought on the big screen. We owe a lot to our motherland and this movie is a befitting tribute,” said Sira.

Arbaaz Khan, who plays one of the male leads, said: “Farmer deaths have reached an all time high in our country. It’s not like it’s a problem that has just started. On the contrary, it’s a problem our country has been facing for centuries. We just decided to make a film on the basic difficulty faced by our motherland.”

If “Kisaan” hasn’t got an encouraging response, “Summer 2007″ by producer Atul Pandey last year that focused on the issue of farmer suicides in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region was also a no show.

In fact, Bollywood has only had a handful of successful movies throwing light on farmers like “Do Bigha Zamin” (1953) and “Mother India” (1957) apart from “Upkar”, which was made by Manoj Kumar on late prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s request.

The 1965 slogan of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisaan” hailed the soldier and the farmer as icons of patriotism and hard work. But today the Indian farmer is no longer counted upon as a hero in the nation’s growth, not even on the big screen.

Bhandarkar blames “lack of audience” as the main reason for the rural theme getting sidelined in Bollywood.

“Movie viewers usually go to cinema halls to escape reality. Most of the audience is made up of mall-hopping youngsters who will not be able to relate to the topic and hence will not enjoy it,” he said.

“These films should be presented in a way that best suits people’s mentality. Urban India is very unaware of the problems faced by farmers and unless they (films) are presented in a particular manner they will not work,” he said.

Mahesh Bhatt too feels that such films are not commercially viable.

“They are very appealing but not very financially viable. They are viable only if the names making these films are big or intelligence is used in making such projects. Filmmakers don’t want to use topics which might have any chances of not making it big and would rather stick to money minting projects,” he said.

In recent times Aamir Khan’s “Lagaan”, which was set in a village in pre-independent India, did exceptionally well. But many feel the film’s success was due to the sub theme of cricket.

Apparently, Bollywood perfectionist Aamir has shown interest in producing a film based on the plight of farmers in Bhopal. Anusha Rizvi, a former journalist with first hand knowledge of the issue, is going to direct it while Raghuvir Yadav has been roped in to play the lead.

“It’s not that these issues are irrelevant; on the contrary, they are more relevant now than ever before. These topics are very good and should be touched upon more often. There would be a large audience which would be interested in watching such meaningful cinema,” said Bhatt.

Designer says ‘Fashion’ was bad, plans Shahid Kapoor starrer

New Delhi, He was so disappointed with Madhur Bhandarkar’s celluloid take on the fashion industry that designer Rahul Jain has decided to wield the megaphone himself. He wants to sign Shahid Kapoor to play the lead role.

Jain says it was his childhood dream to direct a movie, and after watching Priyanka Chopra-Mugdha Godse- Kangana Ranaut-starrer “Fashion”, his dream turned into determination.

” ‘Fashion’ was a very bad movie. I didn’t like it at all. I’m making this movie just to break the notion that fashion is only about glamour. A lot of hard work goes behind it. Today, if we are famous, it’s because of the amount of hard work that we have put in,” Jain told IANS.

“I want Shahid to play lead protagonist in my movie. He has got talent and fits perfectly into the role. The movie revolves around my experiences in the fashion circuit and how I have evolved over the years.”

Describing his yet-to-be-titled movie as a designer’s perspective into the fashion world, the outspoken designer says the movie will show how success, pain, sorrow and struggle are associated with a designer’s life.

“The movie will talk about the pain, agony and discrimination that goes in this fashion circuit. It is not based on any fiction but all that I have observed, seen and dared to talk about. It would be the harsh reality of the fashion world.

“It would talk openly about the exploitation that exists in the fashion world,” said Jain who doesn’t have any formal training in fashion designing.

He gave up his corporate career to explore his creative side and teamed up with Gunjan Arora in 1998. Since then they have been working together for their label Sirali.

Jain has finished the script and says talks with production houses are in the final stage to finance the film. He plans to finalise everything about his project by October.

But before taking the plunge, Jain plans to assist one of his director friends to learn the nuances of direction.

“Whatever I do, I do with perfection; hence I would be assisting one of my friends to learn the basics of direction. It would help me during the making of the movie.”

Model Candace Rae's Sensual Images

Biography

Do you really want to know about Candace Rae's real life? Isn't the whole point that we can stare at pictures of her and decide who we'd like her to be instead? The truth is, there really isn't much to find out about Candace pre-bikini days, other than the fact that she was born and raised in Winnpeg, Canada. It's a smart move on a bikini model's part to keep the real-life story under wraps, since men don't really want to know about her childhood issues, or if and when her parents divorced. But here's one thing we know about Canadian girls: they're extremely wild, despite the country's reputation for being the nicest people on earth. There's a reason why a city like Montreal is frequently visited by those of us south of their border. Those girls are crazy.




Candace Rae



Candace Rae



Candace Rae




Candace Rae



Candace Rae



Candace Rae



Candace Rae



Candace Rae



Candace Rae



Candace Rae

Why Is She Famous?

Candace Rae once held the prestigious title of AskMen.com's Model of the Day. We liked the idea of looking at her so much that we decided she deserved a little more attention. We imagine she has your attention too, and you're having trouble getting through sentences without glancing up at this Canadian bikini model. She runs her own website too, but we'll get to that later. For now, let's just all take a look up and thank Mr. and Mrs. Rae -- wherever you are -- for giving us Candace.

My character in ‘Life Partner’ is a nightmare: Genelia

Mumbai, In “Life Partner”, Genelia D’Souza is cast as a dumb girl and the actress is cringing.

“This girl thinks she knows it all, when she’s clueless. She doesn’t know how dumb she is. She’s got loads of money and time and she keeps trying different vocations. For starters, she attempts a career in singing and she’s a disaster at it,” Genelia told IANS.

Releasing Friday, the film also stars Fardeen Khan, Tusshar Kapoor, Prachi Desai and Govinda.

Playing this scatter-brain was very tough for Genelia.

“I’m not the least like this rich, pampered and clueless chick. And I’d certainly not try my hand at anything I wouldn’t succeed in. But this character keeps bumbling from one experience to another. She’s a nightmare,” she said.

To add to Genelia’s woes her character is hated by one of her favourite actors.

“Govinda, whom I adore, detests me in the film. Every time we’re together, he is snarling and scowling at me. I hated that,” she said.

Watch Rani Sizzle in a Bikini

On Friday it was told that actress Rani Mukerji may wear a bikini in Dil Bole Hadippa, and on the weekend the sizzling video was out. Now we sincerely apologise for the late post, but we spent until now getting used to seeing the otherwise safe Rani getting wet and wild under the shower in a striped bikini top. We must admit that while the thought of seeing Rani in the flesh had us scared (what with her previously flaunted flab and all), but what we saw turned out to be quite refreshing. Rani seems to have toned up considerably, she's looking young, fresh and manages to keep up with co-star Shahid Kapoor who is a great dancer. But best of all, she's not conscious and that makes the video worth a watch.

Sanjay Khan Plans Mega Film for Zayed

Actor Sanjay Khan is reportedly worried about his son Zayed Khan's acting career. Hold it. Does he still have one? Okay, we're going to stop with the bitchiness..

The veteran actor and filmmaker is planning to make a super big budget film, starring Zayed. This is part of Sanjay's plan to launch Zayed in the big league of Bollywood, and make sure his beta gets his due place in the film industry.

Good luck to the Khans, is all we can say

Bollywood Heroes Become a Little More Human

From determined farmer to disco dancer, angry young man to romantic lover, the Bollywood hero has had many avatars, but in each, he has been epitomised. Our male protagonists have been able to outrace a car with a bullock cart, single-handedly vanquish fifteen villains, and always get the girl. They have been unbeatable, untouchable - perfect.

But not anymore. A new spate of movies is set to break this mould, centering on heroes that are not necessarily perfect example of their species. And this is not arty, alternative cinema, but mainstream Bollywood flicks starring some of the biggest actors in the industry, including Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Shahid Kapoor.

In Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey, due to release this Friday, Shahid Kapoor has a double role, where he plays estranged twin brothers. The movie is marketed as a "dark comic ride", and boasts all the ingredients of a box office success - guns, drugs, hit songs, and leading actress Priyanka Chopra in a wet white tank top. Shahid too, is the ultimate hero - muscles bulging, he runs with wild horses, seduces women, and parties hard. But, there's a difference. Both twins have extremely noticeable speech defects - one stutters, and the other lisps. The fact that the heroes of such a big production suffer from syndromes much ridiculed in Indian society is unusual indeed, and has been the cause of much speculation in the media.

Karan Johar, famous for his candy floss blockbusters, is now working on My Name is Khan, a film whose protagonist suffers from Asperger's Syndrome (a mild form of Autism, made famous by Forrest Gump and Rain Man), and who is picked up by American authorities in the wake of 9/11, who mistaken his disability for suspicious behavior. The film is apparently based on a true story. Shah Rukh Khan, who is playing the lead character as well as co-producing the movie, told a daily here that the movie is "not about a disabled man's fight against disability. It's a disabled man's fight against the disability that exists in the world -- terrorism, hatred, fighting." My Name is Khan is slated for a February 2010 release, and coincides with three Hollywood upcoming films that also feature Asperger's Syndrome, including Adam.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, one of India's few leading directors who has tackled disabilities in his past movies, has begun shooting for his next, Guzarish, in which India's version of Sly Stallone - Hrithik Roshan, will play a paraplegic, paralysed from his waist up and confined to a wheelchair for most of the film. The film is rumored to also deal with euthanasia and stars former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. Fans of Hrithik Roshan's famous dance moves and action sequences, both of which will be amply showcased in his upcoming home production Kites, are bound to be disappointed.

It is true that some Indian movies in the past have featured main roles with disabilities - Kajol, a leading actress who will star in My Name is Khan recently played a visually impaired woman, and Rani Mukherjee essayed the role of a visual, hearing and speech impaired girl in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black. But heroes, especially those portrayed by big-named leading men, have until now, been largely untouchable. These upcoming movies, along with spreading awareness of conditions like Asperger's Syndrome and paraplegia, will also hopefully pave the way for an era of protagonists who along with being perfect lovers, dancers, fighters, and sons, will also be just a little more real, and human.

Movie Reviews: Life Partner

The verdict of this multi-starrer comedy film is out:


LIFE PARTNER also surprises you because Rumy Jaffery incorporates vignettes from real life. Most importantly, LIFE PARTNER entertains, makes you laugh [at even silly jokes] and keeps you hooked for most parts of the film... Govinda is in terrific form this time. After PARTNER, the talented actor gets a role that does complete justice to his abilities...On the whole, LIFE PARTNER may lack the hype, but this one springs a pleasant surprise.

‘Kaminey’ releasing worldwide, barring in swine flu hit Mumbai

Mumbai, Mumbai will have to wait. With Maharashtra in the grip of swine flu and the country’s entertainment capital’s malls and multiplexes shut down for three days, much awaited films such as “Kaminey” and “Life Partner” will give the city a miss as these are released worldwide.

The swine flu scare has also led to a weeklong shutdown in Mumbai.

“We are going ahead with the release of the film (’Kaminey’) this Friday across the country and worldwide. This will not include the markets of Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai following the directive given by the government. We look forward to release the film in these regions as soon as the cinemas are given permission to re-open,” Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO of UTV Motion Pictures said in a statement released here Wednesday.

“Being a corporate, we are fully insured for the two-day delay we are facing in these markets,” he added.

Aman Gill, director, domestic theatrical distribution of Studio 18, the distributors for “Life Partner”, echoed the view.

“We are going ahead with the worldwide release of ‘Life Partner’ as per schedule, as we can’t stop the release because the prints have already been dispatched. Except Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, we will release the film wherever we can,” Gill told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, “Kaminey” stars A-listers like Shahid Kapoor in a double role and Priyanka Chopra in the lead. Laugh-riot “Life Partner” has been directed by Rumy Jafry and stars Govinda, Tusshar Kapoor, Prachi Desai, Fardeen Khan and Geneila D’Souza.

While “Kaminey” is releasing with 1,200 prints worldwide, “Life Partner” is following suit with around 700 prints globally.

Trade pundits told IANS that the Maharashtra belt accounts for 30 percent of the all India collections for a movie while Delhi and Uttar Pradesh combine accounts for 30 percent of the total business.

Considering a long weekend with the Janmashtami and Independence Day holidays in tandem, insiders claim it to be a “lucrative” period despite any odds.

“We are expecting a very lucrative weekend. Despite all fears, there will be footfalls no matter what. And with both Janmashtami and Aug 15 holidays back-to-back, it is going to bring in a good business,” said a Mumbai distributor, on condition of anonymity.

Tushar Dhingra, COO, BIG Cinemas, however, shrugged off any news about the multiplex closure.

“We have not received any official information about the shut down of the multiplex for next three days. So I am not in any position to comment on this. But if this happens then we will co-operate because health is a priority and you can’t compromise on that,” he told IANS.

Other leading multiplex chains like INOX and Fame refused to comment.

You’ll see a different me in ‘Kurbaan’: Kareena Kapoor

Mumbai, She has played a prostitute, a bubbly girl-next-door and the ultimate glamour queen in her almost decade-long career, but Kareena Kapoor says “Kurbaan” has given her the opportunity to sink her teeth into one of the best roles in her career.

“I am so confident that in ‘Kurbaan’, audiences will take to my character in a big way,” said Kareena, who looks forward to playing a variety of roles across different genres of films.

“Especially after ‘Kambakkht Ishq’, they would see a different me in the film,” Kareena told IANS.

A Karan Johar production, “Kurbaan” is directed by first time director Rensil D’Silva and has terrorism as its background.

“The girl’s role is very strong in ‘Kurbaan’ and I have worked really hard on my performance. I’m expecting a lot from the film,” said the actress, who has won critical acclaim for her performance in “Dev” and “Omkara”.

Kareena is paired with boyfriend Saif Ali Khan in “Kurbaan”, which also stars Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Kirron Kher and Om Puri in principal roles.

The actress says she is once again expecting accolades from critics for her performance in the film.

“Well frankly, this is one film where I am expecting both box-office success and huge critical acclaim. The film is extremely well made and, to add to that, quite topical,” she said confidently.

With music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Salim-Sulaiman, “Kurbaan” is aiming for a November release.

For Kareena, 2009 would be an eventful year as it would also see the release of Rajkumar Hirani’s “3 Idiots”, where she is paired opposite Aamir Khan, and debutant director Prem R. Soni’s “Main Aur Mrs. Khanna” with Salman Khan.

After being in the industry for close to a decade, doesn’t she aspire for more awards?

“See, ever since I began my career, I have always maintained that I want to be a star actress. I should give the kind of confidence to filmmakers that I can carry off any role confidently. Whether it is a Geet (’Jab We Met’) or a Dolly (’Omkara’), Simrita (’Kambakkht Ishq’) or the character I play in ‘Kurbaan’ – I am mixing it up all.

“For me, work is like a passion and when I do a film, I don’t really think of commercial gains or awards. What is most important for me is to be engaged in some quality stuff. I sign a film because I like to enact the character that I have been offered. If box office success and awards come then, well, it’s great,” she said.