Jaqueline Fernandes, Miss Sri Lanka 2006, who is making her debut alongside the Big B as Princess Jasmine, got some tips while shooting for Aladin. And it was from none other than the Big B himself! We caught up with the beauty and got her take on working with Amitabh Bachchan, her film and much more.
Jaqueline says, “I got the chance to learn a lot from this living legend! I feel really fortunate that I got to share my Bollywood debut with such a great actor.” She adds that even though she was really nervous on her first day on sets the veteran actor put her at ease. She reveals, “On the very first day of shooting I was quite nervous to act in front of Amitabh Bachchan. But he was very calm and even told Sujoy, the director, to let me settle down.”
Big B even attempted to help her calm down by talking to her. Jaqueline says, “He started chatting to me and I told him about growing up and how that everyone in Sri Lanka loved his movies as well!”
Time obviously flies when you are having fun because the actress soon realized that they had been talking for over half and hour. She says, “We chatted for quite some time and he gave me some useful tips. Since my Hindi is not so good he told me to read Hindi newspapers and watch Hindi movies to improve. By the end of our chat I was really comfortable.”
About the film Jaqueline says that the Big B is the best thing in the film. She says, “The film has everything… action, romance, comedy, drama and revenge. The most fascinationg work has been done by Mr. Bachchan. We’re all just waiting for the film to be released!”
Aladin and Mystery of Magic Lamp was earlier suppose to release with Ghajini but due to untimely bad health of Big B put the release of this film on-hold as still Amitabh Bachchan part is still remaining and so the film tentatively release date will be in May - June 2009.
We have seen Bollywood’s all time favorite Jodis like Amitabh-Rekha, Dharmendra-Hema Malini, Dilip Kumar-Madhubala and Shahrukh-Kajol, set the silver screen on fire with their on-screen chemistry. Ever wondered if Bollywood could go wrong?? This week ‘10 on 10’ brings you Top 10 Jodis that should never be paired together in Indian cinema, only on Imagine Showbiz.
This week on ‘10 On 10’, watch Jodis that don’t share the on-screen charisma and will never make us shout; Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Host Shonal Rawat, gives us a run through of Top 10 celebrities that should never be cast opposite each other. At 5′ 6 Aamir Khan is a strict no-no against the soaring Deepika Padukone at 5′ 10.
Bollywood has more such NoNo’s with Abhishek Bachchan and could-have-been-saali; Kareena Kapoor, whose personal glitch might affect their professional life. That’s not all, as this match-breaking episode shows us strictly prohibited Jodis like Shah Rukh & Katrina, Aishwarya & Saif, Akshay Kumar & Rani and many more.
Watch the jodis you might never see on celluloid only on ‘10 on 10’ on Imagine Showbiz at 1 pm on Saturday, November 22nd, 2008.
The Big B will be back to work finally from today (November 15). He resumes work after a much- needed break in Udaipur.
Confirming his return to the arclights, the Big B says, "I'm starting on the 15th with Leena Yadav's Teen Patti. There isn't much pending work there."
He was in Udaipur taking a break with his personal physician accompanying him. "I needed to get away from home. I needed time to myself, to read and write. And to watch the films that I've been meaning to for a long time. It was so peaceful out here. I should do this more often. But where is the time to take time off?"
They don't call him the Big B for nothing. Generous and considerate towards his fans and well-wishers to the point of self-destruction, the Big B is more than willing to meet the disappointed hordes who were turned away on his birthday after his sudden illness.
"My fans are never a burden. They are welcome any time. I publicly meet them every Sunday and specific ones get to meet me on my films' sets. No issues there."
The Big B regrets the fact that his illness took away his fans' excitement on his birthday. "However, health issues do not wait for an opportune moment. They happen. It is nature. It is biological. We do not have control over them. Yes, this one happened on my birthday. So what?"
He is supremely pleased to be home. "But I do regret not being able to meet the well-wishers who assemble to greet me. I am sure they have understood the gravity of the situation. There will be other moments to make up for the loss."
Family friends like Karan Johar and Sanjay Dutt who are abroad, kept calling to express their concern throughout the Big B's week-long hospitalization. And he was overwhelmed and embarrassed by the extra attention.
Commenting regretfully on the postponement of Abhishek and Aishwarya's schedule of Mani Ratnam's film, the Big B says, "They were to leave the next day but stayed back and rescheduled their programme because of my condition. I generally do not like the idea of attention and of disturbing others with my condition, but I shall respect their decision even if they disagree with me. Particularly so now."
The general opinion about Abhishek is that he's as good a son to his father as the Big B was to his. The Big B says with paternal pride. "I am grateful that others think so compassionately about Abhishek. My father is not alive to give an assessment of what he thought of me as a son. But I am. And I am happy and full of pride to have Abhishek as my devoted son."
Back to work, a small portion of Shootjit Sircar's film remains to be shot. "We needed to wait for a particular climate to shoot the remaining work. That is now ready and we shall be finishing the entire shoot soon. I'm also in the process of sorting out the dates for the film to be produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Good to have so much variety thrown in my direction."
In the meanwhile, AB Corp Ltd is ready to resume operations. Big B isn't too pleased by the suggestion that his production company had slowed down. "I laugh at the constant refrain of 'AB. Corp resuming production'. Resuming? We have been in production all along. Yes, they may not have attracted attention .But we are there. I shall keep you abreast as time approaches on our projects."
Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who was discharged Friday from the Lilavati Hospital, is back to his blogging ways. The actor has thanked his fans for their good wishes but has hit out at the media for being "insensitive" while reporting on his illness.
"My sincerest thanks to all who gave me strength to fight another medical battle. The fans and well wishers. The media friends who wrote in on my mobile. Friends who visited me at the hospital and those that wrote in. Strangers who I never met or know," Amitabh wrote on his blog soon after his discharge, "Your love overwhelms me. Your concern for my well being humbles me. I owe so much to you.”
But while the actor thanked one lot of the public, he also slammed the media on the other hand. He expressed his displeasure at being chased when he was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
"There is a muted silence outside…No one says a word, except the media. They clamour and scream for that exclusive shot, invading the sanctity of the ambulance. They would never understand the sensitivity of the situation," he wrote.
"Media is an added hindrance to a smooth, quick emergent ride to Nanavati. If they had their way they would ideally want to be seated on the stretcher with me and have me answering questions - ’What would be the celebrations for the birthday sir and will you be inviting Shah Rukh’. Insensitive. Callous,” he expressed his feelings.
Diagnosed with incisional hernia, the Big B had been in hospital for a week. He went back home in his own car and was accompanied by son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai.
The star said he had plans of "rest and recuperation" at his Jalsa home apart from giving company to the women in his house for a quick glance of the moon from the roof to break their fast on "Karva Chauth", which he termed a "torturous practice".
National award-winning director Madhur Bhandarkar has expressed his desire to work with big Bollywood superstars.
The director, known for making slice-of-life cinema, has yet to work with some of the big stars even though he has been progressively making big budget films from his Chandni Bar days to Corporate and Fashion .
Now, among stars on Bhandarkar’s wishlist are Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan .
"Apart from Big B and King Khan, I also want to work with Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan and am just waiting for an appropriate subject," Bhandarkar told a news agency.
"Big B has described me as the Hrishikesh Mukherjee of the new era during an award function and told me that I produce films that are not stereotypes. It was an honour for me," Bhandarkar said.
The director added that his films were the mirrors of the society and were not intended to sermonise to the audience. Referring to his film ’Fashion’, he said the film tries to show the reality behind the colourful world.
People related with the fashion industry should not get unduly worried as the film is an attempt to show the true picture of the fashion world and not hurt anyone associated with it.
Amitabh Bachchan is admitted in Lilavati Hospital and on Sunday his friends and family members came to check on the superstar.
Abhishek and his buddy Goldie entering the hospital on Sunday morning. Both Abhishek and Aishwarya left the hospital on Saturday night while Jaya spent a night in hospital
Goldie seem a little tense. He was spotted giving details over the phone.
Finally Jaya was seen leaving the hospital only after Abhishek and Goldie came.
Big B’s pal and head of Sahara Subroto Roy too visited his friend.
Congress MLA and Sunil Dutt’s daughter Priya Dutt visited Bachchan.
Other friends and family...
The Shahenshah of Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan was approached by a TV channel to host a game show, 1 Vs 100. If all goes well, Bachchan will host the Hindi adaptation of the popular game show 1 vs 100, which has been created by Endemol and aired in several countries.
Our source says, “The show has a lavish budget and Bachchan’s presence as the host will take it to dizzy heights.” Buzz is that Bachchan has liked the project and the modalities are being worked out. The show is likely to be aired early next year.
The game show 1 Vs 100 was first aired in the Netherlands as Eén Tegen Honderd. 1 Vs 100 pits one person against 100 others to win a large cash prize. The 100 people are collectively known as The Mob. To win the game outright, the ‘One’ must eliminate all 100 members of the Mob by answering questions correctly. After having the opportunity to select a difficult level or a category, a multiple-choice question with three options is revealed. The Mob is given a short time (15 seconds on the US show, 6 seconds for the Australian show) to lock in their answer before The One is given the opportunity to answer the question.
If the One is correct, all Mob members that answered the question incorrectly are eliminated, bringing the lone contestant closer to winning the game. The money in the contestant’s bank increases depending on the number of mob members eliminated in that question. If the contestant eliminates all 100-mob members, he or she claims the prize money. However, if the One is incorrect, the game ends and he or she is left with nothing. In some versions, the remaining members of the Mob split the losing contestant’s winnings.
Superstar Amitabh Bachchan is planning an Unforgettable Tour for India. This announcement is likely to be made on his birthday on October 11.After rocking the Bollywood fans throughout North America and Britain, the ‘Unforgettable Tour’ is now aiming on Indian cities.
The concerts will be held in Indian metropolises like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. However, the tour itinerary will be worked out only after the first concert. If the response to the concert is tremendous then it will continue to other major cities.
Wizcraft, the event management company in charge of this tour, is sorting out everything right from security to fiscal issues. These matters will be the deciding grounds for the venues too.
The organizers are said to be making fool proof plan for the success of the show. As reported earlier, the European leg of Unforgettable Tour (in Germany) was cancelled because of the low response from the audience and expensive price tickets.
The company and the Bachchans (including Abhishek Bachchan , Aishwarya Rai and Jaya Bachchan ) want to check the response in India before arranging the other schedule of the tour for the whole country.
In the meantime, the Idea Unforgettable Mega Concert will be televised on Saturday, October 11, as a tribute to Big B on his birthday.
The ever green child fantasy of Aladin that is one of the favorite tale of a kid around the globe is once again is played in bollywood flick ‘Aladdin & Mystery of the Lamp’.In the movie produced by Sujoy Ghosh Ritesh Deshmukh is playing character of Aladdin whereas Amitabh Bachchan is in the role of Genie.
Other casts of the movie are Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Fernande in a story of Boy Aladdin set in modern India. The boy one day surprisingly comes across the fact what he once believed only to be story has really turned into reality. Let’s wait for the release of the movie to know more and all.
Yash Chopra is planning his next movie with Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan .
The filmmaker, who has made romantic films ahead of time, is gearing up for his next venture. Yash Chopra was thinking of remaking Kabhi Kabhi but has shelved the idea now. Instead, he is conceptualizing another flick in romantic genre with SRK.
It is learnt that Chopra is keen to have SRK with Big B together again after his last movie Veer Zaara . He wants to cast both the superstars in key roles. Yash Chopra himself will be directing the film, based on contemporary scenario with a fresh love-story.
Chopra generally takes a long break when it comes to direction. The time span from Dil To Pagal Hai to ‘Veer Zaara’ was a long wait.
The official spokesperson of Yashraj Films is quoted as saying: “Yashji is busy finalizing the script, but has not finalized the cast yet”.
As for now, he is busy with his son’s project Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi Aditya Chopra is directing ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ and is donning the cap of director after almost eight years. His last movie was Mohabbatein .
Do you know Amitabh Bachchan actually penned a couple of dialogues for ‘The Last Lear’ which is also his first full-length English film as an actor?
Directed by the acclaimed filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh , The Last Lear is based on Utpal Dutt’s play ‘Aajker Shahjahan’. In the film Bachchan plays a failed, ageing, but uncompromising Shakespearean actor.
BIG B PENS DIALOGUES
Since ‘The Last Lear’ is a film within a film (the movie’s plot revolves around the making of a film whose director Arjun Rampal plays) there is a scene in which Preity and Prosenjit enact a tense dramatic scene in Hindi. Since Rituparno Ghosh’s Hindi is wishy-washy, he urged the Big B to write the dialogues for the scene. The superstar not just accepted the offer but took his job seriously. He sat aloof in a corner and wrote and rewrote the dialogues until he was satisfied with the final product.
RITUPARNO GHOSH, THE HITLER
Mr. Bachchan got along very well with Ghosh during the making of the film. The superstar was particularly impressed by the director’s vision and his quest for perfection. So much so that Big B jestingly gave Ghosh the nickname of ‘Hitler’ and threatened to go on a strike with other artists if Ghosh continued to be the authoritarian demander of finer performances from the film’s cast.
ARJUN, THE SHUTTERBUG
Rituparno Ghosh had shaved his head while shooting the film, and Arjun Rampal found the bald director to be a very good subject for practicing his hobby of photography. So, on the movie’s sets, Arjun would pop out of nowhere and click Ghosh from different angles. At first, Ghosh was conscious and even disapproving of Arjun’s unending penchant for photography. But when he saw the photographs that Arjun had taken, he was utterly impressed to see Arjun’s eye for framing and perspective. Ghosh says Arjun could one day make a good director.
THE SHOE THIEF
An interesting incident happened while Ghosh was shooting a scene for which Big B had to be barefoot. Since Ghosh likes to be physically interactive with his actors, he came forward and bent down to take off Big B’s shoes himself. At that point, Big B sprang from his seat. Ghosh protested: “Why, Amitda, what’s wrong if I do it?” To which Big B, apparently embarrassed by Ghosh’s gesture, replied: “No, you’ll steal my shoes.” Hearing this, the whole unit broke out into giggles.
By the way, ‘The Last Lear’ also happens to the first film in which Mr. Bachchan plays an actor working in a film within a film. The movie has Preity Zinta in a traditional Bengali makeover with sarees, long hair and big bindis.
Security to the Bachchan family was stepped up on Thursday after threats.The Bachchan residence in Juhu, Jalsa, has been given more protection by the state government, after protests from local political party the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
Two police vans followed Amitabh Bachchan on Wednesday night, and three police jeeps were stationed outside a press conference he had held.
The protests were over a statement made by Jaya Bachchan at a political rally, where she was reported as having said: "Hum UP wali hoon Hindi main baat karungi." Though the agitation was called off on Thursday following an apology from Amitabh Bachchan, it is learnt that there was concern of random violence.
Newspaper reports also said that Sonia Gandhi had inquired into the threats against the family and asked the state to do what was needed to protect the family. Big B’s latest movie, The Last Lear, is to be released tomorrow.
In the wake of the controversy, its premiere was moved to Delhi and there was a question mark over its release in Mumbai as scheduled. However that has been resolved and it will be on screen. A cinema hall was damaged, allegedly by MNS supporters on Wednesday, when the controversy flared up.
Speaking about the incident and Thackeray’s comments against wife Jaya, Bachchan said, “Whatever incident took place it is in the past. However I think if we have hurt the sentiment of even one single person by anything Jaya has said then we are expressing our regrets and we are apologizing for that. It was not said to cause any stress. Whatever she said was not with any intention or not politically motivated by any particular party.”
“However if there are people who think that we had hurt them then we apologize to them. If the matter is still not settled then we have a state government, who is going to investigate words spoken by Jaya. After the investigation, whatever the consequence, we are ready to accept it. If they will find that we did a crime please punish us; we are ready to accept that, I am ready to go to jail if the administration wishes so and that would be ultimate solution then we will accept that. Now this matter is with Government and administration. I will wait for Government’s decision,” he said.
When it comes to Bollywood, we often talk about Amitabh, Madhuri, Kareena, Aishwarya, Shahrukh, Hrithik roshan and Abhishek. Now-a-days, Bollywood has become synonymous with Aishwarya - Salman -Vivek triangle or the grand wedding of Ash-Abhishek. We hardly recall any movie whenever we talk about Bollywood. However, there are some classics that are much bigger than these stars and the spicy stories. We have come up with the 10 top biggest Bollywood movies that have left great impressions on the viewers forever. These movies will always remain in our memory.
1. Devdas
Who can forget Director Bimal Roy’s emotional flick ‘Devdas’, a vivid picture of flaws and emotions in human characters? Released in 1955, rich in imagery and desperation, this cinematic jewel is known for Dilip Kumar’s understated performance as the drunken protagonist blinking hopelessly and painfully love-struck, and some brilliant and poised acting performances by its heroines, Vyjayanthimala Bali and Suchitra Sen.
Devdas (Dilip Kumar) and Paro (Suchitra Sen) are childhood friends who share a love-hate relationship. Each is highly egoistic. These childhood friends grow up to be ardent lovers who are calculated to marry. But Devdas’ father turns down the proposal. Paro gets married to another and Devdas flees to Kolkata falling into bad company and taking to drinking. His friend Chunibabu takes him to the kotha [brothel] where he meets Chandramukhi (Vyjayanthimala). Chandramukhi is touched by the fact that he gives money without wanting anything in return. She falls in love with him. Chandramukhi leaves her profession and changes her life. Though Devdas acknowledges Chandramukhi’s place in his life, he cannot offer her any more. He embarks on a train journey around India in a despairing bid to escape from his demons, from his own self.
Dilip already was an established tragedy king when ‘Devdas’ was released, but Vyjayanthimala was still struggling to strengthen her foothold in the industry. It was Bengali cinema’s foremost female star Suchitra Sen’s first Hindi film. The film proved to be a milestone for all the stars. It won Dilip Kumar the Best Actor trophy and a Best Supporting Actress award for Vyjayanthimala. Suchitra Sen got wide acclaim for her performance. Composer S D Burman and lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi gave excellent and still remembered musical notes for the film. The simple, austere, penetrating, candid and passionately electrifying depiction of subtle human values and sentiments is the hallmark of Bimal Roy’s DEVDAS.
DEVDAS is based on a Bengali novel and has been remade many times, the most recent being Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s flamboyant remake starring Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit. However, this black and white, old cinematic rendition of Chatterjee’s novel is definitely head and shoulders above Bhansali’s colourful and extravagant flick.
Dilip Kumar’s demeanor in this heartrending movie is all praise and awe. He was no Dilip Kumar in the film but exact imitation of the role. He outperformed in perfectly getting under the skin of a prodigal Devdas in the first hour of the movie and a profligate Devdas in the last hour. Besides, the very real to life and original performance of Dilip, Suchitra Sen’s weighted speech quality and simple dialog delivery adds resonance to an already touching storyline that goes to the heart of every viewer.
The direction of Bimal Roy is superbly excellent and all the more imaginative and original. Roy’s ‘Devdas’ should undoubtedly be regarded as an intellectually perfect cinematic sequence in the history of Indian filmmaking.
2. Mother India
Released in 1957, Director Mehboob Khan’s classic ‘Mother India’ is a moving story of human struggle and one of the masterpieces of Bollywood cinema. The film was a total blockbuster and first major success for Raj Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar.
As for Nargis (who was only 28 when Mother India was released) it was the performance of a lifetime, a role which any other actress would give an arm for, and sure enough Nargis pulled it off marvelously - from a shy, young bride with painted eyebrows to a mother who turns out to be an epitome of strength - she exudes a moving display of varied emotions.
Raj Kumar leaves a lasting impact in a brief but pathos-laden role of Radha’s husband, Shamu. Rajendra Kumar fits in flawlessly to the role of a robust Indian farmer and a quiet, sturdy and supportive son. Dutt is pure, unharnessed energy as the rebel and gave in an excellent performance in the role of a mischievous outlaw.
Set in the backdrop of rural India, the film focuses around a mother Radha’s (Nargis) relationship with her two sons Ramu and Birju (Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar). Her husband (Raaj Kumar), who is a farmer, loses his arms after an accident and leaves the house as he doesn’t want anybody’s pity. His wife then has to look after her three sons and tend to the fields. Floods destroy the village and one son falls prey to the calamity. The strong-willed woman shows no signs of giving up. Birju turns into an outlaw but she doesn’t give in even then. She and Ramu fight the circumstances and come out of each trouble. Radha’s test of life reaches its climax when He kidnaps Lala’s daughter. And Radha is forced to replicate Mother Earth’s response to those who violate her laws.Naushad scored in excellent music for this blockbuster.
3. Mughal-E-Azam
Incredible nine years in the making, 16 in the planning, released in 1960 amid much fanfare and a rapturous reception, a tribute to love and struggle……Yes, the movie being talked about is K. Asif’s “Mughal-E-Azam“, a glittering icon of Indian cinema. Along with lavish sets, spectacular dance sequences, breathtaking battle scenes, and pure unadulterated romance, ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ sports a dramatic story as well, weaving conflicts between father and son, love and duty into a gripping tale of thwarted romance. The grandeur of the movie is a visual treat. And not just visual, the film had a fervent musical charm too. Musician Naushad’s tunes on Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics are immortal.
Emperor Akbar [Prithviraj Kapoor] and Queen Jodha [Durga Khote] give birth to a son, Salim, after years of prayer. When Akbar realizes his son is turning into a spoiled, dissolute adolescent by his indulgent mother, the emperor puts him into armor and sends him off to war for the next 14 years. Upon his return Prince Salim (Dilip Kumar), now a handsome war hero falls for the lush-looking yet demure courtesan Anarkali [Madhubala]. Initially wary of his affections because of the difference in their positions, she soon reciprocates his love. Akbar finds out about the affair and that creates a rift between the father and son. The film thus reaches the heart of its matter, the eternal struggle between love and duty, which pits father against son - the Mughal throne cannot be “wasted on a mere slave girl” - and the father against himself - “I am not an enemy of love but a slave to principle.” Not even a military revolt by the son against his father ends the conflict.
Breathtaking performance by Dilip Kumar, the raw beauty and innocence exuded by Madhubala, the wide expanse of Asif’s vision, Naushad’s haunting and still remembered musical scores, and above all the grandeur of the film itself- all have gone in to make this movie a real blockbuster.
When the color films were introduced in India around 1957, Asif wanted to reshoot everything, but the prohibitive costs of reshooting permitted him to film only three reels of his two-part, three-hour epic in color. As it is, the film cost $3 million, an astronomical sum at that time. (Even today the average Bollywood production costs only $1.3 million). So, only one song - ‘Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya‘ - is in color in the original film.
Widely considered one of Bollywood’s most iconic films, K Asif’s Mughal-E-Azam makes a welcome return to the silver screen 45 years after its initial release. The movie again hit the screens with candy colours and an upgraded Dolby Digital sound, thus becoming the first film in world cinema history to be colourised specifically for a theatrical release. Retaining all its original charm, Mughal-E-Azam’s themes of love, loyalty and sacrifice remain as relevant as ever - a true testament to director K Asif’s vision and commitment.
4. Deewar
“Aaj mere paas building hai, gaadi hai, bank balance hai. Tumhare pas kya hai. Kya hai tumhare pas. ……………. Mere pas … Maa Hai.”
Hardly is there any India movie lover who has not heard this famous dialogue from ‘Deewar’.
Released in the year 1975, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor & Nirupa Roy, written by Salim Javed, and directed by none other than Yash Chopra, ‘Deewar’ was a masterpiece which bagged almost all the awards of 1975 Filmfare Awards.
Deewaar is probably one of the most memorable Hindi films of all time. The film uses the tried and tested formula of the good brother v/s the bad brother, a mother facing all sorts of hardships to bring up her sons on her own and religious sentiments. What makes the film rise above all others is the tight script and thunderous dialogues from Salim-Javed and above all a powerhouse performance by Amitabh Bachchan as the son driven to crime - perhaps his best ever! The film is one of a series in which he plays the ’angry young man’- the lone rebel, the man seeking personal vengeance and social justice, operating outside and more efficiently than the law.
The film also exploits popular religious sentiment and the scene where he submits himself to Goddess in his own egoistic way - “Aaj khush to bahut hoge tum…”, has become a bookmark in our film industry.
As for the storyline, let us flip through our memories once again. Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Ravi (Shashi Kapoor) are two brothers who were raised amidst much hardship by their strong-hearted mother (Nirupa Roy) after their father abandons them. Vijay turns out to be more hot-headed in contrast to soft spoken and polite Ravi. Ravi meets his girlfriend’s (Neetu Singh) father who is a police commissioner and after meeting him he decides to join the police force and leaves for training.
On the other hand, Vijay works in a shipping dock where he comes into contact with the underworld and is driven into the world of crime in order to gain quick money for his mother. The two brothers are separated by their duties as one protects the law while the other breaks it. Their mother has to make a choice now, between the two sons. Being an idealist, she chooses to support Ravi. Finally Ravi shoots down Vijay who dies in his mother’s arms.
The film was a superhit when it was released. Amitabh gives a powerhouse performance playing the very serious and disturbed angry man. Shashi Kapoor was impressive as the confused brother. However, his polite and soft performance is overshadowed by Amitabh’s enigmatic persona. Nirupa Roy is just perfect as Amitabh’s Mother who displays enough strength facing all odds. Not to forget the lovely ladies, Neetu Singh and Parveen Bobby who ornate the movie in their own charismatic way.
5. Sholay
Sholay is one of the biggest blockbusters in the history of Bollywood. It is the highest grossing film of all time in India. It ran for 286 weeks straight in one Minerva theatre of Mumbai. Sholay racked up a still record 60 golden jubilees across India, and doubled its original gross over reruns during the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.
In 1999, BBC India declared it the “Film of the Millennium” In 2005, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare awards called it the best film of the last 50 years. Ironically, when it was first released, Sholay won only one Filmfare award (film editor M. S. Shinde won for Best editing).
The plot runs as : A retired police officer, Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) gets two convicts, Jaidev and Veeru (Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra), to capture Gabbar Singh ( The timeless villain of Bollywood), a bandit chief who massacred Thakur’s entire family and cut Thakur’s hands off. Once in the village Ramgarh, both Veeru and Jai fall in love. Veeru is attracted to Basanti (played by Hema Malini), a feisty young woman who makes her living driving a tanga, or a horse-cart. Jai is drawn to Radha (Jaya Bhaduri), the reclusive widowed daughter-in-law. Bloody clashes between Jai, Veeru, and the bandits follow. In the end, the village is freed from the terror of the bandits.
The film was produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It was written by scriptwriters Salim-Javed. R. D. Burman contributed the music. Anand Bakshi was the lyricist. The film was a lavish production for its time. It took two and a half years to make and went Rs. 300,000 over budget. Much of the film was set in the rocky terrain of Ramanagaram, a village near Bangalore. In fact, one part of Ramanagaram town was renamed “Sippynagar” after the director of the movie. Even to this day, a visit to the “Sholay rocks” is offered to tourists travelling through Ramanagaram.
The songs from Sholay attract less attention than the dialogues - a rarity for Bollywood. In fact, many movie lovers had got all its dialogues by heart. This prompted the producers to release audio-cassettes with only dialogues. Now, Ramgopal Verma is all set to cash in this blockbuster with his ‘Ramu Ke Sholay’.
• We’re guessing Rani Mukherjee isn’t the busiest actress on the block these days. Post Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, she has had plenty of time for leisure on her hands, and has been utilising it well too. The actress’s most recent appearance was at a book launch. Check her out in a lovely white Indian outfit.
• Amitabh Bachchan’s mixing work with pleasure on the ongoing Unforgettable Tour. During the San Francisco leg of his US tour, a chef instantly recognised him and whipped him his favourite Indian meal, Bhindi Masala. We wonder if the guy in question has inspired a sequel to Cheeni Kum!
• Farhan Akhtar’s going around promoting his acting debut Rock On, and papa Javed has jumped on the bandwagon. Watch what Javed has to say about his son’s transition from Farhan Akhtar to Farhan Actor!
• Tusshar Kapoor and Raima Sen (who aren’t an item) reached the capital for the promotion of CKkompany. The two take on the roles of ZoOm reporters for the event. Did we catch them getting a little flirtatious with each other?
• Shiney Ahuja’s ‘Preity’ keen on clearing his image. First he went about dispelling rumours of a tiff with Esha Deol, his Hijack co-star. Now, he’s raving about his rapport with Preity Zinta. Shiney and Preity, who will be seen in a film together, apparently had trouble getting along on the sets. Or so we thought.
