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Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Admin on 03/07/2008 at 11:19am (UTC)

Skilfully adapting a stage play to the screen is an art -form that transcends the relatively narrow precincts of ‘pure’ cinema.

In India Sanjay Leela Bhansali brought the state of the stage on celluloid in Saawariya with spectacular poeticality. Audiences didn’t much care for the blue-tinted mise en scene of Bhansali’s theatrical love story.

Blue seems to be the presiding shade of Tim Burton’s wonderful play on celluloid about London in the 19th century. Depressed gloomy and daunting, the scenario of Sweeney Todd is so bluesy and bleak you wonder where the director derives the rescesses of joie de vivre that brighten up the proceedings in spurts of sunshine.

This isn’t the first time that Burton has collaborated with Johnny Depp for a exposition on the bizarre underbelly of human behaviour.

In Edwards Scissorshand the pair was pungently -tuned to the bowels of the bizarre. Sweeney Todd is far more ambitious. It recreates the Musical in a tone and terns that are distinctly amusical.

Depp and his wonderfully-capable partner-in-grime Helena Bonham-Carter (long time no see!) often burst into stifled songs on the quality of love and life. He’s the wronged Londoner returning home for bloodied revenge.

SRK, Kareena and the Black Lady

Admin on 03/07/2008 at 11:18am (UTC)

During the 53rd Filmfare Awards, SRK and Kareena posed with their black ladies backstage for a perfect photo opportunity, if there ever was one. However, long before they got to hold the Black Lady in their hands, it was pretty clear that SRK and Kareena were the hot favourites. SRK, of course, was nominated for the Best Actor category in both ‘Om Shanti Om’ and ‘Chak De’, while Kareena’s was nominated for her performance as Geet in ‘Jab We Met’, which had award winning performance written all over it.

After winning the award, both Sharukh Khan and Kareena were deliriously happy. When quizzed on winning an award in the popular category, Kareena said:”I am glad that I have got this award in popular category through votes. I would like to thank all my fans for it.”

While tongue firmly in cheek, Sharukh Khan said:”I love Filmfare and I am thankful to Adi Yash Chopra, Farah Khan, among others.”

On being quizzed on the Badshah of Bollywood being pitted being against the nine-year old — Darsheel Safary — who delivered a powerful performance in ‘Taare Zameen Par’, SRK was at his generous best and even offered to give the award to Darsheel.

Hrithik Roshan:

Admin on 03/07/2008 at 11:17am (UTC)

The new emperor of Bollywood
IN ALL the clamour made about the banning of the Hindi period romance Jodhaa Akbar by the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh governments, the subsequent lifting of the ban by the MP High Court, the protests staged by a motley group in Maharashtra against the movie, and about the box-office collections that the movie has raked in worldwide (about Rs 74 crore worldwide within just ten days of its release), one gets a feeling that something is not being given the attention that it richly deserves. It is the emergence of Hrithik Roshan as the new emperor of Bollywood.

Reams of pages have been written about the ?Badshahs? and ?Shahenshahs? of Bollywood. But if there is someone who is a worthy contender to the title Shahenshah, it has to be Roshan. There are reasons.

A great actor is one who can get into the skin of any character that he is asked to portray and live the character on the screen. Though every actor worth his salt tries to do just this, very few succeed in their efforts. And that too, portraying a historical character on the screen is not something that comes easily to everyone.

A comparison is in order here. Amitabh Bachchan is a great actor and can carry any role on his experienced shoulders. However, he belongs to an older generation and it would be unfair to compare him with the younger lot.

Shruti is very pretty young girl

Admin on 03/07/2008 at 11:17am (UTC)

Last week Shruti Haasan accompanied by her legendary father Kamal Haasan created a stir when they entered the Hard Rock Café in Mumbai with family- friend Madhavan in tow.

But the best was yet to follow.

Shruti who has learnt music abroad, went on stage and belted out a few numbers that left the Café crowd stunned and begging for more.

Exclaims Maddy, “It was unbelievable! We knew Shruti has always been a singer. In fact she sang in her father’s film Hey Ram as a child. Since then she pursued singing relentlessly.

In fact all of Kamalji’s friends presumed Shruti was going to be a singer. If she’s as good an actress as she’s a singer, then I’m glad to say India will have its best singing-actress since Noor Jehan and Suraiya. Yeah, she’s that good.”

Apparently the crowds at the Hard Rock Café couldn’t get enough of Shruti’s singing.

“Yes! And I was spellbound. I just kept staring at the proud father. And the best thing was Shruti was singing her own compositions! Isn’t that cool?It’s so easy to make listeners happy with evergreens. Shruti won them over with songs they weren’t familiar with.”

And now Kamal and Sarika Haasan’s first-born will be singing for herself in her debut film.

Rani and Aditya Chopra engaged

Admin on 03/07/2008 at 11:16am (UTC)

Is producer-director Aditya Chopra tying the knot with Bollywood star Rani Mukerji? The grapevine is abuzz with rumours ever since the former has filed a petition seeking divorce from his first wife at the Bandra Family Court in northwest Mumbai.

Aditya’s father, movie moghul Yash Chopra, is not too happy with this alliance and therefore Aditya has moved out his family home and is now staying in a five-star hotel in suburban Mumbai.

In fact, Aditya’s parents have already made it known publicly that they are against their son divorcing his wife whom they adore. Which, indirectly, means that if Aditya’s marries Rani, he will have to do so against his parents’ wishes.

It is speculated that Aditya’s shift from his father’s home is a prelude to his impending marriage with Bollywood star Rani, with whom he has been having an affair for a long time, according to sources.

A rumour has been also doing the rounds since Sunday that Aditya had, in fact, given the actress an engagement ring a day earlier when both met secretly at the hotel where he has been staying.

Saif, Kareena and Akki’s Tashan

Admin on 03/07/2008 at 11:16am (UTC)

We are in the month of March already, and Bollywood has not managed to deliver the ‘real punch’ in terms of music.

The business of ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ has been decent while other soundtracks have not been able to make a space in the listeners’ heart! RACE of late, has been doing good business and so is the music of Ajay Devgan starrer, U Me Aur Hum.

Now as all eyes look forward to a change in trend, the soundtrack of TASHAN is believed to have the music to out beat others in the market. JANNAT, with scores by Pritam will also be launched in this period and this surely looks to be a ‘Clash of Titans’!

TASHAN, the multi starrer project under Yashraj Films starring Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor hopes to rebuild the authority of Yashraj in the industry after a very average 2007, where only Chak De India managed to do wonders, along with Tararumpum doing average business, while their other projects, Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom, Laaga Chunri Main Daag and Aaja Nachle proved disasters at the box office!

Vishal-Shekar have come up with some melodious and mind-blowing numbers and it is believed that TASHAN will be one of the best projects of this season.

Inside sources also confirm that Vishal-Shekar score a bonus with TASHAN, after giving the industry smashing scores in Om Shanti Om.

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