Filmmaker Bobby Khan has roped in adult star Sunny Leone for his "Leela" and says his directorial debut is a clean family drama, but adds that the actress' glamour quotient will be high and he would try for an U/A certificate for the movie.
"The script of the film is very strong and it's a clean family drama, but we do understand that since Sunny is part of the project, there is a lot of expectation from the audience, so I can't cheat my audience," Bobby told IANS.
The actress had scorched the screen with her bold avatar in "Ragini MMS 2" and "Jism 2".
"All I can say is though it is a family drama, Sunny's glamour quotient will be high in the film. There are a few scenes in the film which require a little boldness, but we have shot it subtly and not shown it over the top.
"As a director I will try my best to fight and get a U/A certificate for the film, so let's see," he added.
The film has been widely shot in Rajasthan.
Talking about Sunny's look in the film, Bobby said: "Sunny plays three characters in the film, so she has three different looks. I can assure you that Sunny will be seen in a never-seen-before avatar on the celluloid. I have tried to make her look like a Bollywood heroine and I hope the audience accepts it."byy....santa banta news network..
Here's the thing. Crime doesn't pay ... right? It's not meant to ... right? So how come it's shown to be so much fun in the movies?
In "Tamanchey", the underrated Nikhil Dwivedi and the spunky bundle of contradictory emotions Richa Chadha seem like dropout students of the cool school. He is a hardcore Bihari named Munna and she's Babu, a wannabe Lady Gaga masquerading as a borderline sociopath from the Delhi-Haryanvi belt. Her make-up never falters. She is a 'behenji' masquerading as a style icon in a crime-infested countryside.
Together Munna and Babu don't quite add up to an updated version of Robert Redford-Faye Dunaway pair in the mother of heist capers "Bonnie & Clyde". But there is something about Munna and Babu. He wears his heart on his dirty sleeve. She wears her cleavage with the surety of woman who knows she can cash it for a life of luxury whenever she wants. Such adventurous women are often very uncertain in their innerscape.
Richa brings out the demoniacal uncertainties of Babu (we have to wait till the final moments to know her real name) in scenes where her made-up face crumbles to expose a childlike vulnerability. Both Richa and Nikhil are effectively tragic in the finale when they play a game of domestic normalcy in a run-down building as the cops close in on them.
What I liked about Richa's chemistry with Nikhil is that there is no chemistry.
Nikhil's Munna falls in love with these women of laughable affectations. Babu is full of 'angrezi' innuendos and make-up borrowed from Lady Gaga's backstage booty.
It's easy for the Munnas of the world to fall for this kind of a woman who knows how to use her sexuality to make her way in a callous world.
Babu is the bed partner of a drug dealer Tau (newcomer Damandeep Singh Siddhu). The narrative's mid-section shows Munna and Babu outwitting the drug baron, stealing kisses and a lot more right under his hawk-like eyes. Stretching the precincts of believability, "Tamanchey" yet manages to remain grittier than other recent crime capers.
The writing is fluent when it wants to be.
"Tamanchey" shows that the nozzle of the gun is not the best place to place your dreams. There are sharply written lines by Shailesh Pratap Singh, specially the ones that Nikhil's character speaks.
Nikhil in fact delivers a heartbreaking performance as a simpleton who flips for the siren and is willing to go to any lengths to get her. At times his baba-in-the-woods act reminded one of Raj Kapoor in "Sri 420".
Here is an actor, who has repeatedly proved himself to be better than many so-called stars in Bollywood. Wonder what keeps him from getting there.
"Tamanchey" gives Nikhil and the rest of the cast the kind of unvarnished crime canvas, which actors crave to get when they are in the mood to impress the awards jury.
Tragically, the sharp dialogues are often unsupported by the screenplay that gets borderline implausible towards the end before veering sharply away from disaster with a well-staged climactic shootout.
So yes, crime doesn't pay finally. But it sure as hell provides ample room for filmmakers to explore the grey region without bothering about remaining rooted to a moral ground. Wild and wacky "Tamanchey" is an enjoyable roller coaster ride about two mismatched criminals on the run who fall hopelessly in love.
You know where this reckless couple is hurtling to. But that doesn't stop this bang-bang affair from being a fun ride.By Santa Banta News Network
Big B, Priyanka tweet ‘Happy Karva Chauth’
Celebrities never miss any occasions to wish their fans, whether it is Navratri, Diwali or Eid, our stars are always extended their best wishes and Karva Chauth is no exception. Stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra and many others took to social networking sites to wish their fans ‘Happy Karva Chauth’.
Karva Chauth is a festival celebrated by Hindu women for the safety and longevity of their husbands. They keep fasting from dawn to dusk and only break their fast after looking the moon.
The celebrities took to Twitter to wish everyone. Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bahchan, married to actress-politician Jaya Bhaduri, wrote, "And as we turn the night to morning wives turn on the morning light to fast and pray for their husbands.. It's Karva Chauth now!!"
'Mary Kom' star Priyanka Chopra, while calling the festival her favourite, said, "Happy Karvachauth to all the ladies observing...My favorite festival.Sacrificing for the one you love...Looking at your chaand...God bless."
Actress Divya Dutta also wished her fans a happy Karva Chauth. "Happy Karva chauth!! May the lord almighty accept your fast grant your hubby long healthy life, may we leave the world as suhaagans," wished 'Kick' director Sajid Nadiadwala.
Celebrities like Chetan Bhagat, Jay Bhanushali and Hiten Tejwani have pledged their support to #FastForHer, a social initiative by online matrimony website Shaadi.com, and have joined their wives.byy..bollywoodmantra.com
Stars wish Big B ‘a healthy and long life’ on birthday
As the iconic star of Indian cinema, megastar Amitabh Bachchan turns 72 today, celebrities and fans wished a long and healthy life for Big B. Love and admiration for Amitabh Bachchan was expressed by fans on the social networking sites on his D-day.
Celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Karan Johar, Anushka Sharma wished him on his 72nd birthday, calling him their inspiration.
"Happy birthday to the formidable the legendary SrBachchan. Thank you for the Inspiration Sir.. Health and happiness always," Priyanka wrote on her Twitter page.
"The world's collective wishes are like a 'force of nature' that honour you and love you. Happy Birthday Amitji! SrBachchan," Boman Irani tweeted.
Flimmaker Karan Johar, a family friend of the Bachchans, wrote, "Reverence...Respect and immense admiration to @SrBachchan!! Happy birthday amit uncle! We are blessed to be around you."
Actor Uday Chopra, who is a childhood friend of Jr Bachchan, also wished the superstar. "A very happy birthday Amit uncle SrBachchan lots of love," he said.
"Happy birthday SrBachchan. Thank you for inspiring us with your work and your being. You truly are the best actor we have," actress Anushka Sharma posted on Twitter.
Married couple Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, music composer Shekhar Ravjiani, actresses Divya Dutta and Preity Zinta, Manoj Bajpayee and singer Mika, are among others to wish the thespian.byyyy-http://www.bollywoodmantra.com/
Both 'Daawat-e-Ishq' and 'Khoobsurat' have not lived up to industry expectations
In its first weekend, Daawat-e-Ishq has collected Rs 13.75 crore while Khoobsurat's collections stand at Rs 11.5 crore.
Trade analyst Rajesh Thadani says that the collection of the former was higher than that of Khoobsurat in the first two days. `It also had an advantage in that it had a higher screen count. But Khoobsurat saw a jump in its collection on Sunday.'' Vishal Anand of Fun Cinemas says that the food yatra that Daawat-e-Ishq's cast went on has helped the film fare better.
Trade analysts are hoping that both films will do better in the coming week. Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, `Both films received a cold response. On Saturday, Khoobsurat clocked good numbers, but yes, it's still less than what was expected.`
Meanwhile... It may be pointed out that Khoobsurat has released across 47 screens in Pakistan while Daawat-e-Ishq has only bagged 27 screens in the neighbouring country. There is also buzz that Khoobsurat, which stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan opposite Sonam Kapoor, has garnered the ninth highest opening ever in Pakistan.
Pakistani distributor Amjad Rashid says, `Here the opening day collection of Khoobusurat was over Rs 10 million while Daawat-e-Ishq has collected Rs 4 million.'' As per trade sources, Khoobsurat's collection in Pakistan stands at around Rs 2.45 crore (Pakistani rupees).By Santa Banta News Network
Deepika Padukone: Bollywood star in titillation row with Times of India
Actor says she feels violated and is standing up for women, but Times of India accuses her of hypocrisy
Deepika Padukone at a promotional event in Mumbai for the film Happy New Year. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
One of India’s best-known actors has been accused of hypocrisy after she criticised the country’s best-selling English-language newspaper for drawing attention to her cleavage.
The Times of India tweeted a link to a video clip showing the chest and neck of Deepika Padukone, 28, shot from a high angle apparently by a press cameraman, to the 75,000 followers of its entertainment account. The tweet read: “OMG! Deepika Padukone’s cleavage show”. The video, reported to be a year old, was also posted on the newspaper’s entertainment site.
The newspaper and Padukone have since traded accusations on social media, on television and in print. “I felt violated as a woman,” the former model told Barkha Dutt, one of India’s few leading female journalists on television.
The dispute took another turn on Monday when the Times of India published a response to a statement posted by Padukone on her Facebook page at the weekend arguing that the media should distinguish between her “reel” – cinematic – and “real” personalities.
“Deepika, we accept your reel vs real argument, but what about all the times, and there have been many, when you have flaunted your body off screen – while dancing on stage, posing for magazine covers, or doing photo ops at movie promotional functions? What ‘role’ do you play there? So why the hypocrisy?” senior editor Priya Gupta said in the article. The newspaper also accused the actor of seeking to publicise her latest film.
Other Bollywood stars, male and female, have rushed to Padukone’s defence. “Well done taken a stand for all of us,” said Priyanka Chopra, another Bollywood A-lister, after Padukone first hit back at the newspaper.
Shah Rukh Khan, who has played male leads in several recent films starring Padukone, said he and others did not “have the guts to do what she has done”.
The row has focused attention on ethics in India’s chaotic and highly competitive media. “There are pictures like this every day, particularly of foreign women in the press. The younger generation is changing but there are still very many in the Indian middle class who have traditional views,” said Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research in Delhi.
A series of high-profile incidents in India have raised deep concerns about violence against women in India. The representation of women in Bollywood films, particularly storylines featuring persistent lovers pursuing unwanted advances, has been cited as a contributory factor.
Senior politicians, police officials and others have frequently blamed rapes and other assaults on women’s dress and behaviour. Recently Narendra Modi, the newly elected prime minister, said the blame should lie with the young men responsible for violence and harassment, not their victims.
“I want to ask parents: when your daughter turns 10 or 12 years old, you ask ‘where are you going? When will you return?’ [But] do the parents dare to ask their sons ‘where are you going? Who are your friends?’ After all, the rapist is also someone’s son,” Modi said.
Padukone has said her stance is “not about being a celebrity”. She told the news channel NDTV: “I am standing up for all the women and all the girls … in India and around the world.”
South Asian women step out of Bollywood, into serious dramatic roles
BY ALASTAIR SHARP
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra of India speaks during the news conference for ''Mary Kom'' at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, September 4, 2014
She said the film resonates in part because of recent high profile cases of sexual violence that caught world attention.stepped beyond Bollywood song-and-dance to show South Asian women grappling with male-dominated sport, child marriage, and sexual desire of people with disability in their premieres at the Toronto Film Festival.
While the stories told vastly different tales, all sought to challenge their home audiences and provoke change. Two of them used established Indian stars to do it.
In "Mary Kom," former Miss World Priyanka Chopra plays the real-life title role of a five-time world champion boxer taking on bullying boys and then corrupt officials while also juggling marriage and motherhood.
Chopra, a Bollywood superstar, did not use a stunt double for the fight scenes and took on a punishing training regime to give her petite frame a more athletic form.
"It's a time where the country is coming together to say 'we protect our women and we give them rights' and the women are coming together and saying 'we're tough, we're strong, we're not going to take this sitting down'," she told Reuters.
The biopic was bankrolled in part by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, a major Bollywood player, and has faced criticism in India for overly dramatizing the life of a national icon.
Meanwhile, first-time feature film director Afia Nathaniel struggled to find local financing for her film "Dukhtar" (Daughter), about a Pakistani woman fleeing a marriage her husband had arranged for their 10-year-old daughter.
After years in the funding wilderness, Norway's Sorfund came on board, helping the film garner additional backers.
"Our local film industry is in shambles and financiers want to see masala films with women wearing almost nothing dancing and gyrating on the screen," she said. "Masala films" refers to the mixing of genres in mainstream South Asian film.
Filming in a remote part of the disputed Kashmiri region had to be halted at one point under threat of a fatwa issued by a local religious authority.
For director Shonali Bose, an outburst from her cousin and the death of her teenage son inspired "Margarita, With A Straw," about a young woman with cerebral palsy who explores her budding sexuality in a film Bose expects will shock Indian viewers.
The film will have a wide domestic release but must first make it past censors who will screen female masturbation and lesbian sex scenes.
"I deliberately pushed the envelope with that because that is something which is so completely never talked about or expressed," she said in a interview in reference to a specific masturbation scene.
"You're not supposed to fulfill your own sexual needs. That's considered bad."
That the character is also disabled adds another layer, said leading actress and Bollywood star Kalki Koechlin.
"It's pushing borders, not just about disability but about the way we think in terms of community and caste in India and how we place people in different boxes quite conveniently."
(Editing by Mary Milliken and Ken Wills)source:CREDIT: REUTERS/MARK BLINCH
