ITV

Tag: Aditi Rao Hydari

  • Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar to team up again

    Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar to team up again

    MUMBAI: After Lakshya, Amitabh Bachchan is yet again ready to team up with Farhan Akhtar but this time, unlike their previous venture, Farhan will be seen sharing screen space with the star.

     

    Titled Do, the movie will be produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by Bejoy Nambiar. The film will also have Aditi Rao Hydari playing the female lead.

     

    Do is said to be an intense emotional drama which has Amitabh Bachchan playing the role of an ailing bed ridden chess master and is slated to go on floor on 29 September.

     

    Excited about his new project, the legendary star posted on his blog, “Our work on the next film with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, has begun with class like readings and discussions, on table. It is a wonderful exercise to be able to go through an entire script with the entire cast.”

     

    “Yet have some reserve stored up for the final moment when we shall all be facing the camera, instead of a written and bound script, with that ominous looking producer Vinod, looking down upon us with fierce and hard workman like expressions,” he added.

     

    Bachchan has earlier worked with Chopra in 2007 film Eklavya: The Royal Guard but this is the first collaboration between the actor and Nambiar, best known for helming Shaitan.

     

    After Amitabh Bachchan’s Yudh came to an end recently, the superstar is busy hosting the popular quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati and also preparing for Shoojit Sircar’s Piku starring Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan. On the other hand, Farhan Akhtar is wrapping up his sister Zoya Akhtar’s film Dil Dhadakne Do. The actor is also producing films like Bangistan, Raees and the upcoming film on time travelling starring Sidharth Malhotra under his banner Excel Entertainment.

  • TVs Diwali Dhamaka

    TVs Diwali Dhamaka

    This Diwali, there’s enough and more to keep audiences entertained, with television channels set for a firecracker of a weekend.

    At Star TV, the celebrations started on 27 October and will reach a crescendo on 3 November; kicking off with a repeat of Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning film Life of Pi at 1pm, followed by a repeat of Star Diwali at 5pm, and Indian Television Awards 2013 from 9pm.

    Not to be left behind, Zee TV will telecast Diwali Dhamaka on 2 November, 7pm onward.

    The highlights of the show include: the Ram Leela act presented by child participants – Praneet, Zenith, Chinamay, Nihar, Aditya, Tejaswini and Honey – of the reality show India’s best Dramebaaz and DID Lil Masters – Jeet, Om, Shreya, Shalini and Rohan performing on numbers like Lungi Dance from Chennai Express, among others.

    Says ZEEL content head (Hindi GECs) Ajay Bhalwankar: “This year, we will wish our viewers a happy, healthy, prosperous and successful Diwali and New Year with Diwali Dhamaka. It aims to get every member in the family to have a smile on their face with its amazing and diverse line-up of acts. It’s a fitting celebration on the occasion of Diwali with all actors from Zee TV shows presenting performances to give an all new fresh dose of entertainment as the New Year is brought in.”

    Colors will run Diwali tracks across its shows including Balika Vadhu, Sanskaar, Comedy Nights with Kapil and Bigg Boss with actors wishing viewers a happy Diwali.

    Sab TV will telecast SAB Ka Diwali Mela – Andekha, Adbhut, Albela on 1 November, 9 pm onward.  

    The fun show will feature everyone, from the residents of Lapataganj to the courageous cops of Iman Chowki, from Gokuldham Society wasis to Chidiya Ghar’s humble Narayan family.

    Says Sab EVP & business head Anooj Kapoor: “We have always endeavoured to provide entertaining and engaging content to our viewers. This year, our two big initiatives SAB Ki Holi and SAB Ke Anokhe Awards garnered an overwhelming response resulting in high viewership. Continuing with our brand promise, Asli Maaza SAB Ke Saath Aata Hai, we are confident that SAB Ka Diwali Mela will offer our viewers an extravagant celebration that they can enjoy with their families.”

    If you thought GECs were the only ones in the fray, think again.

    Movie channels like MAX have changed their colour palette from 25 October, to be on-air till 9 November.

    1 November will see MAX’s Pataka Weekend with the telecast of Talaash (morning), Bajate Raho (afternoon), Yamla Pagla Deewana (evening) and Robot (prime time).

    2 November will see Bajate Raho (morning), Chak De India (afternoon), Mohabbatein (evening) and Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbaai Dobara (prime time).
    It’s a full plate on 3 November as well with Aashiqui 2 (morning), Rowdy Rathod (afternoon), Band Baaja Baraat (evening) and Dhoom 2 (prime time). 

    MAX aside, Zee Cinema will host the world television premiere of Phata Poster Nikhla Hero at 9 pm on 2 November while UTV Movies will telecast newbies like Race 2, ABCD, Himmatwala and Khiladi 786 while revisiting classics like Sarfarosh, Swarg, Aankhen and more.

    Coming to English movie channels: Movies Now will have blockbuster-packed days, starting 11am, 3 November. Some of the titles include Karate Kid, X-men Last Stand, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Unknown.

    Zee Studio is ready for its Diwali best with hits like Real Steel, I am number four, Pearl Harbour, Goal II, Pirates of the Caribbean– on Stranger Tides among others.

    From 1-3 November, ‘Studio Dynamites’ will bring action flicks 8 pm onward whereas Diwali day will see ‘Studio Binge’ – a marathon 8 am to 8pm day with five great movies back to back.

    On the digital front, Zee Studio plans to bring its #StudioDynamite campaign, where viewers have to watch out for explosions on their TV screens during the film, decode the message and tweet the correct answer with #StudioDynamite to win prizes.
    If GECs and movie channels are prepping to celebrate the festival of lights, kids’ channels aren’t far behind.

    Hungama TV’s Dusshera to Diwali special started on 14 October and will be on-air till 2 November, with movies including Shinchan Bungle in the Jungle, Luv Kushh and the Ghost Army, P5 – Pandaavas, Impy’s Wonderland and The Incredibles among others.

    Disney meanwhile will have a special episode of Best of Luck Nikki season 3 with the Singh Family on 3 November.

    POGO’s Diwali treat includes movies like Chhota Bheem Aur Ganesh In The Amazing Odyssey!, Kaalia Ke Chele Special, Gol Mol Gongol, Chhota Bheem Dholakpur To Khatmandu, Chatur Chetan and Hanuman & Friends Special every day from 28 October to 3 November at 12 pm.

    Says Turner International India senior director & network head Krishna Desai: “Chhota Bheem and the Shinobi Secret is a brand new special to air on POGO from 3 November at 12pm. This is not it; the channel makes this season absolutely spectacular by giving kids the chance to win amazing prizes by participating in Zabardasti Diwali Contest every day, 10am onward. The prizes include Digi-cams & smart phones.”

    On Cartoon Network, children can watch movies like Kid Krrish, Tom and Jerry in the Wizard of Oz, Oggy ki Olly and Krish Trish Baltiboy: The Battle of Wits, etc every day from 28 October to 3 November at 12pm.

    Adds Desai: “Oggy: I Love India is a brand new special that will premiere on 1 November at 12pm.”

    The Nickelodeon cluster (Nick, Nick Jr./Teen Nick and Sonic) too has a dhamakedar treat lined up for kids, promising a crackling yet safe Diwali.
    Nick will run new episodes of its shows Motu Patlu and Pakdam Pakdai apart from calling Diwali ‘Nickwali’ and bringing its popular Nicktoons together to sing Diwali jingles titled ‘Diwali Fungoli’.

    Like they say, music is the food of life, so play on… music channels too have jumped onto the Diwali bandwagon in a big way.

    9XM has launched a special video based on the concept of ‘light writing’, displaying trails of light in different forms, with a message to boot: ‘This Diwali Light it Up!’

    This apart, one of its animated characters Bheegi Billi will be seen in a new avatar called Billi Don while Bade Chote will open  their special Kaun Karega Bakwaas Season 3.

    “Being the largest music network across India we are constantly finding ways to celebrate music. During this time of the year, the spirit of celebration is at its peak, and doing special programming on our channels is our way of making our viewers feel really special. Just like we light a diya at home, likewise we light up the TV screen to bring on the festivity,” said 9X Media Group senior VP and content head Amar Tidke.

    Coming to Bollywood gossip channels like Zoom, it is ready with a string of new and exciting shows.

    A bevy of Bollywood stars including Sonakshi Sinha, Shahid Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Imraan Khan, Chitrangada Singh and Vivek Oberoi will grace the Zoom show, Planet Bollywood News, with episodes aired between 1-3 November at 7pm.
    Diwali eve will see the launch of a new show called 100 Crore Club at 8 pm. Starting 1 November, watch out for Zoom’s on-air lead contest called – ‘Watch More. Talk More’ powered by Freecharge. There are mobile free charges worth Rs 1.5 lakh to be won by viewers.

    UTV Stars will telecast special interviews with stars including Aditi Rao Hydari, Prateik Babbar, Tusshar Kapoor, Amrita Rao, Vivek Oberoi, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone.
    On AXN, audiences can catch the all new series of Sherlock, Chosen and So you think you can dance season 10.

    With TV channels all set, the question remains are you ready for the bombarding of programmes.

  • Not so bossy after all

    Not so bossy after all

    MUMBAI: Boss reminds you of a brand of hand mixer of the same name. It is a blend of similar films from 1970s and 80s with two brothers, a principled father and a misunderstanding where brothers are parted. Traditionally, one takes the illegal route while the other is the father’s blue-eyed boy. The brothers come together to prove blood is thicker than water a decade and a half later. How is the film contemporary? In those days, a mother slapped her elder one and threw him out, here it is done by the father; the hero does not have a childhood sweetheart pining and waiting for him to return; the music is louder and lyrics make no sense most of the time and mainly, the fight is over the villain’s sister.

    Producer: Ashwin Warde
    Director: Anthony D’Souza.
    Cast: Akshay Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Danny Denzongpa, Ronit Roy, Shiv Pandit, Aditi Rao Hydari, Johny Lever, Parikshit Sahni, Govind Namdeo, Sanjay Mishra

    The film starts in an old-fashioned way, trying to set the pace of the film with action by various artistes for the first 40 minutes before it introduces Akshay Kumar with yet another action sequence, a greedy one because it refuses to end! The only action hero of yore who does not have a fight scene is Mithun Chakraborty.

    Akshay Kumar, who has been banished from his home in Banaras by his father, Mithun, ends up in Haryana in nick of time to save the local don and Big Boss, Danny. Seeing honesty mixed with anger in the young lad, Danny takes him under his wing to make him his heir, and names him Boss. Big Boss’s front is as the owner of a transport fleet but otherwise he is a supari contractor. On the other side is a policeman, Ronit Roy, who wants to be the commissioner of police and to achieve this, he handles the dirty deals department for the wannabe CM, Govind Namdeo.

    It is time to work on a family story and to absolve Akshay of his childhood act which led to his ouster from home. Akshay’s kid brother, Shiv Pandit, is romancing Aditi Rao Hydari, the sister of Ronit. Ronit wants her to marry Namdeo’s son in exchange for the Commissioner’s post. Namdeo wants an outsider to kill Shiv so fingers don’t point at him. The contract to kill him is given to Akshay. At the same time, Mithun gives a contract to save Shiv to Akshay. The brothers combine to foil all the evil plans of the villains through expected twists and turns with no pretence of logic or justification. It is supposed to be old-fashioned entertainment after all!

    A remake of the 2010 Malayalam movie, Pokkiri Raja, the film maintains its south flavour in treatment and even the choice of fighters and junior artistes. It also sticks to south style of action and stunts which is too much in vogue with Hindi films lately. Action and light banter of Akshay is what the film counts on to entertain the viewers. Direction is fair. The photography is good. Some one-liners are funny, some flat. Music is a lot of noisy stuff which makes following the lyrics tough. Akshay is his usual self in the roles he plays on regular basis now; a carefree character with unbeatable energy and fighting power. Shiv gets scope to showcase his action prowess and also his romantic side. Aditi Rao Hydari is okay. Mithun seems miscast in an Alokenath kind of role. Parikshit Sahani’s presence in the film is unexplained since he just has to hang around Mithun. It is nice to see Danny on screen after a long time. Ronit makes a perfect villain against Akshay. Johny Lever and Sanjay Mishra are okay with their comic input. Govind Namdeo is the usual villain like his many such roles before.

  • Not so bossy after all

    Not so bossy after all

    MUMBAI: Boss reminds you of a brand of hand mixer of the same name. It is a blend of similar films from 1970s and 80s with two brothers, a principled father and a misunderstanding where brothers are parted. Traditionally, one takes the illegal route while the other is the father’s blue-eyed boy. The brothers come together to prove blood is thicker than water a decade and a half later. How is the film contemporary? In those days, a mother slapped her elder one and threw him out, here it is done by the father; the hero does not have a childhood sweetheart pining and waiting for him to return; the music is louder and lyrics make no sense most of the time and mainly, the fight is over the villain’s sister.

    The film starts in an old-fashioned way, trying to set the pace of the film with action by various artistes for the first 40 minutes before it introduces Akshay Kumar with yet another action sequence, a greedy one because it refuses to end! The only action hero of yore who does not have a fight scene is Mithun Chakraborty.

    Akshay Kumar, who has been banished from his home in Banaras by his father, Mithun, ends up in Haryana in nick of time to save the local don and Big Boss, Danny. Seeing honesty mixed with anger in the young lad, Danny takes him under his wing to make him his heir, and names him Boss. Big Boss’s front is as the owner of a transport fleet but otherwise he is a supari contractor. On the other side is a policeman, Ronit Roy, who wants to be the commissioner of police and to achieve this, he handles the dirty deals department for the wannabe CM, Govind Namdeo.

    Producer: Ashwin Warde
    Director: Anthony DSouza.
    Cast: Akshay Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Danny Denzongpa, Ronit Roy, Shiv Pandit, Aditi Rao Hydari, Johny Lever, Parikshit Sahni, Govind Namdeo, Sanjay Mishra

    It is time to work on a family story and to absolve Akshay of his childhood act which led to his ouster from home. Akshay’s kid brother, Shiv Pandit, is romancing Aditi Rao Hydari, the sister of Ronit. Ronit wants her to marry Namdeo’s son in exchange for the Commissioner’s post. Namdeo wants an outsider to kill Shiv so fingers don’t point at him. The contract to kill him is given to Akshay. At the same time, Mithun gives a contract to save Shiv to Akshay. The brothers combine to foil all the evil plans of the villains through expected twists and turns with no pretence of logic or justification. It is supposed to be old-fashioned entertainment after all!

    A remake of the 2010 Malayalam movie, Pokkiri Raja, the film maintains its south flavour in treatment and even the choice of fighters and junior artistes. It also sticks to south style of action and stunts which is too much in vogue with Hindi films lately. Action and light banter of Akshay is what the film counts on to entertain the viewers. Direction is fair. The photography is good. Some one-liners are funny, some flat. Music is a lot of noisy stuff which makes following the lyrics tough. Akshay is his usual self in the roles he plays on regular basis now; a carefree character with unbeatable energy and fighting power. Shiv gets scope to showcase his action prowess and also his romantic side. Aditi Rao Hydari is okay. Mithun seems miscast in an Alokenath kind of role. Parikshit Sahani’s presence in the film is unexplained since he just has to hang around Mithun. It is nice to see Danny on screen after a long time. Ronit makes a perfect villain against Akshay. Johny Lever and Sanjay Mishra are okay with their comic input. Govind Namdeo is the usual villain like his many such roles before.

  • BOSS teaser to hit the screens on 15 Aug

    BOSS teaser to hit the screens on 15 Aug

    MUMBAI: The most eagerly awaited action comedy of the year, BOSS, is all set to start a new trend. Well this Akshay Kumar starrer is certainly changing the ways how films are promoted nowadays.

    How many times have we heard about a teaser that announces the launch of the trailer of a film? And how many times have we seen a teaser that’s already become the big buzz in Bollywood days before it has hit the screens?

    Two days after private screenings of the teaser and it’s already become the latest rage.

    The teaser of BOSS will be released theatrically with Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara, which releases on 15 August. The theatrical trailer will be released with a lot of fanfare on the 27 August.

    Producer Ashwin Varde says, “This is the first time something like this is being done in our industry and we are all excited about it. The idea is to build up anticipation for the film, which hits the screens on October 16. We’re all humbled with the exceptional response to the teaser itself. It gives us greater motivation to deliver to the best of our abilities.”

    BOSS features Akshay Kumar in the title role. The film also stars Mithun Chakraborty, Shiv Pandit, Aditi Rao Hydari, Johnny Lever and Danny Denzongpa.

    BOSS is produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Cape Of Good Films and Ashwin Varde Productions and is directed by Anthony D’souza (who had previously helmed Akshay in BLUE). It is all set to release this October.

    So make way for the BOSS!!!

  • Murder 3: Poor direction, faulty casting

    Murder 3: Poor direction, faulty casting

    MUMBAI: Murder 3 is a usual Bhatt brand of film. Expect romance, passion, adultery, betrayal, crime and, often, good music. For want of titles as well as to avoid labouring to find one, the film is titled Murder 3 though, as one eventually discovers, is a misnomer. The film is a legit version of the Colombian film, La Cara Oculta (English title: The Hidden Face)

    Producer: Mukesh Bhatt.

    Director: Vishesh Bhatt.

    Cast: Randeep Hooda, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sara Loren, Rajesh Shringarpure, Shekhar Shukla, Bugs Bhargava.

    Randeep Hooda is a renowned wildlife photographer in South Africa. One fine day, a top agency in India invites him to shoot fashion photographs! What caused this desperate situation in the Indian fashion photography scene is left to the viewer‘s imagination. Hooda arrives with his girlfriend, Aditi Rao Hydari, in tow. She can‘t think of a life without him and chucks her career in South Africa.

    Hooda loves to be close to nature. He acquires a palatial villa away from the crowds, settles down with Hydari and gets on with his work. He loves Hydari immensely but is not averse to other affairs on the side. Hydari, with her woman‘s instincts, sniffs his proximity to a hair stylist but Hooda tackles her nagging by showing more affection every time. That is when Hydari learns of a hidden vault, a safe room in the villa from the time of its previous owner. It was built by the owner during the freedom struggle to escape mobs in case of trouble. Considering it was made in the 1940s, the vault is a marvel of technology. It has one way glasses, speakers with the whole villa bugged and is safe enough to survive for a long period without the outside world finding out.

    Desperate to check Hooda‘s love for her, Hydari decides to hide in the vault. She shoots her departing message on a camera that she is leaving for good and leaves a note for Hooda. She watches as Hooda walks into the villa with her favourite white roses, notices the note and is devastated to watch her message. Hydari is convinced Hooda loves her truly after watching his plight and now wants to come out of the vault and surprise him. Sadly for her, in the hurry to hide, she has dropped the key outside.

    Hooda has taken to drinking and drowning his sorrows in alcohol. On one such binge at a bar, totally knocked out of senses, he is noticed by a staffer, Sara Loren. She develops sympathy for him which turns into love and soon she replaces Hydari in Hooda‘s bed, oblivious to the fact that they are being watched from behind the glass. However, Loren‘s stay at the villa is not pleasant. There is an eerie feeling all around, sudden power outages and suspicious sounds from plumbing.

    Meanwhile, the police, Shekhar Shukla and Rajesh Shringarpure, are searching for the missing Hydari with their prime suspect being Hooda. Shringarpure has a rather personal interest in the case and for doubting Hooda since Loren has been his love since college, albeit one sided. There are no other characters in the story and hence no scope for red herrings.

    It should have been an easy enough task to adapt a foreign film but the problem starts with casting of Hooda as the lead man. Even though he wears an aura of mystery, in most parts he has to romance three girls which needed a romantic image. Dressing him up with a wig for straight hair does not help take away his hard face. The script makes the second half repeat most scenes of the first half. Vishesh Bhatt‘s direction needs much honing yet: an investigating officer, Shringarpure, is armed like a sharpshooter; a picnic spread looks like a small utility store, and so on. Music looks like a continuation of past scores and lacks appeal. Of the two, Hydari has the better part and does well while Loren is passable.

    Murder 3 is a no go at the box office.

  • London Paris New York’s overseas BO collections

    London Paris New York’s overseas BO collections

    MUMBAI: London Paris New York has collected $53,535 in the US, ?32,538 in UK and $112,000 in the Middle East in its opening weekend, Fox Studios India said.

    According to Indiantelevision.com‘s estimates, the movie that released on 2 March netted Rs 34 million in India in its first weekend. The Anu Menon-directed film starring Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari released on 2 March.

    Produced by Goldie Behl under his banner Rose Movies, the film has been distributed by Fox Star Studios, India.

    Said Fox Studios India CEO Vijay Singh, “London Paris New York is a small budget film that was targeted at a niche audience. We are happy that the film is being so well received, especially by audiences it was made for – having kept the budget under control, we‘ve managed to deliver on that front and we couldn‘t be more excited.”

  • U/A certificate for London Paris New York

    U/A certificate for London Paris New York

    MUMBAI: The Censor Board (CBFC) has issued a U/A (Under Adult Supervision) certificate to Fox Star Studios India and Rose movies’ joint venture London Paris New York keeping in mind the adult content in the film.

    Going by the number of intimate scenes of Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari in the film, it was feared that the Censors would grant an ‘A‘ certificate to the film. But the Board‘s decision to grant the film a U/A certification has indeed gladdened the film‘s makers.

    “The U/A certificate shows that the Censor Board has been progressive in its attitude. London Paris New York was never targeted at an adult audience but a younger age group. The film has been given a contemporary treatment keeping them in mind. It‘s a sincere attempt to bring something different to the romantic comedy palette,” Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh has reportedly said.

    London Paris New York releases today.

    London Paris New York is a coming of age love story mirroring three states of love and brings back with it Bollywood‘s romantic comedies. It is the story of Nikhil (Ali Zafar) and Lalitha (Aditi Rao Hydari), two completely different individuals who are drawn to each other in spite of their differences or perhaps because of it. The film follows their journey of love as they meet in London, Paris and New York for a night in each city.

  • Fox Star Studios releases London Paris New York on 2 March

    Fox Star Studios releases London Paris New York on 2 March

    MUMBAI: Fox Star Studios and Rose Movies will release their coming-of-age romantic comedy London Paris New York on 2 March.

    The film is the story of Nikhil and Lalitha, two completely different individuals, drawn to each other in spite of their differences or perhaps because of it. The film follows their journey of love as they meet in London, Paris and New York for a night in each city.

    Said Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh, “We are happy to announce that London Paris New York is set to release on 2 March 2012. This coming-of-age comedy is a project that we are very excited about. It’s a step towards bringing something different to the romantic-comedy palette that will appeal to the youth. It speaks their language, reflects their aspirations and the angst and joys of falling in love. The music of the film is very special and will appeal to the heartbeat of the youth.”

    London Paris New York, starring Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari, mirrors the three stages of love set in an international scenario.

    The film marks the directorial debut of Anu Menon.

  • Rockstar is not likely to rock

    Rockstar is not likely to rock








    Producer: Shree Ashtavinayak, Eros International.
    Director: Imtiaz Ali.
    Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Aditi Rao, Kumud Mishra, Piyush Mishra, Shernaz Patel, Shammi Kapoor.


    MUMBAI: With a title like Rockstar, popular young actor Ranbir Kapoor in the lead, and A R Rahman scoring music, one would think the makers had landed a dream project. Also, the director Imtiaz Ali has a hit, Jab We Met, behind him. But it would be a challenge for him to make the film work in a country where the rock and pop culture exists only in name; not to mention that few such themes have worked earlier.


    Ranbir Kapoor, Janardan turned Jordan, is a Jat from Delhi, armed with a guitar; his family is as dehati as it can be with trucking as the family business. His aim is to become a rock star someday but he gets rejected in audition after audition. He may dress like any college-going youth and carry a guitar but is otherwise supposed to be so na?ve that just about everybody around him becomes an advisor.


    The chief advisor is the eating-joint owner, Khatana Bhai, Kumud Mishra, who tells him that to be a successful artist one has to be heartbroken. Towards this end, Ranbir Kapoor picks the most impossible of girls on the campus, Nargis Fakhri, to woo with a certainty of rejection. She obliges, having broken many hearts before. The sequence is funny but does not qualify in Kumud Mishra‘s opinion as a proper heartbreak.


    Soon enough Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri become friends and he discovers the other side of her, the one that wants to explore everything like watching a semi-porn film, drinking tharra and so on since she is soon to marry and move on to Prague. Why Prague? Maybe they offer a better package for film shootings and give people, already much exposed to other countries in Europe, a new location, however strange it may sound that a Hindi pop singer is touring Prague for a concert where the number of Indian expats is less than 100! So far so good, but once the girl is married off, both realise they loved each other (the theme of numerous films recently).


    Once she is married and gone, so has any semblance of story and logic in the film. On paper, the love between Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri is supposed to be like Laila-Majnu or Shirin-Farhad but in execution it fails to touch you at all and you don‘t know if the priority here is love or sex. From the mostly white audience at the concert in Prague to the local press going gaga over Ranbir Kapoor, this part is not acceptable even with a fistful of salt. Soon one does not know why things are happening as they are and what location the story is now in.



    The story and script look like the film is going on the one-liner story idea it started with. But repeated flashbacks and now-on now-off romance gets tiring. Direction is messy.


    Considering its title, the film fails in the music department: there is nothing one can carry along after watching the film. In usual Rahman fashion, the music is noisy and eats up the lyrics of songs. The shehnai vs guitar is a novel idea but does not work. Photography is good. Editing is slack. Though Ranbir Kapoor gives one of his better performances, one wishes he had better songs to perform on; how long can you go on watching a guitar-strumming man perform the same kind of noisy numbers? Nargis Fakhri is passable in her debut film but lacks sex appeal. Of the rest, Aditi Rao and Kumud Mishra do well; a special appearance by Shammi Kapoor is appreciated.


    Rockstar has opened to average opening response and unfavourable reports. This one is not likely to rock.