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Tag: Dimple Kapadia

  • Rajesh Khanna passes away

    MUMBAI: Rajesh Khanna, who mouthed ‘Zindagi kaisi hai paheli hai, kabhi toh hasaye kabhi ye rulaye…‘ in Anand, left for his heavenly abode this afternoon at the age of 70. His last breath came at his residence Aashirwad.

    He breathed his last in the presence of his wife Dimple Kapadia, daughters Rinkie and Twinkle, son-in-law Akshay Kumar, grand children and close relatives.

    The veteran actor, who has been battling a prolonged illness for a long time, finally gave in to his ailment. Just yesterday, the actor was discharged from the Lilavati Hospital. But late at night, due to extreme weakness and low blood pressure, he was kept on ventilator.

    The actor‘s condition had been deteriorating since April when he stopped eating and had complained of weakness. He was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital twice in the past month.

    Incidentally, the actor who shot to stardom in the 1960s, was the first ‘superstar‘ of Indian cinema.

    Meanwhile, the entire film industry is shocked at the passing away of Khanna. In fact, the film industry has come to a standstill with as many as three events marked for the day cancelled.

    Not only the film industry but the entire country is in deep shock on the star‘s demise. People from all walks of life are talking about the departed soul, his dialogues, his songs, his leading ladies and friends etc.

    In a condolence message to the stars eldest daughter Twinkle Khanna, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said, ” I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing away of your father Shri Rajesh Khanna.

    “Khanna was a celebrated artiste who entertained millions of Indians with his performance in a variety of films. His legacy will live on in the form of the numerous entertaining and acclaimed films that he leaves behind. The powerful roles he essayed in classics like Anand, Aradhana, Kati Patnag and Amar Prem, stand testimony to his artistic genius.”

    Rajesh Khanna was not new to politics as he was a Congress member of the Parlaiment (Lok Sabha) in the early nineties. “In the passing away of the Rajesh Khanna, the Indian film industry has lost one of its most successful and most charming heroes.On this sad occasion, I convey my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and Khanna‘s countless fans and admirers. I pray for peace of the departed soul,” the message added.

    Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Ambika Soni has also condoled the death of Khanna. In her condolence message to the members of the bereaved family, Soni said, “Very few actors can match the charisma, stardom and popularity that Rajesh Khanna enjoyed. His era initiated the wave of Superstardom in the Indian film industry, a concept which was unknown till then. Rajesh Khanna gave Indian cinema a whiff of fresh air by projecting the essence of goodness and romance in the various characters that he portrayed. His films provided us melodious music and haunting melodies which became a part of the generational change of the 1970s. The Indian film industry has lost one of its iconic personalities who gave a new identity to the male protagonist in films. Shri Rajesh Khanna was a much admired colleague in our party. We will all miss him. I pray to god to give necessary strength to his family to overcome the crisis.”

    Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “With his unique persona, Rajesh Khanna ji made a special and unforgettable place in the hearts of Indians! May his soul rest in peace.”

    Producer Ashim Samanta, son of the late Shakti Samanta said, “Lost a family member. It‘s a huge loss to the film industry. He was a fabulous actor and a great human being. He was very close to us since 1962. My father was very attached to him; it‘s a sad day for all of us.”

    “I knew that his condition was extremely critical, but I never knew that he would go off so soon,” said Marathi actor Ramesh Deo, who acted with Khanna in Anand.

  • An almost perfect concoction

    MUMBAI: Take a base of Archie, Betty and Veronica in their innocent (not so innocent here) early days, mix it with age-old 1960s films where the hero eventually falls for the girl embodying the Indian values and add a twist in the form of the other girl falling for him too. That is why this film, with London as its background, is called Cocktail; it is a combination of emotions, but a well-mixed and mostly enjoyable one.

     

    Producers: Dinesh Vijan, Saif Ali Khan, Sunil Lulla.
    Director: Homi Adajania.
    Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Diana Penty, Boman Irani, Dimple Kapadia, Randeep Hooda.

    This Archie Andrews, Saif Ali Khan, meets Veronica, Deepika Padukone (which is her character’s name too). She is fun-loving and rich; her idea of fun loving being to accommodate any guy who will be ‘nice’ to her for a ‘few days, a week or a month’, according to her own definition.

    Meanwhile, Diana Penty has been done in by one of those dowry-seeking NRIs, Randeep Hooda. He came to Delhi to marry her for money, went back to vilayat and forgot all about her. She landed up to spring a surprise on him but he was not the kind who wanted her to pile on to him. His justification is that it was a fair deal: he needed money and Diana Penty, an orphan under the guardianship of her aunt, wanted to be in UK.

    Stranded in a foreign land with nowhere to go and no contacts, Penty is spotted by Deepika Padukone, a couldn’t-care-less type whose parents have been too occupied with their own lives to remember her existence. This Veronica has a humane angle too; she may look full of life but thanks to the emptiness within, seeks the opportunity for a companion. She picks up the damsel in distress, takes her home and they forge a bond of friendship. Both complement each other as Penty turns Deepika’s house into home and Deepika, in turn, teaches her how to dress trendily and to enjoy life. That is when Saif Ali Khan enters their lives.

    Saif Ali Khan is a compulsive flirt and anything in a skirt is good enough for him to flirt with. He tried his lines on Penty at the airport as soon as she landed in London but failed to get anywhere. So Deepika decides to pay him back in his own coin when they spot him with his associates at a restaurant; she gatecrashes their party and uses the same cheesy lines he used on Penty, claiming to be his pregnant wife. The incident adds a third angle to Deepika-Penty equation as Saif charms Deepika enough to move in with the duo and into Deepika’s bedroom. Both are convinced that it is a temporary affair like earlier ones. But Penty is uneasy because she can’t stand Saif and is not used to the idea of temporary live-in relationships.

    As Deepika initiates simple Penty into London life, the three of them pack in all the fun they can together. This is the fun part of Cocktail. Boman Irani adds his bit every time he is on screen, playing Saif’s mama who has made tall claims about Deepika to Saif’s mother, Dimple Kapadia. She is keen to marry off Saif to a nice, demure girl. Boman has told Dimple that Deepika is all that she wants for Saif’s wife. But Dimple drops in to London to meet Saif’s choice at the most inopportune time: Saif is dressed by Deepika in a see-through dress, lipstick and the rest. He is dancing as Penty is shooting a video when Dimple enters the scene.

    It is time to introduce his choice of wife to Dimple and instinctively, Saif introduces Penty as the girl. Deepika, in her tail shirt and panties, is not really dressed for the occasion. But now the fun and games are over as the story turns into one of love triangles hereafter. She was always around but Saif really notices Penty now and love happens. After all, with Deepika it was meant to be only an arrangement sans romance. Things become mushy as Saif now loves Penty, Deepika realises she actually loves Saif and it is melodrama time.

    Cocktail, a joyride in the first part, becomes dull after the interval. The scenes look stretched and almost sink the film when, towards the end, it makes up with a plausible and justifying finish. Love triumphs and friendship survives. What works for Cocktail is its no-holds-barred youth appeal. It is not pretentious in projecting love and relationships as they are defined now. The casting is intelligent as is choosing London as the backdrop. Music, which plays a huge part in any romantic film working, plays its part here. The songs are appealing and well choreographed; Yaariyan….,Daru desi … are among the better ones while Tumi ho bandhu promises to be popular on caller tunes circuit. Dialogue is funny where needed.

    Performances are generally good since all the actors play what they are good at and are close to their real selves. However, Deepika tops the list with an impressive act throughout; Cocktail is her film all the way. Diana Penty adds freshness and is comfortable in her role. Saif Ali Khan has done such roles before and mastered them by now, so he breezes through. Boman Irani is very good and so is Dimple Kapadia in a brief role. Director Homi Adajania generally handles this love triangle well, only losing grip for a while in the second half, but otherwise blending its ingredients ably.

    Cocktail is aimed at the multiplexes-going youth and will be lapped up by them. The film’s opening response is heartening at multiplexes.

  • Ramesh Sippy back to direction after 16 years

    Ramesh Sippy back to direction after 16 years

    MUMBAI: Known to have directed films like Sholay and Seeta Aur Geeta among others, Ramesh Sippy is returning to helm a film after a gap of 16 years. The veteran filmmaker is set to direct a romantic film.

    Confirming the same Sippy said, "Yes, I am working on my next project, a romantic film. I am very excited with the way the script is shaping up and am looking forward to starting the casting process soon."
     
    The new silver screen presentation will be his first romantic film since the Kamal Hassan-Dimple Kapadia-starrer Saagar. The film is expected to roll next year under his RS Entertainment banner.

    It may be noted that Sippy has recently signed up for a remake of Gautham Menon‘s Tamil blockbuster Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya in which he will reprise the role of a Bollywood producer.