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Tag: Hema Malini

  • Ramesh Sippy and Hema Malini to work together after 39 years

    Ramesh Sippy and Hema Malini to work together after 39 years

    MUMBAI: Legendary director Ramesh Sippy will be directing once again, a film called Shimla Mirchi starring Hema Malini and Rajkummar Rao. 

     

    Actress opposite Rajkummar Rao is yet to be finalised. The film goes on the floor in August and is a sweet, romantic story with its quirky twists.

     

    Ramesh Sippy’s cult classic Sholay was released 39 years back in 1975, when he created the character of Basanti with his favourite actress Hema Malini. Sippy is going to work with Hema Malini after Sholay in Shimla Mirchi and like his other films, the first letter of his next film is also with the letter ‘S.’

     

    Sippy always chose to make diverse films right through his career in spite of him being a blockbuster director. While he began with mature love story Andaz, he went on to making comedy Seeta aur Geeta, action adventure Sholay, slick action Shaan, family drama with Shakti,  to romantic love story Saagar.

     

    Rajkummar Rao opted out of the film to be made on Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’ for Ramesh Sippy’s upcoming Shimla Mirchi.

  • From reel to real: Actors piggy ride on populist parties

    From reel to real: Actors piggy ride on populist parties

    NEW DELHI: When megastar Amitabh Bachchan decided in the mid-eighties to wash his hands off politics (except on screen), one expected that very few from his fraternity would dare take the plunge.

     

    However, there were a few like Raj Babbar, Shatrughan Sinha and Sunil Dutt who entered politics. Perhaps the only notable entry from the Hindi cinema industry after that was Vinod Khanna, though several south Indian actors either joined the state or centre arena.

     

    The love between the two magnified as many political parties, particularly Bharatiya Janata Party and Trinamool Congress went all out to woo those from the reel world to the real world. Perhaps this exposure to politics and largely the anti-corruption wave that swept the country in the wake of Anna Hazare’s movement resulted in probably the largest number of film personalities entering the fray for the 2014 polls.

    The 16th Lok Sabha elections saw as many as 40 film personalities from different states, representing different parties campaigning, and many of them surprised all by coming out with flying (party) colours.

     

    But for the film industry, the constituencies that were worth watching were the ones where the members of the same fraternity pitted against each other.

     

    Of the most keenly watched battles was of Kirron Kher of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Admi Party’s Gul Panag. Kher was shown black flags when she first went to Chandigarh, unlike Panag and yet, Kher came out with flying colours. She defeated a veteran like Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress, though many from her constituency said it was more a victory of the party than of the actor herself.  

     

    Similarly, Mumbai West saw item girl Rakhi Sawant who represented the Rashtriya Aam Party battling it out with Mahesh Manjrekar who represented the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and ultimately emerged as the winner.

     

    The not-so-‘khamosh’ Shatrughan Sinha once again successfully represented the BJP from Patna Saheb in Bihar where he faced Bhojpuri actor Kunal Singh of the Congress.

    In Birbhum, actor Satabdi Roy of the Trinamool Congress successfully trounced actor Joy Banerjee of the BJP. Similarly, Singer Indranil Sen from TMC expectedly trounced Sidhanth Mahapatra of the Biju Janata Dal from Behrampur.

     

    For the BJP, versatile singer Bablu Supriya from Asansol, senior actor Hema Malini in Mathura despite initial criticism, Hindi and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari in North East Delhi, versatile actor Paresh Rawal from Ahmedabad East, and veteran Vinod Khanna from Gurdaspur emerged winners.

     

    Television actress Smiriti Irani from the high-profile constituency Amethi lost but with a considerably reduced margin, and others who lost included Nimu Bhowmik in Raiganj, George Baker representing Howrah and music maestro Bappi Lahiri from Serampore.

     

    For the Trinamool Congress, glamorous actor Moon Moon Sen in Bankura, reigning Bengali star Deb (Deepak Adhikari) in Ghatal, Sandhya Sen in Midnapore, actor Arpita Ghosh in Balurghat, and actor Tapas Paul in Krishnagar reached the finishing line ahead of the others, while actor Soumitra Roy from Malda North, and former Bollywood star Biswajit (Chatterjee) from New Delhi had to face defeat.

    The Congress had the largest number of star losers. They included Kannada heroine Ramya in Mandya, the high profile Raj Babbar in Ghaziabad, actor Aparajita Mohanty in Cuttack, veteran Oriya film actor Bijay Mohanty from Bhubaneswar, Hindi and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan from Jaunpur, petite actress Nagma in Meerut, actor Jayasudha in Secunderabad, actor Vijaya Shanthi from Medak, and D Napoleon from Perambalur in Tamil Nadu who was a Minister in the outgoing government.

       
    The AAP faced a similar fate with TV actress Rina Rani who contested from Maharajganj and the actor-dancer Javed Jaffery (son of former comedy actor Jagdeep) from Lucknow being shown the door.

     

    Actor Innocent representing the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from Chalakkudy in Kerala emerged victor, while renowned award-winning director Prakash Jha representing the Janata Dal (United) from West Champaran in Bihar and former actor Jayaprada of Rashtriya Lok Dal from Bijnor had to face defeats.

     

    Actor Murali Mohan won from the Rajahmundry seat for the Telugu Desam Party. 

     
    At present, the Rajya Sabha has Javed Akhtar, Jaya Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, K Chiranjeevi, Rekha and producer T Subbarami Reddy as members. Smriti Irani who lost to Rahul Gandhi also continues to be member of the Rajya Sabha.

     

    One cannot ignore the fact that while Bollywood has generally not been very successful in north India, the southern film industry is rich with examples of film-politicians. Some of the popular names are S S Rajendran (SSR), M G Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa , S Chandrasekar.

     

    It remains to be seen if the film personalities will rise above to serve the people or will add glamour to the lower house of Parliament.

  • Film stars hope to make hay by joining the political fray

    Film stars hope to make hay by joining the political fray

    NEW DELHI: Films like ‘Satta’, ‘Nayak’ and ‘Rajneeti’ in recent years, have shown the Bollywood filmmakers’ interpretation of the way politics works in this country. Not to forget movies like ‘Sarkar’ that exposes the links of the underworld with politicians.

     

    Perhaps this exposure to politics and largely the anti-corruption wave that swept the country in the wake of Anna Hazare’s movement has resulted in probably the largest number of film personalities enter the fray for the 2014 polls.

     

    Although all political parties have not made public their complete list, around 40 actors from across the country are in the election arena – revealing perhaps the largest participation from Bollywood and north India, since the participation of the film industry from south India has already been quite good.

     

    But for the film industry, five constituencies are going to be worth watching as they have actors pitted against each other. Perhaps the most glamorous poll fights is in Chandigarh, which will see actor former Miss India Gul Panag of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) pitted against her senior and very versatile actor Kirron Kher who has taken up cudgels for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Though Panag was born in Sangrur, she has continued to live in Chandigarh, while the Chandigarh-born Kher has come into fray from this city though she lives in Mumbai.

     

    The not-so-‘khamosh’ Shatrughan Sinha is once again representing the BJP from Patna Saheb in Bihar where he will face Bhojpuri actor Kunal Singh of the Congress. Singh has stated that he is prepared to take up the challenge because he does not feel Sinha has done enough for the constituency.

     

    Mumbai North West will see a triple star fight: the verbose Kamal R Khan who often gets into controversies for his utterances is pitted as an independent against equally controversial star Rakhi Sawant who represents the Rashtriya Aam Party, and Mahesh Manjrekar who represents the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

    In Birbhum, the fight is between actor Satabdi Roy of the Trinamool Congress and actor Joy Banerjee of the BJP which has generally not done well in West Bengal and hopes star power may help.

     

    Singer Indranil Sen from TMC will take on actor Sidhanth Mahapatra of the Biju Janata Dal from Behrampur.

     

    In fact, the BJP has attracted the largest number of film personalities, particularly from Bollywood and north India. Some other film personalities representing the party are George Baker in Howrah, Nimu Bhowmik in Raiganj, versatile singer Bablu Supriya in Asansol, senior actor Hema Malini in Mathura, Hindi and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari in North East Delhi, music maestro Bappi Lahiri from Serampore, versatile actor Paresh Rawal from Ahmedabad East, veteran Vinod Khanna from Gurdaspur, and television actress Smiriti Irani from the high-profile constituency Amethi. 

     

    The Congress has roped in Kannada heroine Ramya in Mandya, actor Aparajita Mohanty in Cuttack, veteran Oriya film actor Bijay Mohanty from Bhubaneswar, Hindi and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan from Jaunpur, petite actress Nagma in Meerut, actor Jayasudha in Secunderabad, the high-profile Raj Babbar from Ghaziabad, Union Minister D Napoleon from Perambalur in Tamil Nadu, and actor Vijaya Shanthi from Medak.

     

    The Trinamool Congress is not far behind, with glamorous actor Moon Moon Sen in Bankura, reigning Bengali star Deb in Ghatal, Sandhya Sen in Midnapore, actor Soumitra Roy from Malda North, actor Arpita Ghosh in Balurghat, former Bollywood star Biswajit (Chatterjee) from New Delhi and actor Tapas Paul in Krishnagar.

     

    The AAP has roped in TV actress Rina Rani to contest from Maharajganj and the actor-dancer Javed Jaffery (son of former comedy actor Jagdeep) from Lucknow.

    Actor Innocent will represent the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from Chalakkudy in Kerala, renowned award-winning director will fight for the Janata Dal (United) from West Champaran in Bihar, former actor Jayaprada will be fighting this time on behalf of Rashtriya Lok Dal from Bijnor.

     

    Jayaprada initially represented the Telugu Desam Party, later switching to the Samajwadi Party and then moving to RLD after her friend Amar Singh was forced to leave SP.

     

    Rakhi Sawant says she is contesting the elections on the plank of restoring women’s safety in the metropolis. “I was offered a BJP ticket from Srirampur in West Bengal. But I am from Mumbai and know Hindi and Marathi. I don’t know the local language of West Bengal, so why should I stand from there?” she said while announcing her candidature.

     

    Actor Ramya (Divya Spandana) is the first female star from Karnataka to enter the Lok Sabha. Ramya joined the Youth Congress in 2011 and had campaigned for the party in the assembly elections.

     

    The final list is yet to come out, and so Punjabi pop singer Rabbi Shergil who has joined the AAP is also expected to contest, even as actor Murali Mohan is eyeing the Rajahmundry seat. Pawan Kalyan who formed the Jana Sena is hoping to contest from Kakinada.

     

    Some actors or film personalities who have got elected to Parliament in the past or are presently in the Rajya Sabha as elected or nominated members include Prakash Jha, Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, Dharmendra, Shekhar Suman, singer Hans Raj Hans, Babu Mohan, Murli Mohan, Krishnam Raju, Nafisa Ali, late Sunil Dutt, Jaya Bachchan, late Rajesh Khanna, late N T Rama Rao, Vyjayanthimala Bali, late Dr Raj Kumar and K Chiranjeevi. The nominated members include Nargis Dutt, Lata Mangeshkar, Shabana Azmi, Rekha, and Javed Akhtar.

     

    Babu Mohan has joined the Telengana Rashtra Samiti to fight the assembly elections, while in Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha will again represent the AIADMK in the assembly. Actor Jeevitha who joined the BJP is hoping to get an assembly seat, actor Nandamuri Balakrishna is also looking for a seat in Andhra Pradesh, while comedian Ali from the south and actor Ambreesh are not far behind in their quest. Vijay Kanth of the DMDK and U V Krishnamraju from the BIP are others in the fray for state assemblies.

     

    Almost all the film personalities in the fray have some controversy attached to their lives or their present campaign. Kamal Khan who is known to be outspoken had in one of his films added dialogues attacking the MNS announcements about outsiders in Mumbai, while actor Nagma has had to face people who have not just tried to grope her but Congress MLA Gaj Raj Sharma grabbed and kissed her during one of her campaigns. She has even been manhandled.

     

    Kirron Kher was met with black flags when she first came to Chandigarh and had to convince voters that she was indeed from Chandigarh, while actor-dancer Hema Malini has been booed for not daring to step out of her Audi as she moves around Mathura. And if she does peep out of the sun-shade of her car, it is only for a brief glimpse and visits to temples are in the midst of bouncers.

      
    Manoj Tiwari had earlier contested the national elections from the SP ticket in 2009 and is now representing BJP.

     

    Raj Babbar had won from Firozabad for a fourth term by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav and daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav, but has now been shifted to Ghaziabad.

     

    The versatile Aamir Khan has become the national icon of the Election Commission after the last episode of the second edition of Satyamev Jayate. A team from Doordarshan, EC’s official partner was rushed to shoot a video with Aamir Khan. Apart from the video, Khan has shot for an audio spot, urging the people to cast their votes. He says, “Rukey nahin, chookey nahin…vote zaroor daalein.”

     

    Singer Anoop Jalota will campaign for the BJP while Kapil Sharma and Soha Ali Khan will campaign for the Congress.

     

    While Bollywood has generally not been very successful in north India, the southern film industry is rich with examples of film-politicians. Since 1957 when actor S S Rajendran (SSR) entered the fray in Theni during the assembly elections to the then Madras State Legislative Assembly polls, the DMK and its 1972-offshoot AIADMK led by popular hero M G Ramachandran, have in most elections given tickets to stars.

     

    In the post-MGR era, the AIADMK, the DMK and other parties had fielded actors in Parliamentary and assembly elections since 1998, barring the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.

     

    The outgoing 15th Lok Sabha had two actor MPs, D Napoleon and Ritheesh, of the DMK. Now they have switched loyalties to suspended DMK leader M K Alagiri. Napoleon had earlier represented the Villivakkam Assembly constituency during 2001-06 and lost to comedian S V Shekhar in Mylapore in 2006.

     

    This time, the ruling AIADMK and DMK have trusted lawyers, businessmen, doctors and others than trying actors though initially there were speculations that yesteryear heroine Khushboo and Radhika Sarathkumar could fight it out in a constituency in Chennai.

     

    While the connection between Tamil cinema and politics goes back to the 1940s when DMK founder C N Annadurai and its present chief M Karunanidhi were script writers, SSR known as a ‘Latchiya Nadigar’ (Ambitious Actor), was the first screen star to join the fray. He had lost the 1957 election by 6,781 votes to a Congress candidate.

     

    However, in the 1962 assembly polls he created history by winning from Theni on a DMK ticket thus becoming the first actor in the world to enter an elected legislative body. In later years, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha and also won from the Andipatti Assembly constituency (MGR’s last represented constituency) in 1980 as an AIADMK candidate.

     

    MGR entered electoral politics only in 1967, winning from St Thomas Mount, while chief minister J Jayalalithaa became a Rajya Sabha member in 1984. The same year, the Congress had successfully fielded yesteryear actor Vyjayanthimala from the South Madras Lok Sabha constituency and she sprung as a surprise by defeating veteran politician Era Sezhiyan.

     

    But popular Sivaji Ganesan, one of the greatest actors in the world, had a failed political career though the Congress once made him a Rajya Sabha member. The Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani, which he launched after MGR’s death, failed to take off and he did not make it big as president of the Janata Dal (Tamil Nadu) unit either.

     

    Actor Sarathkumar was defeated in 1998 from the Tirunelveli Parliamentary constituency on a DMK ticket. Subsequently, he entered the Rajya Sabha and is now a MLA. In contrast, another actor Ramarajan, whose popularity was on the wane, got elected to the Lok Sabha from Tiruchendur as an AIADMK candidate in 1998.

     

    Another yesteryear MGR film heroine Latha lost her deposit when she contested from Dindigul in 1998 Lok Sabha polls on a MGRADMK ticket. The following year, voters of the constituency rejected DMK candidate actor S Chandrasekar.

     

    Similarly, in Periyakulam, villain Mansoor Ali Khan fielded by Puthiya Tamilagam, came third in 1999 but polled over 87,000 votes.

     

    Some of the Tollywood actors who made it to the assembly and Parliament (including Rajya Sabha) are: villain Radharavi (AIADMK), comedian S S Chandran (AIADMK), Vijayakant (DMDK), Arun Pandian (DMDK rebel), versatile film personality T Rajendar (DMK) and comedian Isari Velan (AIADMK).

  • ‘Sholay’ is history!

    ‘Sholay’ is history!

    MUMBAI: There was a time when the trend was to convert old black-and-white classics into colour format and re-release them. The trend did not last for obvious reasons. Converting normal films into 3D started in the US while in India doing so with Sholay will prove to be the ultimate test for Hindi films since it is a trendsetter – box office hit and a cult. If it works, it will open the floodgates of more such attempts and if it does not, it will put paid to all such aspirations. The original was written off during its initial few weeks of its release as a major failure but, finally, its technically better 70mm/stereophonic version turned the trend in its favour to make it what it became, a legend. Will this additional technical enhancement reactivate its box office account?

     

    To refresh the memories on the story front, Sholay (1975) finds its roots in the all time classic, Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese film, Seven Samurai (1954), which was later adapted in Hollywood as The Magnificent Seven (1960). A farming village in Mexico hires seven gunmen from the US to protect them from a bunch of 40 bandits who raid them every year to take away their farm product. In Sholay, Sanjeev Kumar, an ex-policeman hires two petty goons, Dharmendra and AmitabhBachchan, known for their valour to save his villagers from a similar exploitation by the gang of Gabbar Singh, played by Amjad Khan. Though his first major break and his entry happening almost 75 minutes into the film, his character became a cult figure.

     

    The film is an old fashioned three-and-a-half-hour-long one since in those days less than three hours made people feel cheated. And the film justifies its duration by giving many side actors of the time memorable roles and lines. Among them were Asrani (Angrezon ke zamane ka jailor), Mak Mohan (Sambha), AK Hangal (the blind Imaam of the village mosque), even Hema Malini’s tonga-pulling mare, Dhanno! The writers, Salim and Javed, who made the story/script writers respectable in the film industry, specialised in penning memorable dialogue and that is the reason that even though the film’s music track was not found to be popular and its albums were not in demand, the music company, Polydor India, minted on the release of the film’s dialogue tracks on LPs and cassettes.

     

    If slotted, Sholay would fall in the category of dacoit film. Yet it was much different from other dacoit films, blending the past and contemporary movies of that era. The one memorable dacoit film before Sholay was a few years earlier, in 1971 in Mera Gaon Mera Desh followed by Khote Sikkay in 1974; the trend came to an end since no one could better Sholay and also because Sholay stayed in theatres for five long years. While these were all make-believe dacoit films, the real one came around in 1994, Bandit Queen. 

     

    How can one review a film made over 38 years ago and had tomes written about it?

     

    As for this 3D version, it has been very economical with 3D scenes and not gone overboard. The 3D resolution is such that you may easily watch it without 3D glasses but the main 3D scenes would be missed; the few that the film has are not worth missing.

     

    The opening response in the initial shows has not shown much enthusiasm by moviegoers and, if the trend continues through the weekend, this will be the epitaph for the legend of Sholay.

     

    Producer: G P Sippy.

    Director: Ramesh Sippy.

    Cast: : Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, HemaMalini, Jaya Bhaduri, Amjad Khan, SatyenKappu, AK Hangal, Sachin, Jagdeep, Leela Mishra, Asrani, Keshto Mukherjee, Mak Mohan, VijuKhote, Iftekhar, in spl appearance Helen and Jalal Agha.

     

    Disaster in making

     

    Mr Joe B Carvalho collects a bunch of small time actors with a reputation for having done good comedy films once upon a time and thinks it has the formula! How about getting a scriptwriter with a sense of comedy, humour, repartees and how about a director who shares these traits too? The so called comic actors can do precious little without content. The imagination is so scarce, that in this film based in Bangaluru, all the characters happen to be Punjabi!

     

    The film has no story as such so to narrate it is a task but, to put it in nutshell, like many such attempts it is about mistaken identities and a career loser, Arshad Warsi, who plays a detective. Now, how many times have we seen a fumbling, bumbling, detective before? Remembering Pink Panther at this moment will be sacrilege (though the poster design has certainly stolen from there).

     

    Warsi, a detective, is handed a case by Shakti Kapoor, who wants to stop his daughter from marrying a cook with whom she has run away. On the other hand, Snehal Dabi, an Idi Amin caricature, has fallen in love with Geeta Basra while she loves some diamond merchant. So being Idi Amin-like, he gives out a supari (contract) on her beau to Carlos aka Javed Jaffery; may the real legendary international assassin Carlos rest in peace!

     

    The comedy as well as the humour is just about nonexistent in this film. Casting is totally awry. The film credits four people for lyrics but not a single song makes sense (and they’re out of sync too). Arshad, Soha, Javed as well as the others are ineffective.

     

    Mr Joe B Karvalho is a disaster waiting to happen soon as opens on its first Friday.

     

    Producer: Bholaram Malviya, Shital Malviya.

    Director: Samir Tewari.

    Cast: : Arshad Warsi, Soha Ali Khan, Jaaved Jaaferi, Vijay Raaz, Shakti Kapoor, Vrajesh Hirjee, Geeta Basra, Karishma Kotak, Ranjeet, Himani Shivpuri, Manoj Joshi, Snehal Dabi, Chitra Shenoy.

     

  • Bollywood stars embrace Shiamaks dance show!

    Bollywood stars embrace Shiamaks dance show!

    MUMBAI: Dance master Shiamak Davar again recreated the magic with his new production, Selcouth. Almost everyone who matters has been talking about Shiamak’s show that has received a great applause from the viewers and the Bollywood fraternity alike.

     

    Present at the recent show were Bollywood actresses known for their dance-ability, Helen and Hema Malini. Both the actors went back stage post the show to congratulate Shiamak. Filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who has worked with Shiamak on hits like Taal, was completely amazed by the new body of work that Shiamak has introduced with this show.

     

    Sushant singh Rajput, the latest heartthrob of Bollywood and a Shiamak’s former student, too gave a standing ovation along with the rest of the audience as a mark of respect for his guru.

     

    Shiamak who has been doing these shows for his students and parents was overwhelmed and humbled by the response of the public. “After I opened the show to public in Octber, the word spread and people said I had to do another show! Unbelievable response, just too humbled by everyone’s support,” he said. “The show had only three to four professional dancers from my dance company, the rest of them were graduates from my one year dance certification program. With the right training and guidance, this is the magic that can be created. There are still a lot of people who want to watch the show, so will do many more Selcouth shows,” added Shiamak.

     

    Others who were present for the show included Prateik Babbar, Hussain Kuwajerwala and wife Tina, Rajneesh Duggal, Kim Sharma, Preeti Jangiani, Parizad Zorabian, Pallavi Joshi, Rashmi Uday Singh, Hasina Jethmalani,  television actors, Gautam and Anas and Marzi Pestonji.

  • Hema Malini joins ace designer Neeta Lulla at her flagship store to give us a sneak peak of her kanjeevaram and kalamkari collection

    Hema Malini joins ace designer Neeta Lulla at her flagship store to give us a sneak peak of her kanjeevaram and kalamkari collection

    Celebrated fashion designer, Neeta Lulla gives you a sneak peak of her Kanjeevaram and Kalamkari collection by showcasing a Kanjeevaram Sari on her favourite muse, Hema Malini at her Flagship Store in Santacruz West. Neeta Lulla goes back to her roots and focuses on reinventing Kanjeevaram and Kalamkari by giving it a chic and contemporary look.

     

    Ever since the inception of the weave, Kanjeevaram has been worn in its original or print form, which is the basic sari. Kanjeevaram as a sari is celebrated in the entire south India so much so that women wear it for every occasion and it is always held on for prosperity thereby making it one of the most cherished fabrics ever. Traditionally, Kanjeevaram is very thick because of the weave and the zari used. As of recent past and over the decade, we have seen a transition in the weight of the Kanjeevaram, which has become more lightweight. Today Kanjeevaram is combined with uparas to create a very soft and sensual feel to it without losing its appeal.

     

    With the Kalamkari collection, Neeta Lulla pays patronage to an Indian art that needs no introduction. The collection brings out the marriage of Kalamkari’s rich inspirations of renaissance with a modern take to the overall ensemble.

     

    Neeta Lulla’s new collection is a tribute to the rich textile crafts of the south. She uses traditional weaves of Kanjeevaram and the age old technique of hand painting that is kalamkari and transforms them into contemporary designs teamed with various fabric textures. The line is constructed into simple silhouettes and embellished with applique of Kanjeevaram or Kalamkari on rich silks, organza and chiffons. The well crafted lehangas, saris, dresses, skirts, cropped tops, multi-gored Kurtas come in an assorted palette of colours, keeping with the richness that exudes from the garment.

  • Sonam makes Tamil debut

    Sonam makes Tamil debut

    Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor is making her foray into the Tamil film industry with Ambikapathy, the dubbed version of upcoming Hindi flick Raanjhanaa produced by Eros International and co-starring southern star Dhanush.

    She is very excited for her Tollywood debut to be directed by Anand L Rai, with dialogues by John Mahendran. Kapoor has been receiving several offers from Tamil film-makers but she chose this one. "Thanks are due to my director Anand L Rai. I am eagerly waiting like everybody else for the first day first show of Ambikapathy," she added excitedly.

    Sonam is a huge fan of actresses like Hema Malini, Vaijayantimala, Waheeda Rehman, Jayapradha and Sri Devi who made their debut in Tamil films before taking the Hindi film industry by storm.

    Interetsingly, Dhanush will be making his Hindi debut with Raanjhanaa and is ecstatic about it. "The reason I have reached this escalated level is because of the love from my Tamil audience; they have felt and lived every character I have portrayed, cried and laughed with me. I have implemented the role with core intensity as a performer, in Ambikapathy too," he said.

  • Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif together for the first time in an ad campaign

    NEW DELHI: ‘King of Bollywood’ Shah Rukh Khan and ‘Queen of Hearts’ Katrnia Kaif have come together for an ad campaign for the first time for beauty soap bar Lux.

    These Bollywood superstars will endorse two new sensuous variants Lux Peach and Cream and LuxStrawberry and Cream in their first ever endorsement together.

    In 2005, Khan came onto the brand and featured in a memorable TVC with Hema Malini, Sridevi, Juhi Chawla and Kareena Kapoor. Once again, Shan Rukh Khan will feature in a stunning Lux commercial with the gorgeous Katrina Kaif who will drive him ‘Bekaboo’.

    The magical fragrance of Lux that’s driving Khan ‘Bekaboo’ (helpless against his emotions) has been created by world renowned perfumer Didier Gaffet. Inspired by the Kenzo Flower and keeping in mind the sensory preferences of Indian women; this Master Perfumer has created a fragrance that will make Indian woman feel elegant and polished.

    Says Khan, “The fragrance of Lux reminds me of being happy and being in love.”

    Khan and Kaif’s sizzling chemistry can be seen radiating through the campaign, that’s been beautifully shot and directed by French director- Juan Delcan. The Sufi inspired music score has been composed by none other than world acclaimed Poet and Lyricist Gulzar and sung by the Voice of the Country Sonu Niigaam. Katrina has been styled by leading Bollywood fashion designer Rocky S.

    At the shoot, Khan said, “I’m happy to be associated with Lux yet again! The fragrance of Lux will captivate you just as it has made me ‘Bekaboo’. The fragrance of Lux that stands for love and sensuality brings out the lover in me”.

    Kaif added, “Lux for me is a very special and iconic brand; it symbolizes beauty. When I think of Lux, I think of fun and spontaneity. Lux embodies a type of a woman rather than just soap and of course the fragrance that embodies sensuality. Lux’s amazing fragrance makes the whole experience of bathing fun!”

  • Hema Malini to receive this year’s ANR award

    Hema Malini to receive this year’s ANR award

    MUMBAI: Hema Malini will be honoured with the Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) award for the year 2011. The award carries a memento, citation and a cash prize of Rs 400,000.

    According to the award committee chairman and Rajya Sabha member T Subbirami Reddy, the award would be presented to the actress on 26 December.

    Noted Nageswara Rao, “Hema Malini is a worthy actress and dancer. Even at the age of 60 years, she is so active both in her acting and dancing careers. She is a right choice.”

    Instituted in 2005 by the Akkineni International Foundation, the ANR award is an ‘Award for Excellence‘ presented to those who dedicated their life towards service to the film industry.

    While the late Dev Anand was the first recipient of the ANR Award in 2005, he was followed by Shabana Azmi, Anjali Devi (popular Telugu actress), Vyjayanthimala Bali, Lata Mangeshkar and K Balachander respectively.