Wednesday Gossssip! Ek Me aur Ek You!

Just a note - I've been studying really hard for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) which is why I haven't been writing as many longer pieces recently. The test is on Sunday, so wish me luck studying for the next few days and hopefully I'll be back on a better writing schedule starting next week.


Today in gossip - Ek Main aur Ekk Tu trailer releases; catch up with Suniel Shetty, Malaika Arora Khan, and Akshay Kumar; some people are butthurt that Salman's staff disapproved when they rushed Salman's car; and some other odds and ends!

Tuesday Gossip!

Today in gossip... find out about Shahrukh's new facial hair, Kalki's international debut, who got an "A" certificate, and a new song was released from that film nobody cares about so every story on it is about how Ritesh and Genelia are getting married!

Monday Gossip!

Today in Gossip - Dubai, Sunny Leone, Size Zero, and guess whose name is now attached to Kanchana... from one Khan to another...

Sunday Gossip!

I had stayed away from all the reviews of Desi Boyz until I could see it for myself. Akshay Kumar films earn extremely dire reviews from critics for being low brow. (That those same critics are willing to forgive "main part" humor in other films is a topic for another time.) I was actually pleased to see that Desi Boyz earned a fair variety of reviews, with some enjoying it for what it was and others finding it unfunny or stupid.

Some reviewers were unable to see past the plot idea that Akshay and John become, essentially, hosts and their discomfort with the idea colored the rest of the film. Other reviewers found the evergreen heart of the film stale instead of refreshing. Both of these are fair points. If one is uncomfortable with the idea of John and Akshay entertaining female clients, one should probably not see the film. And, again, one should not go into Desi Boyz expecting a "realistic" film like Rockstar but I think that both of these things are made abundantly clear by the trailers.

If the trailers looked good to you, the film doesn't disappoint. If the trailers looked dumb, you probably won't like the film.

It's as simple as that.

One thing that caught my attention - there is a certain jingoistic moment in the second half that I pointed out in my review that most other critics pointed out, too. We all called attention to the fact that it was jarring but nobody else mentioned the zing delivered by Rajat Barmecha after the jingoistic moment that makes fun of the trope and intentionally deflates the moment.

Anyways, on to gossip!

Desi Boyz: Make Some NOISE!

Desi Boyz is that rare film that delivers much more than the trailer promises... which is a mark of high praise, indeed, considering the trailer promises Bollywood hunks John Abraham and Akshay Kumar in various states of undress. David “Bikini Girl No. 1” Dhawan’s son Rohit has delivered a debut film that is surprisingly grown-up in its comedy and its themes. Sexy, saucy, frequently ridiculous, and with a heart as big as John’s pecs, Desi Boyz is a damn good time.

Saturday Gossip!

Today in gossip - a couple of thoughtful pieces on nostalgia and watching Bollywood films and a couple of pretty cool looking film trailers from South! And Bebo getting voted the NUMBER ONE SEXIEST LADY! (We can't forget that!)

Friday Gossip!

GOOD MORNING! Happy Desi Boyz Day!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving - lots of food and family time. It's one of my favorite holidays here in the US, a reason to get together and just celebrate family and the important act of having a meal together. I'm lucky that I live so close to my family that I can celebrate with them.

Now! Time for some news and gossip and you won't believe the variety of things I dug up today - everybody from Ram Charan Teja to Ajay Devgn to SRK to Aditya Chopra...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I'll be back tomorrow... probably 10 pounds heavier... with lots of delicious gossip!

Wednesday Gossip

Today in gossip... LOTS OF LADIES!

Little short edition today as we're heading into Thanksgiving weekend, which is a big family-oriented holiday here in the United States. I'll try to keep updating regularly through Friday... which is DESI BOYZ day!! And you know you don't want to miss that!

The song for Soup Boys! UPDATED 11/24

One of the coolest things about the "Kolaveri Di" phenomenon is the spate of homemade videos to go with it! It's the reverse of the Sallu Craze!

Here are a few that I've found... if you find any good ones, be sure to post the link in the comment section!



These guys made their own picturization!!

Tuesday Gossip!

First of all, I was going to start some dramz but decided it wasn't worth it. Let's just say that, yes, I noticed the snarking at my expense but I stand by what I said on fetishization. Maybe I will write that post on it... I bet there are lots of academic articles to reference on the same phenomenon in anime fans or what have you.

Also in the works is my review of Breaking Dawn (which was ♥) and hopefully I'll be able to make it through a couple of DVDs this long weekend. I've had a busy month or two with not much time for film viewing, unfortunately.

Oh! And be sure to check out the trailer for Chittagong which is the film based on the same incident as the floptastic Ashutosh Gowarikar-Abhishek-Deepika film but starring real actors! It looks promising!

So, today in gossip - lots of odds and ends! Sunny Leone, Mughda Godse, Sonu Sood, Akshay Kumar... and Salman Khan!

Important Ranveer Singh update...

"Thug Le." Oh, yeah. This guy is ON FIRE! 

MONDAY GOSSIP!

GOOD MORNING! I had such a relaxing weekend! I needed to unwind after almost a solid month of birthday parties and other parties and traveling...

This week is Thanksgiving week here in America but we all know the REAL holiday to look forward to - DESI BOYZ releases on Friday! (Oops! Better update that countdown clock!) John and Akshay have been kicking their promotions into high gear so let's make some noise for the Desi Boyz! One, two, three, GO!

Now, today in gossip - Blue actress Sunny Leone signs a film; another actress is arrested for prostitution; NPR gets all condescending about Indian celebrity culture; Charmee, Kajal Agarwal, Priyanka, Ranveer, Salman, Tusshar, Vidya... and the trailer for PANJAA!

Ranveer and Sonakshi! Announce Lootera!

Lootera is going to be a period film by Vikram Motwani (Udaan.)  So, on the one hand I'm excited because it's Sonakshi and Ranveer and they look amazing together but on the other hand, Udaan was awful. 

In short, MORE PICTURES!

Sunday Gossip

Today in gossip - Blaze raps for the Power Star; Sunny Leone is going to have to fend off pervy industry men with a stick; Ranbir rumors; and...

Saturday Gossip!

Good morning/evening, everybody!

Today in gossip... Shashi Kapoor, Vidya Balan, lady goondas, and Shiney Ahuja gets some support from a fellow jail-bird...

Ek Deewana Tha trailer!

Sorry, guys, I had a little too much fun last night so no gossip today... (not that there was much happening anyways...)

But enjoy Amy Jackson and Prateik Babbar in the trailer for Ek Deewana Tha! For those who don't know her, Amy Jackson is the angrezi mem who starred opposite Arya in one of my favorites Madrasapattinam!

Why this... why this, why this kolaveri di?

OMG! Forget the crap music from Don 2, this song from upcoming film 3 is the real deal.

Thursday Gossip!

So, the only comment I've gotten on the piece I posted yesterday is somebody butthurt that I called Ra.One a flop.

Can we just all agree that while Ra.One did make quite a bit of money, it also lost money for a lot of people and, most importantly, the overriding narrative in the media is that the film is a flop. So, I'm calling it a flop, which puts it in the same boat as films I liked - Tees Maar Khan and Mangal Pandey, which made money for some people but are considered flops.

Okay, guys? I'm really not picking on the film or SRK. If you read the piece, I even say that the film was a success in reaching non-traditional audiences. Please stop trying to argue with me about box office numbers because nobody wins that game.

NOW!!! Almost 100% of gossip coverage today was about Aishwarya and her new daughter so I had to dig pretty deep but I think you'll enjoy reading today's stories...

On Making It In America: Two Case Studies...

Mera Joota Hai Japani
Yeh Patloon Englishtani
Sar Pe Laal Topi Roosi
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani


My shoes are Japanese
These trousers are English
The red hat on my head is Russian
But my heart remains Indian.

- “Mera Joota Hai Japani” from Sree 420
The last few weeks have seen a lot of discussion around my parts of the Internet on one particular topic - Ra.One.* From the mega-hype that preceded the film release to harshly divided opinion on the film itself to the shape of Shahrukh Khan’s career, there hasn’t been another film this year that has drawn so much fascinating conversation. Though I overdosed on the hype-explosion and couldn’t bring myself to actually see the film, I have been eagerly devouring all discussion on what the film means in a broader context for Bollywood.

Watch out, ladies!! Here come some Ricky Bahl promo pics!!!

One film I'm really looking forward to in the next couple of months, is Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl which appears to combine three of my favorite things - Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, and a con artist who is conned by his own heart.



Does it get better than this? No.

MORE PICTURES UNDERE HERE!

Wednesday Gossip!

Top story today... IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

Congratulations to Aishwarya, Abhishek, and their families!

Can anything else top that today? NOPE! (But I posted things, anyways...)

Making of Desi Boyz TITLE TRACK

Important Desi Boyz update....



... this video was A LOT of fun! I like that Rohit Dhawan is kind of dweeby looking... and his story about him narrating the initial film idea to Akshay over the phone is hilarious.

ALSO!! Don't miss Akshay's "sexy" pose while biting his... cricket bat. Too funny! What a ham! 

Tuesday Gossip!

Aishwarya enters the hospital; Ranbir Kapoor talks Rockstar; Sonu Sood is OUT of Dabangg 2; and without seeing the film, I suspect Nargis's character in Rockstar was a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. (Please tell me I'm wrong...)

Namitha's new film opening...

I thought this was an interesting little video for those of us who are not Indian - it catches the ceremony that takes place before the first shot of a film!

Also, it has Namitha in it, which I always approve of.

Monday Gossip

Hi, everybody!!! Did you miss me?!

I had a fantastic time in Boston, catching up with old friends and really digging into things at the Futures of Entertainment Conference. I think I bought out the MIT bookstore... or at least that's what my suitcase felt like on the way back!

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to see Rockstar but word of mouth seems to reinforce what the trailer showed - everything was great except Nargis, who kind of blows... even if she's very pretty.

NOW! Enjoy your daily dose of compiled news!! Today we some important updates on VIDYUT JAMWAL among other things...

Thursday Mini-Gossip and Mini-Vacation!

Short gossip post today but some cool new trailers posted!

I'll be in Boston at the Futures of Entertainment 2011 conference so posting will be sporadic until I return home on Monday.

Krishnanum Radhayum: The big Diwali hit?

A big thank you to one of my favorite commenters, OG, for dropping this in my mail box today:


Hey FG,

Did you read about the latest "Superstar" in Kerala?

A man called Santosh Pandit has just released a film called Krishnanum Radheyum in Kerala with no prior experience and made with a paltry budget of 5 lakhs.

While all other producers decided to hold back their films for Diwali, this man released his film in 3 theatres in Cochin.

The film is spectacularly bad that it is awesome.... and it has been running houseful ever since. People are queuing up to see how bad the film is........

Watch out LADIES - it's Ricky Bahl!

Oh my GOD! This looks like a lot of fun! Ranveer Singh is sooo charming. 


(I would totally fall for that act.)

Wednesday Gossip!

Today in gossip - Shiney Ahuja pretends audiences are dying to see a new film from the guy who brought you Hijack; Shahrukh Khan is under fire for accounting that's not quite "cricket"; and some other stuff! Like Vidya Balan dancing!

Sonakshi Sinha on M

I don't understand how stylists continually fail to capitalize on Sonakshi Sinha's beauty. What on Earth is going on here? It looks like she's in a 1970s log cabin porn shoot waiting for her beau to unfurl the bear skin rug.

Tuesday Gossip!

Today in gossip - Rules for media coverage of the Littlest B; the worst interview ever with Anushka Sharma; an exciting new role for TABU; and... some other stuff!

Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge: A Breath of Fresh Air!

All hail our Google overlords for getting into the business of streaming current Indian films!

Needing an antidote to the overly-hyped, overly-picked apart, and now swiftly deflating Diwali film season of 2011, I decided to see if there was anything tempting available in Youtube’s new rental storefront. There was - Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, a small budget, small scale, under-publicized college rom-com that released to moderately positive reviews in October. Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge is the second release from Yash Raj Films’ new Y-Films division, whose tagline “Rock the Youth” spells out both their target demographic and their stylistic sensibilities.

[We can define “rock” as meaning “not filmi” and “youth” meaning “our college-going characters are played by actors who could actually be college students, not by 40+ year old Heroes.”]

New song trailer for Ladies VS Ricky Bahl!

This deserved its own post! I'm really looking forward to this movie... Anushka looks just smashing!

Monday Gossip!

GOOD MORNING! I hope everybody had as much fun this weekend as I did!

OKAY! Today in gossip - assorted odds and ends! 3D; Metallica; Akshay, Deepika, Abhishek... and a pretty new song from Atif Aslam and Shreya Ghoshal.

Saturday Gossip!

Today in gossip - some odds and ends. Dev Anand. Amitabh. I'm too tired to write more...

JOHN AND AKSHAY HAVE A DANCE OFF!

Forget product tie-ins and carpet bombing television chat shows. THIS is how you promote a film to Filmi Girl - by having your lead actors in dance off for my amusement.



WHO ARE YOU GOING TO VOTE FOR?! (Hint: The correct answer is Akshay.)

Friday Gossip!

Another week, another Friday! Two Hindi films releasing today are the Suniel Shetty-Govinda-Javed Jaffrey-Mimoh couldn't they have just gotten his father instead Chakraborty starrer Loot and the one with the kid who can't act but has a politician father and always-for-hire (but I love her anyways) Kangana Ranaut.

Yeah. Thankfully, neither are headed towards me and I'll hopefully get a chance to see Velayutham instead.

NOW! Today in gossip Vidya Balan talks Silk Smitha; Govinda explains why he hated politics; ZOMG the media created a Salman-Aamir-SRK feud; and more!

Thursday Gossip!

Today in gossip - item songs, lavish songs, and concert songs all under discussion. Sex scenes, the lungi ban, and Silk Smitha's brother files suit...

Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic: Bahut Suckage

In Hollywood, there is process known as “test screening,” in which a film studio shows an unfinished film to a series of audiences and makes changes to the film based on audience reactions. While the studio’s goal is to craft a film that is exactly what the viewing audience would like to see, the actual results are more varied. Cutting an emotionally charged reprise of Somewhere Over the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz certainly didn’t affect the film’s box office gross or status as a beloved children’s film - although it certainly would have added more pathos to the film - but for every positive or neutral tweak made courtesy of a test screening, there is a film like 28 Days Later or Blade Runner which gets a disconcertingly happy ending tacked on to an otherwise bleak film because (surprise) bleak endings test negatively. Of course nobody likes to feel bad but there is a catharsis in the emotion that delivers a longer lasting satisfaction than a slap-dash happy ending - which is not to bash happy endings but to illustrate that giving audiences what they think they want is not always a good idea.

Wednesday Gossip!

Today! Two interesting takes on The Film.

Let me preface this by saying that I'm in no way "bashing" this movie. Am I going around saying it's terrible and nobody should see it? No. Does Salman rule and SRK drool? Perhaps, but we all have our own opinions on the matter and mine is no more valid than anybody else's.

In short, enjoying discussion about a film and what it means doesn't equal "bashing" and just because I haven't seen the film doesn't mean I can't have an opinion on the issues it raises. When filmmakers go to the trouble of trumpeting their movie as a "game changer for Hindi film" then I think it is fair game to discuss it - you can't take back that claim afterwards with "but it was just an entertaininer so don't analyze it."

Anyways - the two pieces:

The first is from blogger Dolce and Namak who picks up on something I noticed, too, in 7aum Arivu - that the addition of superpowers makes the "human" hero weak, which goes against the grain of traditional masala. I was reminded a bit of the scene in Love Story 2050 where Harman Baweja uses parkour to escape of gang of Australian punks instead of just dishooming them like a normal hero would. It was incredibly frustrating to watch because it felt so wrong to see him running from the rowdies. Sure, it's not "realistic" for a hero to be able to punch a billion guys into smithereens but it's part of the masala trope. One of the things I liked about K.V. Anand's Ko was that Jeeva - though fairly naturalistic in many other ways - still dishoomed the HECK out of some bad guys. *crack* *pow* *zap*

The second piece is from Satyamshot who talks about what it means to be "keeping up" with Hollywood and following his logic, it does make sense that most of the really glowing reviews have come from Western critics, who perhaps recognize something in the storytelling.

Anyways, today in gossip - casting news, rock purists, and Salman Khan loves... *guess who*

Tuesday Gossip!

I feel like a fresh breeze is blowing in off the coast... wiping away all bad memories of overly-hyped films...


Today in gossip - Maddy and Arya! Arshad Warsi! Vidya Balan! Other people I like!