Dear Bollywood, Have You Gone Mad?

I walked through Loew’s theaters about a month ago and was surprised to see Indian Cinema posters in the aisles. Kareena and Saif for the movie Kurban, what a match! I thought it might be some twisted love story and boy was I wrong.

I’m not one to read reviews , I feel it spoils the movie. So off I went with my husband, excited to catch our first Bollywood flick in theaters since our wedding. I wanted to convince him that a three hour spicy cinematic was just what we needed on our Saturday evening outing.

So the movie began with a quick developing romance between the two, great. They move into a new town in New York where they are greeted by a quiet Muslim family, great. The family turns out to be women oppressing lunatics who take no shame in honor killings- WHAT?!

So here is where my disappointment began. I’ve seen Bollywood movies which build on the sad and untrue sterotypes of how other’s see Muslims since the so called “War on Terrorism.” Though I thought perhaps over some time, plots would evolve and Bollywood as big as it is would use it’s influence to create tolerance and understanding between groups- not breed scare and hatred.

Throughout the rest of the movie, the story became all the more cynical. Older characters tried to preach the so called “justification” of suicide bombers, Saif Ali Khan himself played the most wanted bomber on the scene.

Everyone says that as Muslims, we have to create a movement to build tolerance and friendship among other groups. That our image has been tarnished due to people who take the name of religion in their wrong doings. Fine, as Muslims we’ll stand up. But how effective will we be, for instance in India, where Bollywood is driving us against the grain.

In a country where there is a history of clash between religions and peace between the Hindus and Muslims is still a long time coming- what justifies an image of a cynical portrayal of Islam? For the sake of stirring up controversy to drive box office hits Bollywood has aimed to duplicate the tension that already exists.

I can appreciate flair and creativity in movies, however when it is used to exploit the difficulties of recent global agendas, I am not in favor. Stand up Bollywood for all of the good things you can bring to the table. Grasp a difficult situation and use your stage to promote peace and tolerance. Make our three hour spicy cinematic worth the watch on a Saturday evening.

Puppy for Parminder’s New Baby

http://www.usmagazine.com/news/er-parminder-nagra-welcomes-baby-boy-2009275

Interesting choice of name, no?

I love the blend of cultural heritage….

A Tribute To Bollywood’s Cowboy-Feroze Khan

 By Amreena Khan/Thaakat Foundation.

 

                  As a person who grew up during the era of 90s, you wouldn’t expect me to be a fan of Feroz Khan. You’d probably see me as more of a Khan Trio (Aamir, Salman, and Shahrukh) fan. Which I am. But I must admit, I do enjoy some of “Older Bollywood” too. Feroz Khan was one of my favorite actors from this older generation of actors. He had a sense of flamboyance, yet still so much class. You couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his antics and appearances.

 

Like most of the world, I was shocked to hear that Feroz Khan passed away, after his prolonged battle with cancer. It hadn’t even seemed that long ago that I found out about his illness. Cancer is always a hard thing to handle. But to handle it as a celebrity or public figure, just seems even more difficult. I can only imagine what the Khan family had been going through in such a tough time.  

 

Feroz Khan started his career in the sixties( Much before I was even born) with fun adventure movies like Tarzan Goes to India, he then moved to more stylish action and spy movies such as CID 909 and Tasveer . His peak came perhaps in International Crook as Police Inspector Rajesh. His trademark was that his on-screen name was often Rajesh or Rakesh.  Most of my generation will remember him from a more recent film, Welcome, with Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Mallika Sherawat which was his last appearance in Bollywood film. He was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year at an award ceremony, which caused an emotional reaction for many people in the Film Industry.

 

It makes me sad that I won’t see him at any award functions, events, or even films anymore. But I guess part of the battle is losing some, and gaining some. His son, actor Fardeen Khan certainly  has a reputation to live up to, but he’s in a league of his own, and he’ll get there eventually.

 

May He Rest In Peace.

The Six Degrees of Amitabh Bachchan

By: Amreena Khan

There is a popular game known as Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. The premise of the game is to link any actor to Kevin Bacon in less than six links. I thought of making a Bollywood version of the same game. Who better to be the head of this game than the man who has pretty much worked with almost everybody from past and present, Amitabh Bachchan? So now…here goes the Six Degrees of Amitabh Bachchan. In honor of the man this game is named after, the first star we’ll link to the Big B is Kevin Bacon. Here it goes…..

Kevin Bacon starred with Kelly Preston in Death Sentence. Kelly Preston starred with Colin Firth in What a Girl Wants. Colin Firth starred with Aishwarya Rai in The Last Legion. Aishwarya Rai starred with Amitabh Bachchan in Khakee and other films, not to mention being his daughter-in-law.

Now we’d like to link a man from Hollywood who is a big fan of Bollywood-Will Smith to Amitabh Bachchan. Will Smith and Angelina Jolie both provide their voices for the animated film Shark Tale. Angelina Jolie starred with Irrfan Khan in A Mighty Heart. Irrfan Khan starred with Tabu in The Namesake. Tabu starred with Amitabh Bachchan in Cheeni Kum.

We want to see how one of the promising newcomers in the industry is related to the Big B- Neil Nitin Mukesh to Amitabh Bachchan. Neil Nitin Mukesh starred with Rimi Sen in Johnny Gaddar. Rimi Sen starred with Abhishek Bachchan in the Dhoom series. Abhishek Bachchan starred with Amitabh Bachchan in Sarkar and other films, along with being his son.

Now we shall link two of the giants of the industry who have never worked together- Aamir Khan to Amitabh Bachchan.Aamir Khan was directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi in Andaz Apna Apna. Raj Kumar Santoshi directed Sunny Deol in movies like Damini, Ghayal, and Ghatak. Sunny Deol starred with Dharmendra in Apne. Dharmendra starred with Amitabh Bachchan in Sholay and other films.

Now we want to link the woman who many believe is the female Big B- Madhuri Dixit to Amitabh Bachchan. Madhuri Dixit starred with Anil Kapoor in Beta and many other films. Anil Kapoor is the father of Sonam Kapoor. Sonam Kapoor was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Saawariya. Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed Amitabh Bachchan in Black.

It is time for the musical phenomenon to be linked with the Godfather- Himesh Reshammiya to Amitabh Bachchan.Himesh Reshammiya starred with Hansika Motwani in Aap Ka Suroor. Hansika Motwani starred with Hrithik Roshan in Koi Mil Gaya. Hrithik Roshan starred with Amitabh Bachchan in Lakshya.

Kal Penn in the “Real” House

By: Uzma Bawany/Thaakat@gmail.com

Who is Kal Penn? If you are a true desi you know that he was the beloved quirky character from “American Desi.” It was there that we all fell in love with his eccentric humor and we were delighted to see him again on the screen for “Harold and Kumar Go to White castle.”

If you haven’t seen these, you are surely missing more than just a few good laughs. So were we surprised when he landed a role on one of the most prestigious shows on television recently? Not really. Were we surprised that he has been offered a role at the White House to serve as Asian support liason? Not really.

Penn was one of the many who were part of the large party of Hollywood stars and executives who went beyond fundraising for Obama and hit the campaign trail on his behalf during the run-up to the Democratic National Convention.

Penn gets the people and the people love him, he initially joined the campaign trail in an attempt to get the younger voters involved in the upcoming election.

It easy to leave the role of Dr. Lawrence Kut- ner on the hit Fox series, “House”, Penn said. “I was having a great time” on the show, Penn said during the conference call. “The word I still use to describe it is bittersweet. It’s not like I’m retiring from acting; I certainly intend to come back at some point. Right now, I just felt like my calling was in public service.”

So Bravo to Kal Penn and cheers to his future successes! Watch out for more news on him while he wins over hearts and laughs in the “Real” House.

Where Did These Stars Come From?

By: Amreena Khan/ Thaakat@gmail.com

Most of us know that stardom may come with luck and the right connections. Even though that may be the case for many of the stars in Bollywood, there are some have worked their way up the ladder of success. Here’s a look at some of some of those stars!

Shahrukh Khan
This may be common knowledge to most of you by now ; however, it still amazes everyone. The King Khan many struggles before being declared the Badshah of Bollywood. Before making his debut on the big screen in Deewana, SRK appeared in several television serials. SRK’s life story brings hope to all actors struggling to make it big. If he can do it then there is no reason someone else with the same amount of talent (and of course, luck) cannot

Akshay Kumar
This is one actor who has worked hard and has climbed a very long ladder to reach where he is today. But, prior to stardom, he has studied martial arts in Bangkok. And more surprisingly, his occupation at the time was a chef. Yes, you read right, the action hero we know today was the king of taste buds on a cruise ship!

Ritesh Deshmukh
Many don’t know that Ritesh also has a very serious side to him. Qualified as an architect, he has studied architecture in New York City. However acting was forever on his mind because, even while he was practicing architecture, he studied acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.
John Abraham

To many people’s surprise, the dashing actor started off his career with media planning with a firm called “Time & Space Entertainment Promotion LTD” which closed down due to financial difficulties. Later on he joined “Enterprises Nexus”. It was when he was working at Enterprises Nexus that he got the chance to model; a model had backed out and his boss suggested he fill in. And the rest like they say is history

Shahid Kapoor

The young actor whose first movie, Ishq Vishk, was actually seen prior to his launch as a background extra in Subhash Ghai’s Taal (Kahin Aag Lage sequence). Also before making his big debut, Shahid was seen in a Pepsi advertisement alongside Shah Rukh and Rani. But wait there’s more! He also featured in some music videos!

Soha Ali Khan
Since she hails from a “filmi” family, you wouldn’t expect Soha to have thought of a career apart from movies. But we were wrong! After graduating from The London School of Economics and Political Science with a masters in International Relations, Soha worked for the Ford Foundation (charitable organisation in NY to promote democracy) and Citibank. Along with acting, she serves on the Advisory Board for a new public entrepreneur group, Res Publica. I bet that’s something most of you didn’t know!
Mallika Sherawat
She’s one of the most talked about actresses of Indian cinema today. However it comes to everyone’s surprise when they discover the nature of her first profession. Prior to pursuing her acting career, Mallika was serving tea and coffee on planes. Yes, she was an air hostess! This woman is forever full of surprises!

The stars described above show that it is possible to reach stardom through talent, hard work and sheer determination alone!

Shah Rukh Khan & His New Muse

By: Amreena Khan

Shah Rukh Khan is known for never uttering a bad word about anyone. In fact, he is always full of praise and gratitude to God, his family, co-stars, friends and of course, his loyal fan base. The same is for his new muse, the twenty year old Anushka Sharma. In a recent interview, he was all praise for the debutant. “To be really honest, when I met Anushka I felt that she’s got an amazing amount of confidence, she’s a very pretty girl,” he said.

After working in the industry for over a decade now, Shah Rukh believes that working with the fresh new talent helps him improve his acting skills too.”I think I am from a different generation and maybe I am getting a little old fangled, maybe I am getting what people call stylized and mannerised in my acting,” he explained. He believes that Sharma helped him by being different. “I would say she has kept me on my toes and I think she has done a wonderful job because we really needed a new character for this film.”

The promotions had been cut down to a minimum for the last two weeks as the Chopra-Khan tag team did not feel it was correct to publicize their movie with such hoo-haa when the country was mourning over the latest 26/11 attacks.

What’s with the secretive lifestyle of Aditya Chopra, does he really exist?  Of course he laughs before replies, ” He’s always busy with work. He comes back home from work after midnight, at one o’clock maybe and plays games till five in the morning…I know him the best, but Karan knows him best of all”

SRK is always full of great answers, and definitely knows how to keep his audiences hooked! Well, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is now out ladies and gentlemen. So do watch it and see if SRK has done justice to his maiden solo release this year.

Exclusive Interview with Farhan Akhtar!

By: Amreena Khan/Conducted by Mariya Saeed

Farhan Akhtar is a name instantly recognized in Bollywood. In his short career as a director, he has covered many different genres of films. He impressed the Indian film industry when he wrote and also directed his debut film, Dil Chahta Hai. Farhan also took on the war genre and showcased a brilliant performance by Hrithik Roshan in Lakshya. Then, he shocked everyone with Don, a remake of the 1978 film but with an unexpected twist. Now he’s at it again – this time as an actor and singer! Like audiences around the world, get ready to rock with Farhan and the gang as he appears in the film Rock On!! Released Last Friday!

In an exclusive interview with a Thaakat member, this young talent talks about his experience of acting and singing, along with what’s in store for his future films.

Farhan, we’re all wondering… what was your reaction when you were asked to not only play a rock star in Rock On!! but to also sing for the album?
I was excited yet apprehensive. It is one thing to play guitar at home and sing along with friends and something else to do it professionally in a studio. But it being a requirement for the script and the director… I decided to give it my best shot.

What was your first shot and were you nervous? How did it go? Also, what motivation did you use to get into your character?
The first scene we shot was the opening scene of the movie… the band members in their rehearsal pad. By then we had hung out enough and rehearsed and read enough to feel quite comfortable about being together… so it went by without much fuss. I was a bit nervous, yes, but that nervousness was there every day of the shoot and I am glad since it helps you stay focused.

Having lent your vocals to the film, which track do you think you have sung the best?
The one I feel most glad to have managed to sing is ‘Tum ho Toh’ since it was the most difficult of the lot.

How does it feel to sing in front of the audiences at the concerts and how is it different from shooting the concert scenes for the movie?
Actually, both were equally fantastic! Reason being that I had in fact sung the songs. So it was a totally real experience each time we performed.

Did you have to stop yourself from taking control of the movie because you’re a director by nature or did you slip into the actor mode quite comfortably?
Abhishek was well in control of the situation at all times and I never felt the need to step on his toes. He was very clear about how he saw things and I respected that in him.

What do you find more challenging: acting, singing or directing? Which is the most satisfying of the three and what do you feel most comfortable doing?
I have had a great time doing and learning from all three aspects of film making. The challenges they pose are different but the satisfaction of seeing it all come together organically in the film is what it is all about.

You have directed Arjun Rampal before but how was it different sharing screen space with him?
He is a selfless co-actor. He gives a lot and in turn you feel like giving him the same response. His performance in this movie is probably the best of his career thus far.

All of your films have been supported by the compositions of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy including Rock On!! What sort of relationship do you share with them?
We are friends first. Professionals second. The only time I feel completely relaxed when making a film is when I am in the studio with them, surrounded by their creativity and their sense of humour.

What do you think of Bollywood films today? Do you think Indian audiences will accept a film like Rock On!!?
They already are accepting good stories and that is what Rock On!! is at the end of the day… an emotionally powerful story. I have no doubt that it will connect with people of all kinds.

Which projects of yours are we going to be seeing on screen in the next few years, whether it’s an acting or directorial venture?
Luck By Chance, directed by Zoya Akhtar (Farhan’s sister) would be my next release as an actor. Voice from the Sky and Don 2 will be my next directorial films. As a producer there is Reema Kagti’s next and Abhinay Deo (prolific ad film maker) will be joining us at Excel. These are a few of the projects lined up over the next year.

And finally, the movie hasn’t yet released and girls are already going crazy over you. How do you respond to all this admiration?
Thank you for all the love. It gives me the courage to carry on doing what I believe in. Rock On!!

Thank you so much, Farhan! We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to give us such wonderful answers. We wish you the best for Rock On!! and all your future projects. We have always loved your work and hope that you continue bringing such unique cinema to the film industry as a director, actor and singer.