Toh baat sucky

I had once declared great faith in Tabu's ability to be as much of a man as our heroes. But her latest film proves that while she might be a fantastic actress, she really isn't an Akshay Kumar.

Toh Baat Pakki works like a Priyadarsha drama devoid of the outrageous plot and the utterly watchable hero, and we're served up a bland, preposterously dated 'comedy' with lame jokes and little to laugh at.

Director Kedar Shinde tries hard to channel the wholesome humour of comedies like those of Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, elaboratey stagey pieces of extremely family-friendly fare. But what he doesn't realise is that those films were masterpieces of plot and dialogue, and that just having people smile a lot doesn't make up for the complete lack of a script.

Sharman Joshi -- described in the film as 'tall, fair, and muscular,' prompting the question of whether he himself had a part to play in the dialogue writing -- is a fine actor but is here given a conventional hero role so basic it feels like a caricature. He wears tight t-shirts and looks soulfully into the distance, and one can't help but wait for some sort of punchline. Like in most of the film, none arrives to save the day.

The boys -- Joshi and a clueless Vatsal Seth -- are clearly in the film only to play off Tabu, who plays elder sister to the bovine and apparently eligible Uvika Choudhary in a town where every boy shares the Saxena surname, just like Tabu and her husband, a likeable but equally daft Ayub Khan.

Tabu herself can't help being a good actress. But she clearly doesn't have the wherewithal to rescue a script this weak, loaded down with bad lines and a very weakly written character. She manages to amuse for maybe a minute or two in a film that seems far longer than its two hour running time. To be fair to the stunning lady, though -- even Akshay'd have trouble with a turkey like this.

Bollywood's Richest Actor

The fast, furious and fleeting appearance of King Khan in Gurgaon takes the revellers' breath away. Even more breathtaking, however, is that SRK flew back to Mumbai the next morning, richer, reportedly by Rs 5 crore that was paid for his 10-minute cameo.

By: Dhiman Chattopadhyay and Anusha Subramanian (Business Today)

December 31, 2009: Time: Close to the witching hour. Location: A party hotspot in Gurgaon on New Delhi's outskirts to which a city-based gutkha baron has invited hundreds of celebrities and wannabes to usher in the New Year. A string of performers-from singer Shankar Mahadevan to starlets such as Minissha Lamba-strut their stuff. Suddenly, out of nowhere emerges an eminently recognisable bundle of nervous energy-a certain Shah Rukh Khan. He jokes, shakes a leg and does a quick song-and-dance routine. The fast, furious and fleeting appearance of the 44-year-old Badshah of Bollywood takes the revellers' breath away. Even more breathtaking, however, is that SRK flew back to Mumbai the next morning, richer, reportedly by Rs 5 crore that was paid for his 10-minute cameo.

November 2009: SRK is shooting a new ad for direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Dish TV-a film in which SRK as a senior citizen relives his romantic heydays thanks to the pictures beamed by Dish TV on the telly. Between shots he quizzes company COO Salil Kapoor on the DTH business, and is keen to know how it works. He also doesn't lose the opportunity to tell the agency, McCann Erickson, that the ad was conceptualised by him. "But what impressed me most was his knowledge of consumer behaviour and marketing. He could easily give a lecture at an IIM on the subject," says Kapoor. The ad is shot over three days after which SRK walks away with a Rs 7-crore cheque.

February 12, 2010: My Name is Khan, produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, is slated for release. The story of an autistic Mumbai Muslim who marries a Hindu could add some Rs 10 crore to SRK's kitty if audiences lap it up. Eleven days prior to this, Shah Rukh rang the opening bell at the New York-based NASDAQ stock exchange, an honour usually reserved for CEOs.

February 26: Discovery Travel and Living's 10-part series, Living with a Superstar-Shah Rukh Khan, will go on air. The biggest Indian show on TV, with a budget of nearly Rs 20 crore, delves into different shades of SRK's life: As a father, a husband, a businessman, and of course, an entertainer. SRK personally will not earn much from this show. Red Chillies Idiot Box, an arm of SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment, which is co-producing the show, stands to gain much of the spoils. Discovery has already sold all ad inventories for this show.

Every step he takes, every move he makes, somebody's out there watching him-and somebody's out there willing to pay a small fortune to see him perform. Whether he's acting, or endorsing a brand, or just being himself at an awards ceremony, SRK mints money. And let's not forget the company he owns along with wife Gauri: Red Chillies Entertainment, which has diversified into highgrowth areas of entertainment like visual effects, television commercials, television programming, in addition to the mainstay of film-making. Put all these interests together and you have a superstar with a net worth of roughly Rs 1,500 crore, making him arguably Bollywood's richest star.

Bollywood's Richest Actor

THE Rs 1,500* cr HERO

BRAND ENDORSEMENTS : Rs 238 cr, 34 brands; charges Rs 7 crore for each

SHOWS AND EVENTS: Rs 75 cr

ACTING IN FILMS: Rs 12 cr Per film or a share of the profit

RED CHILLIES ENTERTAINMENT (Including Kolkata Knight Riders): Rs 500 cr

MISC. ASSETS: Rs 10 cr Includes luxury cars, designer watches, etc.

REAL ESTATE: Rs 650 cr Includes homes in Mumbai, London and Dubai, and other real estate investments

* Estimates based on sources such as TAM, www.mca.gov.in, and industry sources.

'3 Babes In Bikinis' With Action Kumar!

Get a load of this! Three hot(tt) gals: Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta and Jiah Khan, are all enacting Akshay Kumar's wives in 'Housefull'! Furthermore, the trio of beauties will all… get set to drool now… show up onscreen in bikinis. ;))))))).

Sajid Nadiadwala's flick has also aided in cementing the bond between the actresses. "Lara and I are both from Bangalore, and so there was camaraderie from day one," reveals Deepika in a tabloid inter phew.

"We come from similar backgrounds," states Lara in a media chat, "Like me, Deepika too was a model in Bangalore, so that was the common factor." Jiah, they aver, is the baby, and the duo are usually busy mollycoddling the saucy Khan.

Flashing a thigh, showing some cleavage, revealing skin… are all fine with the 'Housefull' girls. Presently, we're just 'Housefull' with anticipation….

Raju Hirani refuses to edit KITES

There seems to be no end to the troubles of filmmaker Rakesh Roshan who is busy with the final edit of his upcoming film KITES.
It's learnt that Roshan who wants the best deal for his film, approached Raj Kumar Hirani to edit his film KITES, but the celebrated director who is basking in the success of his latest release 3 IDIOTs could not entertain the request. Reportedly, Hirani will be flying out of the country and start work on his upcoming films with Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

KITES, which is slated to release in May this year seems to be getting delayed since the edit of the film is not yet complete.

Katrina Out ! Fatrina In?

Yoooo hooooo ….. it's a great one for the tabloids!! Reportedly, Fatrina, er sorry, Zarine Khan of 'Veer' will replace …. Katrina Kaif, in the sequel to 'Partner!!' Expectedly, both director David Dhawan and Lady Khan have been making the right evasive sounds and dodging the incendiary issue.


The shirtless Khan has made his fondness known for his lead Khan in no uncertain terms. "He said that I was destiny's child since I was chosen for 'Veer' over so many other girls." gushed an awed Zarine to the media. "I'd heard about Salman being short tempered, but not once did he lose his cool with me! Though I must confess that I was really scared of facing his anger." Guess, Katrina might do the honours now ….

Female Dostana?: Deepika Deadpan, Ghoshal Giggles…

On a musical note, vocalist Shreya Ghoshal who adores Deepika Padukone, sang a few lines from 'tumko paaya hai..' ('Om Shanti Om') adorably.

And confessed on the musical show, "Had I been a boy, you would have been my first and last love."

An amused Mika declare that the duo could well star in a female version of 'Dostana.' Ghoshal giggled, though Deepika remained deadpan. Are you tuned in, Karan ?

MNIK: After record opening comes the slump

My Name is Khan opened with a bang at the box office, earning a whopping Rs 85 crores (US $18m), but it saw a drop in business from Monday as the word of the mouth was not good enough to sustain the film.

Though many critics loved it and so did the classes, the masses overall seem to be in a rejection mode.

Says Komal Nahta, Bollywood trade analyst, "On the whole, My Name Is Khan is far from entertaining and also too boring for the general masses. For the heavy budget at which it has been made, it will keep its worldwide distributors (Fox Searchlight) in the red. Business in big cities, especially in South India [ Images ], Muslim centres and overseas will be better but it will be below the mark in North India as also in smaller centres and single-screen cinemas. It may be appreciated by the class audience but the masses will reject the film."

The buzz for the film was huge ever since the controversy between Shah Rukh Khan [ Images ] and Shiv Sena [ Images ] broke out.

Sena supremo Bal Thackeray [ Images ] demanded that Shah Rukh Khan apologise to the nation after he said in a press conference that he wished if Pakistani players could play in IPL 3.

This created a furore and Thackeray ordered Shiv Sainiks to see that the film was not released in Mumbai [ Images ] and Maharashtra [ Images ].

The police gave extra protection to almost every theatre and multiplex for a peaceful screening and amidst tension people came out in hordes to watch the film in Mumbai as well as other parts of the country.

"The curiosity value is over, it seems. The picture has suffered a considerable drop in collections on Monday," said Vinod Mirani, another Bollywood trade analyst.

Added Amod Mehra, another trade analyst, "At this moment, it appears the film will not be able to recover the cost because it has been sold at a high price."

Asked about critics loving the film and some of them even giving five stars rating, Mehra said, "Earlier there were paid previews of the film, now there is paid review of the film."

When Shabana Azmi tried to kill herself

The English version of Shaukat Azmi's Urdu book Kaifi & I was recently launched by the author's grand-niece, Tabu. Translated by Nasreen Rehman, the book is a beautiful take on Shaukat's journey with late poet husband Kaifi Azmi, and includes the lives of their children Shabana Azmi and Baba Azmi.

We present excerpts from the book.

When Muzaffar Ali started work on Umrao Jaan (1981) he offered me Khanam's role. I was more interested in playing Umrao's mother, but Subhashini who was Muzaffar's wife at the time, impressed upon me that Umrao's mother is a lackluster and helpless woman whereas Khanam who is a strong, autonomous and impressive woman is a far more interesting character to portray.

I am glad I took Subhashini's advice because to this day I get praise for my performance as Khanam, a worldly woman who runs the premiere salon of courtesans in Lucknow. In fact, after watching the film Kaifi told Subhashini, 'Shaukat is so convincing as Khanam that had I seen the film before I married her I would have investigated her family tree!'

Meet the world's youngest Microsoft certified Systems Engineer

Marko Calasan (R) attends class at his elementary school in Skopje. Macedonia, which hopes to transform itself into a regional tech centre, could not be more proud of nine-year-old Marko Calasan, who recently became one of the world's youngest Microsoft Certified System Engineers.

Hailing from Skopje, in Macedonia, Marko already works for a non-profit organization as a systems administrator remotely maintaining their office network. Popularly referred to as the 'Mozart of Computers' by the local press, Marko dreams of becoming a computer scientist.

Born to IT professionals, Marko enjoys solving complex computer engineering problems and voicing his views in online forums for computer professionals during leisure hours.

'I never dreamt of becoming an actress'

Tabu is such an elusive actress that pinning her for an interview is next to impossible.

But thanks to her upcoming movie, Toh Baat Paki, where she plays a conniving woman eager to marry off her sister to the best suitor, Patcy N got a chance to quiz the actress.

Read on as Tabu sheds light on her comeback film, her views on today's women and what she does in her spare time.

We're seeing you after a long time. What have you been upto?

I caught up on my sleep, met friends, travelled, read and wrote a lot, and fiddled with photography. I also did a Telugu film.

Why don't we see more of you in movies?

For me to say yes to a movie a lot of requirements need to be met. The role, story, cast, producer etc should all be good. I never compromise on these things.

Zinta and Dhoni coming together for Emami

New Delhi: Indian captain MS Dhoni and bollywood actress Preity Zinta, will be soon seen together in a TV commercial. The Emami group has picked the two star performers as it's brand ambassadors. Though, Zinta (Kings XI Punjab) and Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings) are archrivals in the the Indian Premier League, but both of them shall share the same frame for the upcoming advertisement.

Preity Zinta is excited on her new venture with MSD. The actress has tweeted, "We are shooting a commercial for Emami. It is a real fun commercial I must confess."

"They (Dhoni and Zinta) have been signed up to endorse the brand of edible oils that we will be launching on February 19," Emami Director, Mr Aditya Agrawal, told agency.

The celebrities have been signed up for a period of up to three years, he added. Mr Agrawal, however, declined to share details regarding fees paid to the stars or the brand name of the edible oil range that will be launched by group firm, Emami Biotech Ltd.

Source: India Syndicate/PTI

Aamir's father Tahir Hussain passes away

Aamir Khan's father -- filmmaker-writer Tahir Hussain -- passed away this morning following a cardiac arrest at Aamir's Bandra residence, in the suburban area of Mumbai.

'He had a massive heart attack. Aamir and Kiran, who are in Los Angeles, are flying back. The funeral is likely to be held tomorrow evening,' sources said.

Tahir is best known as the producer of blockbusters like Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), Zakhmee (1975), Anamika (1973) and Caravan (1973). He had also directed Aamir and Juhi Chawla in his only directorial outing, Tum Mere Ho in 1990.

Not many know that he had acted in a couple of films like Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, and Pyar Ka Mausam.

Tahir Hussain started his film career in 1957 as an assistant director to his brother Nasir in films like Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Dil Deke Dekho.

He is survived by his wife Zeenat, sons Aamir and Faisal and daughters Farhat and Nikhat.

Aamir, who is in the US with wife Kiran Rao to attend the Sundance Film Festival where his film Peepli Live was premiered, is expected to arrive by tomorrow.

'People shouldn't remember me for my link-ups'

You've got to admire Deepika Padukone's poise.

The young actress manages to maintain a dignified air despite questions about her break-up with Ranbir Kapoor.

It helps too that she has films to keep her busy. After romancing Saif Ali Khan in Love Aaj Kal last year, the leggy actress is concentrating on her upcoming movie Karthik Calling Karthik opposite Farhan Akhtar. The film releases on February 26.

Syed Firdaus Ashraf caught up with Deepika for more.

Your rocking chemistry with Farhan in the promos has become the talk of the town.

Certain people can hit it off instantly. Either you have it or you don't. I never gave much thought to the whole thing. When Farhan and I were working, we never noticed [the chemistry]. It was after the promos came out and people started commenting on it that we noticed it.

Sometimes, the most unusual pairings work. The script plays a part too when it creates moments for such chemistry to come to the fore.

What is Karthik Calling Karthik about?

It is a romantic thriller about Karthik's journey. His life changes after receiving a call from another person whose name is also Karthik. It is also about Karthik's journey with Shonali [Deepika's character in the film].

I play a Bengali girl, born and brought up in Mumbai. She is independent and confident; a modern girl of today. She speaks her mind and is sensible yet emotional and loveable.

Is that your life story since you come from Bangalore and have now settled in Mumbai?

In a way, it is. But Shonali is the one who takes the first step, which is not the case with me.

Image: A scene from Karthik Calling Karthik

Why SRK wears clean socks all the time!

Six months after he was detained for two hours for questioning at the Newark Liberty International Airport, Shah Rukh Khan returned to the New York-tristate area on Monday to ring the opening bell at NASDAQ, the world's largest exchange company that delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across the globe.

Shah Rukh and his co-star and Kajol in the film, My Name Is Khan, became the first Indian actors to ring the bell. The movie's director Karan Johar, who Shah Rukh said is spending sleepless nights in Mumbai giving the final touches to the film, could not be there for the historic occasion.

"It was an honour to India and not just to us but we are nevertheless very happy that Fox Searchlight (which is distributing My Name Is Khan worldwide) made it happen," Shah Rukh said.

Dozens of movie fans turned up for the event, waiting outside the Times Square NASDAQ area to catch a glimpse of Kajol and Shah Rukh.

The stock exchange bell is rung in the morning and the evening. Busness leaders across the world, statesmen, head of governments and leaders of organisations fighting cancer or any other life-threatening disease are invited for the honour. India's Consul General in New York Prabhu Dayal, for instance, has rung the closing bell at the exchange, which lists seven Indian companies with a market capitalisation of $35 billion.

Rubbing noses with Sonam Kapoor

A traditional Maori welcome awaited Sonam Kapoor when she arrived in Queenstown, New Zealand, for filming Dharma Productions' latest film, I Hate Luv Storys.

The actress was welcomed with a greeting Hongi, which was done by rubbing noses together.

Sonam arrived before the crew for a photoshoot with fashion magazine L'Officiel. This photoshoot was executed by Fashion Director of L'Officiel Ami Patel and photographer Darren Centofanti.

The film is due for release in May.

Image: Sonam Kapoor with a Maori native

A R Rahman bags two trophies at the Grammy Awards

Los Angeles, Feb 1 (PTI) Indian music maestro A R Rahman struck gold once again, bagging two trophies at the 52nd Grammy Awards here for his music in ''Slumdog Millionaire''. The composer, who has already won a Golden Globe and two Academy awards, registered win in both the categories he was nominated for.

Rahman, 44, was the earliest winner in the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture category and picked up another trophy for his song "Jai Ho" in the best motion picture song category moments later. "This is insane, God is great again," an elated Rahman said while accepting the golden gramophones.

Rahman beat Steve Jordan for "Cadillac Records," Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds", the producers of "Twilight" and "True Blood" to bag the award in the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture category. In the best song category Rahman''s rivals included Bruce Springsteen for his song "The Wrestler," from the Oscar-nominated movie of the same name.

Rahman''s Grammy win was similar to his triumph at the Oscars last year where he picked up the best original score statuette before winning the Oscar for ''Jai Ho'', which has become an international anthem. It is Rahman''s first Grammy.

The other Indians who have won the award, known as the Oscars in music, include Pandit Ravi Shankar and Zakir Hussain.

Arjun Rampal joins twitter

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) After Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar has brought another actor on Twitter, which is fast becoming a favourting haunt for for Bollywood celebrities. Rampal, who recently won the first national award for his role in 'Rock On', joined the micro blogging website today.

"Hello everyone, yes I am finally here thanks to Mr Kjo.....so lets discover what twitter is all about...right now on the sets of Stepmom (sic)," Rampal wrote. Johar had earlier encouraged Ranbir Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan to join the website.

Rampal is playing the male lead in Johar's Hindi adaptation of 'Stepmom'. Kajol and Kareena Kapoor are the two other stars in the movie. The actor managed to have 1,625 fans follow his posts within minutes of his first tweet.

Other Bollywood celebrities, who are an avid user of twitter are Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Mallika Sherawat, Riteish Deshmukh, Preity Zinta, Shahid Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor and Anupam Kher.

Katrina reveals her past

Katrina Kaif, Karan Johar's guest this week on 'Lift Kara De' on Sony, made some startling revelations about her past. (Text courtesy: Hindustantimes.com)

I don't open my mouth unnecessarily

She may be the new femme fatale on the block, sweet talking her way into two men's heart in her upcoming film 'Ishqiya' but actress Vidya Balan admits that in real life she doesn't open her mouth unnecessarily. 'Ishqiya' is up for release and if promos are any indication, the film is making a statement with its explicit dialogues. (Text courtesy: PTI)

Abhi-Ash back in Filmistan after 11 years

New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS) Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan got nostalgic while filming an ad with wife Aishwarya Rai at Filmistan Studios, the same location where they gave their first shot together 11 years ago when they were mere acquaintances.

'It was here on the very same floor 11 years ago that we gave our first ever shot together. The movie was 'Dhai Akshar Prem Ke'. Great memories,' Abhishek posted on his Twitter page.

'Then, I would have never dreamt that the next time we shoot here would be as husband and wife. How time flies, how lives change,' he added.

Produced by actor Dino Morea, the ad film was shot Tuesday by filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani who directed Abhishek in the hit film 'Dostana'.

'Shooting an ad with the Mrs (Aishwarya). My friend Tarun directing. Great to step in front of his camera again. He's great. And we're all set! The wife is looking her usual stunning self, and me....... Well, I'm looking like Shrek's cousin,' he joked.