Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Bollywood

  • Review: ‘Piku’

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    Film: “Piku”; Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan, Moushumi Chatterjee, Raghubir Yadav and Jisshu Sengupta; Director: Shoojit Sircar; Rating: ****1/2 The posters and the title scream aloud, “Piku – Motion Se Hi Emotion” and true to its title, there is nothing holding it back, literally and figuratively. Shoojit Sircar, along with his team, who earlier…

  • Odiya cinema looks south: Mohapatra

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    By Jatindra Dash  National Award-winning director Sabyasachi Mohapatra feels the regional aspect of the Indian entertainment industry is losing its sheen for want of support from the government. As a result, he says, regional filmmakers, like from Odisha, are treading the remake path. Mohapatra received the National Film Award from President Pranab Mukherjee for “Aadim…

  • All eyes on Justice A. M. Thipsay

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    All attention is focused on Justice A. M. Thipsay of Bombay High Court before whom Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s bail plea will come up for hearing. The hearing is crucial for the actor since it is the final working day of the high court before it goes for annual summer vacations till June 8. Salman…

  • INTERVIEW: Ranbir Kapoor

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    Filmmakers changing hero of Indian cinema….Ranbir Kapoor tells Radhika Bhirani A coming-of-age role in “Wake Up Sid”, a troubled musician in “Rockstar”, a deaf and mute prankster in “Barfi!” and an aggressive man of great ambitions in “Bombay Velvet” — clearly, Bollywood’s quintessential ‘heroism’ does not match actor Ranbir Kapoor’s sensibilities. He says it’s possible thanks…

  • SC moved seeking cancellation of Salman’s bail

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    The Supreme Court may hear a plea by a Mumbai lawyer seeking cancellation of the two-day bail granted to Bollywood star Salman Khan. The plea was mentioned on Thursday before the apex court bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu by advocate V. Mishra, appearing for petitioner Akhilesh Chaubey. The petitioner sought direction that Salman’s…

  • How Twitter world reacted to Salman’s verdict

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    After superstar Salman Khan was found guilty in the 2002 hit-and-run case on Wednesday morning, some of the Twitter users have shown support while others are content with the verdict. Additional Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande found Salman guilty of most of the charges in the September 2002 accident in which one person was killed and…

  • Salman gets 5 years in jail

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    Bollywood actor Salman Khan was on Wednesday sentenced to five years in jail for a 2002 hit-and-run accident that left one man dead and four others injured here. Additional Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande announced the verdict at a packed courtroom here, stunning the actor and his family. Salman, one of the highest paid actors in…

  • Salman Khan guilty in hit & run case

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    Bollywood star Salman Khan convicted, court to announce sentence tomorrow. Is he joining with another star in jail – Sanjay Dutt?  Superstar Salman Khan has been found guilty in the 2002 hit-and-run case and the sessions court here is scheduled to pronounce the quantum of punishment on Thursday. Additional Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande reading out his…

  • I’ve got a good sense of humour: Sunny Leone

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    “Kuch Kuch Locha Hai” is Sunny Leone’s first comedy film, but the actress says she is not new to the genre as she has a “good sense of humour” and has “a little bit of training” in comedy. The 33-year-old, who was here on Monday to promote the forthcoming comedy caper along with her co-stars…

  • ‘Mary Kom’ a piece of my heart: Priyanka

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     Actress Priyanka Chopra says her film “Mary Kom” is piece of her heart and she thanks friends and family for making it a successful venture. “Mary Kom” won the Best Popular Film at the 62nd National Film Awards presented by President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday. The actress took to her micro-blogging website Twitter to share…

  • INTERVIEW: Irrfan Khan

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    ‘My graduate degree didn’t pay in acting career,’ Irrfan Khan tells Nivedita Irrfan Khan, who has always chosen to tread the unbeaten path in Hindi filmdom, believes in “wholesome” education, but says his own graduation degree turned out to be “useless” for his career as an actor. Some of Bollywood’s leading actors have made it big…

  • Nepal was first foreign country Big B visited

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    He has shot films in Nepal and remembers attending poetry symposiums there, but Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s oldest and fondest memory of the earthquake-ravaged Himalayan nation is that it was the first foreign country he visited, back in 1954. The “grave tragedy” of April 25 when a 7.9-magnitude earthquake jolted Nepal, “continues to haunt our…

  • Katrina and Sonam @ Cannes collection in Mumbai

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  • REVIEW: ‘Jai Ho! Democracy’

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    ‘Jai Ho! Democracy’ – pale, frail and stale tale…writes Subhash K. Jha  Film: “Jai Ho! Democracy”; Cast: Om Puri, Seema Biswas, Annu Kapoor, Aamir Bashir, Satish Kaushik, Adil Hussain; Director: Ranjit Kapoor; Rating: ** A farmer hangs himself from a tree at a political rally. And you wonder how much lower the below-the-belt politics of this…

  • Big B floored by ‘O Kadhal Kanmani’

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      Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has heaped praise on filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s latest Tamil entertainer “O Kadhal Kanmani”, saying the film is told in an endearing way, capturing the essence of the changing times. The 72-year-old took to his official blog to share his views about the film after watching it with his daughter Shweta Nanda.…

  • B-Town showers birthday wishes on Tendulkar

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    Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar turned 42 and Bollywood celebrities like Anil Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh heaped praise on the “master of cricket”. Here’s what they shared on Twitter: Anil Kapoor: Wishing the master of cricket, the legendary @sachin_rt a very happy birthday. #HappyBirthdaySachin Riteish Deshmukh: Happy birthday @sachin_rt – you are and will always be…

  • INTERVIEW: Sarwat Gilani

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    By Sandeep Sharma  Sitting miles away in Karachi, the mention of India makes Pakistani actress Sarwat Gilani remember its ‘mitti ki khushboo’ (smell of the earth) which is endearing to her family till date. She is appreciative of how India has been welcoming artists from her country, and says “it’s a big deal”. The 32-year-old’s…

  • Katrina to make her debut at Cannes

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    Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif will grace the red carpet at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival as the ambassador of cosmetic brand L’Oréal Paris. She says she can’t wait to join the other global ambassadors, which also include Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor. L’Oréal Paris will celebrate 18 years of its partnership as the…

  • INTERVIEW: Preity Zinta

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    She prides herself in doing one film at a time and surviving in the Bollywood arena, but Preity Zinta’s subsequent involvement in Twenty20 cricket tournament Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 affected her movie presence. Now, the dimpled beauty with brains is ready to be back with a bang in filmdom. A co-owner of IPL…

  • Bollywood’s eternal romance with Kashmir continues

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    By Sheikh Qayoom and Aadil Mir  Bollywood’s romance with Kashmir that began in the 1960s and blossomed in the 1970s and 1980s, was interrupted for over two decades by violence that plagued the Valley. Bollywood then shifted its outdoor shoots to Europe and America. As violence began waning, Bollywood like a smitten lover, rebounded to…

  • Bachchan conferred Padma Vibhushan

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    President Pranab Mukherjee  conferred Padma Vibhushan on Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Padma Vibushan was also conferred on Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan for his work in science and engineering and jurist K.K. Venugopal for public affairs. The awards were conferred at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several union…

  • Katrina Kaif makes it to Madame Tussauds

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    Actress Katrina Kaif has became the latest Indian to be featured at the Madame Tussauds museum here. The museum is marking 15 years since its first Bollywood statue was created. Katrina was at the museum for the unveiling, reports bbc.com. Katrina collaborated closely with the musuem’s sculptors and artists to decide a dancing pose and…

  • Mistreating women makes you a monster: Sunny Leone

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    Actress Sunny Leone, who will do a cameo on TV show “Kaisi Yeh Yaariyan”, says mistreating and disrespecting women doesn’t make a man “cool”, and that it makes him “a monster”. “I’m not from here (in India), I’ve never lived in a culture in which it is not normal to be liberal. I just want…

  • Salman to record statement

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     Bollywood mega star Salman Khan will step into the witness box  to record his statement on the 13-year-old hit-and-run case in which he allegedly ran his vehicle over pavement dwellers here. A man was killed and four others were injured. Salman has been ordered to personally appear before Additional Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande to record…

  • Shashi Kapoor chosen for Phalke award

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      Just days after Shashi Kapoor turned 77, news emerged  that Bollywood’s evergreen charmer will be conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke award. Congratulations poured in for the actor, whose now frail frame, wrinkled face and silver locks fail to erase the image of his good looks and smile off his fans’ memory. Best known for his…

  • INTERVIEW: Vishal Bhardwaj

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    By Sandeep Sharma   His unabashed use of abuses and rustic lingo in his films has always added to the power of his cinema. National Award winning filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has reacted strongly to diktats on film content, saying that the Central Board of Film Certification is behaving like the Taliban and that the body should…

  • INTERVIEW: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

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    By Nivedita   Sabyasachi Mukherjee, whose sartorial creations, marked by traditional fabrics and techniques, have made him a globally recognised name in the world of design, believes that national clothing has the power to foster nationalism. He says the youths’ appreciation of Indian handloom calls for revival of the craft. “It’s a fragmented society and nothing…

  • Big B distressed after fan’s outburst

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      Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan was disheartened after a teenager complained that he didn’t greet her on her birthday, saying the actor’s claims of being in touch with fans was false. The 72-year-old makes it a point to wish his fans, or as he prefers to call his Extended Family, on their special days. But…

  • INTERVIEW: Nawazuddin

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    By Siddharth Jha  His powerful avant-garde roles in offbeat Indian films have set Nawazuddin Siddiqui apart from the true-blue heroes of Bollywood. And that is why the actor, a ‘hero’ in his own right, suggests that newcomers never let go of their “uniqueness”. Nawazuddin, who was last seen as a Machiavellian villain in Sriram Raghavan’s…

  • INTERVIEW: Amit Trivedi

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    By Sandeep Sharma   National Award winning musician Amit Trivedi, who has composed for films like “Dev D”, “Wake Up Sid”, “Udaan” and “Queen”, says technology has enabled composers to explore a wider range of sounds via computers, and the effort required has reduced to a considerable extent too. “Technology is widening scope for musicians every…

  • Saif to promote ‘Bollywood Britain’ in India

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     VisitBritain, the country’s national tourism agency, has announced actor Saif Ali Khan as the spokesperson for the ‘Bollywood Britain’ tourism campaign in India. He says he shares a deep connect with the country. With over 50 Hindi movies filmed in Britain, mostly themed around romance, the destination provides a perfect setting for couples to celebrate…

  • ‘Marigold Hotel’ opens strong at US box office

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    India-set comedy “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” opened strong at number three at the US box office with an estimated $8.6 million in its first weekend of release. India-themed films rarely climb this high on the US box office charts, according to data released by its distributor Fox Searchlight. Even Hollywood studio films such…

  • When SRK got ‘auctioned’ on TV

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      He’s used to seeing cricketers being auctioned in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but during an episode of TV show “India Poochega Sabse Shaana Kaun?”, superstar Shah Rukh Khan put himself up for ‘auction’ at the hands of cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey. According to a source from the…

  • INTERVIEW:Dev Patel

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    By Sugandha Rawal  His brief visits to India for shooting his international movies help British actor of Indian descent Dev Patel connect to the “astounding” and “inspiring” country as well as revisit his cultural roots. “It is a wonderful way to get in touch with your culture and with your roots. I’m constantly astounded whenever…

  • A.R. Rahman to embark on US tour

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      Music maestro A. R. Rahman will kick start his three month long North American tour March 21. He promises to deliver “special performances”. The tour will begin May 21 in Huntington, NY at The Paramount before travelling to major cities across the US, including the Beacon Theatre in New York City, Bass Concert Hall…

  • A.R. Rahman’s band debuts

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    Music maestro A. R. Rahman’s band NAFS gave its maiden performance here at the fifth edition of Gionee Star Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA). The awards ceremony took place Tuesday in the presence of the crème de la crème of the music and film fraternity. The ceremony, hosted by singer Mika Singh and TV host-actor…

  • Verdict in Salman case deferred

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    A court here  deferred its verdict in a case relating to illegal possession and use of arms by Bollywood actor Salman Khan and posted the matter for March 3. The Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Anupama Bijlani in Jodhpur deferred its verdict and started the hearing of four old applications which were moved by the…

  • INTERVIEW: Nimrat Kaur

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    By Sandeep Sharma   Talented Indian actor Nimrat Kaur, who has been rubbing shoulders with Hollywood’s creme de la creme at foreign awards’ galas since her internationally acclaimed and BAFTA-nominated film “The Lunchbox” and American TV series “Homeland”, says the scope of roles for Indian actors has widened across the globe. “The scope for Indian actors…

  • Ricky and Neela win honours at Grammy Awards

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      Two Indians — Ricky Kej and Neela Vaswani — took home a Grammy Award each at the 57th edition of the musical extravaganza held here Sunday night. The latter’s narration of the audio of the book “I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed The World” won her the trophy.…

  • Film Review: ‘Shamitabh’

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    Film: “Shamitabh”; Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and Akshara Haasan; Writer-Director: R. Balakrishnan; Rating: ***** Balki must really stop doing this. This is the third time he has stunned us with his originality and audacity and engagingness. He’s spoiling us silly. His third feature film is perhaps his most audacious cinematic journey yet. The writer-director takes…

  • ‘Sholay’ to release in Pakistan

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    The cult classic “Sholay”, an action adventure Bollywood movie circling around two petty thieves hired by a police officer to exact revenge on a ruthless bandit, is set to release in Pakistan, 40 years after hitting Indian theatres. The release of the Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra-starrer, directed by Ramesh Sippy, in 1975 proved to be…

  • INTERVIEW: Dhanush

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    By Nivedita  He’s that rare humble, grounded and modest talented actor who considers stardom “nothing more than a little extra attention than the normal crowd”. That’s Dhanush for you. “I think stardom is all about little extra attention than normal people. Among all the normal people, a few get some extra attention, and so, there…

  • INTERVIEW: Amitabh Bachchan

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    By Nivedita  In his over four decade tryst with the Hindi film industry, Amitabh Bachchan has witnessed a continuous shift in the movie-making business, and he credits most changes to the “different and unusual” demands of the youth. “It has changed a lot and is changing,” the 72-year-old veteran said when asked to define of the…

  • Fashion preview at DVAR

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    Television actors Mouli Ganguly, fashiom designer Pallavi Goyle, Chahat Khanna and Kamalika Guha during the fashion preview at DVAR, in Mumbai.

  • Film Review: ‘Khamoshiyan’

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    Film: “Khamoshiyan”; Cast: Sapna Pabbi, Ali Fazal and Gurmeet Choudhary; Director: Karan Darra; Rating: ** The biggest puzzle in the public domain, besides the question, “Why US President Obama chose to mouth Shah Rukh Khan’s lines from “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’?” is, “Why does a sensible intelligent man like Vikram Bhatt chose to write such…

  • Never wanted to use father’s name: Sonam

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      It’s always thought that Bollywood’s star children have it easy, but actress Sonam Kapoor says that at the very beginning of her film career, she had decided not to make the most of her father Anil Kapoor’s popularity. “When I joined the film industry, I became very defensive because people were so mean. They…

  • Bhansali celebrates Padma Shri honour

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    Actor Shahrukh Khan during the party hosted by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Mumbai. Bhansali organised a party to celebrate his Padma Shri honour.  

  • Film Review: ‘Hawaizaada’

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    Film: “Hawaizaada”; Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Ayushmann Khurrana, Pallavi Sharda, Naman Jain, Jayant Kriplani, Natasha Sinha; Director: Vibhu Virender Puri; Rating: ****1/2 Do you ever wonder what it would be like to fly? Then see “Hawaizaada”, a film that soars into the skies with its overweening ambitions and miraculously manages to stay airborne as it chronicles…

  • ‘PK’ makers face plagiarism charge

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    The Delhi High Court  issued notice to the makers of Aamir Khan-starrer film “PK” on a plea of novelist Kapil Isapuri accusing them of plagiarism. The Rajkumar Hirani-directorial, which raises questions about religion and people’s blind faith in godmen, has been co-produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Hirani. The movie also stars Anushka Sharma and…

  • Priyanka Chopra excited about ‘public chat’

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      Actress Priyanka Chopra is upbeat about engaging in a public chat with her fans via Viber, a mobile communications app offering free messaging and high definition quality calls. Viber  announced the launch of Priyanka’s public chat, which allows users to discover, share and follow live discussions from a wide variety of celebrities, personalities and…