Kapoor Khazana! Bebo in Wax?!

June is  Kapoor Khazana month in the Bolly blogosphere, which means a lot of us Bolly fans get together to write in celebration of the notorious Kapoor khandan. So be sure to check out all the Kapoor Khazana posts this month. My first post is about my favorite Kapoor: the wonderful Kareena! And how fitting that it be about an actual Kapoor khazana!

There were rumors. Then they were debunked. And now they've resurfaced. But the lovely Bebo is supposedly being honored with a prestigious wax statue at the world-famous Madame Tussaud's museum. There has been some uproar regarding the issue. Does Kareena, who's been in the film industry for a little over 10 years, actually deserve a statue? Especially considering some veteran actresses who've clearly been overlooked (Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Kajol, etc.)? My answer is yes!

There's no question that all the aforementioned actresses do deserve a spot in Madam Tussaud's hall of fame. But I still believe Kareena is a pretty good choice considering her appeal today. Bebo is one of the few Bollywood actresses that appeals to both older, traditional audiences and younger, modern audiences. She's not too new in the industry, nor is she too old (and Bollywood's definition of "old" for actresses is quite rigid), and she has admittedly made her mark in Bollywood as one of the most successful actresses of today. Why not honor her with a statue?

During her career, Kareena has played a variety of different roles within a variety of different genres. Within the first year or so in the film industry, she appeared in one of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters of all time: Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Even as part of an ensemble cast, starring among the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, and more, Kareena managed to remain memorable in the film, not letting herself be overshadowed by these big names. Her iconic character "Poo," though over the top, is still quoted by Bolly lovers. Kareena also appeared in a number of critically acclaimed films such as Dev, Chameli, Yuva, and Omkara, further grounding her status as a talented and accomplished actress.
Aside from K3G, Kareena has starred in a slew of superhit Hindi films like Don, Jab We Met, and 3 Idiots to name a few. To date, Kareena has won 6 Filmfare awards for her various performances. Not bad for an 11 year career. 

For someone who's accomplished so much in such a short time frame, I think a wax statue of Bebo is completely fitting! Now. I wonder how they are gonna style her? If it were up to me, she'd be wearing this iconic costume from "Mauja Hi Mauja." Popularly referred to as "Kareena Kapoor pants" during the time, Bebo single-handedly brought harem pants back in style for a short period around 2007. Probably because she looked sizzling in them! Jab We Met was also arguably the turning point in Kareena's career, so I think dressing her in an homage to that movie would be perfect. If not this, then an elegant sari would be best I think (Or perhaps her "Bole Chudiyan" outfit?! Sighhh).

I think Bebo herself really is a Kapoor Khazana, so she really does deserve this great honor. The wax statue will reportedly be unveiled in mid-August. I mean, what are we waiting for...Christmas?

Dear Shahrukh, Man Up!

I love Shahrukh Khan to death. Really. So if I'm criticizing him in any way, shape, or form, there has to be a good reason. A few days ago, a section of the crowd actually booed at Shahrukh at an IPL match when the KKR won over the Pune Warriors. Terrible and unwarranted, for sure. But haters will be haters so whatever.

Shahrukh's reaction wasn't so indifferent. Clearly hurt by the incident, King Khan decided to stay home and watch the next match from his TV in order to avoid the crowds. Apparently, he has also decided to "stay away from all the IPL matches in Mumbai stadiums." 

Um, Shahrukh, you've been in the industry how many years? Shouldn't you have learned by now how to deal with criticism? Being one of the most successful men in Bollywood, it's only natural for Shahrukh to have haters for whatever inane reason (*cough* jealous) so he should learn to handle it--not hide away in his gated home! Millions upon millions of people admire, if not worship, Shahrukh yet for some reason he lets a few Negative Nancies get him down. Real tough.

This isn't the first time Shahrukh has shown sensitivity regarding this issue. In one interview he said that one reason for his long absence from Twitter was because he didn't like seeing all of the negative things a few people would say to/about him.  Come on, Shahrukh! I see people on Twitter everyday writing you tweets of sheer worship and adulation. What about them? Shahrukh needs to see how much people love him, rather than focus on the few idiots who don't.

Sigh. I guess in a way it's kind of sweet that Shahrukh takes these things so seriously. But, in true Don character, MAN UP! I think Shahrukh just needs this one mantra in his life: haters gon' hate.

Source: http://www.apunkachoice.com/content/article/sid100005559-shahrukh_khan_heartbroken_after_being_booed_by_crowd

Shahrukh and Asin to star in a forthcoming film?

The Bollywood gossip mill is brewing with rumors that Shahrukh Khan and Asin will be seen opposite each other in Vishal Bhardwaj's next directorial venture. The movie is to be based on Chetan Bhagat's novel 2 States: The Story of My Marriage. Bhagat also wrote the books that inspired the failed 2008 film Hello and the mega-hit 2009 film 3 Idiots.

This would be great news, in my opinion! A Shahrukh-Asin pair would be lovely, considering she's an actress that was able to prove her superior screen capabilities with just one movie (Ghajini). But, alas, nothing has been confirmed so we can't get too excited just yet. Asin would potentially play the role of a South Indian girl who falls in love with a Punjabi guy (Shahrukh). Shahrukh playing a Punjabi? AWESOME. I could definitely use me another Veer Pratap Singh type character!

As you can see, unlike that atrocious Katrina-SRK pairing rumor, I actually hope this one is true. Asin is really making her way through the Khans, isn't she? ;)

Source: http://www.apunkachoice.com/content/article/sid100005429-asin_to_romance_shah_rukh_khan_in_2_states/

John and Bips call it quits.

It's official. After 9 long years, John Abraham and Bipasha Basu have ended their relationship. Aaaw. I'm really sad about this. It always pains me when relationships go sour--especially ones as long as 9 years! They were such an iconic couple in Bollywood with deep onscreen chemistry in movies like Jism, Aetbaar, Madhoshi, and more.

Not only were they iconic, but they were just plain sexy! I challenge you to find a hotter couple than John and Bips. I assure you you'll come up with few examples. After confirming the breakup, Bipasha took to her Twitter to reveal some of her emotions with tweets like, "Its [sic] better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all!" Good to see she's taking it well, being single for the first time in 17 years.

Sigh. Another powerful couple bites the dust. Hopefully they'll still do movies together though.

Source: http://bollyspice.com/view.php/7075-bipasha-basu-is-single-after-17-years.html

Forthcoming: Ek Tha Tiger

Recently it was big news that Salman Khan would apparently be acting in a Yash Raj Film for the first time in his career. Well, it's officially true! Ek Tha Tiger, directed by Kabir Khan and starring Salman and Katrina Kaif, is slated to start shooting in July. The film is currently being marketed as a "romantic thriller" and is scheduled for release in mid-2012.

We all know my feelings about Kat. And I'm frankly getting a bit tired of Salman's one-dimensional acting. But I'm a sucker for YRF films, so I'm actually looking forward to this. In my opinion, the YRF banner just has a style of its own, and one that rarely seems to fail. So I'm optimistic that maybe they'll be able to work some magic with this rather mundane Sallu-Kat pairing. I was a fan of Kabir Khan's New York so I'm excited to see what he can do next. If all else fails, though, at least Pritam is doing the music meaning we should have some fantastic tunes to look forward to!

And, I swear, I'll try to keep an open mind to Katrina in this one. But only for you, YRF, only for you...

P.S. Ek Tha Tiger? Really? Couldn't think of a better name than that...?

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/salmankatrina-team-up-for-yrfs-ek-tha-tiger/785913/

"Ready" Banks on "Dabangg"

A lot of the time, Bollywood film marketing strategies seem to be fairly transparent as they tend to simply ride on star power. But after reading this article I realized how unsettling it is when a producer or director actually admits it.

Ready is an upcoming entertainer starring Salman Khan and Asin. I already mentioned before that it seemed that Sallu's character was going to be similar to his character in Dabangg which could possibly lead him to a comfort zone from which he may rarely emerge. Clearly, the producers of Ready are aware of how marketable the success of Dabangg is, and are using it to their advantage as explicitly mentioned by co-producer Bhushan Kumar in the aforementioned article.

Really. REALLY? It's already clear that you're just banking on the success of Dabangg to market Ready, but to actually admit is almost...shameless. Apparently Kumar said: “We have no intention of taking Ready into a different direction. Dabangg used only Salman for it's marketing. He was everywhere. For Ready too we are following a similar formula.” UGH. Well, that explains the lack of Asin in the first look promos. 

No, but seriously. A lot of Bollywood films really do market the star power of the film in order to draw audiences in. But there's something to say about subtlety. While it is pretty bold of Kumar to admit the tactics used for Ready, they've made it so apparent in the entire publicity blitz surrounding the film that Kumar's words just seem kind of arrogant. Almost like, "Yeah. We're manipulating audiences. Because we can." 

I knew from the start that Ready was probably going to be similar to Dabangg. At least we all know for sure now. 


Source: http://www.apunkachoice.com/content/article/sid100005174-salman_khans_ready_rides_on_dabangg_magic/

No Priyanka in "Dostana 2"?

It has been officially reported by Piggy Chops herself that she won't be a part of the forthcoming film Dostana 2. I guess this really isn't a surprise, considering her story pretty much ended in Dostana. But I'm hoping for at least a cameo from Priyanka in the sequel--which still seems entirely possible!

In case you didn't already know, Katrina Kaif will be the new leading lady in Dostana 2. Excuse me while a barf. Multiple times. First of all, was there really a need for a sequel at all? Don't get me wrong, I adored Dostana, but it didn't really seem like a movie that would need a sequel (unlike Don!). And, okay, if you're really going to make a sequel, what's Katrina Kaif going to add to it--besides a dose of terrible acting?

Bollywood isn't really known for creating stellar sequels, so I'm afraid that the Dostana brand will be tarnished with this upcoming potential disaster. Dostana was a groundbreaking (and hilarious) film mainly because of the premise of Abhishek and John's pseudo-homosexuality. If they use that same premise again, the sequel will have nothing new to offer. If they don't, it could turn into a lame, over-done romantic comedy. Annoying.

Perhaps Tarun Mansukhani will come up with something new and innovative for the sequel. If not, hopefully John and Abhishek can manage to save the show. Either way, I do hope to get at least a glimpse of my beloved Priyanka!

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Nothing-for-Priyanka-in-Dostana-2/articleshow/7924083.cms

Yana Gupta to be the new "Laila"

Yana Gupta is set to perform to the legendary song "Laila O Laila" (originally performed by Zeenat Aman in Qurbani) in the upcoming film Chalo Dilli. Yana is no stranger to item numbers. Remember her kind of awkward, but still memorable "Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo" in the 2003 flick Dum?

Apparently, no "alterations" were made to the original song. I'm not exactly sure what that means. Is the song just not remixed? Does the song contain the original artists' voice and music? Either way, Zeenat is reportedly very happy with the final product. She basically threw a fit with the new remix of "Mit Jaaye Gham" which is a great song, in my opinion.

I love remixes. They make songs fun and danceable. That's all there is to it. No one's claiming to be "better" than the original, so why can't people just lighten up? Also, just because something is older doesn't inherently make it better. I find the original "Laila O Laila" to be a bit dull, and wouldn't mind if it was spiced up a little. A lot of people also seemed to have a problem with the raunchy lyrics and picturization of "Mit Jaaye Gham." Well, take a look at this newly released "Laila O Laila" trailer:

How is this any less risque than the Dum Maaro Dum song? Yana is practically extremely scantily clad in the song and dances pretty suggestively (which isn't a problem!). But just because she, as opposed to Deepika, is in Indian clothes rather than Western ones, how is this any less...well...slutty? While "Laila O Laila" is a more traditional item number, "Mit Jaaye Gham" is simply more modern. As India and the world around it is changing, people should understand that cinema will evolve along with it--and that includes item songs. It's fine to not like "Mit Jaaye Gham" as a song, but I think it's unfair to write it off simply because it's a remix of an older number.

But I digress. Yana seems to sizzle in this new item song, and even if the song itself isn't any different from the original, I'm excited to see what flavor Yana brings to it herself! Chalo Dilli releases at the end of the month.

Sonu Sood can't get his "act" together.

Apparently there was some trouble on the sets of the forthcoming film Bbuddah when Sonu Sood just wasn't able to compose himself in front of Amitabh Bachchan to shoot a rather rough scene. In the sequence, Sonu was supposed to rough up the Big B, at one point pushing him to the ground. Sonu was reportedly "panic-stricken" and when he was supposed to say some rude things to Amitabh in the scene, Sonu only managed after "cringing and apologizing after every shot." He apparently couldn't "handle the aggression against someone so senior and legendary."

When I read all this, I nearly hurled. Most actors are understandably probably very nervous to shoot with the Big B for the first time, but this is pretty ridiculous. There's a limit to this whole "respect" to legendary actors thing. It's called acting, Sonu. Grow a pair and do it. Where's your Singh is Kinng persona? Amitabh clearly didn't have a problem with the scene.

Call me cynical, but is it just me or does this all feel like one big publicity stunt for the film? Young actor shows himself to be virtuous by respecting his elders, therefore you should watch his film. Sounds like an effective marketing tactic to me...

Source: http://www.bollywoodworld.com/bollywood-news/amitabh-bachchan-leaves-sonu-sood-numb-on-sets-114607.html

Possible SRK-Katrina Pairing?

There's current buzz going around saying that Shahrukh Khan and Katrina Kaif may be seen opposite each other in Yash Chopra's next.

I have one word: NOOOOOOOOO!!!

Dear God, I hope this isn't true. Katrina is probably one of the worst actresses of our time, famous only for being another pretty face. She doesn't deserve nor can she handle starring opposite a brilliant veteran like Shahrukh.

Right now this is just mere rumor and speculation. Let's hope it stays that way. But, truth be told, if the pairing does turn out to be a reality, I'll still be first in line to watch the film. I just won't be very happy about it.

Source: http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2011/03/24/15542/index.html