Forthcoming: Cocktail

So I take a Bollybreak for a couple months and come back to a whole new blogger interface and a whole bunch of new movie news to catch up on! As I peruse through what's been going on lately, one forthcoming movie has certainly caught my eye: Cocktail starring Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, and newcomer Diana Penty.

In all honesty, Cocktail doesn't really look like anything we haven't seen before. A Love Aaj Kal vibe with a Dil Chahta Hai type theme. And a love triangle. But I can't care, this movie just looks too cute to NOT be excited about!

After Agent Vinod (which I haven't seen yet, but was apparently a hot mess) I am so excited to see Saif in what he does best: light-hearted comedy. With movies like Salaam-Namaste, Kal Ho Naa Ho, etc., etc., Saif proved his lovable-ness in all his funny roles.

Then of course there's my undying love for Deeps. Say what you want, but this girl has charisma. And this new actress, Diana Penty is beautiful!

Plus, the music seems fun and upbeat. Cocktail may end up lacking substance, but I think it's sure to be a good time. At the very least.

What's your initial reaction?

Hi! Magazine needs to say BYE to its photographer

Okay, not that I know anything about photography, but how does one manage to make such beautiful people look so hideous? Well Hi! Magazine can surely tell you how. I'm not sure if it's bad photography or bad photoshopping or even just bad makeup/styling to blame for this, but these August covers are not okay. First up is Saif Ali Khan on the cover of Hi! Blitz:

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The usually hunky and dashing Saif looks almost sickly in this picture. With a headline proclaiming that he's "back" he sure doesn't look happy to be so. The white background makes his skin look deathly pale (did the dementors get to him?) and that bad haircut isn't helping things. Add that not-so-sexy smouldering expression to the mix, and Saif pretty much looks like a creature of the night. Or an alcoholic that hasn't bothered to bathe in a while (Slouch some more, will you? It's really helping.).

Yeah, I'm definitely being way too harsh on one of my favorite actors in the industry but I'm not blaming him! I'm blaming the magazine for putting out this atrocious photo. That plain red shirt also looks like the magazine took their styling cues from the dying Aman of KHNH. 

Oh Saifu, don't worry, we know you're better than this! But, please, that haircut needs to go.

Then there's Sonali Bendre. Remember that bombshell beauty that never really made it that big even though she was absolutely gorgeous? She's 36 now (the last time we saw her was in KHNH about 7 years ago) but still shouldn't look this bad on the cover of Hi! Living:

First of all, that outfit is gorgeous and Sonali of all people should've been able to rock it. But it's not her fault that this is clearly a bad angle (Tyra would tell her to "find her light") and a botched photoshop job.

Seriously, why would you do that to her face? She looks kind of demonic and literally does not look like herself. I thought photoshop and airbrushing technology existed to "enhance" people's natural beauty (aka make them look better). This is a great example of when not to photoshop--Sonali is a natural beauty. Leave her alone! I realize that every photo probably needs a bit of alteration to reach today's impossible standards but this is ridiculous. Do these editors not have eyes?

Sonali, sign up for a new film and show the world how beautiful you really are.

As a side thought, are these even "original" Hi! Magazine pictures? We all know that magazines tend to recycle old pictures (especially magazines that aren't totally top tier) so maybe these pictures aren't actually Hi! Magazine's doing. In which case, the magazine fails even more. Why would you willingly choose these photos? 

Aarakshan Theatrical Trailer

Finally, a movie I am truly excited for (besides this year's SRK releases, of course!). This theatrical trailer for Aarakshan really has me pumped for this movie. Directed by Prakash Jha and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpai, and Deepika Padukone, Aarakshan is a story about caste reservations and controversial policies based on caste--a topic rarely touched upon in mainstream cinema.

I'll admit that this trailer does remind me a lot of Rajneeti (also directed by Prakash Jha) but I have bigger expectations from this movie. Rajneeti becomes largely predictable once you realize it's a modern adaptation of the Mahabharat,  but Aarakshan looks like it will be its own story, with its own message. Interesting, thought-provoking cinema with popular actors can also be a nice change from masala entertainers. Masala films are great in their own way, but sometimes one just thirsts for something more.

Even from a 3 minute trailer, I can tell that Saif is gonna give us one award-worthy performance. Man, is his dialogue delivery intense! Amitabh and Manoj will clearly also be memorable, as usual. And Deepika! She looks ravishing in her "simple" look. But I'm afraid that that's all there will be to her character and she will be largely wasted. Aarakshan looks like it will be a passionate, moralistic movie that will appeal to the masses as well as the critics. The film is slated for release on August 12, 2011.