Bollywood gets an art attack

Some of our actors are not just artistes but artists too. We look at some Bollywood stars who secretly nurse a passion for painting. Sridevi is making a comeback in Hindi films with Gauri Shinde’s directorial debut, English Vinglish. Between shots, the actor would often be spotted with crayons, sketch pens and paper. “Sridevi loves to draw and paint. I’ve seen some really huge paintings made by her lining the walls of her home. They’re really good, but that’s not surprising because Sridevi is a perfectionist who excels in everything she takes up,” says Gauri. “The artworks range from abstracts to portraits. There’s a really huge one of Michael Jackson, who’s her idol since she’s a dancer too.”Salman Khan Salman inherited his artistic abilities from his mother Salma and paints abstracts, religious imagery, couples and his dogs. In 2008, he gifted Ranbir Kapoor a painting of his grandfather Raj Kapoor on his game show, Dus Ka Dum, and presented Aamir one of him in his Ghajini (2008) avatar. He got an approving nod from the late MF Husain, also inspired Dabangg (2010) co-star Sonakshi Sinha to move beyond sketches and paint a woman.
Bhagyashree

For Salman’s Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) co-star, painting was a fun pastime that let her imagination take flight. She says, “I began when I was 13, with sketches of my favourite stars, Amitabh Bachchan, Marilyn Monroe, Bridget Bardot and Michael Jackson.”
Ali Zafar

The actor-singer has been painting since he was a child and has a degree in fine arts. At 18, he sold 20-minute charcoal portraits in a hotel lobby for R500 each to fund his music albums.“Some women wanted a painting like the one Leonardo DiCaprio makes for Kate Winslet in Titanic, including my wife, whom I later painted,” he says. “Once I got busy with music, I stopped painting. I picked up the brush after seven years in 2010 when my father asked me to be a part of a national exhibition in Lahore,” says Zafar. The exhibition featuring over 100 Pakistani artistes was hosted by the alumni association of the College of Art and Design for the rehabilitation of craftsmen affected by the devastating floods. More recently, Zafar painted London, Paris, New York (2012) co-star Aditi Rao Hydari during the film’s promotions.
Aamir Khan

Perfectionist Aamir took art lessons before playing Arun, the painter, in wife Kiran Rao’s directorial debut Dhobi Ghat (2010). Salman was his inspiration“Salman’s a fantastic painter and has presented me with four beautiful paintings that are up on our walls. I tried to copy one of them.. a face… and realised I’d a really bad artist but a good imitator,” he laughs. “I gifted the canvas to Salman and it has pride of place in his living room. I guess, he didn’t want to break my heart.” Interestingly, Salman’s paintings lined the walls of Prateik’s shack in the film.
Ashok Kumar

He was a prolific painter who dabbled in charcoal, water-colour and oil. “I like to paint nudes, in the nude, in the privacy of my bathroom,” the veteran actor once admitted. He’s made 300-odd paintings, many of which he gifted away but on his birth centenary last year the Ashok Kumar Foundation organised an exhibition of his art that had a self-potrait of him playing the violin.
Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone always got an
A grade in art when in school.
And during Love Aaj Kal (2009), in which she played a fresco
restoration artist, when she suddenly spotted canvasses and paint on the set, she made a couple of paintings. Source:http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk

Cricketer Chris Gayle eyes Bollywood

Big hitting West Indies batsman Chris Gayle, who is currently playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore at the on-going Indian Premiere League tournament, says he wants to hit a sixer in Bollywood.

That's not all, the Jamaican player is also confident that he will do well in the Indian film industry. Chris Gayle has yet to watch a Bollywood film but he's convinced he will be able to 'take Bollywood away from Salman Khan'.

The cricketer had previously discussed a film career with Shah Rukh Khan, and now it seems he is seriously looking for a break in Bollywood.

WikiLeaks takes on Bollywood

New Delhi: As Julian Assange's WikiLeaks continues to cause embarrassment to governments across the globe, its latest target is the world's largest maker of movies Bollywood, the reference of which appears in several of the leaked embassy cables made public by the whistleblowing website.

Many of the cables are surprisingly succinct and contain detailed analysis of the Indian film industry that churns out almost 1000 films a year and generates billions of rupees in revenue.

The documents look at different aspects of Bollywood, including its profitability, connections to organized crime, growth opportunities, and the Bollywood-Hollywood partnerships. India's movie industry generated an estimated Rs 10,700 crore in revenue in 2008, and that is expected to increase by an average of 11.5 per cent a year to 2013, PricewaterhouseCoopers said in a study.

Hollywood-Bollywood partnerships
Two documents that analysed the Hollywood-Bollywood partnership are critical of the Hindi film industry and the scope of US film studios in the second fastest growing economy.
"Hollywood film studios, amongst the world's highest revenue earners, are increasingly beginning to stake their claim in Bollywood," a document said. "Though not without challenges, major US studios have started to try to capture a piece of this potentially lucrative market. US studios ranging from Sony, Disney, and Warner Brothers have co-produced Hindi movies attracted by the growth potential and opportunities in Indian cinema," it said.

The embassy cable said while big budget Hollywood action films - dubbed in vernacular languages - have done relatively well in India, success has eluded Hollywood-Bollywood co-production partnerships so far.

Black money
A leaked diplomatic cable also said that Bollywood welcomed funding from gangsters and politicians, known in India as "black money."

While there is no direct reference of Dawood Ibrahim which allegedly financed a number of movies, the cable said that in recent decades, Bollywood has been associated with the notorious Mumbai underworld, at the nexus of gangsters, money, and politics.

According to Jehil Thakkar, Head of Media and Entertainment for (KPMG), this association stemmed from the financing needs of the industry; until 2000, by government fiat, the film industry was ineligible for bank credit, private equity, and other means of legitimate commercial financing.

Bollywood and US visa
Following intensive investigation which also included a visit to the shooting site of 'My Name is Khan' the US Consulate in Mumbai in 2009 concluded that Bollywood generally does not misuse the US visas issued to its crew. Home to one of the largest entertainment industries in the world, Mumbai sends many stars and production crews to the US on O1 and O2 visas, it said, adding that the investigation was based on reports of fraud in other categories of visas.

"The study found that O2 travelers have a low overstay rate of 1.6 per cent. Site visits to major Indian production houses and no evidence of fraud for O2 applicants further suggests that most entertainment companies in Mumbai do not intend to misuse their US visas," said the US Consulate in Mumbai its cable dated December 14, 2009, which was released by WikiLeaks on August 30.

Chiranjeevi's political foray
A fan who committed suicide citing actor Chiranjeevi's indecision about entering politics, may have helped the "distraught" Telugu film star make up his mind, according to a leaked embassy cable made public by WikiLeaks.

The March 5, 2008 cable that was published August 8, 2011 said Chiranjeevi was toying with the idea of floating his own political party at that time. According to the cable, the actor appeared distraught and explained that one of his fans had committed suicide. The fan left a note saying he killed himself because he could no longer stand waiting for his hero to decide whether to enter politics. Source

Bollywood bodyguards reveal life beside the stars

They are an essential part of any Bollywood star's entourage, silently shadowing their every move and keeping over-eager fans and a celebrity-obsessed media at a muscular arm's length.

Now several of the increasing number of bodyguards working for A-list Hindi-language film stars have stepped into the limelight to speak about their duties, as a new movie on the subject is released.

The focus of attention has been a well-built Sikh nicknamed Shera (Tiger), who has been at action hero Salman Khan's side for the last 15 years and is accompanying him on promotional tours for Khan's new movie "Bodyguard".

"If anyone fires a bullet at him, I will stand in front of it and sacrifice my life for him. I love him to that extent," broad-shouldered Shera, who is in his early 40s, told reporters this week.
"In the last 15 years, Salman-bhai has done so much for me," he added. "Bhai" is Hindi for "brother" and is often used between close friends.

The feeling is reciprocated by Khan, who plays a bodyguard for Kareena Kapoor in the movie, a remake of the 2010 Malayalam-language film of the same name.

Shera -- real name Gurmeet Singh Jolly -- has been with Khan through the best of times and the worst of times, including a drink-driving case in 2002 and when Khan was jailed for a week in 2006 for killing endangered animals.

In a sign of his loyalty, Khan opted to use the badge and uniform of Shera's own firm, Tiger Security, in the film despite lucrative offers from a number of leading private security companies.

"I trust Shera completely with everything in my life, be it my money or even my women," joked the 45-year-old actor recently.

"If he ever decides to write a biography on me, I'm finished. He is the man whom I fear the most because he knows everything about me."

Bollywood stars inspire a fanatical following in India, making security staff as much of a requirement as an agent or a personal stylist.

While most fans are well-behaved, Kashinath Karmatkar, who works for megastar Amitabh Bachchan, said some can overstep the mark.

"Many times fans go crazy when they see stars face-to-face and they try to approach them closely," he said at a publicity event for "Bodyguard".

"It's at that time we have to be very careful to prevent them from coming close to the actor and at the same time see that the fans don't get hurt by our behaviour."

Hearthrob actor John Abraham has said he is rarely mobbed in Mumbai and is left to get on with his daily routine. But it is a different story elsewhere in India.

"I once walked into a Jaipur ATM and couldn't come out," he wrote on his web site last year. "By the time I had finished, there was a very committed Rajput ATM guard, who was trying to protect me from a very noisy mob of followers."

Female fans have pinched and even scratched him on other occasions, he has said.
Bachchan, star of some of the biggest hits of the 1970s, has long used bodyguards, who work so closely with actors that they often feel part of the family.

"The Big B" still has a huge following, with hordes of fans regularly camping outside his north Mumbai home just to catch a glimpse of him.

But the trend only really took off in the 1990s, when underworld figures tried to establish a stranglehold on the industry, and actors, producers and directors frequently received threats.

Bollywood's unarmed bodyguards now largely work at crowd control, with the bonus of accompanying stars at home and abroad.

For men like Yuvraj Ghorpade, who left school with few qualifications at age 16, the job has provided him with undreamed-of opportunities.

"The future was dark for me as I was doing odd jobs for survival until I decided to join Ace Security nine years ago," said Ghorpade, who has been a keen bodybuilder since his teens and is now in his 30s.

"Today, I am the bodyguard for (the actor-producer-director) Aamir Khan and many of my friends are envious of the fact that I roam with such a big celebrity all the time." (AFP)

Bollywood condemns Mumbai terrorist blasts

Figures from the Bollywood film industry have spoken out in condemnation against the latest terror attacks to hit Mumbai.A wide number of Hindi film celebrities have taken to social network sites to condemn the series of three blasts which took place on Wednesday.

Amitabh Bachchan wrote on his blog: "Bomb blasts in Mumbai .. !! God ! I hope people are safe (sic)."

Priyanka Chopra posted to her 1.2 million Twitter followers: "Terrible news about the blasts. A request - please do not cause panic by tweeting/ spreading rumours / unconfirmed news."

Madhur Bhandarkar posted: "Resilience of Mumbai again put to test because of the blasts. Heart aches for the victims. Condemn such cowardly acts of terror."

Actor Tusshar Kapoor used Twitter to express his anger at the latest attack on India's entertainment capital: "Completely resent what has happened in our city, high time these cowards are hanged and don't just languish in our jails."

Ranvir Shorey, urging restraint to the people of Mumbai, wrote: "We've been here before, #Mumbai. Let not these murderers win, by reacting without any chaos. Let's get back with more calm and efficiency."

The blasts occurred in three areas of the city, in the Opera House district, at the Zaveri bazaar and in Dadar.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan was earlier caught up in a controversy surrounding the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai.

Uma Thurman 'wants Bollywood film role'

Uma Thurman has said that she would like to maintain her personal relationship with India by starring in a Bollywood film.

Speaking to Gulf News , the Kill Bill star explained that she had a deep connection to the country that stemmed beyond more than just her Indian name.

Thurman spent part of her childhood living in the Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and was named 'Uma' by her father, who is a Sanskrit scholar and a Tibetologist.

The actress said: "I have friends there and I feel very connected to it... the smell, the sights, the people. It's familiar.

"I didn't realise how close we were to India (in the UAE). Had I known earlier, I would have gone by. I go there often, my last visit was about two years ago."

When asked about the possibility of starring in a Bollywood movie, Thurman commented: "That will be the best. I am good friends with Mira Nair. In fact, I heard she's filming a movie in India that's coming up soon and I'm very upset I'm not in it. I'm going to have a word with her about that."

Nair directed Thurman in the HBO film Hysterical Blindness.

Thurman stars alongside Robert Pattinson in her next release Bel Ami, a period film based on the 19th century French novel of the same name by Guy de Maupassant.

Bollywood sequels: a recipe for success?

MUMBAI: A glut of Bollywood sequels are due out in the coming months, prompting questions about whether the industry has run out of ideas or is just milking a successful formula in troubled times.

More than a dozen follow-ups are in the pipeline, including "Bheja Fry 2" (Brain Fry), a second "Dabangg" (Fearless), a third in the "Dhoom" franchise and another installment of the "Golmaal" series.

Shah Rukh Khan is also getting in on the act, with a sequel due out by the end of the year of his hit "Don". The action film, in which the actor reportedly does his own stunts, is currently in post-production.

Bollywood studios are increasingly desperate for a money-spinner, with box office takings in the Indian film industry as a whole down for the last two years and the lack of original, quality script-writing a common complaint.

But "Bheja Fry 2" director Sagar Ballary rejected the notion that follow-ups are an easy option -- and said success was not guaranteed.

"I didn't rush to make the sequel immediately after the first film came out in 2007. We waited for the right script to make this part two," he said.

"Every film stands on its own. Whether it's a sequel or not, the film has to be good to work."

"Bheja Fry,", starring comedian Vinay Pathak, is based on the popular 1998 French comedy "Le Diner de Cons" (The Dinner Game), which was also made into a Hollywood movie, "Dinner for Schmucks".

Follow-ups are an established part of Hollywood. Some films, like those in the "Godfather" trilogy, are arguably better than the original. Others, like the Star Wars prequels, fail to find favour with fans or critics.

Bollywood, which is increasingly following Hollywood trends in filmmaking and marketing, has not been averse to sequels in the past.

Notable franchises include the crime comedy "Munnabhai" series, starring Sanjay Dutt.

The "Golmaal" series, which came out in 2006, 2008 and 2010, were all popular.

Director Rohit Shetty will be hoping the fourth, starring Kareena Kapoor and Ajay Devgn, will be just as successful and has no qualms about doing another follow-up.

"If I have created a brand, why should I be apologetic about making money on it? You reap what you sow, right?" Shetty was quoted as saying in the Hindustan Times newspaper recently.

The "Dhoom" series has equally been a box office winner throughout the last decade.

Bollywood producer Arbaaz Khan, who will direct "Dabangg 2", said the film was at the scripting stage and hopes that it will live up to audiences' expectations.

"Dabangg", a corrupt cop romp starring Salman Khan, was one of the few hits last year, winning a host of awards including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at last week's National Film Awards.

Arbaaz Khan said a sequel is justified given the film's following.

"It was the biggest mass entertaining film of the last year that did extremely well at the box office. So, the sequel, too, will hopefully work like the first one," he said.

For all their insistence on artistic integrity, Khan, Ballary and other filmmakers admit that financial factors are important.

With the "brand" already known, less has to be spent on marketing and success is more likely, the argument goes.

"Producers are demanding because for them it's good business," said Ballary. "They know sequels will surely recover the cost of the box office because of the success of part one and there's not much to lose.

"There are many scripts and good story ideas in the market but producers don't want to risk new ideas and they feel it's safe to work with a sequel because audiences like it."

Khan added: "The pressure to deliver a hit is bigger because people will surely have greater expectations." (AFP)

South Indian films 'outperforming Bollywood'

South Indian cinema is reported to be performing better internationally than Bollywood.

According to Daily News and Analysis, south Indian releases are increasingly watched by non-resident Indians.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh commented: "Distributors are slowly becoming confident enough to release their films abroad."

He attributed the popularity of Rajinikanth's most recent release as a turning point in the south Indian film industry.

"The success of films like Endhiran last year has been a great factor that has brought in this change," said the TV presenter.

He also cited the large population of overseas resident south Indians as a contributing factor in the commercial reception of these projects.

"South Indian films are doing exceptionally well this year. Take the case of Telugu releases like Mr Perfect, Theenmaar and 100% Love or Tamil ones like Ko, Vaanam or Engeyum Kadhal, each has had bigger openings compared to Hindi films that released alongside them," he said.

Cannes festival to celebrate Bollywood

The prestigious Cannes Film Festival will celebrate the success and wonder of Bollywood in its 64th edition beginning next month.

'Bollywood, The greatest love story ever told', a feature film produced by Shekhar Kapoor and UTV Motion Pictures exclusively for the Festival de Cannes, will be screened during the festival that runs from May 11 to May 22. The film will be shown out of competition.

The film is directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and American documentary filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist. Mehra had written and directed the 2006 Bollywood blockbuster 'Rang de Basanti'.

According to Cannes festival authorities, the origin of 'Bollywood, The greatest love story ever told', could be traced back to a conversation with Shekhar Kapoor, a member of the Cannes jury in 2010.

The question then was: Why not make a film that brings together the most beautiful moments in the history of Indian musical films, with all their moving pageantry and dance? "A few months later, there was 'Bollywood, The greatest love story ever told', a Cannes festival release said today while announcing the selection of the film.

The 81-minute film is said to be a swirling and poignant montage in which Shekhar Kapoor, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Jeff Zimbalist pay tribute to this cinema genre that has contributed to establishing India's identity in the eyes of the world and to making Mumbai one of the world capitals of film history.

Chinese film industry races close to Bollywood

BEIJING: Box office earnings of the Chinese film industry have jumped a massive 64% in 2010, which is being regarded as a bad year for Bollywood. In fact, China's media regulators have predicted the local industry, regarded as a backward territory until recently, will surpass India and Japan by 2015.

The year 2010 saw a massive growth in the film industry with China 's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television reporting that a total of 500 films were made during the period. China ranked third behind Bollywood and Hollywood in terms of annual film output. It put the box office earnings of the local movie industry at $1.5 billion.

The Indian media has quoted film industry sources to say that the earnings in 2010 will be around Rs 10,000 crores ($2.2 billion) after rising 10-12 per cent over the 2009 revenue. The Indian industry has been caught in the 10-12% growth trend since 2008.
At present, the United States is ahead of all other markets as it notched box office revenue of $11 billion in 2010. Japan came second with $2.5 billion in earnings followed by India. China's media regulators expect China to overtake Japan by 2015.

The highest grosser in the Chinese market was a Hollywood film, Avatar, which earned $200 million accounting for over 13% of total sales. Next came a Chinese film, "Aftershock", that earned $100 million by telling the story of a earthquake. Another Chinese movie, "Let bullets fly" has made $75 million since its release in mid-December and its producers believe the total earnings will be much higher.

China's Film Bureau said in a statement that the country added 313 movie theatres. A total of 1,533 new screens were added resulting in a 25% growth in the country, which now has 6,200 screens.

Read more: Chinese film industry races close to Bollywood - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Chinese-film-industry-races-close-to-Bollywood/articleshow/7254578.cms#ixzz1AfYSC7Vl

Candice Boucher plays a sand artist in upcoming spy flick

Candice Boucher, a South African Playboy hottie who features in Percept's untitled next, essays the role of a sand artist in the espionage drama.

Directed by Prashant Chaddha (Aap Ka Surror), the film stars Sachin Joshi (the Managing Director of an energy drink endorsed by Shah Rukh Khan) and Arya Babbar.

The beauty had to train from a professional artiste for the role. She says, "Learning from a sand artiste from Belarus was an amazing experience.

It's an intricate art more difficult than oils and watercolours on canvas as sand keeps shifting all the time. One's concentration has to be sharper and more focussed."

As reported 'Playmate on board' (Hitlist, June 11), Candice was the nude centrespread attraction of Playboy magazine for April 2010 and is also the brand ambassador for an international jeans brand.

She was signed for the film during the FIFA World Cup in June (it was held in her home country) to up the project's glam quotient.

The movie is about an informant who has to go undercover to save his brother and the nation from the effects of a biological war.

German mag ' the face of global Bollywood'

A German-language magazine has been described as 'the face of global Bollywood'.

Ishq magazine, which is published in Berlin, is said to have a circulation of over 30,000, reports the Economic Times.

Chief Editor Julia Wessel commented: "No doubt Bollywood is a niche market in Germany but it has a loyal fanbase. And interestingly it is not just the non-resident Indians who read it."

Wessel said that Shah Rukh Khan, who has held premieres of some of his most recent releases in Berlin, is the country's most popular Hindi cinema star.

London correspondent Sunny Malik told "I think German fans have been very loyal to Bollywood. The Om Shanti Om premiere tickets in Berlin sold out within the first minute. Some were sold illegally for up to 600 Euros."

Shah Rukh Khan is currently filming Don 2 in the German capital.

Bollywood dances are a hit with young Chinese

Bollywood dance numbers are becoming a huge hit in China, particularly with the young.

The popularity of Bollywood chartbusters can be gauged by the fact that the state-run China Radio International's Hindi service has now announced an "Indian Dance Contest" for Chinese.

The contest is supported by the Indian embassy in China and the India-China Friendship Association.

"We are receiving a large number of entries. Many Chinese like Indian dances, especially the Bollywood style of dancing," Qian Hongjiang, director of the First Asian Broadcasting Centre at the radio station, told a visiting IANS correspondent.

"We have put up several videos sent by the contestants on our website. The response is very good and encouraging.

"The response to this contest shows how Indian dance and music are gaining popularity in China," he added.

According to Qian, the winners of the contest would travel to India.

"We are hoping to organise many such activities. We hope that the Indian people would also be interested to know more about art and culture in China," he added.

In Beijing, where preparations are on for Premier Wen Jiabao's two-day visit to India, more and more Chinese harp on the need to scale up people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

"What is most important is greater people-to-people contact. We have a deep interest in India. There is a common cultural heritage. More and more Chinese people want to know about India," said Jiang Jingkui, who is vice director of the Centre for India Studies at Peking University.

Several students at the university who have visited India told IANS that they came back enriched -- and intend to know more about Indian culture.

"Our students visit India under exchange programmes. All of them have come back with very pleasant memories. Common Chinese people want to know more and more about India," Jiang said.

One such student said that he lived with an Indian family. "I stayed at Wardha in Maharashtra.

"I also attended an Indian wedding," the student said. "I really like Indian culture. And I would like to know more and also visit India again and again," he said.