Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam Movie Preview

Ratring: ** Sanjay Chhel has penned a number of comic fares. Obviously, when Chhel takes charge and decides to helm a project himself, you expect his film to be one wacky ride. Indeed, Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam is wild in parts, thoroughly enjoyable at times, but you don't exclaim 'maan gaye' in the end. Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam prompts you to break into guffaws. Even the one-liners -- Chhel's a pro at it -- are dipped in wit-n-humour. Plus, the camaraderie between Paresh Rawal, Rahul Bose and Mallika Sherawat is superb. Lekin kahani mein problem hain… Chhel tries to pack sooooo much in one film. Love triangle, patriotism, terrorism, songs, the theatre group's woes… the outcome is clearly erratic and inconsistent. The comedy works, not the terrorism angle. Chhel seems inspired by JAANE BHI DO YAARO, but this inspiration could've done with a gripping screenplay. Another sore point is the absence of good music. To sum up, Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam is, at best, an average fare. Watch it for the humour and also bravura performances by its lead actors. Circa 1993: St. Louise, near Goa, is on a high alert due to illegal activities like RDX and arms landing at the coastal area. Set up in the same town is Kalakar Theatre Company, a theatre group of self indulgent dreamy actors who are always left with no choice but to perform the same age-old period play 'Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam' every time. One fine day, they get to know that an underworld don is planning a bomb blast in the country. The drama company gets into the act to save the entire city from this blast. Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam takes time to come into form. But when it does, the humour is unstoppable. Sure, you may find the theatre group's drama (Akbar, Salim, Anarkali) amateurish, but it works big time. In fact, the audi will reverberate with wild laughter at several places. But the writing lacks meat and that takes away the sheen. The pace picks up, drops, picks up again, drops yet again unfailingly. Humour is the highpoint of Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam and Chhel hits a boundary there. Ditto for his dialogues. Anu Malik's music is lifeless. Barring the title track, the remaining numbers are simply add-ons. Madhu Ambat's cinematography is fair. Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam belongs to Paresh, Rahul and Mallika. Paresh has mastered the art of making people laugh, but when you watch him in this film, you realize the tremendous potential this terrific actor possesses. Watch his take on Akbar or step in as Kay Kay's double; he's in top form. Mallika stands on her feet despite a giant called Paresh Rawal. Scrutinize her as Anarkali at the outset and later, as an aspiring actress; she's fantastic. Rahul Bose is known for serious and intense roles, but he breaks the shackles with Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam. His timing is perfect. Surprisingly, Kay Kay isn't in form this time. Pawan Malhotra does very well. Zakir Hussain doesn't get scope. Ditto for Tanaaz. Manoj Joshi is wasted. On the whole, Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam is an ordinary fare, laced with great humour at places.

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Chamku Movie Preview

Where does one point a finger when one isn't quite enthralled to listen to the soundtrack of an album, let aside commenting later on whether it is good or bad? Is it due to 'thanda' vibes that the cast of the film gives (Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra)? Is it due to the title, which makes one wonder which genre does the film belong to? Is it the promotion, which gives a strong sense of 'deja vu' with routine mushy song and dance numbers? This is why even as Monty Sharma arrives with his second soundtrack after Saawariya and Sameer joins him as a lyricist, there aren't any expectations with Chamku when one plays on the music. However, there is a surprise at the very beginning of the album with 'Aaja Milke' indeed making you hear the number more closely. Starting with Shreya Ghosal, this song about togetherness of the two lovers is aided not just by some good singing but also Indian arrangements, which is the hallmark of Monty Sharma. Reminding of the kind of work that Sharma has done on the songs for Sanjay Leela Bhansali films; 'Aaja Milke' turns out to be a decent composition even though Shail's limited presence is on a duller side. Richa Sharma is heard next in a kind of number with which she is associated most - a sad painful number with a classic Indian touch to it. A situational track meant for the background score, it doesn't quite seem that 'Kithe Jawa' would be placed for it's entire 5.5 minutes duration in the film. Of course, Richa is good as she always is but the song by itself is hardly the kind, which would have listeners, excited enough to give it a hearing beyond the movie. Surprisingly the number is heard twice with 'Bin Daseyaa' being the title for the 'remix version'. Has Monty Sharma tried to create a 'Dola Dola' [Ismail Darbar] here with 'Gola Gola'? It seems to be the case as he gets a similar mood and style for 'Gola Gola' which is basically a 'Holi' number revolving around 'bhang' and the works! Abhijeet Bhattacharya and Vaishali Samant come together for this yet another 'desi' number in Chamku but here too, there isn't much that one ends up looking forward to. However, there are some hopes of the song getting a few eyeballs if supported by eye catchy choreography and picturisation. Longest track in the album comes next which lasts close to six and half minutes. Titled 'Trance', this one completely changes the mood and flavor of the album and takes the listener to hardcore Western arrangements. Saleem Shahzada, Soumya Raoh and Anaida come together for this fast paced number which is set truly as a 'trance' number and comes with a possibility of being played in nightclubs with the round of drinks and flashy lights in full force. A number which has lyrics in languages other than Hindi as well, 'Trance' again comes with a core situational appeal though one wonders where exactly could this be fitted in except for some dramatic action sequence! In the same slow mannered pace as 'Kithe Jawa' comes 'Dukh Ke Badri', which appears to be set in a village in the cow belt from where the film's lead protagonist comes. A number with a rustic feel to it, 'Dukh Ke Badri' is about looking positively in life and expecting better things to arrive. Sung by Kalpana, Parthiv Goel and Shail, it won't quite make a listener to put it on a repeat mode and in fact also forget 'Aaja Milke' which incidentally turns out to be the best of the lot. In nutshell, Chamku is a forgettable album which is clearly one of the weakest from the house of Vijayta Films. The songs by themselves may not to be a terrible hear but for a commercial film like Chamku, they just don't create any excitement. There is absolutely nothing that one takes back home after listening to Chamku and one wonders if it may just have been a better outing if only it was a song less affair.

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1920 Movie Preview

Albeit the film that Vikram Bhatt boasts about as one of his best creations ever is still has time to hit the theaters, the music is released for alluring the audience. 1920, a film by Vikram Bhatt, is about an idea he had a long time back. It was something he always wanted to make; a periodical and horrifying sense mingled together to give the audience an altogether different film experience. The story encircles a Hindu boy and an Angelo Indian girl. How they go against their families and get married. The hero is an architect and is given the biggest task of his life, to pull down a huge house and reconstruct it into a hotel. Unfortunately there is something in the house which will not allow things to happen the way he wants. A mysterious story unfolds and it is soon realized that the house is haunted. Unfortunately it is something to do with the heroine and then a series of mysteries unfold. The splendid music of the movie is floating enough to get the listeners to an immortal journey of timeless classic, right from the heart of 19th century. Music of 1920 is given by Adnan Sami and the lyrics by Sameer. Apart from the visual touch, the album 1920 as a stand alone music album, boasts of a series of great and renowned singers like Pandit Jasraj, Asha Bhonsle, Kailash Kher, Shubha Mudgal and Parveen Sultana. The great classical track of the song ‘Vaada tumse hain vaada…’ is sung by none other than the legendary Pandit Jasraj. The song dives into the classical time of the 19th Century. Pandit Jasraj is heard delivering one of his best music as a tribute to the classical era of that period. Kailash Kher makes another outstanding contribution with his voice in the song ‘Tujhe main pyaar karun…’ The song is intense and is based on the sequence when the heroine is in desperate need of the hero to save her life from hell. Very intensely sung, the song portrays the desire of being in the arms of one’s beloved. ‘Aise jalta hai jiya…’ is a song sung by the nightingale Asha Bhonsle. The song is very soothing to ears, depicting the time of love. A superb combination of love, passion and desire, it’s a song which will pop out emotions to the core. Item girl ‘Rakhi Sawant’ gave her audience another jaws dropping number in the song ‘Bichua’. The song is sung by Shubha Mudgal. The number is very grooving and the music in it is worth appreciating, as far as the combination of Shubha Mudgal and Rakhi Sawant is concerned. Finally, the 1920 Theme. An ageless and timeless combination of magical music recreated to create an unforgettable fusion. The theme is intense and has a grip of someone’s loneliness. It gives the feeling of mystery whispering into listener’s ears. All in all the variety and journey of the ageless music is all that come under the title ‘1920’. An album worth your experience. - Pratik Maheshwari

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Kidnap Movie Preview

From Sanjay Gadhvi, the master-director of mega blockbusters like Dhoom and Dhoom: 2, Kidnap is a high-octane edge-of-the-seat drama about a power tussle between a young boy and the father of the girl he kidnaps.

Sonia (Minissha Lamba – Bachna Ae Haseeno) lives with her mother, Mallika (Vidya Malvade – Chak Dey India) and grandmother because her parents divorced when she was ten. A week before her eighteenth birthday celebration, she gets kidnapped.

The abductor, Kabir (Imran Khan – Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na) is interested in speaking only to her father, Vikrant Raina (Sanjay Dutt), an affluent New York-based Indian businessman, with whom he has an old score to settle.

Vikrant returns to India to retrieve his daughter from Kabir’s clutches but has to carry out a series of daunting tasks set out by Kabir as a condition to rescue her. At the end of each task is a clue that helps Vikrant in coming closer to Sonia.

Is his mission as easy as it seems? How far will a father go to save his daughter? What redemption is there for Kabir at the end?

Sanjay Dutt’s first release of 2008, co-starring the latest teen sensation, Imran Khan, Kidnap makes for compelling viewing as the big festival release on Eid. It features music by Pritam.

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Get ready for Kareena in all new look

Kareena Kapoor is all set to fly to Paris to shoot an advertisement for an apparel chain and the Bollywood actress will don a new look, thanks to a French make-up artist.

Kareena is the brand ambassador of retail chain Globus and the firm has decided to make the ad on a grand scale in Paris, complete with a makeover by a French artist, a company official said.

"The French artist is going to create a new look for her. We are giving her a complete makeover and she will surely look different and as usual stunning, " the executive said.

Company authorities also believe that she is their lucky charm.

"Kareena is a style icon for today's youth. The decision to select Kareena as our brand ambassador has fetched the brand an international recognition, " the official added.

Kareena replaced Soha Ali Khan as the face of the Globus retail chain late last year.

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I never got a chance to understand Kareena

While her new found friendship with one time foe Kareena Kapoor remains a mystery for many, actress Bipasha Basu admits that she never got a chance to understand Kareena. "I never had a chance to understand her but now the awkwardness is gone, " the dusky actress said on the sidelines of an event. Both the actresses were said to have a good time at a recent party organised by Kareena for beau Saif Ali Khan. It is said that both could not see eye to eye during the shooting of 'Ajnabee', Bipasha's first Bollywood movie. The Bong actress is not new to controversies relating to her alleged rivalries with her female co-stars. While there were rumours of actress Deepika Padukone getting miffed up with Bipasha during the promotion events of 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', her rivalry with Katrina Kaif has been in limelight recently. But, Bipasha rubbished all rumours and insisted that she had made only friends during the shooting of 'Bachna Ae Haseeno'. However, unperturbed by the controversies, the actress believe in following an eye for an eye logic with her co-stars. "It all depends on the kind of behaviour that the person in front of you shows. If someone acts friendly then I will behave in the same manner, " Bipasha quipped.

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Revealed: Shilpa's emotional talk with Jade

When on Monday Shilpa Shetty was told that her former Big Brother colleague Jade Goody had been detected with cancer, Shilpa didn't know how to react. "I was shocked and confused. I was filled with so many emotions. No matter what happened at Big Brother I had spent considerable time with her in the House. I felt really bad for her. Now I know why I couldn't recognize her when I met her. Life has put her through so much, she had changed, " says a subdued Shilpa. Shilpa immediately wanted to meet Jade. "But she had to be whisked away immediately from Lonavla on Monday. Early Tuesday morning she had her flight from where she had to be taken for chemotherapy in London." Shilpa got Jade's phone number and spoke to her on the airport just before the stunned Big Boss candidate left for London. It was an incredibly emotional experience for Shilpa, free of rancour. "Speaking to her was not easy. It was very tough. There was never any rancour, " says Shilpa. "Yes, I was hurt when in the Big Brother House she made some comments about our country. But even in the House we had made peace after the initial rancour. Once I was out of the House, the media went to town and she got the brunt of it." Shilpa tried all the time to pacify the world press. "Believe me, it was really sad when Jade was slammed. I never wanted become a champion of the third- world at her cost." Interestingly the channel Colors had asked Shilpa before inviting Jade Goody to be a contestant on Big Boss. "Yeah when the channel decided on Jade they asked me if it was okay with me. If I had any ill feelings towards her I'd have said no to Jade. But the truth is, there was no ill feelings towards Jade. My only precondition was that Jade should be treated well at Big Boss. I knew how it felt when to go into a foreign country and be in a hostile situation (Big Brother). To my delight the Big Boss contestants were very nice to Jade.I felt so proud to see how she was treated. It just reiterated the fact we Indians are very forgiving and welcoming." Shilpa is shocked by the cynicism of those who think this to be a TRP gambit. "Jade's illness is not gimmick. She must've done pap-smear before coming to India. How would she know the tests would be so damning?" Now Shilpa plans to meet Jade. "I only had a chance to speak to her before she left.I will meet her when I go to London for the Unforgettables tour with the Bachchans next week."

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