Browsing: Cinema

24/7 Talk is Cheap - The Blog
0 Made In America: Bollywood Comes to the US

They may not even have a passport or American visa but everyone from a farmer in an Indian village to a street urchin in Mumbai will have visited Times Square, Fifth Avenue and the skyscrapers of New York – thanks to all the Bollywood movies which are being shot in the US!

Indeed, location shooting in America seems to be one of the hottest trends in Indian cinema, and superstars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerjee, Katrina Kaif and Preity zinta have all danced their way through the streets of Manhattan.

Read More
24/7 Talk is Cheap - The Blog
3 Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola – Filmi Feast

‘Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola’ – it’s a real mouthful of a movie title but what a tasty morsel! It is a reminder of why I love going to the movies. At a time when so many Bollywood films are warmed up repeats of what’s gone before, films where you can easily check out the beginning and the ending, fast forward to a few item numbers on Netflix or simply watch a few song scenes on Youtube, Matru ki Bijlee is a film which is quite delicious and warrants watching.

Read More
24/7 Talk is Cheap - The Blog
1 Aamir Khan's 'Talaash' is a Slice of Life

‘Talaash’ has spawned a zillion reviews – in fact, reviewing the film seems to have become a mini cottage industry, and reading some of these reviews I feel I must have gone to a different movie than many of the reviewers. “Mesmerizing’ – ‘Amazing’ it was not, nor did I sit on the edge of my seat from start to finish as some have claimed they did. Nor does it deserve some of the negative comments spawned by movie-goers, after reading the reviews.

No, it’s not the greatest thing since ready-made rotis but it is definitely good cinema.

Read More
Cinema
5 Yash Chopra- The Master Weaver of Love Stories

A young actor pays tribute to the late great filmmaker Yash Chopra.

“In utter shock & sadness I wake up to hearing about the passing away of Mr. Yash Chopra. With my eyes already moist, no words will ever be good enough to describe Yashji’s stature in giving Bollywood the platform and the recognition that it sits on today, and for giving audiences around the globe the ability and heart to smile, cry and love through his soul-stirring vision.

There will NEVER be another Yash Chopra ever again. For me personally, no filmmaker has touched my life and captured my passion and love for Indian Cinema the way Yashji’s films have.”
Guest blog by aspiring actor Zoran Saher

Read More
Cinema
0 "English Vinglish" & Bollywood Dreams

While ‘English Vinglish’ is about a big starry comeback – that of the wonderful superstar Sridevi, it’s also about new beginnings – that of Gauri Shinde’s directorial debut. And there’s yet another story in there of particular interest to New Yorkers – that of the debut of local model-actress Neelu Sodhi in a big Bollywood film, playing the niece of Sridevi.

Neelu Sodhi has gone from a career in finance to modeling and commercials to the big desi dream – Bollywood. Indeed, such is the power of Bollywood in Indian lives that you never know when it’s going to enter your life and give it a 360 degree turn. Read on for a heartwarming Cinderella story. Yes, Bollywood Dreams do come true…

Read More
Cinema
0 Vikram Gandhi’s Kumare: Reel Swami in the Real World

In a very material world of designer haircuts and stylish togs, Vikram Gandhi, 33, did a radical thing: he grew his hair long and nurtured a massive beard. Forsaking all, he donned saffron robes, a fake accent and armed with a trident, became Kumare, the enlightened founder of the Sri Kumare spiritual movement.

Really?

Well, not really. Vikram Gandhi, you see, is a New York based-filmmaker and he is a fake guru in a real documentary, ‘Kumare’. Or as the film is billed, ‘The true story of a false prophet’.

Read More
Cinema
0 Indian-American Filmmakers: Telling Their Own Stories

If there’s one thing that Indians across the world share, it’s their love for movies. As newborns, they are weaned on cinema by star-struck parents and as toddlers, their first steps are mingled with dance steps learned from Bollywood movies on video. School kids can rattle off famous dialogues from Hindi films and as young adults, they often take their cues from the romantic sequences in their favorite films. Even patriotism and national integration are often invoked by Bollywood’s rousing lyrics and over-the-top emotions.
This year marks the 100th year of Indian cinema and this vibrant industry seems to be gaining in momentum and strength across the world. Immigrants have brought their love of cinema to America, carrying memories of the golden age of cinema of the 50’s, the wonderful films of V. Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Bimal Roy, and Guru Dutt.
Young Indian-Americans have acquired this passion for film from their immigrant parents and in this essay, which first appeared on the Smithsonian’s blog, a look at their dreams and aspirations.

Read More
Cinema
0 Salman Khan Moving to New York!

Salman Khan is moving to New York! Uh-oh, before you get over-excited, I’d better add it’s the waxwork Salman Khan that is moving to Times Square, New York, joining his buddies Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in the Bollywood Zone set up in Madame Tussauds famous atelier.

One has to say, it’s about time! After all, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has such a fevered fan following across the world and his latest film Bodyguard is the second highest grossing Bollywood film of all time.

The grand unveiling of the Salman Khan figure is on August 2 and fans should catch him while they can, as this waxwork is on loan from the London Madame Tussauds and will surely add punch to the Bollywood zone which has the other two biggies, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. Two lucky Lassi with Lavina readers can win tickets to see their hero in the wax-flesh.

Read More
Cinema
1 Rajesh Khanna – Even Superstars Have to Go

He was India’s first big superstar, the one for whom that title had been virtually created. In fact, with his stylish mannerisms and his heart-stealing smile, he had gone where no other major Indian movie star had gone before. Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand had fans – but Rajesh Khanna had fevered followers. His female fans were legion and there was a new word invented especially for him – The Phenomenon. Women, it is said, married his photograph, applying sindoor of their blood to their foreheads. His romantic eyes, his matchless smile did something insane to them.
And that brings us to the point: when and where does the pact between actor and audience end? Does the connection end as the reels roll off and the screen goes dark or does the audience pursue the actor into the real world?

Read More
Cinema
0 Anurag Kashyap: The Godfather of Wasseypur

It’s a place where life and death have no value. In an encounter with the Gangs of Wsseypur, the audience is transported quite literally to the wild, wild world of Wasseypur where human blood gushes like water, gunshots ring out as freely as birdsong, and no one is burdened with a conscience of a moral compass.

Anurag Kashyap, architect of this unforgettable, hellish world, received a standing ovation at Cannes for his 5-hour plus epic ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, a juggernaut of revenge set in rural India. An interview with the Godfather of Wasseypur…

Read More
1 2 3 4 5 6 … 11