Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai bestowed with Padma Shri honour

2009 may not have begun on a good note for Akshay Kumar, what with the debacle of CC2C, but Republic Day (Jan 26) brought in some good news for the superstar. Akshay Kumar was awarded the Padma Shri by the Govt. of India for his contribution to cinema.

Apart from Akshay, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was also the proud recipient of the Padma Shri, regarded as one of the top civilian honors in the country.

Akshay Kumar may not have won many awards in his illustrious career but this honor coming from the Govt. of India surely means a lot to the 'Kinng' of Bollywood. As for Aishwarya, she has made the entire Bachchan parivar proud with this achievement. After Shri. Harivanshrai Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, Aishwarya becomes the 4th family member of the Bachchan parivar to receive the Padma Shri.

Besides Akshay and Ash, veteran actress and dancing queen of yesteryears Helen was also bestowed with the Padma Shri for her contribution to art and cinema.

From the field of music, playback singers Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan, Ghazal singer Penaaz Masani and music composer Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar also made it to the list of Padma Shri awardees this year.

Delhi 6

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Om Puri, Amitabh Bachchan Directed by: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Delhi 6 is a black comedy that exposes people's hypocrisy. In today's world, we are often quick to judge people, but if we look at ourselves very closely, we often find that we're not being fair to others. Delhi 6 revolves around Roshan, a young American boy of Indian origin. He comes to India for the first time, to drop off his ailing grandmother. She wants to die in her own country, and so prepares for the inevitable. Having led a western lifestyle, an America-born Roshan is unaware of the sights and sounds, the food and culture, the religion and beliefs that make up Indian society. After arriving in India, he engages with his grandmother's neighbourhood. He soon mixes and becomes part of the community. But little does Roshan know that this jovial and gregarious group of people have another side to them - they have decided to take advantage of Roshan's naive nature. The story is shown against the backdrop of the ancient city of Delhi (which is totally different from New Delhi). The city is almost a character in itself, representing the chaos of India, the people, their religions and their beliefs. The pin code of this old city is 110006. With pride and love they call it Delhi 6. The film puts across a message that we are quick to judge others, without seeing our own weaknesses. Delhi 6 is directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and could very well prove one of the biggest movies of 2009.

Luck by Chance

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Rishi Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Isha Sharwani, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Kapoor, Aly Khan Lyrics: Javed Akhtar Music: Shankar, Eshaan & Loy Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar Director: Zoya Akhtar Sona (Konkona) arrives in Bombay with dreams of becoming a film star. Wide eyed and ambitious, she does whatever it takes to make it. She lives on her own in a rented flat, spending her time with loyal friends whose lives are also entwined with Bollywood - each one of them in search of a bigger dream. Vikram (Farhan) has just moved to the city, leaving the comforts of his parents' Delhi home. He is helped by Abhimanyu (Arjun Mathur), a friend working for a television station, who puts Vikram up during his initial struggle. Vikram is also used to getting what he wants and is smart enough to know when to demand it. Luck By Chance Sona begins to enjoy Vikram's attention and affections. They soon develop a romantic relationship. Rolly (Rishi kapoor) is a successful, though superstitious, producer who only works with the biggest stars. He's making a potential blockbuster, launching Nikki Khurana, the 18-year-old daughter of 70s superstar, Neena. The hero of the film, Zaffar Khan (Hrithik) is Rolly's favourite superstar. He was launched by Rolly and went on to become a huge draw at the box office. The wheels of fate continue to spin favourably for Vikram when havoc spreads on the sets of producer Rommy Rolly's new film. Vikram is called in for an audition and makes the most of his opportunity. Whether he becomes a successful movie star or defeated in his desperate attempt, forms the crux of this colourful Hindi musical. Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor will be seen as a film producer, while Juhi Chawla plays his wife. Dimple Kapadia will also be seen in a pivotal role. A galaxy of Bollywood stars are said to make a special appearance in a song sequence very similar to the one in Om Shanti Om. These include Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty. Zoya Aktar makes her directorial debut with Luck By Chance, while her brother, Farhan Aktar plays the lead. The movie is predicted to take the box office by storm. This is mainly due to its unusual storyline, the use of Farhan Akhtar in the lead and the presence of a galaxy of stars in a special song sequence.

Raaz Ki Baat: Coming soon, Raaz 3

By Subhash K Jha Sequels and their sequels are here to stay. First Munnabhai and Golmaal, now there's Raaz which threatens to turn into a Raaz-ma-taz, what with the second part of the Bhatt's spook saga getting an unexpectedly solid opening. Emran Hashmi who has been lying low during the publicity, thanks to all the focus on the real-life Kangana-Adhyayan pair, says he feels vindicated by the audiences' response. "My wife kept telling me I should try the genre. I had never done horror before. It's believed in the trade that horror films open well and then soon fizzle out. But then it was also believed that a film looking at the seamier side of cricket (Jannat) would never do well. I like to walk the lonely path. That's why you don't see me at parties and functions. Maybe that's why I play the part of the loner and watch another guy take away the girl I love," Emran chuckles drawing attention to his loser-lover's role in Gangster, Awaarapan and now Raaz. And now Emran is all set to return to Raaz. After the encouraging opening the team of Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, director Mohit Suri and Emran met to discuss the third Raaz movie. "Yes we're on," says Emran. "The third part will be directed by Mohit. And I'll play the lead. The rest of the details are yet to be decided. The cast of the second Raaz film was totally new. And I think I'm going to be the only actor common to Raaz 2 and 3." He says he didn't feel left out of the publicity. "Kangana and Adhyayan were a real-life couple. I can't concoct an affair just to be noticed. I was confident my work would speak for itself. Sure enough I believe people clap when I on screen the first time. I do have fan base, though it might be small." With two successes Jannat and Raaz 2 Emran feels secure enough to start a family. "We're trying for a baby and we should be parents by next year. One is never prepared for fatherhood. And if I wait to be fully prepared it will never happen. But I'm getting into the mindset now."

4 reasons why 'Raaz TMC' worked

I want to pose this question to lots of film producers out there who, for some strange reason, shy away from making horror films. Why doesn't Bollywood churn out horror films like the East and West do with amazing regularity? In the 1970s and 1908s, the genre was limited to Ramsay brothers and Mohan Bhakri. The low-cost films never had a dearth of buyers [yes, the distributors would pick up the rights the moment Ramsays announced them] and the success ratio of horror films was quite strong too.

With Ramsays deciding to try their luck on the small screen, the genre was as good as forgotten, till Ramgopal Varma decided to give it a try with BHOOT [almost a decade after he attempted RAAT]. Yet, the genre never took off, like comedy films after David Dhawan's AANKHEN and Rajkumar Hirani's MUNNABHAI MBBS did.

Last year, RGV's PHOONK and Vikram Bhatt's 1920 were well-received, while the response to the new release, RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES, is equally strong. In fact, the distributors were so convinced of its prospects that they decided to give it a wide release [almost 900 screens in India], which speaks for itself.

Ample reasons why RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES had a great start…
* The Bhatts are synonymous with qualitative films. Their small, low-cost films have big stories to tell. That's Reason No. 1 for the film to open well.
* The music in their films has always worked to their advantage. Right from AASHIQUI to DIL HAI KE MAANTA NAHIN, from RAAZ, MURDER and GANGSTER to AWARAPAN, JANNAT and RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES, the movies have been embellished with a lilting score.
* The genre. Horror films have a good market and the youth especially throngs the cineplexes if the film has the right amount of thrills and chills.
* Emraan Hashmi. He has developed a sizable fan-following amongst the young brigade. Of late, the fans have only multiplied, courtesy films like AWARAPAN, JANNAT and now RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES.

Also, the release timing was perfect. A 4-day weekend is every film-maker's dream and if it happens, it's a bonus. Of course, the merits count too, else even a 5-day weekend wouldn't help. In this case, the 4-day figures are impressive and RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES is already on the right track -- the track that leads to success.

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SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is having a dream run in America, U.K. and Australia and everyone was hopeful that the Danny Boyle film would strike gold in India too. The film started slow, but the collections have shown an upward trend at major plexes across major stations.

According to an official statement received by this writer from Fox Star Studios, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE has grossed over Rs. 13.5 crores in its opening weekend across 351 screens in India. Good!

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AASMA, released alongside RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, was relegated to the backseat completely. The film wasn't in the public eye, in the first place.

Raaz - The Mystery Continues

By Taran Adarsh

Rating: ***1/2

The team behind Raaz - The Mystery Continues have often clarified that it's not a sequel to RAAZ, one of the most interesting cinematic experiences, besides being the biggest Hit of that year. Yet, you cannot but draw parallels with the first film of the franchise.

Horror as a genre hasn't been tapped to the optimum in India. We've witnessed spooky fares in the past and some of them have succeeded in making you break into a cold sweat (BHOOT stands tall in this list). Last year's PHOONK and 1920 were scary movies as well.

There's tremendous curiosity to watch Raaz - The Mystery Continues, but does it scare the living daylights out of you? Fortunately, yes!

The story (Mohit Suri) is absorbing and Mohit treats the subject like a veteran, as if he knows the genre very well. There're moments that make your heart beat faster, you watch the events with eyes and jaws wide open.

Sure, there're blemishes as well, but they don't overpower the plusses or make you change your opinion about the film. While the beginning and the middle of the film is engrossing, it's the end that could've been better thought of.

Wanna get scared? Wanna get goose pimples? Buy the ticket for Raaz - The Mystery Continues pronto. It lives up to the hype and expectations completely.

A brooding artist Prithvi (Emraan Hashmi) experiences mysterious and distressing visions about Nandita (Kangna Ranaut), a woman he has never met, while he paints on canvas. Intrigued by these visions, Prithvi tracks her down and warns her that these are not merely paintings of her, but accidents that are waiting to happen.

At first, Nandita refuses to believe him and dismisses him as an eccentric stalker. However, the striking resemblance between Prithvi's paintings and the near-death incidents in her life is hard to ignore.

Now, one of Prithvi's paintings has revealed her as dead. The only way she can change her fate is to unravel this mystery with his help, at the risk of alienating herself from her boyfriend, Yash (Adhyayan Suman). But he refuses to believe in Prithvi's premonitions. Will Nandita risk her love and her life to unravel this mystery?

Most of us have heard, witnessed or perhaps had a first-hand experience of supernatural. The present-day generation may, perhaps, term it as wild imagination or hallucination, while the believers may have their point of view. Mohit and screenplay writer Shagufta Rafique's characters in Raaz - The Mystery Continues are believers and non-believers, both.

Mohit smartly builds up the atmosphere. Sample these: Emraan and Kangna's first encounter at a mall and minutes later, inside an elevator; the New Year bash when Kangna is 'attacked' by spirits; Kangna's experience in her bathtub and also when she looks at the mirror; Kangna almost jumping off a cliff; the highpoint sequence, when angry bulls attack Emraan and Kangna. Incredible sequences all! Mohit has handled the most difficult portions with panache.

However, the entire flashback part, towards the pre-climax, is not as convincing. The ending too could've been better in terms of writing, although Mohit has filmed it exceptionally well.

Mohit's choice of the subject as also the actors is right. This is, without doubt, his finest effort to date. Shagufta's screenplay is watertight at most times. Like always, the Bhatts come up with a lilting musical score and at least two songs -- 'Soniyo' (Raju Singh) and 'Maahi' (Sharib-Toshi) -- are first-rate compositions. Ravi Walia's cinematography is up to the mark. The effects are impressive.

On the acting front, both Emraan and Kangna vie for top honours. Emraan is excellent. He conveys a lot through facial expressions and that's the sign of a proficient actor. He's just getting better and better with every film. Kangna is top notch.

After FASHION, this one's another power-packed performance from the actress. Adhyayan Suman is super-confident and registers a strong impact, especially towards the climax. He shows promise. Jackie Shroff is quite okay in a brief role.

On the whole, Raaz - The Mystery Continues is rich in the horror quotient and that is one of its major USPs, besides the highly competent performances by its principal cast and a lilting musical score.

At the box-office, this one will continue the winning streak of Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt's Vishesh Films. The 4-day weekend (Monday, January 26 in a holiday) will only cement its status further. Go for it!

Kangana opens her mouth

The unconventional looking Kangana Ranaut has made it in Bollywood her own way, but she still remains controversy's favorite child. Be it for the acid attack on her sister Rangoli, her affair with the much older Aditya Pancholi, his outburst against her later and the her liason with Adhyayan Suman, she has always created news. Well, that has helped a lot too, but that's another story. There have been spats with her current man's parents too. Recently Shekhar Suman had reportedly yelled at Kangana during a debate on money-making films. He reportedly went on to make a grave remark and blatantly told her that he knew what her knowledge was and how she kept the fire burning in the kitchen. He then went on to give an interview hinting that he really doesn't approve of Kangana much. But Kangana has a totally different story to tell. The actress whose 'Raaz — The Mystery Continues', opens today says, "I had a hearty laugh over that bit of news. They seem to be very fond of me. If ever our parents object to our relationship, we will end it. It's family that matters the most." More over some people have been saying that the dame has had plastic surgery as many felt her looks changed dramatically ever since the publicity promos and release of 'Fashion'. She says, "I have not had plastic surgery. My face looks different as I have put on weight. I was sick of my thin body. The world is dying to get skinny, and I like to be different. In 'Kites', I will look still more different." She has learnt the diplomacy game well along with other tactics to survive in the industry. That very well explains her coping up well in the big bad world of Bollywood.

Big B does a volte face on Slumdog Millionaire

Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, who had stoked a controversy by slamming "Slumdog Millionaire", Friday said the movie was "wonderful" and expressed happiness that composer A.R. Rahman won three Oscar nominations for his score and songs in the movie.

"The sound engineer of this wonderful movie 'Slumdog Millionaire', Rasool, an Indian, has also won a nomination along with Rahman. I am so happy. Bhanu Athaiya was the last Indian to win an Oscar for the designing the costumes of Richard Attenborough's 'Gandhi' in 1982," Bachchan said at an overflowing venue at the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Referring to his comment regarding "Slumdog Millionaire" that "the film projects India as Third World's dirty underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots", he said: "I write a blog.

But the opinions expressed in my blog were not my own. So many people write on my blog site and I was just quoting one of them. I have spoken to Anil Kapoor and Danny Boyle and cleared the misgivings. But everyone must have freedom of expression."

The superstar was here for a day to release his biography, "Bachchanalia: The Films and Memorabilia of Amitabh Bachchan", spanning 40 years of his career in the Hindi film industry.

The book - co-authored by Mumbai-based author Bhawana Somaaya and the Mumbai-based auction house and archive OSIAN's Centre for Archiving, Research and Development (CARD) wing - is the maiden publication of Osian's publishing and design department.

Founder and chairman of OSIAN's Neville Tuli was in conversation with the superstar.

Bachchan, clad in a pink shirt and a black velvet blazer, cut an amenable figure as he fielded queries from his host and the audience alike.

"Indian cinema is gaining global acceptance. I was in Paris two weeks ago for Salon Du Cinema, a festival of world films, where India and my family were the focus this time.

"I realised that the Indian movie industry was being acknowledged and Hindi movies were being shown on television channels in countries like France, Germany and all over Europe - even in those European nations where there had been no awareness about Indian movies before.

"If you want a personal and an honest opinion, I think Indian movies are paramount. They don't fall short in any way globally - be it in terms of cinematography, content or the cast. I am very happy with the kind of movies we are making. The Oscar is in its place - the fact that they have decided to nominate one of our artistes is heartening," Bachchan said.

The superstar held forth on a variety of subjects - ranging from his relationship with his son, reading habits, concern for junior artistes in Mumbai, secular fabric of the country and his own life.

Striking a patriotic note, the Bollywood veteran said he was proud to be a movie star.

"I'm proud to be in the profession because once people walk into a movie theatre they forget the identity of those with whom they are sharing the hall. You do not ask if the person seated next to you is a Hindu, Sikh, Christian or a Muslim.

"We watch the same emotions, cry over the same grief and sing the same songs. I think the integrated India lies inside the movie halls of this country," Bachchan said.

The superstar was emphatic that his angry young man image, which had a created a new metaphor in Indian cinema after his hit action movie, "Zanjeer", was not setting a violent precedent among the youth.

"For every angry young man, I have played a benign Anthony bhai ("Amar Akbar Anthony"). The maximum violence as I read in the papers happens in Bihar," he said.

"The history of this country is more than 1,000 years old - I don't want to look down upon the younger generation. You have to give space to each generation to progress," he said.

As a model citizen of India, Bachchan said his dream was to ensure that every Indian should know, understand and follow the Constitution and work together for an integrated country - especially in these troubled times of terror.

Sambhavna shocks Harman, Kisses him

Now we all know how much Sambhavna Seth loves publicity. Her circus antics were on full display in the 'Bigg Boss' house. No matter how much she denies, this dame really is totally inspired by the queen of drama, Rakhi Sawant. To get her share of the limelight, she recently placed a long and intense kiss on Harman Baweja's cheek and took him by surprise. Harman was invited to grace the dance reality show 'Dancing Queen' and the attention hungry girl had a pre-planned program to kiss Harman when he comes up on stage. And thanks to her good planning, she got to fulfill her long desire( she calls it that). Sambhavana happily narrated the entire incident, "Well, you have got a really genuine piece of news. He's so sweet...full of positive vibes. Maine socha ek kiss le loon (I thought I would take a kiss). That's the best way to get my share of the positive vibes." She added, "When I called him onto the stage, he told me the very first time to not make me dance. I told him that I want to kiss him and that he can't stop me…and then I did." And when the world thinks that Harman is just a Hrithik clone, she has a total different viewpoint. "I'm a big fan of Harman and is longing to be his mate. I will run after him. I want Harman" Harman mightn't be some star and is still struggling to make it big in B-Town. But the chances of him choosing a dame who lacks class and shoots her mouth off for cheap publicity is very minimal. Especially after an A-lister girlfriend like Priyanka and mingling with the cherubic and refined Amrita Rao. Keep the stunts to yourself, girl! Taking a long walk somewhere will clear your head a bit.