November 2017 – Page 10

Kadvi Hawa Movie Review

Nov 242017

This is the sort of movie that most regular viewers, perhaps rightly so, would call a slow, art-house/festival film

‘Kadvi Hawa’
Director: Nila Madhab Panda
Actors: Sanjay Mishra, Ranvir Shorey
Rating:

A still from the movie ‘Kadvi Hawa’

This is the sort of movie that most regular viewers, perhaps rightly so, would call a slow, art-house/festival film. And this common perception is usually derived from the fact (which, I guess, is true as well) that film fests normally attract patient audiences, who can view movies as information, and empathy generating machines, rather than entertainment carnivals, driven by plot, sub-plots, music, and dialogue alone. Not that the two are mutually exclusive; increasingly not.

The filmmakers do well to honestly advertise this as a film wholly centred on climate change, which of course affects us on a daily basis–just look at Mumbai, for nature’s sake (or whatever it is you believe in); it’s hard to tell even peak summer from winters anymore. The rural school kid in this picture is equally baffled, when told by his school teacher that there are actually four seasons in a year–he only knows extreme heat, and cold!

But beyond the obvious sell that combines well with original intent, this is, on the face of it, a uniformly dark, grim, thoroughly meditative film on farmers’ suicides–effectively arguing that rural debt is as much an economic problem, as an environmental one. You can’t attempt to solve one without the other.

How urgent is this issue? Let’s just look at news this week. While Indian television channels have been hyperventilating over every crack-pot’s threats and opinions on an unreleased picture (Padmavati), over 3 lakh farmers stormed into the capital, hit Parliament Street, only this Wednesday, because they’re pretty much dying.

As is one such family, of the many in a central Indian village, in this film. If anything, virtually Yamraj himself, or the God of Death, snoops around in this village, looking for impoverished out-of-work farmers on a barren soil, just so they don’t tie the noose around their necks, before paying off their debts.

This Yamraj (Ranvir Shorey, absolutely first-rate)–or that’s what the villagers call him–is a loan shark. Have we seen such characters before? Hell, most of ’50s Hindi cinema was about the wily zamindar-moneylender being the universal villain anyway! This Yamraj fellow is merely its modern version–a loan recovery agent for what seems like the local cooperative/state-owned bank.

Have we seen fictional features on desi farmers’ plight? Well, there was Anusha Rizvi’s Peepli Live (2010) that used humour and satire on the media, and bureaucracy, to highlight the issue. Here, director Nila Madhab Panda–unlike sin ome of his slightly sugar-coated, yet fine works in the past (I Am Kalam, Jalpari)–essentially relies on unfettered starkness of the situation alone to draw you in.

At the centre of this tragic realism is a hobbling, blind man, stunted and trembling under the weight of both old age, and generational debt. While he’s helpless before his circumstances–he has an unemployed son, with a family of four to feed–there’s something to be said about a patriarch well past his prime, who still retains his precious self-esteem. He’s poor, but a proud man. You instantly fall for him, even as you hope he doesn’t fall over.

Sanjay Mishra plays this part. Is NSD alumnus Mishra, 54, a serious contender for the top two or three finest contemporary Indian actors around? His turn in Rajat Kapoor’s Aankhon Dekhi (2014) certainly made me believe me so. This one totally seals the deal.
I must also make a quick confession here. Due to unavoidable time constraints, I had to watch the screener of this film, rather than catch it in a theatre. I don’t know whether that puts me at an advantage/disadvantage as a viewer. There’s definitely the vastness of the ravines that should lend itself better to the full canvas. But then, hey, with such performances before you on the screen–whether laptop, TV, cell-phone–does size really matter? I don’t think so.

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6 Unsolved & Mysterious Deaths of Indian Celebrities That Still Have Us Baffled

Celebrities

Nov 242017

Every time we read the news of a famous Bollywood personality passing away of unnatural causes, we instinctively get hooked to find out what really happened and start scouring the web in pursuit. The result is often disappointing because we still don’t know what transpired behind the scenes related to the death of our favourite stars.

Here, we share stories of some of the celebrities who died under mysterious circumstances.

1. Divya Bharti

Mysterious Deaths of Indian Celebrities That Shook the Nation

The young and chirpy Bollywood star died at the age of 23 in 1993. It was said to be a suicide first, with newspapers floating all kinds of theories. Some parts of the media even suggested that she had an upsetting relationship with her mother. This news left the fans bewildered as to why a talented actress would commit suicide at the peak of stardom.

As if the initial reports were not enough, we heard that she had accidentally slipped from the fifth floor of her Tulsi Apartment in Mumbai and then finally it was revealed that she was not alone in her apartment that day, drawing attention to a murder angle. It is speculated and alleged that her husband Sajid Nadiadwala had links with the underworld and that the actress was undergoing an upsetting relationship with her mother, and so her death might be an amalgamation of a lot of built up issues in her personal life.

2. Jiah Khan

Mysterious Deaths of Indian Celebrities That Shook the Nation © BCCL

She made headlines with her bold role opposite mega star Amitabh Bachchan who played her love interest. Then, with some movies here and there, she was quick to disappear from the big screen. Just when we had a faded recall of Jiah Khan, the news of her untimely demise woke us in 2013.

The suicide theory was not ruled out here too. Allegedly depressed over a disturbed relation (she was reportedly pregnant at the time of her death) with Sooraj Pancholi, Jiah committed suicide. Her mother alleges that Sooraj Pancholi is the culprit and he even attempted to kill the foetus. Even though Jiah left a suicide note, talking about her depression and disturbed relationship, we don’t know the truth yet.

3. Pratyusha Banerjee

Mysterious Deaths of Indian Celebrities That Shook the Nation © BCCL

The ‘Balika Vadhu’ small screen actress allegedly committed suicide at her Mumbai residence in 2016. It immediately drew attention as parents and close friends of Pratyusha blamed her boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh for her untimely demise. Her beau was blamed for not helping her through depression and extorting money from her. Other friends said that she was not happy with her career and was undergoing financial turbulence.

After the post mortem, the cause of her death was ascertained to be ‘suffocation’. It is alleged that the actress was 2 months pregnant. It may not be as big as a mystery, but it is still a secret as to how the industry lost another young face. Was it a suicide or a murder or a case of abetment to suicide?

4. ‘Silk’ Smitha

Mysterious Deaths of Indian Celebrities That Shook the Nation © Pinterest

We saw the snapshot of her glamorous life after the release of ‘The Dirty Picture’ in which, Vidya Balan portrayed the life of the erotic actress. Her claim to fame was as ‘an extra’ in South films initially. Slowly she made a mark in the industry as a sensuous symbol. Her death shook the country as Silk Smitha was at the peak of her career at the time. But again, it was not clear as to what led her to commit suicide in 1996.

Some reports said she took poison while some claim she hung herself.

5. Nafisa Joseph

Mysterious Deaths of Indian Celebrities That Shook the Nation © BCCL

In 2014, at the age of 26, Nafisa Joseph the popular TV actress, model and VJ, took her own life. While many of us know it was a suicide, surprisingly, her family did not buy the police theory that Nafisa hung herself in her apartment in Versova Link Road.

Her parents cried foul and still do. The media reports suggest she committed suicide because of her failed relationship, however; her family is not ready to accept it because according to them she was a brave woman who couldn’t possibly even think of about it.

6. Parveen Babi

Mysterious Deaths of Indian Celebrities That Shook the Nation © BCCL

From the very beginning, the life of the Bollywood diva, who featured in Time Magazine in 1976, has been a great mystery. Her alleged obsession with her co-star Amitabh Bachchan has not been explicit. On the contrary, her affair with Mahesh Bhatt and Kabir Bedi was always the talk of the tinsel town.

She was mentally fragile and it is believed that Parveen suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. It was also said that alcoholism and genetic disorder led to her mental disease but whatever it was; it led her to live a lonely life. She passed away in 2005 and the fact that her body was discovered only a few days after she died, left us pondering over how she actually died.

Padmavati 'death' row: Madhur Bhandarkar demands investigation

Celebrities

Nov 242017

In the wake of a body having been found hanging on the ramparts of Jaipur’s Nahargarh Fort, along with a threat note engraved on the rocks in protest of the movie ‘Padmavati’, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar on Friday said attacks and threats like these

‘It’s a very shocking news and I want a thorough investigation should be done into this,’ Bhandarkar said.

Madhur Bhandarkar

‘These acts are not right and we condemn these kind of attacks and threats to actors. I’m sure that state government will take proper cognisance of this,’ he added.

The incident was earlier speculated to be a suicide case, but when the police reached the spot, they found a message written on the rocks stating – “We do not only burn effigies, in protest of Padmavati”.

‘Padmavati’ has been in the eye of the storm following protests from conservative groups over alleged tampering with historical facts, a contention which filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has denied repeatedly.

The film features Deepika Padukone in the title role as Rani Padmavati, alongside Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji.

The release of the film, which was earlier slated for December 1, was deferred as the filmmakers were yet to procure a censor certificate.

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Katrina Kaif looks drop-dead gorgeous in her traditional avatar

Celebrities

Nov 242017

Ever since she made her debut on Instagram, Katrina Kaif has been setting temperatures soaring with her oh-so-hot pictures and rigorous workout sessions.

But this click is sure to blow your mind! The ‘Jagga Jasoos’ actress shared a beautiful image on the photo-sharing platform, where she’s seen donning a royal blue brocade blouse paired with a bright yellow and pink saree. Wearing her hair back in a neat bun with flowers adorning it, she accessorised the look with a choker and jhumkas. The round pink bindi on her forehead completes the look.

41-year-old Vivek Oberoi opens up on the sudden drop in his career graph

Celebrities

Nov 242017

Vivek Oberoi ventured into Hindi filmdom with ‘Company’ and featured in films like ‘Saathiya’, ‘Omkara’ and ‘Yuva’, followed by a dull period in his career with movies like ‘Kyun…! Ho Gaya Na’ and ‘Kisna’

Vivek Oberoi ventured into Hindi filmdom with “Company” and featured in films like “Saathiya”, “Omkara” and “Yuva”, followed by a dull period in his career with movies like “Kyun…! Ho Gaya Na” and ” Kisna”. The actor says it did not bog him down as he treated the moment as part of a roller-coaster ride. Asked if the sudden drop in his career graph affected him, Vivek told IANS in a recorded response: “No. I think in everything in life, there are ups and downs and if you decide to have fun, then it is nothing but a roller-coaster ride.”

Vivek Oberoi

Vivek, who made his debut in 2002 with “Company”, is the son of actor Suresh Oberoi. He says that even though there are some perks in coming from a film background, at the end of the day talent is what matters in showbiz.

What about the constant clamour around the celebrity kids to match up to their parents to prove their talent?

“There are a lot of us who decided to carve our own way and create our own niche…. So, it just depends on what your approach is. There are perks of being a star kid… Being integrated into the industry is a lot easier, but there’s also the perils of it, which is that the expectations from you are very high. So, you have to match up to the expectations,” Vivek added.

The actor stressed that comparisons will always be there for a star kid.

“So, it is a very large mountain to climb every single time. But I think at the end of it all, what truly matters is talent,” said Vivek.

The 41-year-old actor says if there is talent, “nobody cares whose son or daughter you are”.

“They (the audiences) accept and love you for your talent. The same opportunity can be given to someone who is not a star kid… I think at the end of the day, there is no formula. There are so many star kids who failed because people didn’t think they had the talent to give them the love or adulation they gave to their parents,” he added.

Asked if there are perils of being a star, Vivek said: “I think there are two extreme ends — there is the love, the adulation and the respect that you receive and then there is the other extreme of the same coin people will troll you, hound you for personal choices, and there is a certain loss of privacy.

“There are certain extremes. There are the perils, but there are the perks. The perks and perils come together.”

Vivek was last seen on-screen in “Bank Chor”, featuring with Riteish Deshmukh and Rhea Chakraborty. It is the story of three men who choose the worst day possible to rob a bank.

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Ayushmann Khurrana's next film is titled 'Badhai Ho'

Celebrities

Nov 242017

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana will be next seen in Junglee Pictures’ ‘Badhai Ho’

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana will be next seen in Junglee Pictures’ “Badhai Ho”. This will be the second time Ayushmann will be collaborating with Junglee Pictures after ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’. ‘Badhai Ho’ is reportedly a coming-of-age story of a family as it grapples with some unexpected news. Sharma earlier directed ‘Tevar’.

Ayushmann Khurrana

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The real reason why Akshay Kumar changed his name from Rajeev Bhatia

Celebrities

Nov 242017

In mid-day’s exclusive interview series, Sit With Hitlist, the Khiladi of Bollywood, Akshay Kumar, reveals why he decided to change his name from Rajeev Bhatia

Several celebrities have changed their name before entering Bollywood. Dilip Kumar (Muhammad Yusuf Khan), Sunny Leone (Karenjit Kaur Vohra), Rekha (Bhanurekha Ganesan) and Mallika Sherawat (Reema Lamba) are some of the stars known to have changed their name for the screen. Even Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar changed his name from Rajeev Bhatia. But do you know why? In mid-day exclusive interview, Sit With Hitlist, the ‘Padman’ actor revealed the real reason why he opted for a different name while joining films.

Akshay Kumar reveals the real reason why he changed his name from Rajeev Bhatia
Akshay Kumar. File pic/mid-day archives

While speaking exclusively to mid-day, Akshay Kumar revealed that he was supposed to work as a martial arts teacher in Mahesh Bhatt’s film called ‘Aaj’ where he had a seven-second role. When he realised that the hero of the film is called Akshay, he decided to call himself Akshay as well. Elaborating on it, Akshay Kumar tells mid-day, “Kumar Gaurav was the hero in that film. He was called Akshay. And, I don’t know why, it’s not that I thought my name was bad. Rajeev is a very good name. Pata nahi, dimag mein koi chah aa jati hai [something just interests you in your head]. And I just wanted to go, and change my name, and I went to the court in Bandra East and did it. I have a full certificate as proof [of my name-change].”

That’s quite an interesting story, isn’t it?

Read the in-depth ‘Sit With Hitlist’ interview of Akshay Kumar with mid-day, where the ‘Airlift actor also spoke about losing out on Aamir Khan’s film ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ (1993), his first pay-cheque, his audition days and many other unknown fascinating facets from his life before hitting stardom.

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'Padmavati' Row Gets Murkier, Dead Body Found Hanging From Jaipur's Nahargarh Fort In Protest

Celebrities

Nov 242017

It’s shameful to see how things are taking a gruesome turn in case of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’. If you were offended with BJP’s Haryana Minister offering a bounty of Rs. 10 crores on Deepika Padukone’s head, we don’t know how you would react to this.

A dead body was found hanging at the main gate of Jaipur’s Nahargarh Fort and that’s not it. It also had a chilling note with a deadly message, “We don’t burn effigies, we kill”.

#Rajasthan: Body found hanging at Nahargarh Fort in #Jaipur, threat note on rocks also seen #Padmavati pic.twitter.com/sSx9ONhF7D

— ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2017

This is the first time in the history of Bollywood when things have gone so out of hand and have taken a sinister turn. This whole incident makes us question the rapidly plunging levels of tolerance in our country.

As per reports by News 18, police are trying to find the cause of the person’s death. But it is disheartening to see the extent to which people are going just to crush a film that revolves around the story of Queen Padmini.

ANI (c) ANI/ Twitter

The body is yet to be identified and the cops were notified about it by the visitors who were shocked to see a corpse hanging from the fort. If you feel that Karni Sena, who has been opposing the release of the film and creating hurdles for it are responsible, then you should know that the organisation has come forward and condemned the macabre incident, making it clear they would never use such means to convey their message.

ANI (c) ANI/ Twitter

The president of Karni Sena came forward and spoke to News 18 sharing his view and said, “This is not the way to send a message. If anyone wants to send out a message of such sort, it is imparting a wrong message. Opposition to ‘Padmavati’ is justified, but this is not justified. This could be a suicide. This is not our way of protest. We condemn this”

Let’s hope this unfortunate development has got nothing to do with the movie, because that would simply become a large blot on our nation.

FIRST ON CNN-NEWS18 | This could be a suicide. This is not our way of protest. We condemn this: Mahipal Singh Makrana, Karni Sena President pic.twitter.com/t7UMB1TZoe

— News18 (@CNNnews18) November 24, 2017

Looking at the way things are unfolding, we wonder if this magnum opus will ever see the light of the day. However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee just announced that the film won’t be banned in her state and makers are welcome to release it there. Let’s hope more ministers come in support of the film and give it a fair chance to release.

Akshay Kumar: Twinkle threw script of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, called it sh*t

Celebrities

Nov 242017

In mid-day’s exclusive conversation series, Sit With Hitlist, the Khiladi of Bollywood, Akshay Kumar, reveals some interesting facts surrounding his author-actress wife Twinkle Khanna’s contribution to his film choices

While Karan Johar and Twinkle Khanna share a thick-bound friendship since they studied together in boarding school, it was Twinkle who helped Karan break the cocoon and conquer the world. Be it school debates or any extra-curricular activity, Tina (Karan fondly calls Twinkle as Tina) always stood beside him. The filmmaker has gone on record and said that Twinkle Khanna is the only woman he fell in love with.

Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna

Wanting to take this friendship ahead, Karan approached Twinkle for his directorial debut film ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, with the hope of a given ‘Yes’ from her. Little did he know that she would reject the film. This rejection blew Karan away and then, as everyone knows, the role was played by Rani Mukerji, thus her screen name being Tina.

Divulging more about it, Akshay Kumar, in mid-day’s exclusive conversation series, Sit With Hitlist, told, “I also tell her about Kuch Kuch Hota Hai [1998]. Even that was offered to her. She read the script, and she didn’t understand it. Eventually, Rani [Mukerji] did that role. She still tells Rani, “Teri zindagi maine banayi [I made your life].” She’d actually thrown the script, and called it sh*t!”

Twinkle Khanna has a major role to play in the change of her husband Akshay Kumar’s film choices. ‘Mrs. Funnybones’ once told mid-day that in jest she keeps whispering in Akshay’s ears while he sleeps, “Do good films. Win awards.” and Twinkle said that Akshay whispers back into her ears, “Mela, Mela…” Such is the camaraderie the couple shares.

While Akshay bowls everyone with his acting prowess, wife, Twinkle has made the nation laugh with her witty and humorous writing. Though with contradicting nature, the couple shares a fabulous chemistry.

Read the in-depth ‘Sit With Hitlist’ interview of Akshay Kumar with mid-day, where the ‘Airlift actor also spoke about losing out on Aamir Khan’s film ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ (1993), his first pay-cheque, his audition days and many other unknown fascinating facets from his life before hitting stardom.

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Miley Cyrus denies pregnancy, slams 'rude' fans

Celebrities

Nov 242017

Singer Miley Cyrus has slammed her “rude” fans for spreading rumours that she is expecting her first child with fiance Liam Hemsworth

Singer Miley Cyrus has slammed her “rude” fans for spreading rumours that she is expecting her first child with fiance Liam Hemsworth. Cyrus had shared a photograph of her pre-birthday celebration on Twitter. A lot of fans later started speculating that the singer is expecting a baby. However, she later clarified that she is “not pregnant”, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Miley Cyrus

Showing off balloon decorations, Cyrus wrote in the caption: “It’s my B-Day in less than 24 hours!” Her Twitter followers noticed her belly which looked rounder than before.
“Miley looks pregnant,” one fan wrote. Cyrus later denied the speculation and called her fans “rude”.

Shutting down the rumour, she posted the same photograph and wrote: “Rude. Not pregnant just eating a s-ton of tufurkey.” Cyrus turned 24 on Thursday.

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