Tarantino touch fails to work for Bollywood

As I left the cinema, my senses reeling from an inces- sant assault by what can only be described as an overblown attempt to try to Tarantino-ise Bollywood, I bumped into a regular cinemagoer who put it all into perspective. “Thank goodness for bad films,” she said. “At least it makes us appreciate the good ones.”

“Bad” is what this wannabe cult classic wants to be — “bad” in a rap, hip-hop sense — and while there are moments when it’s on the button by being surreal, bold and even quite brilliant, overall the package is let down by gross over-indulgence by first-time director Vijay Krishna Acharya.

Cutting-edge cinema is a simple medium. By all means, push the envelope as far as you possibly can, but don’t throw the whole post office at the audience, as Acharya has done, to the extent that one has to duck to avoid the postman’s flying bicycle!

He loses grip of the reins, as everything is overplayed in every scene.

Bollywood extra large

There’s a lot of action in Bollywood this season and not all of it onscreen. Actor Akshay Kumar is celebrating his Rs 20-crore price tag by buying a three-acre Portuguese heritage bungalow on Goa’s Anjuna beach. Kareena Kapoor has just bought herself an apartment in Bandra but is too busy to move.

Apoorva Lakhia, a director, who is still owed Rs 11 lakh by his last producer, has just ordered a BMW on the basis of the signing amount for his next movie. And actor-director Rajat Kapoor, who spent seven years struggling to raise Rs 30 lakh for his second film, now has a blank cheque to make five films for Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC).

He’s marking the occasion by working out for a towel scene written into the Rs 5-crore movie his friend is directing. From corporates in Hugo Boss suits to independent producers in Gucci T-shirts, there’s a new buzz in town. It’s the new economy of Bollywood and it’s extra large.

Bollywood actress Koena Mitra will be starring in a Hollywood movie

Bollywood actress Koena Mitra will be starring in a action-packed Hollywood movie, for which she has already started taking "special training" in various forms of martial art.

"The movie is named Karna. You will get to see lot of action scenes performed by me in this movie. I have been taking special training in various forms of martial art as I am expected to do lot of stunts," 23-year-old Koena, who performed in a Indian Cricket League match here last night, told reporters today.

Without divulging any details about her latest venture, she said, "even children will enjoy watching this movie".

Preity Zinta: I'm Not The Burning Bra Chick

Preity Zinta is known for speaking her mind. In the Capital recently to announce the arrival of The Golden Ovary Awards in India, she spoke as the ambassador of the Godfrey Phillips Bravery awards.

Preity is an interesting mix of glamour tantrums and an aware intellect. She’s unafraid to discuss women’s issues over tabloid rumours.

“I am not the burning bra kind of feminist chick. But I have the strength to stand behind what I believe in,” she says.

Having won the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award for speaking out in court in the Bharat Shah case, she is now lending support to The Golden Ovary Awards, which she believes will help recognise “the unsung but not lost women who have lived and worked with the

Aishwarya highest paid Bollywood actress

Aishwarya Rai carrying home a pay packet of Rs.40 million for her proposed stint as Rajnikant’s leading lady in Shankar’s “Robot”, she has now become the highest-paid actress in Indian cinema. “Yes, it’s close to Rs.40 million. And she’s very amused when she reads that she is the highest-paid actress in Bollywood. With three hits in a row, ‘Guru’, ‘Dhoom 2′ and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, Ash’s equity as a Rai and a Bachchan have gone through the roof,” said a source close to Aishwarya.

“It is no surprise that Aishwarya is getting Rs.40 million. It’s still chicken feed compared with what Rajnikant carries home. He takes home Rs.150 million plus fifty percent of his film’s profits. But still he cannot make a film commercially viable outside the Tamil belt on his own.