Filmfare Awards: Rocking evening, great moments

In an evening of glitz and good cheer, the 57th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 were presented at the newly set up Reliance MediaWorks Studio in the sylvan environs of Film City. The nominations encompassed several films that had attempted to tread a fairly unbeaten path-Rockstar, The Dirty Picture, No One Killed Jessica, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Delhi Belly. As it turned out, Zindagi... cleared the course by winning seven trophies, followed by Rockstar with five and Delhi Belly with four. The Dirty Picture picked up three.

Ranbir Kapoor's and Vidya Balan's bold attempt to break the mould they had been cast in all along and essay roles that had darker shades-he a troubled rock star and she an unapologetic sex bomb-paid off in the form of the Best Actor and Best Actress award for Rockstar and The Dirty Picture. Ranbir's turn got him a rare double whammy with the Critics' Award for Best Actor as well. Expectedly, Rockstar swept up three music awards too-Best Lyrics, Best Singer (Male) and Best Composer for A R Rahman.

The evening began with a musical tribute to Dev Anand, with Javed Ali of Coke Studio doing a version of Dil ka bhanwar, Aise na mujhe tum dekho and Khoya khoya chand. A ponytailed Shaan, accompanied by Leslie Lewis in a ponytail, stepped up with an ode to Shammi Kapoor with Baar baar dekho, Dil deke dekho and Badan pe sitare.

This year, the hosts were a mixed doubles pair of sorts. There was Shah Rukh minus his regular partner Saif, and Ranbir sans co-anchor Imran. Still, each new permutation and combination worked just as brightly. SRK and Ranbir dropped from an aerial harness and collided mid-air as sparks flew literally. SRK ribbed Ranbir, accusing him of overacting and saying that sons of great actors seldom matched up. Ably supported by Karan Johar , Ali Zafar and former Miss India Ankita Shorey, the duo made the audience crack up with their antics.

As always, the event drew an A-list of performers whose flamboyant acts lent glamour to the soiree. Apart from Shah Rukh Khan, there was Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, who each enacted a medley of their hit numbers. Having brought their long relationship out of wraps recently, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia, who are to get married on February 3, shortly also put up a spirited pre-nuptial tango that included a song from their forthcoming film Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya.

The hall resounded with applause when the Lifetime Achievement award was given to veteran actress Aruna Irani. Back in 1961, few would have thought that the toothy child star of Ganga Jumna, who so enthusiastically sang Insaaf ki dagar pe, would acquire pride of place in Hindi cinema as a talented actor and dancer. "I have spent 56 years in the industry and I am so happy to know that my work is respected and appreciated," she told TOI. "The charm of this award is very different from that which one gets for one role. It's rather like putting your marks in individual roles aside for the total marks of your career."

Circa 2011, a veritable annus horribilis as far as the arts and media world was concerned, saw the demise of an unusually high number of performers in the film world, from Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Jagjit Singh, Bhupen Hazarika and many others. They were remembered through an AV.

(The 57th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 will be telecast at 8.00 pm on Sunday, February 19 on Sony Entertainment Television)

Salman, Shah Rukh Khan vie best male actor award

Bollywood friends-turned-foes, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan are in the race to for the best male actor trophy at the Zee Cine Awards to be held in Macau next month.
   
Salman has been nominated for his performance in blockbuster ‘Bodyguard’, while Shah Rukh has got two nominations in the same category, thanks to ‘RA.One’ and ‘Don 2: The King Is Back’. Other actors vying for the title include Hrithik Roshan for ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, Ajay Devgn for ‘Singham’ and Ranbir Kapoor for ‘Rockstar’.

Amongst the leading ladies, the battle for the best actor award is on between Vidya Balan (‘The Dirty Picture’), Priyanka Chopra (‘7 Khoon Maaf’), Kareena Kapoor (‘Bodyguard’), Kangna Ranaut (‘Tanu Weds Manu’) and Katrina Kaif (‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’).

The contenders in the best film category are ‘Don 2’, ‘Bodyguard’, ‘Rockstar’, ‘Singham’, ‘The Dirty Picture’ and ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’.

The trophy for the best director of 2011 will be chosen from among Farhan Akhtar (‘Don 2’), Imtiaz Ali (‘Rockstar’), Milan Luthria (‘The Dirty Picture’), Rohit Shetty (‘Singham’), Siddique (‘Bodyguard’) and Zoya Akhtar (‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’).

The awards will be chosen by film enthusiasts from across the globe. The viewers can send in their votes for their favourite nominees, and 12 lucky winners chosen from amongst those who send in their votes will also be flown in to Macau to witness the live ceremony, Jan 21 next year.

The star-studded extravaganza, to be hosted by Shah Rukh and Priyanka, will be telecast on TV Feb 5, 2012.

‘Don 2’ raked in Rs 15 crores on opening day

Looks like it is going to be a good year for Bollywood. Shah Rukh Khan`s latest offering ‘Don 2’ raked in Rs 15 crores on its opening day with trade pundits predicting the figures to go up as it is a Christmas weekend.

The year has seen some astounding Box Office collection for several films. While Bodyguard is leading the pack by garnering approximately Rs 89 crores in the first five days, SRK’s other film ‘RA.One’ is fourth in the list with a collection of Rs 80.3 crores in first five days.

Speaking to a daily, Gautam Dutta, chief operating officer, PVR Cinemas said, "Average occupancy across shows was 85-90%. A good thing is that bulk bookings by corporates for the next two days are also very high."

The film witnessed a great opening in overseas too. In the UAE, it grossed $360,000, which is more than Khan`s My Name is Khan which had collected $240,000 on the first day.

In the UK, the movie, which opened on Wednesday with limited shows, has raked in £202,000.

Directed by Farhan Akhtar, the film is a sequel of ‘Don’ which was a remake of the70s classic by the same name. Even though critics have stated that the film borrows from several Hollywood classics, the film is being lauded for its action sequences and SRK’s performance. An independent distributor predicted that ‘Don 2’ would collect more than Rs 35 crore from the overseas market itself.

According to sources, Reliance Entertainment has spent a whopping Rs 25 crore on the publicity of the film.

Don 2 – Complete Review

While the first film had the burden of being labeled as a remake of an old classic, this film sheds such inhibitions and manages to surpass its prequel. The story is pretty simple. It takes off from where the first part ends when Don (Shah Rukh Khan) escapes from the police only to resurface in Thailand in the new film.

After some inexplicable things, he surrenders in front of the police and old flame Roma(Priyanka Chopra).
Don is then sent to a jail in Malaysia where he meets his old enemy Vardhan What follows is an elaborate planned out jail break and Don and Vardhan manage to escape. They land up in Berlin, where Don with some old and some new associates plans to rob a bank.

The film’s plot isn’t original. It borrows from some of the most classic Hollywood thrillers like Ocean’s Eleven, Mission Impossible and Die Hard. Written by Farhan Akhtar, Ameet Mehta, Amrish Shah, the plot lacks freshness and is weak. But where the story falters, mind blowing action sequences make up for the loss.

The film has some amazing stunts and chase sequences. The car chase between Priyanka and SRK is definitely a high point of the film and so is the sequence where Shah Rukh escapes the clutches of an assassin and jumps from a high rise building.

The film belongs to Shah Rukh. So much so that a stellar cast comprising of Priyanka Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani and Om Puri fade in the background. Shah Rukh gives Don a completely different avatar. He has his smirk in place, he is cocky and he is evil. It is definitely refreshing to watch SRK play a negative character after ages with such ease. Remember Baazigar? Yes, SRK in Don plays the negative character with the same conviction and makes it look like no big deal. He almost glorifies negativity.

Watch the film for some awesome action sequences. And watch it for the King. He is truly back.

Actress Sonam Kapoor surprised at being tagged sexy

Actress Sonam Kapoor's uber cool look in her forthcoming film "Players" is earning her rave reviews. The "Saawariya" girl is surprised at being tagged sexy and thanks her sister for her new avatar.

"Can you believe people are calling me sexy. I don't know where to look when they call me that. I am like 'really me?'," she said at the launch of a new programe "Super Santa" for UTV.

"I don't know yaar, maybe I am like one of those girls. But it's nice to hear it for the first time in my life," added the 26-year-old who played a simpleton in her last film "Mausam" opposite Shahid Kapoor.

The first big release of 2012, "Players" promos are out and Sonam, who sports sytlish wardrobe and glamorous look, says her sister Rhea should be credited for turning her into a sexy diva in the action thriller.

"It's all because of my sister. She has very carefully chosen clothes for me. It's not typical sexy, but it is like edgy sexy," said Sonam, who was earlier styled by her sister Rhea for their home production "Aisha".

Coming out on Jan 6, "Players" also stars Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Bipasha Basu.

Sonam debuted as a traditional girl in "Saawariya" in 2007 and later played girl-next-door in "Delhi-6".

But with "I Hate Luv Storys" she moved on to more chick look and continued it in "Aisha" and "Thank You" with elan.

Currently Sonam is filming for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" opposite Farhan Akhtar and would also start work on her sister's untitled next project soon.