World Cup 2011 Movie Review

World Cup 2011: Good intent but bad execution
Rating: 1.5 out of 5*
Starring: Introducing Ravi Kapoor and Manisha Chatterjee, Suresh Oberoi, Prem Chopra, Smita Jaykar, Ehsaan Khan and Zakir Hussain
Director: Ravi Kapoor

Indian cricket team's captain Ravi Indulkar(Ravi Kapoor) gets lured by the bookie lord Shobhan's (Zakir Hussain) huge bribe during the World Cup game against Pakistan in 2007. Ravi along with his 4 team mates - Rajpal, Hiten, Irfan and Balwinder ends up throwing the match away resulting in India's loss. They are however later exposed by a journalist which leads to the Indian Cricket Board ousting them all for 4 years from cricket. Ravi's girlfriend, Soha (Manisha) dumps him and he also faces his father's death. But Indian team's cricketing coach (Suresh Oberoi) gives one more chance to the black listed Ravi and his 4 other banned team mates. Its then an India v/s Pakistan final and the end is everyone's guess.

The promotional strategy of the film has been revolving around exposing all the nexus between the underworld and the cricketing world and what not but there is simply nothing new that we are shown in here. Debutant actor-director Ravi Kapoor has got confused trying to pack in too many genres into one. At times the film sets the tone of a Chak De India then suddenly turns into Jannat and then goes into Ram Gopal Varma's underworld territory. Also the film touches just the tip of these genres and doesn't go deep into exposing anything really startling. Okay now even if that is accepted what about the execution? Its plain amateurish at many places with huge loopholes in the script. You end up laughing at all the wrong places.

As an actor Ravi Kapoor shows some spark and can do better with more opportunities. Manisha is passable. Amongst the rest cast full of character actors, the ones who impress are Zakir Hussain and Suresh Oberoi. Former Indian cricketers Saba Karim and Nikhil Chopra do a good job on screen as commentators.

Music by Aadesh Srivastava is just about okay while the other technicalities are average.v

World Cup 2011 has a good intent but its the bad execution that leaves you disappointed.

Vettaikaran Movie Review, Vijay’s Vettaikaran Review Rating

Vettaikaran– Vijay’s treat for his fans
Production: AVM Productions, Sun Pictures
Direction: Babu Sivan
Star-casts: Vijay, Anushka, Salim Ghosh, Satyan, Sayaji Shinde, Haneefa, Mano Bala, Sri Hari and others
Music: Vijay Anthony

Rating: 2.5/5

For those critically disappointed with Vijay’s previous films ‘Kuruvi’ and ‘Ghilli’, there’s something great to rejoice. Aye! ‘Vettaikaran’ exactly savors to the tastes for the ardent fans of actor Vijay. Though Babu Sivan presents the film with clichéd commercial elements, it turns to be a sort of entertainment.

‘Vettaikaran’ is loaded with half-dozen of punch dialogues, action-packed sequences, Anushka’s glamorous treat, enjoyable songs and comedy. Of course, what else does an audience need when they’ve decided to watch a passable entertainer?

But lots of predictabilities in the screenplay do take a toll on patience as Babu Sivan blatantly replicates the description of scenes and characterizations from various films, specifically from his mentor Dharani’s films.

Nothing seems to have broken down the spirits of Ravi (Vijay), who aspires to be like his role model Devaraj IPS. Regrettably, the guy hasn’t passed his 12th grade, which makes his father yell at him often. But, he succeeds clearing his arrears on 4th attempt and heads for Chennai to complete graduation. He has got one mantra to achieve– become a cop, serve the society. Ravi doesn’t depend on his cheese-paring dad for financial support and earns his livelihood being part time auto rickshaw driver.

He comes across new friends, dream girl Susheela (Anushka) with whom he falls in love at first sight. Everything makes him happy in Chennai except one thing: absence of his inspirer IPS officer Devaraj as he’s disappeared on the spur of the moment.

Meanwhile, Ravi’s ambitious plans about becoming a cop is at stake when he clashes with the most pernicious criminals Chella, his dad Vedanayagam (Salim Ghosh).

What unfolds next is a series of combats breaking out between Ravi and the goons.

As mentioned earlier, Babu Sivan seems to have crafted the script just for the purpose of gratifying the tastes of Vijay’s fans. The first half is neatly blended with fun, frolic, love and establishments of conflicts between the characters. To be precise, the 90mins of first half has a paced-up screenplay that keeps you engaged with the show. But, the second half (75mins) fails to deliver the riveting ingredients. The narrative aspects loose its substantiality in the latter part as well. Sparing few scenes like the bad cop (Shayaji Shinde) transformed as a genuine person and the climax with Devaraj IPS settling scores, none of them are found to be engrossing.

Most of the sequences have been lifted from Perarsu’s ‘Tirupatchi’ and ‘Bhagavathy’.

Vijay’s laudable performance adds more strength to the film thereby diminishing the flimsy narrative in second half. Anushka has no prominence in the film other than shaking legs with Vijay for songs and gradually disappear. Salim Ghosh scores brownie points with his extraordinary acting as the filmmaker depicts him in a better role. Srinath is okay while Delhi Ganesh and Manobala have been wasted.

Technically, Vijay Antony’s musical score Vijay’s wizardry over dance is a grand treat for all. ‘Oru Chinna Thamarai’ and ‘Uchimandaiyla’ has been marvelously choreographed. Both cinematography and editing doesn’t help for the film’s technical enhancements.

It looks like Babu Sivan has no regards of giving importance to logic. It can be illustrated with the role of Devaraj IPS, who keeps making headlines everyday in media. How come the same media channels failed to unravel the secret behind his disappearance?

On whole, ‘Vettaikaran’ could’ve been be a better fare if Babu Sivan had crafted a completely different screenplay in second half from what it is now. With Sun Pictures persistently promoting the film, the film has all probabilities to strike gold in box office. But, it’s a worth watching the film only if you’re an ardent buff of Vijay alone.

Chandana Sharma gets paranoid

‘Love ne Mila Di Jodi’’s handsome hunk Gaurav Khanna makes a magical pair with Chandana Sharma on-screen but it also makes the beautiful actress paranoid.


Gaurav as an actor is a bit spontaneous while shooting to make the scene look real, “I like adding my own lines in the scene and Chandana can’t take it so she gets paranoid. Now she has got used to it but initially she used to have a problem with that” says smart actor Gaurav. This actor seems to ruin beautiful Chandana’s way of tackling the scene.

Does he trouble anyone else? “We all actors of the show are of similar age so we have fun together like we switch characters and mimic each other’s acting sometimes. It’s really funny when we imitate each other. We even mimic senior actress ‘Ela Gujral’s character from the show but it’s all taken in good spirits.” says Gaurav.

So says the serious Prithvi of ‘Love ne…’ as he shows his funny side and is a terror for his co-stars.

Nandish Sandhu Wiki, Nandish Sandhu Biography

Nandish Sandhu (born in Rajasthan, India on 25 December) is an Indian actor and a prominent television figure. Nandish Sandhu known for his role in Hindi television serials, such as Uttaran, Khwaish & Hum Ladkiyan . He is single.

Profession: Actor/Model

Work Profile:
""""""""""""""""

(SERIALS)

* Uttaran for Colors(As Veer)

* Hum Ladkiyan for Sony(as Rahul).

* Khwaish for Sony (as Yasir).

* Kayamat for Star Plus (as Saket).

* Kasturi for Star Plus (as Ronak Sabarwal).

* Shhh... Phir Koi Hai for Star One.

(AD's & PRINTS)

* Big Bazaar

* Set Max Channel ID Promo (on Air)

* Apple Jaquzi and bathtubs (Print)

* Commercial for Microsoft. (TVC)

* Filmfare Magazine Promotion (Print & TVC)

* Reliance Telecom (Print)

* Tata Indicom Calender

* Jet Airways (Print)

* Fisher Club Wear (Print)

* Aptech Computers (Print)

* GM Computers (TVC)

Personal interests : Dancing, Riding, Swimming, Listening to music, Travelling, Cooking, Gaming, Singing

Email : ricky.sandhu@hotmail.com

Nandish Sandhu wants a balanced wife

“I wear a thin ring in my ears when I am not shooting, but I have to wear a big one on screen.

I was never used to wearing a earring before, but now I have to,” says Nandish. While he debuted in Kayamath and then he did Khwaish and Hum Ladkiyan, it is his current show that has given him popularity. “Surely this show has given me a lot of fame. During my first show I wasn’t confident, but gradually I have improved a lot as an actor. It is also the character that is so nice and visible. I got an opportunity to show my abilities.”

Being married in the show, what kind of girl would he love to get married to? “In real life I don’t want a wife like Tapasya who is too possessive, jealous or Iccha, who is too sacrificing. I want a ‘balanced wife’ who is a mix of both,” he says. Ask about the fight between his two female co-stars because of him and he says, “I don’t think there is any tiff between Rashmi Desai and Tina Dutta because of me. But I don’t completely deny it either. When there are two girls and one guy there are chances that differences might come up.” He claims both the girls are close to him. “Tina is like a small girl with whom I have loads of fun, while Rashmi is someone more mature with whom I can talk about work and more.” Is he someone who feels that one needs to be friends with his co-stars? “Off screen chemistry is very important. If you don’t get along well with your co-star then you can’t give a good performance. The ego between the two sets in and surely kills everything,” he says.

What about his much talked link-up stories with Rashmi (Tapasya)? Nandish clarifies, “Rashmi and I are friends. I don’t know why people are thinking that we are seeing each other just because we like to spend time together. We are very comfortable in each other’s company. Now Tina shoots at a different set and we both shoot at a different set so we three don’t get a chance to meet together.”

Nandish Sandhu's past Aradhana Upaal, Present Rashmi Desai

Veer (Nandish Sandhu) and Tapasya's (Rashmi Desai) on-screen chemistry on COLORS' Uttaran is sizzling nowadays. And the strong bonding is many times credited to the off-screen chemistry between Nandish and Rashmi. However, Nandish has a heavy baggage from his past.

Nandish Sandhu who apparently is seeing Rashmi Desai now, does not have a clean chit from his past...

In the past, Nandish was seeing Aradhana Upaal, his co-actor from Khwahish days. Nandish and Aradhana who played Nadira- Phuppo were quite an item at that time.

According to our source who is a common friend of Nandish and Aradhana, "Nandish and Aradhana had a very close bond. They maintained a live-in relationship in the past, and were very much in love. However, later Nandish's priorities changed and he got closer to Rashmi."

When contacted, Nandish Sandhu sent us a text message saying, "I am not seeing anyone at the moment. Aradhana is a very good friend and we do spend time together whenever we get a chance, but I am still single. The same goes to Rashmi too, and we are thick friends. My priority and focus is only work right now."

The common friend of Nandish and Aradhana went on to say, "The very fact that Nandish calls both Aradhana and Rashmi as 'very close' friends, speaks a lot. Hope you can read between the lines".

When contacted, Aradhana just said "No Comments."

Avatar Movie Review

Film: Avatar (U/A)
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver
Rating: 3 and 1/2

The movie sincerely needs to be reviewed at two levels. One at the technological marvel that it creates, and the other at its sub-par story line, which though decent, brings down the overall film's quality.

James Cameron apparently thought of the idea in 1995, but waited all this while for the technology to implement it. His PR machinery has proudly claimed that Avatar will revolutionise cinema-watching forever. You cannot disagree with them about how this completely alters the movie-watching experience. You can literally see the record $300 million being invested in the production of the film. Unlike many other 3D movies, here, the special effects are not gimmicky at all. There is no poking and throwing things, but the effects draw you into the story, on to this fantastic moon called Pandora, with its exquisite beauty and life, and makes you believe in it.

To get to its slightly hackneyed plot, with quite a few tacky moments, the year is 2154 and Earth is dying. The humans have established a mining colony in the beautiful and dangerous Pandora, looking for the mineral Unobtainium that is worth $20 million per kilogram, and can save the planet. However, the largest deposit of this mineral is right under Pandora's blue-skinned indigenous humanoid race Na'vi's large forest settlement. They are unwilling to move, and 'the corporation' has embarked on a mission to win their trust and ask them to leave to avoid "bad press". And if not, to forget about the "bad press" and use their military might to evict them. Thus to win their trust, the corporation funds the project which creates a human-Na'vi hybrid, called the 'avatar', where a human's consciousness is linked into the body of a living, breathing body that resembles the Na'vi. The idea being, that they will get acquainted with each other and the avatars be able to convince the Na'vis to move out. The team of avatars is led by Dr Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and also includes Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), an ex-Marine confined to a wheelchair, who becomes part of the Na'vi group and falls in love with another Na'vi, Neytiri (Zoë Saldan). The Na'vis of course refuse to resettle, and Jake Sully, now in love with the Na'vi sides with them in the war.

The plot is rather too simplistic to 'change cinema forever'. You might as well see the Na'vis as American Indians, whose land is being taken away from newly-arrived Europeans, or see the Na'vis as developing countries and 'the corporation' as the US. One cannot miss the speech of the human's military commander, also the villain who, towards the end, declares very Bush-like, "Our survival relies on pre-emptive action. We will fight terror, with terror" and "We will use shock and awe". Perhaps one resonance Cameron didn't think of but will be felt here, is what is happening within India, where land is being acquired by large corporations with the help of the government at the cost of the tribals who reside in them.

To come back to the special effects of the movie, there are simply so many moments that will leave the viewer spellbound with its detailing. Perhaps the most being the avatars and the Na'vis themselves, every subtle movement of their faces can be seen because the technology used is so exquisite; one can see the actors give real performances, and even recognise Worthington, Weaver and Saldana.

It is not like some banal machine turning into a robot, ala Transformers. Cameron sure knows how to harness technology for story-telling. And though the story is not as original as Terminator 2 or as heart-warming as Titanic, it sure is thrilling.

Trisha into hotel industry, Star Hotel Hyderabad

If sources are to be believed, Trisha could soon turn into an hotelier. The film star is apparently not just content with the way her career has been shaping up but also wants to turn into an entrepreneur. Trisha’s father Krishnan, who has ample experience in the hotel industry, will administer the star hotel, we hear.

And guess where the star hotel will be? Well, this time it is not Chennai, but Trisha’s hotspot Hyderabad.

Katrina Kaif underwent a minor surgery

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif, who successfully underwent a minor surgery at the Breach Candy hospital here, has been discharged Thursday.

The actress was admitted to the hospital Wednesday night, prior to which she had been advised bed rest.

"Katrina has just been discharged from Breach Candy Hospital and is completely fine now. Because of her system's low haemoglobin level, she had to undergo a small surgical procedure. She's resting at home, after which she will take off for her annual Christmas break," Katrina's spokesperson said in a statement.

The actress was recently seen in hit film "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" and her next is Prakash Jha's "Rajneeti".

My Name is Khan plot

The trailer of the Shahrukh Khan-Karan Johar collaboration 'My Name is Khan' released yesterday and drew some mixed reactions. Some had thought the movie features a fresh take on racism in the US, others thought that it would redefine Shahrukh and Karan's approach to cinema.

What did you think? Was it a bit disappointing? Or was it exactly what you hoped for? Still haven't seen it? Click here to watch the trailer of My Name is Khan.

Bollywood has already doled out films revolving around the racism issue, Yash Raj's 'New York' oepned earlier this year and turned out to be a box office bonanza. Saif-Kareena's Kjo production 'Kurbaan' addressed a similar issue, and was slightly more polished that New york (but was a big disappointment). It tanked at the box office without a trace. Karan Johar has stated in the past that 'My Name is Khan' is his biggest movie to date (he wasn't kidding, it was sold for Rs 100 crore to Fox). However the trailer showed that the film is just another SRK-Kjo cash bonanza with healthy dollops of melodrama, loud music, and the towering screen presence of star Shahrukh Khan.

Karan on Thursday stated that MNIK has little to do with terrorism, in fact terrorism makes for only the backdrop of the film. "My Name is Khan has nothing to do with terrorism. It is not a terrorism-based plot at all. It is a humanitarian tale about love and sacrifice," Karan told reporters. "It is about overcoming a phase, it is about triumph of the human spirit," he added.

Shahrukh and Karan previously collaborated for the drama 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna', which was a critical and box office disappointment, however King Khan is all praise for the new film. "I have worked with Karan in his first film (`Kuch Kuch Hota Hai`) and has been with him all through his journey. I think `My Name Is Khan` is his ultimate evolution," said Shah Rukh."In this film, the way Karan has touched upon the scenes and sequences, it is very different from his all previous films," he added.

My Name is Khan hits theaters on 12th Feb, 2010. Music for the film has been composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and the seemingly gorgeous cinematography by ace DOP Ravi Chandran. As per the official synopsis of the film, Rizwan Khan (Tanay Chheda), plays a Muslim child who has Asperger syndrome, grows up with his mother (Zarina Wahab) in the Borivali section of Mumbai. As an adult (Shahrukh Khan), Rizwan falls in love with a Hindu single mother, Mandira (Kajol) who lives in San Francisco. While not focusing on the events of 9/11, the storyline of MNIK explores the period afterwards. At that time, authorities arrest and detain Rizwan, after interpreting the visible aspects of his condition as "suspicious" behavior. After his arrest, he meets Radha (Sheetal Menon), a therapist who helps him overcome the ordeal. Rizwan then begins a journey to find and meet President Barack Obama (Christopher B. Duncan) in order to clear his name.

Katrina’s haemoglobin count is too low, Katrina Kaif Health News

As her hemoglobin count continues to plummet, Katrina’s health is causing distress to all those who know her.

Everyone around Katrina, wellwishers, co-stars, friends and family are beginning to be extremely worried about Katrina’s deteriorating health. On Sunday she was again at a suburban hospital to take further tests as her haemoglobin count continued to fall, despite treatment from the best doctors in the city.

Though Katrina has been extremely selective recently about the appearances she makes, she is obviously still straining too much and it is affecting her adversely.

On Sunday Katrina woke up unable to get out of bed. The worst blow to her frail energy level was the hectic wedding of Salman Khan’s close family-friend Krishan Narayan’s daughter which Katrina attended for two consecutive nights on Friday and Saturday for the sangeet and wedding.

Forgetting her delicate health, Katrina had simply let herself go, dancing and having a good time.

A friend explained, “It was a commitment she couldn’t wriggle out of. The bride’s father, an associate of politician Praful Patel, is a very close friend of Salman Khan. And Katrina who has always looked at Salman’s friends as her own, had to be there.”

The result of two consecutive nights of merry-making was a relapse. On Sunday Katrina had to undergo a series of complicated medical tests that went on the whole day

The friend continued, “Katrina’s haemoglobin count continues to plummet. The doctors are perplexed by this. They can’t figure out what is causing this abnormality in her blood. She has been prescribed complete bed rest.”

When contacted, Katrina tried to dismiss her indisposition with. “I will be just fine. I just need to rest.”

My Name Is Khan Promotional Promo

My Name Is Khan Promotional Promo

3 Idiots Reality Game

Aamir launches 'Alternative Reality Game' to promote'3 Idiots'

Aamir Khan is back into the news again. Of course now he has taken a go at the marketing of his latest venture called 3 Idiots, directed by Raju Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. As his latest promotion stint, the Khan has launched what he calls, an 'Alternative Reality Game'. As part if it, Aamir would be 'disappeared' for the next two weeks. The actor will be travelling secretly across parts of India and will give clues, which would help in finding which city he is located in. For the same, Tendulkar read out the first clue yesterday.