Movie Review: Singham is for Ajay Devgn fans only

Ratings:

Aseem Chabbra feels that the real star of the film Singham is its sound team.

In Rohit Shetty's mass-masala movie Singham, Ajay Devgn plays an upright, honest and do-gooder cop who goes way beyond the training and duties of a regular Indian Police Service officer.

He will stop to push a cart if its wheel is stuck in the mud; play with little kids; become a part time no-interest loan financier to settle a dispute between two people in his village, especially if someone is about to get married and it is their 'izzat ka sawal'.

Devgn's Bajirao Singham is almost the village panchayat, who is blessed by hundreds of drum beating men. His ritual bath in the village pond at night is accompanied with a beautiful display of floating lit lamps, and people dressed in red costumes praying, perhaps for his well-being.

After the bath, Singham walks bare-chested with mysterious smoke rising behind him, subtle dramatic lighting, to the beat of drums and what sounds like Hindu shlokas. He sometimes walks in slow-motion -- that means he is cool. And sometimes leaps at the bad guys -- that means he has lion blood flowing throwing his veins.
Singham is followed by a continuous soundtrack -- mostly the melody of the title song sung by Sukhwinder Singh. But in the second half of the film, when he decides to finally take on the evil Jaykant Shikre (a very loud and over-the-top Prakash Raj), Singham's personal soundtrack changes to religious shlokas -- as if his forthcoming actions, beyond what is allowed by the laws of the land and his training at the IPS academy, are justified and sanctioned by something above everything else -- God, Hinduism, its texts and its hymns.

Remake of a hit 2010 Tamil film, Singham is critical of the Indian politics and society. Time and again, the film's characters make observations against India's flawed and corrupt system.

The film's three writers: Hari, Yunus Sajawal and Farhad Sajid seem to be disappointed with the way India has shaped out to be. They have little faith in the law. Most cops in the film, baring Singham and a couple of his subordinates when he is posted to Goa, are shown to be corrupt or at least have an attitude that do they not give a damn.

The politicians are the guilty party. As Shikre says toward the end of the film -- from 1947 to 2011 no minister has been arrested in India for crime and corruption.
The film makes it very clear -- without the existence of Singham, the good cop, India has no hope. I wonder why no has thought of making him the president or the prime minister of the country!
The film opens with the big dramatic dance sequence celebrating our hero -- it feels like it is Holi, but it is not, as Devgn and the backup dancers strike a pose with as their hands becoming the claws of tigers.

The first half of the film takes its time in establishing Singham's character, his world, his romance with Kaavya Bhosle (Kajal Agarwal, a chirpy, but weak actress, who has a bad habit of rushing through her lines and strangely enough bears a slight resemblance to Devgn's wife Kajol).

In a long fight sequence, Singham beats up a fat bad guy who has snatched Kaavya's green dupatta. And she is so shamed by the dishonour that she wraps herself in a black dupatta.
There is the parallel story about Shikre, who makes money kidnapping rich people and has the protection of the Goa's top cops and politicians. But Singham and Shikre's path do not cross, until almost the intermission.
In the second half, Singham is posted to Goa -- as a punishment, where he is now in the world run by Shikre. He is frustrated and almost gives up hope. But just when he decides to leave, a depressed and overweight kid looks at Singham and begs him to stay back. "Uncle aap nahin hongey to yeh mummy ko marengey," the kid pleads with Singham.

The kid's mummy is Megha Kadam (Sonali Kulkarni), whose husband committed suicide in the opening sequences of the film, but all of that is too complicated to explain here.
Finally, Singham walks up to what looks like the entire Goa police force gathered with their families for a reception. He asks each of those cops to look into the eyes of their family members. Burdened with a sufficient sense of guilt, the reformed cops take off on 'mardon wallah kaam' to deal with Shikre, who by now has been elected for the political office. The method they chose to deal with Shikre may be unethical according to the Indian laws, but then it goes fine with the film's near anarchist attitude.
The dialogues are often hilarious, sometimes unintentionally. Singham to Shikre: "Tu corruption sey paiday hua gandi nalee ka keeda hai."

Shikre to Singham: "Yahan mera music system bajta hai!"

A jaded junior cop to Singham: "Main bhi yahan angry young man ban key aya tha. Lekin in logon ne mujhey Gandhi Ji ka bandar bana diya - na dekho, na bolo, na suno!"

The performances have Bollywood written all over them. Devgn is mostly a caricature of an action hero. His best moments are when he is really angry, gritting his teeth and cracking his knuckles as he gets ready to beat up the bad guys.
The real star of the film is the sound team. Singham is packed with a lot of bone crunching sounds, and loud action moments. Gone are the days when Bollywood films just featured dhishum-dhishum in the fight scenes. Now there is every possible jarring loud sound one hears, as Singham whips up the bad guys with his belts and smashes their bodies on the ground, against walls,.

The fights are long, painful and yet fun to watch. But I never understood why with all the beating they take from one man, none of the bad guys are even slightly injured. There is no bone broken, no cut, not even a bruise. There is violence and yet no after affect of violence. And I am sure that is fine for the Indian censors.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 smashes boxoffice records

The final Harry Potter film was set to smash box office records on both sides of the Atlantic this weekend after reports that US ticket sales on Friday were the biggest in the history of Hollywood.

In the final, climactic confrontation between the forces of good and evil in the world of wizardry, there was already one clear victor – the studio, Warner Bros.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opened just after midnight on Friday in both Britain and America. It made more than £9 million in its first day in British cinemas, easily eclipsing the previous record of £5.9 million made by the first instalment of Deathly Hallows.

It will almost certainly overtake the British record for an opening weekend – also held by the first Deathly Hallows film, which earned £18.3 million in its first three days last November. The new film is expected to make more than £20 million over its opening weekend.

Deathly Hallows Part 2 is also on course to surpass the British box office record set by the film adaptation of the musical Mamma Mia!, starring Meryl Streep, which made £69 million throughout its run. In the US, the film took $43.5 million (£27 million) for midnight showings and an estimated further $40 million during the day on Friday. That put the total one-day earnings at more than $80 million, comfortably above the previous US one-day record, set by Twilight Saga: New Moon with $72 million.

Earnings were bolstered by higher ticket prices for the movie's 3D version. "Records will fly out of the window this weekend," a studio executive said. "All 3D theatres sold out to excellent reactions." In the US, there were predictions that the film – the eighth and last in the Harry Potter series – would earn $180 million by tonight, far exceeding the previous record for an opening three-day weekend, held by Dark Knight, the 2008 Batman movie, which grossed $158 million.

Even before this phenomenal opening, the first seven films based on the books by JK Rowling were the largest-grossing franchise in history, with worldwide box office takings of $6.4 billion. The film's premiere in London on July 7 drew crowds from around the world, with fans queuing for more than 24 hours in the rain to catch a glimpse of the film's stars, Daniel Radcliffe, a tearful Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint (all pictured above) at their final promotion of the franchise.

Josh Berger, the president and managing director of Warner Brothers UK, said: "This is completely unchartered territory. The books and films are so beloved and have such broad appeal. Because this is the final chapter, it seems to be attracting even more fans than ever before."

Movie Review: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (U/A)
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin, Abhay Deol
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Rating: ***

"Seize the day, my friend," blurts the stunning deep-sea diving instructor Laila (Kaif), on a long walk with an uptight financial broker Arjun (Roshan). Arjun hasn't lived much, nor have his friends -- the apparently spineless Kabir (Deol) and jovial, closet poet Imran (Farhan). The adage pretty much sums up ZNMD.

It's a long, boring advertisement for Spain Tourism, warned a colleague whose "sources" had these precious words about ZNMD. I can safely say, it's a little more than that.

How do they land in Spain? Well, the boys had made a certain pact that each would suggest an adventure sport and the other two would have to follow. Screenplay writers Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar (also director) bring to the table a very beautifully captured Spain, by cinematographer Carlos Catalan. No no, that's not all. Along with Spain, they bring relationships of their protagonists with themselves and each other.

Undercurrents unleashed by emotional turmoil, friendship, and finally the unloading of mental baggage, so as to emerge victorious in the truest sense.

For all this, the storywriters use heavy doses of symbolism. Deep-sea diving at Costa Brava, sky-diving in Sevilla and the San Fermin bull run in Pamplona, not to forget the Tomatina festival in Bunyol, where Arjun
finally lets go. Fears are drowned, let open in the sky and finally at the mercy of raging bulls.

Performances are honest and telling across the board, yet Farhan stands out (Warning: Some bias may be at play here). Roshan, Deol and Farhan stick to their briefs by Zoya, often contained, and true to their characters, and never over-the-top. They let the characters' intrinsic qualities do the talking.

Similarly with Koechlin, whose prim and proper Natasha is, admittedly, not much like her real life persona. They're all easy- going, playing their parts and enjoying while in the act. Kaif's "tumhari zindagi badalnewali hai" made me cringe, but overall her effort to make Laila believable cannot be undermined. You wish you could have a life like hers, jetting off to a part of the world for three months of daredevilry and loads of fun.

Witty dialogue (credited to Farhan himself), playful chitchat and the camaraderie between the friends personify ZNMD.

However, the lack of chemistry among them in the first hour cannot be ignored. ZNMD has so many silent moments, it's likely to put you to sleep. The editing tools could have been sharper to give this coming-of-age
romantic drama a facelift. Restlessness is the unwelcome guest on this road, much like Kabir's fiancée Natasha.

Sounds uncannily similar to Farhan's directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai, right? Now if you take DCH as the benchmark, it's up to you how slow/polished/boring/ unnecessary/pretty you find ZNMD.

Your heart is likely to be set upon the beats of ZNMD, from the free-spirited Ik Junnon to the mellow Khwabon Ke Parindey, not to forget the unforgettable Senorita. And Farhan's poetry infused in the narrative
needs special mention. True Akhtar blood must say!

The writers exploit luxury and frankly, ZNMD set anywhere else could be as true to character. They didn't really have to go to Spain.

For those (which, I assume, is a lot of us), who may not be able to afford a holiday in Spain for any time soon, go catch ZNMD for good performances, music, Spain and of course, Farhan Akhtar in his element.

Movie Review: Don 2 looks seriously slick

It's a bit perplexing to see just how young, fit and fresh Shah Rukh Khan looks in the promos of his films.

We saw the glaring gulf between the way he looked in the Ra One promo earlier this year and the way he looked on TV with Karan Johar or supporting his IPL team, and now we see him again, looking lethal in the first trailer for Don 2. Maybe those who do makeup and CGI for Rajnikanth are working their magic in SRK's films, or maybe King Khan only saves up his shininess for when it counts
the most.

Either way, the Don 2 trailer looks pretty darned sharp.
We see a speedboat slice through verdant green waters as Khan, in over- baritoned voiceover, tells us
that his enemies thought he was dead and now he's back and ready for more.

We catch peeks of Khan in tattooed longhaired Bangkok junkie/underpaid chinesevan waiter mode, both of which make sense as a disguise while the wounded tiger licks his wounds. A word about the voice, though: in a sequel to a film where he stepped into Amitabh Bachchan's shoes -- which seemed a couple sizes too big for him at the time -- this voiceover seems to be yet another tribute from Khan, trying to sound a bit like that man who keeps proving he'll never be too old.

And then, just as he uses up all the gravel in his throat mouthing the 'remember who I am, I'm the Don' lines from that classic song used smartly here as dialogue, he smiles and says 'boom', a car explodes on cue, and then it's Shah Rukh all the way.

The rest is standard blockbuster fare, explosions and slow motion turns to the camera, maximised for dramatic effect. But there's absolutely no mistaking the fact that this film looks very, very slick indeed. Clearly Farhan Akhtar's out to prove a point, and so far, he looks like he knows what he's doing. Wish they didn't throw in the weird Khan smirk at the very end, though.

What do you think of the Don 2 trailer? Do you think SRK will give us the year's biggest blockbuster with Don 2 or Ra.One? Do you think director Farhan Akhtar, who has given us unforgettable films like Dil Chahata Hai and Lakshya, and Don will be fourth time lucky?

Don 2 Trailer

Salman should do Magadheera remake: Kajal

<< Kajal Aggarwal

Kajal Aggarwal believes all her Telugu films have fabulous remake value and Salman Khan is the best choice for Magadheera's Hindi remake.

Kajal Aggarwal is an addition to the growing list of actresses, who are born and brought up in Mumbai, but have made a successful career in South Indian cinema. She will be seen opposite Ajay Devgn in the upcoming action flick Singham . In an exclusive conversation with Gaurav Malani , she speaks about both, Bollywood and South cinema and how she wants all of her Telugu films to be remade in Hindi.

Wasn't (Ash-Vivek starrer) Kyun Ho Gaya Na your debut film!
I did Kyun Ho Gaya Na when I was in the ninth grade! I was still a kid then. So I would consider Singham as my Hindi debut. At that time acting was never on my mind and education was a priority. I wanted to pursue MBA but I strongly believe in destiny, which I guess, had different plans for me.

 

Poster of Magadheera

After Telugu films, was Bollywood the next obvious step?
I never strategized my career as such. I never planned that I wanted to start in Hindi films after working in a certain number of Telugu films. I am lucky that things have been naturally falling into place so far.

Were Singham makers particularly looking for a South actress for this Tamil remake?
Not really! Rohit Shetty wanted a fresh face for the film but also with an acting background to her. They did not have time to teach anybody. When they saw my film Magadheera , which is a huge hit in South, they felt that I was perfect for the part in Singham .

Considering it's a male-dominated action flick, how much scope do you have?
There is also a sweet romantic story attached to Singham . Though I have a short role in Singham , it is an important part. I do not believe that the screen-space allotted to a character would define their acting ability. And I personally believe that even if the role is short, the impact that the character makes in that time is more important.

Ajay Devgn is known to be a prank-master. Did you fall prey of his jokes?
Ajay is a wonderful actor and pulled a prank on me on the first day itself. I was asked to scream for a scene and later I realized the camera wasn't rolling at all. But I think it was a nice way to break the ice.

What is that one thing you learnt from Ajay Devgn?
The ability to get into the character once the scene rolls and cut-off from it when the director says cut. The ease with which he does that is remarkable.

Which is a better film – the Hindi or the Tamil Singham ?
It is unfair to say that any version is better than the other. But I do think there have been changes made in the Hindi version which would suit the Hindi audience sensibilities. While the female lead (Anushka Shetty) in the original was a Tamil character, we have changed her into a Goan Maharashtrian in Hindi.

How comfortable were you with the Hindi language?
I am born and brought up in Mumbai, so Hindi and Marathi come very easily to me.
In that case how comfortable were you with Telugu language when you started in South?
Initially I had to work very hard over the language but now, after 4 years of experience, I am quite fluent with it. I am still learning Tamil though.

Would you want any of your South films to be remade in Bollywood?
All my films have fabulous remake value but I don't have a say in this. It's more of a director's call. But if you ask me, I would want all my South films to be remade in Hindi.

If Magadheera was to be remade in Hindi, which Bollywood hero can pull off the character?
The male lead in Magadheera has a lot of heroism in terms of his attitude and body language. Many Bollywood actors have the potential to play the lead in Magadheera . Choosing one is difficult but I guess Salman would suit the role best.

Post Singham what would be your focus – Hindi or Telugu cinema?
I would want to strike a balance. While my loyalties remain in South cinema, since I started out there, I would want to work in Hindi films as well.

Movie Review: Chillar Party is enjoyable

A motley group of kids. An endearing
canine companion. A waif busy washing
cars to earn a living. Middle-class families
who are insensitive to both human beings
and animals. Politicians acting in an inane
and obtuse manner. And kids who feel
they can take on the world. All the
ingredients necessary to create a
melodramatic potboiler have been sourced
and secured into the script. Is this one
more 'childrens' film with morals woven
into the script hoping to see the audience
in tears?
Thankfully no. Chillar Party may not be free
of the obligatory good versus evil theme
which persistently makes its way into this
genre (at least in Bollywood) yet it aims at
generating laughter, without punching
you in the gut.
Starting with the ubiquitous nicknames
sometimes provided by parents or colony
mates, Mumbai's [ Images ] Chandan Nagar
Society has its band of bratty boys named
as encyclopedia, secondhand, panvati etc.
The reason for these names could be as
varied as a personality trait to the family's
financial status. A white Pomeranian
owned by a cranky senior citizen turns
them into dog-haters for the rest of their
life. In this scenario enters Phatka, a skinny
lad with determination and attitude. Both
traits imperative for children who work on
the streets of Mumbai and survive by their
wits alone. His only companion and friend
in the entire world is Bhidu a lovable black
and white pariah.
Phatka survives largely on a diet of tea and
glucose biscuits and keeps to himself. He
sports a ragged yellow t-shirt, doesn't
crave for anything but he's devoted to his
pooch. The kids direct their anger on both
Phatka and Bhidu, but Phatka remains
resilient not wanting to give up this job --
his only means of survival.
Then the bratty middle-class kids realize
the extent of their nastiness and try hard
to make amends. But Phatka isn't a
pushover. Will he relent? Or is this
senseless feud likely to continue?
Our protagonist Phatka played by Irrfan
Khan [ Images ] doesn't have much to say
for himself. When he speaks it's 'tapori
language' picked up from watching the
latest movies. Even as one laughs at his
philosophies about life it's the expressive
brown eyes which speak volumes about
his anguish and loneliness. One sequence
when he fears his beloved pooch has
disappeared he breaks down but with
quiet restraint.
The rest of the brats are on the verge of
adolescence; where they're old enough to
question their parents, too young to rebel
openly. Pre-pubescent, their lives revolve
around cricket and not the opposite sex.
They're real (unlike the kids we've seen in
YRF and Dharma productions), they
grimace, they grumble, but they remain
kids.
The co-directors Nitesh Tiwari and Vikas
Bahl successfully recreate a poignant and
touching tale about the bonds children
forge among themselves, their casual
indifference towards school, parents and
academics and their ability to stay focused
when somebody they deeply care for has
become the casual victim of an adult's
manipulations.
The film has a few really fun moments,
especially when a chance remark such as
'Toh chadddi mein ghoomu kya' invokes a
'chaddi march' with a few hundred kids.
Or the shameless way they manipulate
their parents sans any qualms.
Many 'values' and 'morals' have been
woven into the script. Such as how people
employ child labour without batting an
eyelash. Or how there is no respite for a
daily wage earner even when he's
shivering with fever. Although it could
have been handled in a subtler fashion, but
it forms an integral part of the film.
If the screenplay suffers it is due to the so-
called climax (is any kiddie film complete
without it) which seems foisted. The
children morph into young adults abruptly.
As they mouth dialogues which don't seem
to come from their heart, they lose their
charm which is what attracted us to them
in the first place. The politician and his
goon don't just appear absurd to a child,
they are bizarre villainous caricatures who
ideally should have induced fear but they
turn into mere irritants.
Chillar Party is an enjoyable film with plenty
of laughs. Do watch this, unless of course
you hate kids.

Fans gather for Harry Potter premiere in London

Harry Potter's saga is ending, but his magic
spell remains.
Thousands of fans from around the world
massed in London Thursday for the
premiere of the final film in the magical
adventure series.
They thronged Trafalgar Square, where a
soggy red carpet awaited the stars, and
nearby Leicester Square, where the movie
will be shown in a plush movie theater,
braving the inevitable London rain with
umbrellas, waterproofs and good cheer.
They came from around the world. Many
had camped out overnight, some for days.
Most were young adults who grew up with
the boy wizard and his adventures, and
could not pass up the chance to say
goodbye.
"It's our childhood _ we made friends
because of Harry Potter," said Luis
Guilherme, a 22-year-old graduate student
from Sao Paolo, Brazil. "I don't know how
my life would be without it. I would be less
imaginative, for sure, and less adventurous. I
would never be here in London.
"We'd never forgive ourselves if we didn't
come, one last time."
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part
2" depicts Harry's final confrontation with
the forces of evil Lord Voldemort _ an epic
showdown rendered, for the first time in
the series, in 3D.
The eighth and last film in the made-in-
Britain franchise was getting a lavish
premiere, with huge screens and banners in
Trafalgar Square and a nearby street
transformed into the magical shopping
thoroughfare Diagon Alley.
No one, however, could magic away the
London rain.
"Every single time it's like this," said Zoey
Lewis, 18. "Some people say the Death Eaters
(Voldemort's followers) make it rain."
Lewis, a student from Brentwood, east of
London, sheltered under an umbrella behind
a handmade "We Love Helena" banner _ her
tribute to Helena Bonham Carter, who plays
bad witch Bellatrix Lestrange in the movies.
"I love Harry Potter," she said. "It's been such
a big part of my life. I don't know what I'll
do without it."
The feeling is shared by he film's stars, who
like many of their fans grew up with the
series.
The central trio _ Daniel Radcliffe, Emma
Watson and Rupert Grint, cast as children
and now in their early 20s _ are due to walk
the red carpet before the movie's premiere,
along with a score of their co-stars.
Grint, who plays Harry's best friend Ron
Weasley, said Wednesday he felt "a little bit
lost" without the movies in his life. Watson
said she'd miss playing plucky Hermione
Granger, who was "like a sister."
Hours before the premiere, groups of girls
screamed with excitement as they painted
each others' faces in the red-and-yellow
colors of Gryffindor, one of the four houses
of the wizarding Hogwarts school in the
Harry Potter books. Harry's house, of course.
A group of Mexican fans held aloft their
national flag and a banner praising J.K.
Rowling _ the author who brought the
bespectacled Harry and his world of wizards
to life in seven books.
The premiere marks the end of an era that
began when an unknown writer named J.K.
Rowling published "Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone" in 1997. The book
blossomed from well-reviewed children's
tale to global phenomenon, launching a
seven-book series that has sold 450 million
copies around the world.
It's also the end of a movie institution that
has employed dozens of British actors and
hundreds of crew members and technicians
since the first film came out in 2001.
"It's created such an infrastructure and such
an industry, and it will be sorely missed,"
"Deathly Hallows" director David Yates said
Wednesday. "It's been a mini-industry
employing hundreds and thousands of
people."
He said he didn't expect to see its like again.
"I think lightning doesn't strike twice," Yates
said.

Preview: 'Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap'

In 'Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap', Amitabh Bachchan essays the role of a retired Hitman settled in Paris who comes back to India to do "one last job". During the course he comes face to face with his past and that gets him to change his motive for the 'hit'.

Directed by Poori Jagannath, the movie stars Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Minissha Lamba, Sonal Chauhan, Sonu Sood, Prakash Raj, Charmi, Mahie Gill and Raveena Tandon.

See the slide show here

'Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap' will be released on July 1.

IIFA Awards 2011 Performances in Pictures

A soulful tribute to Michael Jackson performed by his brother Jermaine Jackson and Sonu Nigam.

Jermaine and Sonu perform amidst a Michael Jackson soaked ambiance.

Two years after the King Of Pop's unfortunate death, the memory still lives on.

Dia Mirza dazzles all with a shimmering wave of jhatkas.

A very captivated Dia, flowing through the enchanting performance.

From fiery pinks to vivid yellow, Dia works the colors along with the moves.

A very animated Mallika Sherawat, strutting her best stuff. Jalebi Bai act?

Amidst a dreamy backdrop, Mallika enraptures all.

The looks that win us everytime

Indian singer Sonu Nigam performs during IIFA Rocks, part of 2011 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, in Toronto, Ontario, on June 24, 2011.

An all-black Sonu Nigam does what he is best at

Indian singer Shankar Mahadevan (C) performs during IIFA Rocks, part of 2011 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, in Toronto, Ontario, on June 24, 2011.

Indian singer Shankar Mahadevan performs during IIFA Rocks, part of 2011 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, in Toronto, Ontario, on June 24, 2011.

Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy rocked to the rhythm of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.

Performers dance on the stage during IIFA Rocks, part of 2011 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, in Toronto, Ontario, on June 24, 2011.

IIFA AwardS 2011 Winners

Salman Khan's blockbuster Dabangg has bagged a slew of awards at the ongoing IIFA Awards in Toronto. Along with Best Film, Dabangg won Sonu Sood's best performance in a negative role, to Sonakshi Sinha's best debut, the film has also won Abhinav Kashyap and Dilip Shukla the best screenplay award.

But the film didn't win Salman his best actor award. Instead, Shah Rukh Khan was presented the award for best actor for his role in Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan. The film also brought home the best director award for Karan Johar.

A pleasant surprise was Anushka Sharma winning in the best actress category for Band Baaja Baaraat.
Mamta Sharma won the Floriana IIFA Award for best playback female singer for her song Munni badnam hui... from Dabangg.

"I love you so much...Lalitji I love you so much...Shah Rukh I love you much... Toronto I love you so much,'' said Mamta Sharma, as Arshad Warsi announced the award at the show co-hosted by Boman Irani, Ritesh Deshmukh and Shah Rukh Khan.

The award for the best playback song went to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for Tere mast mast do nain... from Dabanng.

For music direction, the award went to Sajid-Wajid and Lalit Pandit for Dabangg.

For lyrics, the IIFA award went to Niranjan Iyengar for Sajda.. and Noor-e-Khuda.. in My Name is Khan. The award was accepted by Karan Johar on his behalf.

My Name Is Khan also bagged the Best Story Award for Shivani Bhatija.

The complete list is as below:

• Best Film: Dabangg
  
• Best Actor (Female): Anushka Sharma, Band Baaja Baaraat
  
• Best Actor (Male): shah Rukh Khan, My Name Is Khan
  
• Best Director: Karan Johar, My Name Is Khan
  
• Best Actor In A Comic Role: Riteish Deshmukh, Housefull
  
• Best Performance In A Supporting Role (Male): Arjun Rampal, Raajneeti
  
• Best Performance In A Supporting Role (Female): Prachi Desai, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai
  
• Best Performance In A Negative Role: Sonu Sood, Dabangg
  
• Achievement In International Cinema: Irrfan Khan
  
• Best Debut (Female): Sonakshi Sinha, Dabangg
  
• Best Debut (Male): Ranveer Singh, Band Baaja Baaraat
  
• Hottest Pair 2011: Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh
  
• Outstanding Achievemnet in Indian Cinema: Sharmila Tagore
  
• Best Screenplay Award: Abhinav Kashyap, Dilip Shukla, Dabangg
  
• Best Playback Singer (Female): Mamta Sharma, Munni Badnaam Hui (Dabangg)
  
• Best Playback Song: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Tere Mast Mast Do Nain (Dabangg)
  
• Best Music Direction: Sajid-Wajid, Lalit Pandit, Dabangg
  
• Best Lyrics: Niranjan Iyengar, Sajda and Noor-e-Khuda (My Name is Khan)
  
• Best Story Award: Shivani Bhatija, My Name is Khan
  
• Best Costume Designing: Niharika Khan, Band Baaja Baaraat
  
• Best Action: S Vijayan, Dabangg
  
• Best Makeup: Banu (For Rajinikanth), Robot
  
• Best Background Score: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy, My Name Is Khan
  
• Best Song Recording: Vijay Dayal, Ainvayi Ainvayi (Band Baaja Baaraat)
  
• Best Choreography Award: Farah Khan, Munni Badnaam (Dabangg)
  
• Best Editing: Namrata Rao, Band Baaja Baaraat
  
• Best Sound Recording: Pritam Das, Love, Sex Aur Dhokha
  
• Best Sound Re-recording: Leslie Fernandes, Dabangg
  
• Best Cinematography: Sudeep Chatterjee, Guzaarish
  
• Best Art Direction: Sabu Cyril, Robot
  
• Best Special Effects: Indian Artists, Robot

IIFA Awards 2011 Winners in Pictures

Best Performance In A Supporting Role (Male): Arjun Rampal, Raajneeti

Best Performance In A Supporting Role (Female): Prachi Desai, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

Best Performance In A Negative Role: Sonu Sood, Dabangg

Best Debut (Male): Ranveer Singh, Band Baaja Baaraat

Best Debut (Female): Sonakshi Sinha, Dabangg

Hottest Pair 2011: Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh

Achievement In International Cinema: Irrfan Khan

Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema: Sharmila Tagore

Dia Mirza's spontaneous jig steals show at IIFA do

Dia Mirza.

Dia Mirza was in town on Thursday to announce a fashion show at the upcoming International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards weekend, scheduled to be held from June 23 to 25 in Toronto, and she did make quite a song and dance of the affair.

She didn't waste the chance to break into an impromptu jig to the beats of Mera naam chin chin chu from the 1958 hit, Howrah Bridge at the show.

She insisted she would only sing if the crowd sang too - which they did. In a short while, IIFA and its deliberations were forgotten as the entire focus was on Dia.

Once she had ensured the limelight was on her, Dia then smartly went on to use the platform to promote her next film Love Breakup Zindagi , which incidentally marks her debut as a producer along with fellow struggling actor Zayed Khan.

They also star in their joint production, which is directed by newcomer Sahil Sangha, these days, a 'close friend' of Dia.

Also present at the event was Anil Kapoor. When asked about Amitabh Bachchan vacating the position of IIFA brand ambassador after a decade's association, Anil said: "Every actor associated with IIFA is a brand ambassador in his or her own way. Just as the Oscars and the BAFTA awards do not need a brand ambassador, IIFA too doesn't need one."

Bheja Fry 2 is a Total bheja fry!

Vinay Pathak and Kay Kay Menon in Bheja Fry 2

Film: Bheja Fry 2 (U)

Cast: Vinay Pathak, Minissha Lamba, Amole Gupte, Kay Kay Menon, Suresh Menon, Rahul Vohra and Aditi Govitrikar

Director: Sagar Ballary

Rating: Half a star

Sagar Ballary’s Bheja Fry (2007) had earned itself a decent following among fans of clean, unpretentious comedy with the dim-witted Bharat Bhushan (Pathak) and aggressive Rajat Kapoor anchoring it.

The first part’s success (a remake of French film Le Dîner de Cons) made way for Bheja Fry 2, whichbears the burden of frying the viewers’ brain on its utterly weak shoulders. Ballary took the title a bit too seriously this time. So serious, he forgot to add humour.

The premise of Bheja Fry 2 remains the same as its predecessor. Annoyingly talkative income tax officer Bharat Bhushan has kept alive his ‘purana sapna’ of cutting a music album of his own. Bhushan emerges as the winner of a reality contest which takes him on a luxury cruise where he meets industrialist Ajit Talwar (Menon).

Tax evader Ajit Talwar is convinced Bhushan is out to get him, while all the latter wants is to have a little fun on the ship. TV serial producer Ranjini (Lamba) is the only one who seems to see within the awful singer whose innocent, helping nature tends to put people off permanently. And that’s exactly what happens when Bhushan and Talwar are stranded on an island with no sight of life. Most of the film unfolds in the island.

Even Akshay Kumar’s dumbed-down pseudo comedies like Tees Maar Khan and Khatta Meetha look like masterpieces when compared to the insipidness of Bheja Fry 2.

Pathak’s act worsens as the film progresses, beginning as the lovable idiot and ending as one whose sight you cannot stand.

Look at the Menons in Bheja Fry 2 if you want to know what it is like to be caught in a bad marriage. No, no, they’re not married to each other in the movie. No matter how hard they work or well they play their parts, nothing can save this rancid pickle of a marriage with Bheja Fry 2.

Both Kay Kay and Suresh (tends to go overboard at times) and Govitrikar are decent and bearable. The cruise setting seems like Ballary’s gimmick to cover the lack of humour, intelligent dialogue, glaring holes in screenplay, story and everything a film’s made of.

It’s surprising to see someone like Gupte risk his credibility as a good filmmaker and actor with such frivolous roles.

Bheja Fry 2 lives up to its name, deep-frying your head with its bland existence two times over. Bellary has said in an interview that he wasn’t keen on Bheja Fry 3. Thank God for small mercies.

Aamir Khan says no even to National Awards!

Bollywood's Khan royale has done it again! Aamir Khan has announced that he will skip the National Awards from now on. The actor, who quite famously boycotted popular film awards a while back, raised eyebrows not long ago when he did not send his critically- acclaimed crossover production of 2010, Peepli Live, for consideration at the country's mosthonoured film awards.

Peepli Live's director, Anusha Rizvi, subsequently cried victimisation because, like most others, she felt her film could have won a few awards at the esteemed platform. However, as entering a movie into any awards competition is the producer's prerogative, she alleged that Aamir had deliberately held back her debut vehicle, out of spite as the two were no longer on good terms.

Now, Aamir has declared that he has taken a policy decision to never enter any of his productions for any awards, including the National Awards. The decision seems surprising because his past productions Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par have scored big at the prestigious platform.

According to Aamir, he doesn't like the idea of having to apply for an award - obviously referring to the red tape associated with the process at the National Awards. "If anyone wants to honour a genuine effort, they can take the initiative in doing so. To me, the biggest achievement is getting a good response from the audience," he told a section of the media.

Aamir however acknowledged that the National Awards were the highest honour that a film personality can aspire for. This of course means that the only award - if at all - we could see Aamir holding aloft is probably the Oscar, since he has not yet given up on that one. Wonder, how many more new trends Aamir wishes to set as he continues to enthrall audiences with one gem after another.

'If Choli Ke Peeche was vulgar, DK Bose is a sin'

Last Friday saw the release of West is West, the interesting sequel to East is East that was released more than a decade ago.

Ila Arun, singer, theatre and film actor, plays a pivotal role as the wife left behind in Pakistan who is suddenly visited by her husband (Om Puri) and the family he has had with his English wife.

Here, she speaks to Patcy N about the film, her acting and singing career, and makes some caustic comments on popular hits like D K Bose, the gharana system in the film industry, and reality shows.

You are part of a film which is a hit. So what made you sign West is West?

I was interested in the film because I have lived in London for a while, but when I went there for the first time, I was very na ve. I had gone from Jaipur and I was the bhenji-type. Also I have seen many Asians -- Indians and Pakistanis -- married to British women and I would wonder whether the man has been honest to the woman, has he told her all about his life back in his country. I could understand their humility and rigidity and inhibitions.

I've seen that British women are more willing to adjust than the Asian men they are married to, even those who come to India and marry Indian men. Take Shashiji's (Kapoor) wife Jennifer. She was his great support. 

Eleven years ago when I saw East is East I liked it because it was about the writer Abdul-din Khan's own experience and so it was realistic. Throughout that film George Khan keeps saying 'Don't forget there is Mrs Khan', but she never appeared in the film and I was very curious about her. Eleven years later, they make a sequel and approach me to play the part! It's destiny - the first international film that is offered to me is the role of Mrs Khan.

So, I did not have any second thoughts and grabbed it as it would be my first international film too. Audiences will be curious to know who Mrs Khan is, what type of person she is.

DK Bose is just a name: Aamir Khan

Since the time Aamir Khan began promoting his upcoming and much talked about adult comedy Delhi Belly, the actor has been repeatedly saying that lot of people would condemn him for switching from family-oriented subjects to this genre.

"Mujhe log joote maarenge," he joked many times in the last few weeks. And then the criticism actually began with Anubhav Sinha accusing him of obscenity few weeks back. Aamir decided to stay mum perhaps because the critic was from his rival's camp, and Anubhav had roped in his hero from RaOne Shah Rukh Khan while attacking Aamir's work.

As per sources in the industry, Aamir understood what his rival was upto - to get some mileage for his film RaOne through him (Aamir) with the war of words between the two stars. Therefore, Aamir kept quiet and it was Delhi Belly composer (singer of D K Bose) Ram Sampat who reacted and did all the talking saying that Anubhav's last film Cash was a flop and full of skin show with skimpily clad women.

Finally, at the completion of 10 years of Lagaan bash few days back, Aamir first laughed off Anubhav's criticism - "Kya react karne ka yaar," he said while stretching back his neck, laughing and looking up into the sky. But later added, "D K Bose is just a name. Why are they objecting to a name in the song? Because they are reading too much into it. The problem is with their mind." Kiran was sharp in her reaction though - "We are not the type who would pull down creative people."

Poonam Pandey undressing MMS goes viral on net

The news that an MMS of model Poonam Pandey is out on the internet has spread like wildfire. The keyword 'Poonam Pandey MMS' is one of the most searched on Google India.

Actually, this much hyped 'MMS' in just a photo shoot video of Poonam, shot for a magazine. Poonam herself is fanning the fire and she has tweeted links to the video and has also put it up on her Facebook page.

The self-proclaimed 'most downloaded model on the Internet' in a reaction tweet says, "i dono What do People get Making such MMS on me Shooting it like a ghost n Uploading them ... i was just on a shoot but then such Acts hahah."

Poonam Pandey came to limelight after announcing publicly that she would strip in front of the Indian cricket team if they win the Cricket World Cup.

"We were all born nude. People take nudity as vulgarity. I see it in a different way. If I keep it as an offer for bringing the World Cup to India, which incidentally worked (laughs), I see no harm in it," said Poonam in an interview.

Mallika strips off to Bikini for 'Double Dhamaal'

Mallika Sherawat dons a half bikini for her role as Sanjay Dutt's wife Kamini in Indra Kumar's comedy ‘Double Dhamaal’.

Produced by Ashok Thakeria and Indra Kumar, this laugh riot is shaping up to be one of the most awaited releases this year, with a brand new glamorous touch to it in the form of Mallika Sherawat and Kangana Ranaut.

The movie boasts off a huge starcast namely Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Ashish Chowdhry and Jaaved Jaaferi, along with Mallika and Kangana, and starts from where ‘Dhamaal' ends.

Four boys Adi (Arshad), Manav (Jaaved), Roy (Riteish) and Boman (Ashish), unknowingly donate all their money in the end of previous film. Now, as they sit and curse their luck they come across Kabir (Sanjay Dutt), who was previously their partner in crime, is living a luxurious life.

What follows is a comical tale of plots and plans as the four boys try their luck at easy money, once again. This time around they are accompanied by two alluring women Kamini (Mallika) and Kiya (Kangana)!

Maruti International’s ‘Double Dhamaal’, directed by Indra Kumar is slated to release on June 24.