The Plot - Movie Magazine - January 2009

7/31/2019 The Plot - Movie Magazine - January 2009

1/28

FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION IN BIG CINEMAS ONLY. NOT FOR SALE.

January 2009 | Vol 2, Issue 06

THEHITMANAfter 17 years in the business and the

most impressive hit record in recent times,

Akshay Kumar is still a down to earth munda.

Check out our definitive list of moviesto watch out for this year.

Music Trivia

Queen Bee

Trailers

Contests & Trivia -

cinema tickets to be won! And much more!


2/28


3/28

TELL US WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY

Send an email to

[email protected]

PUBLISHED BY

Adlabs Films Limited

Film City Complex,

Goregaon East,

Mumbai 400 065 (India)

Tel: +91 22 28423333

PRINTED AT

Magna Graphics (India) Limited

101 C&D Govt. Industrial Estate

Hindustan Naka

Kandivli (W)

Mumbai 400067 (India)

Tel: +91 22 28683738, 28687475

EDITORIAL TEAMChaitali Patel

Anjali Malhotra

DESIGN

Liquid Designs India

103, 1st Floor, 50 Community Centre

Naraina Industrial Area Phase I

New Delhi 110 028 (India)

Tel: +91 11 45082428, 45082429

www.liquiddesignsindia.com

DISCLAIMERS

All information in this magazine is de-

rived from sources considered reliable.

However, the information passed on to

our readers must be verified by them. The

contents of this publication express viewsof the authors and are not necessarily of

the publishers. Similarly, opinions/views

expressed by any parties in abstracts and/

or interviews are not necessarily shared/

do not necessarily reflect any opinion of

the publishers.

No arguments shall be sustained re-

garding articles published in this maga-

zine and neither the writers, editor, pub-

lisher nor printer shall be held in any way

responsible for the same.

The publisher assumes no responsibil-

ity for returning unsolicited material, nor is

responsible for material lost or damaged

in transit.

The publisher reserves the rights to re-

fuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal

with all advertisements, without explana-

tion.

COPYRIGHT

All rights reserved throughout the world.

Reproduction in any manner is prohibited.

Any material appearing in the publication

cannot be reproduced in whole or in part,

without prior written permission from the

publisher.

WWW.ADLABSFILMS.COM

J A N U A R Y 0 9 T H E P L O T 0 1

5TRAILERSWhich are the movies that are set to have you queuing up at the boxoffice? We bring you a glimpse of the bonanza of new releases in themonth to come.

10STYLE ICONKATS GOT YOURTONGUE

Katrina Kaifs styleis so confident that shecan bring her cool elegant

personality into a wide rangeof looks. Thats what makesher a classic style queen.

13MUSIC LEGENDMR. SPACEMANDavid Bowies

ideas may have seemedspaced out in his time. Butsomehow his genius hasmanaged to endure andinspire.

18MUSIC TRIVIAHITS IN MISSESWhat happens

when a songs a stud butthe films a dud?Fascinating Music Trivia ofcourse!

15BEHIND THE

SCENESWHATS INLINE IN 09Heres what your favouriteBollywood film-makersand stars will be up tothis year.

12THE BIG GIGRENAISSANCEMAN

Neeraj Shridhar hasmade the tough transition

from cover artist to be-coming one of the coolest

voices in Bollywood.

14THE GREATGAMESacred 2:Fallen Angel+ all the cool gizmos yougotta have

20QUEEN BEEOur resident QueenBee dishes out the

buzz on telly land, and watchout, cause it aint all sugarand honey!

23BRAIN TONICTease your greycells with our

contests and win freemovie tickets.

CONGRATS TO ALL THE WINNERS OF THE DECEMBER 2008 CONTESTS! THEY WILL BE INFORMED INDIVIDUALLY.

The PlotVol. 2 No. 06 JANUARY 2009 whats inside

FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION IN BIG CINEMAS ONLY. NOT FOR SALE.

January2009|Vol2,Issue06

THEHITMAN

After17yearsinthebusinessandthe most

impressivehitrecordinrecenttimes,Akshay

Kumarisstilla downtoearthmunda.

BCheck outour definitivelistofmovies

towatchoutfor thisyear.

MusicTrivia

+ QueenBee

+ Trailers

+ Contests&Trivia-

cinematicketstobe won!

+ And muchmore!

2THE BIG PICTURE

HIT MANSeventeen years into thebusiness, Akshay Kumaris more successful than

hes ever been. And yet believable asa humble cook from Chandni Chowk.


4/28

0 2 T H E P L O T J A N U A R Y 0 9

THE

HITMANOn the eve of his eagerly awaited Chandni Chowk to China,Akshay Kumar discusses his co-stars, tackles the controver-

sies and talks about his passion for martial arts in a tte--

tte with JYOTHI VENKATESH.


5/28


Ive always be-

lieved that if you

cant give at least

one hour every day

to your own body,

you should just kill

yourself.

Akshay Kumar has come a long wayfrom when he was a lowly assistantto photographer Jayesh Sheth in the

late 80s long before he embarked on hispath to stardom, a fact that he has not for-gotten at all, unlike others of his ilk whotend to get a bout of amnesia when they

taste success in a big way. And Akshay hasdefinitely had success in a big way with asmany as five super duper hits in fast suc-cession - Namastey London, Heyy Babyy,Bhool Bhulaiya, Welcome and Singh isKinng. But Im happy to report that Akshaycontinues to be a down to earth munda.

Did he have great expectations from

Singh is Kinngbefore it was released? Iwas confident that it would become a hitbut frankly speaking, never ever dreamtit would turn out to be such a big hit. Im

overwhelmed!Incidentally Singh is Kinng was his

hat trick with Katrina Kaif with whom hehad delivered two hits earlier - NamasteyLondon and Welcome. Akshay is peevedwhen you ask him whether Katrina Kaifhas reached whatever position she enjoystoday only because he has had a big hand

in promoting her career. Its belittlingKatrina. Why dont journalists ask Katrinawhether shes had a hand in promoting

mycareer, especially since Ive got not justone or two but three hits when Ive actedwith her? Each and every actor in a film

is responsible for its success, he shootsback.

Akshay is now eagerly awaiting the re-lease of his next blockbuster film ChandniChowk to China. It was earlier called MeraNaam Chin Chin ChooMade in Chinabutwe decided to change the title to ChandniChowk to China because its an almost au-tobiographical tale starting from my days

of struggle in Delhis Chandni Chowk. Heelaborates about his role. I play a simple

cook called Sidhu from Delhi who goes toChina to try his luck there. Getting into thecharacter was not difficult for me as I had

been a cook in real life, but shooting forthe movie was a difficult experience. Weshot at the Great Wall of China in extremecold conditions which was quite tough.

Akshay has managed to shift gears fromaction to comedy with ease and ChandniChowk combines the two effortlessly. Iam of the firm belief that action will al-

ways sell as far as cinema is concerned.I will never stop accepting action-packedroles because I enjoy performing danger-ous stunt sequences, though my wife Tina

(Twinkle Khanna) doesnt like me doingsuch death defying stuff.

He got to do some heady action se-quences in the film but admits that the

toughest part was fighting with Chinesemartial arts master Gordon Liu. I watched

36 Chambers of Shaolin 52 times beforedoing the film. Doing the action sequences

and fighting with the Chinese masters,particularly Sir Gordon Liu, was the mostdifficult in the movie. Gordon Liu is knownfor Hollywood films like the Kill Bill andShaolinseries.

His title as Action King comes withsome effort. Im one of the few actors inBollywood who has always made it a point

to maintain a well-toned body though Ivenever bothered to go in for four or six

pack abs, like say Shah Rukh Khan in OmShanti Om. I make it a point to spend myevenings whenever Im shooting outdoorsby jogging to my hearts content. Nor do Iindulge in drinking bouts, unlike most of

my colleagues in the industry. Akshay hasmore sound advice to the younger genera-tion who want to emulate him as far asphysique and fitness are concerned. Ive

always believed that if you cant give atleast one hour every day to your own body,

t h e b i g p i c t u r e


6/28


you should just kill yourself.Bollywood was rife with rumours that

Akshay had set out to sabotage AmitabhBachchans Unforgettable Tour. Says Ak-

shay, Unequivocally I would only blamethe media for all the speculation suggest-ing that I had sabotaged the show. Whywould I think of sabotaging their shows? I

have worked in seven films with Mr. Bach-chan who is like a pillar of this industry. Iam often asked who the king of the filmindustry is and I have always replied that

it is none other than Mr. Amitabh Bach-chan. You cannot discount the fact that hehas been in this industry for the last 35 to40 years. All the rest of us, whether its

Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan or forthat matter even I, may claim to be kingsbut were not.

More controversy. Akshay has a dan-gerous reputation for trimming his co-stars scenes. In his characteristic style,

he jokes, If I find myself out of work asan actor tomorrow, I wouldnt be botheredat all because I can always take up edit-ing, since Im well known for choppingoff my co-actors scenes. Jokes apart,

I am not insecure about my co-actors.Theres room for everyone at the top. Iwas happy when I entered the industryalmost two decades ago. Im happy today

too. However he confesses that he does

have some insecurities: Its all thesenewcomers who keep me on my toes!His co-star Deepika Padukone should be

flattered.Shilpa Shetty has now turned a pro-

ducer. Would he agree to act in her filmif she asks him to? Akki doesnt bat an

eyelid. If Im offered a good script that

appeals to me, Im ready to work withShilpa Shetty. Why should I not do a filmwith her? Over the last two decades since

I started my career, Ive delivered quite afew hits with Shilpa including Main Kh-iladi Tu Anadiand would certainly love towork with her.

What is his dream project as of now?

Its always been my ardent dream tostart a school for karate and show moreand more Indians the power and beautyof martial arts. The show that I hosted

on National Geographic some time agogave me a great opportunity to reach out

to people across the country and explainto children and parents the discipline andstrength that martial arts bring to oneslife. Right now Im quite keen on getting aplot of land from either the government of

Maharashtra or a philanthropist to buildan institute in a prime area like say Ban-dra to start teaching martial arts to peo-ple, irrespective of their ages. Anyone can

learn martial arts from 8 to 80.

If I find myself

out of work as an

actor tomorrow, I

wouldnt be both-

ered at all because

I can always take

up editing, since

Im well known for

chopping off my

co-actors scenes.

t h e b i g p i c t u r e

AK-KNOWLEDGE

His first modeling offer for a furniture showroom ad was through one of hismartial arts students, a model coordinator.

It was the man who is now his make-up man who spotted him and referredhim to filmmaker Pramod Chakravorty. The veteran producer-director tookan instant liking for him and signed him there and then forDeedaras a leadhero.

Kambakkht Ishqwill not be the first time hes acted alongside a major in-ternational action star such as Stallone. He performed with WWF star, theUndertaker in Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi.

He says that he and Shah Rukh Khan are the only stars today whove made

it without a godfather.


7/28

t r a i l e r s


SLUMDOG MILLIONAIREDirector: Danny Boyle Cast: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor,Saurabh Shukla, Rajendranath Zutshi, Freida Pinto, Irrfan Khan

Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slumsof Mumbai, is about to experience the biggest day of his life. Withthe whole nation watching, he is just one question away fromwinning a staggering 20 million rupees on Indias Who Wants ToBe a Millionaire?But when the show breaks for the night, policearrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid knowso much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the storyof his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of theiradventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local

gangs, and of Latika (Freida Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Eachchapter of Jamals increasingly layered story reveals where helearned the answers to the shows seemingly impossible ques-tions.

But one question remains a mystery: what is this young manwith no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game-show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to an-swer the final question, the Inspector (Irrfan Khan), host (AnilKapoor) and sixty million viewers are about to find out.

CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINADirector: Nikhil Advani Cast: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone,Ranvir Shorey, Mithun Chakraborty, Gordon Liu

Sidhu (Akshay Kumar) makes his living by cutting vegetables ata roadside food stall in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. He longs to escapethis dreary existence and goes to astrologers and tarot readersfor guidance.

However, one day his fate changes when two strangers fromChina claim him as a reincarnation of a war hero and take him toChina. Little does he know that he is actually being taken there torid a Chinese village of a vicious smuggler named Hojo (GordonLiu)! Thanks to a devious translator, a conman by the name Chop-stick (Ranvir Shorey), Sidhu is blissfully unaware of the perils thatawait him. Along the way, he meets Sakhi (Deepika Padukone),who is also on her way to China.

Initially, through a series of lucky coincidences, Sidhu managesto sidestep being beaten by Hojos men but Hojo finally catches

up with him and exposes him as the country buffoon that he re-ally is.

LUCK BY CHANCEDirector: Zoya Akhtar Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen,Saurabh Shukla, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla,Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Kapoor, Isha Sharwani, Arjun Mathur

Vikram Jaisingh (Farhan Akhtar) arrives in Bombay to make it big

as a film star with the help of Abhimanyu (Arjun Mathur) a TV starfriend, who puts him up at his house. His girlfriend Sona Mishra(Konkona Sen Sharma) is also a junior artist trying to break intothe big league.

The film attempts to profile the strange ways of the filmi world the superstition, the hypocrisy, the nepotism and egoism through a series of quirky but stereotypical characters such asproducer Romy Rolly (Rishi Kapoor), his superstitious wife Minty(Juhi Chawla) and the reigning superstar, Zaffar Khan (HrithikRoshan in a cameo).

Convinced of their own talent when even their closest friendsbegin to lose faith, Vikram and Sona are continually frustrated byrejection and betrayal. Do they make it big or does the struggledefeat them?


8/28

t r a i l e r s


THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMINBUTTONDirector: David Fincher Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, JuliaOrmond

This Golden Globe nominated film is adapted from the 1920s storyby F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttonis setin New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21stcentury.

It follows the life of Benjamin (Brad Pitt), who is born with theappearance and physical limitations of a man in his eighties.

Abandoned in a nursing home by his father, Benjamin begins ag-ing backward. While in the home, he meets Daisy (Cate Blanch-ett), a young aspiring ballerina. As the film progresses, the twofall in love while struggling to deal with the issue of one growing

younger while the other grows older. This is a journey as unusualas any mans life can be of a not-so-ordinary man and the peopleand places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds andloses, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lastsbeyond time.

VICTORYDirector: Ajitpal Mangat Cast: Harman Baweja, Anupam Kher,Amrita Rao, Gulshan Grover

In the small town of Jaisalmer, Ram Shekhawat (Anupam Kher)dreams of his son Vijay Shekhawat (Harman Baweja) playing forthe Indian national cricket team. Vijay fulfills his fathers dreamand becomes Indias latest world-class batting sensation. But hisnewly-acquired demigod status makes the small-town boy strayfrom his true vocation, leading to a loss of focus and a miserabledrop in his performance. By the time Vijay finally realizes the er-ror of his ways, its too late and he finds himself thrown out of theIndian cricket team for indiscipline. Suddenly the hero of cricketcrazy India becomes a villain in everyones eyes. Rams dreamsare shattered and he suffers a paralytic stroke.

This tragedy awakens Vijays conscience and sense of honour.To redeem himself in the eyes of his father and fans, he onceagain makes it back to the Indian team and gets to play in thefinals of the Champions trophy against Australia. But a victory inthis match may cost him a huge sacrifice.

Watch out for cameos from the Australian team.

RAAZ THE MYSTERY CONTINUESDirector: Mohit Suri Cast: Emraan Hashmi, AdhyayanSuman, Kangna Ranaut

A brooding artist Prithvi (Emraan Hashmi), experiences myste-rious and distressing visions about Nandita (Kangna Ranaut), awoman he has never met. The woman in his paintings bears aclose resemblance to her. Intrigued by these visions and theiroutcome, Prithvi tracks her down and warns her that these arenot merely paintings of her, but accidents waiting to happen. Atfirst, Nandita refuses to believe him and dismisses him as aneccentric stalker. However, the striking resemblance betweenPrithvis paintings and the near-death incidents in her life is hardto ignore. To make matters worse, Prithvi paints her as a deadperson. Now the only way she can change her fate is to unravelthis mystery with his help, at the risk of alienating herself fromher boyfriend, Yash (Adhyayan Suman), a rational and logical manwho refuses to believe in Prithvis premonitions.


9/28

t r a i l e r s


SEVEN POUNDSDirector: Gabriele Muccino Cast: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson,Woody Harrelson

Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is an IRS agent who is depressed afterthe death of his wife and guilt-ridden for mistakes from his past.He decides to kill himself, but to also help seven struggling indi-

viduals before doing so.When he meets Emily (Rosario Dawson), a beautiful woman

with a heart condition, he falls in love with her, complicating hisplans of suicide. Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson) is a blind pianistwho befriends Ben.

DEV DDirector: Anurag Kashyap Cast: Abhay Deol, Kalki, Mahi Gill

Dev D is a modern take on Devdas, the novel written by SaratChandra and adapted for film several times. However, this isAnurag Kashyaps version based in todays day and age.

Devdas (Abhay Deol) is the son of a zamindar (tax collector). Heand Paro (Mahi Gill) are childhood sweethearts. However, differ-ences in status and caste prevent their marriage. Devdas is sentto Calcutta while Paro is married off to a rich but aged widower.

In Calcutta, Devdas meets the sympathetic prostitute Chandra-mukhi (Kalki) but remorse drives him to excesses and ultimatelyto his end.

CHANGELINGDirector: Clint Eastwood Cast: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich

Changelingis inspired by actual events that occurred in 1920s-era Los Angeles. The year is 1928. As Christine (Angelina Jolie)says goodbye to her son, Walter (Gattlin Griffith), and departs forwork, she never anticipates that this is the day her life will changeforever. Upon returning home, Christine discovers that Walter isnowhere to be found. Over the course of the following months, themother launches a desperate search. When all hope seems to belost, a nine-year-old boy claiming to be Christines son seems toappear out of thin air.

Overcome with emotions and uncertain how to face the author-ities or the press, Christine invites the child to stay in her homedespite knowing without a doubt that he is not her son. As much

as Christine would like to accept the fact that her son has been re-turned to her, she cannot accept the injustice being pushed uponher and continues to challenge the Los Angeles police force atevery turn. As a result, Christine is slandered by the powers thatbe, and painted as an unfit mother. The only person willing to aidher in her search is benevolent local activist Reverend Briegleb(John Malkovich).


10/28

t r a i l e r s


UNDERWORLD 3: RISE OF THE LYCANSDirector: Patrick Tatopoulos Cast: Michael Sheen, Rhona Mitra,Bill Nighy

This, the third installment in the Underworldseries, is a prequelset prior to Underworldand Underworld: Evolution, covering theorigins of the centuries old blood feud between the aristocratic

vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, theLycans.

In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian (Michael Sheen)emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to riseup against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has en-slaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja (RhonaMitra) in his battle against the Death Dealer army and his strugglefor Lycan freedom.

FIRAAQDirector: Nandita Das Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal,Deepti Naval, Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, Shahana Goswami

Acclaimed actress Nandita Das makes her directorial debut withFiraaq. Set over a 24-hour period beginning one month afterthe carnage that took place in Gujarat in 2002, Firaaq traces theemotional journeys of ordinary people - victims, perpetrators andsome who chose to watch silently.

A middle-class housewife closes the door on a woman des-perately seeking refuge and then struggles to overcome her guilt.The loyalty of two best friends is challenged in times rife with fearand suspicion. A group of victimized young men seek revenge asa way out of their helplessness and anger. A modern day Hin-du-Muslim couple struggle between the survival instinct to hidetheir true identities and the desire to assert them. A boy, having

lost most of his family in the riots, wanders through the streetssearching for his missing father. A saintly musician clings on tohis idealism until an evidence of civil strife shakes his faith.

REVOLUTIONARY ROADDirector: Sam Mendes Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet,Kathy Bates

Director Sam Mendes pairs his wife Kate Winslet with herTitanicco-star, Leo DiCaprio in this social commentary on mar-riage and the American Dream set in the 1950s, based on thecritically acclaimed book by the same name.

Frank (Leonardo Di Caprio) and April (Kate Winslet) have alwaysseen themselves as special, different, ready and willing to livetheir lives based on higher ideals. So, as soon as they move intotheir new house on Revolutionary Road, they proudly declare theirindependence from the suburban inertia that surrounds them anddetermine never to be trapped by the social confines of the era.

Yet, for all their charm, beauty and irreverence, the Wheelersfind themselves becoming exactly what they didnt expect: a goodman with a routine job whose nerve has gone missing; a less-than-happy homemaker starving for fulfillment and passion; anAmerican family with lost dreams like any other. Driven to changetheir fates, April hatches an audacious plan to start all over again,to leave the comforts of Connecticut behind for the great unknownof Paris. But when the plan is put into motion, each spouse ispushed to extremes one to escape, whatever the cost, the other

to save all they have, no matter the compromises.


11/28

t r a i l e r s


FROST / NIXONDirector: Ron Howard Cast: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen,Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Oliver Platt

In this Golden Globe nominated film, Oscar-winning director Ron

Howard brings to the screen the electrifying battle between Rich-ard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy to save, and re-nowned journalist David Frost, in the untold story of the historicencounter that changed both men.

For three years after being forced out of office, former USPresident Nixon (Frank Langella) has remained silent. But in thesummer of 1977, he agrees to sit for one all-inclusive interviewto confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergatescandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprises everyone inselecting David Frost (Michael Sheen) as his interviewer, intend-ing to outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place inthe hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frosts team har-bours doubts about their boss ability to hold his own. But as cam-eras roll, a charged battle of wits takes place. Over the course oftheir encounter, each man reveals his own insecurities, ego andreserves of dignity ultimately setting aside pretence in a stun-ning display of unvarnished truth.

STREET KINGSDirector: David AyerCast: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, HughLawrie, Terry Crews

Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is a disillusioned LA police officer,rarely playing by the rules and haunted by the death of his wife.While his entire department stretches the rules on a regular ba-sis, his former partner, Terrence Washington (Terry Crews) nolonger approves of the corruption and deception and has gonestraight. He reports the problems to Internal Affairs Captain

James Biggs (Hugh Laurie), who starts an investigation againstLudlow. Upset at Washington for snitching, Ludlow follows himto a convenience store to confront him. However, Washington isexecuted in the store in an orchestrated hit, with Ludlow present.Though Ludlow is innocent, the circumstances heavily implicatehim in the murder. It is assumed that Washington himself wascorrupt, despite his seemingly changed attitude. Ludlow seeks toclear his name but he must use the same techniques that got himinto this mess in the first place.

OUTSOURCED

Director: John Jeffcoat Cast: Josh Hamilton, Ayesha Dharker,Asif Basra

Outsourced is a comedy of cross-cultural conflict and romance.Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton) spends his days managing acustomer call centre in Seattle until his job, along with those ofthe entire office, are outsourced to India. Adding insult to injury,Todd must travel to India to train his new replacement PurohitVirajnarianan (Asif Basra). As he navigates through the chaos ofBombay and an office paralysed by constant cultural misunder-standings, Todd yearns to return to the comforts of home. But it isthrough his team of quirky yet likable Indian call center workers,including his friendly and motivated replacement and the charm-ing, opinionated Asha (Ayesha Dharker), that Todd realizes thathe too has a lot to learn - not only about India and America, butabout himself. He soon discovers that being outsourced may bethe best thing that ever happened to him.


12/28


As a giggly teenager, she

wore stringy bikini tops

with tight jeans in Kaizad

Gustads Boom. The flick was

forgettable. Yet Katrina Kaifs

smooth, peaches and cream

complexion, taut figure and

smile werent. Ten years later,

Kats has evolved as a self-assured woman who breathes

sheer elegance, sports Victo-

rian gowns and mini skirts with

equal class and who has, despite

herpardesiaccent, emerged as

a lucky box office mascot. Ok,

were ignoring Hello and Yuv-

vraajbut she had a pretty good

run before that!

At 5 feet 8 inches, Katrina Kaif

easily towers over most of our

screen studs and doesnt both-

er to disguise it. Which is what

makes her appeal to our egois-

tical Indian men so surprising.

For someone who avoids the

skimpy attire route, shes been

voted the most popular and

sexiest Bollywood actress in

multiple mens magazine polls.

Its not my style to either wear

minimum clothes, to strip or to

even be comfortable with a sex

symbol label, she says.

Whether Armani, Miu Miu or

our desi Rocky S, she has an eye

for picking up stuff that suits herto the T. She looks gorgeous,

knows what flatters her hour-

glass figure the most and ex-

periments little with her looks,

says fashion designer Narendra

Kumar Ahmed. Nor will you ever

find her issuing press releases

on how many Louis Vuitton bags

she possesses or how many

Versace sun combatters loungein her vanity bag. She is chic and

classy, careful about what she

wears and what she says, be-

lieving that style cannot be con-

fined only to what you wear but

how you behave as well.

Heres a savvy globe trot-

ter who is aware of the trends

on the international catwalks

but who can also strike a fine

balance within the Indian en-

vironment. You are as likely to

see her in a Gucci sheath as a

chic Tarun Tahiliani Indian en-

semble, snug jewelled jeans

by Rina Dhaka teamed with

knee length boots on her tow-

ering European frame, as an

embroidered saree by Rohit

Bal. She is a calypso in pearl

strewn bustiers and fish cut

lehengasbut equally appealing

in sneakers, crimped hair and

short skirts. A young lady with

finesse who stalks about in

Jimmy Choos clutching a Fen-

di purse, yet can also be seensipping naariyal paani by the

seaside in a plain white tee and

blue jeans with equal pizzazz.

Kats picks translucent

shades for her make-up pal-

ette, choosing to touch up her

soft features with a swipe of

mascara and subtle nude lip

gloss, while keeping the drama

of brooding maroons and scar-

let reds for ad films. Shes the

quintessential lady in red that

glides into a room brushing

past you, leaving her signature

scent (Gucci Rush) lingeringbehind like the night...

KATSGOT YOURTONGUE

SHILPI MADAN profiles the style of Katrina Kaif, a classic

beauty whos become the thinking mans sex symbol.

seas e n a a n w te tee an

s t y l e i c o n


13/28


14/28

As he strikes a major record deal,

Neeraj Shridhar tells SAM LAL how he

found it easy to break in, but so hard to

stick around.

t h e b i g g i g


It would have been the easiest task inthe world to dismiss Neeraj Shridhar

as an opportunist rider on a trendybandwagon. Arriving on the scene about

a decade ago when the remix revolutionruled the Indian music market, Neeraj

and his band Bombay Vikings, stormedthe charts with Euro synth pop versions ofBollywoods big hits. Zaroorat Hai there-

fore became Kya Soorat Hai and WohChali was given a Hinglish twist with lyr-ics like, Woh chali, woh chali / Now shesfound a love thats real / Now her wound-

ed heart is healed / Finally, finally.Yes, indeed, it wouldnt have been dif-

ficult to strike off Neeraj as a flash-in-the-pan boy wonder who would duly make

his way into obscurity once the lease ofhis moment in the sun came to an end.But there are three factors that preventedNeeraj from being written off as a has-

been.First is the fact that while most of his

contemporaries from the remix era havelong bid their goodbyes to the world of

showbiz, he is standing tall with an envi-able body of original songs to his credit.The second is the quality of his voice.Unique would be an understatement

and fabulous would be more like it. To il-lustrate the point, lets try a little experi-

ment.Take any of Neerajs smash hits, Halke

Halke from Honeymoon Travels, the titletrack from Bhagam Bhag, Hare Ramfrom Bhool Bhulaiyaaor Chandni Chowkto China from Akshay Kumars soon-to-

be-released movie of the same name.Listen to the songs and you will be struck

by the smooth, velvety texture of the mansvoice. Then try singing along to the tunes.That is when the realisation will dawn that

although it sounds very soft and exqui-site, Neeraj hits very high notes indeed.Any other man singing at the same pitchwould sound screechy. Neeraj just makes

it sound very mellifluous and romantic.

Its a rare vocal quality and it was devel-oped when Neeraj was a teenager.

Im actually a rocker, he says, Istarted out when I was fourteen and was

singing songs by Deep Purple, Led Zep-pelin and Bad Company. So that explainsit. The bands that Neeraj mentions havebeen fronted by some of the most out-standing vocalists in music history and if

that is what he grew up idolising, its nowonder hes one of the finest voices inBollywood today.

The final factor, which makes Neeraj the

huge star that he is, has to be the honestywith which he analyses everything abouthis career. It was quite easy to get in, hesays, referring to the cover versions of

classic hits which provided him his initialbreakthrough. But to bring about sus-tainability is tough. The years from 1999to 2008 have been challenging because

I wanted to do something more than theusual remixes. You should be able to givepeople something new and bring yourown innovations to music.

Not that Neeraj is worried about thatany more. Hes just been signed on fora five-year artiste management deal by

T-Series, one of the biggest entertain-ment companies in the country. Theyreletting me do what I want, he says. To

paraphrase one of his early hits, Finally,finally...

THE NEERAJ FACT FILES

Neeraj migrated to Sweden with hisbrother when he was twelve.

He aspired to be a guitar player andworked three months in a plastic filesfactory to raise enough money to buya good guitar.

He is an accomplished keyboard play-er too.

Kya Soorat Hai, one of his songswith Bombay Vikings, topped the Indi-

an charts for a record eleven months.

Renaissance

Man


15/28


Although a large per-centage of his legacy isbased on an elaborately

crafted persona, David Bowiegot his mismatched eyes byaccident and not by design.It happened when David was

fifteen and found himself get-ting into a heated argumentwith his friend George Under-wood, over a girl. George then

proceeded to - quite literally -thrash the lights out of Davidand when the dust settled, thefuture pop star had an eye that

was potentially blind.It took doctors some eight

months to prevent completeloss of vision, but it left David

with one pupil permanentlydilated. However, inspite ofall this, Bowie didnt bear anyill will towards his mate and

dismissed the whole incidentas one big hearty punch-up.George would later repay his

debt by doing all the artworkfor Bowies early albums.

Bowies journey towards be-coming one of the most iconic

and intriguing personas inpopular music began when hewas nine. His father got him

records of all the early rock nroll pioneers like Chuck Berryand Little Richard and whenthe young David spun them, itwas as if he had heard God.

He became so fascinated withthe saxophone that his moth-er gave him a plastic one forChristmas. Three years later,

Bowie had graduated to a realinstrument and had formedhis first band, The Konrads in1962.

Lyrically, David is a man ob-

MR. SPACEMANAs David Bowie turns 52 SAM LAL traces

his journey to rocks leading innovator.

BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA - The Life and Times of Bowie

David Bowie was born David Robert Jones on the 8th of January 1947 in Brixton, London.

He borrowed his stage name partly from the legendary nineteenth century American soldier James Bowie.

He is an actor too and has appeared in many films most notably The Man Who Fell To Earthand Merry Christmas Mr. Law-rence. He was also offered the role of Max Zorin in the James Bond movie, A View to a Killbut turned it down because hedidnt want the entire role to be about watching his stunt double fall off mountains.

He is a prolific songwriter and has written big hits for other bands like Under Pressure for Queen and All The Young

Dudes for Mott The Hoople.

sessed with outer space andaliens and they have formedthe subject matter of some of

his biggest hits. The first onecame in 1969 and instantly be-came a landmark moment inmusic history. Recorded and

issued to coincide with mansmaiden landing on the moon,Space Oddity, became ahuge smash and has pervad-

ed popular culture like nothingelse before it. Everything fromtelevision sitcom Friends tovideo games like Metal Gear 3,

contains references to MajorTom, the main protagonist ofSpace Oddity.

The second career defin-

ing moment came when Da-vid created Ziggy Stardust,an alter ego rock superstar,backed by a band of outstand-

ing musicians called The Spi-ders From Mars. Adopting aglam persona that includedfiery red hair and outlandish

superhero costumes, Davidreleased a concept albumtitled Ziggy Stardust And TheSpiders From Mars, whichyielded at least four bonafideclassics. The title track and

Suffragette City, in particular,have been covered by succes-

sive generation of musiciansever since.

From that point on, David

Bowie has run through the en-tire gamut of the musical spec-trum, from R&B and dancepop, to the heavy rock sounds

of his work with Tin Machine.He may have relinquished hisrole as rocks leading innova-tor, but his relevance is in no

danger of fading away.

m u s i c l e g e n d


16/28

PlayStation Wireless Keypad: For those who havethe increasing need of using text-based messaging

through their gaming pursuits and find the use of theD pad a bit tedious while using PlayStation, there is

respite in the form of this QWERTY keypad which canbe clamped to the controller. This one sets you back aneat Rs. 3000.

Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard:Heres anoth-er accessory that promises to ease multitasking keyfunctions, as well as to take care of the excruciating

treatment usually meted out to hapless keyboards.Priced a bit steeply at around Rs. 4000, this shouldtake care of your worries and looks good alongsideyour keyboard.

Street Fighter PS3 Joysticks: If you still swear bythe arcade style fun provided by that killer of a gameby the name of Street Fighter, Mad Catz has introduced

a couple of joysticks for PlayStation 3 which are sureto offer you a huge bit of nostalgia. They are priced ataround Rs. 3500 and Rs. 7000 each respectively.

NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse: NZXT has decided totake a plunge into the peripherals market by introduc-ing this gaming mouse with cutting edge features.Silver accent side buttons, neon blue trim lights and

a scroll wheel containing programmable buttonstoo this has pretty much everything to take care of

what you need. All of this is expected to be availableat around Rs. 2600.

t h e g r e a t g ma e


The continent of Ancaria is a magical land full ofmysteries and surprises. Picturesque landscapes,

babbling streams, rugged mountainous terrain anddense forests as well as pleasing foliage this place

has everything imaginable. In the midst of all this,there lurks a mysterious source of energy that willdecide the future course of events leading to either

prosperity or decadence.Sacred 2: Fallen Angel follows in the footsteps of the

original Sacred as the click and boom shooter-slasherand is set in an age a couple of millennia before the

original. Through some foolish actions by inhabitantsof Ancaria, the energy source called T-Energy goeshaywire and starts wreaking havoc on the continent,threatening its very existence. Thats where we step

in to restore order. If you are, however, in the moodfor pulverising things, you can step into the shadowsof evil too and do your best to make sure everythinggoes up in smoke. Theres a choice of six characters

to choose from ranging from Seraphim, the good one,to Inquisitor, the dark one at the other end of the spec-trum. Once you have made the choice, its a matterof traversing the contours of the map and completing

various tasks that are assigned as you move forward,mostly consisting of shooting and looting.

The accompanying soundtrack is refreshinglyheavy with contributions by metal band Blind Guard-

ian. All said, though the game play is engaging, it isntcompletely devoid of glitches and bugs with regard to

frame rate at times. Lets hope these are taken care ofsoon enough in this otherwise gratifying game.

COOLSTUFF REVIEW

Sacred 2: Fallen AngelGenre

Action RPGPublisher

cdv Software Entertainment

Platforms

MS Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

GAME OF THE MONTHBy Asif Khan

Estimated Price

Rs. 3000 approx


17/28

b e h i n d t h e s c e n e s


Economic slowdown, terrorist attacks, flops, shortage of

saleable stars - nothing fazes Bollywood, as producers gear

up to release a variety of films in 2009. DEEPA GAHLOT previews

the films to watch out for.

If theres an important lesson re-learnt in2008, its that aggressive promotion canmake even a dud film run, provided it has a

star in the drivers seat. Most of the small films

that followed in the wake of Bheja Frys suc-cess sank at the box-office and the tide seemsto have turned once again towards films with

stars but with controlled budgets.

Whats In Line In

09

Economi

saleable star

up to release a

the films to watch

If theres an import2008, its that aggmake even a dud fil


18/28


J A N U A R Y 0 9 T H E P L O T 0 31 6 T H E P L O T J A N U A R Y 0 9

TEN FILMSto look out for in the firstquarter of 2009Chandni Chowkto ChinaAfter the debacle of Salaam-

E-Ishq, Nikhil Advani has

to prove that Kal Ho Na Ho

was not a fluke. As a result,

his Akshay Kumar- Deepika

Padukone starrer pulls out all

the stops as far as scale goes.

Akshay plays a Delhi cook who

is taken to fight for a belea-

guered village in China as he is

believed to be the incarnation

of a warrior. Action scenes on

the Great Wall are supposed to

be the highlight.

Billu BarberPriyadarshan remakes a Malay-

alam hit about a star coming to

shoot in a village and word go-

ing round that the local barber

is a buddy. Shah Rukh Khan, Ir-

rfan Khan and Lara Dutta star in

this contemporary version of the

Krishna-Sudama story.

Dev DAnurag Kashyaps modern-day take

on the Saratchandra epic stars Ab-

hay Deol, Mahi Gill and Kalki. The

story of a heart-broken lover who

turns alcoholic and wins the love of

a prostitute is given a darkly comic,surreal look.

RaazThe Mystery Continues

Mohit Suri directs Emraan

Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and

Adhyayan Suman in a mystery-

horror film about a woman who

keeps mysteriously appearing

in an artists work and ends up

fighting for her sanity and her

life. It exploits the success of the

olderRaaz, through its title, but is

not a sequel.

Luck By ChanceZoya Akhtar makes her debut with this film set against the backdrop of the film industry. The star-studded film with

Farhan Akhtar, Konkana Sen Sharma, Hrithik Roshan, Juhi Chawla, Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor, is about a pair of

strugglers and their dreams of success in Bollywood.

VictoryHarman Baweja could do with

a hit after Love Story 2050 and

Ajitpal Mangats cricket film is about

a small town boy who fulfills his fa-

thers dream to become a first class

cricketer. Amrita Rao and Anupam

Kher co-star, along with many real-

life cricketers.

Dilli 6After several casting glitches,

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehras

semi-autobiographical film took

off with Abhishek Bachchan play-

ing an American-born man who

brings his ailing grandmother back

to India - to her old home in Delhi

- and how the journey transforms

him. Also starring Sonam Kapoor,Atul Kulkarni, Rishi Kapoor and

Waheeda Rehman.

Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai

Ravi Chopra directs a comedy withGovinda, Lara Dutta and Tabu which

is said to be inspired by My Cousin

Vinnyin which the hero plays a bun-

gling lawyer fighting his first crucial

case against an ace female lawyer.

FiraaqActress Nandita Das makes an

assured directorial debut with a

much feted-at-festivals film fea-

turing an ensemble cast headed

by Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh

Rawal, Deepti Naval and others. It

tells the stories of several people

affected during the communal ri-

ots, as seen over a 24-hour period,

and how their lives are altered by

the violence.

Rang RasiyaKetan Mehtas bio-pic on iconic

painter Raja Ravi Verma, stars

Randeep Hooda and NandanaDev Sen as his muse Sugandha.

Mehta makes a case for artis-

tic freedom, as the artist faces

persecution for his scandalous

depiction of goddesses.


19/28


TEN FILMSto look out for later in2009Ajab Prem KiGhazab KahaniTwo of todays brightest young

stars Ranbir Kapoor and Ka-

trina Kaif co-star in Rajkumar

Santoshis romantic comedy.

Kambakkht IshqProducer Sajid Nadiadwala is

splurging on this Sabir Khan-

directed actioner starring Akshay

Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Sylves-

ter Stallone and Denise Richards.

Other Hollywood stars are report-

ed to be doing cameos.

3 IdiotsRajkumar Hiranis direction,

Chetan Bhagats best-sell-

ing novel Five Point Some-

one, and the star power of

Aamir Khan, Kareena Ka-

poor with Sharman Joshi,Madhavan and Boman Irani

in this Vidhu Vinod Chopra

production.

London DreamsVipul Shah directs this expen-

sive Ajay Devgan-Salman Khanstarrer about two Indian musi-

cians who struggle for their

place in the sun in London, with

Asin as the female lead. What,

no Akshay, no Katrina?

RaavanMani Ratnams modern version of

the Ramayanstars Abhishek Bach-

chan, Aishwarya Rai and Govinda

as Hanuman.

New York

This Yash Raj Films production,directed by Kabir Khan and star-

ring John Abraham, Neil Nitin

Mukesh, Katrina Kaif takes up

the issue of racial profiling in the

US.

KitesRakesh Roshan has signed AnuragBasu to direct Hrithik Roshan, Bar-bara Mori and Kangna Ranaut in alove story with a dash of Hrithik-style action of course.

PaathshalaShahid Kapur plays a teacher in

Milind Ukyes film starring Nana

Patekar and Ayesha Takia, aboutthe problems of the education sys-

tem in the country.

Whats Your Rashee?After the exhaustion of a period

epic like Jodhaa Akbar, Ashutosh

Gowarikar picks a light-hearted

contemporary story, starring

Harman Baweja and Priyanka

Chopra, about an NRIs search

for the perfect bride in India.

My Name is KhanThe year will probably end

with Karan Johars film star-

ring Shah Rukh Khan and

Kajol, about an autistic man

and the difficulties faced by a

Muslim in a hostile post-9/11

world.

So there you are. International stars like Gordon Liu, Sylvester Stallone making their way to Bollywood,

a sensitive film-maker best known for epics making a light hearted romance, and in contrast, the

makers of cotton candy romantic films attacking sensitive subjects like racial profiling. And of course

all the usual suspects with not too many new ones.See you in cinemas in 2009!



20/28


m u s i c t r i v i a

Bollywood looks at music as essential

promotion for a film. But what happens

when the music totally overshadows

the film and fails to pull the film

along with it on its way to the top?

Music Trivia of course!

CHANTHARA KAPAHI

takes a look at some of the

top songs of flop movies.

Yaar bina chain kahaan re Saheb

A dud of a movie, a stud of a song. Whether youve heard the original or the remix,

youre bound to love it. A classic disco number, churned out by the king of glitz

himself, Bappida, this dhinchaksong gets you dancing all night!

Chaiyya chaiyya Dil Se

Despite the magical combination of

SRK, Mani Ratnam, A.R. Rehman

and this song brilliantly shot atop a

moving train with sexy Malaika Arora

Khan, this film totally tanked thanks

to its not so mainstream subject. Who

wants foreign locales for item shoots

anymore? Just hop onto your nearest

train and dance away!

Sexy, sexy, sexy mujhe log bole

Khuddar

The hatkesong of the 90s that catapulted

Karisma Kapoor to the list of dancing

queens created quite a few jhatkas with

its controversial lyrics. Unfortunately, no

one cared to see beyond the song and fill

cinema seats.

Dilwalon ke dil ka karar lootne, main

aayi hoon UP-Bihar lootne Shool

With the sinuous Shilpa Shetty gyrating

across the screen, it was little wonder

that this number was all the rage for that

year, and several years to come. Not just

in UP and Bihar, men across India were

falling at her feet. Yet, as far as what the

movie was about, were really clueless!

e

an

m

to

wa

an

tra

the film and fails t

along with it on its

Music Tr

CHANT

takes a look

gsH TS IN

top so

M S S E S

r v a


21/28


m u s i c t r i v i a

Kambakth ishq Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya

Choreographed along the lines of Madonnas Human Nature video, this song had the hot

Urmila Matondkar alongside a rather chubby Fardeen Khan who could neither match her

steps or her chutzpah on-screen. Despite the visible lack of chemistry between them all

through the film, the song catapulted to the top of the charts and has even inspired the title of

an Akshay Kumar starrer coming out later this year.

Allah ke bandhe

Waisa Bhi Hota Hai - Part 2

For a little known movie with even lesser

known actors, this heart wrenching song from

the little man, Kailash Kher really

stood out. Unusual, catchy

and with no jhatkas, this

ballad proved that no matter

how nondescript a movie,

a good song will always get

its due.

Its rockingyaara kabhi ishq toh karo

Kya Love Story Hai

Bebo, a vision of a sexy

seductress, prior to her size

zero figure set the stage afirewith this little item number.

Performed as a token of

friendship for director

Lovely Singh, no one

remembers this movie, but

everyone remembers this

wow number.

Move Your Body (Doob ja mere

pyaar mein) Johnny Gaddaar

The film received rave reviews and was super

successful on home video for ages after, but

as far as box office collections go, this totally

tanked. Thankfully, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and

Hard Kaur gave it well deserved props with this

top dance number.

a y

Tere bin Bas Ek Pal

As Atif Aslam crooned away about his

aching-breaking heart, a million other

girls sighed wistfully. The movie sank

without a trace, but the song raced

to the top and stayed put. So all you

bleeding heart

R o m e o s ,

listen up and

sing this to

your jilting

J u l i e t s

youll soon

find her back

in your arms.

st

sin

yo

u

you

fin

in

Chhaliya chhaliya

TashanAh! The size zero cult arrived

with Bebo in the bikini

dancing on the shores of the

Mediterranean. The song was

definitely one of the most

watched numbers of 2008,

but ironically Tashan was

possibly the least watched. The movie

crashed at the B.O. despite Kareenas sizzling performance. Guess all

thejuntawanted was Bebo in the bikini, and not the extras in the film.

Ah!

with

dan

e

e

wa

but

possibly the le

crashed at the B. . despite Kareenas sizzli


22/28

q u e e n b e e


ILL WILLRanbir Rano, the love story featuring Vinay Rohraa and Sakshi Tal-

war is in doldrums these days. Firstly, it was shifted to a not-so-

prime slot on Zee TV with new supernatural thrillerShreereplacing

it. Now Vinay Rohraa has faced the axe and is getting replaced by

Ravi Dubey of Yehaan Ke Hum Sikandar fame apparently because

of lack of chemistry between Vinay and Sakshi. Vinay rubbishes re-

ports saying Ive left the show voluntarily. Theres some emergency

at home and I have to take a long break. Since its a daily soap, it

requires my continuous dates, which I cannot provide at the moment.

Its a matter of life and death for a family member who needs myconstant attention. I had no other option but to quit the show since

the production house could not give me leave. News is also buzz-

ing that very soon Sakshi too is going to be replaced because shes

suffering from a liver infection. Forget about chemistry, I think its

biology thats bothering this very unhealthy cast.

ENGLISH MEDIUM BABUDESI SERIALSSaillesh Gulabani is entering Aroona Iranis supernatu-

ral thrillerNaaginnon Zee TV in a negative role and is

really kicked about it. He says, Im playing a supernatu-

ral character called Agni (Fire) who possesses magical

powers. A sadhu(sage) wakes me up and tells me about

the naagmani(snake gem). A team consisting of three of

us is then assigned the task of acquiring the naagmani

by all means. What really scares Sailesh though? When

I was asked to deliver dialogues in chaste Hindi, he ad-

mits sheepishly. This is what happens when English me-

dium school types try to play to the masses, darlings.

JOYFUL TIMESAfter a gap of almost two decades, matinee idol of yes-

teryear Joy Mukherjee has made a comeback on screen

with Aye-Dil-E-Nadaan, a daily soap for Doordarshan.

But thats not enough joy. His sons Monjoy and Sujoy

(enough, for Gods sake!) are also acting in this family

saga, with the former also having composed the music.

Gushes Monjoy, Seeing dad on the small screen is very

touching and exciting for all of us and a dream come

true for me. Yes, its nice when daddy wakes up from

retirement to get his sons a couple of jobs too.

Our resident Queen Bee dish-

es out the buzz on telly land

but heres a warning: it aint

sugar and honey!


23/28


HIGHSPIRITEDOk, heres another

one in the supernatu-ral genre. Akanksha

Gilani who is cur-

rently busy playing a

spirit called Manyata

in the serial Kaisi Lagi

Laganfor Sahara One

has been burning the

midnight oil learning

to be a ghost. Shes

been watching mov-

ies like The Entity,

The Omen and even

claims to have vis-

ited certain locations

around Mumbai like Thane, Ambernath, Vasai, Virar that

are supposedly haunted to get a feel of the energy of

the place. According to Akanksha, when she visited the

Vasai Fort and the churches in the Vasai Fort area where

Maratha soldiers lost their lives in fierce battles against

the Portuguese, she could actually feel the presence of

abnormal energy in the place, particularly in the late eve-

ning as darkness fell. After reading about the energy as-

sociated with spirits, I could perceive some paranormal

activity in the area. I dont know if it was my mind play-

ing tricks on me but I immediately got out of the place.

Dearies, that story even scared brave ol me, but not for

the reasons you think.

GUNSHOT WEDDINGMy dears, when a serial thats been providing employment to

scores of actors shuts down, they need to go out and spread theirCVs around. So Ketki Dave, who was Dakshaben in the now re-

tired Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, has wasted no time. On Lo

Ho Gayi Pooja Iss Ghar Kion SAB TV, Ketki plays the daughter of

a famous Don in Goa and takes over his business after his death.

She marries Aman (Amit Dolawat in a double role) who is several

years her junior at gunpoint and then makes him dance to her

tune all day long. Thats not all. She also kidnaps people and loots

banks. I dont know about you, honey buns, but Im not going to

miss this one. Looks like the end of Kyunkihad morebenefits

than I thought.

CRAZY HOURSFinally, after 460 episodes of playing Kakul in Ghar Ek

Sapnaaon Sahara One, Sayantani has opted out of the

show and Anisha Kapur has stepped into her shoes as

the new Kakul at a juncture when the character is de-

clared insane and admitted into an asylum. Considering

the number of episodes Sayantani completed and the

kind of hours soap actors put in, it wouldnt surprise me

one teeny bit if Sayantani was actually the inspiration

for her characters role and was sitting in an asylum

somewhere.

q u e e n b e e


24/28


A HAIR RAISING TALEWhen she was roped in to play a princess on Star Plus Raja Ki

Aayegi Baraat, KanikaMaheshwari was delighted. Designer

saris, intricate jewellery, what more could a girl want than to

feel like royalty? Unfortunately, a reverse Cinderella onscreen

transformation was on the cards. Going from the palace to the

slums, Kanika soon found herself milking cows, picking upcow dung and much more such delightful stuff. But the worst

was yet to come. In her words: I was talking to my friend on the

phone in between shots. Suddenly, I realized that something

strange was happening on my head. When I turned around I

saw a cow licking my hair (tied in a bun). It was the most sick-

ening thing Id ever witnessed. I called for a pack-up because I

needed to wash my hair urgently. Darling, methinks that cow

is somewhere gargling on mouthwash for all its worth.

THINKINGSMALLWith actors like Vinay

Pathak, Rajeev Khan-

delwal and Irrfan Khanemerging from televi-

sion to films, Parmeet

Sethi too is heading in

the same direction. The

man has been signed for

two films, Vighnaharta -

Sri Siddhivinayakand the

other is US-based direc-

tor Varun Khannas com-

edy Bad Luck Govind.

So what is Sethi expecting from his films? Not much, re-

ally. Parmeet says, Frankly, I dont think I am in a position

to demand being the protagonist. And be it films, TV or even

the stage for that matter, every character, big or small is as

important. If I get to play the main lead, obviously I would but

smaller roles arent that bad either! Now why do our TV stars

demand so little from Bollywood? Parmeet needs to take a

page out of Rajeev Khandelwals book and set his sights way

higher.

INKO NAHIN PEHCHANA?Star Plus new show Arre Deewano Mujhe Pehchanois sortof a version of Candid Camerawith celebrities in disguise

playing silly pranks on unsuspecting subjects and captur-

ing their reactions. Celebs billed to be on the show include

Gulshan Grover, Mahesh Manjrekar, Divya Dutta, Rakhi

Sawant, Mandira Bedi, Mona Singh, Yash Tonk, Shweta Kes-

wani with Kavita Kaushik as anchor. One question: do some

of these celebrities really need to be in disguise to go un-

recognised? Like, have you seen Rakhi without makeup?

And does anyone know what Mahesh Manjrekar looks like

outside the film industry? Anyway, Star claims the show is

free from emotional outbursts, melodrama, walkouts, back-

biting and stress. In other words, no fun stuff. Babes, Im just

wondering what Rakhi Sawant is doing on this show.

SEETA,GEETAAUR WOHHunk Cezanne Khan

who has been miss-

ing from the televi-

sion scene post his

role as Anurag Basu

in Kasauti Zindagi

Kii, is back after a

hiatus. He will nowbe seen on NDTV

Imagines daily se-

rial Seeta Aur Geeta,

an authorised televi-

sion version of GP

Sippys 1972 super

hit film of the same

name. Cezanne will be playing the role earlier played by San-

jeev Kumar. Now, sweetie pies, I really dont see the resem-

blance between Cezanne and Sanjeev Kumar but Im not in

the habit of complaining when handsome men are on screen.

Still, wouldnt he have been better in Dharmendras role, es-

pecially as that hadnt been cast at the time?

q u e e n b e e


25/28

b r a i n t o n i c


1 2 3

4 5

6 7

8

9 10

11 12 13

14 15 16

17

18

1R A N 2B I R 3J O D H A A

O E A

A N V 4R

D 5D H A R M E N D R A

S R D C

I 6E K 7T A 8B E B O

D A

E 9A R S H A 10D 11G 12V

R H O O I

O 13A A 14S A L M A N

15M I K A N T M A

E S A A Y

O H 16A S I N A

A A 17L A M H E

18A Y E S H A

Across:1. This music man is Indias Golden Globe ticket. (6)4. That unforgettable dimpled smile (6)6. Farhan Akhtars sister makes her directorial debut with (4)

Luck By Chance.7. Devdasyet again! (3,1)8. The thinking mans Sen (7)9. With just one release in 2009, wheres the Bachchan bahuhiding? (3)11. Sallus turn to be superhero after Hrithik, Harman and AB Jr. (4)14. Indias official entry to the 2008 Academy Awards (1,1,1)15. Kajol and SRK are reunited by their favourite director. (5)18. This namesake Khan is the real favourite internationally. (6)

Down:1. The mystery continues. (4)2. Ravi Varmas muse has a Nobel dad. (7)

3. Harman Baweja is in desperate need for this. (7)4. She set hearts aflutter in China. (8)5. These film makers just love those romantic extravaganzas. (7)8. Akshay married into this family. (6)

10. Not difficult for him to play a superstar in Luck By Chance (7)12. You can hate her or love her, but you cant ignore this item girl. (5)13. SRKs Billu follows this profession. (6)16. The lovely lady in Rishi and Ranbir Kapoors life (5)

17. Looks like this queen has gained a little pyaarbut lost some magic. (4)

Identify these young stars from their lips.

In your answer, mention the right image number against each name. Five earlybirdswho get the pairs right will each get vouchers fortwo free ticketsto any

show at any BIG cinema across India on any day in February 2009.

Deepika Padukone Anushka Sharma

Asin Jiah Khan

Send in your pairs to: [email protected]

Your entry will be valid only if: (1) You write Pair & Win as the subject of yourmail, and (2) Include your full name, postal address and mobile (or landline) num-

ber along with the answer. Adlabs Films employees and members of their families

cannot participate in this contest. Last Date: January 31, 2009

Pair & Win!

1 2 3 4

Crossword

Last issues

crossword

solution

In the Pair & Win contest of ourAugust issue, we had invited sib-

lings to send us their pictures for aHAIR magazine makeover. We arepleased to announce the winners:

1. Vinita Misra & Sushmita Sharma,Mumbai

2. Avantika Chitlangia &Malvika Taparia, Mumbai

Watch out for their fabulous make-

overs in the next issue of The Plot!


26/28


Chak De girl Vidya Malvade made

her debut in Bollywood in 2003 with

which film?

(a) Inteha(b) Aadaz(c) Qayamat(d) Zinda Dil

What is the name of the football

club John Abraham and Arshad

Warsi played for in the movie Dhan

Dhana Dhan Goal?(a) Manchester United Football Club

(b) Indian United Football Club

(c) Southampton United Football Club

(d) Southall United Football Club

Which Ranji Trophy side does

Shreyas Talpade play for in the

movie Iqbal?(a) Madhya Pradesh (b) Karnataka

(c) Tamil Nadu (d) Andra Pradesh

In which village was the movie

Lagaanshot?(a) Bhuj (b) Kanuria (c) Ballia

(d) Kutch

What is the real life name of the

actress who plays the role of Jes-

minder Bhamra in the movie Bend

It Like Beckham?(a) Gurinder Chadha (b) Guljit Bindra

(c) Parminder Nagra (d) Shaheen

Khan

Name the famous ex-model who

acted in the movie Say Salaam In-

dia.(a) Milind Soman (b) John Abraham

(c) Bikram Saluja (d) Arjun Rampal

Before taking up boxing to fulfill

his fathers unfinished dream, what

profession does Bobby Deol follow

in Apne?(a) racing (b) singing (c) dancing

(d) cooking

Name the lead actor in the film Chain

Kulli Ki Main Kulli.

(a) Sanjay Dutt (b) Sunny Deol

(c) Rahul Bose (d) Kunal Khemu

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Boley TohOne Blurb, Two Free Tickets Like The Deal?

THE 90-SECOND QUIZ

Jackpot Question

*Up to Rs 3/- per SMS. Please check with your mobileoperator for exact SMS rates.

Answer this one and you could win free tick-

ets to any BIG cinema across India five pairsof tickets are up for grabs.

Name the hill station that was featured in

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.

(a) Ooty (b) Dehradun (c) Nainital

(d) Mussoorie

If youre one of the five early birdsto get the

answer right, you will get vouchers fortwo

free ticketseach to a show at any BIG cinema

across India on any day in February 2009.

Send in your answers to:

[email protected] or SMS*PLOT OPTION NAME For example, SMS PLOT A ALIYA to55454

Your e-mail entry will be valid only if: (1)You write January Jackpot Question as the

subject of your e-mail, and (2) Include your

full name, postal address and mobile (or

landline) number along with the answer.

Adlabs Films employees and members of

their families cannot participate in this con-

test.

Last Date: January 31, 2009

Are you a magician with words?Write a mazedaarblurb for Akshays character in thisstill from Chandni Chowk to China. If you manage totickle our funny bone, you will be one of five winners tobe crowned the Badshah of Blurbs, and will get vouch-ers fortwo free ticketseach to any show at any BIGcinema across India on any day in February 2009.

Send in your answers to:[email protected]* PLOT TEXT NAME

For example, SMS PLOT PLEASE LET ME GO SAUVIKto 55454. Your e-mail entry will be valid only if: (1)you mention Badshah of Blurbs as the subject of yourmail, and (2) include your full name, postal address

and mobile (or landline) number along with the an-swer. Adlabs Films employees and members of theirfamilies cannot participate in this contest.Last Date: January 31, 2009

90-SecondQuiz:

TheAnswers

1.(a)Inteha2.(d)SouthallUnitedFoot-

ballClub

3.(b)Karnataka

4.(b)Kanuria

5.(c)ParminderNagra

6.(a)MilindSoman

7.(b)singing

8.(c)RahulBose

RATEYOURSELF:ABeautifulMind78;TopGun56;ForrestGump34;DumbandDumber02

Are you a film buff? Be a good sport and test yourknowledge with our quiz.

?

b r a i n t o n i c


27/28


28/28

Documents

The Plot - Movie Magazine - January 2009