Looks like Bollywood is taking a small break with just three interesting movies in its kitty this month. Catch ‘Dirty Politics’, ‘NH10’ and ‘Hunterrr’ at a cinema near you this month to get your much-needed dose of B’town masala. Here’s everything you need to know about these Bollywood movies before booking your tickets.
Dirty Politics – 6th March, 2015 K.C. Bokadia’s ‘Dirty Politics’ is set to hit the silver screen on the Holi weekend. In lead roles are Mallika Sherawat, veteran actors Anupam Kher, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff and Ashutosh Rana. As the name suggests, the movie is set against a contemporary political backdrop and is already making headlines for Mallika Sherawat and Om Puri’s steamy on-screen chemistry. Rumour also has it that Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was offered a role in this movie back in 2012. Take a look at this trailer to find out what we are talking about.
NH10 – 13th March, 2015 Anushka Sharma’s debut production ‘NH10’ has her and actor Neil Bhoopalam as a part of the star cast. It is slated for a release on 13th March. This thriller is about a young couple’s rather disastrous rendezvous with a group of violent criminals while they are on a road trip.
Hunterrr – 20th March, 2015 Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Vikas Bahl’s sex comedy ‘Hunterrr’ will be out on 20th March. Starring Gulshan Devaiah, Radhika Apte and Sai Tamhankar, this movie revolves around the life of a lecherous sex addict and his encounters with women. Just one look at the trailer would want you to book your movie tickets right about now.
To plan your Hollywood movie calendar for March click here.
Bollywood’s fashion diva Sonam Kapoor attended the L’Oreal Paris Femina Women Awards’ press meet and looked absolutely gorgeous in an Elie Saab nude gown and Louboutin pumps. Minimal jewellery from Anmol and Mahesh Notandass and a Thalé Blanc’s clutch perfectly complimented her look. A pop of red on the lips and side swept hair added to the perfection. She was styled by Namrata Soni.
While promoting his upcoming movie ‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshy’ at a college in Mumbai, Sushant Singh Rajput made quite the statement by pairing a suit with harem pants and brogues. The students at the college organised a fashion show inspired by the movie and he was seen participating actively with everyone. Take a look at the pictures.
History was made yet again when India won against its arch nemesis Pakistan by 76 runs at the Adelaide Oval, Australia on Sunday, 15th February 2015. Indians all over the world celebrated the victory like it was a big festival. Here are some adorable pictures of Big B sharing the moment with his fans that you just cannot miss.
‘Freedom of speech’ – Aren’t we all a little tired of all and sundry spouting this oft-repeated phrase in support of the AIB Roast? Yes, a bunch of stand-up comedians along with a few Bollywood A-listers changed the way Indians feel about stand-up comedy – Well, in a mixed kinda way! However, things got a little serious when AIB took the video down and our very own ‘PK’ (Aamir Khan) gave his opinion on the video and how it affected him!
Let’s take a look on how people on social media reacted to Aamir Khan’s views on the AIB roast!
‘Shamitabh’, ‘Badlapur’, ‘The Messenger of God’ and ‘Roy’ are all set to entertain you throughout the month of February. Here’s a roundup of the four Bollywood flicks and their premiere dates.
Shamitabh – 6th February
Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and debutante Akshara Hassan, ‘Shamitabh’ will hit the cinemas on 6th Febraury. This movie revolves around the lives of two artists, a mute actor (played by Dhanush) and an alcoholic (played by Amitabh Bachchan). Bachchan lends his voice to the mute actor and turns him into a superstar. Catch the movie on 6th February to find out what happens next.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzJfGRrHlxY
Roy – 13th February
Bringing double roles back this year is the movie ‘Roy’, starring Jacqueline Fernandez with actors Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. A thriller with a love triangle, the movie features Ranbir Kapoor as a conman, Arjun Rampal as a film director and Jacqueline Fernandez in two roles – one of an art enthusiast and the other of a movie director. Watch this one to witness the comeback of double roles in Indian cinema or simply to enjoy the chart-topping, super catchy song, ‘Chitiyan Kalaiyan’.
The Messenger of God – 13th February
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s infamous ‘The Messenger of God’ will hit the screens on 13th February. Singh will portray the role of Guru ji (a spiritual teacher) with a large number of followers who has resolved to eradicate issues like drug abuse and gender-related issues from the social fabric of the country.
Badlapur – 20th February
The action-thriller ‘Badlapur,’ starring Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddique in lead roles, is slated for release on 20th February. Varun Dhawan plays the role of Raghav a.k.a. Raghu looking to take revenge from the man who killed his wife and son in front of him while trying to rob his house 15 years ago.
If you’d like to know about the Hollywood movies that are releasing this February please click here.
Music composer Amit Trivedi’s score for Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D in 2009 set a new trend as far as Bollywood film music was concerned. The composer delivered an eclectic mix of numbers which incorporated varied genres of music ranging from brass-band sounds of ‘Tauba Tera Jalwa’ to rock with ‘Nayan Tarse’, a first for any Hindi film.
Amit Trivedi: While I was making the music of ‘Dev D’ in 2007, I’d listen to the radio every night to understand what worked. My biggest fear was the difference between my compositions and the type of music people liked back then. There was absolutely no connection in the hit Bollywood scores and my music, which was when I decided to leave everything to God and see how it goes.
Trivedi’s gamble paid off and he bagged the National Film Award for Best Music Direction that year. The modern day Devdas’ narrative was strung together with tunes which were relevant for the times.
Amit Trivedi:I thought let me do a sound track or a score based on how someone with a broken heart would react today. He won’t obviously indulge in ‘Madira’ or ‘Pan’. There are other stronger substances available now. Keeping that in mind, I wanted to make the music trippier, edgier, more laid back and grungier, which comes from the story itself.
While Trivedi made everyone sit up and take notice with his tracks for ‘Dev D’, the film which marked his debut in Bollywood was Rajkumar Gupta’s ‘Aamir’ in 2008. Soon Trivedi was also roped in by Vikramaditya Motwane to compose the soundtrack for ‘Udaan’. The composer considers himself lucky to have started his career with films which had some of the best scripts and also gave him the opportunity to experiment.
Amit Trivedi: For someone who had just started his career, getting to read scripts like ‘Udaan’ and ‘Aamir’, was very overwhelming. We all know what works in Hindi films; the romantic ballads, item songs, dance numbers or disco numbers and these two films had none of these elements, that’s what excited me the most.
From the rock anthem ‘Dilli Dilli’ in ‘No One Killed Jessica’ to the kitschy burlesque dance number ‘Dreamum Wakeup’ in the movie ‘Aiyya’ or for that matter the playful love song ‘Pareshan’ from ‘Isahqzaade’, Trivedi’s versatility has been his biggest strength. The composer also does not shy away from using new genres like ‘dubstep’ in Bollywood film music.
Amit Trivedi:While working on ‘Ishaqzaade’ Habib Sir (Habib Fasial) wanted me to compose music for one of his promos that had a lot of pace in terms of the visuals. I had to create a tempo which would fit the parameters of that pace so I decided to break the composition down into half. Breaking the music down into two parts sparked the idea of including dubstep. When I pitched the idea of dubstep for the promo to both Habib Faisal and Aditya Chopra, they had no idea about that genre. I was insistent and instead of denying, they asked me to compose a song for the movie.
His songs for Vikramaditya Motwane’s period film ‘Lootera’ garnered him the bouquets as well as the brickbats. Allegedly the film’s theme music was uncannily similar to that of Hollywood film ‘One Day’. But that did not take away from the overall reception of his songs.
And we leave you with Trivedi’s thoughts on his upcoming project with director Anurag Kashyap, ‘Bombay Velvet’, yet again a period film for which he will be experimenting with Jazz music.
Amit Trivedi:The most exciting thing right now is ‘Bombay Velvet’, because for the first time probably I am trying to do Hindi jazz. The film is set in the fifties and the sixties and it is about life in Bombay in that era. At that time jazz was very active and there were a lot of jazz clubs. It was very exciting for me to jump into that territory, to do jazz from back then. It was a big challenge to bring that style of music to fit in the Bombay culture and environment while keeping things contemporary. The movie stars Ranbir and Anushka, so the music had to be able to speak a contemporary language.
This year the ladies of Bollywood showed the world that they have more to offer than their stunning good looks. They were courageous, brave and far from letting the world bog them down! Here are 5 times B-town actresses stood up for themselves and set examples for women the world over.
#1 When Anushka Sharma talked openly about her “lip job”
After Anushka Sharma made an appearance on ‘Koffee With Karan’ earlier this year, her lips were written about almost everywhere. People could not stop talking about how she got enhancements and went under the knife to look, well… more appealing. Anushka, however, did not remain silent about the issue and made sure she had her side of things heard, inspiring a lot of women!
#2 The time when Alia Bhatt laughed at herself with the whole world
Alia Bhatt’s ‘Koffee With Karan’ appearance also left a mark on the world when she excitedly let out that she thought Prithviraj Chavan is the President of India. The incident sparked millions of internet memes, trolls and jokes but Bhatt had the most amazing comeback. She collaborated with AIB and came up with this video that left everyone flabbergasted.
#3 When Deepika Padukone asked a leading daily to respect women!
A leading newspaper published a whole story about Deepika’s cleavage and here’s her answer! Enough said! #Respect
#4 Sonakshi Sinha’s comeback for weight critics and Kamaal R Khan
Throughout her career the critics have only noticed Sonakshi Sinha’s weight and she had a small gift for them on Instagram.
Not just the weight critics, Sonakshi had something ready for the self-proclaimed critic Kamal R Khan too!
#5 When Parineeti Chopra taught an ignorant journalist about the menstrual cycle so effortlessly!
While Parineeti Chopra was promoting Whisper’s ‘Touch the Pickle’ campaign, a male journalist addressed women’s periods as a “problem” leaving the actress enraged. But Parineeti remained her calm self and made sure she gave him a piece of his mind.
All pictures sourced from the actresses’ respective Twitter/Instagram accounts.
The recently-concluded Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015 witnessed an assemblage of known faces from across the country. Trendspotters TV presents to you the highlights of the ‘not-to-be-missed’ celebrities who graced the 5-day extravaganza with their presence, setting trends in their own right.
The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week S/S’15 witnessed a number of known faces apart from just those associated with the Fashion industry. Here’s a list of celebrities who graced the occasion with their presence.
The first celebrity face spotted at the runway was the famous tennis player Sania Mirza as the show stopper for designer Ritu Pande. Talking about Show stoppers, actress Aditi Rao Hydari looked gorgeous in designer Payal Singhal’s outfit stealing the show on the day 3 of the event.
Day 5 of the fashion week also witnessed actress Monica Dogra walking the runway for Kanika Saluja’s label ‘Anaikka’ and the very dapper Arjun Rampal making heads turn at Rohit Bal’s grand finale.
The event got an instant shot in the arm with a surprise visit by actor Rahul Bose looking every inch dapper at Rajesh Pratap Singh’s show. Likewise, actress Huma Qureshi upped the glam quotient looking stunning in designer Masaba Gupta’s outfit from her new collection. Qureshi marked her presence at Masaba’s show along with the designer’s mother, Neena Gupta.
Just like last season, actress Neha Dhupia was the Twitter face of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. She was also a part of the Wills Fashion Academy along with Anchor-VJ Gaurav Kapur. The dazzling duo together helped people with their fashion IQ in fun and quirky ways!
Here’s all you need to know about the designer Troy Costa, the man who designs clothes for Bollywood A-listers and now also for PM Narendra Modi!
Mumbai based fashion designer Troy Costa began his career in the Indian fashion industry in 2003. And in the last 10 years he has established himself as one of the foremost men’s wear designers in the country
Troy Costa: My focus was not on the glamour or the fashion weeks of this country. Once I was able to build a group of tailors who were able to excel in finish and quality and then planned to go to the next step which was starting a made-to-measure label called TroyCosta or TD Costa designs
And Troy’s designs have been donned by Bollywood A-listers including Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor and Arjun Rampal
Troy Costa: We don’t follow any Bollywood diktat as such. Our focus is on making amazing clothes and we also are wanting to dress up Bollywood in a TC signature or a TC style. We don’t want to dress bollywood as per each individual style. That is the only one way we make clothes, tailoring, tailoring and tailoring.
Looking back at the decade spent as a designer, Troy affirms that fashion trends are cyclical in nature
Troy Costa: In 2003, we had the double breasted suit being made a part of the menswear movement then we moved to the single breasted and from 2010-11 going forward we’ve been wanting the double breast to come back and finally its come back in 2013 so that is one aspect. We’ve gone from the small collar in 2003 -2004 to the big collar in 2007-08-09 and we’ve come to the small collar again in 2013. So, that way fashion in a continuous circle its always travelling it goes into various forms it goes into footwear, hairstyles… we had long hair in 2001, and then we had long hair again in 2008-09 and then short hair in 13 and long hair in 16. So it’s constantly evolving but each time taking a new form
His winter festive 2013 collection titled ‘The London Eye’ for men was showcased at the Lakme Fashion week last year and his showstopper was none other than Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Here’s Troy’s take on his latest collection
Troy Costa: It meant that while the merry go round moves you would see color and you’d not see color and technically saying that in menswear fashion color was there in some seasons and then it was not there in some seasons. So, you don’t have color all the time. The man is not a metrosexual like yesteryear, he is ubersexual, he loves his color, he wants it to be a part of his everyday life. He is now more keen on dressing up or doing things of his own unlike yesterday where he asked his wife or his girlfriend to decide or choose his clothes. So, I am seeing a man who has graduated to a more…to a higher level technically.
And we leave you with Troy’s trend predictions for the upcoming season
Troy Costa: Internationally I think there are beautiful trends for menswear and the trends are going to evolve further and further, we have the new wedge brogue which has never been a format for shoes before so this was also showed in the TC London Eye show, coloured wedge. That’s going to be a very big international trend in 2014. The double breasted jacket is going to be a very big trend moving forward. The paisley jacket, the paisley print, all forms of botanical prints in menswear with regards to the shirts being floral based and that’s gonna be a big trend moving forward which is beautiful for menswear, it talks of going away from stripes and checks and creating new spaces with regard to menswear.
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has graduated from playing blink-and-miss roles to being the most-looked-forward-to element in highly acclaimed films. His journey may have been a spectacular one but his humble demeanour reveals how he hasn’t let fame get the better of him.
He smiles self-effacingly as he shares how his journey began in a small town where his only cinematic exposure was to “C-grade” films. “I grew up in a place where most people are farmers. I had no intentions of getting into films. I was never chosen in any audition or through photos,” Siddiqui laughs. He still feels that he hasn’t discovered his true potential as an actor and this is what drives him.
The 39-year old Siddiqui started his career in the film industry with a bit role in Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Sarfarosh’ way back in 1999. Siddiqui shares, yet again in his signature unassuming tone, that he only got this chance because the other actor who was cast for the role didn’t turn up for the shoot. Even though his role was for a short duration of about 40 seconds, it did open the gates for more opportunities. Anurag Kashyap got a peak at Siddiqui’s performance and promised him a role in whichever film he would direct in the future.
Kashyap kept his promise and gave Nawazuddin Siddiqui three scenes in ‘Black Friday’. The actor, at that time, was overjoyed at the chance and still considers it his real big break in Bollywood.
When Nawazuddin made his way to Mumbai after having graduated from the National School of Drama in New Delhi, the reception he received from his friends was less than encouraging. “Since I was a trained actor, I was confident that I would find work in a jiffy. But when I reached Bombay, my bubble burst. Even the warmth I expected from my old friends seemed to have dried up with the heated pace of life in Bombay,” he reminisces.
The struggle to establish himself as an actor continued and it was only in 2012 with full-fledged roles in films like Ashim Ahluwalia’s ‘Miss Lovely’, Prashant Bhargava’s ‘ Patang’ and Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2’ that Nawazuddin got his due.
But essaying the role of Faisal Khan in Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur gave Siddiqui sleepless nights, quite literally! “The first two days, I simply couldn’t understand the nuances of the character. Then Anurag sat me down and told me that the problem was that I was making the portrayal of power too overt. It had to be extremely subtle.”
“I kept mulling over Anurag’s words throughout the night. They kept bothering me. ‘Why couldn’t I be like Faisal Khan? Why can’t I fathom the scope of his power?’ These thoughts kept me up all night and I reached the set without having slept a wink,” he adds.
Over the sleepless night, Siddiqui had to convince himself that he was a powerful man, that he was the veritable Faisal Khan! Once he gave the shot with this conviction at heart, Anurag was satisfied and the rest, as they say, is history!
While his role in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ was that of a passive aggressive character, his role in Sujoy Ghosh’s ‘Kahaani’ was that of a man who only used aggression to get his way.
Siddiqui himself was a little surprised when Ghosh approached him for the role of a controlling, forceful cop. This role helped both Siddiqui and the audiences in learning that he could do more than just essaying soft roles. The frustration of being stereotyped that was creeping in within the actor finally found a cure. “I think it was my real-life frustration at being given roles where I’m usually bullied, that helped me play the aggressive character better,” he surmises.
Today, there is no shortage of critical praise for Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s work. But one role which made even an accomplished actor like him nervous was walking the ramp for designer Troy Costa as his showstopper at the Lakme Fashion Week last year.
Troy Costa shares with us the reason behind his unexpected choice:“When I met Nawazuddin, he embodied a certain quality about himself that brought me back to who I was when I left home at 17. His raw earthiness reminded me of the days when I couldn’t own a machine. When I spoke to him that evening it brought back many memories for me of 14-15 years ago. Perhaps, this is what spurred my choice.”
Nawazuddin, is a trendsetter in his own right who started with small roles but can carry off the role of the leading man effortlessly today. His flawless depiction of a range of characters and the depth that he brings to all of them has made him a favourite with ardent fans and connoisseurs of Hindi Cinema alike!
After launching his campaign against rape and gender discrimination called MARD last year, filmmaker, actor and singer Farhan Akhtar has also started touring colleges across the country with his new band called ‘Farhan Live’. According to Farhan, it is a collaborative effort with other musicians and the endeavour aims to spread awareness against gender discrimination through a number of live performances. ‘Farhan Live’ has been endorsed by many celebrities including Preity Zinta, Shaan, Mahesh Babu and Yuvraj Singh.
Farhan:Felt very correct because it also timed itself with spreading the MARD message. You know where we are going around and narrating the poem, talking to various institutions about gender equality and things. So it all fell together at a very important time, I think, in my life as well as what’s going on around us.
The campaign was a big hit on social networking sites and a number of celebrities including Shaan, Mahesh Babu, Yuvraj Singh and Preity Zinta pledged their support for the cause. But Farhan believes it’s a slow process and a significant change in perception will take a long time.
Farhan:We are just here to keep talking about things and keep putting a light on issues that affect us all. So my belief is that the change we want to see can only happen on a huge level as a generational change.
Meanwhile, Farhan admits that performing some of the hit numbers from his films has given him the opportunity to interact with the youth and this experience is far more enjoyable than recording the songs in a studio.
Farhan:Performing live, of course,is way more enjoyable than being in a studio and singing, for sure. We are always looking forward to engaging with thecrowd, you know,interacting with them and there’s so much exchange that happens… of energy between the people who are listening and us, performing on stage. But at the same time if you hadn’t done that singing in the studio there won’t be a live song to do on stage.
Farhan is a trendsetter in his own right. His 2001 cult film ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ was instrumental in setting the tone for future urban dramas in Bollywood and his latest effort, which involves spreading a social message through live performances, is yet another noble endeavour.
And here’s Farhan’s take on what he enjoys doing the most, considering he is not just a filmmaker but an actor, singer and an activist, all rolled into one!
Farhan:It’s very difficult to say which one is better… which one is more satisfying than the other. They are all a part of me.They are all different forms of expressions from the same person so it’s very-very difficult to segregate them.
Actress Huma Qureshi doesn’t believe in playing it safe and admits that her gamble to debut in Bollywood with a supporting role paid off. She also acknowledges that it’s not the genre of a film that matters as much as its substance. Here are more excerpts from her interview with Trendspotters.TV:
Huma Qureshi: It could be a horror flick, it could be movie where I play a robust Punjabi like you said, it could be like a coal mafia’s girlfriend-turned-wife or a RAW agent. As an actor what’s exciting for me is whenever an image about me gets formed, I have to break it. There was a time I think when people would say that either you can act or you can look pretty. Why can’t you do both?
Qureshi also believes in making her own rules and playing by them. And instead of playing it safe by debuting in a quintessential Bollywood pot-boiler, she chose to mark her entry into Tinsel Town with a supporting role in Anurag Kashyap’s 2012 two-part gangster saga ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’.
Huma Qureshi: For some people a classic debut might work and for some people it might not. But off late there have been examples of a lot of people who have not made a classical debut and have made it into the so-called mainstream. I think it’s a trend. The audience has seen the quintessential hero-heroine thing…if the audience connects with the character’s story…that’s what really matters.
Even though the gamble paid-off, Huma was in for a shock when she was first handed the script of the film…Here’s why:
Huma Qureshi: I had signed the movie and they gave me the script to read and I was like “but I am not in the movie at all!”… It’s a six-hour movie and I am there for like 25 minutes. No, I did not know what would become of me. Yes, I knew that it would be something very, very interesting that I was going to be a part of…it’s not something that’s been done before…it was something that’s going to be memorable…How successful it was going to be, I had no idea. The idea of my character was to make fun of the way women are portrayed in cinema. They are supposed to be these bimbos. How we sort of style our hair, act out our fantasies in reality as well.
The film was critically acclaimed when it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Director’s Fortnight Section that year and also received rave reviews from Indian critics upon its release.
Huma Qureshi: The first time I saw the film was at Cannes. That’s when it really sunk in because there I felt like a midget really. A lot of people from the industry called and it was written about which was humbling. When I saw the first hoarding in Bombay I was like “was I really a part of it?!”
While the post-production of ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ was in progress, Huma got the offer to play the female lead in Sameer Sharma’s ‘Luv Shav Tey Chicken Khurana’.
Huma Qureshi: Anurag Kashyap showed what he had shot to a lot of friends. They were looking for a girl for ‘Luv Shuv’. I get a call from Sameer Sharma. He said, “Would you do this film?” But I was like, “Can I read the script?” Full credit goes to Sameer Sharma and Sumit Bhatheja. What we managed to capture with it was the simplicity of a Punjabi girl. She helps this stupid boyfriend. I would probably be like, “Get out of my life!”
2013 saw her being a part of out-and-out commercial flicks like ‘Ek Thi Daayan’ and ‘D-Day’. Huma confesses that these were not conscious decisions but also adds that she doesn’t want to be typecast as an actress.
Huma Qureshi: When you are starting out as an actor you don’t have the freedom to do that and that. It doesn’t work like that…my favourite analogy for an actor is that we are daily wage labourers! We wait to get employed. There are certain kind of stories that I gravitate towards which are interesting, which are new, which have something different to offer. But I don’t think of myself as an actor in terms of genre. I want to play different roles…that’s what I gravitate towards.
