Saturday, January 2, 2016

Big B's 'Wazir', Akshay Kumar's 'Airlift': Will Bollywood break the January 'jinx'?

For the first time in many years, Bollywood will witness some big ticket releases with huge star-power all in the month of January, generally considered a 'jinx' for the industry.

Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Rajkumar Hirani
Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Rajkumar Hirani
From megastar Amitabh Bachchan, action hero Sunny Deol, superstar Akshay Kumar to filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, all are set to release their films in the first month of 2016, leading to many clashes at the box office.
The year will begin with "Wazir", starring Bachchan and actor Farhan Akhtar. The high voltage drama-thriller is produced by filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra and helmed by "Shaitan" director Bejoy Nambiar.
"Wazir" will clash with the social-drama "Chauranga", produced by Onir and starring actor Sanjay Suri, Tannishtha Chatterjee among others.
It will be followed by "Ghayal Once Again", releasing on January 15, which has been directed, written and produced by Deol. It is the sequel to the 1990 super-hit action drama "Ghayal" and will mark the comeback of Deol who starred in the iconic role of amateur boxer Ajay Mehra.
The date will also mark the return of actress Juhi Chawla, who will make a come back after two years with "Chalk n Duster". The film, which brings life of two teachers, also stars veteran actress Shabana Azmi, Zarina Wahab and Divya Dutta.
The Friday post these two films will witness another clash at the box office with Akshay's "Airlift" and the adult comedy "Kyaa Kool Hai Hum 3", releasing on January 22.
Based on the evacuation of Indians based in Kuwait during the Iraq-Kuwait war, "Airlift" marks Akshay's second consecutive release in January after his last year's espionage-drama "Baby", while "Kyaa Kool Hai Hum 3" is the third instalment in the hugely popular adult-comedy series "Kyaa Kool Hai Hum".
It stars actors Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani among others.
The last Friday of the month will end with yet another adult-comedy clashing with a big-star film. Sunny Leone starrer "Mastizaade" and R Madhavan's "Saala Khadoos" will release on January 29.
Produced by Rajkumar Hirani, "Saala Khadoos" is a bilingual sports drama film. The film features Madhavan as a hard task-master boxing coach and also stars boxer Ritika Singh.
"Mastizaade" stars Leone in a double role and also features actor Tusshar Kapoor and Vir Das.
The year 2015 saw many releases in January too, from Arjun Kapoor's "Tevar", Bipasha Basu's "Alone" to Ayushmann Khurrana's "Hawaizaada". But it was only "Baby" which was successful.
In the past, few films have worked at the box office during January which is considered a lull period as viewers are still in the holiday mood.
In January 2014, it was only superstar Salman Khan's "Jai Ho" that worked decently at the box office and was the solo big release.
While in 2013 it was "Race 2" which was successful among other releases like "Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola", "Inkaar" and "Akaash Vani".
With January, 2016 offering an attractive line up of films for the audiences, it will be interesting to see if the star-studded month can finally break the jinx and deliver good at the box office.

Priyanka Chopra: Someday, I'll make 'Madamji'


Actress Priyanka Chopra, who was excited to turn producer with her ambitious project "Madamji", says she will make the movie someday.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra

Asked about the status of "Madamji", she said: "'Madamji' is on hold and this film is very close to my heart. For this film, I have to give 70 days for shoot but since my show ('Quantico') got extended, I couldn't do it. Hopefully, someday I will make it. But right now I am not doing it."
The project is to be directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, who directed Priyanka for her National Award winning role in "Fashion".
As of now, she is riding high on the plaudits earned for "Bajirao Mastani", in which she has played Kashibai, Bajirao's wife.
Priyanka says she finds no competition in the film industry.
"I don't have time to see others' career. I'm setting my own milestone. I am thankful to filmmakers who write characters for me," said the actress, for whom 2015 turned out to be immensely successful with an international project like "Quantico" coming her way.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali: I've not faced problem with censor board


Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who made his directorial debut with "Khamoshi: The Musical" in 1996, says his experience with the Central Board of Film Certification has been great so far.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
"No, I have not faced any problem with the censor board. When they see your intention and purity of work, they understand. I never had a bad experience," Bhansali told IANS.
"Certain norms are being followed which takes away the cinematic purity of the moment, but I have been very fortunate that the censor board has been kind with me. I have had a good experience with them," he added.
Bhansali, who is enjoying the success of his latest film "Bajirao Masatani", said many people thought that the film is "jinxed".
"They said it will never happen. But the script was so powerful that I said to myself that I have to make this film. In these 12 years, I have been reviving this project. I kept praying that it should happen. I knew that at some point of time I would make the film," he said about the Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra-starrer.
midday

Kylie Jenner: Will quit Instagram when I become mother

London: Reality TV star Kylie Jenner says she will leave Instagram when she gives birth to her first child.

The 18-year-old "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star, who is a lover of the photo-sharing site, admits she plans to ditch her 46.5 million followers once she gives birth to her first child, reported Female First.
Kylie Jenner: Will quit Instagram when I become mother
Kylie Jenner.
"Once I have a kid, I'm not going to be on Instagram. I'll probably delete my Instagram and just ... I don't know, live life."
"I would love to have a family and build a home with a farm in Malibu Canyon and just have my kids and throw away my phone, and just really, like, live my life and not do this anymore," she said.

Here's why George Lucas is not happy with 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

Disney's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" may have turned out to be a great success at the box office but George Lucas, the creator of the 'Star Wars' universe, is not happy with the new movie.

In an interview with Charlie Rose, Lucas, who had sold the rights to Disney for USD 4 billion in 2012, refers to 'Star Wars' movies as his "kids", reported the Entertainment Weekly.
"I sold them to the white slavers that takes these things, and...," Lucas said with a laugh.
Here's why George Lucas is not happy with 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

George Lucas
The legendary director, 74, who was working on a new "Star Wars" movie before he decided to sell the rights, said the studio was not keen about his involvement in the J J Abrams-directed movie.
"They looked at the stories, and they said, 'We want to make something for the fans'. They decided they didn't want to use those stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing."
"They weren't that keen to have me involved anyway - but if I get in there, I'm just going to cause trouble, because they're not going to do what I want them to do. And I don't have the control to do that anymore, and all I would do is muck everything up and so I said, 'OK, I will go my way, and I'll let them go their way'," Lucas said.
"The Force Awakens" has already earned USD 1.23 billion at the global box office.
When asked about his opinion about the new movie, Lucas said he was not a fan of the "retro" approach.
"They wanted to do a retro movie. I don't like that. Every movie, I worked very hard to make them different. I made them completely different - different planets, different spaceships to make it new."

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt staying in USD 18,000-a-night villa

New York: Star couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are reportedly staying in an USD 18,000-per-night villa in Thailand with their six children.

The family is staying in a palatial 10-bedroom pad at the Amanpuri beach resort in Phuket, reported the New York Post.
Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt staying in USD 18,000-a-night villa
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
"The whole family is staying in a two-floor, mammoth spread" that comes with a staff of eight servants, private gym and a pool surrounded by mini pagodas," a source said.
The family has seen "swimming in the sea off a luxury yacht, as well as playing minigolf, shopping at a mall and visiting a local Hindu temple where their mom prayed".

Taylor Swift releases the first look of new music video

One day before the world premiere of her 'Out of the Woods' music video, pop star Taylor Swift shared a first look on her social media sites.


"Are we out of the woods yet?" Swift, 26, wrote along with an image of her looking both angry and frightened. 'Out of the Woods' will debut during the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve show. The exact time release has yet to be announced.
Taylor Swift's latest song, co-written by Jack Antonoff, will be the sixth official single off her popular 1989 album.
Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy will host the NYE celebrations live from Times Square while Fergie will host the Billboard Hollywood Party on the west coast.