Song of the Day--Sapnon Se Bhare Naina (Luck By Chance)

I can't get enough of this track!  If you haven't seen Luck By Chance yet, get on it!  It's a really well acted film with a unique storyline, great dialogue, and, as evidenced by this song, a fantastic soundtrack.  (Plus Farhan looks crazy hot and there's a great plot featuring Hrithik Roshan!)

Song of the Day--Noorie

It's not Bollywood, per se, but I've loved this song ever since I heard it on the Bend It Like Beckham soundtrack.  It's by Bally Sagoo, featuring Gunjan, and the video definitely used to creep me out!

Ladies Special: Barbara Mori, Priyanka Chopra, and Freida Pinto

Kites may be headed for a flop, but Barbara Mori is already looking ahead.  When asked at a recent press conference if she'd signed any more Bollywood films, she replied that she hadn't, but added "I want to work with Shahrukh Khan!"

Priyanka Chopra is busy shooting for Vishal Bhardwaj's Saat Khaan Maaf, in which she plays a woman who murders seven (!!) of her husbands over a span of 40 years.  Says Priyanka, "“In Saat Khoon Maaf my character ages from 20 to 60. That’s really tricky. We’ve done a looks test of me at 60. Will I look hot as a 60-year old? I hope so!"

Freida Pinto and Dev Patel are getting married!

Freida Pinto and Dev Patel are not getting married.

Hrithik Roshan on CNN

A few days late, but CNN's Connector of the Day segment has produced another interesting interview, this time with Hrithik Roshan.  After opening with a bit of a promo for Kites, the host peppers Hrithik with a few...er...annoying questions from fans (annoying in that Duggu's probably answered them each a million times before; there's nothing particularly noteworthy or new there).  I did love his answer to the question "how does it feel to be a heartthrob?"  His reply?  "It feels good, but you have to realize there is no unconditional love."

Wise words indeed.

Song of the Day--Pyar Ki Peer Suhani (Bilwamangal)

Full disclosure:  I know very very little about this song and the film it comes from.  I had a lovely Bollywood calendar that I turned into wall art, and one of the posters in the calendar was of Bilwamangal.  The film released in 1954 and starred Suraiya, Ulhas, C.H. Atma, and Asha Mathur.  Suraiya herself is singing this song, which is really starting to grow on me.  Hope you like it as much as I do!

Extras: Aishwarya's L'Oreal Interview, Abhay on Femina

A few extra tidbits for everyone today:

Here's Aishwarya pimping for L'Oreal and looking lovely (though sounding a bit...faux...in the accent department).  It's nice to see a touch of personality from her, even if it's in a packaged makeup promo!




And speaking of lovely, here's Abhay Deol on the cover of the June issue of Femina.  Looking hot as always! 

I will say I'm a bit sad to be promised some shirtless Kunal Kapoor in this issue and then not be able to find the pictures! So in the spirit of not depriving anyone of a bit of Kunal swooning, an oldie but a goodie:

Raajneeti Trailer

Raajneeti is another film I can't wait to see, particularly because I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of Ranbir Kapoor.  The addition of Arjun Rampal and Naseeruddin Shah don't hurt either!

It's especially nice that UTV has distributed this trailer with subtitles--not that I wouldn't have appreciated it either way, but the English is helpful. :)





Raajneeti (Politics), a film by Prakash Jha, starring Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal, Vivek Oberoi, Nana Patekar, Naseeruddin Shan, and Manoj Bajpai.

Raavan Trailer!

Ok, I caved.  I've gone Raavan crazy!  I simply can't wait for this film--I'm not always in the Aishwarya camp but I'm always interested in what Abhishek's doing, and Raavan is looking like an incredible film for him.  I'm excited to see Vikram as well; I've not seen any of his films yet, so Raavan will be my first (and of course I'll be watching the Tamil version of the film, which stars Aishwarya and Vikram as well, with Vikram in Abhishek's role).

I love love love this trailer, especially Abhishek's "dusssssssss sar vaale" at the end.

Aishwarya Rai in Scorsese's Next Film?

Rumor has it that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be appearing in American director Martin Scorsese's next film.  Seems that Scorsese has had a yen for Aishwarya ever since seeing her in Devdas, and has made plans with her during their time together at the Cannes Film Festival.  Can't wait for more details! 

Martin Scorsese Floored By Aishwarya Rai

Martin Scorsese Keen on Casting Aishwarya Rai

Song of the Day--Chale Jaise Hawaien (Main Hoon Na)

This is one of my all-time favorite songs, and the first Bollywood film I ever purchased!  I had a roommate who lent me a copy of Devdas, and after seeing it I knew I needed more.  So I went over to the Eros International website and sought out more Shah Rukh Khan.  Main Hoon Na was the first one that came, and I loved it.  A roommate and I rewound "Chale Jaise Hawaien" over and over, for two reasons:  first, it's a damn catchy song;  second, Zayed Khan is a fine looking boy.  I still get a case of the weak knees when he takes his jacket off halfway through the song.  Swoon.   Too bad he's not much of an actor, but as a pretty face--oh yes please.

The film was choreographer Farah Khan's directorial debut, and I really love her style.  The end of the film features a Grease-like sendoff, which I find adorable.  The film itself is a bit fluff, with some exagerated action sequences and a fair amount of Shah Rukh's trademark "if I squeeze my face in on itself really hard, it might look like I'm actually crying," but overall it's incredibly entertaining.  Amrita Rao is adorable, Zayed is man-candy, Shah Rukh gets a an action plotline and a romantic one (with the lovely Sushmita Sen) and my wonderful Boman Irani plays a hilarious schoolmaster.

Something fun to look out for:  this entire sequence was shot as one continuous take, and Farah Khan said that anytime someone stopped, the entire shot had to be canned and started over again (which apparently led to a backup dancer fainting in the heat!).  Watch Zayed, especially in the choreography that leads up to his first chorus:  he's clearly making mistakes, but you know he's all "No. You're not stopping.  You're DOING this."  And he does.

So Many Movies, Oh My!

I went on a teensy bit of a shopping spree at Induna the other day--mostly to pick up copies of films I've already seen (albeit on my tiny little computer screen via Netflix) but also a couple of new titles to enjoy.

Rocket Singh, Dhoom 2, Love Aaj Kal, Dostana, Luck By Chance, Wake Up Sid, Road Movie, and Hum Tum aur Ghost

Rocket Singh, WUS, Luck By Chance, and Dostana are favorites of mine that I'm sure I'll be watching over and over again; Road, Movie is one I can't wait to see, especially since it features my lovely Abhay Deol.  Love Aaj Kal  I meant to pick up last year, since I have a hard time turning down anything starring Saif Ali Khan (with one exception: I'm looking at you, Race).  Dhoom 2 is one of those films that, well, isn't great, but at the same time it's nice to have a good high-quality version of it lying around for days when I feel the need to watch "Dhoom Again" ten or twenty times in a row.  And Hum, Tum aur Ghost comes via an excellent write-up by Filmigirl.  I think it's only fitting, having actually met Boman Irani a couple of years ago, that I watch all of his work!!

Raavan Posters!

I'm ridiculously excited about Raavan--mostly the Hindi version, because of Abhishek, but of course I'll watch them both!  It releases June 18 and I've tried as much as possible to stay away from spoilers, trailers, etc., because I really want it to be fresh and new and surprising when I watch it, but I couldn't stay away from the site today, and nabbed the official posters to share with you.  I also grabbed a copy of the pic that's been freaking me out all day (in a good way, in a good way) and gave a listen to some of the background score.  If you want to saturate yourself in the mood of the film, definitely give the site a look. 

Raavan--The Film

And now some visuals!  These posters are all for the Hindi version of the film, but the Tamil posters are on the site as well.

 

And what I like to call "the eyes picture," which seriously I find a bit terrifying, but at the same time I can't look away from:

 

Decorating, Filmi Style

What do you do with a beautiful calendar of old film posters?  Use them to decorate your horribly barren white walls!

I loved this calendar--it was a wonderful random find at the gift shop at the Freer and Sackler Galleries downtown.  Happily I've been able to put it to good use. 

Some close ups:

Andaz, Guide, Darr, Khubsoorat, Pyaasa, and Teesri Manzil

 

Naya Daur, Awara, Baiju Bawara, Deewar, Bilwamangal, and Dil To Pagal Hai

The Stars Do Cannes: Mallika, Aishwarya, Deepika, and Abhishek

The filmi world is being well (mostly, anyways) represented at the Cannes Film Festival this year.  Aishwarya Rai has been looking stunning as usual, Abhishek is finally by her side on day 3 and looking handsome as always, Deepika was beautifully elegant and Mallika was...well...you'll see.

 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Elie Saab

 This pic has been all over the net; I think the gown is truly stunning but I thought the massive hair (you don't see it as much in this pic but ohhh trust me, it was sky high) was a distracting mistake.  She looks gorgeous at any rate--very feminine and pretty.

 

 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Giorgio Armani Privé

I love this look on her--very bold and dramatic.  The guys on the left are definitely enjoying the view!

 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Raavan photocall

Simple, elegant daytime look.  Love the hair, this is so much better than the first night's big bouffant! 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Raavan photocall (full length)

Soooo part of me wants that Raavan poster for my wall, but the other part of me knows it'd be way too terrifying to wake up to each morning.  I love Abhishek but love only goes so far, you know?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan

 Abhishek!  Abhi finally turns up at Cannes (to promote his new film Raavan). 

 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (in Sabyasachi) and Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek looks his perfect, handsome self, with Aishwarya on his arm in an elegant sari by Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Gucci

Her most beautiful look so far.  Simple and elegant.

 

Deepika Padukone in a sari by Rohit Bal

Deepika looks stunning here, but the real star of the photo is obviously the man with the balloon pants standing next to her.  I have a strange need to know who that is, and why he thought that might be a good idea.

 

Mallika Sherawat

Here we have Mallika Sherawat, showing us one (actually two) of the things that made her famous...

 

Mallika Sherawat

...and the other.  Bless her, I love Mallika.  I've seen her on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, follow her on Twitter, and have caught more than a few of her interviews, and all indications are that she's a sweet girl and a lovely person, so I feel a bit bad coming out and calling her trashy, but with an outfit like that, and compared to Aish and Deepika, can a person really blame me? 

Mallika, Hisss Hisss

Mallika Sherawat posing with a snake to promote her film "Hisss" at the Cannes Film Festival.  This was pretty much too good to not get its own post.  (Image from Getty.)

Becoming a Bollystar in Washington, D.C. (Part 1)

So you wanna pack your bags, move to Mumbai, and become the filmiest film star in Film City.  You're going to need three things (four if you include looks, but that's a given right?).  Not only do you need to be able to act (relatively anyways), but you need to be a great dancer and speak flawless Hindi*.

*None of this applies if your name is Katrina Kaif, apparently.

As far as learning 'the trade' goes, Washington, D.C. isn't the most ideal city, but it can still be done.  There are a couple of excellent outlets for picking up Hindi as well as a number of dance programs that can have you well on your way to your first Filmfare Award!

Learning Hindi in DC:

1.  The USDA Graduate School
The Graduate School at the United States Department of Agriculture offers top-notch instruction in more than a dozen foreign languages, including Hindi (and rumor has it that they'll be adding Urdu soon).  Classes are held over a ten week period (one three-hour class weekly) and are offered at four different levels. 

I've taken the Hindi courses at the USDA Grad School, and can vouch for the professionalism of the instructors and the program itself.  Word of caution:  these classes are intense.  Expect to spend ten or more hours each week studying and preparing assignments.  The classes move very fast, but you'll learn a lot.

2. The International Language Institute
The ILI is located in Dupont Circle and offers Hindi instruction on nine levels.  Its advantage over the USDA Graduate School is that it tends to offer more scheduling options; while classes are still held on an evening or weekend plan, you can generally choose between the two, which isn't always the case with the USDA (where you usually only have one section per level offered each session).

3.  The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Summer Language Institute
Whew.  Say that a few times!  SAIS, in addition to Hindi training offered as part of a graduate degree program in South Asian studies, also gives non-SAIS students an opportunity to study foreign languages intensively in the summer.  Hindi is offered at several levels (generally novice and intermediate) in a compressed 8-week session, with classes held Monday through Thursday evenings.  This option is far pricier than the USDA or ILI, but covers much more material and is designed to impart a solid grip on the language by the end of the summer.

Best of luck studying Hindi!  Tomorrow I'll talk about some of the best places to study "Bollywood" and Indian classical dance in the DC area.

I Come Bringing Hilarity!

I've been ridiculously lazy about blogging the past couple months (months!!), but I'm back! Couple of things:

1. I'm trying a new template. I'm still working on tweaking the html a bit, so there may be a few small changes here and there, but for the most part this new look is final. Thoughts?

2. As part of the template change, I ditched the Twitter link I had earlier. No worries, I'm still, um, Tweeting (?). You can find me at http://twitter.com/BombayTalkies.

Now for the promised hilarity!  I know I've already reviewed Dostana, but I gave it a rewatch while cleaning tonight and seriously had to rewind this scene about ten times.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Officer Javier's famous "Who is she TALKING to?"