Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Celebrating golden Jubilee of Mughal-e-Azam

Celebrating golden Jubilee of Mughal-e-Azam

It was exactly 50 years ago on 5 August,1960, Mughal-e-Azam, the all time greatest film from Hindi film world was released. While it had created all records of popularity, it failed to make big impact on the first week of the release. And then onwards, there was no looking back. The film had seen legend Dilip Kumar at its best. Even Prithiviraj Kapoor, Madhubala had justice with their roles.

It produced under the banner of Sterling Investment Corporation Pvt Ltd ( a firm owned by Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry. Mistry owns majority shares in Tata sons Ltd.) and directed by K Asif. With its lavish production, K Asif`s magnum opus took nine years to finish. This was when a normal film would cost around Rs 1-1.5 million. The film broke box office records in India when released and held the record for the highest grossing film ever until the 1975 film Sholay broke its record.

In 2004, Sterling Investment Corp Pvt Ltd released a restored a color version of the film. This again was a huge success and the film ran for 25 weeks at the Box Office.

This is one of the biggest box office hits in Indian cinema. Adjusted for inflation, the movie`s net revenue would put it on top of all Bollywood movies released until 31 March 2009. This was one of only two films K. Asif completed. When he died in 1971, he left behind two unfinished films, Sasta Khoon Mahenga Paani and Love and God , the latter released by KCBokadia in 1986. Investment Corp Pvt Ltd., got the film restored and colored and released a new version with great fanfare. .

The song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad" had singer Mohammed Rafi with a chorus of 100 singers. The song "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kiya" has an unusual history to it: it cost Rs. 1 million at a time when a film would be made for less than a million; it was written and re-written 105 times by the lyricist, Shakeel Badayuni, before the music director, Naushad, could approve of it; it was shot in the renowned Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors); and in those days of sound recording, editing and mixing, as there was no way to provide the reverberation of sound, Naushad had Lata Mangeshkar sing the song in a studio bathroom. Prithviraj Kapoor would look into a mirror as tall as himself before each shot. When Asif asked him why he did so, he replied, "I do so to get under the skin of the character."

According to film jourrnalist Harish Chandra, its most famous dance sequence takes place in the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) of the Lahore Fort, where Anarkali dances for the Mughal Emperor and his court, singing Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya , "I have loved, so what is there to fear?" This song was one of three sequences shot in technicolor, while the rest of the movie was in black and white. The singing is, of course,playback singing by Lata Mangeshkar and lip-synched by Madhubala..

This song has more to it, than actually appears. It is said that the small engraved mirrors in the area where the song was shot, would sparkle under the camera`s intense lights and made it impossible to shoot. Anything that would be shot would be completely white light. Director K Asif thought of an idea: all those small mirrors, roughly in thousands, would be covered in a very very thin covering of wax, so that they did not reflect any light and still you can see as clean as it can be without any blur. This alone costed the film, more importantly, time.

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Hello Darling - Trailer - Bollywood Movie HQ

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The World's Farthest Basketball Shot

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Peepli Live named Best First Feature Film

Aamir
Aamir Khan's much talked about home production Peepli Live has been named the Best First Feature Film at the recently concluded 31st Durban International Film Festival. Helmed and written by Anusha Rizvi in her first directorial venture, the film is a satire on the farmers' suicides and subsequent media and political response in India.

"South Africa is very lucky for me and I hope that luck extends to Peepli Live as well," Aamir Khan said from Mumbai today.

The 45-year-old actor's film Lagaan, which went on to get an Oscar nomination also had its world premiere at Sun City in South Africa.

"Peepli Live has been very well received at all the major film festivals. It has already been at the Sundance Film Festival and was the first Indian film to be selected for the competition section there. Then we were at the Berlin Film Festival and in the UK; and then at the Durban Film Festival we won the award," Aamir said.

Filmmakers from around the world took the spotlight at the 31st Durban film fest which was held from 22 July to 1 August.

Well-known for his rejection of the various Indian film industry awards and staying away from them even when his films win multiple awards, Aamir was elated after the film bagged the honour.

"I think it's really wonderful news that I got today. To get an award from such a distinguished jury leaves me very pleased for the team that we have won this honour," Aamir said.

The jury comprised producers Aihara Hiromi of Japan; Christoph Thoke of Germany and South African academic, writer and producer Bhekizizwe Peterson.

"This one is different. It is an award from people who are film people and filmmakers, so it means a lot. The film shows how in society we tend to concentrate and focus all our energies and all our wealth and resources towards the cities.

"This effectively leans towards people who are more privileged and in the process we leave out those who are less privileged, in rural areas and villages," Aamir said.

Peepli Live stars Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghubir Yadav, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Naseeruddin Shah and Malaika Shenoy in the main roles.

"The recognition at the Durban Film Festival is likely to give a boost to attempts to get a wider audience for the film, although this was likely to be a more difficult task than usual in India. I think the creative team has done a sterling job and now it's my responsibility as the producer to get as large an audience as we can. It is an unusual film for cinemas in India, but I'm trying to put all the strengths that I have behind this film," Aamir said.

"I was so looking forward to that, but unfortunately could not make it because of other commitments," he said of the expectations created that he would be putting in an appearance at the Durban film fest. Apologising to his South African fans for his absence, Aamir thanked them for all the "love and affection over the years and the support for his films."

"I have very fond memories of my visits to South Africa and the interaction with the fans when Salman (Khan) and I had a show there. I hope to come back soon," he said.

For several years now, Aamir has released a film during December, such as Taare Zameen Par, Ghajini and 3 Idiots last year. But the coming year, things would be different.

"My next release after Peepli Live, which releases worldwide on 13 August, will be Dhobhi Ghaat, which will release in January 2011. It is a film that has been written and directed by my wife Kiran Rao, and I am acting in it," he said.

Peepli Live will be distributed in South Africa by the Avalon Group from August 13.


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Salman Khan holds up Dubai Metro by an hour

Salman Khan’s Eid release, Dabangg, is the first film to be shot in the Dubai Metro. The shoot was planned for a Friday since that’s the Emirate’s official holiday and trains don’t start before 1 pm. “But the shooting spilled over by an hour,” says director Abhinav Kashyap. “And since there are only two tracks, the trains lined up behind ours were held up and the station was out-of-bounds till 2 pm.”

Special pass
Fortunately, the chaos outside, did not spill over inside. A couple of days later, a few cast and crew members, armed with special passes, shot in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace, one of the most opulent hotels in the world, before venturing into the desert.

Salman KhanSalman was fitted with a Sheikh’s headgear and even got a falcon to perch on his hand there. “This bird of prey can be trained to sit on your hand, but once it flies away, it’s difficult to lure it back. Our falcon was kept hungry for a day and tempted back with fresh meat,” says Kashyap.

“The desert was actually quite pleasant. Before and after the shots, we’d go off on rides in the buggies we had carted along.” Khan plays a corrupt cop from UP in the film. Since Sonakshi Sinha and he are on their honeymoon, says the writer-director, the jaunts in Dubai are justified.


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Angelina Jolie's nude pics surface

Is Angelina Jolie's dark past coming back to haunt her? An old drug buddy of Angelina Jolie's has sold eight graphic and lurid photos of the actress to Star magazine, The Huffington Post has reported.

In one set, the now-mother of six has black tape over her nipples and a dog leash around her neck.
In another photo she has black tape strapped across her mouth while in a separate one she wears a blindfold. A black and white shot taken from behind shows her on a bed wearing just a G-string and cowboy hat.

All this is kind of ill-timed as she's on a promotional tour for her latest action flick ‘Salt’.

Angelina JolieThe photographs have been taken in the year 1999, from an explosive unauthorized biography by Andrew Morton that is due for release in August 2010, reports The Daily Telegraph.

"The photographs are a startling reminder to Angelina of a period in her life I'm sure she wants to forget, a shady piece of her history that she's kept hidden away, even from Brad," celebrity biographer Andrew Morton, author of Angelina: An Unauthorized Biography, has told Star.

The book makes a number of outrageous claims about the 35-year-old actress’ past and her current relationship with partner Brad Pitt.


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Meet Vivek Oberoi’s fiancée

Their’s may be an arranged marriage, but actor Vivek Oberoi and fiancée Priyanka Alva may well have been a love match, given how much they have in common.

The daughter of renowned dancer Nandini and late politician Jeevaraj Alva, Priyanka has a few close friends and lives simply. A business management graduate from London, she is involved in her mother’s work at the Artistes Foundation for Arts in Bangalore and, like Vivek, supports several charities and environmental foundations.

Vivek-PriyankaNandini told HT City that despite rumours of an October wedding, no date has been decided on. “Yes, the marriage will take place this year only. They are engaged, but the ceremony is yet to take place. It is an arranged marriage and we are very happy,” said Nandini.

Though Vivek remained unavailable for comment, sources close to the actor said he was bowled over by Priyanka’s “simplicity and humility.” Vivek and Priyanka met each other while working with an orphanage, and it was Bharatnatyam dancer Padmini Ravi who played matchmaker.

Born and brought up in Bangalore, Priyanka attended Mallya Aditi International School and also learned classical Indian dance. She has a younger brother, Aditya.
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