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The first half offers bad acting, bad one-liners and songs that make no sense. Like other films made under the Murder franchise, there are some recurring features: skin show, unexciting dialogues and lots of screen romance. However, the romance was snipped out before the movie was given a clean chit in Pakistan, so if you are going there only for the lip-locks, then standing in a queue for a ticket might not be worth the effort.

The storyline, which is an adaptation of the Colombian thriller La Cara Oculta (The Hidden Face), revolves around photographer Vikram (Randeep Hooda) and his lover, architect Roshni (Aditi Rao Hydari). After moving to India for a lucrative contract with his girlfriend Roshni, the two start living in a luxurious house when Roshnni suddenly disappears, leaving behind a recorded video message for Vikram. The police launch an inquest, suspecting Vikram’s involvement in her disappearance. However, they fail to find any substantial proof against Vikram.

Heartbroken, Vikram resorts to alcohol. This is when he meets bar waitress Nisha (Sarah Loren), who gives Vikram a shoulder to cry on. Eventually (read: expectedly), they fall in love. Nisha moves into Vikram’s house, where Roshni once dwelled, and needless to say, still lives in the form of spooky sounds.

Carrying the baggage of expectations owing to her extraordinary TV career in Pakistan, Loren fails to deliver what could have easily escalated her career graph in Bollywood. Her already ordinary role has been destroyed by flat and despicable dialogue delivery. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work for a medium as elaborate as cinema, where each detail matters. Her purpose of serving as eye candy also fell flat due to her somber make-up and childishly rainbow-coloured wardrobe.

Additionally, the wardrobe of Hydari — an actor who had left us crushing on her after her stint in London Paris New York — was also unimpressive throughout the film.

In his debut, director Vishesh Bhatt has created a few gripping moments. Unfortunately, he still does not manage to keep you engaged and leaves you waiting till the end for that one moment that pays off for your patience. The best thing about the film is its slowly unraveling plot — no brownie points for Bhatt here since it’s an adaptation! He manages to use some interesting intellectual montages, which gives you the impression that he is a thoughtful film-maker.

Bhatt doesn’t quite manage to bring the movie to its highpoint as the climax seems hurried. The overall music of the film is below average, so much so that the jaded tunes managed to make a magnificent singer like Shafqat Amanat Ali sound bad.

The only lifesaver of the movie is the song Hum Jee Lenge, by our very own band Roxen. The apt combination of Roxen’s rock-influenced rhythms and lyrics worked well in the commercial industry of Bollywood. The singer, Mustafa Zahid of Roxen, has improved significantly as a vocalist and this song makes your departure smooth as the end credits start rolling.

Verdict: If you manage to sit through the bland and pointless first half, then brace yourself for a thrilling second one. If you like twists and surprises, then this could be your cup of tea.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2013.            

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The TRPs that Manahil Aur Khalil has been managed to garner substantiate the notion that Turkish dramas are being appreciated by Pakistan audiences — it has become the most popular show on Express’ entertainment channel.

The story revolves around two lovers, Manahil and Khalil, who meet at a bakery in Berlin. They become friends and as the story unfolds, their friendship turns into love. However, their love doesn’t last too long, as Manahil’s father marries her off to Mustafa (the villain) in return of some money.

Manahil never attains matrimonial happiness and the thought of Khalil keeps her estranged. One day, Khalil, who is now engaged to Zainab, elopes with Manahil to Istanbul, in the hope of living his life with his lover again.

Mustafa’s raging vengeance for Manahil and Khalil turns him into a murderer. Despite being wanted by Istanbul’s police, Mustafa abducts Manahil and rapes her. After being violated, Manahil thinks she is not good enough for Khalil and attempts suicide.

The two then start distancing themselves from each other, however, Khalil supports Manahil and consoles her.

Manahil Aur Khalil, which is reaching its climax and is expected to end by the end of March. Viewers will soon know whether or not Khalil will take revenge for Mustafa’s wrongdoings. Will Manahil and Khalil ever be able to love each other the same way?

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2013.

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The actor was seen promoting the film on Thursday first on the sets of TV serial Hum Ne Li Hai Shapath and later in reality show Nautanki: The Comedy Theatre. Sheirgill feels that TV is the biggest medium to promote a film.

“Television is a very big medium, it is just called ‘small screen’ in name but its reach is actually the biggest,” the 42-year-old said on the sets of TV show Hum Ne Li Hai Shapath.

“Any amount of promotion for a film is low because you have to reach out to a maximum number of people; it is very important to reach out to people if you have made a good product,” he added.

Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns is the sequel of Tigmanshu Dhulia’s 2011 film Sahib Biwi Gangster. The new film features Sheirgill, Mahie Gill, Irrfan, Soha Ali Khan and hits theatres on March 8.

Jimmy played Sahib in the first film of the franchise and says although the backdrop remains the same, the story of the second film is completely different.

“It is not like if you haven’t seen the first part you will not understand the second part. It is a new episode in Sahib and Biwi’s life. Only Sahib, Biwi and their palace, that backdrop remains the same but the story is completely different,” Sheirgill said.

The actor has earlier worked with Dhulia in Haasil. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2013.

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LOS ANGELES: Warner Brothers’ “Jack the Giant Slayer,” the first big-budget, special effects-filled action movie of 2013, could be headed for less than huge sales at US and Canadian box offices when it opens on March 1.

Industry tracking suggests the 3D movie based on the “Jack and the Beanstalk” fairy tale will debut with $27 million to $32 million in the domestic market during its first three days, according to sources who have seen the pre-release surveys.

The projections had climbed slightly from earlier in the week and could change closer to next Friday’s opening after marketing heats up and press coverage intensifies.

“Jack the Giant Slayer” cost an estimated $189 million to make.

Two of last year’s films with bigger budgets flopped, Walt Disney Co’s $250 million Mars epic “John Carter” and the $209 million action movie “Battleship” from Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures, forcing the companies to acknowledge financial losses.

Distributor Warner Brothers, part of Time Warner Inc , believes “Jack the Giant Slayer” will attract a broad family audience and hopes for a North American (US and Canadian) debut above $30 million, said Dan Fellman, president of theatrical distribution for the studio. He said he expects the studio will make a profit on the movie.

Warner Brothers surveys showed “tremendous support” for the movie among people age 15 and younger, and the film received positive reactions from theater owners, Fellman said, noting that family audiences haven’t had a big-event film since December’s “The Hobbit.”

The first weekend in March also has proved a winner for family films, Fellman said. A year ago, animated hit “The Lorax” opened with a strong $70 million.

In addition, “the international side of the market will be huge,” Fellman said.

A $30 million domestic opening for “Jack the Giant Slayer” would be “soft” for a big-budget film, said Janney Montgomery Scott analyst Tony Wible, who compiles a database to project film performance. Warner Brothers could still make back the movie’s budget, not including marketing costs, if the film opens domestically with at least $25 million, he said Wible.

Last year, Disney was forced to take a $200 million write-down for “John Carter.” And the chief financial officer of Comcast, Michael J Angelakis, acknowledged in a call with analysts that “Battleship” was “primarily” responsible for Universal’s $83 million second-quarter loss.

“Jack the Giant Slayer” was produced by Warner Brothers and Legendary Entertainment, which partnered with Warner on hits including “The Dark Knight” trilogy and “The Hangover” series.

Warner Brothers last year delayed the release of “Jack the Giant Slayer,” moving it from last summer to March 1.

The film stars Nicholas Hoult as a young farmer who ventures into the land of the giants to rescue a kidnapped princess.

The movie’s trailer suggests the studio is aiming for “Lord of the Rings” fans, said Phil Contrino, editor of Boxoffice.com, a website that tracks film comments on Facebook and Twitter.

So far, “it’s just not connecting with fantasy fans,” said Contrino, who estimates the film will take in about $23 million in the United States and Canada during its first three days.

The movie still has time to build more buzz and could enjoy a domestic sales boost if families turn out in force, Contrino said. Plus, “I can really see a movie like that clicking overseas,” he said.

International ticket sales can run at least twice as high as US and Canadian grosses for big action movies.

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While ceremonies preceding the Oscars have helped us make a few predictions, many of the awards are still open and upsets are always possible. It seemed that Zero Dark Thirty (ZDT) was going to sweep the Oscars, but after much controversy regarding the films ZDT, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook and Django Unchained, the hopes and dreams of director and actor Ben Affleck have been restored; Argo now holds a strong chance of winning Best Picture this year.

According to Nate Silver, who wrote Oscar Predictions, Election-Style for The New York Times, there is also plenty of lobbying from the studios, which invest millions in the hopes that an Oscar win will extend the life of their films at the box office. With an amalgamation of websites and blogs employing different methods to predict the winners, the agreement is that the results are not random. For example, Best Performance comes from the Directors Guild of America Awards — their award for Outstanding Direction in a Feature Film has corresponded with the Academy Award for Best Picture a full 80 per cent of the time. In contrast, the Golden Globe nominations for Best Dramatic Motion Picture have hardly matched the Oscar winners at all. Some awards have a strong track record of picking the Oscar winners in their categories, whereas others like the Los Angeles Film Critics Association almost never get the answer right.

Silver writes that the main reason that some awards perform better is because some of them are voted on by people who will also vote for the Oscars. “Insider” awards, according to Silver, are those like the Golden Globes, which are voted upon by “outsiders” like journalists or critics. These tend to be less reliable.

At the end, we hope that the best man and woman wins!

The nominees for major categories are:

Best Picture: Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook and ZDT, Django Unchained, Les Miserables.

Best Director: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, Ben Affleck for Argo, Kathryn Bigelow for ZDT and Ang Lee for Life of Pi, David O Russel for Silver Linings Playbook.

Best Actor in a leading role: Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook, Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables, Denzel Washington in Flight and Joaquin Phoenix in The Master.

Best Actress in a leading role: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook, Naomi Watts in The Impossible, Jessica Chastain in ZDT, Emmanuelle Riva in Amour.

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin in Argo, Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook, Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln, Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained, Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master.

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams in The Master, Sally Field in Lincoln, Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables, Helen Hunt in The Sessions, Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook

Best Soundtrack: Adele for Skyfall

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2013.

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NEW DEHLI: Film-maker Onir, best known for his film My Brother Nikhil, feels that children have the power to influence family decisions as it often becomes difficult to say ‘no’ to them.

The 43-year-old was present at the screening of 10 short films in Delhi on Thursday. The films were made by school children for the campaign Steer to Safety, which encourages the idea of spreading road safety awareness among school children.

“I think children are extremely important in the decisions of what their parents do and I think they can play an essential part in the change. It is not only important for today but also for tomorrow,” said Onir.

“You do things because you have an emotional connect with them [children] and you cannot say no to a child. If someone of your own age says something then we take it as an ego issue but if a child says then it does not harm your ego,” he added.

The event, held by a non-governmental organisation PVR NEST, also saw celebrated actors like Shabana Azmi, Tanvi Azmi, Sanjay Suri, theatre veteran M.K. Raina. The Ambassador of France to India Francois Richier was also present. The celebrities were also part of the judges’ panel, which selected the best among the 10 films.

In their short films, the school students depicted their own understanding of safety on roads and highlighted issues of excessive honking, use of cell phones while driving and lack of sensitivity towards pedestrians.

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The movies presented their idea of safety through sand art, working models, songs and street plays.

A book by the same name Steer to Safety was also launched, which is a collection of road rules compiled by children.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2013.            

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“Several young and commendable people with a lot of talent are coming out with new ideas,” says Shahid, referring to the development in Pakistan’s lackluster film scene. “There is an emerging film culture in the country right now and it will probably be as strong as it was 20 years ago when pop music emerged in Pakistan.” Despite gaining fame through ‘70s drama Such Gup, Shahid made his film debut in 1993 in Nazrul Islam’s Khwahish as a villain.

Instead of pursuing a career in film, he devoted his time to theatre and worked with a dedicated group of actors who distanced themselves from the Lollywood circuit and used the stage to showcase their talent. “I did get offers [for films]; there was talk about casting me opposite Sultan Rahi,” says Shahid, admitting he didn’t know the entire story and had a faint idea. “They soon realised I wasn’t interested.”

“To do what I was doing, was partly experimental because it wasn’t being done in Pakistan; being young, we always wanted to do things differently,” he admits, speaking about his theatre friends.

Steering the conversation back to films, Shahid explains the importance of promoting indie cinema in Pakistan so that the interested parties have opportunities to watch these films. “Multiplexes are the only place where new [indie] cinema can be exhibited and there is an audience that is interested in viewing these films,” he adds.

Shahid, who was present at the premiere of Lamha (Seedlings), says the film shows the potential new talent has when it comes to film-making. He feels it’s the government’s responsibility to make a policy regarding cinema and ensure its implementation.

“To promote this art, the government doesn’t need to provide funds but it needs to make the right policy,” he says. “One simple thing they can do right now is to say that 60% of the screening hours in cinemas would be devoted to local productions whether it’s a Lollywood production or an indie film.”

Shahid has been approached by several indie film-makers; he feels it’s because he is as keen on pushing for change as they are and aspires for a full-fledged film culture in Pakistan. “I have received quite a few scripts — some are bad, some are very bad,” he laughs, adding that there will be good projects as well. “But good or bad, indie cinema will surely prove to be different — it’s there and is on the threshold.”

He will be starring in yet-to-be-released indie film, Tamanna, which is being directed by Steve Moore; another film directed by Owais Khan and numerous TV shows are also part of his current agenda. He also appeared in Bollywood film Ishqiya and will also star in its sequel Dehd Ishqiya, which is slated for release this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2013.            

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LOS ANGELES: Taiwanese-born Ang Lee won his second Oscar for Best Directing on Sunday for “Life of Pi,” the adaption of Yann Martel’s  fantasy adventure novel about an Indian boy who survives a shipwreck but is stranded in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger.

“Life of Pi” was nominated for 11 Oscars – including Best Picture – and also won for Cinematography, Original Score and Visual Effects. Starring newcomer Suraj Sharma, the film was lauded by critics for Lee’s ability to bring the complex book to life.

“Thank you movie god,” Lee said to a big laugh from the audience.

“I really need to share this with all 3,000 – everybody who worked with me on ‘Life of Pi’,” he said.

Lee won in a year in which the director’s race was one of the most controversial for its exclusions, most notably Ben Affleck, the director of “Argo” who picked up the top award from his peers at the Directors Guild and a slew of other awards.

Lee, 58, won his first Academy Award in 2006 for directing “Brokeback Mountain,” the story of a complex love affair between two men.

He began directing Chinese-language films and has made 13 films in a diverse career. Those films have included the special effects-laden “Hulk” based on a Marvel comic Book and the adaption of Jane Austen’s classic, “Sense and Sensibility.”

His 2000 Chinese-language film “Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger,” won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was a surprise hit with worldwide ticket sales of $213.5 million.

Lee came to Hollywood’s attention after directing three Chinese-language films, including “The Wedding Banquet” in 1993, nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Lee cast Sharma, then a 17-year old student, for the role of a young Pi Patel in 2010 after 3,000 young men auditioned for the lead role.

After his family goes down in the giant ship, Pi spends most of the film on the lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific, trying to avoid being consumed by the 450-pound (200-kg) tiger, a premise that Lee pulled off with heavy reliance on special effects and a digital tiger. The ocean scenes were filmed in a 1.7-million-gallon (6.4-million-liter) tank.

Movie reviewer critic Roger Ebert gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, calling it “a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery.”

President Barack Obama also gave “Life of Pi” a thumbs up in an interview with People Magazine, saying the film “was good – because we had read that book together.”

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LOS ANGELES: Iran hostage drama “Argo” won the Oscar for Best Film on Sunday, the top prize at the movie industry’s most coveted awards, beating rival “Lincoln.”

The thriller, which is based on a true story, recounts a CIA mission to rescue six American diplomats from Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, under the cover of making a fake Hollywood film.

“Argo” was voted Best Film on Sunday after winning a slew of other Hollywood awards despite its director, Ben Affleck, being left off the Academy Award directing shortlist.

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Hollywood’s big night often proves a boon to studios that take home Oscars, and this year the haul was spread among several major film companies. Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros basked in the golden glow of coveted Best Picture Oscar for its Iran hostage drama Argo at the 85th Academy Awards on Sunday, giving the Ben Affleck film a likely boost for its ticket and home entertainment sales.

“There are eight great films that have as much right to be up here as we do,” said Argo producer and director Affleck, who was snubbed in the Best Director category. Taiwanese Ang Lee was a surprise choice for Best Director for Life of Pi. Lee beat front-runner Steven Spielberg in the directing race, in a controversial year that saw four of Hollywood’s leading names omitted from the Academy Award directing shortlist.

Daniel Day-Lewis made Oscar history and won a long standing ovation on becoming the first man to win three Best Actor Oscars. He collected the golden statuette for his intense performance as US President Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln. “I really don’t know how any of this happened,” said Day-Lewis, who has dual Anglo-Irish citizenship.

Oops, I did it again!

Jennifer Lawrence was named Best Actress for playing a feisty young widow in comedy Silver Linings Playbook. Funnily enough, after her dress ripped at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, on Sunday night she tripped on her Oscar dress while approaching the stage. She beat Jessica Chastain and France’s Emmanuelle Riva, 86, in one of the closest Oscar contests this year. This is not the first time Lawrence experienced such a faux pas this awards season, with her dress appeared to rip as she climbed the stage at the SAG Awards.

“You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell down,” Lawrence said, as the Dolby Theatre audience rose to its feet after she tripped on her way up the stairs to the stage where she accepted the award. “But thank you,” she added, clutching the statue. “This is nuts.”

Asked backstage what was going through her mind as she stumbled, falling on her hands, Lawrence responded, “A bad word that I can’t say that starts with ‘F’.”

First lady’s surprise appearance

The not-so-unexpected win for Argo was announced in one of the biggest surprises in the history of Oscar telecasts as first lady Michelle Obama made an unprecedented appearance from the White House to declare the film the top winner of the evening.

Clad in a Naeem Khan silver evening gown, Obama said, “This year’s nominated films made us laugh, made us weep and grip our armrests just a little bit tighter. They reminded us we can overcome any obstacles if we dig deep and hard enough.”

And the award goes to…

• Best picture: Argo
• Best director: Ang Lee, Life of Pi
• Best leading actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
• Best leading actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
• Best supporting actor: Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained
• Best supporting actress: Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables
• Best foreign language film: Amour (Love)
• Best cinematography: Life of Pi
• Best documentary feature: Searching for Sugar Man
• Best documentary short: Inocente
• Best short animated film: Paperman
• Best short live action film: Curfew
• Best sound editing: Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall
• Best sound mixing: Les Miserables
• Best Original Song: Adele for Skyfall

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2013.            

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MUMBAI: Actor Arshad Warsi, who is popular for playing Circuit in the Munnabhai film series, says that he never played that character outside the franchise as he didn’t want to disrespect it.

The actor added that he received many offers to play Circuit in advertisements but he never accepted them.

“I never played that character again. Playing it again and again will make it lose its sanctity. If I will play it [outside the film] once, then I know for sure that Munnabhai will never be made again. I was asked in many ads to play it, but I refused,” he said in an interview.

The actor, who has been part of the industry for over a decade, feels the only actor who is doing author-backed roles in films is Salman Khan, and others are just playing characters on screen.

“The only person who is doing author-backed roles is Salman because you are writing a script around how he is, what is he like, what he says, what he does — you are writing a film around it. Other than this, all actors are playing characters which are written by someone,” he said.

Arshad has managed to create a good balance between commercial and parallel cinema with films like Munnabhai, Ishqiya, Hulchul and Sehar. However, he admits he never consciously tried to bring about a balance.

“I don’t think so hard in life at all. People send me scripts and I listen to everyone. If I am not interested, I don’t take it up. I am talking about big film-makers as well and not only newcomers,” said the actor, who will soon be seen in the new film, Jolly LLB.

Arshad feels humour is a safe bet today and generally works with the masses.

“If you really look at me, eight out of 10 films I have done are comedy. Humour is the safest bet. Not only me, Akshay [Kumar], Salman, everyone is doing comedy. You can’t help it. The producer wants his money back and comedy is something which people go and see,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2013.            

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Based on true events in the ‘80s and ‘90s when a gang war erupted between two powerful rival groups of Gujjars, Zila Ghaziabad is similar to other recent Bollywood releases with thugs who loot and celebrate and policemen who allow a street vendor to shoot a lawyer, because they feels that it’s just.

The story revolves around Fauji (Arshad Warsi) who is the henchman of a politician named Chairman (Paresh Rawal). Fauji is furious with Chairman’s legal advisor Master Jee (Vivek Oberoi) when he finds out that Master Jee conspired to kill him. This leads to a lot of bloodshed, which brings the gangster out in the educated Master Jee. The gang war gets so intense that Thakur Pritam Singh Chauhan (Sanjay Dutt) — a cop notorious for killing thugs instead of punishing them — is called to the rescue.

Officer Chauhan — the cool, buff cop who listens to cheap Bollywood songs to pass time — becomes an interesting antagonist for the wild and dangerous Fauji. The only interesting part of the film is to see the classic Munna-Circuit duo lock horns. Unlike the Munna Bhai series, Dutt and Warsi play characters who detest each other and are also the only two actors in the film that leave a lasting impression.

Warsi is superb in the role of Fauji, the savage killer, who the audience will hate in the film. Playing his role to perfection, Warsi looks, talks and acts like a beast on a hunt. Along with Warsi, another actor who delivers his performance well is Dutt; his screen presence is immaculate. With the success of Dabangg, many actors tried the angry cop role, but Dutt is someone who actually fits the character. His age adds to the character, and his quintessential gestures make him lovable despite his cunning streak. That doesn’t last long — after the poor special effects kick in and Dutt is seen flying in the air or walking on the walls as he shoots the goons, his magic dies. The super-natural effects might suit actors like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar or even Ajay Devgn, but certainly not Sanju baba. He is someone who is better at breaking bones and shooting bullets the old fashioned way.

The word ‘cheesy’ comes to mind for Oberoi as a good guy in the beginning of the film. But the better chunk of his acting comes when his misfortunes turn Oberoi into a wild gangster. Zila Ghaziabad reiterates the fact that despite Oberoi’s pretty-boy looks, his gangster roles in films like Company and Shootout at Lokhandwala suit him better. The rest of the actors come and go and aren’t anything to rave about.

The romance in the film is a waste of time. Both Minissha Lamba as Warsi’s love interest and Charmy Kaur as Oberoi’s are, out of place and none of the couples share decent chemistry — one actually waits for the goons with catchy lines to return onscreen rather than the pointless female characters in bad clothes.

The lines “kutta kitna bhi khatarnak hojaye Fauji, sher ki nahin lae pata” and “itni goliyan maroonga kay uskay bachay bhi peetal ke paida hongay” add a bit of flavour to a rather bland and boring script.

Verdict: Like the characters in the film, it’s solid from the outside but completely shallow on the inside. The film has its moments and a lot of action so if you don’t have any other options this week, then go get yourself a ticket.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2013.            

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Don’t be fooled by the film’s title, which translates into ‘love’ in French. Amour is a disturbing piece of cinema which examines the bitter fact of life that everything comes to an end; including the tender love between a couple, which if nothing else, is brought to an end by old age.   

The film is shot in a slow and tense style by Austrian Director Michael Haneke (The Piano Teacher), a filmmaker known for tackling less discussed social problems in his films.

Amour pulls no punches, and opens unconventionally with what is in fact the final scene of the film, showing the police breaking into an apartment which has been taped shut from the inside. This apartment belongs to Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne Laurent (Emmanuelle Riva), an elderly couple who happen to be retired music teachers. The apartment reeks of decay, and upon further examination, the police find the source of the foul stench of death within the premises: it is the corpse of Anne, lying peacefully on the bed, dressed in a comfortable gown, and adorned lovingly with flowers. The scene is troubling, yet this early revelation indicates that the film isn’t concerned with the fate of the Laurents, but their troubling final journey.

From here we are taken back to the recent past where the couples’ difficulties are beginning. The Laurents are shown to be a loving and caring pair, who take care of each other’s needs the best they can. And pleasantly, the husband sometimes still surprises his wife with stories about himself. Here, Georges starts to notice an alarming pattern in his wife’s behavior, where she freezes, staring into space for minutes at a time in a catatonic state. Later, a surgery for Anne results in complications, where she is left partially paralyzed, and not wanting to go on. Here, Amour shows us the challenges that come with such a situation, which for many may hit a little too close to home, especially for those who have felt the desperate feeling of helplessness when unable to do anything for a loved one in pain.

Amour is a superbly acted film with an equally powerful subject. Taking on the touchy subjects of suicide, and assisted suicide, this is a bleak notice that life isn’t pretty when the clock stops ticking, and one should prepare the best they can, because even genuine love stories must come to an end.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 24^th, 2013.

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LOS ANGELES: Critics blasted Oscars host Seth MacFarlane on Monday for “crudely sexist antics” and peddling “offensive” Jewish stereotypes, as the Academy Awards post mortem got into full swing.

Others said the “Family Guy” creator, brought in to appeal to younger viewers with edgy humor, was simply dull – while satirical website The Onion had to apologise for an expletive tweet about the youngest ever Oscar nominee.

“Well, that didn’t work,” wrote the Los Angeles Times’ television critic at the start of a full-page review of the more than three-hour 85th Academy Awards telecast Sunday night.

“Despite the valiant efforts of Adele, Barbra Streisand and a surprisingly witty Daniel Day-Lewis… (the show) was long, self-indulgent and dull even by the show’s time-honored dull-defining standards,” she wrote.

MacFarlane, also the creator of potty-mouthed bear star Ted, was part of the latest attempt by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to shed its old-fashioned image, while maintaining its Tinseltown prestige.

Indeed, the opening segment of the show riffed on whether MacFarlane would do a good job as Oscars host – with “Star Trek” star William Shatner appearing in character by videolink from the 23rd century, to tell him how badly it had gone.

Critics said the section was over-long, too self-referencing – and notably blasted a song called “We Saw Your Boobs,” which listed the actresses who had appeared topless on screen.

“Watching the Oscars last night meant sitting through a series of crudely sexist antics led by a scrubby, self-satisfied Seth MacFarlane,” wrote culture bible The New Yorker.

“That would be tedious enough. But the evening’s misogyny involved a specific hostility to women in the workplace… It was unattractive and sour.”

A sketch with Ted provoked some of the harshest criticism. The bear appeared with his big-screen buddy actor Mark Wahlberg, and made a series of jokes about having sex with audience members and an orgy at Jack Nicholson’s place.

He then joked about Jewish control of the American movie industry, saying his real name was Theodore Shapiro, adding: “I would like to donate money to Israel and continue to work in Hollywood forever. Thank you.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an anti-Semitism watchdog, blasted the jokes as “offensive and not remotely funny.”

“It only reinforces stereotypes which legitimize anti-Semitism. It is sad and disheartening that the Oscars awards show sought to use anti-Jewish stereotypes for laughs,” said ADL national director in the US, Abraham Foxman.

“For the insiders at the Oscars this kind of joke is obviously not taken seriously… But when one considers the global audience of the Oscars of upwards of two billion people, there’s a much higher potential for the ‘Jews control Hollywood’ myth to be accepted as fact.”

In a separate row triggered by the Oscars, The Onion apologized Monday for using an offensive sexually charged word to describe nine-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis, the youngest ever best actress nominee for “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”

“On behalf of The Onion, I offer my personal apology to Quvenzhane Wallis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the tweet that was circulated last night during the Oscars,” said Onion chief Steve Hannah.

“It was crude and offensive – not to mention inconsistent with The Onion’s commitment to parody and satire, however biting,” he wrote on The Onion’s Facebook page.

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Parineeti now wants her own identity.

“I am proud to be Priyanka’s cousin. But I want to be known for myself, the way Ranbir Kapoor is known although he is Kareena Kapoor’s cousin,” said Parineeti, who has been part of two hits Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl and Ishaqzaade.

“I don’t want to be called only Priyanka’s cousin. I want to be as good as her. People should say Priyanka and Parineeti are both fabulous actors,” she added.

However, she clarified that she doesn’t see Priyanka as competition at all.

“How can Priyanka be my rival? She has been here so much longer than I have,” she said.

Apart from acting, another common trait between them is that like Priyanka, Parineeti too is a trained singer. The former made her singing debut through international music single, In My City.

“It runs in the family. My dad and Priyanka’s dad are brothers. They used to sing together on stage. And when Priyanka and I were kids, we performed on stage together too,” she said. “So yeah, I love singing. If I get a chance to make a dream singing debut like Priyanka, I’d grab it.”

For her, self-discipline is a precondition.

“I was a focused student in school and college. I want to continue that way as an actor too,” she said.

As for stardom, Parineeti rejects it at the moment.

“I am not a star at all! Stardom comes after years of work. It doesn’t happen with two films. Let me get a solid seven to eight years of work done before we talk of stardom for me,” she added. “I’m just lucky to be here at a time when audiences are willing to watch newcomers.”

She admitted she enjoys being recognised on the streets. “If that didn’t happen, I’d be really depressed. My aim is to be known by everyone who sees films. I don’t want any viewer to ask, ‘Parineeti who?’ I am here for a very long time,” she said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2013.

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In her film London, Paris, New York, actor Aditi Rao gave singing a shot. The Murder 3 star, who is a trained classical dancer and began her career with dance based Tamil film Sringaram, is now keen to do an item song in her next project.

“I would love to do an item number. The song should be raunchy and it should have some desi and fun beats. Since I am a trained classical dancer, I will be able to do justice to it. I have never been vocal about my singing abilities but I am always ready to present my dancing skills,” Aditi told PTI, reports the Hindustan Times.

In her last film, Vishesh Bhatt’s Murder 3, she opted for the role of Rashmi because she wanted to be a part of a thriller. “I feel lucky to have been a part of the film,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2013.

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NEW DEHLI: Bollywood diva Sridevi, who was once famous for dancing around in her signature saris on snowcapped mountains, flaunted saris once again in her comeback movie English Vinglish and looked fabulous. The actor said she prefers Indian clothes when she’s off screen and she is not a brand person.

“Well, definitely I love good brands, but at the same time I am not obsessed with them. I go for anything as long as it looks good on me. I am definitely someone who prefers Indian clothes especially saris,” the 49-year-old told IANS.

The actor was in the Indian capital to inaugurate an exhibition. Dressed up in Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s anarkali suit, she arrived at the venue in a cab. This was not the first time that she opted for Sabyasachi designs.

Talking about her fascination for the designer, she said, “I always liked him [Sabyasachi Mukherjee] and from the English Vinglish days, I really started liking his clothes. My favourites are Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi and of course a few more designers but these two really come first.”

When asked about the secret behind her everlasting beauty, the actor said, “I am very health conscious. I also try to be happy and positive all the time. Also, one should check their diet.” Sridevi, who is married to film-maker Boney Kapoor, has two daughters — Jhanvi and Khushi.

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Despite the fact that the actor has a filmography of over 200 movies, Sridevi revealed that she had never planned to break into acting. “Acting was never planned. I came to Chennai only for studies because my father was a lawyer and he was practicing there. He always wanted me to study. So from Madurai, we shifted to Chennai only for studies.”

“When I was a child, I got an offer from Tamil film-maker Sando Chinnappa Thevar and then things starting falling into my lap. I was the busiest child star doing three shifts a day,” recalled Sridevi. “Then I became a heroine, when I was 11 years old and since then, there was no looking back.”

Speaking about her future plans, she said, “I am reading scripts and meeting people. If anything interesting comes across, I will say yes. I want the makers and directors to decide if I am good for a particular role or not.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2013.                   

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“During a time of vulgarity, we changed the parameters of Lollywood for good by making films like Maula Jatt,” says Bhatti, who aside from having other businesses runs a beat-up distribution office in Lahore’s film district Royal Park.

In a career that barely lasted 10 years, Bhatti has only produced five films. He says that his films have promoted “Islamic culture” and given Lollywood a new look.

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“It was an unjust claim that Maula Jatt had promoted violence,” says the conservative and proud producer. “You have to realise, it rid Pakistani cinema of Indian or Hollywood influences which had corrupted the films,” Bhatti adds about Maula Jatt, the sensation of the ‘80s. He feels that the film represented the true culture of Pakistan.

Bhatti’s direct involvement as a producer did not last long, but it was not due to any financial issues, he assures The Express Tribune. “I had the complete capital to make a film and easily ensured that it was of quality,” says Bhatti. He boasts about having a Mercedes when he entered the film industry, and feels the only reason his career in Lollywood was short-lived was due to the structure within the industry that never improved.

“During that time, cinemas were still being made and cinema owners were taking the films’ earnings,” says Bhatti, with disappointment in his voice. “And the government was profiting by putting 100% or 200% tax on a single film.”

Bhatti explains the issue was the lack of profit for him; film-makers were not fully earning a return on their projects. “After watching successful films in cinemas, other people would be inspired to make films only to realise that it just wasn’t profitable.”

He feels that if the right environment was provided in the Pakistani film industry, old producers would be willing to return to film-making.

Currently, Bhatti’s small office for distribution seems to be simply the last figment of his connection to film. More importantly, his film Maula Jatt, which is arguably the most screened and copied film in Pakistan, has not given any profit to Bhatti. The illegality, which is prevalent, means he lost millions of rupees in royalties.

“I have never sold my films to cable companies or video rights,” says Bhatti. “I know the value of my property and I have never given it to anyone. Everyone has used it [Maula Jatt] without any legal permission.”

“This illegality is rampant but that’s the case in our society,” shares Bhatti. “I defend my rights through taking action against those who used my film without my permission, but there are thousands of people who have taken it illegally.”

Bhatti is a traditionalist and believes that the mindsets of people in the Pakistani film industry will have to change for advancement. He explains that the irony of Pakistani cinema is that censorship laws are only limited to Pakistani films, while foreign films can be passed without any questions.

With regard to the foreign content being aired on Pakistani television these days, Bhatti says, “If a Pakistani film was to show the same thing, it would be censored for being against national interest. Why are Pakistani films held to a different law while television or foreign films get a free hand in screening whatever they want?”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2013.                   

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MUMBAI: A dramatized Bollywood account of the Mumbai attacks of 2008, when 166 people died in a three-day rampage, opened in Indian cinemas on Friday to present an unusually emotive tale told from the perspective of a police officer.

“The Attacks of 26/11″ chronicles the events that began on November 26 2008, when 10 gunmen went on a killing spree throughout the coastal city, attacking two luxury hotels, a train station and a Jewish centre, among other places.

It is the latest in a recent spate of Bollywood movies taking inspiration from real-life incidents, a practice that used to be unusual. Just over the last few years, there have been films on the gruesome murder of a model and a daring bank heist.

The film’s director, Ram Gopal Varma, said he decided to make the film to try and answer questions about how a small handful of attackers was able to lay siege to a vast metropolis the size of Mumbai.

“How can 10 men hold a city of 1.5 crore (15 million) people to siege? That is something everyone should know,” Varma told Reuters.

The film focuses on the city police and their response to the attacks, for which India blames the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, with veteran actor Nana Patekar playing a high ranking Mumbai police officer referred to only as “joint police commissioner.”

Patekar’s character, based on a real policeman, narrates the film, which portrays in graphic detail how the hapless police force, caught completely unawares, struggles to cope with an attack of such enormity.

At one point he frantically tells a government official, “I don’t know what to do.”

“You need to understand that the police were confused and didn’t know what to do,” Varma said. “If you were in their shoes, you would react the same way to an incident of this magnitude. It is important to understand their point of view.”

Advertising posters show a group of 10 men, the attackers, in a dinghy heading towards the iconic sea-facing Taj Mahal hotel, one of the most recognized buildings in Mumbai – a nod to the powerful shock and emotions the attack still evokes, symbolized by the hotel.

Varma himself has fallen afoul of these still unhealed emotional scars, setting off controversy several times.

The first came just days after the attack, when he was seen at the Taj Mahal hotel with a major politician and accused of insensitivity for visiting the site so soon after the disaster and of gathering material for a film, which he denied.

Last November, a political ally of the government said shooting at the actual locations of the attack “mocked” Mumbai residents.

“Seeing broken glass or grenade dust isn’t going to help me make a film,” said Varma, who has directed around 40 movies in the past 25 years.

“But after two and a half years, once the investigations were completed and the charge sheet was filed … that is when I had the time to study it and that is when the idea of making a film came into my mind,” he said.

So far, the movie has garnered mixed reviews. While a critic for news channel NDTV said some moments in the film were “gripping enough to touch some raw nerves,” a review for mainstream newspaper DNA wasn’t as kind.

“‘The Attacks of 26/11′ ends up being a confused piece of work that has neither the well researched methodology of a documentary nor the dramatics of a feature film,” critic Tushar Joshi wrote.

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“My studio people saw the rushes of the film day before yesterday and the only thing they said was, ‘Thanks for this opportunity to support this film because this is like the Argo of India’,” the 40-year-old said on Thursday at the unveiling of Star Week magazine cover featuring him.

“According to me, Madras Cafe is a very international film and I also feel it is a film that India can proudly showcase and say, ‘We also make a film of this kind’,” he added.

Directed by Hollywood actor-producer Ben Affleck, Argo talks about an Iran hostage crisis in 1979. The film had received seven nominations for the 85th Academy Awards and won three trophies — best film editing, best adapted screenplay and best picture.

John — whose first production was Vicky Donor — plans to break the stereotype image that Bollywood films have in the west.

“Normally we are very proud of our films, I enjoy films like Golmaal and Housefull because they make you laugh — it’s fun. But normally when we go out, our films are typecast as just a Bollywood film. It becomes a caricature.

“I have tried to break that caricature with Madras Cafe and I create a film that I take to the west and say ‘Listen, this film is as good as your film, if not better’,” John said.

To make it even bigger, John has planned an international release for the movie in North America and Europe.

“Madras Cafe is a film that I choose to release completely in the North American market and not just for the Indian diaspora there. I feel it’s a film like Amores Perros or any of the international films that release in North America and Europe on a wide scale. So I will plan a release with Paramount Pictures and make it big,” John said.

In Madras Cafe, John plays an army officer. Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the film also stars Nargis Fakhri and is slated to release in August.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2013.

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