Bollywood stars arrive in Israel in bid to boost India-Israel ties

Members of Indian film community arrive in Israel as part of 'Project Interchange' to explore joint ventures, scout location sites, attend Jerusalem International Film Festival tour country.

A group of Indian Bollywood stars are set to arrive in Israel on Sunday to explore joint ventures and scout location sites as part of the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) “Project Interchange” in conjunction with the Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council. 

The project’s Executive Director, Sam Witkin, called the exchange “part of a broad initiative by Project Interchange and AJC to deepen bilateral ties between Israel and India.” 

The Bollywood moguls will be attending the Jerusalem International Film Festival that began last week and will run through Saturday.

“I have visited all the important film festivals in the world and have always dreamed of visiting Israel, especially Jerusalem,” said senior delegation member Supran Sen, Secretary General of the Film Federation of India. “I am very much fascinated by this visit.”

“Gangor”, an Indian film by prominent producer Vinod Kumar who is Managing Director at Nirvana Motion Pictures and Secretary General and Founding Member of the Film Foundation of India, will be screened at the festival. Kumar is currently in Israel as part of the exchange program.
 
The Indian delegation is comprised of nine Indian film professionals, and will meet with Israel’s leading directors and producers, such as Yoram Globus, head of Globus Group Israel Studios, and Israel Horowitz, Globus Group CEO and General Director. The group will also meet with key figures in Israeli technological innovation, including Jerusalem Venture Partners Chair and Partner Uri Adoni, and Renen Schorr, Chairman of the New Foundation for Cinema and Television.

"I am eagerly looking forward to meeting the filmmakers and creative talent from Israel,” said filmmaker Abhishek Sharma, of Walkwater Media. “This is a golden opportunity for the artists of the two countries to explore areas and themes of common interest and take the relationship between our two industries to the next level. With a country that is so rich in talent and culture, our Israeli counterparts can surely enrich and contribute to the colorful film industry of India."

The delegation will tour throughout Israel, visiting Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Masada and the Dead Sea, all while looking for potential filming sites.

“We from India come with our strengths, to learn of your strengths, so that we can collaborate and take our love and passion for cinema to the next level,” said Three’s Company Productions Producer and Director Shirish Kunder.

The group will meet with meet with political figures as well and will be addressed by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, and other influential figures across the political and social spectrum.

"I find that Israelis and Indians both have strong family bonds,” observed Producer Sundeep “Bobby” Bedi, Kaleidiscope Studios Founder. “I look forward to a heightened creative interaction.”

 

Ranbir Kapoor’s 10 golden rules to stardom

He may only be seven movies old in B-town, but his star status is such that directors are left queuing up to offer him work. 

Gulf News has revealed the 10 golden rules Ranbir Kapoor followed to make it big in Bollywood. 

1. Roll with the punches: Ranbir’s surname didn't quite prepare him for the fact that his first film ‘Saawariya’ was both a box-office and critical disaster. But the star remained undeterred, following up with ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ - in which he rehashed his dad's famous movie song, and romanced not one but three women. Again the film failed to impress. Then 2009 proved to be the game changer with three back-to-back hits – ‘Wake Up Sid’ and ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ and ‘Rocket Singh’ - which accelerated his star status. 

2. Work with up-and-coming directors: Ranbir has shown himself willing to work with any director, as long as they come up witha great script and a challenging role. 


3. Constantly reinvent yourself: Ranbir played the mushy romantic hero in ‘Saawariya’, an unapologetic Casanova in ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’, a soul-searching boy in ‘Wake Up Sid’, a wacky comic lead in ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’, a not-too-smart salesman in ‘Rocket Singh’, a stoic politician in ‘Raajneeti’ and a depressed guy in ‘Anjaana Anjaani’. This strategy ensured neither he, nor his fans, get bored. 

4. Skip ‘hero' projects for ensemble flicks: “As long as the script is good, I'm cool doing an ensemble film. When Raajneeti was offered to me, I didn't know who else was in the film. An ensemble cast doesn't scare me, I'm talented and I know I'll give it my best shot, just like I do in my solo roles,” he once said.  

5. Stay silent on your exes: Ranbir avoided mud-slinging even after Deepika Padukone spilled the beans about his wild ways on celeb talk show ‘Koffee With Karan’. The star also remained mum on his alleged fling with Kat on the set of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, because she was dating Salman Khan at the time, and he knew enough not to burn thoseB-wood bridges!  


6. Wear your heart on your sleeve: When Ranbir hooked up with Dips, he didn’t shy away from playing the B-town love game, gushing about his girl at every opportunity. 

7. Cultivate a cool Casanova persona: Having inherited a combination of gorgeous looks, talent, intelligence, mischief and class, Ranbir wields his charms in a good old-fashioned Casanova style. 

8. Date the girls all the guys want: Ever since his much-publicised break-up with Dips, Ranbir has been paired off in the tabloids with any single actress or model on the block. While Nargis Fakhri has remained mum about their relationship, Angela Jonsson has been more forthcoming, saying, "Yes, I've dated Ranbir."  


9. Befriend your contemporaries: With B-wood all about the power plays rather than the friendships, Ranbir has shown he's not of a cut-throat mindset, with the actor preferring to make pals with his peers. 

10. Always stay a mama's boy: A classic family-orientated boy, Ranbir is endearingly attached to his parents and sister Riddhima, and sweetly admits an admiration for his father's films.
  

Raveena praises Anupam Kher's sense of humour

Raveena Tondon and Anupam Kher will be seen sharing screen space after 13 years in Alert and the actress is all praise for the actor's sense of humour. 

"Loved working with Anupam Kher again after years, still retains amazing ability of keeping everyone in splits with his wicked sense of humour," Raveena wrote on her Twitter page. 

"Still remember Parampara, it was very difficult to keep from laughing out loud even in serious scenes, with Anupam around... Zamana Deewana too," she added. 

Both of them also worked in Ladla and they were last seen in 1998 film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. 

Anupam wrote on his Twitter page: "Worked with Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon after a long time. It felt good. Their warmth was heart warming."

I don't expect any gratitude: Mahesh Bhatt

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt gave actresses like Sushmita Sen, Kangana Ranawat and Mallika Sherawat their first big break in the Hindi film industry, but they never worked with him after their first films. The filmmaker is not complaining because he doesn't expect them to continue to work with him out of gratitude. 

If Sushmtia got her first break with Bhatt's 1996 directorial venture Dastak after winning the Miss Universe crown, Mallika and Kangana made their Bollywood debuts with his production ventures Murder (2004) and Gangster - A Love Story (2006) respectively. 

"They were never mine who left me. They came to make their career and went ahead through me. I was never their destiny. It's a planet Bollywood. I don't expect any gratitude," Bhatt, who doesn't direct movies anymore but just produces them, said.

"I don't let anyone stand in front of me if he or she doesn't have the potential. So I don't expect them to be grateful and come and work with me," he added. 

Known for directing critically acclaimed films like Arth (1982), Saaransh (1984) Naam (1986), Daddy (1989), Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991), Sadak (1991), Naajayaz (1995) and Zakhm (1998), the 62-year-old will continue making films with fresh talent. 

"I have not retired but have said no to direction. Direction is part of life not the entire life. I have sung my song. I have done more than 50 films. How many more? You know every hero becomes a bore, every filmmaker has time, frame when he sings the song then he becomes repetitive. Before people say get out, you should yourself stand up and leave the auditorium 

"I have the desire to make feature films and I am enjoying what I am doing now. I like creating people, pushing them, find the potential. If they excel, the film will excel," said Bhatt.

Franco's acting surprised Freida Pinto

Actress Freida Pinto was surprised by James Franco's unique acting style but learnt a lot from him when they worked together on Rise of the Planet of the Apes. 

"He's got his own unique and distinctive style of acting. It's not conventional at all. It does take you by surprise initially, but it's all about being flexible and trying to understand how another actor works," reports quoted Freida as saying. 

"I found a lot of things in his acting style that I could pick up and learn from," she added.

'Murder 2' is a desperately dark film

Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Prashant Narayanan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sulagna Panigrahi 

Director: Mohit Suri 

The sequel to Murder is nothing like the first part of the frenetic franchise. And Jacqueline Fernandez who has been built up in Murder 2 as the next Mallika Sherawat is nothing like the overrated Mallika.Thank God for that! Fernandez exudes an unbridled sunniness even when pouting in the bare minimum. Alas, she doesn't have much to do in Murder 2 except swathe the dark drama in a spot of sunshine. 

God knows this film about the devil-unleashed, surprisingly written by a woman (Shagufta Rafique) needs that little of sunshine. It is a desperately dark film. The characters are wretchedly unhappy. No matter which side of the moral line they are positioned they are standing screaming into the abyss that is suburban life. These people need serious help. 

This then, is the world Mahesh Bhatt has bequeathed to us. Take it and bleed it. 

Director Mohit Suri who earlier took us on a jolting trip through the world of prostitution, pimps and desperate cops in Kalyug takes the same route again. On this occasion the journey is far more ruthless and rigorously implemented to create horror repugnance and hatred for a word that we've created for coming generations. 

In the typical Mahesh Bhatt style Murder 2 doesn't waste time in back-projections and story build-up. He goes straight for the kill. With trenchant immediacy director Mohit Suri (back in Kalyug form after the misfire that was his last film Crook) tells us the story of a psychopathic killer who kills prostitutes with the pleasure that makes your stomach churn and look anxiously towards the future about your daughter who is just stepping into the big wide world. 

Who knows if the man sitting next to her in the movie theatre is a closet-nutcase with a collection of hacksaws in his house, and not to carve up the Christmas turkey. 

Prashant Narayanan as the psychopath plays the character at such an even pitch he makes your blood freeze in fear and revulsion. Here's a man who could be that ghoul who butchered all those kids in the Nethra killings and then ate them up without a burp.

The 'hero' in Murder 2 is a burn-out suspended cop who makes money out of criminals, stays sullen and haunted throughout the film except when he goes for the kiss, and offers his girlfriend a wad of notes after making love. To buy the fridge, he says. Naturally the lady freezes.

Force of habit, we say. Hashmi has done this kind of a role repeatedly. The kissing and vigorous bedroom activities are quickly taken care of in the first 15 minutes. Wouldn't want the lovers of the serial kisser to feel they're being cheated in favour of the serial killer. 

The wacked-out killer in Murder 2 doesn't eat his victims. He just cuts them down to sighs and groans and shrieks of pain and records their dying voices to get his rockers off. 

The plot seems original. The narration is clenched and the characters driven by a desperate urge to assert themselves before death rings their doorbell. 

The savagery with which the college-going call girl (Sulagna Panigrahi) is brought to her gruesome death becomes a metaphor for the loss of innocence and the triumph of diabolism that is often garbed in designer labels these days. 

Murder 2 is not a pleasant film to view. The psychopath's killings are done in graphic detail. The storytelling offers no respite from the brutality. Most of the time we are looking at happenings that we would rather not see. But see, we must. 

Murder 2 is a mirror of our amoral venomous times when no relationship is sacred anymore. Mohit Suri remains in command of the murky material and traumatized characters. While most episodes hold together in a riveting rhythm of life's most unsavoury truths, the sequences featuring Prashant Naraynan work better than the rest of the film. He lends the proceedings a credibility that is unsettling. 

Rating: 3

Stage catches fire at Rihanna's show

Singer Rihanna had to cut short a show in Dallas after a fire broke out on the stage at the American Airlines Center. 

The show was on Friday and the fire reportedly started as a result of a faulty row of lights. The arena was evacuated and the fire brigade was called in but the blaze was extinguished before the firemen arrived, said reports. 

"Dallas!!! We set the stage on FYAH tonight!!! LITERALLY!!!...I was havin so much fun wit yall too!!! I gotta come back man!!" the 23-year-old posted on micro-blogging site Twitter shortly after the event. 

 She further posted: "Dallas yall CRAY!!! Love this f***n place! Glad u guys are safe!!! I promise I'll be back!!! Heading into a production meeting to find out exactly what happened!!! Keep u posted." 

However, some of the fans are asking for a refund, but it is said that the singer will perform the show from scratch again at a later date.

Lonely Lady Gaga in a pearl jam

Lady Gaga says she slept with a string of pearls on the first night of her Australian promotional tour because she felt lonely.

IT was pearls before bedtime for Lady Gaga as she revealed the world's most famous pop star suffered a pang of loneliness on her first night in Sydney. 

 

While dozens of adoring Little Monsters - as her fans have been ordained - kept a wintry vigil outside her hotel, the self-confessed hopeless romantic cuddled up with a string of pearls.

"I'm a hopeless romantic. There's no hope for me ... I find romance in these gloves or in the belt I sewed on to my shirt today. I find romance in the pearls that I slept with in my hands last night because I felt lonely," she said.

There was little alone time yesterday as she spent the day promoting her Gaga Live extravaganza at the Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday night.

 

In between at least eight costume changes, she promised huge surprises, including exclusive costumes and stage design, for the one-off concert to spruik her album, Born This Way.

Gaga said she felt at home in Australia because music enthusiasts here shared her love of pop music.

"You love pop music and I love pop music. It's a fight forward for the pop kids (here) because so many people think pop music isn't cool and I think pop music is the coolest," she said.

I wanted a tall husband: Ratan Rajput | Interview After marriage

TV actress Ratan Rajput chose software engineer Abhinav Sharma as her life partner because he not only fulfilled all her criteria - and he is very tall. 

"He fitted my picture of the proper mate. Also, I wanted a tall husband because I am not that tall. I'm proud to say my fiance is over six feet tall," said Ratan 

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Getting married on television? Isn't it weird?

A: Aren't the lives of all celebrities abnormal? We make news for sensationalism. If my relative dies in the village, no one writes about it. But if I decide to marry on camera, it makes news... Even if I decided to get married off camera, people would still be skeptical. At least now I can claim that the whole process of choosing a life partner happened in full public view. 

Q: Do you think such a swayamvar marriage can work in this day and age?

A: See, whether it is love marriage or an arranged marriage, whether it works or not depends on the two individuals. I agree a wedding decided on television would be a tough task for an ordinary girl. But for a celebrity the extraordinary is normal. 

Q: Will you be able to see this unconventional marriage through?

A: Of course! I am determined to see it through. I realise the same swayamvar earlier ended on an unfortunate note. I am quite certain I will see it through. 

Q: You are referring to Rakhi Sawant's fiasco marriage?

A: Yes, I don't want to defend Rakhi. But I do think it was better she realised she was making a mistake and called off the marriage. No point in making the wrong move. That's why I've got engaged and will now take time to understand my fiance. I want to sort out all the differences between me and Abhinav before we marry.

Q: Why did you select Abhinav?

A: He fitted my picture of the proper mate. I wanted a groom who was sensible, intelligent and job-holder. He supported me throughout the show. I also like his family. Also, I wanted a tall husband because I am not that tall. I'm proud to say my fiance is over six feet tall. 

Q: When are you getting married?

A: Let me enjoy this period before the wedding. It isn't as if we'll start living together. I'm not that liberal. But yes we'll visit each other's homes. Truly, life on camera is over for me and Abhinav. Now begins our real life together without a screenplay, choreographer or director. We are from two different cities. I want to spend some time with him. I am a public figure. I want him to get used to my lifestyle. 

Q: What did your parents from Patna have to say about their daughter's strange selection of a partner?

A: They're a very simple down-to-earth folks. They've never been on camera. They're happy for me. My parents met Abhinav. My journey from Patna to the soap Agle Janam Moke Bitiya Hi Kijo is like a dream. It's been a beautiful journey. Three of us friends had come from Patna to Mumbai to realise our dreams. Now we live separately, but very close by.

Q: There was a startling makeover from the soap to Swayamvar?

A: (Laughs) I wore whatever my designer told me. It isn't as if I didn't wear shorts before. I did. But I'm conservative in dress and conduct. 

Q: Any plans of acting in films?

A: I can only dream. Producers have to plan. So far I only wanted to make my parents happy by getting married and settling down. I'm half-way there. I'll continue acting after marriage if I can. 

Q: The whole thing is a bit unreal, no?

A: I love it. It's a beautiful feeling. Even on the show Abhinav and I were being ourselves. Now only the cameras are gone.

Rain washed away the dream to see Katrina, the stars left Udaipur

All hopes and anticipation to get a short glimpse of their favorite stars got washed away as the entire crew of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) unpredictably left Udaipur city without making any public appearance.

ZNMD star casts comprising of Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar checked-out from Hotel Shikarbadi after staying there overnight. The crew arrived last night at 11:30 from Ahmadabad and today they left for their next destination Jaipur at 12:00 p.m. They are  travelling by-road from Mumbai for promoting their upcoming movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

 Nothing was clear about the next plan and preparation of star casts but some unofficial sources assumed that the group might visit PVR Udaipur after a road show to some city areas. But it is also highly believed that the plan has suddenly changed due to rain and the entire team left without attending any meeting. Though there is no official announcement from the crew about why they didn’t stayed for long in the city.

The local media was on-its-toes since the news of Hrithik and Katrina’s arrival reached Udaipur on July 8, many reporters were seen waiting at night and early this morning outside Hotel Shikarbadi. Teams of tv news channels were accompanying the crew of ZNMD, however the crew has not entertained local Udaipur media who was waiting outside the Hotel since morning today.

Many fans also gathered outside Hotel Shikarbadi to take a look of Kat and Hrithik, some fortunate ones also got autograph from stars.

Only public can rip my films apart: Salman

Salman Khan too seems to have realized what works the most when it comes to promoting a film.

Aamir's friendship and success of Dabangg seems to have enlightened Salman after all. The actor who did not bother much about customising the publicity of his films is now making sure he reaches his target audience directly.

The actor who is more open to the media today believes nothing helps a film fare better than word of mouth promotion. Salman is thus making sure that his films reach his fans and that they know that their opinion is what matters to him the most.

Content with the success of his latest film 'Chillar Party' Salman thanked his fans by saying "Glad you liked it, it's picking up through word of mouth publicity, lots of people have loved the film, not one person has rammed it, atleast to me. Thanks guys."

He further added, "No better publicity than word of mouth publicity and if you don't like the film, rip it apart, you have the right and no body else."

The film has mostly received positive reviews and is doing quite well at the box office.

Veena-Ashmit in Pamela’s Pak-India water campaign

Pamela Anderson, who took the Indian television by storm, when she appeared on ‘Bigg Boss 4’ last year, seems to have developed a very good rapport with Veena Malik and Ashmit Patel, who were also with her during her stay in the Bigg Boss house.

Taking their friendship to a different level, Pamela has roped in Ashmit and Veena to promote the cause of clean drinking water in India and Pakistan. Pamela is the brand ambassador of this campaign internationally.

Confirming the reports, Ashmit suggested that he will be a part of the project. Veena too sounded very excited about the project. The trio supposedly had an online meeting, where they discussed the project and agreed to work over the issue of contaminated water.

For the same, Ashimit and Veena will have to travel to villages in India and Pakistan and create awareness about safe drinking water. –DB