|
|
|
|
|
| HOME | MOVIES | SHORT TAKES | |||
|
January 30, 1999
BILLBOARD
|
Truly No 1!
And when he brought out an album -- though we admit it's nothing to call up the Grammy committee about -- he really put himself into it. And with his reputation as a star, he really needn't have tried so hard if it was only sales he was thinking of. And to his further credit, a few little birds in Calcutta tell us he's even going to do a Bengali film. One step closer to the Oscar he dreamt of when he was rejected for a steward's job at the Oberoi Hotel...
Clear weather likely ahead
Already two releases of 1999, Hu Tu Tu and Aa Ab Laut Chalen are promising to drum up some good business. Both films have got the pulse of the masses in most parts of the country. But it isn't clear how much more they pick up and how well they manage to sustain their hold on audiences. Gulzar's touch of class and Nana Patekar's charisma has Hu Tu Tu working wonders at the box-office, and the charm of Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai has worked on the masses in Aa Ab Laut Chalen. Anyway, with Aa Ab Laut Chalen, Rishi Kapoor seems to have made one hot debut as director and fans claim it has some of pater Raj Kapoor's magic to it. The great showman had once commented after seeing Bobby again, "Hit filmein banayi nahin jati, ban jati hain." But then, he too was befuddled when Mera Naam Joker flopped first and did magnificently in the re-runs. Rishi wants to follow in his footsteps and win the Dadasaheb Phalke award like his father -- and grandfather Prithviraj -- did. Why else do you think he's so hurriedly putting together a new film?
Promise finally deliversSpeaking of Akshaye and Aishwarya, they have something to talk about -- finally. With flops queued up behind them -- Ash with Aur Pyar Ho Gaya and Jeans, Akshaye with Himalayputra, Doli Saja ke Rakhna and Kudrat -- superstitious producers were beginning to wonder if they weren't bad omens after all. They must be reassured by the success of AALC. With AALC, these two winners of the most promising newcomer awards last year have proved they weren't just promising stuff that wouldn't deliver. And the next film they work in together is Subhash Ghai's Taal.
Sunil to take on the biggies
According to sources, this will basically mean that the desi Schwarzenegger gets to pit his brawns against the toughest in Hollywood. Last heard, Sunil was off the circuit, pumping away at the gym. On the pure acting front, to, Sunil's a pretty happy with Hu Tu Tu, happy, of course, being the restrained way of putting it. Of course, though he claims Nana and Tabu deserve awards for their roles, he too has done a great job. Now if only his moustache had been a little more original... But that might be quibbling over details, wouldn't it?
Tabu's on a roll
From the gawky thing in Prem to the femme of the fat thighs in the Ruk Ruk Ruk number in Vijaypath, she's become an actress to reckon with, with the ability to carry off any get-up, hairstyle -- or role. Her Marathi accent in Hu Tu Tu worked pretty well and Gulzar is going to town about it. Not that he has forgotten that fabulous performance by Suhasini Mulay who resurfaced from the wilderness to play Tabu's mother, but now Gulzar treats Tabu with even more fondness than he did, making it a point to cast her in every upcoming film. And mark our words, Gulzar's next film is on the Srikrishna commission report on the Bombay riots. And Tabu, who won the national award for Maachis can possibly look forward to another one this year too.
|
||||||||
-- V S Srinivasan | |||||||||
|
Tell us what you think of this feature
|
|||||||||
|
HOME |
NEWS |
BUSINESS |
SPORTS |
MOVIES |
CHAT |
INFOTECH |
TRAVEL
SHOPPING HOME | BOOK SHOP | MUSIC SHOP | HOTEL RESERVATIONS PERSONAL HOMEPAGES | FREE EMAIL | FEEDBACK |
|||||||||
