'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan'

Cast: Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ali Zafar, Kanwaljeet Singh, Parikshat Sahni Directed by: Ali Abbas Zafar Rating:**

There is something to be said for YRF’s cultural bankruptcy when a wafer-thin plot from the formula that made it a powerhouse in the last century is resurrected in 2011. 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' borders on self-parody in many ways: an NRI brother (Ali Zafar) in London breaks up with his girlfriend, calls up his brother (Imran Khan) insisting that must be married to a good Indian girl by Christmas, the brother goes on a bride-hunt only to realize that the prospective bride (Katrina Kaif), the daughter of an Indian Foreign Services officer (which, I suppose, justifies Katrina’s strange Hindi accent in the Kaif-Kalki era of exotic heroines), is someone he had met as a wild gal who held impromptu concerts to a throng of frenzied fans from greater Agra.
All other props that entail the great Indian wedding are then thrown in: Kanwaljeet and Parikshit Sahni and their respective spouses play the in-laws-to-be; North Indian bumchums from the protagonist’s childhood hang around; a naaniji in a wheelchair glides by every now and then. The bride-to-be even has a demented brother (modelled on Dustin Hoffman in 'Rainman'/Tom Hanks in 'Forrest Gump'), who perennially holds a Rubik’s cube in his hand and repeats his sentences in a hackneyed staccato.
Through the arrangements for the wedding, Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif realize that they are in love with one another, despite the incestuous connotations. Soon the slow brother, the country bumpkin buddies, and the groom’s ex, alongside the lovers, conspire to botch this impending wedding. It takes over two hours for this plan to come to fruition by when you are pretty much like Katrina’s demented brother in this film.
Everyone is decidedly hi-energy throughout the film; Ranveer Singh’s success in 'Band Baaja Baraat' must have played some role in this ‘let’s all act like we’ve downed ten Red Bulls’ school of acting. Katrina Kaif and Imran Khan both have terrific screen presence and exude undeniable charisma, except when they are forced into gags that can best be described as un-funny. It is to their credit that the film is somewhat bearable, despite the clichés that plague it from start to end. Ali Zafar too appropriately merges urbane smugness with a bucolic twang.
Aside from the cloying silliness of the venture, two crucial factors make the film a no-brainer: why would you imagine that reasonably educated young folks would jump into matrimony this easily at the risk of destroying their lives? While all the technology that represents the ‘young’ generation is carefully highlighted (Ali Zafar’s girlfriend in the film’s opening sequence smashes his LCD television set, Ali and Kaif have their marriage interview over Skype), the film doesn’t catch the pulse of the independence of the younger generation. Secondly, one cannot feel empathetic towards characters that are so insouciantly attempt to destroy their own lives, and that of those close to them.
While 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' is bad enough for the future of incest in India, it bodes much worse for the future of Indian cinema.
Our in-house critic Kunal Guha has gone kangaroo hopping, so our guest critic Mohabbat Asif is reviewing films for the next two weeks

Rakhi Sawant To A Chat Show

Item girl Rakhi Sawant will now be seen hosting a chat show 'Gajab Desh Ki Ajab Kahaaniyaan' on Imagine TV. Produced by UTV, 'Gajab Desh Ki Ajab Kahaaniyaan', is a showcase of strange stories that highlight the wacky lives and strange beliefs that exist in India. "The show will bring together the funniest stories from across the country; stories that will leave you holding your tummy in laughter and your head in disbelief!" said a channel spokesperson. "Ever heard of a man who has not taken bath for 37 years, or two families who combat each other and use ghosts as their weapons, or a woman who prefers to stay perched on a cell phone tower for days, to avoid getting married to a man her parents chose!" said the spokesperson. As the host of the show, Rakhi will bring these stories to the viewers in her trademark, over-the-top style. "I am elated to be back at doing what I do best - Entertain! My audience loves me and so do I. This time I will be the baap of host of all shows, where you will witness some of the most bizarre incidents that will sure leave you shell-shocked and rolling on the floor in splits of laughter. All I can say is 'It Happens only in India'," said Rakhi. Speaking on the launch of the show, Mr. Santosh Nair, CEO, TV Content, UTV said, "Rakhi is definitely the ideal choice for the host, someone who will bring in an element of humor and entertainment, in her own unique style!"

Sonu Nigam And Britney Spears Join Hands

Sonu Nigam, a name to reckon with in the world music fraternity, can be best described as someone with raw energy, startling talent and a performer par excellence. And this time he has done it again by collaborating with none other than the youth icon of today and the singer of 'Baby one more time', the mesmerizing Britney Spears. It's the fusion of east meeting west with an Indian touch to it. The song is called iI Wanna Goi. And is a current chart topper on the international charts. Sonu, who's currently shooting for a video in Leh and Ladakh, told us that he had kept this news under wraps as he wanted Britney and her management to announce it. This is Britney's personal album and she's very passionate about it. To Sonu's utter surprise, Britney decided to send a personalised tweet to Sonu praising his rendition and that he's taken the song to a different level. This is by far the biggest ever collaboration between two singers of America and India feels 'Desi-hits', the people responsible for this collaboration. Sonu has personally composed and written his bits in the song and Dj Lloyd has worked on the grooves. So after 'This is it' with Jermaine Jackson that hit the market just recently, this is Sonu's second International release in a month.

Aamir Khan Wants Sequels Of SARFAROSH And ANDAZ APNA APNA

It's raining sequels here in Bollywood. Films like BHEJA FRY 2 and DOUBLE DHAMAAL released recently while others such as ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI 2, KAMINEY 2, ISHQIYA 2, KRRISH 2 and many others are in the pipeline. Even Aamir Khan will be seen in the third installment of DHOOM, DHOOM 3.

Ask Aamir about his take on sequels and he says, "I have no objections to sequels. If as an audience, I have liked a film, a story or a character, then I would be interested in knowing what happens to them later. If there is a possibility of an equally nice story, which is unusual and different from the first one, but using the same characters, I don't mind as an audience."
Continuing in the same vein he says, "It should be able to enthrall me again. But that doesn't happen very often. Usually what happens is, when a film is a hit, the producers immediately announce a sequel. They take a bad script and shoot it. So, as an audience I feel cheated. I don't mind seeing and even doing a sequel. But it should be a unique story on its own, like the DHOOM series. There are different characters and different stories in each part. First it was John, then Hrithik, and now it's me."
When questioned about which of his own films he would like to see a sequel and he says, "Out of the films that I have done, I think SARFAROSH and ANDAZ APNA APNA have the potential for sequels. But none of them are being worked out currently."
He further adds, "If ACP Rathod gets a new case and he starts solving it in SARFAROSH 2. John (Matthew Matthan) has not yet written anything yet, but conceptually I don't mind doing it. It should not be a rehash of the earlier part. I won't mind doing SARFAROSH 2. But the script should be good. I don't want the goodwill of the first movie to be destroyed by making a bad remake."
Point taken, Aamir. We hope the directors are listening so that we can see sequels of gems like SARFAROSH and ANDAZ APNA APNA.

Modern Heroine "Aishwarya"

Come June 10, 2011 and a certain heroine will show up to greenlight Heroine. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, that is. Word has it that Madhur Bhandarkar has completely rewritten the script to suit Aishwarya, a fact that the director refuses to comment upon. However, Bhandarkar has denied that Heroine is a "period film" and asserts that it is a contemporary take based on the current Bollywood and Hollywood scenario. When earlier choice Kareena Kapoor had agreed to be part of Heroine, Madhur had given her a documentary based on Marilyn Monroe, Vivein Leigh, Ava Gardner and Elizabeth Taylor, it was assumed that Heroine was possibly a dramatised version of their lives. "People are making assumptions, but nothing is true", Bhandarkar is quoted to have being said. As of now, Heroine showcases Arjun Rampal and Arunoday Singh, though Imran Khan, Prateik and Ranbir Kapoor are also being looked as possible inclusions into Heroine. The mediavine was also abuzz with news that Heroine had ample reference points to real life events in Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's life. A source close to Aishwarya said, "Ash will never agree to do any film that bears a resemblance to her real life."

Vijender Singh Ties The Knot

Girls, yet another handsome young man has tied the knot. Star Indian boxer Vijender Singh today wed his sweetheart Delhi-girl Archana Singh. According to news agency reports - The marriage was solemnised at the Delhi Flying Club and was attended by the family and friends of the 25-year-old boxer, who is India's first Olympic and World Championships medallist. He claimed bronze medals in both these events. Even though the family perfers to call the wedding a low key affair, the guest list included Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, BJP MP Shahnawaz Hussain, former Union Minister Captain Satish Sharma, Indian Boxing Federation chief Abhay Singh Chautala and national boxing coach G S Sandhu The couple will host a reception at Vijender's native village Kaluwas in Bhiwani. And that, according to reports will be a gala event. Vijender wore a cream sherwani - we heard it was by Manav Gangwani -for the occasion while his software engineer bride was dressed in a red sari designed by Tarun Tahiliani. Archana hails from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh and works with the British High Commission in the capital. For Vijender she is the most beautiful woman in the world. He opens up in a chat with Times of India.

Salman Khan In Khatron Ke Khiladi 4

Bollywood hunk Salman Khan is surly on cloud nine these days. Buzz has it that the Dabangg actor has replaced Akshay Kumar as the host of Khatron Ke Khiladi's fourth season even when the channel had already committed to Akshay. Although the channel has not yet confirmed if Salman has officially replaced Akki, who had hosted the first two seasons of the adventure show. Sources close to Salman said the actor has been shooting in Bangkok for his next film Ready, and the production unit of Khatron Ke Khiladi has approached him to appear in the promotional videos for the show.

Big B Wants More Work With Jaya
After facing the camera with his wife Jaya after a decade, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is convinced he wants to do a lot more work with her.
The power couple shot for an ad campaign for jewellery brand Tanishq in Mumbai Tuesday.
'Back from Tanishq shoot with Jaya... loved it... relaxed, well controlled atmosphere ... wife seemed happy and comfortable! Must get her in front of the cameras with me... she is such a natural! More films perhaps with her in roles commensurate with our age (sic),' Amitabh posted on his Twitter page.
Amitabh and Jaya, 62, were last seen playing husband and wife in Karan Johar's superhit family saga 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' in 2001.
The 68-year-old also shared his experience of the shoot on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com.
'Was a joy today to be in the company of Jaya on set, as we worked together after a gap of almost 10 years. The same studio, Filmistan, the same floor #3 and the same DOP - the director of photography, Kiran Deohans - as was for our film 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'. Just sheer coincidence! And selling... what women like best, diamonds,' he posted.