Top summer vacation spots in India

Summer vacations are just round the corner and many are looking to escape the heat as the summer sun beats down on all and sundry. People are packing their bags and getting ready to leave the the hustle bustle of the cities to enjoy the beautiful tourist spots that are getting ready for the people to start pouring in this holiday season.

Here is a list of the top destinations that people head for every summer:

Shimla

The favourite of every Delhiite this hill station is beautiful and boasts of being the top most visited spot in the summer. Whether it is honeymooners or just travellers from around the country, Shimla is one of the most beautiful places to visit this summer. Cool temperatures, lovely views and something to do for everyone. The touch of the British Raj and the architecture reflecting that era is fascinating as are the multiple small places nearby that one can drive down to.

Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar is famous for its temple and the fact that it is the source of the Krishna river. It offers a spectacular view of the Deccan plateau and is a preferred destination for the Mumbaikars. Surrounded by trees all around, the Venna lake is one of the major tourist attractions of Mahabaleshwar. Other places to visit are the fort of Pratapgad, Needle Hole Point or the Elephant Point, 3 Monkey Point and many others

Ooty

The queen of hill stations, Ooty is situated in the Nilgiri ranges. Like Shimla, this beautiful vacation spot is also accessible by train and the ride is indeed dreamy. Beautiful mountains, lakes, tea gardens sprawling the slopes of the hills, the heady smell of eucalyptus fascinated the British years ago and still captures the imagination of the romantics all over the world.

Ladakh

Ladakh is possibly heaven for all adventure sport enthusiasts and people who love driving to their destinations. Each of the mountains boast of a different colour and the lakes reflect the hue of the skies like a large mirror placed on the ground. Speckled with monasteries all around, Ladakh is every travellers dream destination and many go there every year in search of peace and revel in the wonders of nature.

Gangtok

The site of Kanchenjunga, a morning walk in fresh mountain air, flowers all around, beautiful music wafting through every cafe in the evening, along with the aroma of fresh Tibetan food, Gangtok boasts of this all. The capital of Sikkim became a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site after the construction of the Enchey Monastery in 1840. The diverse ethnic populace of the town keeps the colours of the town alive.

Sikkim Travelogue: Flowers, mountains and snow - a trip to remember

Planning a trip and checking boxes while travelling has never been my forte. What I do like is stuffing a few T-shirts in a backpack and taking off whenever I can get some days off. Alas! Growing up has its disadvantages – you cannot just up and leave as you want. And if you are planning to go to Sikkim – that is not an option anyway.

Travelling with my recently travel bug-bitten husband, Sikkim required an advance planning by a few weeks. Not only because it is far from Delhi, which is my home, but you also have to take special permissions to go to the places near the border areas.

After speaking to a couple of friends who had been there before, we decided

The fantabulous achievements of FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan!

Protests over the appointment of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) chairman are still going on. Students have come together to stand against the decision of the seat being taken by a certain Mr Gajendra Chauhan; as it is perceived that he was given the privilege of being at the helm of affair due to his political leanings and not experience in the world of cinema.

While the general consensus on this issue is that it was done to 'keep an eye' on the institution, its students and faculty--there has been no move as such from the Information and Broadcast Ministry regarding the matter. It seems that things stand at a stalemate.

Chauhan's experience has been questioned in this entire affair, but should that really be an issue?

Leonard Nimoy obituary: Adieu Captain Spock!

Pointy ears, upturned eyebrows, a smile that reached his eyes – Leonard Nimoy's spock is perhaps the most known and loved screen character of all times.

His death means an end of an era for so many in the world.

'Star Trek' is the benchmark of all science fiction work on-screen since its first season on TV and subsequent movies. People have grown up on it. We have cheered for Spock in his many adventures.

Fair and handsome Hrithik Roshan? Not you too!

It is so disappointing when an actor you have liked and respected for so long goes to the dark side. Well in this case the 'light' side.

Indians have a racist streak in them. They all like fair people.

First there was a demand for fair girls. Now, the advertisement industry features girls who are so pale that they would give Bella of 'Twilight' a run for her money.

Talai, Himachal Pradesh: Travelling into the cloud factory

When the cottony clouds overcast the skies, remember wanting to reach out to them, plucking them out and eating them like cotton candy? Remember lying on the grass and looking up with your friends trying to plant stories, finding bunnies and dragons in the shapes of floating clouds? What if you could touch them in real?

Driving into a village called Talai, near Fagu was like climbing the stairway to heaven, and reaching paradise, sitting on the clouds.

A few miles from Kufri (the famed ski destination in Himachal Pradesh), this little hamlet is straight out of a Ruskin Bond book. A total of five houses strewn around the mountain top, in the middle of an apple orchard, a family with little children who walk down to school every day and a big mountain

Mardaani review: Watch out for fiery Rani Mukerji

In the world of Bajirao Singham and Chulbul Pandey, Shivani Shivaji Roy has come as a breath of fresh air. ` Mardaani` does not have Rani Mukerji play a tomboy – it is a woman doing her bit to fight in a man`s world.

Rani has been acknowledged as a fantastic actor. In that regard, she has very little competition in the industry. The fact that she is possibly the best has been established well with `Mardaani`. The film deals with the difficult subject of human-trafficking and Director Pradeep Sarkar tackles the issue very carefully.

Rani plays a Mumbai crime branch officer, Shivani who is a hard-bitten cop with a mission to set things right. She is not afraid to bend the rules, to nab criminals and is respected by her fellows. She gets involved in the investigation of busting a sex-trafficking racket when a girl close to her goes missing. She has to follow the trail fast, as anyone involved is getting killed fast. The investigation leads her to Delhi where she goes into the nitty-gritties of the city to nab the elusive `Walt`, played by Tahir Raj Bhasin.

Rang Rasiya review: Painting a not so pretty picture

For artists in India, Raja Ravi Varma is an icon. He brought together the western style and Indian subjects, and made God available to each and every household in the country. He is a symbol who fought the society for the freedom of expression – something that we struggle with even after a century has passed.

Happy Ending review: Intelligent but unoriginal

The movie starts with mocking the clichés of Bollywood romance, with the young urban commitment-phobic guy, highly unlikely to fall in love! And yet 'Happy Ending' is what all romantic comedies turn out to be – feel good!

Saif Ali Khan plays Yudi Jaitley, a young writer who has struck a writers block after hitting the jackpot with his first book. He is also caught in a string of unsuccessful relationships with the characters of Kareena, Preity and Kalki, which is a nice enough way to bring in the star power.

Enter Aanchal Reddy, a best-selling romantic author who doesn't believe in the idea of perfect romance she herself writes about! The rest of the story is as predictable as romedies go!

Rahman, Pritam have taken Indian music forward, says Shafqat Amanat Ali

“Music transcends all boundaries”

An adage that defines what singer Shafqat Amanat Ali stands for. Perhaps, one of the most loved artists in the subcontinent, he shot to fame with Fuzon's (his band) first album. Shafqat is the son of Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and belongs to the illustrious Patiala Gharana. Having had a Hindustani classical music training, Shafqat decided to try something different and worked on bringing together sufi, folk and classical music with western rock.

His foray into Bollywood has made him one of the most sought after artists in the subcontinent. Shafqat is known for some fabulous hits like 'Mitwa', 'Dildaara and 'Bin Tere'. Here is the interview with the talented artist


What brings you to India?

This India tour is for a very old commitment to perform in Kolkata. I am also here for some small projects and recording some pieces for a film. I have already recorded the songs and this time it is just for doing some small parts for Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha starrer 'Tevar'.

Are you working on any new solo albums?

Yes, I am working on a solo album. Without revealing too many details, I can tell you that it is now in the mixing process. We are working on some last bits, and it is almost ready.

Do you like doing playback singing, live concerts or do you like working on collaborations like 'Dewarist', 'Unplugged' and 'Coke Studio'?
I don't have any particular preference. It all depends on what sort of work I get. If I am doing more satisfactory work on solo albums then that excites me. But if we have a good collaboration and if it is coming out to be a good song and a good composition, then that makes me happy as well. What matters is that it should be something that I can relate to later.

Who would be your dream collaboration with?

I won't like to name someone as I would keep thinking later that I may have missed out on someone important. The only criterion I have is that the person I collaborate with is as interested as I am in the project.

Anybody from the past....

I think I would have loved to work with someone like Madan Mohan ji and Salil Chowdhury ji.

How important do you think classical music training is in playback singing?

It is really important. It is like writing an English book. If you don't even know ABCD, grammar or the basics of the language – you won't be able to write a good piece. If you haven't trained to know the basics of singing then your work will just be a fluke and not proper singing.

Do you think the independent music scene in the subcontinent has become better with the passing years?
Film music has always been very dominating in India. Whereas that is not the case in Pakistan as it does not have a strong film industry. People just create what they want. They don't have to follow a certain situation. They don't need to compose something according to the writer or a set story. People have a free hand and that is a blessing in disguise.

But now, even in India a lot of people have made that change in the industry. Starting from AR Rahman to composers like Pritam, all of them are doing fabulous work. There is a plethora of music directors such as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, Vishal Bharadwaj, Salim-Suleiman who have taken the music industry to another level. It is very refreshing.

Do you have any message for your fans?

I would definitely like to send out a message to everyone to stop downloading illegally. Piracy is causing great damage to music and music industry per say. It is an advice to all the people who love music to buy music because downloading and piracy is one of the biggest challenges that the industry faces today. All the music that you love is available easily, it is inexpensive and is just a click away.

This article was first published on Zeenews.com

Govinda: The return of 'Hero No 1'

Govinda was one of India's favourite 90s hero. No matter how much the snobs ignored him, secretly everyone loved him as he wore his purple and orange pants and made faces that would make soulless zombies guffaw till their sides split. He is the Jim Carrey of India - loved by many. His comic timing is something that younger heroes are trying to emulate and they still have a long way to go.

An actor who shot to fame with 'Love 86', 28 years later is still overshadowing his co-actors in the mere 10 minutes or so that he has appeared in his movies in 2014. His comic timing is impeccable as always. The way he dances will put the trained dancers of today to shame. Riteish Deshmukh, Varun Dhawan and possibly Ranveer Singh are probably one of the few actors of today who can match up to his style and energy.

Driving in Delhi – God save our souls!

Delhi boasts of a well-developed transport system. Unlike a decade ago, most of the commercial areas are now well-connected with the Delhi Metro and hence, the roads have become relatively unclogged. Obviously, in an ever growing city like the Nation's capital, there is no dearth of traffic snarls and yet things have become much better than before.

When you get a new vehicle, all you want to do is, have fun with it. Young guys zip, zap and zoom through narrow streets. They try and emulate bike stunts and test the speed limits of their machines.

Without condoning their stupidity, I still do understand why they do it. It is after all young blood – adrenaline rushes through their veins. Most of them are inspired by numerous advertisements of the latest super-powered bikes by manufacturers.

But what percentage of these 18 to 22 year olds is actually driving daily on the roads?

Ravi Chopra – The man without whom childhood wouldn't have been as sweet

Growing up, Sunday was everybody's favourite day. It probably still is. But it was different for the 90s kids. It was the only day when there were interesting television shows which we were allowed to watch. There weren't a lot of channels to choose from.

But the national television then had a lot to offer. And for us, Sunday mornings were a treat. Every Sunday, after breakfast we would start with cartoons and soon be joined by our parents for 'Mahabharat'. As Mahender Kapoor started singing the title song, my mother would start hurrying with her chores, and my father would be sure to put the newspaper down, or put down the last letters in his crossword.

If I was spending my summer vacations with my grandparents, I was sure my grandma would have set her alarm clock to see Krishna in all his glory on television, looking on with such immense devotion, as if God himself has come down to feature on the little black and white screen.

Even though Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayan' was already being telecasted, I loved this epic more. It was part of the ritual.

The death of Ravi Chopra brought back all the nostalgia of 90s television.

Belonging to the illustrious director producer BR Chopra, Ravi Chopra is also the nephew of Yash Chopra. He had directed several movies, including 'The Burning Train' and more recently 'Baghbaan'.

But he will be remembered for the television epic 'Mahabharat' which is considered a cult classic on the small screen, and also was screened on BBC. Many well known faces of today started or built their careers through the show.

He worked with BR Chopra and Yash Chopra as an assistant director for several films. He also produced and co-produced many flicks, many of which went on to do well at the Box Office. After his father's death in 2006, Ravi Chopra has only produced 'Bhoothnath' and the more recent 'Bhoothnath Returns'

His passing away is a sad day for Bollywood, but his legend will continue to live on for all those people who grew up in an era where television was a privilege. He made our weekends a cultural event - with the three generations of the same family watching a single show with the same amount of devotion as you may see in a temple.

This article was first published on Zeenews.com

Shah Rukh Khan and the emperor's new clothes

Never a die-hard fan, but I have always admired this charming fellow from Delhi. My favourite Shah Rukh Khan moment was his introductory scene in ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ where he plays rugby in the rain. I guess every SRK fan fell for him in that movie. Maybe, the credit goes more to Aditya Chopra than to SRK himself.

However, the rise of this generation's king of romance was rooted in the negative roles he did in 'Baazigar' and then 'Darr' in 1993. He had starred in a few movies previously, but was always overshadowed by other actors like Sunny Deol and Aamir Khan. The boy-next-door from Delhi took a risk few would even dare to so early in their career. And he thrived.



Chopra took him and went on to make the cult classic 'DDLJ', making Shah Rukh a poster boy. He became what Hugh Grant is to Hollywood. Whether it is 'Dil To Pagal Hai', 'Yes Boss' or 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', his character of 'Rahul' has been so oft repeated that it got irksome for many.

People who don't like the 'Badshah' of Bollywood have always stated how all his films have the same formula since 1995. He has always been the larger-than-life rom-com king of Indian cinema.

Now, things have changed. Shah Rukh, the hero of the urban teen, is approaching his 50s. He also has to contend with the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan (who has established himself as a brand unto himself) and Ranveer Singh.

Unfortunately, instead of attempting to take on more challenges in life, he is sticking more and more to formula films. This is a mistake that many a great actors made when their careers were on the brink of fading, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna and Rishi Kapoor in the 80s and the 90s. Stars who thought they were infallible were suddenly gone, replaced by the likes of Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Govinda.

Brand SRK sells, no doubt. But that is no excuse for someone who is capable of 'Swades' and 'Chak De' to mould himself into somewhat similar to Salman Khan. One moronic film follows another, each more forgettable than the last. He knows his name alone draws crowds, so the mantra seems to be – why waste money on scriptwriters?

While all these movies are bound to make waves at the Box Office – with the atmosphere of marketing ruling over content – they are like the fireworks one sees at Diwali – there’s a loud bang and zero recall value. They spin money without caring about the ‘art’ side of cinema.

Grant's refusal to make different movies is rooted in his reluctance to be a celebrity (as he has openly stated many times), but Shah Rukh likes to do well. He thrives on being the star, he likes the limelight.

In a recent interview, he said he was afraid that he will wake up one day without work – it is amazing for a man who has achieved so much to strive so hard for so much more. It isn't as if SRK is only after money, otherwise he would have never agreed to do Amol Palekar's adorable fable 'Paheli'. It certainly wasn't your typical masala flick.

SRK says he doesn't make films for critics. Not many do. Everyone wants to make films for the audience. Some assume that their audience is intelligent and capable of thought. Some assume the audience is stupid and would pay for anything that is sold with a superstar’s face attached to it.

Unfortunately, more and more filmmakers fall in the second category.

I sincerely hope that someday, Shah Rukh would indeed take notice of his critics who maintain that he is capable of so much more. His fans hailed him when he did 'Baazigar', and also in the larger-than-life yet challenging 'My Name is Khan' (even though personally it was a little too idealistic for me). They surely expect more from him than hammy and repetitive tripe that is 'Happy New Year'. Fans will lose interest sooner than later.

He may be flaunting his 10-pack abs and getting all the love now, but the wrinkles on his face are starting to show. Even die-hard fans will move on to other people -- there are new kids on the block ready to topple him from his ‘throne’.

It is almost as though movie makers have conned SRK into believing that he can do larger-than-life versions of himself, however unoriginal they may be. He has been a superstar for more than two decades, and soon he may find that someone has called his bluff. He owes something to the people who have loved him and adored him for 20 years.

The only problem that I don't understand is whether he is the emperor being swindled or has he laid himself threadbare intentionally.

It is time to reinvent Mr Khan. You may not be interested in what they have to say, but experts notice changes in trend before others – it is their job. And it is bound to catch up with you, sooner than you think is possible.

This article was first published on Zeenews.com

Happy New Year review: Rides solely on Shah Rukh Khan

Farah Khan's movies are never about logic, great loophole free storylines or even thought generating grounded cinema. They are the definition of the word 'Bollywood'. Entertaining, cheeky and pompous. At least they are supposed to be.

One of the biggest and most anticipated movies of the year, 'Happy New Year' sees best friends- turned enemies-turned best friends again – SRK and Farah – coming back together after a hiatus of seven long years. It is bound to draw in the masses with a long weekend release, plus the movie has been dubbed in a few regional languages as well to attract the crowd from across the country. It also boasts of a very strong star cast. Shah Rukh Khan paired with Deepika Padukone – the hit making duo; added to them are Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah. It also stars Jackie Shroff as the typical Bollywood villain – complete with a bad accent and hairstyle.

Peshawar Attack: When religion is an excuse to hate!

Your demons will eventually come back to haunt you.

132 children have been killed in Peshawar. Not in a natural calamity, not of hunger or famine, they died because they were in school and some people decided they deserved to die.

Religion is a very sensitive issue in the world. Today we have more deaths in the name of religious fanaticism, outrages, people willing to take up arms than ever before. Westboro Baptist church took placards saying that American children deserved to die. In our own country, an astounding 561 incidents of communal violence have been reported in which 90 persons have lost their lives. ISIS is terrorising the world, abducting women, beheading journalists, soldiers and selling young girls as sex slaves.

There was a time when people took up arms to defend their country. The world was divided in semantics. People were not only afraid of another community, there was a genuine fear of being completely wiped out, if you did not fight. The war had less to do with religion, more to do with expanding your kingdom. People did not understand the other community, they were much more superstitious. They thought that a shadow of a non-believer will afflict you with small pox.

'Ek Villain' review: Watch it for Ritesh Deshmukh

Director Mohit Suri has made sure that with the trailers for `Ek Villain` the curiosity is raised to a palpable level. The thriller genre in Bollywood is so unexplored that this movie should come as a breather.

It was good to see the theatre houseful and many others queuing up for a movie that promises neither mushy romance nor comedy. The style of the motion picture is out and out thrill based, and the script and the timeline makes for an admirable tension that has been maintained throughout the length of the movie.

But there is a catch. The filmmaker has not been able to break out of the mould of melodrama that he has so far used in many of his movies. Even though this remake of the Korean flick `I Saw The Devil` is well modelled to suit the Indian audience, and retain an U/A certificate, Suri fails to capitalise on a very well built up interest through his promos, and tight lipped crew.

Sidharth Malhotra plays the brooding Guru with the back story of a heart breaking childhood. Shraddha plays an effervescent and rather chatty girl, Aisha who manages to steal Guru`s heart. Guru leaves behind his dark past, to build a life with his lady love. Unfortunately their love story is cut short when Aisha is tragically killed. Riteish Deshmukh stars in a negative role for the first time. And he is magnificent.

It is high time for a talented actor like Riteish Deshmukh to finally explore movies like `Ek Villain`. He has out-shined and outperformed every actor in the movie and is possibly the biggest reason you should go and watch `Ek Villain`. This might be the turning point for Deshmukh as he would definitely be cast outside his comfort zone in Hindi movies whether in negative shades or in more character based roles in future. Filmmaker Karan Johar hit the nail on its head when he said that this was Riteish`s career best performance.


Sidharth is hardly convincing as a brooding, serious looking anti-hero. He ends up looking much out of his usual garb of a romantic hero. Even in his intense scenes and action sequences, Riteish easily overpowers with his subtle performance. Shraddha`s character fails too with some badly written emotional dialogues which really eat into the thrill of the film.

The worst mistakes are made in casting Remo Fernandez and Kamaal R Khan. Their roles are practically useless in the movie. Apart from very bad acting and some action scenes, Remo has nothing more to offer. And the less said about KRK, the better. It seems that Suri has cast him only to make the audience realise that such men are more loathful than psychopaths serial-killers.

The plot line moves interestingly between flashbacks and present day, almost seamlessly. The cinematography is not that great but the editing is crisp. The only qualm I have with the movie is that it did not need to establish the back stories of each of the actors, they could have kept some in darkness just to leave the audience asking for more. Especially Aisha`s bubbly nature and innate goodness needn`t have a tragedy attached to it.

The music is hummable and definitely a lot of people would love the intense romance, but sounds somewhat tragic and monotonous when put in perspective of the movie. `Teri Galliya` and `Banjara` are really romantic tracks which would be remembered for quite sometime.

The unveiling of the visceral saga has a lot of strong characters and Mohit has done a good job in adapting a foreign film and complimenting it with the drama that the Indian audience is used to. But he has gone a tad over in making a thriller. Maybe, filmmakers should step out of this trap more often and we wouldn`t be too far from making beacons of world cinema.


Rating:

This Article was first published on Zeenews.India.com

'Kick' review: Watch it for Salman Khan

There should be a separate benchmark for Salman Khan movies. Not only because they are mostly just high-action masala entertainers and the `Bhai` does not venture into other genres any more, but also because his audience simply worship him.

When Sajid Nadiadwala decided to step into the director`s shoes, he pulled out all stops. He has invested everything he could to make the movie look slick and make sure this is Salman`s biggest release of the year. `Kick` is based on a 2009 Telugu blockbuster by the same name.


Devi Lal Singh (Salman Khan) does eccentric things to get a `kick` out of life. He goes to any lengths to get that extra spark out of life, which borders on insanity. He is loved by everyone around, but he does have ulterior motives behind his antics. Jacqueline as Shaina is a psychologist and Devi Lal`s love interest.


Made in a typical south Indian masala style, the entire movie can be summed up in its own dialogue "Main dil mein aata hoon, samajh mein nahin" (I enter hearts, but can`t be understood). It is all about Salman`s aura. Sajid has fit him into as many frames as possible, and he looks terrific. The actor has not looked this slick in a while now and every time he mouths a dialogue the hall erupts in another round of wolf whistles.

The script is not written with a lot of finesse, although that should not matter as none of the audience is expecting that. The storyline is senseless and has a lot of loopholes, but it is made up for by some good action sequences and over-the-top dialogues that are sure to go down well with Salman fans. The cinematography and CGI effects are not too bad, but the Rohit Shettyesque flying cars and vehicles breaking in every direction has become too cliched and gets boring.

The first half of the movie is slow, with a lot of scenes that could have been done away with. The entry of the `Dabbang` star as Devil in the second half is where the excitement begins. The Robin Hood of modern day Bollywood is a superhero simply because he is Salman. He can jump off buildings and wreck things to get his way without a batting an eyelid. Despite not making any sense, his screen presence is thrilling.

Jacqueline looks rather good paired with Khan – and she is positively vibrant in `Jumme Ki Raat`. That dance sequence choreographed by Ahmed Khan is fantastic and Jacqueline will make your jaw drop. The Eid special song composed by Himesh Reshammiya is already a hit and is going to stay with the masses for a while, although not in the `Munni Badnaam` way. Jacqueline does need to work on her diction, but the exotic accent has worked for Katrina before, so it may not be too much of a problem for her either.

A special mention to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as one does not expect him to fit into this genre of cinema. He is extremely talented and fit into the character`s shoes without any trouble. Here too he has moulded himself as a maniacal villain with all the expected drama. It was fun watching him in such a heavily commercialised venture and we hope he continues doing his brand of cinema too along with big budget flicks.

Salman `Dabangg` Khan, has made sure with `Kick`, that he has another multi-crore hit under his belt. The movie is exactly what it promises - a larger than life Salman Khan movie which the director knows will go down well with his massive fan following. The actor is at ease playing a quirky hero – comic, with a big heart, can beat baddies to pulp as easily as he can romance long legged lasses. If you are a Salman fan – go watch the movie. Don`t expect any ground-breaking, revolutionary filmmaking. This is as entertaining as it gets.

Can Priyanka Chopra be the Mary Kom we know?

The upcoming biopic of five-time world champion and Olympic medalist MC Mary Kom has already started facing flak over its casting choice. Many bloggers and writers have stated that it was wrong of the director to ask Priyanka Chopra to play the role as she looks nothing like Mary Kom.

There are also many blaming Omung Kumar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali of being racist as they did not even consider a Manipuri actor for the role. Possibly. But have these critics paused to think whether it was intentional and not for the reasons they claim?

Let us assume that Omung Kumar decided to audition and cast a Manipuri actor in the role. The argument is justified as Mary Kom herself is Manipuri. There is no dearth of acting talent there as proved by the great cultural scene in all of the seven sisters. The actor would be more comfortable understanding the struggles that Mary had had to face while rising through the ranks to be a champion. But would that have generated the interest of the youth who the movie is targetted at? It doesn`t say much for filmmaking in itself, but the director is hoping that the film reaches the maximum number of people. And that should be the priority of a movie based on an inspirational person. In the long run, it would be best if a few people do take up the sport and/or learn from the never-say-die spirit of Mary.

I agree the north east in Indian cinema is grossly underrepresented. But that is changing slowly and hopefully there would be many faces that would be soon seen on the big screen.

Let`s be honest – none of us would be writing about it if it was not a big budget Bhansali movie which starred a big Bollywood name like Priyanka Chopra.

Sports cinema in India has always been a challenge. Our country`s love for sports has been limited to cricket. Suffice to say a good film on Sachin Tendulkar will not require a big name to sell – provided it is marketed well. However, the theme of cricket did not work for the 1990 Aamir Khan starrer `Awwal Number` or the more recent Rani Mukerji starrer `Dil Bole Hadippa`.

Nevertheless, things did start looking upwards with Ashutosh Gowariker`s historical epic `Lagaan`. The movie changed the way sports-based movies were treated in India. `Chak De`, a movie based on women`s hockey got a lot of critical acclaim. Shah Rukh Khan played the part of a coach with sincerity and sophistication that proved his much questioned acting talent.

`Bhaag Milkha Bhaag`, one of the top 10 grossers of 2013, made sure of the theory that the genre has now started to generate interest in the audience. But are these success stories solely based on the filmmaker`s capability of telling the story? Or has the star power in the movie has made a difference to the people flocking to the movie?

Moreover, did Farhan Akhtar look like Milkha Singh? Couldn`t a Punjabi Sardar have played the character of the athlete better? But it did touch lives. More people have taken to hockey, athletics and other sports because of the mass effect of these blockbusters. Now, hopefully `Mary Kom` would help to do that too.

We have to understand that filmmaking is a business at the end of the day. Bhansali can make his picturesque dance dramas but it would need Aishwarya Rai and Deepika Padukone, even if there is better Gujarati talent available, to generate the 100 crore that the benchmark has now become. And he can certainly produce a great movie on the boxing champion with a lesser known but more similar looking Manipuri actress.

But would that be enough to get the people interested? Would the media be talking and discussing the movie with as much gusto? Priyanka is a good actress as she has time and again proven in movies like `Barfi`, `Fashion` and `Saat Khoon Maaf`.

In a recent interview with a leading daily the actress admitted, “Yes, physically, we do look different, but I’ve really been able to encapsulate her personality.”

We could not agree with her more. She does look very different, she does not share Kom`s Mongolian features, plus she is much taller and built heavier than the boxer. But, if she has indeed worked as hard, living and training for the role of a national treasure like Mary Kom – it would be only fair to let Priyanka and the director try and emulate Kom`s life on the silver screen. It would only help inspire more people, especially girls to step up and work hard to get to the helm of a challenging sport like boxing. It is after all a story of a champion. Whoever is made the face of the champion is irrelevant.

This article was first published on Zeenews.India.com

Why do people love Salman Khan?

“Salman Khan`s brand of cinema”- it is for real!

Other actors try and do cinema to prove their prowess as actors – they want to choose variety and at least once in a while break away from stereotypes. Salman pretends to attempt no such thing. More often than not, producers prefer keeping him in the limelight, give him some stunts to do, a few formulaic dance numbers and voila a Blockbuster is made!

Time and again intellectuals refuse to watch his movies. They say that his movies do not fall within the bracket of good cinema. Salman films are always the repetition of the samemasala entertainment that Bollywood refuses to let go off. And yet, time and again, Salman has proven that it does not really matter.

His fan base is immense, (let`s not get into the Shah Rukh Khan vs Salman Khan bit) and most of their love borders on fanaticism. There is no clear demographic map of the people who pledge their allegiance to Salman. He is not the hero of the elite classes like Aamir Khan has come out to be or as Ranbir Kapoor is turning out to be. Rural population flock to the silver screen to watch Sallu Bhai`smovies first-day first-show on broken benches and sweltering heat. The urban youth loves paying an extra few bucks at the malls to catch his glimpse.

What amazes a lot of people is how this guy, with many legal cases pending against him, remains a favourite of so many? He has been involved in umpteen controversies - blackbuck shooting case in Rajasthan, the 2002 hit-and-run case etc. He is not even a well-settled family man like SRK, Aamir, Akshay Kumar and the others. He has been deemed a casanova and even accused of being violent to his girlfriends. It has also been alleged that he uses his clout to threaten people and get his way. But none of that seems to matter to his fans.

The reason occurred to me while watching `Kick`. He is the ultimate bad boy with a good heart. His fans defend him by saying exactly this. While the other stars stand above and give love to their fans with a wave and a flying kiss. Salman is more of a people`s person, he goes on to meet people half way. He is known not to be diplomatic and stand on a pedestal. He is much more real than other stars. He wears his heart on his sleeve, makes mistakes, has fights and still stands tall.

Most of his interviews are cheeky. He goes on to answer the most controversial questions with a nonchalance which only a few are capable of in the industry. Plus, despite his numerous link ups – he has rarely been caught talking ill about his exes. To everyone who looks at him – Salman seems to be a star, who has been used by many to get ahead in career.

Whether that is true or not, Khan indeed has helped many a young actors to place a firm footing in Bollywood - whether it is all the débutante actresses he works with or helping young actors build their bodies to suit the needs in Bollywood. A big example of that is Katrina Kaif, who shot to fame because of Salman. She had started with a dud in `Boom`, and was almost written off until Salman helped her bag `Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?` in 2005. The list goes on with Daisy Shah, Zarine Khan, Sneha Ullal and now even Jacqueline Fernandez in `Kick`.

Hrithik Roshan and Arjun Kapoor too owe their fabulous abs to Salman. They both have acknowledged how much the `Dabbang` Khan inspired them to work-out right to look the way they do now. Not only professionally, B-Town is all praises for the superstar for standing by his friends during bad times. Aamir and Salman came close when the former was going through a divorce in the mid 2000`s, Hrithik too seemed to have had Salman as a shoulder during his separation with Sussanne recently. Dia Mirza, Govinda and a spate of other Tinsel Town vaasis have time and again received help from Khan whenever they needed it the most.

And of course `Being Human`, Salman`s pet philanthropy project is something that deserves a special mention. With this organisation, he has reached out to the people like never before. He has lent a helping hand to the poor and needy, without even knowing them. While others busied themselves in the glory of their stardom, Salman Khan was the one who made sure he gives back some of what he gets.

It is this quality of being a `bad boy with a heart of gold` image that his fans possibly adore and love so much. He is the people`s star. A hero who looks carefree and stands by what he feels is right. He is not infallible. But he makes up for it with all the charm, his screen presence and making sure he is there when anyone needs him.

Whether you hate him and his movies or not is irrelevant – the masses will adore him and continue to watch the man in action for as long as he is `being Salman`.


This article was first published on zeenews.india.com