Actor Vicky Kaushal, who has had a great run at the movies this year with hits like Raazi and Manmarziyaan, said being under pressure keeps him moving.

The actor’s next film, Uri: The Surgical Strike, is inspired by true events. “I am lucky I am getting to be part of exciting projects. Every actor wants to test how strong they are. I am grateful to Ronnie Screwala (producer) for this opportunity. I want to be in this pressure zone. I would want to be under pressure,”Vicky told reporters at the trailer launch of the film.

Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film is based on the Indian Army’s surgical strikes on Pakistan as retaliation for the Uri attack in 2016.

“I learnt a lot when I read the script. I was very excited to tell the story. There is always an adrenaline rush to play a character like this. I was all charged up to do it right. We have seen films on war and military earlier, but this film will be new for the audience. India and Pakistan have often been shown fighting at the border, here we are showing how the surgical strike was carried out with the help of intelligence agencies and bureaucrats,” he said.

Ironically, the role of a Special Forces commander-in-chief is a complete turnaround for the actor, who earned critical acclaim for his empathic portrayal of a Pakistani Army officer in Meghna Gulzar’s spy drama Raazi.Urialso features Paresh Rawal, Yami Gautam and popular TV actor Mohit Raina, who is making his feature film debut, in key roles. The film is releasing in cinemas on 11th January 2019.

ICYM the trailer

Manikarnika – the Queen of Jhansi is based on the life of the fearless warrior Rani Laxmi bai. Zee Studios’ and Kamal Jain’s film, that showcases Rani Laxmi Bai’s extraordinary journey, has some of the best action/war sequences that will be witnessed in Indian cinema. From a massive crew, real weapons from 1857 to heavy armoury mixed with hi-octane stunts – the film offers a true visual spectacle for the audience.

Nick Powell, the well-known international action director auditioned over 1000 fighters for the action sequences in the film. From which, he chose the best two hundred for training. Once these two hundred were trained, they further trained two more hundred. Not just that, even the horses used in the film were trained for the action scenes. The entire crew trained for about 4 months to prepare for the epic war scenes in the film.

Kangana used two types of real, authentic weapons that were used in 1857—caplock pistols (one shot pistols) and cavalry brown bess (muzzle loading rifles).

Talking about the action in the film Kangana says, “Rifles were new for people at that time, and only a few used them. While the British army used Enfield rifles, Rani Lakshmi Bai preferred swords. I was fascinated with those 150-200-year-old authentic weapons we used in the film that were used in 1857! The action sequences were quite intense but that did not deter anyone from giving their best. The shield I used weighed around 5 kgs. The entire team started getting ready at 3 AM, set up would take 6-7 hours so we would shoot only about 1 or 2 shots a day.”

Directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi is set to release in cinemas on 25th January 2018.

After the stupendous success of Stree, Maddock films has announced its first release of 2019, Luka Chuppi. The film brings together the never seen before – Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon and is all set to release on March 1st 2019.

Directed by debutant Laxman Utekar, and produced by Dinesh Vijan the film set in Mathura, will showcase Kartik and Kriti as local TV reporters.

Coming from the success of Kriti’s Bariely ki barfi,kartiks Sonu ki titu ki sweety and Dinesh Vijan’s Stree, Luka Chuppi looks like a winner already!

Kriti and Kartik have both proved themselves not only as actors but also commercially viable.

Coincidentally, the 100 crore Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety was also released the same time this year.

Dinesh Vijan adds, “At Maddock we’ve always tried to ensure we achieve a balance between content and commercial cinema. Stree has been a big boost and we can’t wait for Luka Chuppi now. Kartik and Kriti have done a phenomenal job and it’s exciting to bring it to the audiences.”

The young heartthrobs raised a lot of curiosity when Kriti posted a picture from the film recently.

Supported by Aparshakti Khurana, Pankaj Tripathi, and Vinay Pathak in pivotal roles, Luka Chuppi is exciting us for 2019 already!

Are you ready for Ranveer Singh to close out the 2018 Bollywood film season in a new role in a full on action/comedy avatar? The actor, playing Sangram Bhalero, is storming into theaters in Rohit Shetty’s Simmba on December 28th!

The film also features Ajay Devgn as Singham, and this story is an offshoot of that character and movie. As Shetty has said, “We thought ‘Let’s merge two universes’, which hasn’t happened in India. While ‘Singham’ is an honest cop, this boy is growing up to become a dishonest cop. So within the universe you have a conflict of good and bad.”

Simmba is an orphan from Shivgadh. Yes, where the beloved Singham (Ajay Devgn) was born and raised. Contrary to the philosophies of Singham, Simmba believes that a corrupt officer’s life is ideal and he becomes one. However as in all good stories there is a twist in the tale and this transforms Simmba and forces him to choose the path of good!

About being a part of the film Ranveer said earlier, “Nobody projects heroes quite like Rohit Shetty. That’s why every leading man wants to be in a Rohit Shetty film because you know the way he is going to present you, nobody else can. It’s been a huge honour and privilege for me to be his leading man.

“I have been a huge fan of Rohit saab for a long time. He is one of the greatest commercial filmmakers. I have been a huge fan of Singham franchise. Working with him and Karan [Johar] on Simmba has been a dream come true.”

About his character and role he has said, “It’s a layered character, it’s very different. You’ll have to see the film to know this. He’s very lovable, sensitive, very respectful of women.”

He also has revealed he has tried to really encompass and be his best in this character, “I’ve brought, or have endeavoured and attempted to – bring something new to this performance in this genre. It fits a cinematic language of the film but it’s not superficial. What I’ve done is given it a very honest emotionality and that is something that I think – I hope – people will recognise that.”

About Ranveer, director Shetty has said, “This is the first time we will see Ranveer playing a policeman in an action film. There are certain colourful elements in the character of Simmba that Ranveer also has. There is a lot of energy in the character, as in him.”

The actor agrees, “They’ve given me a very lovable character, sort of like the lovable rogue that has long existed in classical literature. Fortunately, I’ve got some traits as a person that fit well.”

There could be no other higher compliment that the director saying, “I couldn’t have imagined making Simmba if not for Ranveer Singh, because he is the only actor who has the strength to pull out such a character. So I really had to change my writing if Ranveer would have said ‘no’ to my film.”

Simmba, which also stars Sonu Sood and newcomer Sara Ali Khan, hits the big screen on December 28th!

ZEE5’s Rangbaaz premiered on 22nd December and praise for the web series and especially the acting has been pouring in.

Set against the rustic background of India’s heartland, the UP of the 90s, Rangbaaz revolves around the story of Shiv Prakash Shukla, played by Saqib Saleem. It revolves around a man engaging in the dark and dirty world of crime and shows the human side of one of the most feared gangsters of the region from the ’90s.

About his character Saqib has said, “The character that I play in Rangbaaz is called Shiv Prakash Shukla. The guy has a lot of layers and I got to know that when Bhav, the director and Siddharth Mishra, the writer, came to me with the script and narrated the episodes to me. I instantly fell in love with my character because I was getting to play a gangster. I don’t know if people are aware, but I have always wanted to play a gangster. Not for any other reason but that I wanted to understand a guy’s psyche whose sense of right and wrong is very different from who I am. As an actor, it has been a completely satisfying experience working on this creatively. To be able to do something like this at this point in my career, I am thankful to ZEE5 for making this for me. Luckily, I have had a great journey on this and I’ve had a young team who has worked day in and day out to make this possible and from all the reactions we are getting, I hope when people watch this, they also enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it.”

The series has critics and B-town raving about Saqib Saleem’s outstanding performance as gangster Shiv Prakash Shukla. Referring to it as among his career’s finest, Saqib received unanimously great reviews for essaying a grey character with finesse.

Says proud sister Huma Qureshi, “This hardworking talented boy has worked so hard to play a nuanced complex character so far away from who he is .. I know he has given it his everything to bring Shiv Kumar Shukla alive .. so proud of you @Saqibsaleem #Rangbaaz #22Dec @ZEE5India Go watch it already guys.”

Jimmy Sheirgill said, “Thoroughly enjoyed the first two episodes of #rangbaaz @Saqibsaleem @dirtigmanshu @ravikishann @ahanakumra @RanvirShorey @ZEE5India #bhav and the entire cast were brilliant Best wishes.

Thoroughly enjoyed the first two episodes of #rangbaaz @Saqibsaleem @dirtigmanshu @ravikishann @ahanakumra @RanvirShorey @ZEE5India #bhav and the entire cast were brilliant Best wishes

— Jimmy sheirgill (@jimmysheirgill) December 23, 2018

Mudassar Aziz, Director, “To say @Saqibsaleem has turned a new leaf in #Rangbaaz on #ZEE5 is an understatement! He shines in every bloody shot! The scene after committing his first murder is just SO SPECIAL! @dirtigmanshu mind blowing! @AahanaKumra effortless as ever! @ravikishann Pranaaaaam”

To say @Saqibsaleem has turned a new leaf in #Rangbaaz on #Zee5 is an understatement! He shines in every bloody shot! The scene after committing his first murder is just SO SPECIAL! @dirtigmanshu mind blowing! @AahanaKumra effortless as ever! @ravikishann Pranaaaaam !

— Mudassar Aziz (@mudassar_as_is) December 22, 2018

Suresh Triveni, Director : “#Rangbaaz on @ZEE5India is a very very well told show .watching the first few episodes and the intent looks superb @Saqibsaleem is great!”

#Rangbaaz on @ZEE5India is a very very well told show .watching the first few episodes and the intent looks superb @Saqibsaleem is

— Suresh Triveni (@sureshtriveni) December 22, 2018

Sonakshi Sinha took to Instagram to share her feedback after watching the first two episodes at the screening. “Talent ki saarein hadhein paar kar di @saqibsaleem ne!!! Guys do yourself a favour and watch #Rangbaaz”

Kubbra Sait said, “Just walked out of #Rangbaaz and WOW! how good are you @Saqibsaleem etching the nuances of #ShivPrakashShukla and the cherry on the cake is your and my love interest @AahanaKumra as Babita. Bravo @ZEE5India”

Producer Ramesh Taurani shared the Rangbaaz poster on Instagram and said, “#Rangbaaz is a superb show. @saqibsaleem has performed outstandingly.Gripping story and competent direction. It will do very well.

1998 – This was the year when ‘Chamma Chamma’ turned out to be a smash chartbuster all over. This was the time when digital revolution was quite some distance away. However, satellite television had gathered pace and word of mouth too had found means to travel in a much speedier fashion that before. The moment ‘Chamma Chamma’ came on air with Urmila Matondkar making a special appearance for Raj Kumar Santoshi’s China Gate, it turned out to be a huge sensation all over.

Circa 2018 and the story is repeating itself.

‘Chamma Chamma’ has been recreated, this time with Elli Avram for Prakash Jha produced Fraud Saiyaan. With technology coming into play, the song has turned out to be viral all over again. No wonder, the song has witnessed more than 50 million streams already, and is still counting.

“And to think of it, we are just talking about the online reach of the song,” says Kumar Taurani of Tips, the music company that holds the rights for ‘Chamma Chamma’, “There is so much traction that the song has gained all over, be it TV, internet or clubs. We are really happy with the response.”

An original composition by Anu Malik which had Sameer as the writer and Alka Yagnik as the singer, the new version has Neha Kakkar, Romy, Arun & Ikka coming together for this Tanishk Bagchi recreation.

“The song has a timeless appeal to it and the instant eyeballs that it has gathered is pretty much a testimony of that,” says an insider, “The song is continuing to grow and the next big target is 50 million views. We are sure that by the time the film releases on 18th January all over, we would have crossed the 100 million views milestone already.”

Well, that would indeed be a huge win for sure!

Joginder Tuteja tweets @tutejajoginder

We have your first look into the tale of the highly anticipated film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Asia Laga. Starring Sonam Kapoor and Anil Kapoor on screen as daughter and father for the first time, ELDK also stars Rajkummar Rao and Juhi Chawla and is directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar.

Some love stories are not simple, Sweety’s is one such story. She has to contend with her over-enthusiastic family that wants to get her married, a young writer who is completely smitten by her, a secret that she harbours close to her heart and ultimately the truth that her true love might not find acceptance in her family and society.

Resolving these issues proves hilarious, touching and life changing.

The amazing theatrical trailer for the most unexpected romance of the new year, EK LADKI KO DEKHA TOH AISA LAGA, has now premiered. Check it out!

Call us intrigued and very eager to see more!

The film opens worldwide in theaters on February 1st!

Starring Anupam Kher, The Accidental Prime Minister, directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte and also featuring Akshaye Khanna, Suzanne Bernert, Aahana Kumra, Arjun Mathur, Vipin Sharma and Divya Sethi is set for January 11th. The film is based on a book by the same name by Sanjaya Baru, who worked with Dr. Singh during his tenure as Prime Minister.

We have seen Mr. Kher’s incredible transformation in pictures and the poster, now we get to witness his brilliance in the trailer as we wait for the full story to come alive onscreen.

Talking exclusively to us, Mr. Kher said in an earlier interview that this was a very challenging but very creatively satisfying role. In fact, the actor went through about 4 to 5 months of intense preparation for this role. “I’ve never worked so hard for any particular film. With Dr. Singh, he is not bombastic, he is very subtle, he is very complicated, and he is a loner. I wanted people to like him from a new perspective and that is what my director wanted also. It was like walking on a razor’s edge. You not only had to look like him, you had to think like him, you had walk like him, which is very difficult. Then he has a very strange voice, a weak voice. If you try and make a weak voice thinner it could become a caricature. So I had to find a middle ground. See it deals with emotions and the easiest thing in the world is to make a caricature out of it especially when the title is The Accidental Prime Minister.”

He also revealed, “Took me 1.5 hours to get into the character. I did meditation, I needed silence. I needed to shut out the whole world because people are going to perceive Dr. Manmohan Singh from this point of view and this will give them a different perspective about him. I am very happy.”

Rudra Productions (UK) Bohra Bros in association with Dr. Jayantilal Gada (pen) present The Accidental Prime Minister. Produced by Sunil Bohra, Dhaval Jayantilal Gada & Bloom Arts Pte Ltd. The film is slated to release 11th January.

Be sure to check out more from Mr. Anupam Kher in our sneak peek interview about the film here: https://bollyspice.com/anupam-kher-on-the-accidental-prime-minister-ive-never-worked-so-hard-for-any-particular-film/

Rohit Shetty is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film Simmba, starring Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan, which is slated to to hit theaters tomorrow. While the trailer and the songs received brilliant response, the director has been busy promoting the film and has been immensely working hard to keep the viewers entertained.

The director recently spoke about his movies and the category of audiences that his movies carter to and lets his audience take the pride and said, “There is segregation when you talk about the kind of audience who come to watch my films. That’s what makes me successful. When I start writing a script and shooting it, all I keep in my mind is my audience. The people who come to watch my films are the family audience. If I were trying to prove a point, I would not have been here.”

Rohit firmly believes that the movies are often related to a common man’s lifestyle. Relating to the same, he adds, “There are people who will dislike what I do, but I know that there is an audience that loves my cinema. So, you have to come to terms with the fact that a certain section of the audience might not love your films. One can only hope that they like your films at some point. I deal with the problems of the middle class and that’s why my films are termed massy. I can’t solve their problems, but at least, I can entertain them. What I find hypocritical is, when someone curses in English, it is considered cool and not massy. However, when the same curses are in Hindi, the ‘massy’ tag is promptly added. I don’t fear my film being a flop, but I do fear losing the audience that loves my cinema.”

Simmba marks the debut collaboration of Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar and undoubtedly the fresh leading pair of Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan looks to be a winner.

Reliance Entertainment presents, Rohit Shetty Picturez and Dharma Productions, Simmba is slated to release worldwide on 28th December, 2018.

Simmba
Starring Ranveer Singh,Ajay Devgan, Sara Ali Khan. Ashutosh Rana
Directed by Rohit Shetty

As far as getting a kick out of the movie-viewing experience is concerned, there is nothing like a larger-than-life over-the-top drama on social awakening.

Simmba is a kick in the groin for all rapists, and potential rapists. I doubt rape will decline after this film. But at least those who think of violating women would blush a bit.

The second-to-last sequence of this loud but effective anti-rape/anti-corruption film shows ‘Simmba’ Ranveer Singh sitting in the courtroom with his mentor ‘Singham’ Ajay Devgan. The two khaki-clad praise-vardi vigilantes come to the one decisive conclusion: cops need to put the fear of God and Law into rapists before this heinous crime winds its way out of the male libido.

Until then, there are the encounters of the cop kind. This film makes a disturbing case for bumping off legally-absolved rapists, and at one point Sara Ali Khan who plays the daughter of a ‘shaheed’ encounter cop tells her beloved Simmba, ‘If you need tips on encounter killing you can come to me.” As though giving her boyfriend tips on dating decorum.

Sara, by the way, has nothing much to do in this tale with a bleeding heart about crimes against women. A bit ironical, no? Simmba would laugh uproariously first and then ask what irony means. As played by the adrenaline-thumping ball of energy Ranveer Singh, Simmba is initially a bit of a clown cloaked in khaki. Well, actually he doesn’t put on the cop’s uniform until midpoint when his corrupt nature undergoes a dramatic volte-face.

That the reformation of Simmba is so convincing and absorbing is entirely due to Ranveer Singh’s arresting take on a cop who conforms to corruption until the push becomes a shove. And the jokey mood of decadent grafting converts into a fight to the finish to eradicate evil.

It is an over-familiar cinematic terrain and therefore a sticky wicket for the Ranveer-Rohit Shetty duo to traverse. That they succeed in putting a renewed vigour to the old rape-and-revenge formula is more attributable to the combined conviction of the director and the actor than the writing which clearly relies on formulaic signposts and ofcourse, witty one-liners and comebacks, to the redemptive climax.

Strangely for a Rohit Shetty film, the fights seem tackily staged. The most vital action sequence where Singham meets Simmba is one painful stretched-out fistfight with the two heroes looking a little lost in the goons world.

Still, and I say this with much relief, Simmba is Rohit Shetty’s most relevant film to date.

And when Ranveer evoked the ‘Nirbhaya’ case in a dramtic courtroom scene I was on the verge of getting goosebumps. Ranveer’s Simmba is a crazily amoral character with a core of goodness waiting to surface. He finds his moral bearings on a compass that is all his own. He moves to his own rhythm and fights personal political and social battles on his own terms.

Not surprisingly Simmba’s relationship with a veteran cop (played with brilliant sang-froid by Ashutosh Rana) who remains stubbornly idealistic in a world gone to the dogs, is far more fluently fleshed-out than his relationship with his girl. The awkwardness in courtship, I suspect, is not just in the hero’s character but an ingrained part of director Rohit Shetty’s creative DNA. Shetty is far more comfortable in the world of boys cars and guns than in the delicate realm of girls romance and roses(roses reminds me, when Simmba presents his girl with a bouquet he quips he picked it up fresh from a grave).

The romantic song shot to the sound of a remixed version of a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan number is the only awkward digression in a film that knows its beat and follows it without apology or the fear of defeat.

In one elobrate song and dance traditional Maharastrian women are seen riding into the over-saturated frame on mobikes wearing sunglasses. This is the crazy world of Gol Maal which has suddenly woken up to the newspaper headlines. It wants to show a deep respect for women but can’t help chuckling at its own stab at topicality.

2018 has continued to see the role of women on screen change significantly and for audiences to confront current social issues to help get the conversation on these started. In Zero, Aanand L Rai confronts the issues of dwarfism and through powerful performances from Shah Rukh Khan, Anuskha Sharma and Katrina Kaif delivers a well-rounded look at this issue from all perspectives. Being the big end of year film cinemagoers have come to love from years of YRF and Dharma productions, it needs music directors who are both upcoming talents but also popular. Having completed albums for Dhadak and Thugs of Hindostan this year, Ajay-Atul certainly fit the bill, bringing a seven-song album with the usual Bollywood mixture of emotions.

The opening song of the album Mere Naam Tu. Abhay Jodhpurkar is backed by violins to his lilting and soft voice as he delivers a smooth rendition. The beat is provided by unchanging timpani and for the first part there is little deviation from the set path. Seemingly suddenly, there is an escalation of noise and beat and an addition of piano makes for a different sound. This is finally drowned out by a mixed chorus; whose language is unclear and so their purpose is too. The song goes from light but dull to confusing and noisy, which while it fits nicely into the visuals, doesn’t work well as a song on its own.

Onto the fun song, we have Sukhwinder Singh and Divya Kumar delivering Issaqbaazi. Many will remember Shah Rukh’s cameo appearance in Tubelight, a signal that he and Salman had patched things up and reforged their friendship. ‘Issaqbaazi’ is Salman doing the return favour, so this is a typical Salman Khan song. Traditional instruments create a beat to get the fingers clicking which later in the song breaks out into a club scene. On top of this fast but singularly paced beat are Divya Kumar, who holds the main melody, and Sukhwinder Singh who delivers his special style of fun. Keeps the interest and of course some fun visuals are to be had, but its unchanging nature is difficult to overcome.

Now it’s time for the movie star (Katrina Kaif) to take centre stage in Husn Parcham. Of course, this is a dance number but being a representation of a modern Bollywood song, Ajay-Atul decided to add both Arabic and rap elements. There is also a large horn section that provides much of the rhythm to back Bhoomi Trivedi. The interesting twist is the rap element with Raja Kumari delivering a condensed ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’ style lyrical drumming, telling the boys that they can look, but they can’t touch. If anything, its unfortunately short, especially for a song competing against 2018s other item songs.

Ann Bann is ironically a long-awaited return for Kunal Ganjawala after many years away from Bollywood. The reason its ironic is on such a happy occasion, he is singing a sad song about the character’s feeling of temporary loss from his beloved. Backed by a piano, light dhol and violins, the background is as beautiful as should be expected from the music directors and Kunal is silky smooth in conveying the grief. The reverie created here continues till towards the end and electric guitar fires things up and there is a heavy use of a drum kit to punctuate a sharp ending. The unchanging nature of the song works in this case to create the necessary sadness in the audience and the ending implies more to come.

Since the audience is now in a sad mood, the album now cotinues down the path with Tanha Hua. This is a qawwali, a modernised version of a sajda or prayer. Thus, it’s only sensible to have Jyoti Nooran and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan involved with Jyoti taking a lead in the song, indicating this comes from the girl’s side. This also means Rahat is barely heard if not well understood during his limited parts. The modernisation gives it a background of faux Spanish classical with backing violins and harmonium and electric bass to give the bridges some life. Unchanging is again the word for this song overall, but as a sad song and as a song in the Sufi style this is a good thing in this case.

Romy is next to bring the listener’s anger emotion to the forefront with the all Punjabi Heer Badnaam. Considering the title’s closeness to ‘Husn Parcham’, these could be happy and sad versions of each other. However, this song itself is just another of the long line of Punjabi club beats that floods both the pop scene and has permeated Bollywood for the last 10 years. It could be said to be unchanging…

The final song is a classic remake. Duma Dam Mast Kalander has been made and remade so many times, it’s hard to tell what the original is anymore. However, the commonality of themes in all versions of this song is to strength, brotherhood and loyalty which is what is emphasised in this version’s rendition by Altamash Faridi. This song has festival mela with its traditional lyrics and presentation, but there is a great urgency in its sound which only seems to get a bit faster for a strong climax scene.

The end of year movie since 1994’s Hum Aapke Hai Kaun or 95’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge are always the most anticipated of the year as they are often big budget, super love stories with just enough in them to get an audience thinking about a particular issue. Generally, these are human stories with little action as they are more about ‘real’ people’s emotions. From the musical standpoint, there is emotion throughout but nothing to really stir emotions, possibly so that the actors’ performances are not over wrought. From the view of a super love story certainly the formula has been met but with Husn Parcham and Issaqbaazi standing out as the loudest of all the songs, the audience doesn’t get a sense of that.

“The Year of the Remake” has brought up some great memories for songs we used to know and, in some cases, made new memorable versions of them. There’s also been plenty of good new songs to add to our playlists from new and upcoming music directors as well as many of our favourites. Here are 20 of the best from 2018, in order of their release.

‘Swagpur Ka Chaudhary’ – Kaalakaandi — Akshay Verma

Electric sound with electric imagery. A song to keep you dancing even if you’re sitting down with badass lyrics to boot.

‘Theher Ja’ – October — Armaan Malik

Soft, smooth, sad but not painfully so. Says come back but finds peace in memories and loss.

‘Nit Khair Manga’ – Raid — Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

A remake of his father’s song, Rahat doesn’t do well as a facsimile here but the modernisation by Tanishk Bagchi and the words which touch the heart make it all worth it.

‘Raazi’ – Raazi — Arijit Singh

“Laga de dao par dil, agar dil raazi hai”, the combination of Gulzar and Arijit Singh deliver a powerful backing to a determined Alia on screen.

‘Ik Sar Waale Raavana Kaala’ –Karikaalan — Roshan Jamrock, Arunraja Kamaraj

Pure power in action highlighted by a superior electric guitar with the bass turned up. Anger mixed in with the surety of victory.

‘Heartquake (Aftershocks)’ – Karwaan — Papon featuring SlowCheeta

A light remix of a fun song to end both a decent film and album. Papon is lively and the reduction of instrumentation allows him to really take over the song.

‘Baba Bolta Hain Bas Ho Gaya’ – Sanju — Papon, Ranbir Kapoor, Supriya Pathak

A song to sum up a film completely. Ranbir and Sanjay Dutt come together at the end of the film to have both a fun and serious look at journalism.

‘Fu Bai Fu’ – Fanney Khan — Monali Thakur

The best of all films wrapped up in a tight package with a beautiful dance. Fun all the way whether watched or listened to.

‘Milegi Milegi’ – Stree — Mika Singh, Sachin-Jigar

Classic Mika doing what everyone knows he does best. Modernised folk-dance tune in behind to make this a party but not at the club.

‘Dhayaanchand’ – Manmarziyaan — Vijay Yamla, Nikhita Gandhi, Amit Trivedi, Suhas Sawant

Modern Punjabi for listeners to bhangra to and for viewers to catch Vicky Kaushal doing some fine antics. Fast-paced and lightly chiding, it doesn’t let up.

‘Morni’ – Halkaa — Master Saleem, Protiqe (Rap)

Hip hop track without the club beats: a master stroke by Shakar, Ehsaan and Loy. A folk song, a street song, a song for workouts or just to get you moving.

‘Aahista’ – Laila Majnu – Arijit Singh, Jonitha Gandhi

Heartbreaking, yet a true image of what love is about… an Arijit special. It lingers in the mind and heart for your special someone.

‘Pal’ – Jalebi — Javed – Mohsin, Shreya Ghoshal, Arijit Singh

“Hasu mein jab gaaye tu”, a love song for the ages to feature in a lot of best romance song playlists in years to come.

‘Tera Mera Rishta’ (Male) – Jalebi — Tanishk Bagchi, KK

KK makes a triumphant return to playback singing after a few years away with a refreshing sound that makes this light-hearted love song just so easy to feel.

‘Mantoiyat’ – Manto — Raftaar, Nawazuddin Siddiqui

While not part of the album itself, this special addition certainly hits the mark in every way. Easy to understand lyrics, powerful rap beats, interjections with dialog from the movie’s main character, this song sends its message loud and clear.

‘Ab Kya Bataun’ – Manto — Shubha Joshi, Daniel B.George

1947 required a special party to celebrate the birth of a new nation. But the pain of those who sacrificed to make it possible must not also be forgotten, thus this song does its job well.

‘Aap Se Milkar’ – Andhadhun — Abhijeet Srivastava, Aakanksha Sharma

Smooth, smooth, smooth. You listen and the song just slides into your mind. A light calypso beat keeps it there but also gets your limbs moving on their own.

‘Andhadhun Title Track’ – Andhadhun — Raftaar

Big drums back some more of Raftaar’s fine rap rhymes. There is power, there is deceit, there is a message to society, but most of all it gives out a spectacular video.

‘Chogada’ – Loveyatri – A Journey Of Love — Darshan Raval, Asees Kaur

The journey of love revolving around the key moment where after having been separated boy and girl come together again. Is a multi-purpose song, acting as happy love song as well as garba night!

‘Salaam Rocky Bhai’ – Kgf Chapter 1 – Vijay Prakash, Mohan Krishna, Santhosh Venky

Just power all the way. By the first chorus you will know who you should be fearing: the character that deserves your respect.

The above songs have each played their part in making Bollywood in 2018 another special year full of everything that is expected of it. Whether they are powerful title songs, sweet and smooth love songs, angry raps or people just having a bit of fun at the end of films, each plays their part and yet stands out on its own as a worthwhile listen when you have the chance.

One of the film we definitely have on our list to watch out for is Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy which stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt! Set to release on February 14th, Gully Boy is an underdog tale inspired by the underground rap scene in Mumbai.

The film has already garnered tremendous buzz ever since its announcement with the prep videos and star spottings creating even more curiosity. Now, we have the fabulous first look posters and we have to say call us intrigued not only to the story but what the music will be!

Gully Boy’ is Ranveer Singh’s second film with director Zoya Akhtar after ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’. He plays the lead in this underdog story, set in the slums of Dharavi, while Alia Bhatt portrays his unconventional love interest. The film also stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Kalki Koechlin in pivotal roles.

‘Gully Boy’ is also achieving international acclaim having been selected by the Berlin International Film Festival for a special gala screening. The news was announced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar who took to social media to share their excitement of the film’s selection at the Berlinale. Director Zoya Akhtar also posted an Instagram story introducing the official selection.

Directed by Zoya Akhtar, produced by Excel Entertainment and Tiger Baby, Gully Boy is slated to release on the 14th of February 2019.

Akshay Kumar and Rohit Shetty are teaming up for the first time. Another cop franchise from the Singham and Simmba director, the new film, titled Sooryavanshi, will feature the megastar Akshay Kumar as an ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) officer. Glimpses of his character have already been seen in the end credits of the Ranveer Singh-starrer Simmba and the blockbuster director also announced that the action drama will release later this year. Perfect way to get the fans excited!

Before starting filming for Sooryavanshi, the Gold actor has pending shoot for two films — Mission Mangal and Good News. Filming for the super cop action-drama Sooryavanshi is likely to commence this year.

Both Rohit Shettyand Akshay Kumar are known to finish their projects in record time. So, it won’t be surprising if their maiden collaboration is also ready in time for a release this year.

Akshay Kumar will be next seen in Kesari in March. He also has the fourth installment of comedy franchise Housefull in the pipeline.

A story about Rani Laxmibai and her fight against the British East India Company, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi releases in cinemas on 25th January 2019. Kangana Ranaut not only stars in the film she is also stepping behind the camera to direct the historical drama.

In fact, Kangana Ranaut has become one of the first among her contemporaries to turn director, stepping in to helm her magnum opus Manikarnika midway from the original director Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi (aka Krish).

In a recent interview, Kangana spoke about her filmmaking ambitions, “I always wanted to direct films. These days, you generally hear of directors wanting to be actors, and not the other way around (laughs). Even those actors who direct don’t really do it full-time. They feel that they have got a certain amount of acclaim and popularity as actors, so why should they give that up and only direct films. It may sound strange, but I have never really identified with being an actress. It’s not my calling, direction is.”

On what it was like directing a cast that comprises many veterans in Manikarnika, Kangana said in the interview, “I got a phenomenal team of actors and they are all so experienced, I didn’t have anything to tell them. Even Jisshu (Sengupta, who plays Manikarnika’s husband Gangadhar Rao) for that matter is so good, what does one tell him? I never took more than one or two takes for a scene and that surprised people on set.”

ICYMI

2019 began with a bang! The high profile press conference hosted by the producers of “Cheat India” with Aaditya Thackeray and producer Sanjay Raut, was explosive in the real sense of the word.

The Marathi version of “Thackeray” getting pushed from 23rd January to 25th January coincided with Cheat India getting advanced to 18th January.

This smart move will further augment the business prospects of Cheat India, which will gain by way of enjoying a clean first week and a lucrative Republic Day holiday in the second week.

Aaditya Thackeray’s friendship with the producers of Cheat India is a known fact. The young leader mentioned that he was actually a part of the scripting of Cheat India when the producers had picked his brains for research last year.

Commented Thackeray, “First people will watch Cheat India and get frustrated with our system! Then they will watch Thackeray and get inspired to do something! I feel I am a part of both the films. They are both very close to my heart.”

Said producers Bhushan Kumar, Emraan Hashmi, Tanuj Garg and Atul Kasbekar, “As a mark of respect to Balasaheb and to maximize the commerce, we arrived at a win-win decision. There should be no ego in business. We have, in the past, rescheduled the release of Aashiqui-2, Hindi Medium, Sonu Ke Teetu Ki Sweety and Tumhari Sulu, to align with business logic, and the results are for all to see.”

Cheat India, the first film to expose the country’s faulty education system, shows Hashmi as a smooth operator hero-worshipped by needy students and parents. It has been produced by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series, Tanuj Garg and Atul Kasbekar’s Ellipsis Entertainment and Parveen Hashmi’s Emraan Hashmi Films

After the success of ABCD 2 the trio Remo D’Souza, Varun Dhawan And Shraddha Kapoor are reuniting for India’s biggest dance film. The yet-to-be-titled next is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Lizelle D’Souza and directed by Remo.

Bhushan Kumar, who will be producing the musical, has bought on board Shraddha Kapoor to join the dancing team. The actress will be seen as a professional dancer representing the Indian contingent alongside Varun Dhawan and his team in this film which has several dance faceoffs on the lines of the Hollywood franchise Step Up. The film is set to go on floors in Punjab on January 22.

Shraddha Kapoor confirms the news and shares, “I’m excited to reunite with Remo sir, Prabhudehva sir and Varun after ABCD 2. This was made possible by Bhushanji who brought us back and believed in this amazing story. It is going to be a lot of hard work for everyone involved but we are all pumped up.”

Bhushan Kumar, who is producing the film with Remo’s wife Lizelle, reveals that the plan is to make India’s biggest dance film in 3D, “The audience has already seen Varun and Shraddha’s chemistry, now, Remo will redefine dance for our audience,” he promises, happy to team up with his Aashiqui 2, Saaho and Saina leading lady.

Lizelle D’Souza adds, “We are happy that Shraddha has joined the cast and our team is complete now. Shraddha is a beautiful and hardworking girl and we had fun in all our previous work with her. Its time to start rolling now.”

Remo shares, “It feels like old friends have come together to help us. We have worked as a team in the past and I’m sure it will be a fun ride again,”.

Varun will be seen playing a boy from Punjab, who grows up in London and a major chunk of the film will be shot in the UK. The film also marks the acting debut of Shakti Mohan and Vartika Jha. The hunt is on for a foreign dancer.

The film produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Lizelle D’Souza will redefine dance film in Indian Cinema.

Stay tuned for more!

The title song of Sonam Kapoor’s upcoming film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is out and focuses on yet another facet of love. A beautifully done retread of the iconic 1942: A Love Story song featuring Anil Kapoor and composed by RD Burman, the new number has been written by Gurpreet Saini and sung by Darshan Raval and Rochak Kohli.

Sonam shares the screen space with father Anil Kapoor for the first time in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. They play a father-daughter duo with Anil’s character looking for a groom for his daughter.

However, there is a twist in the kahani because some love stories are not simple. Sweety’s is one such story. She has to contend with her over-enthusiastic family that wants to get her married, a young writer who is completely smitten by her, a secret that she harbours close to her heart and ultimately the truth that her true love might not find acceptance in her family and society. Resolving this issue proves hilarious, touching and life changing.

Welcome to the most unexpected romance of the year!

Earlier today, Sonam shared an upside-down poster of the film featuring her and co-star Rajkummar Rao, captioned, “Rethink the way you look at love.”

Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is set to release in cinemas on 1st February 2019.

Follow the gripping true story of the 2008 attack on the Taj Hotel in the new trailer for HOTEL MUMBAI. Starring Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, with Anupam Kher, and Jason Isaacs, HOTEL MUMBAI recounts the siege of the hotel by terrorists in Mumbai. Refusing to leave their guests, hotel staff risk their lives to keep everyone safe as people make unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and their families.

Check the trailer!

A gripping true story of humanity and heroism, HOTEL MUMBAI vividly recounts the 2008 siege of the famed Taj Hotel by a group of terrorists in Mumbai, India. Among the dedicated hotel staff is the renowned chef Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher) and a waiter (Academy Award-Nominee Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire) who choose to risk their lives to protect their guests. As the world watches on, a desperate couple (Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name and Nazanin Boniadi, “Homeland”) is forced to make unthinkable sacrifices to protect their newborn child.

Catch HOTEL MUMBAI in theaters March 22, 2019!

Uri

Starring Vickey Kaushal, Mohit Raina, Paresh Rawal, Yami Gautam

Written & Directed by Aditya Dhar

Wars often rage within the soldiers’ hearts, specially when they belong to army families. In one of this significant war film’s highpoints, Major Vihaan Singh Shergill, played by the self-effacing Vicky Kaushal, gathers his troop together somewhere in Kashmir before striking surgically in the country next door (okay, Pakistan. There. I said it).

These are soldiers who have lost loved ones in terror attacks,and their blood boils.

Uri brings the blood of cross-border tension to a boil but avoids a spillover. There is a rush of patriotic pride in the product—and why should there not be?—but it is reined-in, curbed and never allowed to spill over in a gush of irrepressible jingoism. If you want to see soldiers dancing around a bonfire singing about how much they love their country and how much miss their loved ones, then you’ve got the wrong war film.

Yes these soldiers love their country. But family comes first. And when Vihaan’s brother-in-law (Mohit Raina, making a striking big-screen debut) is killed in a vivid recreation of that real-life murderous attack at the Uri army base, Vihaan channels his personal loss to seek revenge on behalf of the country. It may not be the most patriotic of purposes. But it gives a certain disingenuous believability to the mission.

All through its roomy yet tightly-wound running-time Uri confidently gives us people and situations from that golden chapter in BJP’s existence when India voluntarily forefeited the politics of pacifism to take on the enemy headlong.

The narrative is stylish and the political figures, from a dapper Narendra Modi (played with a refreshing absence of mimicry by Rajit Kapoor) to a droll Rakesh Bedi (playing a belching Pakistani politician), are all people whom we instantly recognize, not only by the way they look and talk but by their propensity to push the narrative into top gear without toppling the narrative into an excessively zealous jingoism.

While the actors playing Indian soldiers are uniformly (pun intended) credible the film’s technical polish may come as bit of a surprise to those of us who have resigned ourselves to substandard VFX in our cinema . Uri is shot with astounding finesse by cinematographer Mitesh Mirchandani. Every frame is a thoughtful recreation of the moment in time when in 2016, Indian soldiers pushed their way into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to seek revenge.There is no pitching for effect. The drama and the fury flow organically.

Revenge served cold is said to be effective. Writer-director Aditya Dhar serves it up piping hot. The locations and the gunfire exchanges are perhaps the best we’ve seen in Indian cinema.The sound-design and background score capture the pain of lost human lives without bleeding out a banshee of road signs for our emotional responses. The tone of narration avoids overstatement . Dhar avoids the temptation of selfcongratulation. Barring a dialogue like, ‘Ghar mein ghus ke marunga’ which doesn’t really belong to this film of graceful comeuppance,there is little chest-thumping here.

The performances add considerable weight to the drama. While Kaushal surrenders to his character’s conflicts without intellectualizing them, I must make a special mention of the underused Kirti Kulhari who plays a small enigmatic part as the daughter of a disgraced army officer waiting to redeem her family pride…almost like the war genre in Indian cinema that had gone from Chetan Anand’s Haqeeqat and J P Dutta’s Border to Dutta’s Paltan.

Uri is a work of many achievements. But to me, a film about national pride without a single shot of the Indian flag is the biggest miracle since the invention of the motionpicture camera. This is a glorious beginning to 2019. And if patriotism is the flavour of the year, bring it on, provided it’s not about Paki-bashing. Just getting even.