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Friday, December 21, 2007

Bollywood: 2007 Year that was






10.





Movie: It’s Breaking News
Banner: Anima Films
Producer: Shreyas Mhaskar
Director: Vishal Inamdar
Star Cast: Koel Puri as Vidya, Abhimanyu Shekhar Singh, Vinay Apte as Inspector , Dandekar, Harsh Chhaya as S P Gupta, Swati Sen,Atul Parchure as Rafique,Virendra Saxena, Shishir Sharma, Nandita Puri, Anita Wahi, Dhananjay Mandrekar, Vijay , Patwardhan, Rahul Vohra, Vandana Gupte
Music Director: Kaushal Inamdar
Cinematography: Shirish Desai
Script: Jayant Pawar
Starting as a novice, she soon learns the tricks of the trade and finds her way up on the ladder as she starts delivering one breaking news after another for her channel. With her confident boosting up due to her success, she starts getting better assignments to work on. With her morale at an all time high, she comes across a story that brings a complete shift in her attitude towards the world of journalism!


9. Taare Zameen Par: Aamir Khan, the filmmaker, has arrived. Get ready for an inspiring cinema that is a must-see for every parent.


Cast: Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra, Darsheel Safary, M. K. Raina, Tanay Cheda, Sachet Engineer, Vipin Sharma




8. Saawariya


From a bird’s eye view, the dream world of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya looks like a vague cubist painting, with houses in hues of blue and green. And it is a world where the sun doesn’t shine. Not at least in the course of the story.Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s short story ‘White Nights’, ‘Saawariya’ is like a dark and surreal fable that enchants you with its visual beauty, but doesn’t touch you where it matters the most – heart. And the reason for this is that Sanjay Leela Bhansali gives more importance to creating the right ambience rather than capturing the essence of the story. To put it briefly, the film’s beautiful form obliterates the inherent love and pathos in the story. And ‘Saawariya’ ends up as a unique study in the art of cinematography, but an average film that falls short of providing what it promised.




7. Aaja Nachle - Dancer's Lover
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Ranvir ShoreyDirector: Anil Mehta


For an actress who strongly believes that dancing awakens spirituality in one's self, no other movie can be a more suitable comeback to Bollywood than Yash Raj Films' song and dance musical, Aaja Naachle. Madhuri's grand comeback .After a five year break since her last release - Devdas (2002) - Madhuri Dixit once again steps into her dancing shoes ready to mesmerise Bollywood fans with her dancing skills.Aaja Nachle sees Madhuri playing the role of a theatre actress. It focuses on a woman's journey back to her roots, rekindling lost relationships and bringing back to life the theatre where she learnt the lessons of life and love. She now faces her toughest challenge as she fights against all odds to bring back to life her beloved theatre.

6. Johny Gaddar
Seshadri (Dharmendra), Prakash (Vinay Patak), Shardul (Zakir Hussain), Shiva (Daya Shetty) and Vikram (Neil Mukesh) are five business associates, who plan a conspiracy. All have one common interest and that is making fast money. The eldest of the group is Seshadri and he gets an offer to make a fortune in four days and the rest of the gang agree to pitch in their share as this would put them in the big league. The youngest of the group Vikram decides to double-cross and elope with his love Mini. What ensues is an accident that they all try to figure out.
Overall, Johnny Gaddar is half planned suspense thriller but manges to entertain.
SO all in all an entertaining affair and a great movie to watch.
5. Lions of Punjab


Writer-director Manish Acharya's 90-minute film leaves you with enough characters to populate two big-budget Karan Johar spectacles. Broadly assertive Indians swarm the posh hotel that hosts the music contestants. Yes, there's plenty of anger underlining the film's utterly blithe and amusing subtext. On the surface, the eccentric and isolated NRI community seem to represent the most apparent fall-out of cultural displacement.Within half-an-hour you warm up to these naively ambitious characters as people whom you've probably bumped into during your last visit to the US at the neighbourhood curry canteen.




4. No Smoking


I’ve heard of leave your-brain-behind movies but for NO SMOKING, you should leave your self behind! Seriously this is absurd cinema. Bizzare, strange, illogical, ridiculous, silly.....



3. Chak De India


Jo nahin ho sakta hai, wahi to karna hai...


Kabir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) knows what it's like to come back from the dead. The ex Indian Captain has now come back in the avatar of the Coach of the Indian Women's National Hockey team. A team that exists more on paper and less in reality.


Mujhe sirf ek mulk ka naam sunaai deta hai –India


The girls have never known the thrilling energy of being Team India.

Chak De India is the story of a coach's fight of making his team, Team India by overcoming their diverse backgrounds, by learning to use everything that life hurls on them as a secret weapon. It's a story about honesty, sincerity and integrity. A story to remind the nation of its National sport.



2. RGV ki AAG - Its Burning Hot !!!

A remake of Sholay ? Sort of

A Xerox Copy of Sholay ? Not at all

An Adaptation with another visionaries perspective ? - Yes that is what it is.

AAG - one of the most awaited movies of this year. I was excited about it since the day I came to know that RGV was making it.

SO all in all an entertaining affair and a great movie to watch. - Joke of the century
1. Gandhi my father
Eros International announced its next global release, Gandhi My Father, the most captivating and revolutionary film ever to emerge from India, telling the untold story of Gandhi’s tragic relationship with his eldest son.
A great movie. Fantastic movie. Gandhi My Father has already begun attracting international attention, with former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, requesting a private screening of the film . Hollywood actors Will Smith and Goldie Hawn, who are known Gandhi supporters, have already seen the film’s showreel. Smith was quoted as saying he was “very impressed with the canvas of the film and the emotional intensity of the actors”.
Gandhi My Father is a powerful study of the nature and sufferings of the patriarchal relationship between one of the world’s most loved figures – ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi - and his misfortunate eldest son Harilal. The film delves into a territory that has never before been visited by film, and will spark debate by bringing to light an unknown facet of the personal history of a man who transformed the soul of a nation, but who could not save the soul of his own son.Based on his thought-provoking play, Mahatma v/s Gandhi, veteran thespian of Indian theatre and cinema Feroz Khan has combined his unparalleled talents as a writer and director with the production skills of fellow industry stalwart Anil Kapoor, to create the most affecting film of modern times.

BSNL Bangalore International Marathon 2007


Karnataka Athletic Association hosted the 2007 Bangalore International Marathon on 16 Dec 2007. Title sponsor was BSNL.
The Kenyans were in a class of their own. A sterling performance saw them sweeping the top three spots in the full marathon event.
I also participated in the Half Marathon event and successfully completed within 2 hours and 9 minutes. This event had participation over 900, more than 50% couldn't complete. I finished 181st.
It was Kenyans all the way in Full Marathon event.
Ngira Nyaga took two hours, 22 minutes and 32 seconds to complete the 42.195-km distance, while compatriots Makau Nzioka (2::25:26) and Sua Mutisya (Kenya, 2::31:25) finished second and third respectively. Fantaw Hussen (Ethiopia, 2::32:04) finished fourth, while India’s Munna Mahli (2::35:39) finished fifth and Etiopia’s Kasahun Gebree Gziabher (2::47:0) sixth and last within the prize money bracket.
The Indians fared better in the half marathon with Surender Singh taking the top spot in the men’s section in a time of 1::04:5. Habteselassie Lemma Gemechu (Ethiopia, 1::04:6) and Santosh Kumar (India, 1::05:2) finished second and third respectively.In the women’s half marathon, Kenya’s Agnes (1::11:3) and Pauline (1::12:1) took the first two spots, while Indians Kavitha Raut (1::14:1) and Preethi L Rao (1::18:5) finished third and fourth respectively.

In the full marathon, one has to give it to the Kenyans. Their pace was unbelievable from the word go.
Results:Full marathon (men only): Ngira Nyaga (Kenya, 2::22:32 hours) 1; Makau Nzioka (Kenya, 2::25:26) 2; Sua Mutisya (Kenya, 2::31:25) 3; Fantaw Hussen (Ethiopia, 2::32:04) 4; Munna Mahli (India, 2::35:39) 5; Kasahun Gebree Gziabher (Ethiopia, 2::47:0) 6.Half marathon: Men: Surender Singh (India, 1::04:5) 1; Habteselassie Lemma Gemechu (Ethiopia, 1::04:6) 2; Santosh Kumar (India, 1::05:2) 3; Berhanu Meleyo Kassa (Ethiopia, 1::05:4) 4; Soji Mathew (India, 1::05:5) 5; Zenebe Kasaw Kebret (Ethiopia, 1::06:5) 6.Women: Agnes (Kenya, 1::11:3) 1; Pauline (Kenya, 1::12:1) 2; Kavitha Raut (India, 1::14:1) 3; Preethi L Rao (India, 1::18:5) 4; Vaishali Chatare (India, 1::22:5) 5; K Maheshwari (India, 1::30:5) 6.

Cricket India 2007 - India play on despite the turmoil


The chaotic world of Indian cricket hit a new low in 2007 with reluctant captains, invisible coaches, warring officials and rebel games hogging the spotlight.
The players attempted to stay focussed amid the discord and bedlam, but were unwilling victims in the storm that engulfed the cricket world's most powerful nation that drives the sport's economics.
Team India did well to recover from the humiliating blow of a first round knock-out from the World Cup in March-April where they were stunned by unfancied Bangladesh and eventual finalists Sri Lanka.
India won three consecutive Test series against Bangladesh, England and Pakistan, finished with a 20-15 winning one-day record and claimed the inaugural Twenty20 World title in South Africa.

India won the Twenty20 World Cup after a thrilling final in which arch-rivals Pakistan fell five runs short


Sadly, the year will be remembered more for non-cricketing reasons that grabbed the headlines in the aggressive and competitive Indian media.
Chappell, the former Australian captain and batting great, quit as coach after the World Cup debacle in April, but it took eight months for India's bungling chiefs to find a replacement.
Graham Ford turned down the job, leading contender Dav Whatmore was not even considered and India were forced to make-do with temporary appointees like Chandu Borde and Lalchand Rajput before ex-South African opener Gary Kirsten was appointed.


It's business as usual in Indian cricket. There could be more of the same next year.