Dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (JDJ) has accomplished what Bollywood couldn't in two decades — bring Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Sridevi on screen together.
The two former Bollywood queens bonded like long-lost friends at the grand finale of JDJ. They were colour-coordinated and performed/danced together to Mere Haathon Mein Nau Nau Choodiyan Hain (Sri's popular song from Chandni) and Dhak Dhak Karne Laga (Madhuri's popular track from Beta).
Madhuri played perfect host to Sri right from guiding her to her seat in the judging panel to making her feel at ease while performing on stage. She praised Sri's acting and wished her luck for her comeback movie, English Vinglish. In fact, the rapport between the two was there for all to see, as the actresses hugged and chatted between dances.
About her experience on the show, Sri said, "It was fun, like always." So, which is her favourite performance of Madhuri? "It would be a tough choice, but I like Dhak Dhak Karne Laga the most," she said. Sri got the male contestants grooving with a rousing performance of Rang Bhare Baadal Se (Chandni).
The men in Mads and Sri's lives stood by the sidelines cheering their better halves on. Madhuri's husband Sriram Nene was spotted smiling through all of his wife's dances. While Sridevi's husband Boney Kapoor was present, he chose not to be seen on camera. He even requested the cast and crew not to inform Sridevi about his presence.
Filmmaker Karan Johar decided to turn anchor and quiz the two ladies in his rapid fire round on the dance reality show. KJo asked them the following questions.
Which is your favourite genre??
Sridevi: Comedy
She also said a few lines from her hit comedy film, Chalbaaz, “Jaani yeh chaku hai, lag jaye toh khoon nikalta hai.” Karan said it was a hysterical scene that had to be recreated.
Madhuri: Romance
To this, Karan said, “Haan, romance toh tumhe sab mein daalna hai, aakhir Dil to Paagal Hai.”
Which co-star was the most difficult to dance with? Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff or Sunny Deol?
Sridevi: “Anil ji is family, so I don’t think he will mind if I take his name”.
Madhuri: “I think I will have to say Jackie, not because he couldn’t dance, but because I couldn’t look in his eyes… He made me blush whenever I tried. Even when we were shooting Ram Lakhan, and I would sing, ‘Oh Ram ji’, I would blush.”
Who’s the better dancer? Hema or Rekha?
Sridevi: I think Madhuri ji.
Madhuri: “We will answer your question if you answer ours… Rani or Kajol? Who’s your favourite?” Karan replied, “You caught me, I can’t answer this, I would have to say Kareena.”
Out of the 3 Khans, Aamir, SRK and Salman, who is the better dancer?
Sridevi: ‘Apne three Student of The Year ke actors mein who’s the better dancer?’
Madhuri: “None of them are trained dancers. Each have their own characteristics that help them. For Amir, it’s his sheer hard work. For SRK, it’s his style and Salman has his own masti that helps him look good. All are charismatic in their own ways.
Watch this episode of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa on Sunday at 8 pm on Colors.
Shahid Rafi, son of legendary playback singer Mohammed Rafi, has refuted claims by Lata Mangeshkar that his father had sent her an apology letter to resolve an issue between them. The late singer’s son Shahid Rafi lashes out at the singer, alleging that she maligned his dad’s name
Mohammed Rafi’s Son Shahid Rafi With Wife Firdaus and Son Fuzail Rafi During the Launch of the Md.Rafi Academy
Lata Mangeshkar’s interview to Mumbai Mirror titled “I am far from perfect - I have a fierce temper”, where the songstress recalled her fight with (late) Mohd Rafi over royalty rights and said she later got a written apology from him.
Lataji had told Mumbai Mirror: “At a meeting attended by prominent singers and musicians, Rafi Saab stood up and said, 'Main aaj se Lata ke saath nahin gaoonga'. I retorted, 'Rafi Saab, ek minute. Aap nahin gaayenge mere saath yeh galat baat hai. Main aapke saath nahin gaoongee'. I stormed out and called my composers there and informed them to rope in another singer if it was a duet with Rafi Saab.” Asked about their patch-up, she had said, “Composer Jaikishen took the initiative. I asked him to get a written apology from Rafi Saab. I got the letter and ended the cold war. But whenever I’d see him, the hurt would return.”
Rafi’s son Shahid called a special press conference here Wednesday (26 Sep 2012) to give his verdict on Lata's claim. Shahid Rafi has come out in strong protest, alleging she is lying and maligning his father’s name, especially now when neither Rafi nor composer Jaikishen are alive to defend themselves.
Shahid Rafi, explaining their side of the story, says, “The controversy went on for a while. Lataji and some other singers were looking for royalty, saying they should get a cut from the producer, director etc. My dad wasn’t very keen on that. He was this humble, soft spoken, amazingly generous person. His stand was, ‘Our job is to sing and we get money for that. There is no point in getting greedy.’ Hence, they had a fight and he decided to stop singing any duet with her.”
Questioning Lataji’s claim that his dad had given her a written apology, he adds, "My father was a national property. His fan following is bigger than any artist. He passed away about 25 years ago, and now she is talking about this letter? People keep valuable documents for even 50 years. Why hasn’t she retained the paper which would give her dignity? If she can prove that my father had written an apology letter to her, then she should come out and produce it. In case she does, I am ready to apologise to her," Shahid told reporters here.
Shahid’s version of the patch-up is rather different. He says after his dad stopped singing with Lataji, he continued getting offers for duets and opted to sing with another brilliant singer, Suman Kalyanpur.
Shahid claimed that his father had no competition at the time, whereas Lata did.
"There is no competition between her and my father as actors like Shammi Kapoor and Dharamendra wanted him to sing for them. But there were other female singers like Suman Kalyanpur, Hemlata and Mubarak Begum and others who might have been competition to her. So maybe her career was at stake," he said.
At this point, Lataji started feeling insecure and approached composer Jaikishan to make peace between them.
“When Jaikishan approached my father and requested him to make amends with Lataji, he immediately agreed because he wasn’t the kind to hold on to grudges. But there is no way he would have apologised to her because he always stood by his principles. Why didn’t she bring up this issue when he was alive?” Shahid says, adding, “I don’t have to give any further justification about my dad’s reputation. Even today, my dad has more followers than Lataji.”
Mohammad Rafi was one of the most popular singers of 1950s and 1960s and gave hits like Chaudhvin ka chand ho, Husnwale tera jawab nahin, Chhoo lene do nazuk hothon ko and Maine poocha chand se. He died in 1980. He was 55.
He also sang duets with Lata such as Yunhi tum mujhse baat karti ho and Tujhe jeewan ki dor se.
Excerpts…From Lata Mangeshkar’s interview to Mumbai Mirror where she spoke about her feud with te late Md Rafi
Eighty three! You are kidding...
(laughs) 83 it is. Fact is I've never felt myself growing older. Time has just flown.
That's because you have never seen a downside in your singing career of 70 years.There was drive and determination in me. I was not born to lose. One has to be fully committed to one's career. Otherwise there's no point.
What is your advice to up and coming artistes?
Do you think they need or want my advice? The young today are far smarter than I ever used to be.
Do you feel sorry for singers today?
Not at all but if they'd sung for great composers, they'd have definitely benefitted.
Have you stopped singing for films?
Of course not! I will sing till I can. Maybe today's music directors can't connect with me. They probably think I'm too old and tired to sing. I am not bothered but I can't say yes to them until I hear the words and tunes. I fear not enjoying a song during the recording.
Have you ever had such an experience in your career?
Only once! I sang a song composed by Madan Mohan for the film Chacha Zindabad produced by Om Prakash, who was my raakhi brother. After the recording, I called Om Prakash aside and insisted he get the song sung by someone else.
The situation in the song was about a classical singer who starts singing in a ramba-samba style to attract her boyfriend. Initially, Om Prakashji protested but ultimately he relented to my wishes.
But you've sung cabaret songs like Aa jaan-e-jaan in Inteqaam and Naam hai mera jameela in Night In London…Those required a lot of convincing from the composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal. They made sure the words weren't cheap and the tune was within my comfort zone. Besides, a graceful dancer like Helen performed on those songs.
Did you leave the westernised numbers to your sister Asha Bhosleji?
Please don't make me sound like a martyr. I just couldn't connect with cabaret songs. What Asha can sing, I can tell you without any pretence of modesty, I can never sing.
How’s your equation with her?
We meet often. Though she doesn't stay next door any more, she has her morning tea with me whenever she's here. Whenever she has a show, she seeks my blessings. I've heard her lyric book has my picture in it. I don't have a troubled relationship with any of my siblings. Squabbles happen in every family…
When people approach you, they stand at a distance like one does in a temple…
Their love and respect is my biggest reward. It's God's grace. However, I am far from perfect. I have a fierce temper. I've mastered it over the years but when I'm angry, no one can force me to do anything I don't want to.
Can you give an example? Mohd Rafi Saab and I fought over royalty rights. At a meeting attended by prominent singers and musicians, he stood up and said, "Main aaj se Lata ke saath nahin gaoonga." I retorted, "Rafi Saab, ek minute. Aap nahin gaayenge mere saath yeh galat baat hai. Main aapke saath nahin gaoongee." I stormed out and called all my composers there and then and informed them to rope in another singer if it was a duet with Rafi Saab.
But there was a patch-up with Rafi Saab?
Composer Jaikishan took the initiative. I asked him to get a written apology from Rafi Saab. I got the letter and ended the cold war. But whenever I'd see him, the hurt would return.
Why were you angry with Sachin Dev Burman?
He was quoted in an article saying, "Who made Lata's career? We did. We gave her the songs." I don't know if he was misquoted but we didn't talk for three to four years. Till his son Pancham (R D Burman) mediated. When Burman Sr called, I was still very angry and spoke to him very curtly. Then he said, "Lata, tu aaja, tujhe gana hai" and my anger evaporated. We broke the ice with the song Mora gora ang layee le in Bandini.
Who was your favourite co-singer?
(laughs) I really liked Kishore Kumar. He had a virile man's voice, and he was truly versatile. My first duet with Kishoreda was in the Dev Anand-starrer Ziddi. We were both great fans of K L Saigal Saab.
Who are your favourite composers?
Each composer was unique. However, Sajjad Hussain Saab, who did very few films, impressed me deeply although I sang only seven to eight songs for him. And, my brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar impressed me.
Do you regret not getting married?
Not the least. I believe an individual's birth, marriage and death are pre-ordained.
What is your message to your fans?
For those in the world of music, please spare time to understand Indian classical music. Too much attention is given to clothes and accessories. For everyone else, we need more genuine love for the country.
The privileged classes today are bothered about petrol and diesel prices while the poor can't afford two meals a day. I am a very small person but I want us to think beyond personal and regional interests. That's my birthday wish…
- As told to Subhash K Jha
Below are some legendary songs sung by Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar together Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar Duets/classics/songs
After doing some raunchy moves in 'Dreamum Wakeupum' song and a groovy lavani number 'Sava Dollar', Rani is now seen doing some sensual belly dancing moves in the latest track, Aga Bai, in the film Aiyyaa. Yes the feisty actress can been seen swaying her hips & belly in the latest track, 'Aga Bai' from the film AIYYAA. Watch the teaser of Rani's belly dance in the video below. Rani's graceful belly dancing is going to give many a dancing icons of Bollywood a run for their money!
Apparently, Rani trained herself in belly dancing to lend authenticity to the number. Music director Amit Trivedi says that creating three different flavours was deliberate keeping the theme of the film in mind. "Rani is shown as a middle-class Maharashtrian girl, who has her own dreams and wishes. The songs portray her fantasies."
Amit reveals that Rani made it a point to be present when the tracks were being created. "She gave her inputs and took keen interest in the songs. The songs have caught up in a big way. In fact, the word Dreamum is the latest lingo used by people. I have heard radio and television hosts use it so often," Amit smiles.
Anurag Kashyap says, "The response has been outstanding. Rani worked four months without a break on the three songs. The result is there for all to see."
Rani says, "Aiyyaa has one of the best music tracks in recent times. The beauty of the album is the fact that no two songs are similar. And the choreography is world-class. Vaibhavi Merchant told me that it was a challenge for her to choreograph the various songs and she also felt that I had never worked harder than I have, to give each dance the required gusto."
Aiyyaa, produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, releases October 12.
The new song promo from the film ‘Student Of The Year’ has Alia Bhatt dressed in a silver and pink Manish Malhotra ensemble, doing the perfect thumkas to the tunes of Vishal and Shekhar.
The new song ‘Radha on the Dance floor’ has the lead cast, Varun Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt dressed in traditional outfits, gyrating to the number which is a mix traditional and western beats. The song is grand and has a Karan Johar ‘stamp’ all over it.
The film releases on 19 October. Watch below the promo of Radha On The Dance Floor Song From Student Of The Year Featuring Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan.
While most actors are known to make the most of social networking sites to promote their films, Bollywood star Salman Khan is known to use them to garner support for the causes he believes in. He has always been known to promote issues that are close to his heart. So it was hardly surprising to see that the Bollywood star — who has close to 2,731,103 followers on the microblogging site Twitter and registered approximately 3,167,257 fan likes on Facebook — is making the most of the social networking site that he recently signed up on, toreach out to his fans seeking their support for the causes as well.
Salman Khan recently extended his support to the Indian Paralympic athletes.
On his official Facebook page, Salman wrote, "As a gesture of appreciation for our Paralympic athletes, I would like to present each of the nine athletes Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for the medalist, Girisha. They have done us proud. To my dear friends on Facebook, if you would like to add a contribution, let me know. Will work out a way to send in your contributions."
It may be recalled that Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda gave India its first medal at the Paralympic Games after bagging silver in the men's high jump F42 event earlier this month in London. The 24-year-old from Karnataka, who has an impairment in his left leg, sailed over a height of 1.74m using scissors technique in the final of the event to finish second in the presence of an 80,000 capacity crowd.
When contacted Salman is reported to have said, “The Paralympics prove that ability overcomes disability. No praise is high enough for the athletes who overcome odds to compete at the highest level in sport.”
Actor Salman Khan returns as a host for the sixth season of reality show 'Bigg Boss'. The show will now be aired at family time, the prime time at 9 PM everyday on Colors. Salman, this time wants common man to join him on 'Big Boss' and people are asked to send an SMS or log on to the website of the Colors channel, which airs the show. They will have to participate in a contest to appear on 'Bigg Boss 6'. A parrot and fish will be the new elements in the 'Big Boss' house this time, making Bigg Boss 6 truly different as promised. The superstar, who had co-hosted the last season with actor friend Sanjay Dutt, will now be hosting the show alone. The show will go on air from October 7 everyday at 9 PM on Colors channel. Watch the videos of the making of 'Bigg Boss 6' promos featuring Salman Khan below. Must watch!
Ranbir Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra-Ileana D'Cruz starrer Barfi! has been nominated as India's entry at the Oscars in Foreign Language Film category. The film, directed by Anurag Basu, has beaten 19 other films to be named India's official entry to the Oscars.
It is understandable that everybody connected with Barfi! is elated over its selection as the official Indian entry for Oscars, but the big question is Whether or not Barfi! deserves this honor as a number of scenes copied from popular international films like "The Adventurer", Kikujiro, The Notebook and old Chaplin classics are evident. The jury at the Oscars will catch the plagiarized portions pretty easily making it highly unlikely for the movie to even make it to the nominations let alone bring home an Oscar.
Catch the video below from 1:54 To 4:10 to watch some of the scenes which are direct lifts from international projects...Video Link >>
Heroine Box Office Report: Yet again a new release went exactly as per script at the box office over the weekend gone by. As predicted, Kareena Kapoor Heroine was expected to open at an average of 60% collections and enjoy a stable release right through the weekend. This is how the Madhur Bhandarkar directed affair behaved as well with a good opening Friday followed by Saturday and Sunday showing 10%-15% growth on day by day basis as well.
Day By Day Box Office Collections of Heroine were:
Day 1 - 7.5 Crore
Day 2 - 8.6 Crore
Day 3 - 9+ Crore
Total = 25+ Crore For the First Weekend Box office Collections of Heroine
The film has indeed performed well and is on road to making profits
Standing at 25 crores over the first weekend, the film is a decent success, especially considering the fact it’s controlled costs. Also, Heroine is now en route to be highest grossing Madhur Bhandarkar film after Fashion and Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, both of which collected in the range of 30 crores each.
The film was impacted in a major way by two factors – a) Mixed reviews, some of them which were really scathing, and b) rise in fortunes of Barfi!, especially after the Oscar nomination which raised further curiosity amongst the viewers. Even though audience word of mouth for the film has ranged from decent to good, hence allowing stable collections over the weekend, the Kareena Kapoor starrer could have enjoyed a better status if not for the aforementioned factors. Having said that, these are still good collections for a woman centric film and overall, a profitable venture. Also, Kareena has benefited further from all around positive reviews about her performance.
Find here: Heroine Box Office Review, Box office report of Heroine Kareena Kapoor.
RANI MUKERJEE APPARENTLY HAS TAKEN A JAB AT THE EVERGREEN AMITABH BACHCHAN AND REKHA JODI IN HER UPCOMING FILM AIYAA
The latest song Savaa Dollar from Rani Mukerji and Prithviraj’s upcoming film AIYAA has created a buzz of a different kind. In one of the paragraphs of the song, Rani seems to be taking a dig at none other than the eternal romantic pair of Bollywood — Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha.
Rani Mukerjee in Aiyaa Giving the Rekha Expression
Aiyyaa is a rom-com written and directed by Sachin Kundalkar, jointly produced by Anurag Kashyap and Viacom 18. The film stars Rani Mukerji and Malayalam actor Prithviraj.
Dreamum Wakeuppam is a dream sequence song with Rani as the heroine of a southern masala and south star Prithviraj as her ultimate fantasy man.
Since Rani plays a Marathi girl in Aiyyaa whose heart goes dhak dhak only for a Tamil boy (Prithviraj), she dreams of him all the time, and the tangy song Dreamum Wakeuppam is the result of her wonderful imagination
Dreamum Wakeuppam Critical Conditionam is said to be inspired from the south cult classic number from the eighties featuring Kamal Haasan. Not only the song, apparently even the dance has been choreographed keeping Haasan’s number in mind. Vaibhavi Merchant has choreographed the track
A month after hosting a big Eid celebration, Galaxy apartments in Bandra, home to Salman Khan and his family, is buzzing with Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations today.
Even as you read this, all the members of the Khan family are participating in the religious rituals centered around Lord Ganesha.This is the 11th year that the elephant-headed God, the remover of all obstacles, is visiting their home.
Salman Khan, His Parents Salim Khan and Salma and Sisters Alvira & Arpita pose in front of a painting by the Salman at their Bandra home
“We brought in Lord Ganesha 11 years ago because Arpita (Salman’s little sister) was very keen and took it upon herself to organise every detail of the festival. As she promised, she has been organising it single-handedly every year since then.”
In this modern Muslim home, a very secular atmosphere exists, as Hinduism, Islam and Christianity co-exist here happily, thanks to the efforts of Marathi-Brahmin Salma Khan (originally Sushila Charak), her husband Salim Khan and his second wife Helen, who is Catholic.
Earlier, when the Khans did not celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at home, Salman, brothers Arbaaz and Sohail and sister Alvira would be taken to their aaji’s (maternal grandmother’s) home in Mahim for the festivities.
“In the evenings, I would dress up the kids and go to my mother’s house so the children could celebrate with our neighbours there,” Salma recollects fondly.
Her daughter Alvira, married to filmmaker Atul Agnihotri, recalls her childhood memories of the festival. “Though it wasn’t celebrated at home, Ganpati was great fun. Salman bhai, Arbaaz bhai, Sohail and I would run down the street to join the Ganpati processions that would halt before our house. We would participate in the aarti dance,” laughs Alvira.
Today, she and her younger sister Arpita have become extremely devoted to Ganesha. They sometimes even walk barefoot to the Siddhivinayak Temple situated in Prabhadevi on Tuesdays.
In the one-and-a-half days that Ganesha resides in Galaxy, the religious rules of the festival are strictly adhered to.
Non-vegetarian food and alcohol are banned. Instead, the kitchen turns out delicacies like modak, masale bhaat, puri and aloo bhaji, vatlidal, pitthi and chana usal. “I love cooking and feeding people,” says Salma. “During Ganpati and Eid, I work in the kitchen with the assistance of my cooks.”
Salman, who has taken a two-day break from the shooting of Dabangg 2 in Satara, joins us, looking fresh after a rigorous workout and shower. “I feel blessed to be born and brought up in a house that respects every religion,” says the actor.
“The credit goes to mom, dad and Helen aunty. In Galaxy, God is one, though our paths to reach the almighty are different.”
In fact, all paths to God are open, if you take Salma as an example. Though she adopted Islam after marrying Salim, she did not let go of her faith: “I offer namaaz every day and recite the Quran verses just as I do my pujas and recite the Gayatri Mantra and the Hanuman Chalisa,” she explains. “On Wednesdays, we used to go to the church for Novena prayers as well. Choosing their faith is something we left to the children. However, Salim miya and I have taught them the basics of all the religions.”
Sharmila Tagore (Pet name - Rinku) is sending invites to near and dear ones to keep Thursday, October 18 free for the walima (reception) dawat of her son Saif Ali Khan with Kareena Kapoor
Saif Ali Khan-Kareena Kapoor Wedding Reception Invitation card
Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan Reception Invitation card
Saif Ali Khan-Kareena Kapoor wedding Reception Invitation card With the Pataudi emblem,Pictures of Saif Ali Khan-Kareena Kapoor Wedding Invitation card
The invite has been extended from her along with daughters Saba and Soha. Guests have been told a formal invite will follow. Interestingly the card is signed stating with warm regards from Rinku that is Sharmila’s pet name! It also carries the Pataudi emblem.
Kareena Kapoor talking about her marriage is reported to have said,
"Post marriage I will be Kareena Kapoor Khan. That means I have the privilege of having two of the most powerful surnames in Bollywood attached to my name. My signature will have a triple K — KKK."