PRIYANKA CHOPRA: Diversity in the USA

Indian film star Priyanka Chopra has signed a one year talent development contract with USA nationwide television network ABC.

This comes as a welcome step forward for the singer-actress, who has more than 45 films to her credit in India, 3 international singles and has recently lent her voice to the animated film Planes.
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BOLLYWOOD SINGERS for Women Internet Literacy

After a very long hiatus, here we are happy to bring you some fresh and useful news.

MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination), Farhan Akhtar's social campaign which had started in 2012, has joined hands this week with search engine giant Google to help increase internet literacy among women in India. The campaign is called "Reach For the Sky" and is quickly gathering visibility on Youtube and social media through a song video titled “Chulein Aasman” is a song about female emancipation and about freeing women from the roles that they have been coerced into playing for centuries. The music and video feature Salim-Sulaiman and Farhan Akhtar.

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Search giant Google on Tuesday launched a new social campaign in association with Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar’s initiative MARD, to increase internet literacy among women in the country. Google India had first time launched a ‘digital literacy’ initiative campaign called ‘Helping Women Get Online’ (HWGO) in collaboration with Intel, HUL and Axis Bank late last year. “The first phase has been very successful. In the last 12 months, the number of women using the internet has grown 35 per cent as against 31 per cent by men. This for the first time that women have surpassed men in using internet. This is just the start of the programme as it’s only 10 months when we  launched it (the first phase),” Google India vice president and managing director Rajan Anandan said here. As the company ramps up its activities and takes many of them to the next level, it expects further acceleration in the campaign, Anandan said. The jointly-promoted campaign called ‘ReachForTheSky’ will look to generate awareness about the need to get women online. It will also encourage existing users to help get more  women online and spread awareness of gender equality and women empowerment. Despite India inching closer to become the second  largest internet users’ country, the number of women using internet is lower than most of the countries, he said adding, “empowering the young women population with information and internet related tools could transform India’s future.” We need to build on this start and join the campaign with MARD to encourage women to come online, he added. Google India head for marketing Sandeep Menon said the company’s aim is to help bring 50 million women online in the country. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/google-india-launches-new-campaign-with-farhan-akhtar-to-help-women-get-online/#sthash.JVPl646b.dpuf

Search giant Google on Tuesday launched a new social campaign in association with Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar’s initiative MARD, to increase internet literacy among women in the country. Google India had first time launched a ‘digital literacy’ initiative campaign called ‘Helping Women Get Online’ (HWGO) in collaboration with Intel, HUL and Axis Bank late last year. “The first phase has been very successful. In the last 12 months, the number of women using the internet has grown 35 per cent as against 31 per cent by men. This for the first time that women have surpassed men in using internet. This is just the start of the programme as it’s only 10 months when we  launched it (the first phase),” Google India vice president and managing director Rajan Anandan said here. As the company ramps up its activities and takes many of them to the next level, it expects further acceleration in the campaign, Anandan said. The jointly-promoted campaign called ‘ReachForTheSky’ will look to generate awareness about the need to get women online. It will also encourage existing users to help get more  women online and spread awareness of gender equality and women empowerment. Despite India inching closer to become the second  largest internet users’ country, the number of women using internet is lower than most of the countries, he said adding, “empowering the young women population with information and internet related tools could transform India’s future.” We need to build on this start and join the campaign with MARD to encourage women to come online, he added. Google India head for marketing Sandeep Menon said the company’s aim is to help bring 50 million women online in the country. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/google-india-launches-new-campaign-with-farhan-akhtar-to-help-women-get-online/#sthash.JVPl646b.dpuf

Search giant Google on Tuesday launched a new social campaign in association with Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar’s initiative MARD, to increase internet literacy among women in the country. Google India had first time launched a ‘digital literacy’ initiative campaign called ‘Helping Women Get Online’ (HWGO) in collaboration with Intel, HUL and Axis Bank late last year. “The first phase has been very successful. In the last 12 months, the number of women using the internet has grown 35 per cent as against 31 per cent by men. This for the first time that women have surpassed men in using internet. This is just the start of the programme as it’s only 10 months when we  launched it (the first phase),” Google India vice president and managing director Rajan Anandan said here. As the company ramps up its activities and takes many of them to the next level, it expects further acceleration in the campaign, Anandan said. The jointly-promoted campaign called ‘ReachForTheSky’ will look to generate awareness about the need to get women online. It will also encourage existing users to help get more  women online and spread awareness of gender equality and women empowerment. Despite India inching closer to become the second  largest internet users’ country, the number of women using internet is lower than most of the countries, he said adding, “empowering the young women population with information and internet related tools could transform India’s future.” We need to build on this start and join the campaign with MARD to encourage women to come online, he added. Google India head for marketing Sandeep Menon said the company’s aim is to help bring 50 million women online in the country. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/google-india-launches-new-campaign-with-farhan-akhtar-to-help-women-get-online/#sthash.JVPl646b.dpuf

LOVE IS A FOOTBALL FIELD: Embrace Animal Welfare

The FIFA World Cup might have finished cheering its winner but gear up to support an upcoming football match in Mumbai featuring some of Bollywood's coolest celebrities such as Abhishek Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Imran Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Tiger Shroff, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sohail Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Dino Morea, Nargis Fakhri and more...

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OPRAH IN BOLLYWOOD: The O Factor Charms Tinsel Town

Chat show host Oprah Winfrey had India in her "places to see" list for a long time and has finally flown over for a week-long visit in aims to shoot for her upcoming show "New Chapter".

While she has been scheduled to visit  Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Rishikesh during her stay, her week started with a visit to the Bachchan family and with a highly attended bash hosted by Parmeshwar Godrej in Bombay, to which numerous stars flocked to meet the TV diva.

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PRIYANKA CHOPRA - World's Next Pop Star

As a teenager, Bollywood beauty, Priyanka Chopra, was a choir singer and was also influenced by American music and the pop, R&B and  rap culture. She has now started writing her own music with a Western team of songwriters and is all set to become an international music star, backed by Lady Gaga's managers and other top executives in the Western music production world, planning to release her debut pop music album in 2012.  Chopra has been recently recording several tracks in New York and Los Angeles.

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SHAH RUKH KHAN sweeps Berlin off its feet

Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan reached Berlin this month, together with co-stars Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta as well as 70 of the film's co-actors and other film staff from India for the start of the shooting of their latest movie, the sequel "Don 2 - The Chase Continues", directed by Farhan Akhtar, who previously directed the remake of 1978 cult film 'Don' in 2006 (the original 70s film starred none other than Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan).

Producers have described 'Don' as a Hindi version of James Bond, in which the hero of the film is however a suave and smart criminal!

The sequel will star the original cast of  Farhan Akhtar's first 'Don': Priyanka Chopra and Boman Irani, but will also welcome new characters being played by Lara Dutta, Sameera Reddy and Kunal Kapoor.

Shah Rukh Khan, who plays the lead role mentioned that the inspiration to shoot 'Don' in Berlin came while he was visiting the German city during its 2008 film festival.

"I just love Berlin... It is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. I have been here for two weeks and I don't feel I am working," Khan told reporters at a recent press conference. The 44-year-old actor enjoys a huge fan following in Germany, where his films are dubbed and sold to the general German-speaking public with huge success.

While the star might feel as if he is not working, he not only started filming but dove immediately into doing a difficult stunt consisting of  jumping from the roof of the Park Inn Hotel on the Alexanderplatz in Berlin for a scene in which several gangsters are chasing him.

Apart from this difficult  stunt, the actor has also been preparing for more action-packed scenes: "Learnt scuba diving...base flying...fast driving (crashed also once)...gyming...old songs...PS3 (Play Station 3) soccer...Beat Boman & Ritesh (Farhan & me)...happy," SRK tweeted this week.

'Don 2' is an Indo-German production that has Germany hoping to attract millions of Indian viewers to travel to the beautiful city of Berlin by showcasing some of the town's most famous tourist attractions. Shah Rukh Khan himself sees this opportunity as a "great way to showcase this city to an Indian audience".

The Hindi version of the film seems to be scheduled for release in December 2011. It is still being debated whether the dubbed German version will be released simultaneously or at the Berlin International Film Festival to be held in February 2012.

Visit the DON 2 website.

Watch NDTV's video of the press conference in Berlin.

Check out the picture gallery of the DON 2 press conference in Berlin.

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL HAI!

Hindi cinema is all set to take Canada by storm as a series of Indian films have been programmed at the Toronto International Film Festival taking place from September 9 to 19, 2010.

Among the 300 films that have been selected for screening this 2010, the Toronto Film Festival has scheduled two world premieres of Hindi films: 'What's Your Raashee?' and 'Dil Bole Hadippa', which will be attended respectively by stars and directors such as Ashutosh Gowariker, Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra and Harman Baweja.

Other films from India or the Indian diaspora that will be getting exposure during the renowned festival include:

'That Girl in Yellow Boots' (Anurag Kashyap) - From the acclaimed director of Dev D, starring Kalki Koechlin and Naseerudin Shah. Trailer

'Dhobi Ghat' (Kiran Rao) The much awaited debut film of Kiran Rao, which has caught the eye of the Toronto Film Festival director, Cameron Bailey, starring Prateik Babbar and Aamir Khan. For an excellent account on the TIFF screening and the film, click here.

'Water' (Deepa Mehta) which released in 2005 and was nominated for an Oscar. Starring Sarala, Lisa Ray and John Abraham. Trailer

'Autumn' (Aamir Bashir)

'Soul of Sand' (Sidharth Srinivasan)

 

You may visit the TIFF official website for more information.

IIFA AWARD NOMINATIONS 2010

Taking Bollywood to exotic or faraway lands, this year it is Sri Lanka's turn to host the 11th IIFA awards ceremony during the month of June and the nominations are out for the best films, actors and directors of 2009.

And... the nominees for the main categories are:

Best film category
3 Idiots
Dev D
Kaminey
Paa
Wanted

Best lead actress
Deepika Padukone - Love Aaj Kal
Kareena Kapoor - 3 idiots
Mahie Gill - Dev D
Priyanka Chopra - Kaminey
Vidya Balan - Paa

Best lead actor
Aamir Khan - 3 idiots
Amitabh Bachchan - Paa
Ranbir Kapoor - Wake up Sid!
Saif Ali Khan - Love Aaj Kal
Salman Khan - Wanted
Shahid Kapoor - Kaminey

Best film director
Anurag Kashyap per Dev D
Ayan Mukerji per Wake up Sid!
Imtiaz Ali per Love Aaj Kal
R. Balki per Paa
Rajkumar Hirani - 3 idiots
Vishal Bhardwaj per Kaminey

Best Actor - Comedy
Ajay Devgan - All The Best
Govinda - Life Partner
Johny Lever - De Dana Dan
Omi Vaidya - 3 Idiots
Sanjay Dutt - All The Best

Best Music Composer
Amit Trivedi - Dev D
A.R.Rehman - Delhi 6
Pritam - Love Aaj Kal
Shantanu Moitra - 3 Idiots
Vishal Bharadwaj - Kaminey

Best Lyricist
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Dev D
Gulzar - Kaminey
Irshad Kamil - Love Aaj Kal
Prasoon Joshi - Delhi 6
Swanand Kirkire - 3 Idiots

Discuss your favourites here in the comments section and also vote for them directly at the IIFA official website.

BEST HINDI FILMS 2009 FOR DUMMIES

Hindi cinema is such a vast universe that coming up with a hot list for 2009 seemed daunting (it would be even harder to come up with a "Films of the Decade" list, but we still have a couple of months to write that one).

We decided to concentrate on films that we believe would appeal to an international audience. If we were Hindi film "pushers", what would we show uninitiated and non-Indian friends in order to convert them? 

Here is the Hindi Cinema Blog's international pick for Best Hindi 2009 Film Releases:

Quick Gun Murugun: Be it as the first or last course of a filmi meal, 'Quick Gun Murugun' is a delicious satyre of everything a Hindi film virgin imagines Indian films are. Forget the difference between North Indian and South Indian films. The foreign common viewpoint is that Indian cinema is a mix of colours and dance, sprinkled with improbable script turns, action, love stories and a cheesy dialogue here and there. Well... 'Quick Gun Murugun' blends all these prejudices in a shaker and serves them as a clever and quirky cocktail, ensuring surefire entertainment for everyone: Hindi film buffs, Tamil film buffs and complete foreigners to the whole Indian film scene in general. Now that calls for one Masala Dosa with sambhar, I say!

Kurbaan: Do you want a full-fledged Hindi film experience? Despite a couple of loopholes here and there, particularly in the New York scenes, our vote goes to 'Kurbaan' for the beautiful visuals, performances, fabulous soundtrack, plot and climax. We believe it is one of the most honest attempts in mainstream Indian cinema to treat the delicate subject of terrorism and can definitely be considered international class entertainment.

3 Idiots: The year was marked by the undisputable victory at the box office of Rajkumar Hirani's '3 Idiots', which will undoubtedly continue collecting praise well after 2009 is gone and forgotten. Pulsating rhythm, optimism and a humanistic core give this film a high feel-good and entertainment quotient. There is something in it for everyone, whether it is great laughs or soul touching moments. Don't miss it. 

Kaminey: A two-hour ride of unpredictable violence and stirring action, featuring Shahid Kapoor in an extremely convincing double role and Priyanka Chopra looking (praise the lord) as the girl next door and thus finally allowing viewers to concentrate on her acting instead of her looks. Kaminey is what we can call "thinking cinema", with each minute sincerely serving its purpose. Add to that a magnificent soundtrack and... Dhan te nan! You've got hot film material.

Firaaq: Nandita Das paints a disturbing and thought-provoking canvas in 'Firaaq', giving us a fictionalized account based on the Gujarat riots (2002) between Hindus and Muslims. Marvellously well cast, the story entwines the lives of 6 normal people who are affected by the communal violence taking place around them. No rose-coloured glasses are used in this story, despite all the escapism preconceptions that are spread about Hindi films among foreign viewers. A must watch. 

Wake up Sid!: 2009 is the year that had us going back to school with '3 Idiots' and Dharma production's fresh, lively and youthful 'Wake Up Sid!'. Where other movies have failed to bring Ranbir Kapoor's full talent to the fore, this lighthearted film particularly succeeds. Is it the fact that they have cast him alongside a consistently excellent Konkona Sen Sharma? Is it the script? Who knows... but it works! Check out its soundtrack and the final hug scene (sorry guys, couldn't help it). You will come out of the cinema experience smiling, as if you had just received a big hug yourself.

Hopefully, this new year will bring plenty of amazing films, making more and more people abroad realize the international entertainment potential of Hindi films. Now that we have revealed our personal favorites, let us mention some of the films that made it to the 2009 runners-up list. Just in case your friends become as addicted to Hindi cinema as you are and are willing to take their experience a step further:

Luck by Chance (dir. by Zoya Akhtar, starring Farhan Akhtar and Konkona Sen Sharma) Insightful movie about the film industry in India. Mindblowing soundtrack.

Barah Aana (dir. by Raja Menon, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz and Arjun Mathur) An unconvential view on the reasons behind organized kidnappings.

Videsh (Heaven on Earth): (dir. by Deepa Mehta, starring Preity Zinta) A beautiful Indian bride moves with her husband's family to Canada. She finds her inner self  and her strength when she is confronted to domestic violence and her new family's hostility.

Little Zizou (English language film by Indian film maker Mira Nair) A sweet and fun tale about a Parsi little boy who dreams of meeting football star Zidane.