2007 Audio Songs
All songs →Related News
More news →Ram-leela hits jackpot deepika strikes hattrick
Deepika Padukone has scored a hattrick with the success of "Ram-leela" and the actress is receiving plaudits from all quarters. Her first big hit of the year was "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" and “Chennai Express” followed it. Now comes "Ram-leela". The three back-to-back hits boast of variety. From playing nerdy Naina to South Indian Meenamma and now a Gujarati girl in "Ram-leela", the 27-year-old has proved her versatility with the three movies. Sarang Chandak of Shri Rang Films said that Deepika's performance was "outstanding". "I believe the film will have a very impressive run at the ticket windows. Deepika not only looks stunning in the film, she has also delivered an outstanding performance," Chandak said. Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines feels that Deepika has contributed to the success of "Ram-leela" and added that the actress has emerged as a "sure-shot success at the box office this year". In "Ram-leela" director Sanjay Leela Bhansali presented the fresh pair of Ranveer Singh and Deepika to narrate William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in desi style with Gujarat as its backdrop. Said Debashish Dey of Aum Moviez, West Bengal: "Thanks to Deepika and her success with her previous releases, the response to afternoon shows improved. Expectations are at an all-time high." Deepika, daughter of veteran badminton player Prakash Padukone, made her Bollywood debut with Farah Khan-directed 2007 hit "Om Shanti Om", where she played Shah Rukh Khan's love interest. She then appeared in films like "Bachna Ae Haseeno", "Chandni Chowk To China", "Love Aaj Kal", "Housefull", "Break Ke Baad", "Aarakshan" and "Desi Boyz", but it was only after her bold character portrayal of Veronica in "Cocktail" that the industry realised her hidden potential. She will next be seen in "Finding Fanny" and "Happy New Year".
'Hat Trick' is very funny, topical and contemporary" - Milan Luthria
Milan Luthria is off to location hunting in London and America for his keenly anticipated flick 'Hat-trick'. We catch up with him on the eve of his departure to know more about finalizing of balance starcast, composer and above all manage to extract a little more about the film's theme. A UTV production, the film was always supposed to star Nana Patekar, Nasseruddin Shah, Hema Malini, Paresh Rawal, Kunal Kapoor and Rimmi Sen. But Milan throws a surprise by mentioning that Rimmi hasn't been finalized yet for the role. Why? "Well, she is on the cards but hasn't been finalized yet. We are still in the process of giving the screenplay some final touches and it would be unfair on our part to offer her something that is incomplete!", Milan explains. But wasn't he earlier quite excited about her being a part of the film due to her sexy features which were, as per him, were 'unique'? "Yes, I still maintain that", he says, "but for the moment we do not want anything in haste. What is important for 'Hat-trick' is to get the casting accurate and get the right people for the right role!" In the last conversation with Milan, he had mentioned that there would be 4 more actors added to the starcast, an Indian and a foreign couple. What happened to that? "We have dropped that entire angle from the film and hence there is no more requirement for signing on new actors. While developing the screenplay, we realized that this part could go away", he discloses! People want to know more about the film from the director who has always ventured into different subjects, be it 'Kachche Dhaage', 'Chori Chori', 'Deewar - Let's Bring Our Heroes Home' or his most recent [and successful] film 'Taxi No. 9211'. Can he divulge something about it?" "What I can tell you is that the film is very funny and topical with each of the actors presented in a different look. Also the film is clearly based on today's time and has a contemporary feel to it", he says with enthusiasm. But that hardly tells about the film's plot. How about some food for thought there? "Arrey yaar, I am bound by the contract and hence can't tell much", he laughs, "but a little that I can tell you about the film's concept is that it is something that you pull out of a magic hat. Every character in the film tries to be one up than the other and this is where the fun lies. Also, I am creating such an atmosphere in the film that everyone, whether it is Nana, Nasser bhai, Hema Malini, Paresh Rawal or Kunal Kapoor, would be required to come out of their comfort zone. As you would have observed by seeing my films, I am a performance based director and I want to act as a catalyst between the actors, script and the works so that each of the actors try to do better than the other. Since each of them is a capable actor, something that no one would debate, I am sure that there would be fireworks." When he says contemporary cinema what is he trying to convey here? "Well, 'Hat-trick' is indeed a representative of contemporary film making. Tell me, was it possible to make a film like this 2 years back with an assemble cast like this? Now we know that things are changing because the moment you rattle down a list of actors like this, the initial reaction itself is good enough to keep the film in news from pre-production till the time it is actually released. I observed something similar in case of 'Taxi No. 9211' when the names of Nana and John were announced. These are the kind of things that stand out in today's film making because gone is the time when the films revolved solely around heroes and heroines. Even the concept of having a special appearance star in the film just for commercial gains is not a good idea too because in the end it just dilutes the effect that the film was initially slated to create", he explains. With so much inclination towards contemporary cinema, have there been any films that have impressed him most, "'Maqbool' and 'Apaharan'", pat comes the reply, "now these were the films that worked because there was so much honesty of approach and integrity in these films!" So is he thoroughly happy with the way his final starcast as shaped up? "Oh absolutely yes! When you look at them, each of the actors has his or her own brand of audience. While the senior actors are known professionals for years, a younger actor like Kunal Kapoor is gaining huge popularity amongst females after 'Rang De Basanti'. That's the reason the starcast, when looked in entirety, doesn't give you a feeling of a mish-mash. And that's because everyone falls under some bracket or another! His last 'Taxi No. 9211' had some funky music by Vishal Shekhar but in 'Hat-trick' he has opted for Pritam. Why a shift when the composer duo had belted out some fine tunes? "There are two reasons for that", he explains, "First and foremost Vishal Shekhar are already working with me for Ramesh Sippy's next. Hence it's not as if I have moved away from them. In fact they are friends first and then the composers. It just wasn't working out with everyone's commitments to have them for two of my back to back films. Secondly there is a positive reason for roping in Pritam as well. I believe he came up with mind-blowing music in 'Gangster', something which I simply loved." So how does the schedule for 'Hat-trick' look like? "See we leave tomorrow for location hunting in London and America for 3 weeks while the shooting begins in September and ends in November. Come February and we should have the film ready for release", he concludes.
HAT TRICK cast and crew in Delhi
Cast and crew of this Friday's releases HAT TRICK is coming over to Delhi today for a promotional event. Nana Patekar, Kunal Kapoor, Rimi Sen and director Milan Luthria would be the celebrities to grace the occasion as they stop over at PVR Plaza to interact with the media. Also starring Danny Denzongpa and Paresh Rawal as the key cast members, HAT TRICK is a feel good entertainer with cricket as a metaphor. A UTV production, it boasts of a unique narrative and promises to keep you hooked on to the proceedings as you enjoy this World Cup Cricket season.
Exclusive - Hat Trick first look and synopsis
'HAT TRICK!' is a story of the triumph of the human spirit. Actually, it is FOUR stories that deal with the triumph of the human spirit. Deriving it's name from the famous magical expression of a 'Hat Trick', it deals with four stories from different slices of life, in different parts of the world, each of which reach a crescendo, and each of which need the protagonist to pull out a magic trick from the hat. Something that they've never done before, and something that must be done now, in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Because it will make the difference between winning and losing. The four stories are all connected with Cricket. To be specific, with the World Cup of Cricket that is to be played in the Caribbean in 2007. Using the tournament as a sensational and poignant backdrop, and the fictionalized fortunes of the Indian Cricket Team in the tournament, 'HAT TRICK!' takes a tangy look at what happens to five sets of lives during the span of the tournament. Yes, five. The fifth being the journey of the Indian Cricket team in its quest for the Cup. Hat-trick means three consecutive successes in a row. Aptly, the film HAT TRICK is also about three success stories ' about three people who may start as underdogs but go on to becoming winners. It is about every element that helps them achieve their victories. And it is about ONE THREAD that holds commonality between these stories ' CRICKET. Hat-trick opens with stories at the onset of Cricket World Cup 2007 and finishes with their triumph which is simultaneous with Indian team's triumph in the World Cup. As the Indian team moves ahead in the World Cup, the characters in the story journey through their lives, realize their faults and correct them to finally turn out winners.
Shahid Kapoor has a hat-trick of successes in 2006
His 'Vivah' is an unquestionable hit, what with second week also showing good collections all over. But if one looks at the year gone by, Shahid Kapoor may actually be grinning from ear to ear since he has a cent percent record in 2006. His first release of the year was Abbas Mustan's '36 China Town'. A popcorn entertainer, Shahid may have had Akshaye Khanna and to an extent Upen Patel around him but the fact cannot be denied that the film's success allowed 2006 to embark on a good start for him. Further to this, he had Priyadarshan's 'Chup Chup Ke' coming next and if only it wouldn't have clashed with 'Phir Hera Pheri', the film would have done much better business than what its above average status may convey. And now with 'Vivah' being declared as a neat success, Shahid Kapoor would certainly be having a great New Year eve celebration. Success of these 3 films is also important to him since 2005 was particularly cruel on him with none of his 3 films 'Deewane Huye Paagal', 'Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi' and 'Shikhar' working at the box office.
Fardeen-Esha on a hat trick
After working together in Indra Kumar's 'Pyaare Mohan' and Ram Gopal Verma's yet to be released 'Darling', Fardeen Khan and Esha Deol would be making a hat trick with a film titled 'Just Married'. Though 'Pyaare Mohan' just about managed to sail through and it seems to be status quo in case of 'Darling' with RGV busy juggling around with the star cast of his dream project 'RGV Ke Sholay', 'Just Married' should at the least manage to get a decent release since it comes from the house of Pritish Nandy Communications. The production house can take pride upon the fact that they know how and when to place their product in the market, the most recent example being the case of their recent success story 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects'. The biggest success that both Fardeen Khan and Esha Deol have been a part of is incidentally a movie where they were present but not paired opposite each other. The film was Anees Bazmee's 'No Entry' which stands as 2005's biggest hit until 50 crore totals became fashionable in 2006!