The Guild, an autonomous non-profit film trade body
comprising industry stakeholders, said the film institute was
needed to create the world-class pool of talent and to improve
quality of professionals.

Last month, the high court held the joint venture
agreement dated May 30, 2000, signed between Ghai’s Mukta Arts
and Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development
Corporation (MFSCDC) as “illegal, arbitrary and without
authority of law”.

In a scathing indictment of Union minister Vilasrao
Deshmukh, the court held him responsible for “misusing his
official position”, when he was chief minister, to hand over
20 acres of land to Ghai for the institute at subsidised
rates.

In a letter sent on March 5 to the chief minister, the
Guild expressed its concern to sustain and strengthen
Whistling Woods International (WWI) campus which it said was
a significant part of entertainment industry as today and its
contribution is invaluable.

“It is well known to everyone in the film industry that
Whistling Woods has played a significant role in the media and
entertainment industry as we strongly believe that India needs
such world class institutes in the country to train and
improve the quality of the industry professionals in order to
raise the standards of cinema and other entertainment
mediums,” the letter said.

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“Salman Khan and Katrina are wonderful together, they are magical. Once you see them on screen, you will know how magical there chemistry is,” Kabir Khan told IANS.

Salman-Katrina’s last film as a couple was 2008 release Yuvvraaj.

While some scenes of Ek Tha Tiger were shot in Istanbul, recently the team canned some major portion in Cuba. However, the last schedule of the film has been kept under wraps.

“We have shot 90 percent of the film. Rest 10 percent will be shot soon. I can’t reveal where we will be shooting our last schedule though. The film is almost ready for the August Eid release,” Khan said.

Item songs being the eye candy of the films, Khan too plans to have one in his movie and said: “There might be. I cant talk too much about it at the moment.”

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Producers announced the launch of its Holi Helpline service in the city,
that will exclusively be active for March 8 as a drive against
eve-teasing and sexual harassment.

The poster of Rowdy Rathore featuring Akshay reads
Kheloge Pyaar Se Toh Bachoge Maar Se and comes with a toll
free number which people can avail to curb this menace.

“As part of our marketing initiative we will be launching
the RR help line in Mumbai followed by other cities closer to
release.
“The idea of launching it on Holi is that women should
feel safe while playing Holi and they should not stay indoors
and miss out on celebrations because of unwanted incidents on
that day,” Shikha Kapur said in a statement.

Directed by Prabhudeva, the action-packed movie is
scheduled for a June release.

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Papa Toh Band Bajaye or Papa Toh No Speak Americano? Already the song is surrounded by controversy, as their main track sounds suspiciously similar to ‘We No Speak Americano’ by the Australian DJ Americano and Melissa Kool. The beats are quite uncanny as the rhythm and repetition is plainly the same, yet in spite of the straight lift that they’ve done, the song is infectiously catchy. With the hypnotic clarinet in the back and Neeraj Shridhar in his usual Punjabi smooth crooning style, it sounds like a Pritam song in a good way. Shridhar is as usual having fun with the limited lyrics, which are quite situational in the promo but also quite hilarious too. Where else would you get Sameer trying out lines like “idiot hai, gudhe ho, whatever whatever we do, Papa Toh Band Bajaye”. With a song like this, you do feel like this might be a rage for a few months after the film, but eventually it’ll fade out. It’s not that it’s totally unremarkable but it sounds rather routine despite the fact that it makes you nod your head along to the clarinet and electronic interludes. Listen to this as a warm up for the next chartbuster!

One of the absolute favourites on this soundtrack is this gem, Anarkali Disco Chali, sung by the inimitable Mamta Sharma. Inevitably, we’ll start by saying no it’s not a Munni or Sheila, but it’s neither as crappy as Tinku Jiya. It reminds one of ‘Kajra Re’, with its funky mix of seductive backbeat that laces the track alongside the tabla interludes. It sounds like a complete desi track with the polishing of some hip-hop beats in the back. Sharma sounds so good here, and naturally she’s again singing for the original item gal Malaika Arora Khan, which is the perfect package. Yet the surprise element in the song is Sukhwinder Singh who sounds like he’s having a ball with the interestingly phrased sexy lines of “Ohh tu mita de meri tension!” This mujra definitely beats the recent ‘Dil Meri Muft Ka’ as it just sounds so much more pleasing and rollicking on the ear. Definitely during the bridge of the song is fabulous with Sharma and Singh sounding so heavenly and spicy with their banter together! This looks to be the song that should capture the audience long after they’ve left the cinema. Keep this one on repeat! It naturally comes with its set of remixes. The Hyper Mix is only necessary if you want to lose the essence and fun of the song into mindless house music. The regular remix is pretty good as it intersperses the tabla beats alongside all the techno sounds, finally a remix that isn’t the usual overproduced electronica we usually get.

Despite 2 good tracks so far, we get into blehh territory with Right Now Now, which seems to be the usual RB number that’s part of the Akon wave. The song sounds like a match for ‘Oh Girl You’re Mine’ yet that track had a better composition and made all the repetitiveness at least a tad engaging. This one is rather middling as the rapper on the track is given so many of the cheesiest lines. Sajid sings with some autotune along with Sunidhi Chauhan and Suzanne D’Mello. When the bass picks up during the chorus then it gets you in a dancing mode. The bridge of the song with some gritty guitar and D’Mello crooning makes this part so good. However, maybe it’s the autotune that lets the track down, coupled with the repetitive chorus. This is bound to be the seductive track in the film and given that mood the song is very slinky and sexy, it does work. Quite shockingly, the Remix version of this song definitely sounds better and improves the original material. Expect this one to be played in all the clubs, with its fabulous rave sounds. The vocals are often singled out in this track and the autotune is not too glaring. Stick to the remix!

The last track on the album is Do You Know, which sounds similar to ‘I Don’t Know What To Do’ with its retro sound and Hinglish verses. This tune sounds great, and is a perfect homage to the music of RD Burman. The disco beats and fun guitar riffs that pepper the track definitely make you want to dance around and it soon becomes another favourite on the album. Shreya Ghosal and Shaan share the vocals, and they are perfect together especially in establishing a rapport with the fun lyrics. Nostalgic songs that combine the sound of the 70s and 80s are the new trend, and this track is truly a good throwback to those times with its breezy style. This one also comes with a remix version, which takes out all the vintage appeal and throws in the electronica to mixed results. This remix is hardly the one that will bring you to the dance floor unlike the previous track where the remix improves the song. This one is strictly a romantic number that didn’t need it.

Comparisons to the previous Housefull soundtrack are inevitable, but here Sajid and Wajid are clearly having fun in making the album. Yet it’s not without its faults as the key song ‘Papa Toh Band Bajaye’ sounds like a direct lift of a western song, yet it manages to invert the same rhythm to its advantage. Maybe one or two more songs would have improved the album, but what we’ve got here is an album that is sure to be a hit with the audience, but one that might not be remembered months later. With this pretty good album, Sajid and Wajid show that they can deliver outside of a Salman movie. So give this one a try!

Our Rating:

PTI | 01:03 AM,Mar 08,2012

Mumbai, Mar 7 (PTI) Veteran music director Ravi Shankar
Sharma, popularly known as Ravi who gave several hit songs
like Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho” and “Dil Ke Aarman Aansu Bankey
Rah Gaye”, died here tonight following prolonged illness,
family sources said.
86-year-old Ravi, who has composed music for over 70 Hindi
and 14 Malayalam films, breathed his last at Bombay Hospital.
Sharma’s wife Kanti died long ago and he is survived by
son Ajay who is married to Varsha Usgaonkar, a Marathi and
Hindi film actress.
“He (Ravi) is no more with us. He was keeping ill for a
week and was admitted to Bombay Hospital where he passed away
today”, one of his nephews told PTI.
Among the music composer’s popular numbers are ‘Chaudhvin
Ka Chand Ho’, ‘Tora Man Darpan Kahlaye’, ‘Baar Baar Dekho
Hazaar Baar Dekho’ in Shammi Kapoor-starrer “China Town”
(1962), ‘Dil Ke Aarman Aansu Bankey Rah Gaye’ from “Nikaa”
(1982) and ‘Milti Hai Zindagi Mey Mohabbat Kabhi Kabhi” from
the 1968 movie “Aankhen” starring Dharmendra and Mala Sinha.
Ravi began his career in 1955 by composing the music for
“Albeli” and went to do the same for movies like “Dilli Ka
Thug” (1958), “Humraaz” (1967), “Neelkamal” (1968), “Ek Phool
Do Maali” (1969) and “Mehendi” (1984).
“Just heard about the demise of composer Ravi saab. He was
one of my most favourites. Never got a chance to meet him. Now
I won’t ever. R.I.P”, national award-winning playback singer
Shreya Ghoshal wrote on twitter.

Talking to PTI, 45-year-old actress-turned-singer Ruplai Ganguli said, “I am happy but I am more surprised. When I heard the news the first thing which came to my mind was that Shreya Ghoshal should have won it. I love her music.”

Ruplai Ganguli also said that it was on the insistence of director Aditi Roy, she agreed to lend her husky voice for two Tagore songs in last year’s Bengali film Abosheshey. She added, “She was hell-bent that I sing. They said since the songs are without any instrumental music only I can sing well in such a situation. I think it worked out well because the songs are an integral part of that character.”

She is a well-known face on Indian television thanks to her roles in serials like ‘Karam Apnaa Apnaa’, ‘Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo’ and the epic ‘Mahabharat’. Besides she has also made her mark as an actress in films like the Goutam Ghosh directed ‘Padma Nadir Majhi’, Aparna Sen’s ‘Yugant’ and Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘Antarmahal’. But those close to her knew her vocal abilities too.

The 25-year-old actor became very involved for his role as 19th century Parisienne womaniser Georges Duroy for the film, and Uma insists he is constantly working hard to bring his skills up to the “next level.”

In an interview with Stylist magazine, she said: “He’s very serious. He did a huge amount of rehearsals in his own time. I think that’s what you do when you’re a young actor, when you take your work very seriously and want to take it to the next level.”

Uma, 41, rose to fame as a teenager in films including Dangerous Liaisons and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and while she finds it hard to be as serious as her co-star – famous for his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise – she did offer him advice on set.

She added: “When you’ve been doing this a really long time, it’s hard to take it all so seriously. I said to him, ‘Don’t get too upset about it, because, before you know it, Twilight will just be an old film that made you lucky enough to get another job. But when you’re in that position and you’re young, it’s hard to hear through the noise.”

Uma doesn’t like to watch her oldest roles again, and she displayed a similar attitude to Robert in her earlier years.

She added: “I find it excruciating to watch myself as a teenager. I’ve made a vow never to do it. I was only 17 and working with some of the finest people you will ever meet in the industry, but you don’t realise until you’ve spent 25 years trying to work with such a group again.”

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The Born This Way hitmaker – who joined the social networking site in 2008 – has beaten Justin Bieber, who is languishing behind with 18.1 million followers, to the milestone with her @ladygaga account.

Gaga – whose real name is Stephanie Germanotta – uses the account, which she started on March 26, 2008, to interact with her supporters, who she refers to as Little Monsters.

Since overtaking Britney Spears as the most-followed person on the website in August 2010, the singer has held onto the top spot.

Gaga is well ahead of her fellow singers Katy Perry, who has 15.5 million followers, as well as Shakira and Rihanna, who both have more than 14.5 million.

Despite reaching the milestone, the Paparazzi singer hasn’t tweeted since March 3 – but she has previously used the account to announce benefits for her fans.

In December 2011, Gaga revealed she was going to make a free download of an unreleased track available as a Christmas present to her supporters.

She tweeted: “Been racking my brain on what to get Little Monsters for Christmas!! I finally figured it out!! (sic)
“On Christmas Day I will leak to you an unreleased Song off Born This Way! It was recorded live, in one take, on the tour bus. Uncensored (sic).”

As well as her large following on Lady Gaga has become the first twitter user to reach 20 million
followers.

The Born This Way hitmaker – who joined the social networking
site in 2008 – has beaten Justin Bieber, who is languishing behind with
18.1 million followers, to the milestone with her @ladygaga account.

Gaga – whose real name is Stephanie Germanotta – uses the account, which
she started on March 26, 2008, to interact with her supporters, who she
refers to as Little Monsters.

Since overtaking Britney Spears as the most-followed person on the
website in August 2010, the singer has held onto the top spot.

Gaga is well ahead of her fellow singers Katy Perry, who has 15.5
million followers, as well as Shakira and Rihanna, who both have more
than 14.5 million.

Despite reaching the milestone, the Paparazzi singer hasn’t
tweeted since March 3 – but she has previously used the account to
announce benefits for her fans.

In December 2011, Gaga revealed she was going to make a free download of
an unreleased track available as a Christmas present to her supporters.

She tweeted: “Been racking my brain on what to get Little Monsters for
Christmas!! I finally figured it out!! (sic)
“On Christmas Day I will leak to you an unreleased Song off Born This
Way! It was recorded live, in one take, on the tour bus. Uncensored
(sic).”

As well as her large following on twitter, Gaga has eight million fans
on Facebook and more than 800,000 ‘circles’ on Google+.twitter, Gaga has eight million fans on Facebook and more than 800,000 ‘circles’ on Google+.

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A gagging clause meant he could not say everything he wanted to in the first tome, but insiders now believe he is going to “cleanse himself of all responsibility” over the I Will Always Love You hitmaker’s drug use in his forthcoming release following her death last month.

A source told the Daily Star newspaper: “Bobby knows people will buy the book, whatever it says. And unlike last time, Whitney is not here to defend herself. He’s free to say whatever he wants and will undoubtedly paint himself as a grieving saint.”
He has previously claimed: “I never used cocaine until after I met Whitney. She used code words when ordering drugs like ‘boy’ for heroin and ‘girl’ for cocaine. I was using everything I could get my hands on, from cocaine to heroin.”

Bobby – who had daughter, Bobbi Kristina Houston, 18, with Whitney – also claims he will divulge details about a previous relationship with Madonna.

He is quoted as saying: “By the time I brought out my third single I was one of the biggest stars in the world. Madonna used to open up shows for New Edition in New York. Running into her and getting to know her better at the height of my success was like a reunion.”

Whitney confessed to using “rock cocaine” and marijuana during a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009, it is believed her shock death at the age of 48 was caused by a lethal combination of alcohol and prescription drugs.

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Artistes: Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani, Javed Bashir, Shreya Ghosal, Sukhwinder Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Usha Uthup.

Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya

Music Director: Vishal-Shekhar

Vidya Balan’s forth coming flick ‘Kahaani’ is riding high on expectation prior to its release. With the first look of its video trailer, the music composition has further added fuel to the rising blockbuster prospects.

Complementing each other’s work since 2003, director Sujoy Gosh has once again cashed on his bankable music director Vishal-Shekhar. Being known for delivering the most consistent performance for past few years, the duo has scored some of their best experimental music which takes over the gritty territory of the story and reflects the laid-back tone of Kolkata. The composers have manifested a peculiar blend of hard-rock cum contemporary western music with Indian classical musical genre through-out its listing of six tracks.

As a salute to the city of joy – Kolkata, the track ‘Ami Shotti Bolchi’ sets-off the album to a grueling start with its intriguing and descriptive kaleidoscopic view of buzzing and impulsive city. The thriving and coarse voice of Usha Uthup and Shekhar Ravjiani emphasizes the aggressive bombastic orchestral feel in the 70’s thematic musical upsurge. The track rides on compositional blend of death-rock and RD Burman styled musical permeates, depicting the mindset of the protagonist. With the inherent Bengali lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya the soundtrack is the highlight of the album and can be set-up as the powerful background score.

Exploring the on-going trend of Indian classical fusion, the second track ‘Piya Tu Kahein Rutha Re’ begins with the classical ragas splendidly rendered by Javed Bashir. The high-pitched and energetic vocals are fused noticeably well with hard-rock music, emphasising the sound of indie-rock band Indian Ocean.

Title-track ‘Kahaani’ is a melodious offering with a blend of innovative lyrics and soulful vocals by KK and Vishal Dadlani in varying tones. A well versed narrative number unravels the current craze of featuring music in acoustic and minimalist arrangement. Conceptualized on the popular genre of soft-rock ballad, the track embarks the strong thematic sentiments of the protagonists.

Being a woman centric film, the title track has also been specially treated in ‘Kahaani (Female)’. The somber honey coated voice of Shreya Ghosal is well-versed with soulful choral impacts of Vishal. The female version is mesmerizing both in rendition as well as in acoustic music decorum.

‘Tore Bina’ opens with a pleasant folk music impeccably clubbed with acoustic guitar. The number stays at its helms with Sukhwinder Singh’s splendid rendition which alters flawlessly towards the tender chords. The introductory folksy music reminisce listeners of Vishal’s composition for the collaborative track ‘Minds without fear’ from Dewarist.

Lending elite treat to its listeners, the album concludes with an interpretation of Rabindranath Tagore’s oft-covered ‘Ekla Cholo Re (Walk Alone)’ by Amitabh Bachchan. Juxtaposing the distinct texture of Bachchan’s voice with music producer Clinton Cerejo’s gospel chorus, the composer has added their own superlative twist to Tagore’s famous poem. The translations from Bengali to English are minimal keeping intact the melodious feel of the poetry and the somber voice.

Overall, the humming lyrics with eloquent composition towards the end complement the whole musical arrangements of the album. Conjuring up a beautiful tribute to Kolkata and savoring the poetic lyrics, the album works seamlessly well in portraying the protagonist’s character and will compliment the lasting temper of the movie. The classy and well composed album is one of the best works by Vishal-Shekar delivering competitive, consistent and prolific musical team.  It features right voices as per the overall mood of the album.