If kissing is a way to remember me, so be it

Mumbai: Poor Emraan Hashmi! There seems to be no getting away from the "serial kisser" tag despite his many protests and he's back to locking lips in his forthcoming film "The Dirty Picture".

If people wish to remember him for his on-screen kisses, so be it, says the somewhat exasperated actor who has for long been looking for an image change.

The 32-year-old actor came to be known as Hindi cinema's serial kisser after numerous lip locks in films like "Murder", "Zeher", "Aashiq Banaya Apne", "Gangster" and "Jannat".

"The tag would never go. I tried to get rid of it, but it follows me everywhere. I have done so many films with it (kissing) and so many people went and watched those films. So probably they want to remember me for that. And if kissing is a great way to remember me, I have no complaints! My audience base is there and I can't change overnight," Emraan told IANS in an interview.

"I am trying out different things in my forthcoming films. Hopefully it would be another dimension, which would change people's perception about me," he added.

"The Dirty Picture" is said to have Emraan in yet another kissing scene, this time with actress Vidya Balan. He however stresses that the film, based on the life of the late southern sex icon Vijayalakshmi aka Silk Smitha, takes sexuality to a different level.

"It's a different take on sexuality. Sexuality in my films was shown differently before this. 'The Dirty Picture' takes it to a different level," said Emraan.

The first trailer of the movie has already created a buzz, with Vidya in a bold new avatar. Emraan plays one of the three men in her life, while the other two male characters have been essayed by Tusshar Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah.

"I play a movie director who believes in artistic cinema. He is one who doesn't really give a damn about commercial viability of a film. He would rather make a film, which critics will appreciate; he sticks to his guns creatively, never budges from his creative instincts of a film and the content the film. It's a very different character that I haven't played before," said the actor.

"The Dirty Picture", produced by Ekta Kapoor, and directed by Milan Luthria, will release Dec 2, which happens to be Silk Smitha's birth anniversary.

Even though the movie is being promoted as Silk Smitha's biopic, Emraan says it has been spiked with fiction for commercial value.

"It's basically a fictional film. It might have been taken from different sources and it's about the southern film industry, about the actress, her rise, her stardom and her relationship with these three men...Eventually, lots of comparisons can be made but lots of things have been added for commercial effect. So I wouldn't say it's truly a biopic," he said.

This is the first time that Emraan has teamed up with the critically acclaimed Vidya. "Vidya is a great actress. Our combination is new. It's a great experience working with her. Every character in the film is very intriguing and interesting; so we share a very different kind of chemistry on screen."

He is also in awe of veteran actor Naseeruddin.

"Naseeruddin is god of acting. I did a couple of scenes with him, which was a great learning experience," said Emraan.

Hrithik had to change his workout, diet for Agneepath!

Actor Hrithik Roshan's look in the movie Agneepath made jaws drop and inspired men and wooed women all over the world. But it was not at all easy to get the look and physique in place as per the requirement. Hrithik had to completely change his workout routine and work extremely hard to get that shape which is now called as god made.

His trainer Satyajit Chaurasia, who has been Hrithik’s trainer for 9 years, explains how Hrithik had to go into an extreme regime to get his muscles extremely toned for Vijay Chauhan’s role in Agneepath. His diet was a super protein diet with 12 egg whites, 2 loafs of brown bread, a protein shake, nuts, corn flakes with milk and fruit platter for breakfast. Two roti, green vegetables, 1 whole chicken (during the day), dal, caesar salad, fish platter for lunch.

’TGIYB’ good news for Indian cinema

That Girl In Yellow Boots"; Cast: Kalki Kochelin, Prashant Prakash, Naseeruddin Shah; Director: Anurag Kashyap; Rating:

The 1960s were a wonderful time for Indian cinema. The government set up the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) to impart cinema education and FFC (Film Finance Corporation) to fund creative cinema. The result - beginning 1969 India saw what is today called 'The New Indian Cinema' that resulted in some of the greatest films ever made in the nation.

Recently, with the advent of digital filmmaking, little droplets of creative cinema have been foreshadowing another cloud-burst of creativity. However, it needs patronage. Perhaps NFDC (National Film Development Corporation), transformed from FFC, would provide that shot in the arm to extremely talented, but unfinanced filmmakers in India. And "The Girl In Yellow Boots" (TGIYB), co-funded by NFDC, could be that game changer.

A British national of Indian origin, Ruth (Kalki), is in India looking for her dad who had left her when she was young. To fund her trip, she works in a shady massage parlour charging Rs.1000 to give 'happy endings' to her customers. She is caught up in her druggie boyfriend's mess but a greater mess awaits her in the discovery of her father.

TGIYB is good news for Indian cinema for many reasons. Firstly, it is perhaps India's first commercially released film to be not just entirely shot in digital (LSD was the first) but also shot on cameras that are usually used to shoot stills. Seeing what digital can do on big screen, like LSD, is an experience and lesson in filmmaking.

Secondly, it will perhaps become the second innings of NFDC. The brilliant films produced by its precursor FFC in the 1970s and 1980s will vouch for the veracity of how much creative cinema needs and deserves governmental patronage. In a few months' time NFDC will also release Dibakar Banerjee's "Shanghai".

Shot in 13 days, TGIYB is spot on in almost all departments. It is carried forward by a stellar performance from its cast, especially Kalki Kochelin, who's also the co-writer.

TGIYB is a statement on modern life and society. The character of Ruth, despite her seeming loss of innocence and purity, is the purest character in the film. Yet, like a beautiful flower in full bloom, she is trampled upon by a ruthless society that ceaselessly uses her. Her yellow boots becomes a metaphor for the beauty and cheer that is stolen from her.

Violence, though rarely physical, is inflicted upon her till she becomes insensitive to the innocence of another like her. Her trampling seems complete, till in the end she redeems himself, by refusing to act as per her impulse.

This is a typical Anurag Kashyap film as it returns us to the themes that form the backdrop in many of his films - sex, drugs and violence. The quirky characterization and the pun of language is all there. Who else can pun a name 'Chittiappa Gowda' and pull it off or juxtapose the banal telephonic conversation of a chatty woman and serious confrontation on phone between mother and daughter at the same time?

Yet, the film is also atypical of Anurag for unlike his other film he exercises great restraint. And it is in this control, of not ending the film in violence, lies its greatest power.

The time is ripe for another cinematic revolution in the country, where filmmakers are not shackled by nepotistic and uncreative production houses and corporate houses married only to profits. Hopefully, TGIYB will prove to be the first, in the many to follow.

A sequel to The Dirty Picture?

While Milan Luthria is all ready to wrap up shooting for The Dirty Picture, he is open to the idea of making a sequel to the film. The Dirty Picture, one of the most anticipated Bollywood film for the year, will show Vidya Balan essay the role of late South siren Silk Smitha.

Milan Luthria will soon get into the post-production of The Dirty Picture to ensure that the film releases on December 2, which is the birth anniversary of the late south siren Silk Smitha. Speaking about a sequel to the biopic, Luthria said, “It's a bit early to think of a sequel. If people find it uplifting, then I'll be the first to jump at the opportunity. Balaji and I are not closed to the idea.”

Speaking about the first look of The Dirty Picture to a leading website, Milan Luthria said, “We worked incredibly hard on the first look of the film. As the film is mainstream and commercial in every respect, that had to come through in the poster and trailer.”

As The Dirty Picture is a mainstream film and traces the controversial life of Silk Smitha, it is packed with music, humour and not to mention many intimate scenes involving Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Tushaar Kapoor.

Malaika Arora Khan set to do item

Actress malaika Arora Khan has wowed everyone with her item dance in 'Munni Badnaam' of the movie Dabangg. The uncrowned Queen of item numbers is now all set to make her comeback with another item song in Sajid Khan's upcoming film Housefull 2, which is expected to bring back Munni's desi look on screen again.  According to reports, Malaika Arora Khan can be seen sizzling on screen in another hot item song in multi-starrer Bollywood movie Housefull 2. Choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan will choreograph this item song. She is expected to bring the glory of her 'Sheila' and 'Munni' together in the song.  However, Malaika Arora Khan has done several item songs like 'Chaiyyan Chaiyyan', 'Kaal Dhamaal', 'Maahi Ve' and the chartbuster 'Munni Badnaam' and she is successful in impressing the pranksters in each of them. Malaika was even part of Sajid Khan's Heyy Babyy and Housefull. Now, she is ready to do one more item number for Sajid

Parvathi Melton sizzles in Dookudu item song

We have reported earlier about Parvathi Melton's item song in forthcoming Telugu movie Dookudu. Now, the latest to hear is that the song picturization has been completed and the first look of the number has been released.

Parvathi Melton along with Mahesh Babu and a group of dancers have grooved for the special number titled 'Poovai poovai...'. In the first look, the actress looks wind and gives an impression that the actress would set the screen on fire.

'Poovai poovai...' has already won the hearts of the mass audience. The song, which is composed by Thaman, was picturized at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.

Dookudu, which stars Mahesh Babu, Samantha and Prakash Raj in the leads, is directed by Srinu Vytla and jointly produced by Anil Sunkara and Gopichand Achanta. It will hit the screens coming Friday (September 23).

Jurassic Park

The setup’s fiendishly simple.

Throw a few characters together, trap them on an island - then fill that island with rampaging dinosaurs.

Blockbusters would never be the same again, but it’s worth remembering there’s only six minutes of CGI in this, its supposed coming-out party.

Unleashed in 1993, Jurassic’s a classic not because of the computer whizzery, but Steven Spielberg’s eye for stomach-clenching peril and telling character moments alike - we get to know the dino-fodder before they hit the menu, so the resulting buffet is all the more intense.

Add to all this a succession of set-pieces most filmmakers would give their left viewfinders for, and you have one of the big screen’s very greatest thrill-rides.

Read more: Jurassic Park review | TotalFilm.com