IIFa 2006, started with a bang, numerous movie launches , preiviews and special screening dominated most part of the days. Unlike, previous years, no sports were included in this years package, may be due to World Cup 2006.
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SRK & Karan Johar in London – launching KANK music

The music of this album pretty much resembles Kal Ho Na Ho. The numbers pretty much sounds same, as even the singers of that hit movie are retained for the same kind of numbers. The music director is trio Shankar-Eshaan-Loy.

Tumko Bhi Hai Khabar, Mujhko Bhi Hai Pata;
Ho Raha Hai Juda, Dono Ka Raasta Door Jaake Bhi Mujhse,
Tum Meri Yaadon Mein Rehna;
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna!

Title Song

The opening track itself is very soft and gloomy song, but it definitely touches and moves you. Follows the numbers like Where’s The Party Tonight (Its the time to Disco), Tumhi Dekho Naa (Pretty Woman, Kuch To Huwa Hai), Rock’n'Roll Soniye (Saavah Saavah – K3G), . The only different they have tired is song Mitwa which have sufi rock pakistani touch.

Sony BMG plans to make this album available in every legitimate online stores like iTunes, rapshodhy, rythms, etc by june 28th inorder to avoid further illegal file swapping.

Teaser

Cast: Ajay Devgan, Saif ali Khan, Vivek Oberio, Kareena Kapoor, Konkona Sen, Bipasha Basu & Nasurdeen Shah (Guest)

Storyline

Omkara or Omi (Ajay Devgan) is a gifted chieftain who heads a gang of outlaws, which include the crafty Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan) and the dynamic Kesu (Vivek Oberoi) amongst his chief cohorts. The story begins when Omi appoints Kesu and not Langda as his chief lieutenant. Langda’s pride is slighted and raging with envy he hatches a plot to falsely implicate Omi’s beautiful lover Dolly (Kareena Kapoor), in a love affair with Omi’s “favorite lieutenantâ€Â?, Kesu. With the unwitting aid of Indu (Konkana Sen Sharma), Langda’s wife, and the willing help of Raju, a fellow grouch, Langda’s plan takes shape and results in horrific tragedy. Using petty insinuations and lies, Langda keeps poisoning Omi’s mind till one day it snaps and Omi goes about tearing up his own safe and secure world. By the time he realizes what he has done and the backlash of his actions it is too late…

But like all love stories which never really end…out of the ashes of this one too comes a twist. Omkara’s dark issak or love for Dolly, Dolly’s unquestioning issak for Omi, Langda’s warped loyalty and jealousy for Omi, the vibrant Kesu’s unswerving devotion to Omi – all leading up to a dark tragedy where Omi finally realizes what he has done…

The film stars Shakespeare’s characters, Ajay Devgan as Othello, Vivek Oberoi as Cassio, Saif Ali Khan as lago, Kareena Kapoor as Desdemona, Konkana Sen Sharma as Emilia, Bipasha Basu in a special appearance and Naseeruddin Shah. The film is slated to be released in the month of August.

Teaser

Title Track – Xclusive

The movie deals with the relationship of two people who meet and how their relationship slowly develops. The film runs at natural pace. It’s a slow and beautiful way in which two people meet and get to know each other.
It is a story about a boy called Ankush played by Abhay Deol, who lives in old Delhi. He lives on the streets and works as a witness for court marriages at a small amount of Rs.200. And one fateful day Megha, comes into his life. Meghna comes from a small town and finds herself in old Delhi, which is obviously new to her. Since, she is from a small town, she is very protected and timid. When she finds herself in Delhi, she obviously is quite daunted. She doesn’t really trust the environment of this bit city. They meet by chance and how due to circumstances they are forced to spend sometime together. Their relationship develops. The dialogues are very natural; the situations very realistic, and even the songs have been worked out in a very natural sort of way.

An unidentified man fired gunshots at film maker, Mahesh Bhatt and his brother Mukesh Bhatt’s office, today. He approached the accountant and asked for his boss. On being told that nobody was in office, he fired two shots. Both the bullets hit the ground. The man escaped on his bike before anybody could catch him. There have been no casualties. The police was informed by Bhatt’s filmmaker friend, Ashok Pandit.

While Mukesh Bhatt is in Dubai to attend the IIFA awards, Mahesh Bhatt is in Mumbai. He reached his office, soon after the incident. The identity of the man is still a mystery. The police are looking into the matter. A sketch of the man has been drawn based on the impressions of those who saw him. They will get a better idea by finding out about the man’s attire and language.

Whenever there used be a fusion of Naushad’s music, Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics and Rafi’s voice, that number would become super-duper hit. These three were quite a team then. Rafi sang more than 26,000 songs in all the national languages in his forty years long career in the film industry. He is the master of all forms of songs. He could sing ghazal, qawwali, geet and bhajan with equal ease.
The range of Rafi’s voice was very very high. This is noticeable from the number O Duniya Ke Rakhwale from the movie Baiju Bawara. Rafi revealed a golden voice of unrivaled tonal quality and range, which had the power to pitch lyrics from the lowest modulations to high soprano.

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The concept of merchandising is pretty new in Bollywood arena. Before there used to be auctions of original items used by the stars in the movies. They used to be priced hefty, and only a fan who have big purse could showcase in their drawing rooms. With this merchandising concept its easy for even average movie fans to decorate their rooms with their favourite star item collections.

At a press conference on June 12, Hrithik launched merchandise from the film, as his father, director Rakesh Roshan, looked on. Krrish merchandise will be manufactured and marketed by Pantaloon Retail India Limited and will hit the market on June 13.

Well to be inspired and to make an adaptation of intresting foreign story is not a crime. An artist and his/her art cannot be bounded by geographical and language barriers. Greater the reach, more would it be benefited by both the creator and the admirer of the art. Thats why we have Cannes, Toronto, Sundance, etc movie festivals to display different cultures on the silver screen to wide range (although less in quantity) of audiences.

But one of the major thing, our movie industry people should learn by now befroe getting an inspiration is – Copyright and the Credits. Rarely we find any filmmaker buying ADAPTATION RIGHTS of the foreign movies, novel or the story. Much shameful (and strange too) thing is they fear even giving credits to the original creator.

Movies like Kaante (Reserviour Dogs, Usual Suspects), Zinda (Korean blockbuster Old Boy), Sarkar (The Godfather) and even lately released Fanaa (Korean blockbuster ‘Shiri’ ) are direct adaptation of popular foreign movies. Almost 80% of Mahesh Bhatt movies are inspirations from hollywood movies (or novels) only, but hardly have we seen proper aknowledgement given to them. These were some of the released ones, but even much bigger movies are being released this year are PHOTOCOPIES of other foreign movies. Lets ponder upon some.

Nishabd (Lolita)

The movie Nishabd under production from RGV factory is adaptation of hollywood controversial movie Lolita (1997) (which in turn was an adaption of a popular novel of the same name). The taboo realtionship story between a 50+ man and 16 year young girl (who is his step daughter). Well, we appreciate RGV’s gut to be different from the rest, and attempting such daring story, but did RVG got any rights to make it ?

No, I hope he will just get away with one line AKNOWLEDGEMENT like he did in Sarkar (The God Father)?

As more and more filmmaker starts making such copies, the audience niche will get more and more narrowed down instead of widening. Why would foreign audience watch the same movie twice?
Even if they like to watch, why would they watch knock-offs without much of change in presentation, story aspects or anything new instead of the original?
This would not only hamper overseas collections, but on the other hand lose homezone collection too.
How would aam janta understand and accept such taboo story?
It would just ignite controversy, even if it gets out of censors.

Salaam-E-Ishq (Love Actually)

The second innings by the Kal Ho Na Ho director, Nikhil Advani, who had claimed even Kaal was his story which Karan Gay (ohhoo sorry Johar..) backstabbed and took it away. Well Mr. Advani, even Kaal was inspired from Blair Witch Project, The Ghost in the Darkness, Worng Turn, so browny points for shouting aloud.
This time, he has landed upon Love Actually for his new movie Salaam-E-Ishq. He belives the ample does of emotional scences, seven sperate love stories and more importantly that huge star cast (Salman, Anil, Akshay, Priyanka, Govinda, John, Ayesha, Suniel, Juhi….) will just click on the box office.
Advani, have not yet accepted this plagerism, but looking to the movie stills and hearing the interviews given by the stars, the story and its executions is nothing less than PHOTOCOPY of the original story.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (Closer)

The master creator(copier) himself, who knows how to steal a movie perfectly. After break-up with his old time buddy Nikhil, he spend months within a DVD Library and finally got out with 2004’s Oscar nominated movie Closer. Coincidently, this movie too bombed at box office (as Advani’s inspiration – Love Actually), but Mr. Gay (ooops I did it again…) is confident enough. His huge starcast, glossy look and exotic locations in KANK are more than enough to drag in NRIs dollors and pounds.

The movie revolves around an extra maritial affairs and their complexities. He hams everytime that its not cheap physical extra maritail fare like Murder, Hawas but its shows mental and social complexities of extra-maritial affairs. Its more of emotional part, not physical ‘Pati Patni aur Woh’ type story. I can’t make such kind of movies.
Well, we also know that you can’t make and even the reason why you can’t?
Do we need to say anything more ?

Mr. NRI maker is confident enough that he has done perfect coping, without leaving any trace. So he instead ask us, why should he have any copyright issue and give EXTRA CREDITS to the movie from which he got inspired?

Well, what can we say. Definitely, we are not on the same train both physically and mentally.