Akshay Kumar - Khiladi (My Favourite Actor)

By glamsham
Friday Feb 27 9:35 AM


Sampurn, Bollywood Trade News Network
DELHI 6 was being looked at as the savior of Bollywood but just-about-ordinary response to the film means that the industry will have to turn towards superstars yet again to bring in some moolah back into the industry.

January and February have been heartbreaking with Shah Rukh Khan (BILLU), Akshay Kumar (CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA) and Abhishek Bachchan (DELHI 6) not really managing to bring in much success at the box office. Relatively smaller films like RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES (Emraan Hashmi) and DEV D (Abhay Deol) have worked but they have helped the makers more than the industry as a whole due to their low costing and hence low revenue generation.

So where does this leave a quintessential Bollywood blockbuster? Sadly, none of them is in sight at least for next one month. There are potential winners like DHOONDTE REH JAAOGE, ALOO CHAAT, 13 B, GULAAL and AA DEKHEN ZARA but does one really expect any of them to do a business of more than 10 odd crores each? In fact if these films touch this mark then they would well be winners. However, that too will be mainly from pricing perspective. Expecting a 20-30-40 crores kind of a business from any of these films would be asking for too much.

So what ails Bollywood in such a scenario, especially when the industry is in desperate need of some serious cash flow? Well, look towards Akshay Kumar who will be beginning the second quarter of 2009 with 8x10 TASVEER. A Nagesh Kukunoor film which appears to be part-commercial-part-offbeat, TASVEER has been long in the making but still interesting enough to entice that segment of audience that would love to watch Akshay Kumar doing something different from the routine.

Again, this is not a film where even the makers would be expecting 50 crores (or above) in collections coming in. Still, it should bring in a substantial quantum of audience when compared to the other releases in the month of March and hence help the industry gain some stand. Come 3rd April and we should have an answer.

The man who was hit by all the brickbats post CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is being looked as a savior all over again! Well, such is the way of Bollywood!


By indiaabroad
Friday Feb 27 3:15 PM

Mumbai, Feb 27 (IANS) Director Anthony D'Souza says contrary to popular belief that Australian singer Kylie Minogue is only shaking a leg to her own song in his debut film 'Blue', she has a full-fledged role in the underwater thriller.

'At a particular juncture in the story we needed a woman with a particular personality and appearance who could act, sing and dance. Kylie fitted the bill. She isn't here to do an item song and go back. Kylie plays a pivotal role,' D'Souza told IANS.


'She contributes considerably to taking the story forward. Over a period of eight days, I'm shooting all of Kylie's scenes,' he added.


Kylie has also recorded a song for 'Blue', which is being produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. She arrived here Thursday to shoot for the music video for the film, which will also feature Akshay Kumar.


Apparently, the film's other two svelte leading ladies - Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif - have been peering anxiously over their dainty shoulders ever since they heard Kylie's isn't just a flash-on-flash-off song-and-dance routine.


Commenting on that, D'Souza said: 'Well I'm lucky to have three such lovely ladies in my film. I hope the audiences in the backwaters who may not know Kylie come to see my film for Lara and Katrina while the international audiences go wild over all the three ladies.'