Brands compete for“Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2” association

The sequel to BalajiMotion Pictures’ 2010 hit Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai is already a subject ofheated discussion in the brands’ space. Much before it hits the floor, the filmis being flooded with association offers from brand given the huge value of thefranchise, director Milan Luthria (after ‘The Dirty Picture’) and the enormousstar cast of the sequel - Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan, areamongst the most sought after.
This would also be thefirst time that almost 18 brands are vying to be part of a gangster drama lacedwith intense romance, including male-centric brands, as the film is high in itsdepiction of machismo and male-hood. While many have expressed interestfrom an in-film perspective, many have approached Balaji for pre-releasemarketing associations.
Confirms Ekta Kapoor,“We are glad with the incredible interest that brands have shown in our keenlyawaited sequel. While all our films are hot-beds for brand integrations, thelevel of excitement that OUATIM-2 has garnered is unprecedented.”
She adds, “We willstay true to the film and its storyline. Milan (Luthria) has advised us that hewill incorporate 5 or 6 brands at best therefore we will be extremely carefulin our selection. As the final draft of the script is currently being workedon, we can incorporate these brands in the narrative seamlessly.”
The film commencesproduction on August 1

Madagascar-3: Europe’s Most Wanted is here!

The 3rd part of the belovedfranchise releases in 3D on 8th June 2012!

After the worldwidesuccess of “Madagascar” and “Madagascar-Escape to Africa” Paramount Pictures and Viacom18 Motion Pictures are all set to treat their movie audiences with the third installment of thebillion-dollar franchise, “Madagascar-3: Europe’s Most Wanted”!

Leaving Africa behind, the animals have taken a detourand surfaced, quite literally, in Europe — on a hunt for the penguins andchimps who have managed to break the bank of a Monte Carlo casino. Theirjourney took the Zoosters from New York, to the eponymous island of Madagascar,then to the wilds of Africa. In the latest installment, the adventure unfoldsall across Europe, which naturally calls for a grander scale visually and instorytelling!!!

Keenly anticipated by the animation lovers, this filmpromises never-seen-before humor and a fun ride all the way in 3D. The castspeaks on the 3rd part of the franchise.
 
“The thing that I love about all the ‘Madagascar’ moviesis that they’re fun but they also have a lot of heart. They always deal withreally simple, central issues: relationships and how one relates to oneself andto the world, which is relatable across the board, whether you’re an adult or achild.” said lead actor Jada PinkettSmith.
Ben Stiller agreed to what Jada Pinkett Smith saidand further adds, “People like the friendships andthe relationships that the characters have and that they are always there foreach other. There’s innocence about these characters, where they go throughlife without quite knowing how to deal with the real world. They’re in theprocess of learning — and they are doing it together. That’s a big part ofit. And of course, the animation is great — it has that sort of retro Tex Avery vibe.It just feels very distinctive.”
The filmmakers had decided to take the characters to newplaces - literallyand figuratively which they have continued with Madagascar-3 & what’s morefor the first time, a “Madagascar” chapter is filmed in 3D. 
Catch one ofthe most anticipated films of this year as Madagascar-3 opens across alltheaters on 8th June 2012!

SHAHRUKH KHAN- AN OUTSIDER IN THE FILM INDUSTRY

Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. It's only Shahrukh Khan who, in the true sense of the word, has come close enough to be included in this hallowed pack of stars. There's hardly any doubt about the membership credentials of Aamir and Salman Khans but theirs wasn't ever as meteoric a rise like Shahrukh Khan. And unlike the two Shahrukh was the outsider who broke through but in spite of it all, the burden of being the outsider weighs Shahrukh down.
Try to look as hard and far possible but you'd never find a world packed tighter than the one that operates Hindi cinema. This is a place where everything can be justified in the name of familial familiarity. Not a single moment would be wasted to defend someone who publically might be a happily married man but behind closed doors is a wife beater or someone who doesn't think twice before forcing a filmmaker to cast his son's sweetheart in a romantic role opposite him, who by the way happens to be the estranged wife of his one time close friend as long as they are part of the tribe. They will not stop at anything to preserve their own and they will go to any lengths to stop the outsiders from getting too close. Somewhere Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, and Amitabh Bachchan, the so called outsiders who like Shahrukh Khan were the biggest stars of their times, transformed into the insiders but Shahrukh still finds himself to be the outsider he started out as. Unlike those before him Shahrukh feted the outsider tag and used it whenever possible to show that he was different. He made it his calling card and on every possible occasion suggested that the lack of baggage and tradition that accompanied an insider made him better than everyone else. He sparked off a million dreams and his stories of walking along Marine Drive promising to be the king of the city one day became folklore. King he became, and yet the kingdom was never his to call.
Rumors of the old guard joining arms to keep immigrants like Bachchan and even Dharmendra from 'entering' Malabar Hill don't just make for interesting party tales. So, at what point of their journey did Bachchan, Khanna and Dharmendra become insiders? Raj Kapoor barely looked beyond his own family when it came to films- Rishi Kapoor argued his father into sticking with Uncle Shashi Kapoor for Satyam, Shivam Sundaram (1978) over Rajesh Khanna; Manmohan Desai couldn't imagine anyone but Bachchan in his films but Shahrukh hasn't enjoyed this. Even Chopras whom he considers 'family' are happily bending backwards to woo Aamir and Salman with dream deals while Shahrukh is suddenly dispensable. Till his films were bigger than everyone else's, till he his successes were greater than his peers everything that Shahrukh did was tolerated, even acceptable. More importantly it's not like he was unaware about the temporary nature of 'all access card' but as long he had the freedom along with the wherewithal to do what his heart desired he lived with the small pay off.
Why is Shahrukh Khan still an outsider isn't the real question as much as why was he never considered one of the pack. He lived by the rules that he had made and one by one his 'fights' with the insiders like the Bachchans, and Salman Khan has alienated him. It's not like everything's over for one of the biggest success stories of Hindi cinema but the signs are ominous. The loneliness of being SRK is finally catching up and the cracks are beginning to show. His recent brawls with Shirish Kunder and the Maharashtra Cricket Association might have been the actions of someone pushed into a corner but it was suggested that Shahrukh was inebriated on both occasions. These incidents aren't as unique as they would have been in someone else's case. With or without a cause SRK has always been the rebel and old habits diehard but the loss of his trademark dignity in defiance is what makes these incidents pedestrian. Whoever said it was lonely at the top didn't know SRK; ironically that was the only time he wasn't alone.
By Courtesy

Anurag Basu has managed to make me believe in the role: Ileana

Ileana, who would soon be making her Bollywood debut with the film ‘Barfi’ says that she had a great time shooting for the film. She has words of praise for both her co stars Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, and says that neither of them thre any starry airs around.

Ileana says that she was not at first that convinced if she would be the right person to do the role in the film, but director Anurag Basu had managed to make her believe in the role. She remembers that it had taken her quite a while to commit herself to the project.

Ileana is a good singer too and says that she had always dreamt of becoming a singer. She says that she gives a one hundred percent to everything that she does, and hopes that she would indeed be able to realise her dream some day. The charming young girl has had a recent release in Tamil with ‘Nanban’ that was a runaway hit at the box office.

Neil Nitin Mukesh about his movie 3G

Neil Nitin Mukesh is preety busy these days with the two projects he is involved in; Shortcut Romeo and 3G.
Shortcut Romeo starring Neil and Ameesha Patel is complete and will release in September. At present Neil is busty shooting for 3G in the Fiji islands.
Talking about the film Neil Tweeted, “3Gthemovie is a horror! It reminds me of Gregory pecks “omen”, harrison fords “what lies beneath”, bruce wills “sixth sense” Horror is one genre I’ve always loved and wanted to do. Never heard the script of a classy horror until I was offered 3Gthemovie”
About his character Sam, Neil mentioned, “Difficult to hold the character of “sam” in 3Gthemovie. Everyday brings a new challenge. But that’s what’s exciting. Meanwhile we have completed 35% of 3Gthemovie. Its an exciting film with a great story line screenplay and visual treat.”
The actor also shared a rather freaky incident that happened on the sets of the film. Neil tweeted, “Now for some anecdotes! So weirdly but true. So we were shooting at this one location which apparently is supposed to be haunted! And the unit boys did experience a presence. One of our light boys came running complaining that some one was standing by his side and passed right through him. At first we thought he was joking trying to create sensation but then when he sat trembling like a leaf is when we sat and heard him out.”
3G is directed by Sheershak Anand and Shantanu Ray Chibber and has Sonal Chauhan paired opposite Neil.