Achal Kapoor – See the world through my eyes…..

Complete list of nominees for the 81st annual Academy Awards.

BEST PICTURE
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
“The Reader”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

BEST ACTOR
Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, “Milk”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Gus Van Sant, “Milk”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, “Milk”
Courtney Hunt, “Frozen River”
Mike Leigh, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Martin McDonagh, “In Bruges”
Andrew Stanton, and Jim Reardon; original story by Stanton and Pete Docter“WALL-E”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”
David Hare, “The Reader”
Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon”
John Patrick Shanley, “Doubt”
Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“The Baader-Meinhof Complex” (Germany)
“The Class” (France)
“Departures” (Japan)
“Revanche” (Austria)
“Waltz with Bashir” (Israel)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
“Bolt”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“WALL-E”

BEST ART DIRECTION
“Changeling”
“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Duchess”
“Revolutionary Road”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Changeling” Tom Stern
“Slumdog Millionaire,” Anthony Dod Mantle
“The Reader,” Chris Menges
“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,” Claudio Miranda
“The Dark Knight,” Wally Pfister

BEST FILM EDITING
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
“The Dark Knight,” Lee Smith
“Frost/Nixon,” Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
“Milk,” Elliot Graham
“Slumdog Millionaire,” Chris Dickens

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Australia,” Catherine Martin
“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,” Jacqueline West
“The Duchess,” Michael O’Conner
“Milk”, Danny Glicker
“Revolutionary Road,” Albert Wolsky

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)”
“Encounters at the End of the World”
“The Garden”
“Man on Wire”
“Trouble the Water”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Slumdog Millionaire,” “Jai Ho”
“Slumdog Millionaire,” “O Saya”
“WALL-E,” “Down To Earth”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,” Alexandre Desplat
“Defiance,” James Newton Howard
“Milk,” Danny Elfman
“Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman
“WALL-E,” Thomas Newman

BEST MAKEUP
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,”
“The Dark Knight,”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army,”

BEST SOUND EDITING
“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

BEST SOUND MIXING
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)”
“Manon on the Asphalt”
“New Boy”
“The Pig”
“Spielzeugland (Toyland)”

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
“La Maison en Petits Cubes”
“Lavatory – Lovestory”
“Oktapodi”
“Presto”
“This Way Up”

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
“The Conscience of Nhem En”
“The Final Inch”
“Smile Pinki”
“The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306″

One week after the Golden Globes and Slumdog Millionaire, Shah Rukh Khan talks to BT about going to LA and walking on stage with lead actress

How different was the Golden Globes from our award shows?
The people are very gracious and are genuinely happy for each other’s success. In India we go to such functions only to collect our own awards and sneak away. There people stayed back and shared the happiness in the get-together.

Were you intimidated by Hollywood’s biggies?
No, I felt confident like always. Given a chance, I would have shown them some Bollywood pelvic movements!

What stopped you?
I don’t know how they would have taken it, they are not familiar with our humour, it would have been a little out of place.

How are Hollywood’s A-listers?
Usually I am very anti-social. But that night I was taken around and it was wonderful to meet everyone. People spoke very graciously about Bollywood. I am naturally shy of women, but when I saw Demi Moore, Kate Winslet, Drew Barrymore, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez, I must say… they are so beautiful! I was introduced to Mark Antony and Dustin Hoffman, too. There was Beyonce and Gerard Butler whom I know from before. Emma Thompson, who I know since the last three years, blew me a flying kiss.

You regret not accepting the role that Anil Kapoor played?
No. I know Danny felt bad about it. But he is such a good human being. And his love for India is something very special. After I saw the film, I thought Anil had done a fabulous job and deserves every bit of the
success.

Other roles that you refused (Lagaan, Munnabhai MBBS and now 3 idiots) went on to make big news…
There shouldn’t be any afterthought once a decision is made. Nobody could have done a better job than Sanjay Dutt in Munnabhai… Yes, I was keen to do Lagaan, but Ashutosh and I didn’t get a producer at that time. I wasn’t into production then. And I didn’t do 3 Idiots which Aamir is doing now. Looks like Aamir was destined to do both the roles. He is brilliant, no doubt. Everything isn’t made for me alone. God has given me enough, I’d better be happy and contented.

Freida Pinto and Shah Rukh Khan.

Freida Pinto in hand to present Danny Boyle’s film on Mumbai with the prestigious award. “It was a historic moment and I felt proud to be an Indian,” said the actor who was introduced as the King of Bollywood and who…yes, had rejected the role in the film that subsequently went to Anil Kapoor!

Courtesy : TNN

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which released worldwide five weeks ago on December 12th 2008, has grossed a phenomenal Rs. 180 crores worldwide till date and has broken all previous box office records for Yash Raj Films, as well as become the highest-grossing Shahrukh Khan film till date.

The film was released at an extremely precarious time, just after the terror attacks in Mumbai on 26th November 2008. Amidst uncertain consumer sentiments and apprehensions from the trade regarding market conditions at the time, the film has achieved an unparalleled box office run against all odds. Moreover, the film had to further contend with the record-breaking onslaught of Ghajini on December 26th 2008, despite which it has continued unabated and endured a hugely successful run in its third, fourth and fifth weeks, and promises to carry on in the same vein going forward.

The total collections of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi for the first five weeks in India are Rs. 83 crores net (i.e. gross collections of close to Rs. 140 crores). The film has thus surpassed Yash Raj Films’ previous highest grosser, Dhoom: 2, which collected Rs. 80.6 crores net across its entire run in India and is considered as one of the highest grossing films of all-time. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has also comfortably surpassed the collections of two of the biggest hits of the last 2 years, Singh is King and Om Shanti Om, and is now second only to Ghajini as regards all-time India net collections.

The total gross collections for all overseas markets are $8 Million (i.e. around Rs. 40 crores), making Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi the highest grossing film of the year in the overseas, ahead of both Ghajini and Singh is King. In the UK, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has grossed close to £1.5 million till date, which makes it the biggest hit of the last 2 years in this market. In the Middle East, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has grossed a staggering $2.25 million till date, making it the highest grossing film of all-time in this region by a huge margin. The film has also achieved a fabulous box office gross of $2.1 million till date in the USA. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has also enjoyed a grand box office performance across all other overseas markets, such as Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia, and ranks as the highest grosser of the year across these regions.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has evoked a sensational response from audiences all over the world, which is clearly reflected in its record-breaking collections, and continues to win hearts across the globe as it goes forward from strength to strength.

Courtesy : Planet Bollywood

That Shahrukh is a charmer, no one denies, but the best part about the man perhaps is that he manages to say just the right things in just the right way, without saying too much.

Amidst his team’s dismal performance in the DLF IPL and the reports of a rift in the camp, SRK sent an SMS to his Knights on Wednesday, which was inspirational and commanding at the same time.

King Khan’s SMS:

“Story time boys… I told you if you keep losing you have to bear with my long, boring msgs…. This is your punishment…. Many times I have made movies which don’t do well…. When I’m doing them, of course, I don’t know they won’t do well…. The story is written by somebody else and I just do my bit as an actor. But I have a way of dealing with flop stories, I try my best to keep my character in the film at a level that it makes a failed story also special for me….

I enjoy the work…. I make jokes about the failure…. And, of course, feel awful about it too…. So, right now, all of us have become part of a failed script… A bad IPL script…. Let’s try and keep our characters worthy of still looking back at this story and remembering it as a special story becos we all worked very hard at this….

So, chin up and don’t spoil yr character in the next two games…. Let’s go out with a bang and not a whimper…. In films, we say u r only as good as yr last film…. So let’s make the whole world know how good we r in the last (maybe not) two games…

Also, do ignore all this bit about Dada, me and John having issues…. It’s a normal thing in the world…. People like to hit you when u r down…. So, we will be hit…. No stress…. It will make us stronger…. The only way to avoid this is to win…. That’s one of the reasons why everybody likes to be a winner….

On the other hand, the beauty of failure is that it brings people together…. So, let’s stick this out together…. You know me well enuff to know I am not the kind of owner who has issues with the team ‘cos of losses… I am too much of a sport myself to get beaten by defeats…. Like you guys are…. Like Dada and John….

I am still trying to understand the code of conduct expected of me at the matches of the IPL…. ICC… etc…. After I understand it, I will decide whether to accept it or not…. Till such time, I will be with you guys at the hotel… in the meetings etc., but won’t come for the matches…. So, please don’t ever feel it is anything to do with us as a team….

I am as dedicated to my Knights as I am to my kids…. Only, I won’t be coming to the class room till the headmaster’s rules are understood by me…. I am a bit anti-establishment kind of a guy, so I apologise for this quirk to u all…. So, head’s up…. Have a good match and let’s make 200 runs tomorrow…. This 150 seems to not work any more.”

Shah Rukh Khan was adjudged the Best Actor Award for his performance in Shimit Amin directed Chak De! India at the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards on Thursday, January 10, Mumbai.

In addition, Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone were named the Best Pair on screen.

Shah Rukh recieves the award from Yash Raj Chopra and Rekha at the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards on Thursday, January 10, Mumbai.

Shah Rukh Khan walks away with the Best Actor award for ‘Chak De! India’ (2007) at the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards on Thursday, January 10, Mumbai.

Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan at the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards on Thursday, January 10, Mumbai.

Khans are well known for ruling the Tinsel-town since ages now. Any Bollywood celebration without their presence is incomplete. Of late, the three most celebrated Khans, Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman were seen at the lavish 15th anniversary celebration of the Zee Network at Taj Lands End on Saturday, January 5. Also, present at the occasion was the ever sizzling Rekha.

The above picture shows the two Khans- Aamir and Shah Rukh- in a very cheerful mood, probably congratulating each other for the success of their respective films released last year. Apparently, Aamir Khan had messaged SRK to fix a date to watch Taare Zameen Par. Nevertheless, Shah Rukh has promised to watch the film with his kids, now is he a true star or what! Appreciating other’s work was a quality he always possessed.

With the presence of the biggies of Bollywood, the Zee Networks party surely turned out to be a big event.

It was flashback time yesterday as a Delhi landmark wrote its epitaph in the dying days of the year. The Chanakya theatre complex that had seen bunking students grow up to teens on their first date and then as parents accompanying their children to a film called it curtains.
After 37 years of looking on as generations of Delhiites thronged its vast foyer, Chanakya theatre close to the capital’s diplomatic enclave screened its last show last night with Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par – ending as it began with another masterpiece, Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker. 
It was the last popcorn, the last hot chocolate fudge in the adjoining Nirula’s that was so much part of the movie watching experience, the last time they walked the leafy passage from the restaurant to the hall for many Delhiites.
And for some who couldn’t manage a ticket for even an afternoon show to watch Akshay Kumar’s Welcome, it was one more walk down nostalgia lane.
How many times over the years had they stood in line only to be told at the end that no tickets were to be had – even for sob stories of how they had trekked across the city to catch this one film? 
This had been the hangout zone that witnessed many a romance; some that actually culminated in marriage, others that fell by the wayside and looked back as something that was just not to be. 
For many, it was where they watched their first English film, where they shrieked in abandon while watching Abba: The Musical, where they sneaked in to watch their first adult film; and where they introduced themselves to quality cinema – trying to take in the complexities of Sex, Lies and Videotape or simply enjoying blockbusters like Pretty Woman.
“There is something of Chanakya in all of us,” said old time Delhiite V Romesh Kumar as the theatre lost the battle to the capital’s civic authority NDMC and prepared to give way to a multiplex sometime in the future. Workers said about 150 people would be unemployed from Friday onwards; a not very happy New Year, said one.
Romesh Kumar, who saw Abba nine times in Chanakya, remembers his first real date there – on November 13, 1973 to see Michael Caine’s Alfie. 
Banker Rajnish Vasudev, who watched Welcome in the matinee show, said it was a sad day. “But then this is life. It is a sad day.”
Some suggested that the complex, along with Nirula’s, be preserved as a heritage site. According to cameraman Malay, who always checked out whether a film was running in Chanakya before he watched it anywhere else: “They could have built a multiplex but on top of this. This should have stayed.”
On the surface it was business as usual in Chanakya, one of the last alternatives to expensive multiplexes.  But in adjoining Nirula’s, reminiscences hung in the air. The Chanakya Nirula’s, which has completed 27 years and calls it a day Dec 31, went ahead and asked people to relive the milestones of their lives. The first day, the first job celebration and all those moments forgotten in the pages of time.
Lining the walkway into the fast food joint were posters recalling that Delhi boy Shahrukh Khan and wife Gauri had dated here, and that Sushmita Sen loved her hot chocolate fudge.
Others scribbled their memories on white boards inside the restaurant – where everything has been auctioned off, chairs for Rs150, the light shades for Rs.300 and so on to Delhiites anxious to grab a bit of history that is to be demolished forever.
“The place was witness to all my joys and sorrows, laughter and heartbreaks, fights to patch-ups and as we call it – it was our ‘Mandir’ – going to miss you Nirula’s,” said Aprajita Bajaj.
Amita from north Delhi’s Roopnagar wrote how a boy came to see her “for marriage”. In time, she got engaged to him and frequented the café to get to know him. “In olden times it happened like that… Today, I’m here with the same guy, my husband of 23 years. I hate to see this place go. I’m here to say bye-bye.”
Yesterday afternoon, others were bidding farewell too. As the sun filtered in through the bamboo blinds, many sat around in the restaurant over their last hot chocolate fudge and that last pizza.
It was adieu Chanakya, so much more than a mere movie hall and an ice cream sundae. And as Delhi wrote another requiem, a modern multiplex sometime in the future seemed scant compensation.

Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan is keen that the anti-hero in ‘Krrish 2′ be as powerful as the super hero and has offered the role to Shah Rukh Khan who is interested and has asked for a detailed narration of the script from director Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra. 
 

Shah Rukh Khan.

Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan is keen that the anti-hero in Krrish 2 be as powerful as the super hero and has offered the role to Shah Rukh Khan who is interested and has asked for a detailed narration of the script from director Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra.

The role of a villain in Krrish was played by Naseeruddin Shah, also a powerful actor. However, in Krrish 2 the anti-hero too will have super powers – a super villain.

“This time the anti-hero will be as powerful as the hero. See, ‘Krrish’ saw the birth of the superhero. Now we’ll see the superhero combating other forces,” Rakesh Roshan told IANS.

Krrish 2 will be directed not by Rakesh Roshan, as was the case with Krrish, but Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra (Range De Basanti, Dilli 6).

Hrithik had been keen to work with Mehra which prompted Rakesh to hand Mehra the reins.

One possible problem with Shah Rukh’s participation in the project could be the clash of dates. Shah Rukh has time on hand from Jan 2008 to Jun 2008. He is scheduled to start work on Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan from August 2008. Later in December 2008 he will start work on Don 2.

Mehra has just started filming Dilli 6, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor.

It is moot if Mehra will complete work on Dilli 6 quickly enough to take advantage of Shah Rukh’s current availability.

One of the reasons why Shah Rukh could be interested in doing Krrish 2 could be because his production company Red Chillies Entertainment has one of the finest SFX team in the country. Having declined to produce south director Shankar’s Robot, the team must be on the lookout for another film that is heavy on special effects, as Krrish 2 will have to be.

There have been reports that Deepika Padukone will play the lead in the film opposite Hrithik Roshan.

Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, however, remains tight lipped.

“We are still working on it and we will make an official announcement as soon as we work out the details,” he says.

Shah Rukh asks detractors: How many people have you sued for smoking in public?

MUMBAI: “I will be 42 going on 27,’’ says a chirpy Shah Rukh Khan on the eve of his birthday as he prepares to sit through another interview before getting down to playing floodlit cricket with his son Aryan in the backyard of his bungalow, Mannat in western Mumbai’s Bandra suburb.

“I love sports,’’ he says. “It teaches you how to win, how to cope with failure. I want my children to be sportspersons. If I was not an actor, I would be a sportsman,’’ he says with #Chak De! vigour and conviction.

The much-discussed six-pack abdomen could be the metaphor for Shah Rukh feeling 15 years younger than his age (He turns 42 on November 2). But Bollywood’s reigning star dismisses this as much ado about very little.

“A six-pack is not a sign of good health; it is a physicality, like having a good haircut. So it’s not like kuch kamaal ho gaya,’’ he says.

There is, of course, the other pack which accompanies him everywhere, and which got him into a big controversy recently. He pulls out another cigarette from the box, and speaks candidly about his addiction. Public health moralists have been ranting about it ever since he was seen smoking at a recent T20 cricket match in Mumbai.

“My right to information makes me ask all these (protesting) organisations, ‘Tell me, how many people have you sued in the last two years for smoking in public?’ he asks, the glint in his eyes hinting at some defiance. “I am careful about etiquette. If there is an ash-tray around, I smoke, not otherwise. Yes, I feel very bad that I am an icon for the youth and I have a bad habit. I would like to tell people not to do it, but having said that, this is my life. If you want me to change it, then make it illegal. I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink, I don’t run past red lights, I don’t do anything that is illegal.’’

Shah Rukh switches back to films and Om Shanti Om, his sixth home production, and arguably the most-touted. Is it true that he got a record Rs75 crore for the world rights? “The figure’s wrong, but I hope it goes on to break all records,’’ he smiles, and makes a startling disclosure that he never negotiates money for his movies. #
“I take whatever the producer sends me after the movie is released. No signing amount, nothing in between,’’ he says. What if the producer defaults? “How can I ask a man who has lost money to pay me? If you lose money on Shah Rukh Khan, then shame on me,’’ counters the actor.

He claims money is important, but won’t quantify how much is enough. “If I walk into a shop to buy clothes and I can’t decide between two shirts, then I should have the money to buy them both.’’

Arjun Rampal’s film career has never touched a peak nor has it failed in any sense. But now with Om Shanti Om looking great the actor is looking to make amends. Indiatimes Movies caught up with him as he talks about why he took up the role of Mukesh Mehra in OSO…

Are you playing a negative role in Om Shanti Om?
Yes, I’m playing a negative character whose name is Mukesh Mehra who happens to be a film producer.

What was it about the role that made you take it up immediately?
If I have to answer as to why I took up this role, it was because as an actor it is important that you crave to play different roles as far as possible. And when you get such a good opportunity to play someone so different and when you have someone like Farah Khan directing the film, I think it becomes very difficult to let go of such a golden opportunity. Also there was no resemblance of Arjun Rampal at all in Mukesh Mehra. I don’t have any of his qualities. I also got to play someone who begins at the age of 25 years in the film and ends up at 65. So it was a different look that I got to play with and different expressions too.

Since you played the role of a producer were you in any way inspired from anyone in the industry?
I don’t think any of the producers from Bollywood are like Mukesh Mehra. The fact is that Om Shanti Om is a larger than life film, with larger than life characters too. It is an exaggeration of lots of things and all these characters are make believe and not from real life. So I don’t know anyone like Mukesh Mehra.

Om Shanti Om is a period film that tracks incidents form the 70’s until 2007. So how difficult was it to make that transition in terms of looks?
Oh yes. To show the 70’s was relatively easy because I already have long hair. I just had to work on the sideburns and the costumes of that time period. But I had to struggle to get the look of 2007. And as I had to look my character who was 65 by then, I had to sit through four to five hours of make-up everyday of the shoot. So my day used to start at five in the morning because I had to be ready on the sets by nine. I had to use a lot of make-up and look old. But I need to mention that the make-up artists did a wonderful job.

Arjun, what do you think of Shah Rukh’s six pack abs?
Well I think it’s great. It is remarkable that he has achieved what he has at his age with his body. I think he was very determined to get those six packs and he has done it. It’s good to see him on the posters isn’t it?

And what do you have to say about newcomer Deepika Padukone and Shreyas Talpade?
I think Deepika has done a fantastic job. Though she had the responsibility of playing the central character in the movie, she came out really good and she has great potential. Shreyas and me don’t have that many scenes in the film where we are in the same frame. But from what I have observed of him and his earlier work in films, I think he has a very good future lying ahead of him.

So who do you think looks better, SRK prior to his six packs or SRK as of today?
I am sure Shah Rukh finds himself better like this. And I like him this way because anyone has to put in a lot of effort to work towards fitness and has to put in a lot of time for it as well. Hence anybody who says he does not want a good body or he does not want to look fit is lying.