The Asian News Blog

The Box Office winning formula of Bollywood’s hottest talent, Akshay Kumar, and leading media and entertainment company, Eros International, has championed the Box Office for the third consecutive time, as the smash hit release of ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ breaks the biggest Bollywood Box Office opening of 2007.

Following the chart-topping successes of the Akshay Kumar-Eros International releases, Namastey London (which has been added to the Oscars Library) and Heyy Babyy, the release of Bhool Bhulaiyaa on 12th October overtook the big banner Yash Raj release, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag across the globe, opening with a phenomenal £293,905 at the UK Box Office, and already reaching Number 7 in the UK Box Office Charts.
In America, Bhool Bhulaiyaa opened with a staggering $512,000, and the total first 3-day billing outside India for Bhool Bhulaiyaa reached Rs 6.5crores, compared to Rs 4.75crores brought in by Laga Chunari Mein Daag.
It is not too often that along with a Yash Raj movie releasing on a Friday, one gets to see any other big film release. However on 12th October, with the release of Yash Raj Films’ Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Eros International’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa the film industry anticipated fireworks after a month long lull at the Box Office in September.
While Laaga Chunari Mein Daag boasts a cast of biggies like Jaya Bachchan, Rani Mukherji, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anupam Kher and Abhishek Bachchan, Bhool Bhulaiyaa only had one industry heavyweight – Akshay Kumar – to pull in audiences. One star as opposed to so many, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa’s opening has superceded Laaga Chunari Men Daag. On an average, the opening of Bhool Bhulaiyaa was 75 per cent and that of Laaga Chunari Mein Daag was 55 per cent across Inox properties in India.

Shilpa Shetty is launching her new musical Miss Bollywood which opens on 3rd November in Manchester (Opera House) with the tour continuing in Cardiff (St David’s Hall), Bradford (St George’s Hall), Aberdeen (His Majesty’s Theatre), Glasgow, (Clyde Auditorium), Birmingham (Alexandra Theatre), Cambridge (Corn Exchange) and London (Royal Albert Hall).

Renowned for her outstanding dancing abilities in the realm of Bollywood film, Shilpa Shetty is set to bring the stage alight with a musical extravaganza that has never before been brought to the stage.
Set against the backdrop of London, in preparing for the 2012 Olympics, the musical follows the story of ‘Maya’ performed by Shilpa Shetty, a young classically trained choreographer who finds herself thrust into the limelight where she must sink or swim.
Her tribulations include the unwanted attentions of a famous but predatory choreographer and a jealous diva.
Miss Bollywood is a concoction of riveting dance sequences showcasing a combination of eclectic dance forms taken from the east and west of India, absorbed and transformed into the phenomenon known as ‘Bollywood’ dance, with Shilpa Shetty re-capturing on stage some of the Bollywood film industry’s greatest hits over the past 40 years.
For dates and tickets please visit www.missbollywoodmusical.com”

I’m not sat here trying to work out what i’m going to right next.
The fact is I think Dante is cheating on me.
I see him a lot less and one day I decided to go through his phone. earlier that day he was telling me that his freind’s wife had caught him out after she saw a message on his phone from a girl saying she has had the abortion and his friend’s wife kicked him out.
Well I have never in the past gone through his personal belongings cos I trusted him that much. But with me not seeing him as much and him being so evasive sometimes, I decided to have a quick look. I was so nervous doing it hoping I won’t find anything. My heart was racing so fast and my hands were shaking. He was upstairs and I saw the phone on the setee and went for it.
A message appears in his inbox from what sounds like an Eastern European girl telling him that she loves him, misses hin and another one that says can she ring him. In his outbox he tried sending her a picture of himself but it failed.
Instead of taking the number down and ringing it I confronted him straightaway. He was angry that i had gone through his phone but swears that I am being para and that this girl is soemone that is obsessed with him and think she’s in love with. I asked wr she got the number from. He says she got it from his friend’s phone. So I asked about why he was trying to send her a pic of him? I can’t even remember the answer cos I was that upset.
All he kept on saying that he was with me and nobody else, but i’m still upset and its been a few weeks now. I really really love him and was planning to tell my parents just after my sisters wedding at christmas.
But now I am not sure. I really want to believe him and everything is fine when he’s around but when he’s not which is quite often these days I am so paranoid and keep having to tell myself that I’m being stupid. But I can’t stop thinking about it. I don’t even feel like writing about it cos i’m too upset but I want to believe him and I really want it to work out.
Everytime I see his phone i want to go into it and have a look and i think if I can only have one more look, just to be sure, then it might put my mind at ease.
The only reassurance he gave me is that he will have a word with this woman and tell her to back off!
In the meantime I’m trying not think about it, dante’s right i need to forget about it if I want to move on!

Dozens of fans of the film actor Amitabh Bachchan jostled with police outside his house in western Mumbai city today to greet the star on his 65th birthday.

Police had a tough time controlling the fans, who starting lining up in the morning to catch a glimpse of Indian cinema’s biggest star.
The actor, however, maintained a low profile, visiting a temple and meeting his ailing mother in a Mumbai hospital.
The Bachchans usually celebrate the day with much fanfare, but this time his son Abhishek — also an actor — is away for the shooting of a film in Namibia.
Bachchan’s daughter-in-law, former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, is also out of town on a shoot for a “Pink Panther” film with Steve Martin in the United States.
Abhishek and Rai married this April in one of the most high-profile weddings in Bollywood in decades.

When a film’s first publicity material reads – MADHURI DIXIT IS BACK – you know where its strength lies and that’s the kind of confidence that the makers have in their product.

We are talking about AAJA NACHLE which is up for release on 30th November.
While the first look of the film was revealed during the screening of CHAK DE INDIA, the promotion is now seeing a satellite kick start on a rocking note with the teasers dominating all the music channels.
The teasers are to the point and straight-n-simple as they highlight Madhuri Dixit being back in the thick of things.
Her costume is just right for the occasion – while whatever is revealed of the music and dance movements makes you ask for more.
Moreover, a quick glimpse of her smile is enough to make one look forward to this Anil Mehta film which for the moment is the sole release on 30th November.
Yes, that’s the magic of Madhur Dixit. Bas Naam Hi Kaafi Hai!

I had the privilege of opening my fast in a mosque yesterday.

I say privilege because it’s not often I get invited to a mosque and ever since I learnt how to read the Quran at the age of 10 – the mosque wasn’t the place for a woman – so I was told but not lead to believe.
The Golden Mosque – one of the oldest in the north west is located on Lower Sheriff Street, Rochdale. It started life in the former conservative club in 1963 and has recently been taking a lead role in trying to promote more youth activities and once the development is complete at the back of the mosque – it will hopefully have more facilities for women.
They had an open day yesterday evening where local non-Muslims were invited to find out about the functions of the mosque, the basic principles of Islam and to learn more about Ramadan.
I was invited as part of the press and the only press that turned up and I glad that I did.
The mosque – though should be an integral part of my life – is not and it felt like a stranger. I wasn’t accustomed to simply entering a mosque, taking my sandals off, covering my hair and going in and taking a place where I felt most comfortable. So on this occasion I was more than pleased to do just that.
I saw the lady mayoresss – and took a seat next to her and listened to the presentation, which I as a Muslim also found interesting. Like for example did you know the first mosque was built in 1889 in Woking? That there are more than 50 mosques in Rochdale – majority of which are packed out during Fridays?
We were then invited to open our fast with the local Muslims, the imam and the president of the mosque, Tahir Mahmood.
And whilst I ate my date before digging into my food – a realisation dawned on me – it was the first time I had opened a fast in a mosque. Whereas the men from the community had the opportunity to do this every day, us women didn’t and I couldn’t help but tell those around me that this was a first for me as it was for them! It was I would say quite an exciting moment and one, which I shared with my family and colleagues here at work today.
It was also nice to see the mosque taking such a unique opportunity to showcase the mosque to the wider community. Local councillors, police officers and even members from Rochdale FC had turned up and found it an “eye opener” as they told me later on.
The mosque now hopes to organise the event on a much larger scale next year and hey we’ll even see more women as well.
But by next year I hope other mosques are able to do the same. If each mosque invited its neighbours to break one fast with them and show them what they are about can you imagine how many stereotypes and myths they can dispel!
I found the event very touching indeed and hope in future the mosque will no longer remain a stranger to me.

STAR TV was the proud media partner of the Lloyds TSB Southern Jewel Awards, which celebrated the continued achievements of British Asians across the public and private sectors. The prestigious event will be exclusively televised on STAR Plus on Sunday 7th October at 7.30pm in UK and Europe.

Now in its fifth year, the Lloyds TSB Southern Jewel Awards played host to the cream of the Asian business community from in and around the southern region, at the London Hilton, Park Lane on Saturday 15th September 2007. The awards ceremony is now one of the most esteemed entries on the UK Asian business calendar, commending Asian Achievements against a backdrop of refined entertainment and a gala dinner attended by dignatories, MPs and high profile personalities.
The media partnership with the Jewel Awards reaffirms STAR TV’s fundamental principle of broadcasting the widest possible spectrum of programming across entertainment, community and current affairs, as well as the highest level of news and sports reporting. The commitment to telecast the award ceremony also reflects the channel’s continued dedication to celebrating the achievements and successes of the Asian community, and also reflects the diverse nature in tastes and expectancy of its audiences.
Seven Jewel awards were announced at the event for Business & Commerce Excellence, Entrepreneur Excellence, Healthcare & Education Excellence, Professional Excellence, Public Service Excellence, Retail Food & Franchise Excellence, and the coveted Lifetime Achievement Jewel Award. The awards ceremony and accompanying evening of first class entertainment and jubilations will be brought exclusively by STAR TV to viewers at home.
“STAR TV is delighted to partner with such a prolific event on the Asian business calendar” – comments Nick Thind, Vice President, STAR TV European Operations. “STAR TV is committed to engaging with communities on a domestic, as well as a global level. It is our aim to get involved in events that reflect all facets of these communities in whatever capacity we can, and to reflect our ethos of informing, as well as entertaining, on key activities and events that span the entire spectrum of community affairs and interests”.
Lloyds TSB Southern Jewel Awards will be broadcast on Sunday 7th October at 7.30pm, exclusively on STAR Plus.

Bollywood’s leading man, Akshay Kumar, breaks controversial new ground in his latest film offering, Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

In a role that challenges centuries of superstitions and beliefs that are held widely in India and across the globe, the affecting psychological thriller, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, releases in cinemas internationally on 12th October 2007 through integrated media and entertainment company and leading global distributor of Bollywood cinema, Eros International.
As Akshay Kumar’s career unstoppably reaches ever greater heights, the thespian of Bollywood cinema continues to display a fearlessness in mastering film roles that not only push his own boundaries as one of Bollywood’s most accomplished actors, but also in challenging the norms and conventions of filmmaking, as well as societal belief systems. Such ambitions are perfectly observed by his role in Bhool Bhulaiyaa.
Under the directorship of the award-winning Priyadarshan and produced by Bhushan Kumar, who hails from one of the Indian film industry’s most respected dynasties, Bhool Bhulaiyaa teams Akshay Kumar with a host of other stars from the crème of Bollywood’s new brat pack.
Filmed against the sumptuous backdrop of Jaipur, Bhool Bhulaiyaa is set in a small village in Rajasthan, which is steeped in superstition and conservatism.
Badri (Manoj Joshi) heads a Brahmin family whose ancestral palace is believed to be possessed. On returning from America, Badri’s son, Siddharth (Shiney Ahuja) and daughter-in-law, Avni (Vidya Balan) decide to spend a month in the palace, despite familial objections.
As unnatural events start to unfold and demons begin to surface within the psyche, a motley crew of black magicians and witch doctors are called in to perform an exorcism of the evil spirits. These age-old conventions are challenged by the arrival of a psychiatrist from America, Dr Aditya Shrivastav (Akshay Kumar), and friend of Siddarth, who uses modern analytical techniques to find a resolve.
Within the traditional conventions of Bollywood filmmaking Bhool Bhulaiyaa intelligently challenges ancient and deep rooted belief systems that continue to influence large parts of India and the developing world.
It astutely blends thrill with humour as it reveals undiscovered dimensions of human psychology, and introduces the arguments of reason v/s emotion and science v/s superstition. Fulled high with entertainment factor, but also coercing the audience to question pre established moral, social and psychological codes, Bhool Bhulaiyaa is sure to spark debate and controversy, as it argues that there is no such thing as spirit possession, but rather that this is a manifestation of schizophrenia within the human psyche.
In relation to what has been one of Akshay Kumar’s most challenging roles to date, that required a sensitive balance of humour, with the challenging of deeply entrenched belief systems.
Akshay comments, “I am extremely excited about this film project. From a filmic perspective, I feel we have done a wonderful job of creating something that will appeal to faithful and regular cinemagoers, as well as drawing audiences who are interested in seeing how the film opens the floodgates to a whole new dimension of thought and rationale about the human condition and psyche.
“t challenges pre-conceived notions about sensitive issues and brings into question society’s perceptions of faith, superstition, science and reasoning.”
Bhool Bhulaiyaa releases in the UK and internationally on 12th October 2007.