Why go to Hollywood when it’s coming to Bollywood: Akshay Kumar

Mumbai, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who recently shared screen space with international stars Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh in “Kambakkht Ishq”, says he has no plans of heading to Hollywood.

“Why go to Hollywood when Hollywood is coming to Bollywood? I’m happy doing my work here as of now,” Akshay told IANS.

Now that “Kambakkht Ishq” has registered good profits at the box office, Akshay is looking forward to his other films that include “Blue”, “De Dana Dan” and “Action Replay”.

I love being called sexy: Bipasha

Sun, Aug 30 10:55 AM

Bedika New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Bollywood bombshell Bipasha Basu may be playing the deglamourised role of a housewife in her first Bengali movie but the actress says she is happy with the ''sexy'' tag as a girl-next-door look never interested her. "I love being sexy and I would be happy if people call me sexy even when I turn 100.

I would love to be called a sexy grandmother. The tag has never bothered me," Bipasha, who has been named one of the sexiest celebrities of Asia, told PTI in an interview.

"If a woman says she does not want to be called attractive then she is foolish. I like being exclusive, the girl-next-door image has never interested me.

It is too boring," the actress, who started her Bollywood career with bold characters in "Jism" and "Raaz", says. She, however, believes "sexiness" is not only related to having a good body.

"Sexiness is not only about having a great body. It is about how you carry yourself, your confidence, your self respect, these help you look attractive.

I am sexy with a mind. It is a complete package.

" The Bengali beauty is portraying the character of Radhika in Rituparno Ghosh''s movie "Shob Charitro Kalponik", which deals with love and loss through the story of a woman, who goes on a path of self discovery after the death of her poet-husband. .

From Kollywood to Bollywood to Hollywood

A.R. Rahman with his mother Kareena Begum (centre) and sisters.

CHENNAI: In the summer of 1992, the nation experienced a new sound. Be it ‘chinna china aasai’ or ‘choti si aasha’, the song captured hearts, marked a beginning and introduced a name. Allah Rakha Rahman. A name that became a chant on Monday.

As a four-year-old, Dilip, as Rahman was then known, was seen toying with a harmonium. That was when the composer Sudharshanam Master playfully tossed a towel over the instrument. Undeterred, the boy repeated the tune he had been trying out — to the astonishment of his father R.K. Shekhar. It was the early sign of genius.

Not surprisingly, academics did not figure high on his priorities. His sister Rahane recounts that all his school notebooks remained literally unopened. “Nothing interested him as much as music.”

He lost his father when he was barely 10. “Yes, it was a challenging time. But our mother made sure we did not feel the burden,” says Ms. Rahane, recalling a time that brought the siblings close to one another.

Malayalam music composer M.K. Arjunan was the first to assign Rahman keyboard duties for his 1981 film Ernadu Mannu. Rahman was paid Rs. 50, his first income from the film industry. The keyboard took him to maestro Illayaraja’s studios too.

In the mid and late 1980s, Tamil audiences savoured the Leo Coffee ad which had Rahman’s signature stamped on it. The world of jingles had found its new poster boy.

But he belonged elsewhere. Kollywood was then hunting for a new music director. “Mani Ratnam referred to me a boy named Dilip who was doing a lot of good jingles,” says veteran director K. Balachander, recalling the making of Roja.

“The first song which was recorded was ‘Chinna chinna aasai’.” A tape was sent to him for approval. He listened to it driving his car. He ended up listening to it 15 times over. “I sent a note back to Mani Ratnam saying this was the best song of the decade.”

What followed reads like a long-list of ‘best songs of decades to come’. Be it Prabhu Deva gyrating to ‘Chikku bukku’ in Gentleman, the magnificence of ‘Chandralekha’ in Thiruda Thiruda, the tug-at-your-heartstrings ‘Uyirae’ from Bombay, or the stirring ‘New York nagaram’ from Sillunu Oru Kaadal – any attempt to pick favourites falls flat.

Charmed by his lilting blockbusters, Bollywood did not take long to embrace Rahman.

There was no ‘Kya Karen ya na karen’ dilemma in continuing the journey that began with Rangeela in 1995. From Sukhwinder Singh’s ‘Chaiyya chaiyya’ to ‘Masakkali’ in Dilli 6, his romance with Bollywood continues.

The West first spotted his talent in Bombay Dreams, an Andrew Lloyd Webber production in 2002. From then on, recognition in Hollywood was but a small step.

Rahman rode on the Slumdog Millionaire sensation across the United States picking up several awards in the run-up to the Oscar night.

— with inputs from M. Dinesh Verma, Ramya Kannan and Meera Srinivasan

Source: http://www.samachar.com/ and The Hindu