There
is no denying the fact that Malaika Arora Khan is one of the most
desirable item girl of the tinsel town with the evergreen item numbers
like Chaiyyan-Chaiyyan in Dil Se and Mahi Ve in Kaante, but we have had
a chance to see her share screen space with her brother-in-law, Salman
Khan.
For
the first time, she will be seen together with Salman Khan in an item
song composed by Lalit Pandit, for the Abhinav Kashyap-directed, Arbaaz
Khan-produced ‘Dabangg’. The song, titled ‘Munni Badnaam Hui Darling
Tere Liye’, has been choreographed by Farah Khan. It will be shot in a
set resembling a rugged, sweaty Bihari bar, something like Beedi
Jalaile in Omkara.
It has been
a long time since we saw, Malaika spicing up the screens and we eagerly
await this number, coz Malaika with Salman, is something which we don’t
get to see in an ordinary course.
The year 2009 in Bollywood saw some good movies but very few managed to set the cash registers ringing at box office. The first hit of the year was the edgy Dev D, Anurag Kashyap’s modern version of Sarat Chandra’s classic love tale ‘Devdas’. But after that box office couldn’t warm up to better collections and, to make things worse, there was a producer’s strike for many months of the first half of 2009.
Yet, most of the films that released afterward tanked or managed just average business. Worst was the debacle of big-budget movies like Kambakkht Ishq, Kurbaan, Blue and London Dreams. In the year when more than 90 per cent of the films were declared flops, silver linings came in the form of Wanted, New York and Love Aaj Kal among others.
Here are top ten Bollywood films (in the order of their release) that catered to our entertainment needs and emerged successful at ticket windows.
Dev D As the handsome Devdas of modern times, Abhay Deol couldn’t think beyond sharaab and shabaab. Loves a village belle, but eventually loses his heart to a cute prostitute. Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Dev D’ was refreshingly different and an instant hit. The movie also featured some good songs and performances.
New York Released in June, ‘New York’ came as a respite for Bollywood. Yashraj Film’s first and the only hit of the year. Katrina Kaif showed her acting skills, so did John Abraham. Kabir Khan tackled the terrorism issue with sensitivity, without taking sides.
Love Aaj Kal This movie not only got thumbs-up from critics but earned well from all the quarters, including overseas. Imitiaz Ali knows how to deliver a ‘romantic’ hit. Loved Saif Ali Khan as Jai, a stereotype modern-day loverboy with commitment phobia and ambitious dreams, and also loved Rishi Kapoor as the old Veer Singh. But Giselle Monteiro was the real surprise.
Kaminey Main ‘sa’ ko ‘fa’ bolta hun! Vishal Bharadwaj’s dark comedy, Kaminey was not a typical masala film, but audiences and critics liked it. Most of all Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra looked very ‘fexy’ together.
Wanted Salman Khan’s no-holds-barred action flick ‘Wanted’ emerged as a box office darling. Prabhudeva seemed at ease wielding the megaphone, just like the way he dances. Propped on Salman’s one-liners and Mahesh Manjrekar’s acting, ‘Wanted’ was a paisa-vasool film.
Wake Up Sid A simple coming-of-age story of an aimless, rich boy. Wake Up Sid, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Konkana Sen, hadn’t something extraordinary to offer, but a simple tale dealing with sheer innocence got the viewers flocking to theatres.
All The Best Though the movie wasn’t really good as a comedy, but Rohit Shetty pulled it off well. And when it’s Ajay Devgan, Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu and Goa locales mixed with songs and comedy of errors, it does work.
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani Rajkumar Santoshi returned to comedy in this frothy, breezy rom-com starring Ranbir as a goofy but adorable boy who makes others happy at the cost of his own feelings. Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani also marked a beginning for the stunning on-screen pair, Ranbir and Katrina Kaif.
Paa If you think he should retire, think again, Amitabh Bachchan is still around and here to stay. Paa not just tugged at our hearts, but Big B’s stellar performance left almost everyone spellbound. Moreover, Amitabh’s makeover into a 12-year-old progeric boy was a huge feat in itself.
3 Idiots Straight from the college campus comes Aamir Khan as an ‘idiot’ for 3 Idiots. The movie marks the end of 2009. Aamir has even tried some unique promotional strategy for the film – traveling incognito throughout India and revealing his identity only rarely.
Zarine Khan is making her acting debut with magnum opus Veer along with none other than Salman Khan. And now as the film Veer’s release is just around the corner, the debutant actress desires to make her presence at the premiere grand. She wishes wear an attire of 18th century queen like she’s wearing in the film.
India’s most successful female tennis player Sania Mirza on Thursday revealed that she will hang up her racquet after getting married.
Sania, who got engaged to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza in July 2009, did not elaborate when she plans to marry but said she will bid adieu to the game after tying the nuptial knot.
“As of now, I don’t intend to play professionally after marriage but that is still some time away,” Sania said.
Before getting engaged to the Indian tennis diva, Sohrab had said that Sania will have complete freedom in making her career decisions.
“She has my complete support and backing in whatever she wishes. It is completely her decision for how long she wishes to play,” Sohrab had said in June.
So when asked if it was purely her decision to quit the game after marriage, Sania’s father Imran Mirza said, “It’s her decision for now. If later she decides to play after marriage, its her choice.”
Ever since turning pro in 2003, Sania has been the face of Indian tennis on the WTA circuit.
She also became India’s first female Grand Slam winner when she won the Australian Open mixed doubles title with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi last year.
Sania’s start to the 2010 season though was far from impressive as she lost in the second round of the Auckland event, followed by a first round defeat at the Hobart event but the Hyderabadi is hardly perturbed.
“I think after competing for seven years as a professional and ranked five years in the singles top-100, I’ve reached a stage in my career where my performance cannot be judged on the basis of one or a few tournaments,” she said.
“Wins and losses are part of the game and in a truly global sport like tennis where more than 220 countries compete seriously, except for the top-10 players, nobody wins too consistently,” Sania added.
All that the Indian wants now is to stay away from injuries in the new season. Her wrist injury in 2008 had forced her to spend half the year out of court.
“I am approaching 2010 like any other year. I expect to continue to work hard, try my very best and leave the rest to God. I would like to stay away from any serious injuries during 2010,” she said.
Talking about the year gone by, Sania says she is happy with the way she performed in 2009 although there were only a few moments of glory for her.
Apart from the triumph at the Australian Open which was followed by the final appearance in Pattaya and a win over Shahar Peer were the only high points of Sania’s stay on the tour, last season.
However, the Indian said after losing many a weeks due to pain, the results achieved were satisfactory.
“As a matter of fact, I did play the semifinals in singles in Birmingham and Osaka and won an ITF title in USA besides making the final of a USD 100,000 event in Canada.
“I had singles wins over players like Bartoli and Shahar Peer. Apart from this, I won a doubles title in Ponte Vedra Beach.
“I finished at a singles ranking of 57 after having dropped to the 120’s following my wrist injury. I also had to skip several weeks due to the niggling pain. So, under the circumstances, I’m reasonably happy with my performance,” she said. PTI
