The LA Times did a major story on Vidhu Vinod Chopra, director of Bollywood movie, Three Idiots. According to them, "3 Idiots," now tops the list of highest-grossing Bollywood films (I am somewhat confused by that report as others are saying that My Name is Khan is currently #1). The story reveals that the filmmaker is leasing in Beverly Hills and planning his first movie in English. The movies mentioned include his 1981 feature film debut, "Sazaye Maut" ("Death Penalty"), , "Mission Kashmir", my own favorite "1942: A Love Story"and "Munna Bhai MBBS." "3 Idiots," released by Reliance Big Pictures has reported earned more than $52 million during its first 10 days in theaters. The story says that outside of India, the movie, made for $8 million, has brought in about $16 million, with a record-setting $6.5 million coming from the U.S. A little known fact that the Times talks about is that Chopra’s post-film school documentary "An Encounter with Faces," about impoverished children in India, was nominated for an Oscar in 1979.
The story of "3 Idiots" is about three friends at a tough engineering college in India who deal with difficulties like academic pressures and family. Aamir Khan who is one of Bollywood’s biggest stars in one of the title roles. According to the story, Chopra has made LA a second home where he spends two weeks every month. His next movie is "Broken Horses," about two brothers, one a violinist in New York, the other a hired gun, set against the drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border. Read the complete story on LA Times here.
(from bollywoodhungama.com using Creative Commons Licence)
My Name is Khan, by 20th Century Fox, is number six on the UK box office, #13 in the US, and has also become Bollywood’s most successful UK box office opener ever. This movie became controversial when right-wing Hindu political party Shiv Sena targeted Muslim star Shah Rukh Khan and tried to prevent the movie from opening. However according to UK news reports, it has already grossed more than £936,000 in the UK and $2.3m in the US over the four-day holiday weekend. In the film, Khan plays the role of a US Muslim Indian with Asperger’s syndrome whose life is turned upside down after September 11. Starring opposite him is Kajol, a single Hindu mother.The previous record for a Bollywood film in its opening period in the UK was held by Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna which also starred Shah Rukh.
UK TOP 10
1. Valentine’s Day
2. Avatar
3. The Wolfman
4. The Princess And The Frog
5. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
6. My Name Is Khan
7. Invictus
8. A Single Man
9. Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
10. Astro Boy
(source: http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/movie-charts/)
We wrote recently about Mallika Sherawat, currently regarded by many as the hottest actress in Bollywood, and her role in the new Jennifer Lynch movie Hisss. She is responsible for many Bollywood fans taking to Twitter (Mallika’s Twitter virgins!). Mallika revealed some of her Twitter secrets such as who her best Twitter friend is and also talked about serious issues such as racism in the US and the Shah Rukh incident
My best Twitter friend is probably @JesseBDylan, we DM (direct message) each other a lot. In fact, I think he actually decided to develop the project for me while “tweeting” each other! I guess my best “public” Twitter friend goes by the name of RagsTweets, he started a whole blog about my tweets and contests and all sorts of stuff, and he’s a really cool guy. And my biggest Twitter fan has to be @chandu4M,?
Who are you closest to in your family ? Who is your boyfriend ? Best friend ? Best Twitter friend ? Who do you admire ?
I have a brother, Vikram, who is also one of my best friends, and he manages most of my work that I don’t. (I just like being the creative one;) I also tied a rakhi around an American bro this year, he’s a good friend and has really helped navigate the Hollywood scene which is alot like Bollywood in some ways, and *very* different in others. My best Twitter friend is probably @JesseBDylan, we DM (direct message) each other alot. In fact, I think he actually decided to develop the project for me while “tweeting” each other! [(Jesse is Bob Dylan's son and director of "Kicking and Screaming" with Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall, "American Wedding", and "How High") is developing a project for her, specifically for the US market) I guess my best "public" Twitter friend goes by the name of RagsTweets, he started a whole blog about my tweets and contests and all sorts of stuff, and he's a really cool guy. And my biggest Twitter fan has to be @chandu4M, he's been that for years and Twitter made it possible to get to know the guy a bit
and he's such a sweetheart.
I admire so many people, in many different fields, East and West-- but I'll keep it short. As far as actresses past and present: Bette Davis, Mae West, Barbara Stanwyck, Shirley MacLaine, Meryl Streep, and my fellow exotic contemporaries Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek. AR Rahman. "Civilians" (non-Entertainment industry people) like Gandhi and the Yogis:)
I don't have a steady boyfriend right now. If only it was that easy to order a boyfriend from www.boyfriend.com! I'm enjoying being single right now:)
If I had a good role for every time I was stopped and frisked at an international airport, there'd be no actresses left in both Bollywood and Hollywood! "?
Who is the Bollywood actor she has a crush on ? Hollywood actor ?
Haha, a lady never tells! And I wouldn't want any of the others to get jealous;)
Let's put it this way, if I were doing a blockbuster crowd-pleaser it would be with SRK, an epic style classic with Amir Khan, a sexy drama with Hrithik Roshan and a gangster comedy with Sallu! And the guys more my age like Imran Khan, Shahid Kapoor are really doing great, I'm loving their films. In America, there's many guys I'd love to work with, especially Edward Norton, I think he's a brilliant actor.
Lots of women want to look as good as you do. Do you have any make up or diet tips for your fans ?
I go all organic vegetarian, lot of fruits and water! I workout daily, the usual "star" stuff:) I get plenty of sleep, I think that helps, too. And I never go outside without my parasol to lessen the sun rays to the skin. Yes, my friends make fun of me but I know it works, and what works on camera works for me:) As far as makeup, I've started switching it up a bit, experimenting with more products I found on Rodeo Drive;)
Let's put it this way, if I were doing a blockbuster crowd-pleaser it would be with SRK, an epic style classic with Amir Khan, a sexy drama with Hrithik Roshan and a gangster comedy with Sallu! "
Was Shah Rukh Khan discriminated against ? Or were the airport staff just doing their job ? What do you think ?
If I had a good role for every time I was stopped and frisked at an international airport, there'd be no actresses left in both Bollywood and Hollywood! Now, it may be for different reasons they frisk me than
they do SRK;) but every culture does the airport security thing the way they feel they have to, and sometimes it may feel unfair in the moment, but in the end I think it's more common as an annoyance than outright discrimination. I know someone who talked to SRK when it happened. My friend said he was very cool about it. The press went wild with it because that's what they do. Here's the biggest star in the world, who happens to be of a Muslim background, held up in an American airport right after 20th Century Fox announced all over the world that it would be distributing his terrorist-themed comedy movie! Priceless.
You are like many of us - both Westernized and Indian, and spending time abroad and in India. Do you have difficulty reconciling the two?
Both cultures have so much good to borrow from, I'm finding it almost natural to live in both worlds at the same time. I guess I'm a real global gal now:) There are of course differences that come up and
maybe make things a little more "interesting"-- but I have fun trying to find the common ground. Because of this, I've been told that I'm a good go-between for Bollywood and Hollywood. I grew up in Bollywood, and always loved Hollywood films, especially the classics during the "Golden Age." And as a little girl watching Bollywood films, I always thought that it would be much more fun and interesting to play the hero's part! Maybe that's why I've gotten the reputation in India for being "edgy" and outrageous. And I'll be completely honest, Hollywood has better roles for women than Bollywood does, at least right now.
Tell us about your school and college days - where did you go to school and what was it like ?
I have a degree in Philosophy from Miranda House in Delhi. Looking back, I was so serious in school. If I had to do it all over again, maybe I would have tried out some other subjects instead of being
buried in philosophy books the whole time. Then again, I guess it made me who I am, and I'm feeling pretty okay with myself. There's always room for improvement, but I definitely feel I'm headed in the right direction.
