BOLLYWOOD PREVIEWS
HINDI MOVIE RELEASES EXPECTED THIS MONTH
Ileana D’Cruz, Ranbir Kapoor and
Priyanka Chopra shine in “Barfi!”
“Barfi!” Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana D’Cruz, Rupa Ganguly; directed by Anurag Basu; music by Pritam.
Set in the 1970s in a pretty corner of India, the makers say “Barfi!” tells the story of three young people who learn that love can neither be defined nor contained by society's norms. The trailers show us a romantic comedy. Ranbir Kapoor plays the title role of Barfi, a hearing and speech impaired boy who happens to be a livewire, always with a prank up his sleeve. He falls in love with Shruti, played by Ileana D’Cruz, who is making her Bollywood debut after starring in Telugu and Tamil films. In spite of a deep affection for Barfi, Shruti, gives into societal and parental pressure to marry. Years later, their paths cross once again. Barfi, now in love with Jhilmil, an autistic girl endearing played by Priyanka Chopra, is on the run from the police while desperately looking for Jhilmil, who is missing. Caught up in the desperate search for the girl Barfi loves, Shruti realizes that she is still in love with him. She must now choose between her happiness and his. Filming reportedly took place in Kolkata, Darjeeling and Mumbai. The melodious soundtrack by Pritam is sure to be a hit.
Kareena Kapoor stars
in “Heroine.”
“Heroine” Starring Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Randeep Hooda, Shahana Goswami, Lillette Dubey, Divya Dutta, Mugdha Godse; directed by Madhur Bhandarkar; music by Salim-Suleiman.
From the director who brought us “Page 3,” “Corporate” and “Fashion,” Madhur Bandarkar takes us behind the scenes of the Hindi film industry we call Bollywood. The story revolves around the life of a once successful film actress, Mahi Arora, played by Kareena Kapoor, whose career is on the decline. The film chronicles the highs of fame and the lonely depths of failure of a superstar heroine while taking a daring and scandalous look at the reality behind the glitz and glamour of film stars. Reports say Kareena Kapoor’s performance is one of her best. Arjun Rampal plays a married superstar actor with shades of grey who becomes involved with Mahi. Randeep Hooda portrays a cricketer and Mugha Godse is a rival actress jealous of Mahi’s success. If you’re curious about what happens behind the closed doors of makeup rooms and go beyond the smiles and politically correct quotes, “Heroine” offers that glimpse into the lives of India's sweethearts.
Paresh Rawal takes on Akshay Kumar
in “OMG Oh My God.”
This family comedy with a message is based on the popular Gujarati play “Kanji Virrudh Kanji,” later made in Hindi as “Kishen vs Kanhaiya,” which many of us in Florida had the opportunity to see last year. Paresh Rawal plays a family man, Kanjibhai Mehta, an antique shopkeeper, who depends on the faith of people to run a successful business but doesn’t believe in God himself. When a tornado destroys his antique store, he files a lawsuit against God in court. The film revolves around his journey to take down God, which he is unable to do, but clearly doesn't realize. Kanjibhai begins to fight all the priests of the city, including one played by Mithun Chakraborty, to prove his point that God doesn’t exist. Soon, mayhem erupts and finally Lord Krishna himself, in a modern avatar played by Akshay Kumar, must intervene to pay Kanji a surprise visit. Expect much laughter from the pair’s comic timing. The film features special appearances by Prabu Deva and Sonakshi Sinha in the sure to be popular song, “Go Govinda.”