Mallika Sherawat's Hisss - Preview

Hisss, aka ‘Nagin: The Snake Woman’, directed by Jennifer Lynch with Mallika Sherawat playing the lead role as Naagin, is slated for release on October 22, 2010 in India. Sherawat, who now lives in the United States, has been in India to promote the film. At the Cannes Film Festival, Mallika Sherawat promoted the film by posing with a giant African Rock Python (22 feet/ 6.7 meters long) python on the red carpet.

The film Hisss, produced by Govind Menon, Vikram Singh, Ratan Jain and William Sees Keenan, also features Irrfan Khan, Jeff Doucette and Divya Dutta. The film is edited by American film editor Tony Ciccone, and special effects designer Robert Kurtzman developed the look of the Snake Woman for Sherawat.

Mallika Sherawat makes her musical debut on the film's soundtrack alongside Julian Lennon, and Shruti Haasan sings and appears in a promotional video with music by Dave Kushner for the film.

The film was simultaneously shot in Hindi and English, and it will be released with other versions in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. A substantial part of the film was shot in the jungles of Kerala State in India, and the tribal leader of Thalikakal in Kerala, Mooppan Raghavan and several members of his tribe were recruited as extras for the film. The film was also shot in locations in Mumbai, Chennai, Madh Island, a near-shore island of Mumbai.

The story is about the curse of a Naagin, a shape-transforming Cobra Goddess, half-woman and half-snake, and if humans desecrate or violates it, they are doomed to suffer the curses of the snake woman with death and infertility.

The story depends on the civilizations that flourished in the Indus Valley, where the inhabitants sculpted the image of the shape-shifting snakes that were said to inhabit a mysterious temple far away deep within the jungles in the legendary spice forests of the Malabar Coast. And according to Hisss, from here the legend travelled across India, and the Far East along the silk route. In 2008, an American man George, packing high tech gear and evil intentions, traveled into this forbidden forest, here he captures a male cobra of the size of large python when he is at his weakest while mating. But George does not realize horror and destruction awaiting him.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

New moon, originally uploaded by netmen!.

Shown above is a promo poster of the latest Twilight film called ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ opening on Friday. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner reunite, with Melissa Rosenberg returning as the screenwriter, for more vampire and werewolf battles after the first installment in the series, ‘Twilight’, the 2008 romantic fantasy film.

Originally published as a series of books, the author Stephenie Meyer says that the idea for the book came to her in a dream. There are four completed books in the Twilight saga: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. A fifth and incomplete book, “Midnight Sun” was leaked incomplete to the internet, and it is still unfinished and according to Meyer, it is on hold indefinitely.

Figures released earlier this week show The Twilight Saga: New Moon is the biggest selling film of all time in terms of US advance bookings, as more fans have pre-booked tickets to New Moon than for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince or The Dark Knight, according to Fandango, the cinema booking website. Also, it has already sold more advance seats than the original Twilight film in 2008.

According to Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, ‘It's got werewolves, it's got visual effects that turn people into werewolves, it's got motorcycle stunts, you go to Italy. It's probably twice as much as Twilight to film.’

A synopsis of New Moon released by Summit Entertainment says, “Bella Swan is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested."

Kristen Stewart reappears as Bella Swan, a teenage girl who has fallen in love with Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), a vampire. She is heartbroken when Edward abruptly leaves her, but is raised out of her depression through her friendship with Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Bella's old childhood friend and a member of the Quileute tribe, who becomes close to Bella after Edward leaves and transforms himself into a werewolf. For much of the film, Edward only appears as a figment of Bella's imagination. Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen) is a member of the Cullen family who can see ‘subjective’ visions of the future and who becomes best friends with Bella.

Paa - movie poster

The Hindi movie Paa, produced by AB Corp Ltd (Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd or ABCL), is a new effort by Amitabh Bachchan’s film production and entertainment company to come back into film production in a big way, after the huge failure of Family: Ties of Blood (2006). Paa, scheduled for release on December 4, 2009 is directed by R Balakrishnan with music by veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja, stars Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan.

Paa has an unusual story of father-son relationship, with Abhishek Bachchan playing the role of the father and Amitabh Bachchan as his son. It is the story of a 13 year old boy who suffers from Progeria, a rare genetic disorder in which condition symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age (Has it to do something related to Benjamin Button? At least in the reverse order, or inspired by Button?) The movie is produced at a moderate budget of Rs 15 crore. Reportedly more films are in the pipeline from Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd.

Indian Robin Hood Kanthaswamy hits the screens on Aug 15

Kanthaswamy, originally uploaded by Indango.

The Tamil feature film Kanthaswamy directed by Susi Ganesan and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu, with Vikram in the lead role and Shriya Saran, Krishna, Ashish Vidyarthi, Indrajith Sukumaran, Prabhu Ganesan and Vadivelu in the main cast, is also being released as Mallana in Telugu with versions in English, Spanish and Italian. The soundtrack was released on May 17, 2009 and the film is slated for release on August 15, 2009.

According to reports, Kanthaswamy, with a budget of Rs 70 crores, will hit screens in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh with 600 prints and throughout world in over 1000 theatres, including 70 theatres in Kerala. Kanthaswamy was filmed in five countries.

The story (similar to the legendary Robin Hood or Kayamkulam Kochunni) of Kanthaswamy is based on the economic inequality prevalent in Indian society. The high-ranking investigating officer (the Superman-like hero) while handling problems relating to India’s security and development, investigates illegally owned assets and properties by rich businessmen and NRIs. He concludes that the wide gap between the rich and the poor is the root cause of the evils in society. He tries to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor by unearthing crores of rupees of unaccounted money siphoned off from India to various countries under fictitious names and distributes the money to the middle class and lower middle class people.

Trivia

The script writer and producer should have consulted some legal eagles, because such illegal investments, if at all re-possessed, can only be brought back by the Government of India and used according to Indian law, not as an investigating officer decides. To do what the hero does in this film, he will have to adopt the same criminal methods used by the very criminals who stashed away Indian wealth in tax havens abroad and dubious off-shore hideouts.

There are allegations that Kathaswamy is a remake of the Hollywood cult film The Breakfast Club. But director and writer Susi Ganesan claims that the film “has a more Robin Hood feel to it”. But I think Kanthaswamy is the avatar of Robin Hood, Kayamkulam Kochunni, Juraj Jánošík, Lampião, Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, Tadas Blinda and William Wallace, all rolled into one.

Vikram reminds one of an Indian version of James Bond while Shriya manages the look of the Bond girl Halle Berry, as you can see in the picture above. Forget the comparisons and enjoy the film which is going to be a blockbuster!

The Hangover a huge hit in India

The Hangover, originally uploaded by jamie.myslicki.

The 2009 comedy film directed by Todd Phillips The Hangover has caught the attention of audiences in India with huge box office success and many Indian filmmakers craving to remake it, notably producer Firoz Nadiadwala, who claims to have bought the rights from Warner Bros.

Warner Brothers (WB India) said the film had raked in Rs 6.8 crores at the box office in India, with a limited release of only 42 prints in 51 screens. Fans of the movie are very active on Twitter, Facebook and Orkut. One fans group on Facebook claims over 1.73 million members.

The film was released in North America on June 5, 2009. The story revolves around four friends who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) is about to be married. So his friends Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper, as a schoolteacher bored of the married life), Stu Price (Ed Helms, as a dentist with a strict and controlling girlfriend) and Doug's socially inept soon to be brother-in-law Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) take him to Las Vegas for a bachelor party.

The four friends book into a hotel suite and, then sneak to the roof of the hotel and toast to the night ahead. The next morning the friends, minus the groom Doug Billings, wake up in the suite with no memory of what happened the previous night. All they could understand is that Doug is missing, Stu has lost a tooth, there is a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet and their hotel suite is in a shambles. First they think that Doug might have gone for breakfast, but they worry about him when they find his phone left in the room. Alan discovers Stu's tooth in his pocket and a VIP parking pass and Stu finds an ATM receipt for $800, all indications of strange happenings.

What follows next is a series of hilarious situations in the three friends’ efforts to locate Doug, and other consequences of what happened the night before. The real action hilarious scenes are bound to keep you on the edge of the seat till the end.

The film produced at a budget of $35 million (between $25 million and $30 million according to LA Times) had a marketing budget of $40 million. On the first day of release the film grossed $16.5 million for 4,500 screens at 3,269 sites, beating out the big budgeted Land of the Lost. The Hangover finished first for the weekend with $45.0 million. The film’s box office performance surprised even Warner Bros, which only hoped it would finish third behind Up and Land of the Lost.

Since its release, the film has earned total US gross $248,857,162 and $98,500,000 internationally, i.e., a worldwide Gross $347,357,162 according to The Numbers, making it the highest grossing R-rated comedy ever in the US, breaking the record held by Beverly Hills Cop for 25 years. The film has received primarily positive reviews, and it is a huge hit with audiences and most of the critics.

Trivia: Helms's missing tooth is real, not created with prosthetics or visual effects but is natural. Helms never had an adult incisor, and got a dental implant as a teenager which was removed for the filming.

As reports say, Warner Bros is planning a sequel for the film. Production of The Hangover 2 will begin in October 2010 for an expected early 2011 release.

Bradley Cooper at The Hangover premiere

Scenes from The Hangover #1

Çöllerde, originally uploaded by Phil Wenneck.

Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper from a scene from the Hollywood hit comedy movie The Hangover.

Movie Trailer Video: THE HANGOVER

THE HANGOVER: Movie Trailer - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

Bollywood movie LUCK hit the theatres on Friday

Luck, originally uploaded by Gyanguru-Pix.

The Bollywood action movie “Luck” is the story of mafia kingpin Musa (Sanjay Dutt) who has the obsession to revolutionize the betting industry. He is joined by a host of characters from around the world each with Lady Luck on their side. Millions are at stake in the game of danger and deceit.

The real story of Luck revolves around Ram Mehra (Imran Khan), who has many problems, and needs a lot of money. So does Ayesha (Shruti Haasan), and the Major (Mithun Chakraborty), and Shortcut (Chitrashi Rawat). Musa and his right hand man (Danny Denzongpa) catch hold of cash-strapped Ram and his lot and transport them to South Africa, where they play on their luck and their lives. Ram has to overcome the hurdles created by Musa to win a game of money and greed.

Imran Khan, who could not get much success with the movie “Kidnap” after having his dream debut with “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na”, has performed dangerous stunts in Luck. Sanjay Dutt can be seen for the first time on screen since he tried his hands in politics.

Shruti Haasan, the daughter of the legendary actor Kamal Haasan, debuts in Luck. She is definitely a multiple talented actress to watch out for her daring ways. She was bold enough to appear in a bikini in her debut film. Shruti, who grew up on a staple diet of Bruce Lee (Enter The Dragon), 007 and Jackie Chan, has performed some unbelievable daredevil stunts in the film.

Shruti said about her debut role, “I enjoy going against gravity! The stunts Luck offered me were simply mind-boggling. I had to learn scuba diving for which there was a short course. As I often perform live, I’m physically fit and taking on strenuous activities was never a problem.”

Directed by Soham Shah of “Kaal” fame, Luck, which is based entirely on the premise of it brimming over with dangerous action, and it will tip one over a couple of times. Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd produces the film with music composed by Salim-Sulaiman.

Kambakkht Ishq Movie Wallpaper 2

kambakht-ishq-25h, originally uploaded by jsd_21991.

Kambakkht Ishq Movie Wallpaper 1

kambakht-ishq-36a, originally uploaded by jsd_21991.

Bollywood movie Kal Kissne Dekha

kal-kissne-dekha-poster, originally uploaded by seophoto240779.

Kal Kissne Dekha (2009), the Bollywood movie produced by Vashu Bhagnani, casting his son Jackky Bhagnani in the lead for his debut, and directed by Vivek Sharma, is the first film to roll out from the Bollywood after the resolution of the revenue sharing dispute between producers and multiplex owners. The cast includes, Vaishali Desai (newcomer), Archana Puran Singh, Akshay Kapoor, Javed Jaffrey, Rachna Shah, Kunal Kumar, and Nushrat Bharucha. The film has Rishi Kapoor in a pivotal role.

Kal Kissne Dekha, the complete masala film with ingredients of romance and some thrill and distributed by Big Pictures, has been made on a budget of Rs.27 crore and is releasing with 500 prints worldwide. The film's music is by composer duo Sajid-Wajid.

Kal Kissne Dekha is the story about a seemingly simple, talkative Chandigarh boy Nihal Singh (Jackky Bhagnani) who loves to build complicated gadgets. He has a brilliant mind and an oddball sort of charm, dreams of studying in the most elite institute of science and wants to be a scientist. When he is accepted into his dream college in Mumbai (Bombay) city, he finds that the college is a whole new world with new people and new challenges to be met.

Nobody takes him seriously, he is ragged and insulted by the girl he likes, Meesha (Vaishali Desai), who is very rich, proud, rude, and spoilt college brat. She cannot tolerate the fact that Nihaal, by and by, manages to charm everyone, including Professor Verma, the warden of the college.

Then Nihal starts getting visions of Meesha being in danger. He has supernatural powers to see the future. He saves her life. But the secret is revealed that he can foresee the future. After this, Meesha is drawn closer towards him and they fall in love. The media, including TV channels, report about his miraculous powers and Nihal starts getting undue attention from anti social elements. And the real drama starts…

Billboard in jaipur in 1988: Nagin aur Nagina

cobra woman, originally uploaded by Norma Desmond.

The legend of Nagin (snake woman), also Nagina, Naga, etc., (meaning snake or serpant, usually a cobra), and Nag or Snake God are prevalent in many Asian countries for about 5000 years. There are many temples dedicated to the Serpant God in most parts of India and other Asian countries.

The legends about Nagin or snake woman mostly tell stories of the female snake out there to take revenge against wrong-doers, usually its the ones who killed its lover or partner. The popular stories say that the Nagin can transform itself to any form it wants such as a woman, or other living beings so that it can easily carry out its plan for revenge.

There are many written stories, novels, and several movies made on stories revolving around the Nagin. The latest one to be released is an Indo-American production, the Mallika Sherawat starrer "Hissss" (originally known as “Nagin: The Snake Woman”, also starring Jeff Doucette, Irrfan Khan and Divya Dutta), directed by Jennifer Lynch.

Angels & Demons opens on May 15th

The Catholic Church (India) had previously demanded a ban on the movie, Angels & Demons, directed by Ron Howard and based on American author Dan Brown's novel, a sequel to the HIT movie The Da Vinci Code, but now they have consented to the release of the movie if the Censor Board (India) cuts some scenes includes a disclaimer in the movie. The Catholic Church opposed the distorted and anti-Church depictions in the movie, reports say.

Poster: Angels & Demons

Free Online DVD Catalog Site

All of us love movies, buy DVDs and have our collections. But proper cataloging is as much important as having a good collection of DVDs to enjoy our DVD libraries and to enhance the collections. Professional quality cataloging calls for the right tools so that it does not end up in a mess. But the free online DVD Catalog site DVDCorral.com has all that you have been looking for. No matter you are a connoisseur of movies, or want to share with family and friends, their online DVD catalog is ideal for you.

DVDCorral.com helps you organize and display online all your DVD collections in the most efficient and easiest manner. They have a free database, constantly updated site features and tools, and they are user-friendly. If you need anything more, they are open to suggestions and ready to add what you are searching for, in most cases even in 24 hours.

You can use DVD catalog to import movies in the best available formats. Your DVD data is added by them automatically, allow you to track movies that you lend out, and your collection of DVDs in CSV is backed up for you. If you happen to delete any DVDs from your hard drive, or your hard disk crashed, you can still have your movies downloaded, because they permanently back up your files in their server.

The DVD catalog site lists new additions on a weekly base in addition to displaying the previous week’s additions. Also it shows the number of movies in user’s collections and which movie appears in the maximum number of users’ accounts.

Digital downloads is a very attractive feature of this DVD catalog site, and it allows you to view movies that are available for digital downloads. You can avail this facility, even while browsing through titles or while watching movies. You can also buy and rent downloadable movies at the cheapest possible rates. Their DVD catalog blog is highly informative and it gives most of the information that you are looking for, especially as it features articles on lesser-known actors and their roles, coupled with other frequently updated info on movies and DVDs.

As mentioned, DVD catalog is free, and there is absolutely no restriction about the free storage of videos you can use. You are free to collect and upload to their server as many DVDs as you like, or just buy your favorite movies for your collection.

Shark: picture from the Movie Blue

Blue, originally uploaded by NGallery.

Aloo Chaat: Bollywood movie stills 1

Aloo Chaat, originally uploaded by Nighi Network.

The Hindi movie “Aloo Chaat” directed by Robby Grewal and starring: Aftab Shivdasani, Aamna Shariff, Linda Arsenio, Sanjay Mishra, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Manoj Pahwa, Meenakshi and Dolly Ahluwalia in the main roles have funny sequences and witty dialogues and minimal music takes.

The plot is about a Punjabi boy Nikhil (Aftab Shivdasani) who returns from America and finds that his family is quite serious about getting him married. But he has a Muslim girlfriend, Aamna (Aamna Shariff), whom he wants to marry. But he is afraid that his family may reject his girlfriend. He devises a plan with the help of Hakeem Tarachand (Manoj Pahwa) a family-friend and sexologist to convince them about his relationship with Aamna. The story of this family film is centered around their plan.

Director Robby Grewal uses a simple storytelling style to evolve the story and sequences. While Aftab Shivdasani plays his part well Aamna Shariff makes a memorable debut with freshness and commendable performance. Kulbushan Kharbanda, the serious actor has done well in a comic role. Sanjay Mishra and Manoj Pahwa did their roles with average performance, while the American beauty and actress from Texas, Linda Arsenio is acceptable for her role. The designer and woman of many respectable professions, Dolly Ahluwalia presented a nice Punjabi granny.

Aloo Chaat is an average film, and worth seeing for those who like comedy oriented family drama.

Kites, Bollywood movie, on the location

Kites » Bollywood Spice » On the location, originally uploaded by jahanhassan.

Karma Aur Holi

Karma Aur Holi, originally uploaded by sravkum.

Karma Aur Holi: Sushmita Sen