Desi Wear Blog

Paul Schrader is taking a taxi to Bollywood.

Saying he feels the U.S. film market has become “barren,” the writer of classics “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” is packing his bags for Mumbai to write and direct the Bollywood action movie “Extreme City.”

“I’ve been getting indie movies made for 20 years,” he said. “But I take a good look around and what I see is a barren, barren place — in terms of the financial community, in terms of audiences, in terms of distribution. It’s cold out there.”

In India, on the other hand, he says there are ways to gain both creative freedom and audiences.

Continue reading via THR.

Forget Hollywood, Bollywood is the new red.  It is only a matter of time before we see the first Bollywood film cross over and connect with American audiences. And who knows, maybe the film will feature American stars, filmmakers and or writers. When I talked to Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle in September, he told me that Will Smith had visited India a couple times over the last year in hopes of starring in a Bollywood film. After seeing Slumdog, I have since become more and more interested in Bollywood. It now seems rather odd that we haven’t yet seen a big crossover or collaboration.

Continue reading via /film, (and get into the conversation).

Veteran Indian film star MN Nambiar has died at home in the southern city of Madras (Chennai) after a brief illness.
Nambiar, who was 89, was frequently cast as a villain during his career which spanned six decades.
He made his screen debut in 1935 and went on to act in more than 1,000 films in Tamil, Hindi and several other languages.
Nambiar was deeply religious and loved to keep fit. His discipline made him a role model for many Indian actors.
Correspondents say he was also free from the scandals and rumours which are common in the Indian film industry.

2008 has been a great year for Arjun Rampal. He’s had two hits this year and he will be rubbing shoulders with Holly-wood stars, Robert Di Niro, Charlize Theron, Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey at the launch party of the Atlantis, The Palm hotel in Dubai on November 20. The cherry on the cake? He has snapped up the title of India’s Sexiest Dad by Ok! magazine, from right under the nose of Hrithik Roshan.

How does it feel to win the title of India’s Sexiest Dad?
It feels great! If people think I am that, then I would like to thank them.

Read the full interview via Bollywood Buzz.

She has played a supergirl, a supermodel, a superstar and is now back on the silver screen tickling the funny bone as a sassy desi girl.
Priyanka Chopra or Piggy Chops as she is fondly called may be seven years old in the Hindi film industry, but this year has been particularly busy and diverse for her. She is perhaps the only leading star who has had as many as six releases in one year. And most importantly she has played a central role in nearly all of them.
Beginning the year with a special appearance in a medium-budget “My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves”, she was then seen as uber stylish superstar in “Love Story 2050″. Touted as India’s first film set in the future, Priyanka looked the part as a red-head.

Continue reading via Bollywood Buzz.

India’s first unmanned lunar spacecraft, Chandrayaan 1, has sent a probe onto the surface of the Moon.
The probe, painted with the Indian flag, crashed into the moon’s surface at 2034 (1504 GMT), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
During its controlled plunge it took readings including measurements of the composition of the Moon’s atmosphere.
The mission is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.
The BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says the success of the mission has been hailed in India where many see it as another sign of the country’s emergence as a global power.

Continue reading via BBC News.

Karsh Kale together with other celebrities are ready to set the stage on fire to help change the lives of thousands of children through, Project Ahimsa and Education Thorough Music (ETM)! Karsh Kale, Tina Sungandh, and many more celebs to rock on for a good cause.
The spectacular event will be held on November 13th at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. The concert, ‘Global Lingo’, will benefit Uganda’s House of Hope Orphanage for kids with HIV. It will also go towards Africa Live, a music program for kids in Ghana. Sounds like an amazing night! ‘Global Lingo’ was a massive hit in Los Angeles and San Francisco! It’s guaranteed to be just as awesome in NYC!
Project Ahimsa raises money for education programs around the world and has benefited 10,000 kids with over seventy grants, while Education through Music helps 9,000 children in NYC and 3,000 in California.  Project Ahimsa currently benefits children in countries like, Nicaragua, India, Tanzania, Thailand, Brazil, Guatemala, Cuba and now Uganda.

Advanced tickets are going fast for the Global Lingo event at Le Poisson Rouge, NYC on November 13th. Project Ahimsa, House for Hope, Africa Live! and Education Through Music have brought together acts like Karsh Kale (Live with special Guests), Nickodemus (Wonderwheel Recordings/ESL Music), Trendroid (Transport) and others with a myriad of hosts.

All proceeds benefit the aforementioned programs.

The Bilz and Kashif made it through a crazy cab ride in Mumbai! The boys continued to have fun on Kashif’s birthday when they chowed down some Maharaja Macs at McDonalds!
Check out the comedic footage of the boys on their October 5th-27th trip to the India here at Desi Hits.

Shilpa Shetty and John Abraham’s Shut Up And Bounce song in Dostana is the hottest track these days. But what no-one knows is that Shilpa fell and almost bounced while shooting the song in Miami.

John had applied so much sunblock on his body that Shilpa who had to put her arms around him kept slipping and falling!

Director Tarun Mansukhani says, “We all put on lots of sun block on because it was sunny and we didn’t want to tan too much. One day, John put on so much sunblock that in the shot where he’s taking pictures of Shilpa on the bike, Shilpa couldn’t put her arms around him. She kept slipping and falling!” John plays a photographer in Dostana.

From time immemorial, cinema has been entertaining us week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade and even generation after generation. However, now the reach of Hindi films extends right from Rai Bareilly to Rio De Janeiro and from Chandni Chowk to China. Bollywood (as the Hindi film industry is popularly known as) is no longer just a means of entertainment; in more ways than one, it’s become a way of life. We at Bollywood Hungama bring you the various ways in which our lives have been influenced by Bollywood.

From the Big screen to the Small Screen

While Television was always considered as the younger brother of the silver screen, these days, T.V. channels and shows are filled with Bollywood celebs. After Big B’s sagging career got a fresh lease of life with Kaun Banega Crorepati, every actor worth his salt decided to try his hand on the small screen. Actors like SRK, Akshay Kumar, Manisha Koirala, Anupam Kher have been seen on the small screen as hosts of game shows.

Please Continue reading via Bollywood.com HERE.