"Aankhon Hi Aankhon Mein Kare Baatein..." Ala Barfi Promo!

Song: Ala Barfi
Film: Barfi!
Composer: Pritam
Playback Singer: Mohit Chauhan

The title track promo for Ranbir Kapoor's Barfi! has released! Check it out!

"Phir Bhi Kyun Lag Rahi Hai Kami..." Barfi! Trailer!

Song: Anjaana Anjaani
Film: Anjaana Anjaani
Composer: Vishal-Shekhar
Playback Singers: Vishal Dadlani & Shilpa Rao

The trailer for Ranbir Kapoor's latest film Barfi! has released! Here it is...

"Hum Hain Naye, Andaaz Kyun Ho Purana..." Mukhtasar

Song: Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe
Film: Dil Chahta Hai
Composer: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Playback Singers: Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, K.K.

If you haven't seen the lovely first song promo from Shahid Kapoor's and Priyanka Chopra's latest flick Teri Meri Kahaani, here it is:

Does anyone else think there is something quite off about this song promo? (I could barely make it through the whole thing!) I mean, I love Shahid and PC, and I don't even mind them paired against each other, but they just look so old, like how they looked in 2007 old. Why does Shahid have the same haircut he did in Vivah/Jab We Met? At first I thought that this movie might have filmed years earlier and only be released now (kind of like Milenge Milenge), but according to Wikipedia, filming started in May 2011. Priyanka, who normally looks great, looks a little worn out as well. Perhaps she really is on the downward slope as a Bollywood actress. And the choreography is old and overused as well; the 'stretching out arms and singing to sky' steps were more prevalent in the 2008-2009 films. This is a new 2012 film!!! Why does it seem so old? The actual song doesn't sound too bad, but I don't think it goes with the picturization. Also, I'm not sure if that's the original song or the remix, because it sounds remix-y. 

Anyway, let me know what you think of this Mukhtasar promo! 

"Yeh Mausam Ka Jaadu Hai Mitwa..." Summer Film Trailers!

Song: Mausam Ka Jaadu

Film: Hum Aapke Hai Koun...!

Music Director: Raamlaxman

Playback Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam 

Many theatrical trailers of films releasing in May/June have released this week, so I figured I would talk about my opinions of them all in one post!

Rowdy Rathore

Ok, I'll admit, I'm not a big Akshay Kumar fan. However, since Akshay Kumar was once known as the king of action films, I'm hoping that this film is better than his comedy ones. As for the trailer, I'm not a big fan, though that last "DON'T ANGRY ME" part was pretty intense! I don't like when theatrical trailers don't give any indication of the story whatsoever; I understand that they want to keep the suspense in a trailer, but the only things that I'm able to tell about the movie is that there will be a lot of violence, and that Sonakshi will be swinging her hips in a cute red sari. By the way, Sonakshi looks quite pretty, and I'm hoping she's more than just a pretty girl in the movie (though not very likely). 

Dangerous Ishhq

Guess who's back?! Karisma Kapoor, that's who! And she looks great too. I like the idea of this movie, I think it will be pretty interesting, as long as they are able to execute the seemingly complex story well. The actor, Rajneesh Duggal, was earlier in Vikram Bhatt's film 1920, but I haven't seen that film so I don't really know how he is as an actor. Since he's been paired with Karisma in her comeback film, I hope he does well! The music sounds good too (by Himesh Reshammiya); I had forgotten how good Himesh's music was! Hopefully this proves to be a great comeback!

Teri Meri Kahaani

Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra back together again! I generally love both of them (especially Shahid!!!) so I hope this movie does well. The trailer looks okay, and considering the director Kunal Kohli has done some really awesome films (Fanaa, Hum Tum) and some not awesome films (Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic), this movie could go either way. Shahid and PC both look great, and I hope they as well as Kunal Kohli can pull off a story that focuses around three times periods. The background music is nice too, and I think the three time periods will allow for a good music album with a variety of songs *fingers crossed*. Looking forward to this mainly for Shahid and Priyanka!

Shanghai

Abhay Deol and Emraan Hashmi in a movie together!!! Abhay and Emraan are two or my favorite actors, and its not very often that top actors share screen space with other actors. I'm loving their looks in the trailer too, especially Abhay's, and I honestly don't know whose performance I'm more looking forward to! Kalki's role seems pretty important as well, and I'm glad she gets cool roles like this, instead of the typical glamorous roles actresses these days have been doing. Why are most of her memorable roles with Abhay Deol? Anyway, I don't really mind. The story of the movie looks pretty interesting too. Yay for unconventional movies! I hope this movie is a success critically and commercially!

Anyway, provide your views on which movies you are looking forward to the most this summer!

"Yeh Jalwa, Yeh Jalwa, Fashion Ka Hai Yeh Jalwa ..."

Song: Fashion Ka Jalwa
Film: Fashion
Playback Singers: Sukhwinder Singh, Satya Hinduja & Robert Bob Omulo
Composer: Salim-Sulaiman

Many actresses are showing their new jalwa, style, and talent in movies of recent years, and since Vidya Balan's Kahaani (!!!) is releasing tomorrow (coincidentally the day after International Women's Day) I figured a post about the new influx of successful women-oriented films in the Bollywood film industry would be appropriate. Here are the three actresses who I believe have the potential to compete with the Khans, the Roshans, the Kapoors, and all other actors who have been traditionally dominating successful Bollywood movies.

Vidya Balan

• Balan's No One Killed Jessica, although partnered with Rani Mukherji, shot her into the limelight of women-oriented films, proving that she could bring critical acclaim and commercial success.
• Later that year, she came with the superhit The Dirty Picture, which not only earned her the National Film Award for Best Actress, but a film with raving reviews and commercial success. With this film, Vidya Balan sealed the deal with her status as an actress who could stand alone.
• She continues her women-oriented films with Kahaani, and hopefully Kahaani will make a trio for Vidya Balan, critically and commercially!

Priyanka Chopra

• Although not a woman-oriented film, Priyanka Chopra's role in Aitraaz as a seducing villain proved that she could do more than just the sweet or glamorous roles that most actresses played at that time. She also earned the Filmfare Award that year for Best Villain, an award only one other actress has received in its history.
• Piggy Chops really proved her worth in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion through her act of an innocent small town girl who evolved into an arrogant supermodel. Fashion was one of the first women-oriented films that was commercially successful, and Priyanka Chopra's work earned her the critical acclaim of the National Film Award for Best Actress.
• Priyanka's early 2011 film, 7 Khoon Maaf, although not commercially successful, added onto her list of accolades. She was effectively convincing in the film with each of husbands, as well as her aging appearance throughout the movie.

Kareena Kapoor

• In her early career, Kareena's film Chameli launched her to critical success. Although Chameli wasn't a commercial success, Kareena's act as a street smart prostitute is still remembered today, and this woman-oriented film is recognized as the turning point in her career.
• In Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met (one of my favorites movies!), although sharing equal screen space with Shahid Kapoor, Kareena shined as the bubbly character of Geet, and her Filmfare-worthy performance proved to be one of the main factors that carried the film to an unexpected success.
• Madhur Bhandarkar's latest flick, Heroine, set to release in late 2012, will be starring Kareena Kapoor in the lead role, and it will be quite interesting to if she can continue her current reign over Bollywood with Bhandarkar's realistic cinema!

In my opinion, these three actresses have had the greatest success with the new trend of contemporary, women-oriented films. Will they become like the three Superstar Khans (Aamir, Shahrukh, & Salman), whose success is unattainable by others? Only time (and good scripts) will tell, but I don't think anyone can beat Aamir Khan (he's my Khan of all seasons). 

Special mention to Kangna Ranaut and Konkona Sen Sharma who have done a fantastic job in breaking the stereotypical actress role with path-breaking films. Hopefully, they will be more commercially successful in the future!

Please comment and share your thoughts!