Happy Birthday Juhi Chawla!

Juhi Chawla just turned a year older - 42 to be precise and looks as beautiful as ever. Juhi had numerous on-screen pairings and those with Aamir, ShahRukh and Rishi Kapoor were particularly successful.

At this juncture in her career, she now has all the creative freedom in the world to choose movies that appeal to her. Recently, she turned in a fun-filled and humorous performance in 'Luck By Chance'.

For me, the fondest memories of her are from a movie called 'Love, Love, Love', in which she was paired opposite Aamir Khan. The movie bombed but I had seen it a thousand times.

I hope she continues doing sensible roles.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUHI

Amitabh - the Supremo!

Most of you already know that Amitabh had a comic superhero based on his persona. Well, I learnt about this only 2 days ago. Even though I gorged on his movies, I never had a liking towards Amitabh, the superstar.

Being a die-hard fan of comics, I was immediately smitten by Amitabh, the comic superhero. Which other movie star can boast of having his own comic?

The 'Supremo' comic was released for only 2 years in the 80s. It's a pity that we don't have any of them anymore. Does anybody have a copy of Supremo :-)?

I noticed that the Indian version of Spiderman wears a dhoti just like Amitabh's Supremo. I guess its safe to say that the creators of the Indian Spiderman were 'inspired' by Amitabh's Supremo!

Tribute to Freddie...

My fascination for English music began when I was around 8 years old. As a child, I used to love listening to soft rock, techno(read OMD) and alternative. The older I grew, the more fascinated I was with singers, bands and their escapades. But one man stood out in my mind and he answers to the name Freddie Mercury.

Freddie, a Parsi with origins in Mumbai, has the best male voice I have ever heard. He may have been the flamboyant driving force behind Queen's success but led a very shy and reclusive private life.

Success can be very intimidating and Freddie's short gay flings with multiple men led to his downfall. He was diagnosed with AIDS and died in 1991, placing him among the first celebrities to admit having AIDS.

Even though Freddie has left for a better place, I can feel his presence around me through his music. Songs like 'Living On My Own', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'I want to break free', 'We are the champions' and 'The Great Pretender' will keep playing in my mind and heart forever.

I agree with Queen - THE SHOW MUST GO ON

God bless you, Freddie!

Where's my Jackie Shroff gone?

Jackie Shroff has always been my greatest influence. While growing up as a gawky teenager in Dubai, I practically gorged on his movies for most of my adolescence. Jaggu Dada had a dream debut with Subhash Ghai's 'Hero' and was an instant hit with the audiences. He then went on to star in hit movies that include 'Karma', 'Andhar Baahar', 'Kaash', 'Yudh', 'Parinda', 'Ram Lakhan', 'Tridev', '1942: A Love Story', 'Rangeela', 'Khalnayak' and 'Agnisakshi'.

In the late-nineties, Jackie started accepting all offers that came his way. He never chose to verify the credibility of scripts and ended up in horrible movies with bit roles. Currently, Jackie's star power has diminished completely and he has lost favor with most prominent directors, including Subhash Ghai.

His transition from saleable star to 'supporting actor' status has been swift and heartbreaking. Didn't Jackie ever think about his fans when he took roles in disastrous movies? Can we expect him to get strong and meaty roles in the future?

As for me, I have cherished memories of Jaggu that will keep me going. Jackie, wish you all the best!

Zulfi Syed's modesty

I have never been a fan of reality shows but something about Bigg Boss 2 made me sit up and take notice. There is this very popular misconception doing the rounds that these shows are tailor-made for losers in the entertainment industry and I was shocked to see the popular model Zulfi Syed among this year's contestants.
Zulfi's career as a model has been quite successful but reactions to his movies have only been lukewarm. His roles in Pyaasa and Taj Mahal were well-received and I am sure that he has a lot more to offer.

As this show progresses, we also realize that Zulfi is probably the quietest among the lot. A man who keeps to himself, a man who doesn’t preen in front of those hidden cameras for the public. This week has thrown up 4 nominations for exit and Zulfi is among them. I hope that the public realizes the man's simplicity and worth and give him the long run he truly deserves!

Jimi Mistry, where are you?

I don't hear much about Jimi Mistry nowadays. Where has the star of critical hits like 'The Guru', 'East is East' or even 'Touch Of Pink' gone? Born of mixed parentage(his dad is Indian while his mum is British), he is among the best stars England has to offer. I hope he does not fade away. Certainly a man of his talent has a lot more to offer. Looking forward for a lot more from you mate!

P.S: My favorite Jimi Mistry movie is 'Born Romantic'.

Review: 'Remington Steele'

Pierce Brosnan. The man with the golden smile. The best James Bond ever! Well, before he became Bond he used to star in one of the most popular TV series of the 80s'- Remington Steele(1982-87). Brosnan played a thief who switches into the role of a private investigator named Remington Steele. Stephanie Zimbalist(I have not seen her other work) plays Laura Holt and also Steele's partner.

This series was also partly responsible for not allowing Pierce Brosnan to don the mantle of James Bond earlier in his career. Due to his commitment to the series, Timothy Dalton bagged the role.

Action, romance, comedy and murders- Reminton Steele has it all. A must-see for Pierce Brosnan fans and the best way to get to know an otherwise quiet Stephanie Zimbalist

I found this video in YouTube that has scenes from this famous series tuned to the amazing voice of Eric Carmen's 'Hungry Eyes'. A must-see
!

Tribute to Heath..

Its been exactly a month since Heath passed away in mysterious cicumstances. Questions surrounding his demise have settled down and everybody has returned to their normal routine. Let me add my two words to the long list of tributes that were already lavished on him.

Let me start with his movies. Heath's fans cherish him for his roles in '10 Things I hate About You'(1999) , 'The Knights Tale'(2001), 'Two Hands'(1999), 'The Patriot'(2000), 'Monster's Ball'(2001), 'Ned Kelly'(2003), 'Lords Of Dogtown'(2005), 'The Brothers Grimm'(2005) and the critically acclaimed 'Brokeback Mountain' for which he was nominated for an Oscar in a Leading Role.

Despite some incidents with the press, Heath was a favorite with the movie going public and even though he was not praised as much as his leading contenders like Matt Damon or Christian Bale, he was a favorite whose movies fans looked forward to.

Ledger's 'Dark Knight' probably is the most higly anticipated movie in the world right now. His reprisal of Joker is something we all look forward to with the greatest interest. When we finally get to see this movie, I hope everybody realises that Heath left this world gifting us his most complex performance ever. The role that probably ultimately resulted in his demise.

Heath may not be in our midst now but he is sorely missed by his fans around and he will always be remembered. Heath leaves behind a 2 year old daughter Matilda Rose. I hope she encounters only good moving forward.

About Gere..

I have been a fan of Richard Gere ever since a kid. I would like to share my stuff with everybody around. I am looking forward to creating a blog or website which would be a place to find everything about Richard Gere, from his reel and real lives. Having said this, I welcome feedback from anybody who would like to share their thoughts on this.

P.S. Watch out for his new movie 'Nights in Roadanthe' opposite Diane Lane and if you are on a DVD buying spree, spend on his 'Hunting Party' and award winning movie 'The Hoax'!

Shrek's the winner! Again!

Noticed that Shrek and Donkey have won the best onscreen couple award in a poll conducted by some UK group. I wonder how true would that be. It seems Richard Gere and Julia Roberts share the 1st spot with them. I thought Shrek and Fiona would have made a couple but Donkey?? Seems wierd but hey its people like us who voted them to the top so they deserve it.

Its sweet that the Pretty Woman pair still has a fan following. The movie is a cult classic no doubt, people rarely mention the movie nowadays though.