Based on the life of an item girl, rising slowly up the ranks to become a top female actress and then her fall, with the backdrop of the cinemas of the ‘80s, the film is about Reshma (Vidya Balan) a small time girl wanting to make it big, in the big bad world of Bollywood.

Without revealing much, the story is as simple as it gets - the rise of the underdog and the stardom which follows success and then the ungracious fall.

It is in the performances, the dialogues and the taut screenplay where the heart of this film lies. The manner in which Reshma, uses and gets used by the fraternity is the crux of the film. 

The star of the show has to be definitely Rajat Arora (OUATIM). It is his near perfect screenplay and crafty dialogues, which appeal in the film. Since it is for the adult audiences, the writer has taken the liberty to use the subject of sex and sleaze in a classy manner, rather than tripping over the fine line and making a vulgar product. There are quite a few clap worthy and whistle blowing dialogues which will be enjoyed by one and all, as seen in reference to the film. Naseer mouthing ‘ jawani to taste karne ke liye hoti hai, waste karne ke liye nahi’ will definitely set the mood for the film. There are quite a few situations in the film where the dialogues take the momentum of the film to a new high, such as Silk’s interaction with Surya’s wife (Shivani Tanskale), Silk’s award winning speech, the car driving episode between Ramakant (Tushar Kapoor) and Silk and all of the dialogues between Silk and Abraham (Emraan Hashmi).

The music by Vishal – Shekhar is keeping in mind with the times, wherein the stars used to dance amongst rolling oranges and atop huge drums with an army of dancers in the colourful backgrounds. Lets not forget the huge ‘kalsa’s which used to keep increasing in a pyramid form on the beats of the songs (Ta thaiya anyone?). Ooh la la is already a rage amongst all audiences, need we say more.

The cinematography by Bobby Singh is magnificent. Choreography by Pony Prakash Raj excellent.

Anju Mahendru as the well known journalist of the ‘80s gives an excellent performance. Rajesh Sharma as the supportive producer who gives Silk her first ‘break’ is very good.

Tushaar Kapoor donning the heavy moustache, somehow does not come across as strong as the character that he is supposed to be playing and hence feels a let down at times.

Naseeruddin Shah proves yet again why he is the ‘Shah’ of acting. Those colourful glasses, painted moustache, simply brilliant. He shows his wizardry over the craft in the photo shoot, when told by the photographers ‘thoda pet andar lijiye’. His character is the life of the film, providing all the ‘seeti’ moments.

Emraan Hashmi (Dil To Baccha Hai Ji, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai) again takes on a challenging role in a woman oriented film and lives the character with elan. His frustration and subsequent love for Silk are poignant.

Vidya is on a roll. She is proving that she is the other end of the spectrum, where heroines are known for their flat tummy and skimpy shorts. Not only does she carry off the excess weight put on for the film with style, she looks sensuous rather than sleazy. After PAA and Ishqiya, don’t be surprised if she delivers a hat trick during awards season next year.  If Naseer is the life of the film, Vidya is the soul. By taking on this role and performing it with such ease, she once again pushes the envelope further. Vidya deserves every praise that she gets for doing this role and doing it the best in today’s times!

Milan Luthria really lives up to the expectations raised after OUATIM. Although dealing with a subject of sex and sleaze, he handles it so well that it will appeal to one and all. That shows his maturity as a director. Taking on a film with a completely ‘hatke’ subject and showcasing it so well to the ever hungry audiences. Kudos to him and Ekta Kapoor for making this film. Undoubtedly one of the best films of the year, once again starring Vidya Balan.

Rating: 8/10

YusuF Poonawala is an independent writer who authors The Y Factor, a blog where he reviews movies in English and Hindi. Explore his passion for cinema and everything around it.

SEL, renowned for their fabulous music scores of movies like ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’, ‘Wake Up Sid’, ‘Taare Zameen Par’, ‘Rock On’ and ‘Housefull’, have now become the 1st Indian music composer group to have a customized application on the iPhone, enabling fans all over the world to stay updated with the latest from the band.

The application will also allow access to exclusive content, backstage videos and music from the talented musicians. And if this was not enough, it will also help fans across borders to come together and be a part of the exclusive ‘Shankar Ehsaan Loy’ community!

This exciting tool is not only available to all iPhone users across the globe; but is also compatible with the iPod touch and the iPad.

“We’ve had a very dynamic journey so far and it’s now time to up the ante and move into other areas of music and songwriting with the help of newer & popular platforms like the internet, mobile and other digital mediums. The SEL iPhone application is one small step towards making our music available globally and to a varied demographic of music lovers.”

The application is created by OML Digital, an Indian company that specializes in building technology for entertainers. OML builds tools which help content creators reach out, monetize and track their content. They believe that by matching content with the right brands, an enriching environment for artists and users can be created.

OML Digital released the iPhone application for Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar, Founding Director, OML Digitial says, “We at OML have always wanted to provide artists the ability to reach out to their audiences in the most direct manner possible and with the highest quality of interactivity that technology can offer at that point in time. Through the SEL iPhone application that the OML Digital team has built we believe we have created, for the first time, a product that allows musicians to do that in a manner like never before.”

Besides connecting to their fans worldwide through this exciting new platform, the trio recently returned from their US tour named ‘Inspiration’ that turned out to be a thumping success. They played to crowds of approximately 4000-7000 people across the country; garnering applause from fans all over & leaving them wanting for more!

That ‘Music has no boundaries’ has just been affirmed by SEL as the trio is all set to leave their musical footprints across the globe!

Heres why…

At the LA premiere of Inglourious Basterds, there was Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Diance Kruger, Sarah Silverman, Quentin Tarantino and our very own Mizz M….

As expected, Angie looks nice, I mean she could have done better than this dress from Micheal Kors (who I despise) but since shes A. Jolie, she gets to wear whatever she wants…. i.e. Brad Pitt + anything Black.

Hmm, but I never thought I’d say these words ….

“MOVE OVER ANGIE, COZ hereee comes Mizz M”….!!!

Well folks, hold on to your breath (and other things) …..

Taking away ALL ATTENTION from Angie, Mallika strutted her stuff, showing confidence (God knows where she gets hers from) like a whale in whats-known-as-a-”Gown” designed by Lingerie Giant, Fredericks of Hollywood.

Who the Hell wears Fredericks on the street??? And why did she choose this nasty piece … Oh wait, I know… Mallika is so used to wearing crap from Anita Dongre’s house of NO-style, that this outfit is probably DECENT comparitively!

However for $50 odd bucks, she could have worn the LBD on the left or the one on the right for $29 in case the economy is a reason for keeping wallets closed…

Yes Yessssss its tacky… But ya know what? Its GENIUS too! Now, shes totally GOT the attention of the whole wide world JUST LIKE she wanted…Her marketing skills (i.e. marketing herself) are sooo goddam GOOD that the next time I take one of those classes, I will request her as my proffessor…LOL… Ok maybe not, but you get the point! xoxo

Pics courtesy: http://www.hollywood.com/

So cool is she that shes saving one woman at a time for a cause that can only make me admire her every day. Originally from Karachi, Pakistan, actress and model, Somy Ali moved to Bombay, India where she worked in 10 Hindi films and several commercials…Consequently today after a successful university career, Somy Ali has evolved into a US based human rights advocate and documentary film maker, who is both passionate about educating the public, and working to help solve complex global issues.

…Take a look at this video…

In fact shes channeling her good work through fashion to bring about awareness…with SO-Me Designs, a Socially Conscious Clothing company. FINALLY!!

I would encourage you to PLEASE check out So-MeDesigns.com and look at their new collection…IT IS COOL. No Doubt.

Shes got all kindsa designs: SO-Him, So-Her, So-Green and the cutest one of ALL … The SO-Cute designs!! OMG… They really make for my ‘Trends of the month”!

http://www.so-medesigns.com/so-me/details.php?pid=HUMAN BEING - RED

“We have new issues with new designs. As you know, a percentage of each sale from So-Me goes to No More Tears” Says Somy who is a gem of a human being…(cant mention it enough, really)

So, do your thing peeps, lets support… Heres their FaceBook Group.  Its time for No More Tears….xoxo

—————————————————————————————

No More Tears was a brainchild of Ms. Somy Ali. After living in a world of glitz and glamour, she decided to leave everything to complete her education. During this time, she realized that she must do something about the many injustices she had seen in her life.
To learn more about No More Tears, please visit: www.NMTproject.org

One word: TATOO !!

They look HOT on people who live on Planet Pluto. Full stop. No Arguments. Here on Earth, the only exception to the rule is David Beckham. Ok Angelina too…. BUT THATS IT. Total Full stop.

I will admit, its *sort of cute* when celeb couples ink themselves …. in Bollyland, its totally OKAYYYYYYYY ….Check it out… Hrithik and Suzanne with their “his” and “hers” inkings…  We will count Saif’s Kareena stamp OUT of this since 1) they are not officially married and 2) its old news 

So far so good… But then, this horrendous (BELOW) Tragedy strikes….

A wannabe Angelina is SOoooo UN-COOL !! PS: Where is Esha Deol these days anyways??!!?? … Dont know, Dont Care…

Sadly, this trend doesnt stop here …. What could be worse than this?? Worry not, for I’m here to enlighten u loving souls…

When (in what looks like a totally desperate attempt to win wifey back) Greek God, Hrithik Roshan gets inked with a tramp-stamp I absolutely dont know what to say… For one, I CANT go on telling people that he & I share the same Bday anymore… Yes, Jan 10… Here I thought our bday story was soooooooooo cool… but after this horrendous act of ink-ery, I totally will be ignoring that he shares anything decent with me…

Whats the point of proving something with ink when you can do the same thing by….. ummm lets see……sending flowers maybe?? *just a thought*

HOWEVER, theres a bright side to Roshan ….YAY!! …. He brings us a fabulous trend… The Trend that I sooo love right now… The suit with a scarf… HOTNESS!!

Isnt his cool ‘TUDE and casual look totally HOT??? And add to that the scarf / wrap is even HOTTER???????        

A little perspective: While the Ash Bachchan’s and the Barbara Mori’s were sporting the Oh-SO-PREDICTABLE Roberto Cavalli (not surprising) at Cannes, KUDOS to Hritik Roshan for being styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania (right) … Remember that chic girlfriend of Kajol’s in DDLJ??? Sheena, who always attends Robby’s parties??? LOL… Yup thats her!! … Way to go!! I guess only Duggu can REALLY do JUSTICE to the Desi stylist on that red carpet…!

Props to him for not going all label crazy … and promoting our desi stylist Anaita at an international Red Carpet…REALLY

Back to the delish trend of wearing a suit with a wrap that I adore… And I adore it for a reason…

Recently, Beckham stepped out in Milan bringing the trend Absolutely to the FOREFRONT….where it belongs. 

Anyways, here is the video…Check out Roshan’s tux here and hes totally cheering Anaita…

Well, so much for the same dude setting great trends and then falling for the lamest ones …Eh what can you do?? U win some, U loose some…XOXO

When I was growing up, not too long ago (lol), Sridevi & Madhuri were the “IT” girls…

The job description the 80s actress: Add on fake lashes, dress up, sing and dance and occasionally look HOT ala Dhak Dhak Karne Laga….

The actress was required to be just that… An Actress…and occasionally a Star.

However we human beings evolve. And according to the Father of DesiLand (Uncle Gandhi) “The only thing permanent is Change”.

Bollyland may not realize that change is here but thank the heavens that it is… Actresses are no longer just actresses… They have put their talents to multiple use. By that, I dont mean, multiple dress changes or multiple Boyfriend changes (Think Deepika Padukone…Sorry KB, I know u luv her but she luvs her men and thats how it is!)

Shruti, Hard Kaur, Anushka in Verve

Here is the new job description of a Bollyland actress:

Sing Rock/Pop/Anything to show some , Model, Must have blog / Twitter/ Facebook profile hacked at least once (Sonam Kapoor)

This new chick should be able to potentially mold and wield her talent to many a thing apart from looking good in a hindi flick.

Sooooo….. Introducing the newest chic to head the Bollyland band of Rock-tresses:

Shruti Hassan - Kamal Hassan’s daughter is a rock star turned actress. She sings for her movie Luck.

Sorry to compare, but this young and happening Bollyland chick is definitely following the footsteps of Hollywood counterparts like Lindsay Lohan, Gossip Girl hottie Leighton Meester who plays ‘Blair Waldorf’ (Worship the Ground she walks on) and Hillary Duff who have NOT LIMITED their talents to 15 mins of dialogue-giri in movies…

Anushka is also trying her hand at multi-tasking but more on her next time..

Heres a list of Hollywood Rock-tresses:

Lindsay Lohan

Mandy Moore

Miley Cyrus, Scarlett Johanson, Fergie, Beyonce Knowles, Jen Hudson, Amanda Bynes …. U get the picture…

Dont get me wrong, the older gen also tried their hands in Rock-tressing and you’d be surprised to see our Bollyland antiques on this list too….

Jennifer Lopez

Raageshwari

Queen Latifah

Urmila Matondkar

Tanya Kumar

U may also consider Madhuri Dixit (if her contribution in Devdas counts) and Sridevi (if her squeeky voice in Chandni works for you)

BTW… For my Fashionista friends…

Shruti Hassan in Luck

Bikini Spotting: Shruti is wearing a BEBE Bikini which is apparently embellished by designer Binal Shah.

Check out Eva Longoria in BEBE Swim wear too…

Eva Longoria in BEBE Swimwear

So heres to our desi Rock-tresses….who arent afraid to diversify and show us their REAL talent…!!

Shruti’s Video is pretty cool…Good stuff eh… xoxo

Raju Sethi, AVS TV & Akshay Kumar

Bottom line: He aint all that..He’s All that ANDDD much more… The man’s 300% professionalism really wasn’t short of IMPRESSIVE…. You just had to be there to witness his charms and style!! Listen now, I have only good things to say about Akshay Kumar in 2009….so bear with me…

Akshay Kumar for AVS TV

Dressed down in a hot pair of  Diesels and yellow LV loafers (definitely hotter than a summer-y Saturday afternoon …), a few blocks from Central Park, he went on & on about how his wife styles his appearances to create the “I–Don’t–Play–Games … I–AM–THE–GAME”  look! ….. So Slick!!! Stylish is a word that I wouldn’t have used on him during his Khiladi days but I think the transformation this dudes gone through merits the title FO’ SURE.

Look at the comparison below… Then & Now!

Akshay Kumar in Khiladi

Akshay & Twinkle Kumar @ IIFA

Although he gives complete credit to wife and her stylish sensibilities I have a sneaky feeling there is more than meets the eye… Granted Twinkle Khanna wasnt the epitome of style in her first few appearances in Bollyland… But she’s definitely coming into her own now as well… So the underlying fact remains that this couple has hired a pretty sensible stylist… and for that matter, an Aussie personal trainer (Jennifer)…. I guess gone are those macho-muscle days and thank the heavens for that… Akkis never looked leaner and wifeys getting her jaw line from somewhere for sure… Good for them, I Say!!

Sherina Kapany, AVS TV & Akshay Kumar

I  will leave you with one insightful detail. Akshay Kumar is a real gentleman. His persona, his posture, his body language towards women are beyooooond belief … And even though he sells as prince-not-so-charming with the numerous affairs under his belt, this man has transformed into Prince-TOTALLY-Charming….

Well, at least he tries….And if that aint Kambakkth of him, I dunno what is…xoxo

OMG, so… back in March, we celebrated 22 long years of AVS TV… Yes, we ARE going strong and we WILL live long!

But whats fascinating is our promo has totally inspired Saif Ali Khan’s production house and Eros Entertainment… right from the intro’s and straight to the “T” (une) … !!!

NOW we agree, the promo of Twist looks damn neat …. and it DEFINITELY IS a twist to OUR promo … check it out…

Well, we raise a toast then … to Super Smart Public Relations… and…
Cheers to Dancing to the same tunes

But whatever it may be, one thing IS obvious : This movie is catering SOLELY to the NRI audience in LA, Milan, London, Sydney, NYC and Paris… The fashion is so UBER CHIC…Totally HIGH-END…and it seems like the producers  must have gone BANKRUPT…In fact I’m sure of it….AND I luuuuuv it…. LOL….

Here’s a very obvious observation: The thing with a sleek woman is that she could potentially carry off any look… Ever seen Victoria Beckham ?? … If there is something that Kareena does well… it is copying her idol, the very POSH Mrs Beckham….

Victoria Beckham does, among other things, very high end fashion. Shes seen sporting the hottest trends around the world and is a perm fixture at front rows…. Unfortunately, Frieda Pinto got to sit front row at Chanel and Dolce and Gabbana like Vickky B and not Kareena but you see there are some things the size zero doesn’t guarantee….

Frieda Pinto at Dolce G's front row

Victoria Beckham, front row

However I am quite impressed with stylists … The buzz is that most of Kareena’s looks have been styled by a very famous Hollywood A-listers personal assistant…AND…the desi Akki Narula….AND then there is Ashley Robello (AND I’m sure many more will come to claim their steak…lol)

How awesome is the fact that they are no longer catering to the Kitty-Party-Aunties …  Let me elaborate: Women who may be classified as India’s Desperate Housewives, who lunch at the poshest restaurants, who gossip and who wear only GUCCI and LV because They CAN (and really, those are probably the ONLY 2 brands they know)…. Who have kids competing with their friend’s kids and who call themselves “Ladies who Lunch”…. For a reason… coz what else would they do??

Kitty Party Aunties :)

Kitty Party Aunties :)

So these stylists have now transcended from using the usual labels like the ones used in Kal ho na ho and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum (and God knows what other K-jo Movies) to… using LABELS that are totally unknown to the common (wo) man in India …I.E. Stella McCartney, Issey Miyake, Micheal Kors, Valentino, Emilio Pucci, YSL Rive Gauche, Just Cavalli, Roberto Cavalli, Marc Jacobs, and ofcorse Diane von Furstenberg… Paris Hilton wore it first!!

Paris Hilton in DVF

And here is the PRADA clutch (a different version) that you see Akshay clutching so mercilessly from Kareena… And I forgive him (see video at 35 seconds)

I know you & I know these brands…but think of that uncle who spends about Rs 200 to buy a ticket to the movie, sitting in Galaxy theatres in Bandra, with his Bata shoes and Tommy Hilfiger Shirt….Does he know what Kareena is wearing? Does his wife who is probably a regular housewife who dreams of maybe… i dunno know… lemme see…. Manish Malhotra, does she know of Stella?

The point is that Kambakkth Ishq is probably their Rs 200 trip to Venice, since a few scenes look great in that song Lakh Lakh… and thats pretty much it…. while Kareena and Best-Tag-along-for-free-friend Amrita Arora get to live their dream lives as young fashionistas and probably even KEEP the goodies!!

I mean we all know Kareena takes her work seriously i.e. copying every look that Victoria Beckham has…. And young indian girls like me in NYC absolutely applaud the effort….1) for totally wanting to be Mrs B and 2) for making Kambakkth Ishq her opportunity to do just THAT !!

So…. there you have it….Kambakkth Ishq - Bollyland Fantasy for young & the fashionably advanced… xoxo…