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| Saif and Kareena |
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan will not be gracing our screens together anymore. The newlyweds who have worked together in three films,Tashan, Kurbaan and Agent Vinod may be shining as one of the best off screen couples, but on screen will no longer work together.
Saif told NDTV, he believes that the more comfortable couples are in real life, the more terrible they are to watch on film. He stated, “I don’t need to work with Kareena in order to feel fulfilled. Kareena is a great actor and it would have been nice to work with her.’
The couple who tied the knot in October last year have not managed to score a hit at the box office. Although Agent Vinod which was released under Saif’s own production house, illuminati films it did not manage to wow audiences; instead Love Aaj Kal in which he starred opposite Deepika Padokune, became the second highest grossing film of the year.
The history of the couple’s films is enough to persuade Saif that they should not work together in the future; not even a great script will encourage them to unite, “I feel it burdens the script when you put two of us together. The fun of the scene becomes dull and that’s a danger.”
Saif added that his wife was not offered Race 2 and if she had been offered, they would have both said no.
Well it seems the Khan’s are set on their decision to not work together anymore but we look forward to see them hit our screens in their individual projects.
Zoya reveals it was this experience that gave birth to the idea of "Talaash".
"I had an experience which I could not
explain to myself and to others while I was on my way back from a south
Mumbai party spot," Zoya said in a statement.
"It was near Haji Ali. All six of us,
who were travelling went through this. And this experience which I went
through, became the vital ingredient of the story of 'Talaash'. I
spoke to Reema (Kagti) about this and it became the initial trigger
point of the script that we wrote together," she added.
Directed by Kagti, the film has opened with rave reviews. It also features Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor.
Aamir Khan's Midas touch seems to be
working again. The actor's suspense-thriller is raking in the moolah at
the domestic box-office earning Rs.48.99 crore in the opening weekend.
Directed by Reema Kagti, the film,
featuring Aamir, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor, was made at a budget
of Rs.40 crore and its satellite rights were also sold for Rs.40 crore.
"Talaash" released across 2,500 screens.
The film opened with rave reviews and
its first weekend breakup is - Rs.14.52 crore (Friday), Rs.16.37 crore
(Saturday) and Rs.18.1 crore (Sunday).
Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines,
Mumbai, says the response to the film is good and it is attracting more
of a class audience.
"It is more for class audience rather
than masses. The weekend has been very good and the movie is doing
great in multiplexes as compared to single screens," Thadani said.
A lot of families are also coming to watch the suspense thriller, said Jaspal Dhingra of Nanaksar Enterprises.
"In three days, the movie has earned
approximately Rs.3.75 crore in Punjab. It is a weekend-plus picture and
is expected to do better. Families are coming and liking the movie,"
said Dhingra.
Unlike his previous films, Aamir, who
is also the producer of the film along with Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh
Sidhwani, chose to keep the promotions low-key as they didn't want to
ruin the suspense of the film.
And his marketing strategy seemed to have worked when it comes to attracting footfalls.
"The footfalls are exceeding and the
movie has almost 80-90 percent occupancy. All age groups are coming,"
said Rahul Singh, senior vice president, PVR Cinemas.
However, Singh says weekdays will decide its longevity.
"The weekdays will decide how it does
in future as the word of mouth spreads. Movies like 'Khiladi 786' and
'Dabangg 2' will release so we will have to wait and watch," he said.
From rave reviews to overwhelming
footfalls, Aamir Khan's "Talaash" has hit the bull's eye, despite the
fact it has come out during non-festive season. Trade pundits predict
that the film is likely to collect Rs.15 crores on its opening day.
Usually, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan
choose to release their films during holiday season in a bid to
attract more audiences, however, Aamir defied the norm by releasing
"Talaash" during a non-festive weekend.
If trade pundits are to be believed the
film is likely to rake in Rs.15 crores net at the Indian box office on
the very first day.
The suspense thriller, starring Rani
Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor, is expected to beat the opening collections
of "Raaz" (Rs. 10.50 crore), "Bol Bachchan" (Rs 11.75 crore),
"Cocktail"( Rs 10.75 crore), "Raajneeti" ( Rs 10.50 crore), "Barfi!"
(Rs 8.5 crore) - which too released on a non-holiday Friday.
Actress Kareena Kapoor
says she loved the rustic lyrics of 'Fevicol se', her latest item
number in "Dabangg 2", and is sure that her niece Samaira is also going
to love it.
Samaira is Kareena's sister Karisma Kapoor's daughter. The song is sung by Mamta Sharma and choreographed by Farah Khan.
"I loved it. My BBM (BlackBerry
messenger) status will also be 'pata le mujhe missed call se', I think
it's fun and everybody is going to be talking about it," the
32-year-old said here Friday on the sets of "Bigg Boss 6" where she
launched the song.
"I am sure Samaira is going to be
singing it because she loves all these fun, masala numbers. She is
quite filmy in that sense. I am really happy that she will be dancing
to it," she added.
Kareena, who is married to actor Saif
Ali Khan and has worked with Salman, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan,
says she has a special connection with all the Khans of Bollywood.
"I think I have a 'fevicol' connection with all my Khans, of course my husband Saif (Ali Khan) being first," she said.
"With Salman there has been
'Bodyguard', with Shah Rukh there has been 'RA.One', with Aamir there
has been '3 Idiots' and now 'Talaash'. I think I am a very, very lucky
girl," she added.
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| Talaash Movie Review |
Cast: Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherji, Kareena Kapoor
Director: Reema Kagti
Producers: Aamir Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani
Writers: Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti
Censor Board Rating: U/A
Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes
One the most keenly anticipated films of the year, Talaash has hit the big screen. Directed by Reema Kagti, who wrote the screenplay with Zoya Akhtar, the film stars three of the best in the business Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukherji. We know you are all keen to know our thoughts and with Talaash being a murder mystery, we won’t expend time (and dreaded spoilers) in giving you an outline of the plot, let’s go straight to the big picture!
In typical Aamir style, the offering, genre and setup is different from not only his peers, but also from his previous works. The film’s characters are made of tortured individuals, each with a deep rooted pain of their own. With that Aamir’s performance oozes angst, guilt and torment, conveyed through his eyes and body language throughout. At times I felt I was watching a younger Kamal Haasan on screen. Another testament to Aamir’s ability, he plays the role like none of his previous roles and leaves with us a tormented character and not himself. You end up feeling for him here, just as you did in Ghajini, but in a different sort of way.
Rani will remind you of the beautiful, realistic and down-to-earth wife she played previously in Hey Ram. Her approach is extremely mature and her pain is equally felt through her eyes and facial expressions. This is the Rani you may have missed in Aiyaa. With Kareena, you may know by now that she plays a call girl and although she’s played a similar role in Chameli before, her approach here is different. Yes, she is playful and teasing, thus hitting the right language required for the role, she is also restrained in her delivery. She brings a smile to your face, but is compelling at the same time.
Now onto the story, again without giving anything away. This is perhaps one of the most well written, mature and layered scripts to be brought to the mainstream screen in a long time. The depth and intelligence of the script will make you instantly appreciate why Aamir Khan the perfectionist choose it. It is refreshing to see an original script and one which makes you think. Additionally a multi-layered suspense drama always requires a level of sophistication in order to make it work, so hats off to Reema and Zoya Akhtar for making this work.
Finally Reema’s directing, three words: take a bow! The setting of the film, shot mainly on location in Mumbai and shot mostly in the evenings added to the darkness of the film and its characters. Additionally the film was rich in narrative and visuals, rather than taking the route most Bollywood films take which is to load the film and characters with excess expo dialogue. There also has to be a mention of the editing, probably mostly aided by a concise script, the pace remained even and length necessary.
Finally Reema’s directing, three words: take a bow! The setting of the film, shot mainly on location in Mumbai and shot mostly in the evenings added to the darkness of the film and its characters. Additionally the film was rich in narrative and visuals, rather than taking the route most Bollywood films take which is to load the film and characters with excess expo dialogue. There also has to be a mention of the editing, probably mostly aided by a concise script, the pace remained even and length necessary.
With the year ending soon, we bet you are wondering how we think this will rank amongst all the other big films of 2012. Is it the film of the year? Well, the jury’s is still deciding and you will have to wait for our end of year ‘top 10s’, but definitely one of the top 5. This is mature, sensible and alternative commercial cinema at its best.
Salman has already given us the 100 cores Ek The Tiger. Shah Rukh followed by with his 100 croreJab Tak Hai Jaan and now, it is Aamir’s turn with suspense-mystery-thriller Talaash. If (and when!) it joins the 100 core club, it will be the first of its genre and probably the only one for a while. Get yourself down to the cinema tonight if you can – you will not be disappointed.
(BollySpice viewed Talaash on the O2′s Sky Super Screen, the largest non-IMAX screen in Europe)
There is no doubt about how much their guest lists for the marriage were scrutinized, but Saif and Bebo simply wanted just their close ones to be a part of the wedding. “Bebo and I are very intimate in our circles, so we decided to call those people who have been to our homes and we to their homes. That was more or less the people who are close to us. Whatever the guest list eventually was, it was because our parents wanted to call people. If it would have been left to us, there would have been around 15 people attending our marriage” he chuckled.
When asked about his mother Sharmila Tagore’s event planning, Saif said that she did everything in such a traditional way, and she loves organising things. He also said that he had initially called her and discussed about having the marriage in Pataudi, to which she said they should wait as it is actually on the bride’s father as to where the wedding happens. He said, “For the first time, I understood why traditions exist and why are they practised earnestly. It is actually the right flow of things, we take the bride away from her home and after that we hold a reception for them. Bebo’s family had the wedding their way, Amma had the reception her way while Bebo and I had our own fun!”
He
also spoke about all the spiteful comments in the air by people who
were expecting to be invited and weren’t, and said that their wedding
had a little bit of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. “I somehow
connected to the last bit more, as it is about vows and a language that
you understand and you raise a toast to the bride’s father, welcoming
her into your family,” he said.One could not go without asking him about the role of the Maulavis who called his marriage invalid according to Islam, but Saif had his reasons ready for it. He said that earlier it was so that if it is not a Nikah, the marriage is not valid in Islam. He told us, “Now, there is a Special Marriages Act that makes it valid. In fact, I would say God will be very happy with our marriage as we did it keeping all three religions in mind.”
But what about his children? Was there any awkwardness that he had to deal with? Saif said that the presence of both his kids at the ceremonies prove that they were happy for their father. “Sara held the garlands for me while Ibrahim held the ring. Kareena and I wanted them to be a part of everything and that was something we had worked towards. According to me, a relationship requires love and understanding and as far as that is there, everyone can co-exist.”
According to him, the best part about the marriage is that now there are no more questions about ‘when’ is the marriage. He said he felt a sense of relief and he is very happy about the decision they took and now he shares a home with the one he loves, respecting each other’s individualities. “I haven’t jumped into something, I have done what I wanted to and I am content. I have left a single guy lifestyle behind and now I am a married man. A few friends come up to me and say; we could have gone here and there with you but now you are married. I told them it is their age to enjoy. At 42, I cannot be sitting at a bar and talking to random girls. It sounds obnoxious “he smirked.
There
was an online buzz about Kareena attending Saif’s wedding with Amrita
Singh when she was 11 years old, and Saif calling her ‘beta’. Saif
admitted that he was definitely irked by this buzz but he said that a
lot of people don’t really know how Kareena is as a person, as they
judge her from the characters she portrays on screen. He clarified,
“People will be surprised to know our equation, but I don’t need to sit
and answer every question that comes my way. We have a great
responsibility as a couple, as Nawab and Begum, which we hope to live up
to.” To this, the question that came his way was if this goal of being a
‘model couple’ is a little unreasonable at his age, and he said that in
fact this is the right decade to put things that matter in their right
places, be it home or money, for the rest of your life. “40 is a magical
age, where everything comes together and you change as a person,” he
said.So what ‘counselling’ has Saif received post shaadi? He laughed and said that people have been advising him like he doesn’t know what he is getting into. “A lot of people tried to tell me what is the key of a successful marriage and a lot of other things, but I wasn’t really listening.”
Talking about Kareena’s influence on his choice of films, Saif said that she more or less likes the kind of roles he chooses to do, and if she feels something is not right she points it out. “She is quicker in reacting to things than I am and also more thoughtful about stuff. Even about our career orbits, I have a very restricted taste and we should focus on working with good directors. I can cause a disaster if I try to shove my own opinion into what the director wants. I would rather say; Mr.Director, tell me what to do and I will do it,” he signs off.
