Moview review: Woodstock Villa

Director : Hansal Mehta
Music : Anu Malik
Lyrics : Virag Mishra
Starring : Sikander Kher, Neha Oberoi, Saif Ali Khan, Arbaaz Khan


What you look for in a thriller is this; when the pieces begin to unravel and you want to put them back in place, the plot has to make sense. That's what earns the audience's appreciation. That's what STRANGERS was all about. This Kay Kay Menon-Jimmy Sheirgill-Nandana Sen thriller released last December, was a perfect example of how a thriller should be.

Sadly, WOODSTOCK VILLA has none of these attributes. Though it begins well and holds your attention until intermission, when the pieces begin to unravel you say, "Is this what it is?" Hansal Mehta has no clue what he is up to. All he knows is that he has to help Arbaaz Khan cover up his wife's death.

OK, picture this: Arbaaz's wife is dead and he has his lover take her place. My question is this: are the servants so blind as to not know that this here is another woman living in the house. And Neha Uberoi who is helping Arbaaz cover up for his wife's death is not even an identical twin!

Picture this too: Neha and Sikander are off to the US with the booty after they trap Arbaaz. Both check in separately to avoid suspicion since the cops are on their trail. Since Neha is carrying the bag with the cash, she decides to give Sikander the slip, moves to another counter and asks for a ticket to Johannesburg. My question is this: does she not need a visa to go there?

Picture another scene: Sikander has boarded the flight to the US and besides him is the bag filled with Rs 50 lakh. My question is this: will not the immigration officials in the US want to know where the money came from?

So there you go. The plot is a complete mess. All that is left to review is the performances of Sikander Kher and Neha Uberoi who was last seen in DUS KAHANIYAN. Sikander Kher who plays the Casanova is very confident. It does not look like this is his first performance on screen. If he makes the right choices, I'm sure he will go places. A bright future indeed. As for Neha, no complaints. She does a fairly impressive job.

Anupama Varma who makes her presence on screen after a long time looks the sensuous seductress she portrays in her short role.

The background score is too loud and the songs look forced. The film has good production values though. Sadly, it has no plot.

TO GO OR NOT: To top it all, the corpse is almost a week old. You can imagine the stench. Stay away.

Ratings : 1/5

Why is Bebo so busy?

It looks like we will not be able to see Kareena Kapoor for some time. The actress is in Melbourne these days, and has also put on some weight. So, no one can talk about size-zero and Bebo in the same breath anymore.

Also, the high she's been on since Jab We Met continues... Right now, Bebo's probably the busiest actress in Bollywood. While she already has Salman Khan's Main Aur Mrs Khanna, a film with Saif's production house, Golmaal Returns with Ajay Devgan, Kambakth Ishq with Akshay Kumar and Raju Hirani's Idiots with Aamir Khan, there are two more roles in the offing. Buzz is that she may replace Kajol in two films if all goes well.

She has also been constantly on the move. After shooting portions of Golmaal Returns in Goa, and bits of the same film abroad, she left for Melbourne to shoot for Salman's Main Aur Mrs Khanna.Once this is done, she will be on location for a two month shoot of Kambakth Ishq . Bebo will share screen space with Akshay Kumar in this flick that is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala.And towards the end of this year, Kareena will be off to London, where she, along with Saif, will shoot for a yet-to-be titled Karan Johar film.

Busy as a bee... is our Bebo. Wat say?

Star spotlight: Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra, born 18 July 1982, is a two-time Filmfare Award-winning actress. After winning the title of Miss India World and later becoming Miss World 2000, Priyanka has become one of the most successful and popular actresses in the industry.

Priyanka was crowned Miss India World and later Miss World in 2000. After winning the title, Priyanka became an actress. She first acted in a Tamil film Thamizhan and then moved on to Bollywood. In 2003, her first Bollywood film, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy released and won her good reviews. Despite being given a below average status, the film went on to become one of the highest grossing films of that year. Her next film, Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar was a success, earning her a Filmfare Best Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

Her next few films failed to do well at the box office. In 2004, her film, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi released and became the third highest grossing film of that year. Her first negative role in her next release, Aitraaz, a Hindi remake of the Demi Moore-starrer Disclosure won her critical acclaim and earned a Filmfare Best Villain Award. Her role also got her a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. In the same year, she participated in a world tour aptly titled "Temptations 2004" with Bollywood's leading stars, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta and Arjun Rampal.

In 2005, she had many releases, though most didn't do well at the box office. In 2006, Chopra starred in two of the most successful films of the year - Krrish and Don - The Chase Begins Again. Nikhil Advani's multi-starrer, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love was Priyanka's first release in 2007. The movie failed to do well at the box office.

Priyanka was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, to Ashok and Madhu Chopra, both doctors. She also has a brother. She spent part of her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Her family frequently moved since her father was in the Army.

Salman Khan: Bollywood bad boy?

After taking over Bollywood, Salman Khan is set to sizzle on the small screen. Despite many ups and downs in his professional as well as personal life, he still has the kind of charisma that lets him connect with audiences.
With a host of reality shows hosted by Bollywood’s top stars, Salman just had to join the gang. On June 6, he makes his debut with Dus Ka Dum. Extremely excited about the show, Salman has even experimented with his looks and is rehearsing constantly. After all, he will be competing with King Khan himself.
For Salman, the journey in tinsel town has been interesting. Despite having begun his career as a supporting actor in Biwi Ho To Aisi, he garnered enough attention to get many lead offers. His career changed with Rajshri Production’s Maine Pyar Kiya as he bagged the Filmfare Best Debutante Award for his portrayal of a lover boy. Since then, his big list of hits has included Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Hum Saath Saath Hain, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Tere Naam, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and No Entry. Salman has worked with most producers and directors, and there is no doubt his professional life is going places.
Having said that, his personal life still seems to be in an eternal state of turmoil. First he was associated with Somy Ali, only to break it off. Then walked in Aishwarya Rai and the two became the focus of tabloid attention. That relationship was followed by the entry of gorgeous Katrina Kaif. Now issues between the two seem to have cropped up.
Often known as Bollywood’s bad boy, Salman’s knack of walking into trouble has overshadowed people’s perception of him as an actor. In 1998 he was arrested for killing protected wild animals and spent about a week behind bars. He also has other cases to face. Let’s hope his television debut marks a new innings.

A brand new Himesh Reshammiya

Himesh Reshammiya has had a makeover! Gone are the trademark cap and extra flab. The Gujju boy will now be seen in a slimmer avatar with a thick mop of hair, and even an earring! All for his new film, Karz.
However, he is not as thrilled as one would expect the once roll-poly star to be. He says, “I am not conventionally good-looking. However, presentation matters and that is what I am trying to do. Satish Kaushik, Pooja Bhatt and John Mathew are all working on my new look.” Ask about his cap and he says nonchalantly, “When something is not different any longer, you need to give it up. The phase with the cap is over.”
Apart from his looks, Himesh also seems to be experimenting with his roles. While he plays a romantic lover boy in Karz, John Mathew’s film has him play a street smart rogue. According to sources, Himesh is also taking lessons in action from Jackie Chan’s personal trainer! Let’s hope the music director turned singer scores points for his acting too.

Amitabh Bachchan: Superstar forever!

At 60 plus, superstar Amitabh Bachchan is at a position where no one can question his stature. However, a few years ago, there was a phase when he seemed to have lost his footing in the industry. While audiences lost faith in the icon, even he seemed to doubt his prowess. During the music launch of Mrityudaata in 1997, he had said, “I think it’s a fallacy that all my films are solely mine. The directors, producers and writers have a big part to play, especially the writers.”
We have often heard that towards the end of every tunnel is a ray of hope. This especially holds true for the Big B. Despite the many setbacks he has faced, he has filmmakers queuing up to cast him in their projects. Scriptwriters are writing scripts specifically for Amitabh. There’s Bhoothnath, Cheeni Kum and Nishabd as proof. However, there was a phase when the legend had nothing but duds to look forward to. In 1999, four of his films — Suryavansham, Lal Badshah, Hindustan Ki Kasam and Kohram — turned turtle at the box office. That’s when critics and audiences alike felt that ‘the end’ of Shahenshah’s career was near.
The downward journey of his production house, ABCL, just added to the mudslinging. He’d then said to the media, “You want to talk about the fading of an icon. But you never said I was an icon. You say the superstar has fallen. But you have never called me a superstar ever.” Then came Mohabbatein, Kaun Banega Crorepati? and Aks and the equation changed. He is finally in a position where no amount of criticism can deter him from looking forward. And nobody is complaining!

The very hot and sexy Katrina Kaif