Saturday, November 29, 2014

Amitabh Bachchan pays homage to father on 107th anniversary

                      Amitabh Bachchan pays homage to father on 107th anniversary



Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan paid tribute to poet father Harivansh Rai Bachchan on his 107th anniversary today, calling him a unique genius.

The 72-year-old actor took to his blog to share about his father’s literary journey.

“A unique genius… A man of immense letters, words, thoughts and several unknown deeds. Born and brought up in extreme poverty… earning his living with Rs 20 per month, and then creating some of the most extraordinary writings in literary India.

“Hundreds and hundreds of poems, around 70+ books, in Hindi, yet taught English Literature at the Allahabad University. Served in the All India Radio, and then in the Ministry of External Affairs as Officer on Special duty, nominated member to the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House or House of Lords in British Parliament,” Bachchan posted on the blog.

The evergreen star said during the later years of his life, Harivansh Rai became a “collector of ‘object d rocks’, rocks that he found imagery in, bringing them home and with the stroke of a paint brush, bringing it to life.”

Bachchan added that his father replied to each letter written to him by his admirers.

“A prolific writer of letters. If you wrote to him he would reply personally to each, a postcard with a line of response no matter who and where, about hundred cards each day and then walking across to the nearest post box to post them himself,” he recalled.

Bachchan called him a man of immense will power, humility and simpl tastes. The star said his father was a disciplinarian.

Bachchan revealed that Harivansh Rai always believed the actor was his father’s incarnation, in some strange way.

“When I was in my mother’s womb, and not due for a while, he had a dream one night, where his father came and told him to get up and tend to my Mother for she was in delivery, and that a son was to be born, he got up in a start and found my Mother’s side of the bed empty – she having gone to the wash room, with extreme labor pain. Within hours I was born,” he wrote.

Harivansh Rai died on January 18, 2003, at the age of 96, as a result of various respiratory ailments.




News by indianexpress

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Amitabh Bachchan shares 'hamitabh Movie sketch online

 Amitabh Bachchan shares 'Shamitabh' sketch online

Amitabh Bachchan, who is active on many different social networking platforms, shared a sketch of R. Balakrishnan's ambitious project `Shamitabh` on his official blog.

The director, fondly called Balki, is helming `Shamitabh`, which also features Dhanush and marks the Bollywood debut of southern superstar actor Kamal Haasan's daughter Akshara. The film is expected to hit the screens Feb 6, 2015.

Big B, who has worked with Balki in films like "Cheeni Kum" and "Paa" in the past, sported a rather pensive look with a beard in the black and white sketch.

"YES...notice the 'Balki nisation' of the Blog, as in the years within the Balkans... hehehe...Some times it's good to laugh at one's own stupidity...I just presented a sample! Love," Big B posted on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com.

The 72-year-old star, who was busy shooting for Shoojit Sircar's film "Piku" in Gurgaon, is now headed to Gujarat for the shoot of "Shamitabh".

"It's departure time in the morrow and more of the film that Balki asked me not to talk or print about, in the extensive lanes of Gujarat, away from the hurly-burly."

"Soon that shall be over too...and I have no idea why these words are coming to you in bold...they seem to have a mind of their own," he posted.

The actor, who has rolled out several popular films like "Black", "Deewaar", "Agneepath" in his over 40-year-old career, also posted a poem with his "Shamitabh" movie look.
IANS

Friday, November 21, 2014

Big B and Rajinikanth present the Centenary award to Rajinikanth

 Big B and Rajinikanth present the Centenary award to Rajinikanth


MR BACHCHAN TOLD NDTV ABOUT HIS FAMILY'S CORDIAL RELATIONS WITH RAJINIKANTH AND HIS FAMILY AND CALLED THE SOUTH SUPERSTAR A "WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING" AND AN "INCREDIBLE PHENOMENON." ABOUT THE AWARD GIVEN TO RAJINIKANTH, MR BACHCHAN SAID, "IT'S NOT ENOUGH."

The International Film Festival of India 2014 got off to a glittering start at Panjim, Goa on November 20. The highlight of the evening was South superstar Rajinikanth receiving the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year from actor and close friend Amitabh Bachchan, the chief guest at the fest this year.

"I am honoured," Rajinikanth had earlier said in an exclusive interview to NDTV.

Mr Bachchan told NDTV about his family's cordial relations with Rajinikanth and his family and called the South superstar a "wonderful human being" and an "incredible phenomenon." About the award given to Rajinikanth, Mr Bachchan said, "It's not enough."

Actors Raveena Tandon and Anupam Kher, who hosted the opening ceremony of IFFI 2014 welcomed the VIP guests on stage to light the inaugural lamp. Those who performed the honours included actors Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, South actor Pawan Kalyan, Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, Goa's Governor Mridula Sinha, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Minister for Information and Boradcasting Arun Jaitley, among others.

In his speech, Mr Bachchan reflected on the evolution of Indian Cinema and said that film was a popular platform to reflect social concerns. This year's edition has celebrated film personalities from all over the world on its jury.

Slawomir Idziak from Poland, who is also the jury chairman, is a noted cinematographer, screenwriter, director and lecturer. He has worked with cinema legends Krzysztof Kieslowski, Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Zanussi and has received a number of awards and distinctions in Berlin, Venice, Prague, Auckland and Gdynia.

He has also been nominated for BAFTA Cesar and Oscar awards.

Others on the jury include Bandit Queen actress Seema Biswas, New York-based writer Marie Brenner and Nadia Dresti, the head of International Locarno Film Festival.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth open IFFI 2014 in Goa

 Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth open IFFI 2014 in Goa

India's biggest state-backed film festival, the 45th International Film Festival of India 2014, opened in Goa on Thursday with an impressive line-up of over 170 films that will be screened over the next ten days. Two of the biggest stars of the Indian film industry, Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, came together for the opening ceremony at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee indoor stadium on the outskirts of the state capital Panaji.

While Bachchan was the chief guest for the ceremony, Rajinikanth will be honoured with the Centenary Award for the Film Personality of the Year.

The festival opens with Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf's The President, and will close with The Grandmaster by Wong Kar-wai. The Hong Kong-based director will also receive the lifetime achievement award on the last day of the extravaganza.

The 11-day festival will also screen 179 films from 75 countries across different categories which include World Cinema (61 films), Masterstrokes (11 films), Festival Kaleidoscope (20 films), Soul of Asia (7 films), Documentaries (6 films), and Animated Films (6 films). (With inputs from IANS) -

Monday, November 17, 2014

Amitabh Bachchan to Visit Sourav and Dona Ganguly Kolkata residence

Amitabh Bachchan to Visit Sourav and Dona Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly requested Amitabh Bachchan to visit his Kolkata residence as it was wife Dona's dream to host the Bollywood superstar.    

Kolkata: Former India cricket captain and co-owner of Indian Super League's (ISL) franchise Atletico de Kolkata — Sourav Ganguly — and his wife Dona are eagerly awaiting superstar Amitabh Bachchan's visit to their residence.
It was Dona's dream that the Bollywood superstar visits her dance school Diksha Manjari and as well her residence. Bachchan Sr is expected to pay a visit to the Gangulys any time between Monday and Friday. (When Amitabh Bachchan met Rajinikanth)

The megastar is in Kolkata for the shooting of Shoojit Sircar's Bengali film Piku. Bachchan met Sourav and Dona at Salt Lake Stadium where he witnessed the recent ISL tie between Atletico de Kolkata and Chennaiyin FC which is co-owned by Abhishek Bachchan.

It can be recalled that the voice of Big B was present in the form of commentary in Mitali Ghoshal's documentary on Sourav Ganguly's life — The Warrior Prince.

Requests and a promise...
Sourav requested Bachchan to visit his residence during various meetings — be it at Sahara Shree Subroto Roy's house in Lucknow or at various advertisement shoots.

Big B assured him that if he is in Kolkata he would surely come. Both Sourav and Dona are making lavish arrangements to welcome Big B. It is also learnt that Dona's students will be welcoming him by performing hit songs from his films.





News by ndtv.com

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Amitabh Bachchan says daughters are special and help to bind a family together


This image was posted on Instagram by Abhishek Bachchan


Amitabh Bachchan says daughters are special and help to bind a family together


Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says daughters are special and help to bind a family together. The father of Shweta Nanda is all praise for daughters.

"Daughters are special very special. They become the soul of the home. They are the reason for the warmth that embraces us all," he shared on his official blog.

"They conduct, command, secure, analyse, dictate, rule, govern and spread that tender thread which binds an entire family together. They are reason. They are consult. They are opinion. They are guidance. They are supreme," he added.

The 72-year-old then shared his photographs with actress Deepika Padukone, who plays the role of his daughter in Shoojit Sircar's Piku, which they are currently filming in Kolkata.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Amitabh Bachchan inaugurates 20th KIFF 2014



 Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan  Tanuja, Irrfan Khan and Amol Palekar were came together on  Monday evening with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to inaugurate the 20th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

Keeping up with the tradition Big B inaugurated the ceremonial lamp like last last year in the presence of veterans from Bengali cinema at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.

Shahrukh Khan who is also the Brand Ambassador of West Bengal graced the occasion with the Bachchan family. Amitabh Bachchan who has been shooting for Shoojit Sircar's Piku in the city tweeted:




T 1671 - KIFF .. Kolkata International Film Festival .. privileged to be a part of it .. a moving experience, of respect given and love !

Monday, November 3, 2014

Amitabh Bachchan goes cycling in Kolkata during 'Piku' shoot




 Amitabh Bachchan goes cycling in Kolkata during 'Piku' shoot

Saturday, November 1, 2014

First look: Amitabh Bachchan flaunts 'family-pack' in Piku Movie


First look: Amitabh Bachchan flaunts 'family-pack' in Piku

First look of Amitabh Bachchan in Shoojit Sircar's Piku is out and knowing Big B's penchant for getting into the skin of a character, his first look is no surprise.

The superstar who plays Deepika Padukone's dad in the movie has grown his hair long and a big belly to look the part. The look is quirky yet adorable, somewhat similar to the shade and treatment of Piku.

Piku directed by Shoojit Sircar is a slice-of-life cinema. A quirky roller coaster ride of a crazy father-daughter relationship essayed by Amitabh and Deepika, along with Irrfan in a pivotal author-backed role.

Shoojit Sircar of Vicky Donor and Madras Cafe fame, is all praise for his three main leads.


"Piku is a story that will warm your heart and make you smile! We have the best of the talent coming together for a refreshing tale of a father-daughter relationship. I am privileged to direct Mr. Bachchan along with Deepika and Irrfan. They are three powerhouse performers and it doesn't get better than this for me," says the director.
The film is currently being shot in Kolkata. Besides Kolkata, the film will also be shot in Delhi and parts of Gujarat.

Produced by MSM Motion Pictures, in association with Saraswati Entertainment Creations Limited and Rising Sun Films, Piku also stars Bengali actors Moushumi Chatterjee and Jishu Sengupta.

It is slated for release on April 30th 2015.

Piku Movie

 Piku Movie
 
Directed by    Shoojit Sircar

Produced by    Ronnie Lahiri

Written by    Juhi Chaturvedi

Starring    Amitabh Bachchan

Deepika Padukone

Irrfan Khan

Production

company    

MSM Motion Pictures

Saraswati Entertainment Creations Limited

Rising Sun Films

Release dates    

April 30, 2015[1]

Country    India

Language    Hindi



Ali Zafar draws Amitabh Bachan BigB sketch live on TV


Ali Zafar draws Big B’s sketch live on TV


Pakistan’s heartthrob Ali Zafar has got veteran Bollywood actor and host Amitabh Bachan singing his praises, thanks to his sketching skills.

Ali , nowadays promoting his new Bollywood film also starring Parineeti Chopra, Ranveer Kapoor and Govinda, appeared in TV show ‘Kaun Bane Ga Karorepatti’ hosted by Mr.Bachan on Wednesday night  along with the other three film leads.

He presented the veteran actor with a sketch he made of him when he was aged just 13. Ali’s mother had kept it safe all these years. Upon receiving the sketch, Mr.Bachpan expressed his gratitude to Ali.

Bachchan then asked the multi-talented Ali to recreate a sketch of him, live on the show, and the result was a masterpiece nonetheless.

The crowd and Bachchan were amazed at his talent and the result was a big round of applause for Ali.


I have no words for the respect and warmth I received from the crowd and especially Mr.Bachchan,” said an emotional Ali. “I have grown up watching his films, singing songs of his films and used to sketch him when I was a child. I have been his fan all my life, but after seeing his energy and radiant personality, I have become his greatest fan. The way he hugged me thrice after hearing me sing and seeing the sketch was so heartwarming.”

With only five films across the border, Ali has not only managed to earn fans among the Indian audiences but also in the film fraternity.

A Yash Raj Films production, Kill Dil is directed by Shaad Ali and is slated to release on November 14.