Big Switch for John Abraham

After Piggy Chops and Neha Dhupia, its time for another Bollywood ka tadka to represent the UTV Bindass show, Big Switch which is starting this weekend. John Abraham is witness in one of the episodes very soon.

“John will be seen in one of the episode of Big Switch where he will be spending some quality time with the contestants,” chirps the source.

Alongside one will see John taking part in the task too. “John will be competing in for a (handcart) haatgadi race as he competes with the participants and boost their morals in the show with the slum kids,” adds the khabroo.

When asked of in which episode we can see John, our source quips, “It is yet to be decided but definitely very soon.”

So viewers are you ready to watch your macho man in a handcart competition? The show goes on air from 24 October at 7:00 pm.

I have different helmets for different days: John Abraham

Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham’s passion for motorbikes is well-known. But very few know that he loves collecting helmets too.

“Bikes are my passion and I take care of my helmets as my babies. Like people go and buy clothes, I go shopping for helmets. I have different helmets for different days,” John told reporters here, Wednesday.

“People feel I’m crazy, but I love shopping for my helmets and I have all major brands,” he added.

The 36-year-old actor who is the brand ambassador of Yamaha, was in the Capital to launch three new bikes - Vmax along with limited edition of Fazer and FZ series.

After launching the motorcycles, John talked about safety measure that bikers should keep in mind while riding.

“Safety is very important and that’s why helmets should be a biker’s priority. Safety of pillion riders is also important and they should also wear helmets,” he said.

“Indian roads, mainly Mumbai is not very conducive for two wheelers. There are riders who don’t take any precautions and are very irresponsible. On the other hand, there are people who walk on the road without thinking and taking care,” said the actor who will be next seen in films like “Hook Ya Crook” and “1-1800 Love”.

Bipasha Wins The Home Round Over John

Both Bipasha Basu and John Abraham have been busy this year getting their respective homes renovated.
Bipasha, it seems, has won the race to renovation. Her home in Khar (Mumbai) under renovation for the past one year is finally ready.
And Bipasha is moving back to her home.
Heaving a sigh of relief she says, “The housewarming puja is tomorrow (Wednesday) since there is no other auspicious day close by. But it will take another ten days for all of us to move back into our home. It’s been one helluva wait. The architects and designers took much longer than we thought they would. But finally I’m going home. I can’t wait. I’m tired of living out of suitcases.”
Bipasha’s boyfriend John, currently shooting in London will have to wait more for his home to be ready.
His family home on Bandra Bandstand has been under renovation for some months now, with no sign of completion yet.
Now with John in London until September the work may take longer.
“But I’m not worried. My brother is an architect and he’s taking good care of the renovation work,” says John from London with a false bravado.
However now that his better half’s home is done John intends to fly back from London periodically to check out the progress with his home.
“I’m thinking of coming down for one day every weekend, if that’s possible. But I’m glad Bipasha’s home is finally ready. That’s as good as my own home, no?”

New York is the first film to get special bonus

One can recall the producers going on a two month strike to meet their demands few weeks back. Now after the strike has got over with their demands met, Yash Raj Film’s latest hit New York is the first film to get the benefit under the new terms that were agreed on between producer and distributors and the six national multiplex chains.
Our trade source elaborates, “Since the John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh starrer New York has emerged as a hit, it will get a 2.5 percent revenue bonus in its first and second week as it has crossed the threshold level of 17.50 crore from the six national multiplex chains. It is learnt that the distributor shares of New York including the bonus are 14.50 crore in week one and 4.50 crore in week two giving it a 19 crore share in two weeks.”
The source further adds, “It is not just New York but even Akshay Kumar-Kareena Kapoor starrer Kambakkht Ishq will enjoy the bonus benefits as well. Kambakkht Ishq too has crossed the Rs. 17.50 crore thresholds from the national multiplex chains.”

‘New York’ gets good press in US

‘New York’, the first big Bollywood film to hit America after the industry strike, has won good reviews from US media with the New York Times praising its portrayal of problems faced by a Muslim minority.

“Indian films often deal with the problems faced by a Muslim minority. Transposed to the American context, those problems continue to resonate,” writes the influential daily about the film that opened across US last week.

“Kabir Khan’s ‘New York’ looks at America after 9/11 through a Bollywood lens” and it’s less distorting than you might think,’ it says. “The story, which engages issues of ethnic profiling and terrorism, hinges on loyalty, love and friendship, a holy trinity of Hindi cinema.”

Irrfan Khan, one of India’s best-known and most respected actors in the West, comes in for fulsome praise.

“While (Kabir) Khan’s depictions of American life occasionally seem silly and the plot has some crater-size holes, ‘New York’ is continually fascinating. It benefits from the performance of Irrfan Khan, who adds layers of complexity to his character, a Muslim FBI agent.”

NYC Movie Guru says “talented Irrfan Khan” plays an undercover FBI agent “with utter conviction.”

“What makes the film so engrossing is that the intricate screenplay humanizes” the characters, it says “so that they’re not merely cartoonish or stereotypical.”

“With the exception of a few corny scenes that come across as awkward and contrived, much of the plot feels captivating,” Movie Guru says.

“Director Kabir Khan moves the pace along briskly, includes a lively soundtrack and an appropriate musical score along with stylish cinematography.

“Screenwriter Sandeep Srivastava masterfully weaves a very suspenseful story that keeps you at the edge of your seat while tackling very provocative issues of post-9/11 racial profiling against Muslims.”

Movie site rottentomatoes.com calls it a “fascinating film,” which “in very intriguing and suspenseful sequences …takes the audience in the plight of legal detainees’ and “interprets and highlights the situations without bias.”

As the film reflects of the tragedy of everyday life, it uses the imagination of its audience in its feelings, says the critic. “The crisp flow of action and explosive dialogue furthers the plot while contributing to its effect as a whole. New York is a solid dramatic movie that I found quite good.”

Indian film, fashion celebs rejoice as gayness is decriminalised

“Historic!” That is how the film and fashion fraternities have hailed Thursday’s Delhi High Court judgement decriminalising gay sex. Hailing India as great, they said the verdict would give more independence to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community.
Hairstylist Sylvie, who is a homosexual, said “this is a day to go down in history”. “This is a day to go down in history that a place like India has come to terms with the issue with a big touch of humanity and definitely recognised citizens’ comfort of being open about their sexuality,” Sylive said.

Tarun Mansukhani, whose film “Dostana” starring John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan lightheartedly touched upon homosexuality, hailed the court’s decision.

“‘Dostana’ as a film only brought the subject into public limelight and had people speak about it and created a certain amount of awareness and acceptance among people - but what the court has done today shows that we do live in a great country,” Mansukhani told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

“Today, they (gays) have an identity, their independence - it’s a great country,” he added.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court struck down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that called homosexuality and unnatural sex a criminal act. It said equality and inclusiveness were the tenets of the constitution.

Director Onir, who handled the gay issue in his film “My Brother Nikhil” in a realistic way and received critical appreciation for his endeavour, says the court’s verdict sends out a strong message to everyone.

“At the moment, this is a judgement that has been passed by the Delhi High Court. So it doesn’t stand for the entire country. The government is still to approve it and implement it, but a very strong message has been sent. It’s a very big step and I hope that the legislature implements it,” he said.

“I do feel that films have contributed as far as acceptance is concerned. But in our films, homosexuals have mostly been portrayed as caricatures and the main issue has not been tackled. So I won’t want to take away the credit of this judgement from people who have really worked for it for years. They are the real people,” he added.

Another critically acclaimed filmmaker, Madhur Bhandarkar, who touched upon the homosexuality issue in his successful movies “Page 3″ and “Fashion”, says it’s high time society opened up and created space for these people.

“It is a historic decision and brings big relief to the gay community. They have been fighting for years for their rights and finally the day has arrived. I believe now society has to shed its inhibitions and accept them because it takes a lot to change the mindset of people which indeed would be a slow process,” said Bhandarkar.

Esha Koppikhar is one of the rare Bollywood actresses to have played a homosexual in “Girlfriend”. She feels the verdict will help homosexuals come out of the closet and lead a normal life.

She said: “People have a right to choose their partner as life is beautiful and you want to be with someone you love irrespective of your sexual orientation.

“It’s good that now homosexuals would be open about their sexual preferences unlike before when they used to be shy about it. It would have been difficult for them otherwise. After all, who wants to live a life of dual identity?”

Fashion designer Parvesh is also happy for the gay community. “Indian culture was very elaborate from ancient times and sexuality is a very personal decision. Hence it is good to know that government has finally opened its eyes on section 377.

“It is a great achievement,” he said.

Standup comedian Vir Das said: “I think in the last five years our courts have really been like rock stars with their verdicts. They have meted out justice intelligently.

“I wouldn’t give Hindi films too much credit. I think Hindi films tend to handle everything lightly. So I feel they do not have no bearing on how we view gay rights at all.”

Expressing her happiness over the court’s decision, actress and gay activist Celina Jaitley said: “With great pride and tears I would like to congratulate the entire LGBT community. Homosexuality is now legal in India. Our long battle is won and with pride can the gay walk with their heads held high.”

Manavendra Singh Gohil, an erstwhile Gujarat royal who is gay and an activist at that, said it would be “a very good idea to call this day as the ‘Queer Independence Day of India’”.

“I want to congratulate all intellectuals and activists who have been working actively for the gay community. This verdict also sends out a clear message to other countries who still believe that India is a land of bullet carts and snake charmers. We will be governed by reasons of realities alone and now our morality will be guided by these realities,” he said.