SKJ Bollywood News

Manikarnika Is Kangana’s Show All The Way

 On Sunday evening  the  co-producers  of Manikarnika hosted a  special screening  for handpicked guests.  I spoke to some invitees  who were generally positive in...

It’s An All-Out War Between Film On Kashmir & The CBFC

 While  Ashvin Kumar , the intrepid  filmmaker  whose Kashmir chronicles have constantly  run into trouble  with the  censor board, claims his  new film No Fathers In ...

Abhishek, Shweta Were Warned By Their Mother About Karan Johar

 When you are  at  the  mercy  of  Karan Johar on his motor-mouthed talk show  you need  to be briefed  on   how  not to fall ...

“This Isn’t The Manikarnika We Shot For,” An Actor Spills The Beans

 There is a gigantic level of resentment  in  the  ranks  of  actors and technicians who have  pitched their talent into the  controversial...

Soni Movie Review: It Is The Dark Horse Of 2019

Soni(Netflix) Starring: Geetika  Vidya Ohlyan,Saloni Batra Directed  by Ivan Ayr Rating: *****(5 stars)  Netflix’s prized  find  of this  year  opens with  a girl cycling  down a deserted...

Scoop: The Farhan-Farah Khan Rift

Celebrity  cousins Farhan Akhtar and Farah  Khan are friends no more.  Close pals since their childhood, the twosome have lately begun to could-shoulder one  another ...

Accidental Prime Minister’s Director Vows To Never Make Another Political Film

 Not that Vijay Ratnakar Gutte is  daunted by the savage tone  of some  of  the  reviews. But the  first-time director has  vowed to never again make...

PM Modi Uses URI Dialogue In His Speech

 At  the inauguration of the film museum at the  NFDC on Saturday  Prime Minister Modi threw the catchphrase ‘How’s  Your Josh?’ from the film Uri on the enchanted...

Manikarnika Producers On Life-Saving Ventilator, But It’s Not A Stroke Says Associate

 The   stress  of having to  produce a rudderlss controversial 100-crore budgeted  historical Manikarnika The Queen  Of Jhansi, has  taken its toll its on  its  young producer Kamal Jain. According to...

The Dirty Politics Behind Tapsee’s Ouster

Tapsee Pannu who is rightly  upset about her unceremonious  ouster  from  the  Pati Patni Aur Woh remake , can seek comfort in her  predecessors who have been similarly deserted...

Karan Johar Chartered Plane For PM Visit

 Guess  who paid for  the Mumbai film industry to  visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi  last week ? It  was none  other  Bollywood’s resident Santa Claus...

Emraan Hashmi Speaks To Subhash K Jha On The Joys Of Discovering A Fresh Beginning To His Life As An Actor And A Parent.

Emraan,  your performance  in Tiger and now Why Cheat India  is  of a very  authentic texture. Thank you  I am glad  you...

Dear Ramcharan Teja, As A Bihari Why I Should Not Be Offended By Your Latest Film?

 The  latest  Ramcharan Teja starrer in  Telugu  Vinaya Vidheya Rama(VVR) which  opened  on Pongal  all across Andhra Pradesh  is  a deeply offensive  film on  every possible  level.It insults the female sex...

Karisma Kapoor To Do A Web Series

 There was a time during the 1990s when Karisma  Kapoor was  one of the busiest and  most popular  actresses , doing 2 and 3 shifts...

Farhan To Be The Next Wedded Bollywoodian?

That  singer-actor-director Farhan Akhtar is completely smitten by  the  new love  of  his life, Shibani  Dandekar  is for everyone to see  on  social media.  Close friends reveal...

Vijayendra Prasad Tells Subhash K Jha Why The Controversies Won’t Affect The Performance Of The Film.

Vijayendra Prasad,  the veteran  writer is now part of the most controversial film of his career Manikarnika: The  Queen Of Jhansi. So many controversies. Can...

Shah Jahan Regency Movie Review: It Is Srijit Mukherjee’s Best To Date

Shah Jahan Regency Starring Abir Chatterjee, Parambrata Chatterjee,Swastika Mukherjee, Anjan Dutta, Mamata Shankar, RituparnaSengupta Written and  Directed  by Srijit Mukherjee Rating: **** ½(4 and a half stars)  Without doubt, Srijit Mukerjee is  the  best contemporary  living filmmaker in  Bengal....

Bombairiya Movie Review: It Is A Crazily Heartwarming Homage To Mumbai

Bombairiya Starring Radhika Apte, Akshay Oberoi, Ravi Kissan, Siddhant Kapoor, Adil Hussain, Amit Sial Directed  by Pia Sukanya Rating:***(3 stars) Mumbai, or Bombay as we all know it, is a schizophrenic  city. Inviting welcoming...

Rangeela Raja Movie Review: Govinda Returns In Full Form In It

Rangeela Raja Starring Govinda  & Govinda, Shakti Kapoor, Govind Namdeo Director’s name  not given Rating: **(2 stars)  It  is  karma hooting  dharma,...

Arjun-Malaika Go House Hunting

It looks  like  Boney Kapoor’s dream of all his children  from his two marriages coming together under one roof,would remain just a dream. While Boney has...

Will Karan Johar’s Chat Show Be Axed After The Hardik Furore?

 With strong  disciplinary action being taken against  cricketer Hardik Pandya  for his deeply  sexist comments it looks like the axe may also fall on  Karan Johar’s...

“The Way Neeti & I Met And fell In Love Is Full-On Filmy,” Says Nihar Pandya

Actor Nihar Pandya , to be seen  very shortly in the historical  Manikarnika, is  all set to   tie the  knot with  singer Neeti Mohan.  Speaking on ...

Baba Azmi Directs A Film

Shabana Azmi’s  extremely  shy and  gifted cinematographer brother  Baba Azmi is directing  a film.  Entitled Me Raqsam(I Dance) the  film is being shot currently at Mijwan , Shabana and Baba’s father the eminent  poet Kaifi Azmi’s native village. Speaking  from Mijwan the...

Cheat India Movie Review: It Is A Stinging Slap On Educational Policies

Why Cheat India Starring Emraan  Hashmi, Shreya Dhanwanthary Directed  by Soumik Sen Rating: ****(4 stars) Relevant topical films frequently  fall into the trap of overstatement. But  here is...

Kriti’s First Film Memory Is Unforgettable!

Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon is all set to celebrate her decade in the industry. The girl is here to rule the box...

Cheat India Screening At Juhu PVR

No decorative doll, Simran speaks to Subhash K Jha about looking stunning after two children

After  working successfully in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam  films Simran Bagga  is back playing Rajinikanth’s love interest  in his new blockbuster Petta where at 42,...

Boney Kapoor Takes Legal Action Against Producers Of Sridevi Bungalow

It seems as though young Priya Prakash Varrier whose one wink in the song Manikya Malaraya Poovi from  the Malayam film  Oru Adar Love  made her  an internet sensation,may not find her  transition to  Bollywood to be  smooth...

Accidental Prime Minister Gets A Thumbs-Up From Pakistani Censor Board, Anupam Rejoices

 In  what could possibly be a retaliatory  move to show last week’s anti-Pakistan  film Uri its place,  the Pakistan censor board has  given the...

“We Worked On A Budget Of A Vicky Kind Of Film,” Says The Uri Director

After giving two years of his  life to directing the stunning new war  film Uri , director Aditya Dhar  is exhausted  . “But in  a good...

Rozlyn Khan’s TikTok Videos Have Become A Rage On Facebook !

She is every man’s fantasy and is definitely one of the most desirable women in the world of entertainment. Yes, we are...

Uri Is The First Bonafide Hit Of 2019

After  2019’s bonanza  of  hits for Bollywood,  it looks  like this year  too will reap rich harvests  . 2018 ended  with  a  big...

Can Govinda Take On Why Cheat India ?

This Friday it’s a battle of chicanery in the  movie theaters. While  Govinda  plays a con-man and fake  godman  in  Pahlaj Nihalani’s Rangeela  Raja, Emraan Hashmi plays a professional hustler...

Shame Is A Short Film With Long Legs

Shame(Short  Film) Swara Bhaskar, Ranveer Shorey, Sayani  Gupta,  Cyrus Sahukar Rating: *** ½(3 and a  half  stars)  Any doubts  that some  of the  best work in cinema...

Shreyas Talpade’s New Look In ‘My Name Ijj Lakhan’ Promo Gets A Thumbs Up

Actor gets into the Action Avatar With the New Show.Shreyas Talpade who will soon be seen as the protagonist in an upcoming...

Shah Rukh Has Taken The Zero Debacle Badly, Withdraw From Rakesh Sharma Bio-Pic

After  his flop  pairing with Anushka Sharma  in Imtiaz Ali’s super flop Jab Harry Met Sejal,Shah Rukh  has delivered another devastating dud with the same leading lady. Which makes  his...

Ishaan Khattar Denies Being In Geetha Govindam Remake

There are  reports of   2018’s  most promising newcomer Ishaan  Khattar  being  in the remake of  last year’s Telugu  hitGeetha Govindham.The  original starred...

Deepika-Ranbir In Luv Ranjan’s Film

The one thing that we won’t see in 2019 is  real-life pair Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in  a film together.And that’s the level of professionalism the ...

Raj Kumar Hirani Is The First A-Lister From Bollywood To Be Called Out, Industry Remains Largely Silent

 Has the MeToo movement finally claimed a hotshot in the entertainment industry? Calling out Raj Kumar Hirani in theMeToo movement is  a radical  step-up  in  the  naming and...

Aaya Re Thackeray Heralds The Arrival Of The Sena Supremo – Superflick Music!

Orange was the colour of the day when Taj Lands End, Mumbai, was transformed into Thackeray Land with the Shiv Sena Supremo...

Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Engagement Reports Are False

 There are  reports  of  Alia Bhatt and  Ranbir Kapoor’s impending engagement in 2019. But a  close friend  of  the  Kapoors completely debunks the reports,  asserting that the...

Why Is Naseeruddin Shah Under Attack ?

It is  strange  how I never thought  of  Naseeruddin Shah as a Muslim  until now when his  religious identity  is being used  against him...

“Yes Varun and I Are Getting Together Again,” Reveals David Dhawan

David Dhawan  is  one happy father, and grandfather.  His elder son Rohit recently became  a proud father  of an adorable little baby girl. And David’s...

“Those Who Are Ripping My Performance Apart Have A Bigger Political Agenda Than Me,” Says Anupam Kher

 Savage reviews notwithstanding  The Accidental  Prime Minister, the controversial Manmohan Singh  bio-pic,  has  opened to surprisingly satisfactory crowds. Some critics have  ripped into...

Bad Times Hound The Roshans

It’s not been an easy phase  for the Roshan  family starting with  daughter Sunaina’s broken marriage and then her fight with cancer, then...

Shatrughan Sinha Has Reservations About The Reservation Quota

BThe  ten percent  reservations  for  ‘poor  uppercastes’ declared  by the  Modi government has  the Party’s  rebel leader Shatrughan Singa unsure of the  applause-worthiness  of  the  decision. “Job...

Sorry, No Deepika Padukone In 83

Good and bad news  for  fans of  the Ranveer-Deepika  pair. The good news is, they will  only be seen  together in films that...

Petta Is The Best Rajinikanth Film In Years

BPetta Starring Rajinikanth, Vijay Sethupathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui,Simran, Trisha Written  &  Directed  by Karthik  Subbaraj Rating: *** ½(3 and a half stars) In what  seems  like an unwanted political intrusion...

Accidental Prime Minister Movie Review: Nothing Accidental About It

The Accidental Prime Minister Starring Anupam Kher,Akshaye Khanna Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte Rating: ***(3 stars) If you enjoy political satires, The Accidental  Prime Minister may not be the  film...

“A Wonderful Opportunity For Existing And Aspiring Writers” Says Aamir Khan

Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan who is on the jury of Cinestaan India’s Storytellers Script Contest along with Anjum Rajabali, Juhi Chaturvedi...

Rajit Kapoor Plays PM Modi In URI

 The  surprise casting  of the very talented Rajit Kapoor(of  Byomkesh Bakshi fame, last seen as Alia Bhatt’s father in  Raazi) as Prime  Minister Narendra  Modi is a  master-stroke. In a season...

The Happiness Was Equalized By Sadness: Ayushmann Khurana

What a  year Ayushmann Khurrana has had! Two  remarkable  hits, and his career  is soaring,Alas, the dark clouds  did appear on his bright horizon, as ...

Bollywood’s Eerie Silence Over Hardik Pandiya’s Comments

That cricketer Hardik Pandya’s utterly crass and  vulgar statements  on women and womanizing on Karan  Johar’s  talkshow Koffee With Karan has snowballed into a  major  controversy is  not surprising. Even ...

Super 30 Being Given Some Super Changes

 The  biopic on  Bihar’s world-renowned  mathematician  just got bigger. The producers have decided  to hold  the  film back to give  it a ...

The PM Meets Bollywood Delegation… “This Is Just The Beginning,” Says Producer Mahaveer Jain

 On Thursday morning a slew  of topnotch actors,producers and directors flew to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The delegation included  actors Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan,Alia Bhatt,Siddharth Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal,Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Rajkummar Rao,producers Ekta Kapoor, Karan  Johar and Mahaveer Jain ...

Birthday Special….Rakesh Roshan On Son Hrithik Roshan

“Hrithik Can Work With Other Directors, I Will Never Work With Any Other Hero,” Doting Papa Rakesh Roshan Speaks About Hrithik On...

10 Things Hrithik Must Vow To Do This Birthday

Hrithik  Roshan who celebrates his 45th birthday on January 10 has come a long from his Bhagwan Dada days when he stood his...

Cabaret Review: It Is The Worst Film You’ll See This Year

Cabaret(Zee5 ) Starring Richa Chadha, Gulshan Devaiah,  S Sreesanth Directed by Kaustav Narayan Niyogi Rating: 0 stars Do you  remember those gorgeous  sizzling cabaret  numbers  by  Helen in the  films ...

Battle Of The Biopics This Week At The Boxoffice

It looks  like the coming Friday  political stalwarts  from  different moral and  political outfits are all set for a clash at the ...

Wedding Bells In Anil Kapoor’s Family Again In 2019

After  elder  daughter Sonam Kapoor tied the  knot with her  long –standing boyfriend  AnandAhuja,  it’s  time for  the younger  born Rhea in  Anil Kapoor’s family to make it official  with her ...

Honourable Court Casts Doubts On Vinta Nanda’s Rape Allegation

In what could be  seen as  a huge relief for  rape-accused Alok Nath , a sessions  court in Mumbai  has  suggested that  writer-filmmaker Vinta Nanda might not be telling...

Uri Is That War Film We’ve Been Waiting For

Uri Starring Vickey Kaushal, Mohit Raina,  Paresh Rawal, Yami Gautam Written & Directed by Aditya Dhar Rating: **** ½(4 and a half stars)  Wars  often rage within  the soldiers’ hearts, specially when...

The Importance Of Being Farhan Akhtar

This month  on Jan 10-11  three Bollywood  personalities I’ve known closely over the years and one  of whom I no longer know or want to know,   turned a...

The Invisible Masks To Be Released This Year!

Mahesh Manjrekar, Pradeep Sarkar, Priyadarshan and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s film-The Invisible Masks to be released this year! It doesn’t happen every day...

” Karthik Subbaraj Whose Dream-Project With Rajinikanth Petta Is On Release, Speaks To Subhash K Jha

“Rajini  Sir Insisted  On Calling Me  Sir  On The Sets,on  the  pleasures  of being a Rajini fanboy turned  his director. Just  hours   away  from release…Are ...

Vicky Kaushal Pisses Off Salman With His Flirty Behaviour

Everyone knows all the acts at  the awards  functions are  planned beforehand. But some of them do get out of hand, no...

Will Rajinikanth Sweep Manmohan Singh Out Of The Boxoffice

 If advance  reports  of  director Karthik Subbiraj’s Petta are to be believed, then Rajinikanth has  another blockbuster  on his hands  just  a month after the super-success  of  2:0...

Will Malaika’s Marriage To Arjun Kapoor Ruin Boney’s Relationship With Salman?

The belief  within  the film fraternity is,  if Salman Khan is  a blessing to his friends he’s a curse to his enemies, specially  friends...

It Was A Quiet Birthday For Kannada Superstar Yash

KGF superstar Yash  brought in his 33rd  birthday with  minimum fanfare. He says he is no mood  for  partying and celebration, what  with the...

Rakesh Roshan: “Surgery Done & All. I Am Back Home On Friday or Saturday”

Ever since  Hrithik Roshan announced on social media that his father Rakesh Roshan was afflicted  with  throat cancer  the family’s well wishers and  friends have been  trying to ...

Alok Nath Finally Breaks His Silence

Actor Alok Nath accused  of rape by  writer-director Vinta Nanda, has been given relief by the courts. He has been granted anticipatory bail. For  the first time...

Manmohan Singh Won’t Watch His Bio-Pic

Irony can go no further than this. The Accidental Prime Minister ,the  much talked-about bio-pic on former Prime  MinisterManmohan  Singh won’t be watched by ...

Trailer Review Sonechiriya: Is It The Best Dacoit Drama Since Bandit Queen?

After 2018,it looks  like 2019 will be  another  golden year for Indian cinema. First Yuri which is on release  and thenSonechiriya speak about a simmering...

Vinta Nanda Reacts To Alok Nath Getting Anticipatory Bail

This week a court granted  Alok Nath anticipatory bail in the  case charging him  with alleged rape against him by writer-director  Vinta Nanda. Vinta expresses  no disappoimtment  as  she...

In A Freewheeling Interview With Subhash K Jha, Sara Reveals Her Plans To Conquer The Boxoffice.

Sara Ali Khan has made a  grand  impact with her debut film Kedaranth. And now  her  second release  Simmba is also  a hit.Not only...

Sara’s Career Benefited From Kedarnath Director’s Legal Action Against Her

If it wasn’t for  director Abhishek Kapoor’s insistence  through  legal  redressal, Sara  would  have ended up with Simmba , where she has nothing to do except be  a...

Pahlaj Nihalani To Revive His Kangana Project I Love You Boss With Another Actress

Once upon  a time in a  not so distant past producer Pahlaj Nihalani was  all set to launch  Kangana Ranaut in a  film called I Love You Boss with Kangana Ranaut.  The...

Ranveer Singh Hikes His Fee “Substantially”

If you are  producer desirous of signing  Ranveer Singh for a project, then you are  for a rude shock. It’s now  going to cost...

Saluting The Most Talented Khan Of Bollywood: Happy Birthday Irrfan Khan

On Irrfan Khan’s 51st Birthday Subhash K Jha Picks His 10 Most Memorable  Characters Very few Indian actors have had the privilege of playing such a wide variety of...

Beautiful Boy Is Deeply Flawed But Must Be Watched

Beautiful  Boy(Amazon) Starring Steve Carell, Timothy Chalamet Directed  by Felix Van Groeningen Rating: ***(3 stars) There  is  so  much that this  heartshattering drama  about a distraught father...

A R Rahman Turns 51

Today   Jan  6 the maverick composer  A R Rahman, the repository of raga renown,   turns   51. Interestingly Rahman’s son shares his father’s birth date.  A few years ago...

Saluting Rahman: Musicians Pay A Tribute To Rahman On his 51st Birthday

Lata Mangeshkar: “A R Rahman bahot talented insaan  hain. I’ve sung very few songs for him. I love Jiya jale in Dil Se, Khamoshiyan gun-guna lagi (1 2 Ka 4) ,O paalan hare(Lagaan) and  Luka chuppi(Rang De Basanti).  A R  Rahman and I came together for  the first time...

2018 The Year Of Turn-Around Careers…

Subhash K Jha  Picks 5 Actors Whose Careers Were Dramatically Escalated  Last Year 1.     Kiara Advani: The orgasm did it. From being just another  hopeful pretty face  in...

Who Will Direct The Sridevi Bio-Pic?

 There  is  no doubt that the one  death which hit us the hardest in 2018 was  that  of Sridevi . Her going away  so...

Simmba Impact: Hectic Rescheduling Of Bollywood Releases

January  has turned  out to be  a bonanza for  Ranveer Singh and  his director Rohit Shetty, as  their joint  effort Simmba  marches on.But it’s proven  a nightmare ...

The Mule Does Little To Clint Eastwood’s Reputation

BThe  Mule Starring Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper Directed by Clint Eastwood Rating: **(2 stars) At  90, Clint Eastwood  mulishly  clings to his...

10 Unknown Facts About Deepika Padukone

1.      She is related to the legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt whose real name was Vasanth Padukone. 2.      Her voice which was the highlight of her performance in Chennai Express was...

Mary Poppins Returns, No Magic Only Ennui

Mary  Poppins Returns Starring Emily Blunt, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Ben Whinshaw, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep Directed  by Rob Marshall Rating; ** A more destitute classic  would...

Tanya Sharma plays a double role in the next episode of &TV’s Laal Ishq

Laal Ishq has continued to keep its audiences hooked with its riveting stories, in spite of the television space being swamped with supernatural...

Sanjay Khan announces his second book on his birthday

 Mumbai: Legendary veteran actor-producer Sanjay Khan who is riding high on the success of his autobiography ‘The Best Mistakes Of My Life’...

Arshad Warsi back as a conman in Fraud Saiyaan

The trailer of the upcoming comic caper Fraud Saiyaan was recently released and it is nothing but a laughter riot. Arshad Warsi...

Saif Confirms He’s The Villain In Devgan Starrer

The  good times are rolling out for Saif Ali Khan. While son Taimur is hellbent on  being  the  youngest rock star in the global history of superstardom father Saif has...

Andha Dhun Remake? Okay, says Ayushmann, But There’s A Problem

One  of Tamil cinema’s most accomplished actors Siddharth Suriya has expressed  a keen interest in remaking  the Ayushmann Khurrana thriller  Adha Dhun. Ayushmann is game. But he has   a huge...

Kannada Superstar Yash Chats Up With Subhash K Jha About The Not-So-Surprising Success Of KFG

 Easily The  Star  Of  Year. He chats up with Subhash K Jha about the  not-so-surprising success of KFG  ,his humble beginnings  and  his hopeful  future. Yash, tell...

Kader Khan Was Laid To Rest On Wednesday, Says His Son

All sorts  of  misinformation  about  Kader Khan’s  funeral is being  tossed  about in sections  of  the media. Even the date of burial being given...

Shatrughan Sinha Is joining hands with Laloo Yadav?

Shatrughan Sinha thinks his parent-party is  practising the politics  of vendetta on  him. So he is joining hand with Laloo Yadav? Shatruji, what is  this  about the VIP  treatment being withdrawn at...

Bumblebee Will Give Simmba A Run For Its Money

Bollywood takes a backseat this week as Hollywood strikes big with its  Transformers franchise in  Bumblebee ,  a subsidiary  of  the Transformers franchise,that is is all...

Pooja Bhatt, Richa Chadha Speak On Cabaret

Pooja Bhatt’s production Cabaret, a film about the life of a cabaret dancer, is  all set to make its much-delayed debut on the internet ...

Simmba To Have Spinoffs Including A Singham-Simmba Sangam?

The saga  of  the  immoral cop who switches sides  after his conscience awakens  is  likely to be  continued  into an  ongoing franchise. ...

Tanushree Dutta On Why The MeToo Movement Is Far Bigger Than Her

She is rightly regarded as  the  founding-mother  of  the MeToo movement  in India.When Tanushree Dutta  spoke on  her experience of being harassed  ten years ago ,...