Opa Bollywood Style!

Opa Bollywood Style...

Jackyy Bhagani dances his version of Gangnam Style.

After the craze that is Gangnam Style swept over the world, it's no wonder Bollywood wants a piece of the success, after Bolly-star Jackky Bhagnani can be seen using the song in his new film 'Rangrezz'. The steps have been re-coreographed to suit the usual Bollywood style dances, yet still incorporating K-Pop star Psy's original horse inspired steps too.

Psy was the mastermind behind the craze that is Gangnam Style.

Many people are already bored or fed up of the song, after it dominated the music chart with it's endless appeal, yet the steady mount of 'hits' on You Tube proves otherwise. The song is the most viewed video on the website, and I personally am a huge fan of any dance that is fun and helps me lose weight at the same time! The popularity of songs with a good dance routine has always been a party favourite, and this song is undoubtedly one that will get everyone on the dance floor.

It's brilliant that Bollywood are adding a bit of popular culture, and adding a little bit of 'desi spice' in to the mix. It's essential for them to dip in to the latest trends to keep things fresh and appeal to a wider audience, as well as keeping the 'ammi-jis' in the loop over the latest hypes. I'm sure there are many Gangnam Style spoofs worth watching on the internet, and this is another one to add to the list.

Bollywood fans can enjoy a mash-up of Gangnam Style and the current craze of the Harlem Shake in Rangrezz from March 21^st.

Is Kajol the BEST?

Whether you're a new fan or a fully fledged Bollywood junkie, chances are that one of your favourites will include the pairing of Sharukh Khan and Kajol. The on-screen chemistry shared by these two actors is something to be reckoned with, and Kajol herself has stated this as fact in a recent interview. The 38-year-old actress also insisted she was incomparably the 'best' actress in Bollywood, shunning the likes of much-loved Madhuri Dixit and Ashwairya Rai (who managed to break in to Hollywood for a small time too.)

My constant criticism of the acting ability in the Bollywood industry won't go amiss here, as we consider the types of roles Kajol herself played. When I think about her performances in Kuch Kuch Hota Hain and Kabhi Khushi Kabh Gham, they had little substance within them, and there wasn't anything fresh that she brought. Although her ability was of a good standard, she never had the oomph, one would expect from a performance. I think her acting skills matured as she got older, choosing better films, such as 'My Name is Khan' and 'Fanaa', which showed her excellent skills and really made me appreciate he screen appearances.

Bollywood in general is pulled forward by pretty faces and little acting ability, as the audiences are expected to come running if trailers consist of Katrina Kaif in small shorts, shaking everything she's got as much as she can. So yes, in comparison to those actresses Kajol wins hands down.

Work for Bips takes a Dip...

Work for Bips takes a Dip...

Bipasha Basu at saucy video shoot.

'Thirty, flirty and thriving', that's how the saying goes for single women entering their thirties in our post-modernist world. So it should be no surprise that when I think of a woman in her thirties, I think of maturity, beauty, and possibly being at the peak of her success in the chosen profession. I wouldn't however, regard it as the end of her career, where work is drying out because she's now considered too 'old'.

That's exactly the terror faced by Bipasha Basu, where our beloved 'Bips' is finding trouble getting work because she's now 34. The model-turned-actress was once hot property, but now the emergence of newer, younger actresses have caused her to be swept aside, allowing the likes Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone to take her place!

This causes me to question her relationship with the very handsome, yet younger Ranbir Kapoor, and whether she's just using him to make herself seem younger. Don't misunderstand me, I think Bips is extremely talented, but her efforts come across a little too 'try-hard' when she's scantily clad in her saucy little numbers, with legs wrapped around a man ten years her junior.

Wouldn't we prefer to see a film where she plays a mature yet classy lady, instead of the cheap roles she's played up until now? I'm not sure her age is the problem, but the fact that Indian cinema has become a little too racy of late is sure to take a toll on audience figures. Personally, women who leave more to the imagination than less, come across better on the screens, so take notes Bipasha.

Bull-ywood: Masking the Real India

Bull-ywood: Masking the Real India

The beautiful scenery, the spectacular music numbers, the fast-paced dance sequences, these are all components needed to create a truly successful Bollywood film. From the beginning of classic Bollywood, and even now, we have experienced the rich culture of India through these films, yet are slow to question the underlying issues involved within the country.

As a British Indian, the majority of my experience of my native country comes from Bollywood films, although this may come across as a naivety, it also causes me to wonder whether we are given a realistic portrayal of the country itself. Remembering my first and only visit as a young child, ready to soak up my roots, and heartbroken to find that I wasn't prepared for the reality faced when I got there.
The country was ridden with poverty and disease, and the beautiful mansions with their vast rooms and swimming pools seen in the films were difficult to find amongst the villages and slums that encompassed most of India. The cities thrummed with activity, yet still lacking the simple facilities we take for granted in our affluent countries, and I was beginning to see why Bollywood was so popular not only in India, but around the world; escapism.

Slums in India

Why is it that Bollywood create silly films with the typical casting of Akshay Kumar in these horrendously un-funny comedies, where he usually shows off his ripped, muscular body and how he can throw a girl around on the dance floor, when they are slow to show the reality faced in their own countries. Hollywood seem to be making films of the real India better than the Indians themselves, with films like Slum-dog Millionaire becoming blockbusters, and winning multiple awards as well as raising awareness of serious issues in India.

Madhuri Dixit in Bollywood film 'Devdas'

Danny Boyles blockbuster 'Slumdog Millionaire' shows the real India.

I remember an interview with Danny Boyle, where he tried to find a skinny Indian actor to play the role of Jammal, yet all the actors were big and muscular, trying to become the next Salman Khan or Amir Khan. Is the glamorisation of India so eminent to these people? I understand that we all want to watch these fun films, but would it not hurt to have a serious  once in a while, that isn't action-based but issue based instead. Hopefully they'll soon realise how bad their current actors might be, when faced with a role that really questions their abilities.