It was a hijack that had the world shocked. The young Neerja Bhanot was on the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73, which was hijacked by four armed men. Playing a major role in the rescue efforts, Neerja manages to save many passengers, but could not save her own life. This real life story has been adapted for a film and is slated for release on February 19.
Sonam Kapoor plays Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on the hijacked plane. In the wake of the film’s release, the daughter of one of the pilots on the plane, Nicole Thomas Fredrick has written an open letter to the makers and expressed her desire to watch the film. To quote from her letter: “The film's trailer brings out the intense emotions that were going on at that time. I remember everything that happened in those 48 hours and this stirred up a lot of feelings for me again.
"Pilots were extensively trained to evacuate the aircraft for negotiating power. In 1986, terrorists didn't know how to fly airplanes, so that was a bargaining tool to buy time. She did a lot to save the lives of Americans (specifically) and I will always remember that. I can't wait to see the film. Hopefully, it will release where I live."
Directed by Ram Madhvani, 'Neerja' revisits the story of courage shown by the 23-year-old Mumbai-based flight attendant who was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra for bravery — the youngest recipient to bag the honour. ‘Neerja’ is produced by Bling Unplugged and Fox Star Studios. You can watch the trailer here:
The award season has begin and looks like Disney-Pixar emotional box office success Inside Out has kick-started its Awards spree by bagging the Golden Globe for Best Animation! Directed by Pete Docter, the film looks into the the myriad emotions that run thorugh a young girl's mind.
As Riley Andersen (Kaitlyn Dias), the protagonist deals with Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust all played by different people, how she deals with these to lead her through life as her parents move from Minnesota to San Francisco is what the comedy-adventure drama Inside Out deals with. Helping to bring the characters to life in the blockbuster hit is a creative and comedic ensemble voice cast, including Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”) as Joy, Bill Hader (“Saturday Night Live”) as Fear, Mindy Kaling (“The Mindy Project”) as Disgust, Lewis Black (“The Rant is Due: Part Deux” tour) as Anger and Phyllis Smith (“The Office”) as Sadness. Riley is voiced by Kaitlyn Dias (“The Shifting”), and providing the voices of Mom and Dad are Diane Lane (“The Mystery of Love and Sex” play) and Kyle MacLachlan (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”).
Inside Out has also been shortlisted for the Oscars animation category, and is poised as a critics and audience favorite to sweep the 2016 awards!
The year 2015 was action packed when you consider the number of female actors who went out there and seriously kicked some butt! We give you the top 5 heroines whose action packed roles took B-twon by storm:
Taapsee Pannu in 'Baby': When the coy looking assistant of special agent Akshay Kumar does her karate bit in Baby and leaves her attacker on the floor gasping for life, there were cheers in the theatre and claps all around. Well, Tapsee you did great as an Indian spy part as of a covert mission.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 'Jazbaa': Making a come back after quite a while, everyone was waiting with baited breath to see what the former Ms World had to offer in 'Jazbaa'. As a single mother and lawyer by profession whose daughter gets kidnapped in the film, the actress did wow in some high octance fight scenes. And this Ash did apparently without a body double!
Deepika in 'Bajirao Mastani': Whether riding a horse or wielding a sword with that heavy armour or showing her archery skills, Deepika Padukone as a warrior princess rocked the silver screen in the combat scenes in Bajirao Mastani. Action director Sham reportedly was surprised with the finesse with which Deepika executed her action scenes.
Amy Jackson in 'Sing is Bling': Looks can be deceptive and the nobdy better to prove this than Amy Jackson who did some kick-ass action stunts in her film 'Singh is Bling', opposite none other than "Khiladi" Akshay Kumar. After training for months with a Black Belt MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter she perfected the action scenes in the film. Well done!
Anushka Sharma in NH10: Anushka Sharma stunned the audiences with her maiden film as producer - the thriller film 'NH10'. Known for rather bubbly roles in the past, Anushka wooed the audience with some hard core action that happens on NH 10. From wielding the gun, to some raw action, she did it all with flair!
Are you one of those who feels left out when everyone around you is talking about Star Wars. Well, here's a quick guide to the biggest franchise. May the Force be with you...
Total films released under the franchise:
The Original Trilogy: Star Wars is made up of three trilogies. Never mind that they were made out of order. First came episodes IV, V and VI. That’s Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977, The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983. The good 'Rebellion' and 'Jedi' fight the bad guys - Empire ruled by the Sith. When people refer to the “original trilogy” they are referring to these movies. This glossary will deal with these films mostly.
The Prequels: The prequels were Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). This chronicles the story of how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, the main bad guy in the earlier (but actually later) trilogy. Both the first and second trilogies were directed by George Lucas.
The New Films: The new movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the first installment in the new trilogy. It was directed by J.J. Abrams and includes the stars of the original cast, Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker). It will be followed by two more Star Wars films, now being called just episodes VIII and IX. “The Force Awakens” is the saga’s seventh live-action film and seventh episode.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (May 19, 1999) |
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” (May 16, 2002) |
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (May 19, 2005) |
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (May 25, 1977) |
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (May 21, 1980) |
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” (May 25, 1983) |
Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015) |
Star Wars Story Summary: A fictional galaxy is the backdrop for the events. Species of alien creatures (often humanoid), robotic droids are common and space travel is well the mode of transport! The planets in the galaxy are members of feature the Jedi, who use the Force for good, and the Sith, who use the dark side for evil.
What do these words mean? Who are these characters?
The force: | “The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” This is as defined in the movie. |
Luke Skywalker |
Luke Skywalker rose from humble beginnings to becoming one of the greatest Jedi knights the galaxy has ever seen. Along with his friends Princess Leia and Han Solo, Luke battled the evil Galactic Empire and discovered the truth of his parentage, thus ending the tyranny of the Sith. |
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Jedi | Long ago, there used to be many Jedi Knights who kept the peace and fought the Sith. Eventually, however, the Sith took over and killed all but a few Jedi. In episodes IV, V and VI, the Jedi join forces with the Rebellion to defeat the Empire. Someone in training to become a Jedi, known as a Padawan or a Jedi apprentice, trains one-on-one with a Jedi Master. |
Lightsaber | A blade made of pure energy wielded by those who can use the force. Generally speaking, Sith use red blades. |
Death Star | A space station that Darth Vader uses to blow up planet. The Rebellion destroys it at the beginning of Episode IV, but the empire builds another one for Episode VI (which the rebels also destroy). |
The Millennium Falcon | Han Solo’s dirty but awesome ship. |
Stormtrooper | These are soldiers in white body armor who work for the Empire. |
Droid | A robot with artificial intelligence. |
Clones |
Soldiers of the Republic, the governing body in episodes I, II and III. |
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader | Once a heroic Jedi Knight, Darth Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force (because they have cookies). He became a Sith Lord and led the Empire’s eradication of the Jedi Order. He changed his name to Darth Vader (meaning Shadow warrior) from Anakin Skywalker and is the father of Luke and Leia! |
Princess Leia Organa: | Princess Leia is one of the Rebel Alliance’s greatest leaders, fearless on the battlefield and dedicated to ending the absolute power of the Empire. Daughter of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, sister of Luke Skywalker, Leia ranks amongst the galaxy’s greatest heroes. |
Yoda | Yoda was a legendary Jedi Master. Small in size but very wise and powerful, he trained Jedi knights for over 800 years, playing important roles in the Clone Wars and the instruction of Luke Skywalker, thus unlocking the path to immortality. |
Han Solo | Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon, was one of the great leaders of the Rebel Alliance. He and his co-pilot and friend Chewbacca joined Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa in the fight against the Empire. He’s a hero. |
Chewbacca | Legendary Wookiee warrior and Han Solo’s co-pilot, Chewbacca was part of a core group of Rebels who helped restore freedom to the galaxy. Known for his short temper, Chewie also has a big heart — and is unswerving in his loyalty to his friends. |
Obi-Wan Kenobi | A legendary Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a noble man and gifted in the ways of the Force. He trained Anakin Skywalker, served as a general in the Republic Army during the Clone Wars, and guided Luke Skywalker as a mentor. Youthful Kenobi remains a figure of moral and physical courage, despite being clearly doomed by dark events to bitter loss and solitude |
Darth Maul | A deadly, agile Sith Lord trained by the evil Darth Sidious, Darth Maul was a formidable warrior and scheming mastermind. He fell in battle against Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Zabrak from Dathomir would prove to be much harder to destroy than originally believed. |
R-2 D-2: | A resourceful astromech droid, R2-D2 served Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker in turn, showing great bravery in rescuing his masters and their friends from many perils. |
C-3PO |
Built by the heroic Jedi Anakin Skywalker, and a constant companion to astromech R2-D2. Over the years, he was involved in some of the galaxy’s most defining moments and thrilling battles -- and is fluent in more than seven million forms of communication. |
Read below to see how a little angel helped us deliver a smile
An author of bestselling books like ‘A Wonderful Boss’, ‘Winning Instinct’, ‘Passion Quotient- How it matters more than IQ’ and ‘Rise and Rise of Jugaad’, Virender Kapoor says writing was never in his itinerary. Having written on diverse topics like human competence, work life balance, leadership, emotional intelligence , innovation and relationships; Virender stands out as a very versatile author in the self-help space. He has created a new genre of thematic motivational biographies like ‘Leadership the Gandhi way’ and ‘Innovation the Einstein way’, which reach out to the reader’s sensibilities in a different way. His schoolbooks series ‘I can and I will’ is the first of its kind to bring Emotional Intelligence to the grass root level. His books have been translated in eight languages including Vietnamese. Management practitioner and thought guru, Virender is all set to release his next two books ‘A Wonderful Wife’ coming November and ‘Twelve Mega abilities of Extraordinary People’ early next year.
We asked the author to tell us more about his writing journey and how he got drawn into the world of words. Excerpts from an interview:
When did you first think of becoming a writer?
It will surprise many, but writing was never on my itinerary. I was a good student in school and hence academic pursuits not literary was the obvious path for me to take. I took the usual path, did my engineering, and chose to do my Post Graduation in Computer Science from IIT Bombay. I feel I became an author by accident. For fun, I started writing ‘Middles’ for TOI and Hindustan Times and I was surprised I got published! It not only encouraged me to write but it also revealed ‘that I could write!’Writing for prestigious papers also gives you kind of a kick and therefore, I became a regular contributor to the edit page. Looking at my education, the best fit seemed to be technology writing. Therefore, I wrote my first book, ‘Telecom Today’ a work spanning more than 800 pages and 550 complex diagrams. Soon after, I realized that this kind of writing is very insipid and hardly allows any elbow space for creativity. Moreover, the target audience is very small as compared to fiction or self-help.
How did self-help books happen? Why did you decide on this genre?
As I mentioned earlier, technical writing was not making any sense and I really did not enjoy it.I got into teaching and was heading a a management institute under the Symbiosis Umbrella. At some point, I realized that I had so much of experience in terms of handling and training people that I must share it with the world. And that is how self-help books happened. This genre gives you tremendous freedom to use your creativity and you can leverage your experience to the fullest. This also gives you a different kind of satisfaction because you are influencing so many people positively.
I feel that a writer should think like an actor. Good actors try different roles and different subjects- they experiment. A seasoned actor can do romance and sing songs, do comedy and take on a negative role with equal ease. Look at Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan; they do it all the time. Then why can’t an author do the same? I don’t want to be ‘generised’!
How do you manage to write on so many different topics?
I feel that a writer should think like an actor. Good actors try different roles and different subjects- they experiment. A seasoned actor can do romance and sing songs, do comedy and take on a negative role with equal ease. Look at Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan; they do it all the time. Then why can’t an author do the same? I don’t want to be ‘generised’!
I look for ‘gaps’ on the shelf. I try to write on something that is being talked about but nothing exists about that topic. For instance, everyone talks about passion for work and loving your job but there was not a single book on this. That is how ‘Passion Quotient’ book happened. And so was ‘Jugaad’. These areas offer a challenge because there is nothing to go by; there is hardly any material on the subjects I choose. This is nothing but creating knowledge. I feel this is the way an author needs to do value addition .
Most self-help books are written by the western authors and our masses are not able relate to the mantras that the foreign authors prescribe. There aren’t many Indian authors who write in this area and my books fill that void.
Most self-help books are written by the western authors and our masses are not able relate to the mantras that the foreign authors prescribe. There aren’t many Indian authors who write in this area and my books fill that void.
Does marketing play a role in the success of a book?
One cannot deny the role of marketing in the success of a book especially today when there are multiple options available for entertainment; books being just one of them. The rules of the game have changed in recent times because of massive online market place and social media. Authors and publishers have to resort to ‘smart marketing’ as compared to the conventional, multiple book release functions. Digital marketing is the new mantra, which gives you a phenomenal reach and allows an author to remain connected with his readers.
Indian writing is gaining acceptance day by day and becoming popular too. Your thoughts on the same .
Indian authors have made a mark in Indian mythology because no one knows it better than them. We have lots of stories to tell and each one can be better than the other. We are also making headway in fiction and thrillers. India is also one of the fastest growing markets for authors because more and more people are trying to become proficient in English. I feel we should create a space for ourselves by focusing on product differentiation. Look at Hindi cinema; it has come of age and we have great films being churned out every year. I am sure we as authors will and possibly are creating original and meaningful stuff.
Self-help books are gaining acceptance and I am sure in a few years we will have more of these, that suit the Indian personality. Personally, for me I just want to write something that is worthwhile and I want to leave behind something that people can benefit from.
The much awaited film from the Rajshri production house ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ - an Indian family drama film, directed by Sooraj Barjatya is all set for release on November 12. Starring Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Anupam Kher, the film's title track is out and you can listen to it here...
Anand Ranganathan's book For Love and Honour has recently been released. The scientist-author tells us more about his novel, why chose the Northeast and the insurgency there as the backdrop and also speaks about his next book. Read on...
A scientist, a consulting editor, active commentator on social media and a writer of love stories – now that’s called variety. As a student when you were looking through microscopes and immersed in pages of scientific research, did you think you’d be what is today described as “cool”?
Firstly, I am wary of being called “cool” – it puts enormous pressure on my crumbling bones, what with having to compete with youngsters who actually are cool. As for the answer to your question, not really – never thought about it. As a student of science there hardly was any free time to think of anything else apart from science and my own work. It is only now that I can spare time to think of other things beside science, now that I have my own students, who I deliberately deny any free time to think of anything else but science
Why love stories? Any particular reason? Because your profile would suggest that you veer towards scientific fiction, Robin Cook kind of novels…staying away from science in stories, is it by design or your plot has no place for them?
I like love stories, but those that are done without the effort of making them look like love stories. It is an extremely difficult thing, to pull off a love story. In my opinion very few have managed it. Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair, and Michael Ondaatje English Patient come to mind. Also Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago. Then there are those magnificent books – like Grossman’s Life and Fate – that have love stories in them but these don’t go on to define the book.
I confess I’m not much of a fan of science fiction. Unfortunate but true.
A setting of the North East in books is unusual. Do you choose it because of this factor? Or because (as you said in some earlier interviews) you had spent some of your childhood years in the NE?
The story of For Love and Honour was imagined by Bharat Solanky and I. Bharat – a friend from college who I have known now for 26 years – is a film director. It was his idea to have Northeast as a backdrop for our story. At first I was a little apprehensive, for like most Indians, I had little knowledge of Northeast. This of course wasn’t because of some design, but because the history of the Northeast is mostly absent from our school textbooks. The more we researched, the more we discovered how little we knew – about Mizoram, about the great famines, about the infamous Aizawl bombing of 1966 – when, for the first and the last time, our armed forces bombed their own people – and about the terrible hardships the Mizo people had to face in the aftermath of the Aizawl bombing.
The history of the Northeast is mostly absent from our school textbooks. The more we researched, the more we discovered how little we knew – about Mizoram, about the great famines, about the infamous Aizawl bombing of 1966
How easy or difficult is it to write against a familiar backdrop? In a familiar place you often know too much to get creative, as opposed to exploring a new terrain…
Indeed. This question is tied to the one previous. As a writer, one always looks for material one is familiar with. As Naipaul said, one is constantly striving for “material” – that then one can either “convert” into fiction or keep it as is. In fact, Naipaul’s one incredible book – perhaps his best work – The Enigma of Arrival – is entirely non-fiction material that he has cleverly made it look like fiction. So yes, unfamiliar terrain or backdrop requires a lot of research. Since the book interweaves real historical events with a fictional love story, it was important to get the historical facts right. The backdrop of the book – which, as I mentioned earlier, is the horrific and little-known Aizawl Bombing of 1966, and the subsequent armed struggle and insurgency in the whole of the Northeast – had to be researched extensively. The claustrophobic setting of the tea estate had to be just right as well. Here I was helped by my discussions with a friend who has spent much of his life on tea estates. The tea estate, suffice it to say, changes one’s personality. I am a big fan of Satyajit Ray and his astonishing film Kapurush-o-Mahapurush has haunted me ever since I first saw it. When writing FLAH, those scenes pushed and shoved and jumped the queue and came to front.
Land of the Wilted Rose, For Love and Honour , so have you already thought of your next book?
The new book is nearly done – it is being relooked at right now. This book is extremely dear to me. I have co-authored it with Chitra Subramaniam, who writes the kind of prose that can make you sweat in the deepest of winters. Not many know this, and I dare say it doesn’t come out - this unbelievable, multi-layered razor-sharp voice - it doesn’t come out often in her journalistic pieces, for quite obvious reasons – reports aren’t the right vehicle for such burning, all-consuming writing style.
Discipline is the enemy of free and wild thoughts.
You are not a full time author, so how do divide time between your day job and your passion in order that you can write? It must involve a whole of discipline...
Not really. I am intentionally undisciplined after the day has ended – by this I mean after the regular job of looking after my lab and research comes to an end in the evening. Discipline is the enemy of free and wild thoughts.
Developing scientific temper begins young…have you ever thought of writing science fiction for kids…so they develop an interest in Science from a young age?
I would love to. In fact, I have written half a dozen popular science articles for Newslaundry.com, the organisation for which I write weekly columns. It’s tough – trying to simplify scientific matter. But it is rewarding, too.
Finally, what will please you most – an exciting discovery or a novel that becomes a huge, huge best seller?
Both. In that order!
We saw the impact that the old melody Hungama ho gaya, sung by Asha Bholse, had on the film Queen, which starred Kangna Ranaut. Not only did the film do phenomenally well, this 70s song suddenly became a hit with today's generation. Looks like it is now the turn of another hit song from the 80s to leave its impact on an upcoming film "Main Aur Charles" starring Randeep Hooda. The song to be reprised is the 80s hit Jab Chaye Mera Jadoo from Dev Anand film Lootmar, music for which was composed by Rajesh Roshan and the song sung by Asha Bhosle.
The makers of Main Aur Charles have roped in singer Kanika Kapoor to sing this song. Explaining the reason for this decision producer Amit Kapoor says,”We needed a song that instantly transports you to the retro era of the 80s, a song which was high on melody as well as that which makes you instantly groove. We wanted a song that personified the flamboyance and the magic of the character of Charles….And Jab Chaye was that song."
A happy Kanika Kapoor says, "It was a challenge for me to re-sing an old song that was a rage of its time. It was not that we had to remix an old song for the modern day. The film is based in the 70s and 80s so we had to make sure that the song still had that retro vibe while still appealed to contemporary listeners today - that was a welcome challenge to recreate a number like Jab Chaye without losing its vintage charm."
Do you want to listen to this remixed version? Click below to listen in