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Posted: 28 Oct 2011 12:04 AM PDT

Senior Indian actresses on a comeback trail are being embraced by the audience and producers.

IN an industry that idolises youth, it is a tad ironic that a slew of Bollywood's senior actresses – some pushing 40 and others well past that threshold – are making strong comeback bids.

From Madhuri Dixit (44) to Sridevi (47), Raveena Tandon (37) and Karishma Kapoor (37) to Preity Zinta (36), the lure of the marquee is striking the senior Bollywood brigade with a vengeance.

Not long ago, myopic Bollywood could scarcely look beyond teenaged nubile nymphets for its female protagonists. Not any more. In fact, now is a great time to be a Bollywood actress as marriage and kids no longer sound the death knell of a flourishing career. With 30 no longer the sell-by date, filmmakers and viewers too are more willing to accept that mothers also can be alluring on screen. Never mind if they have resorted to surgical intervention, Botox and killer gym routines to be in great shape.

Take Madhuri Dixit, for instance. Acclaimed star of such 1990s blockbusters as Ram Lakhan, Dil, Saajan and Hum Aaapke Hain Kaun, she eschewed the arc lights at the height of her superstardom after tying the knot with Denver-based heart surgeon Dr Shriram Nene. She relocated to the United States in 1999 and got busy with her two kids. In 2006, Madhuri returned to the silver screen as the protagonist of the disastrous Aaja Nachle.

This propelled Madhuri back to domesticity. But the determined actress resurfaced this year with the thumping success of Jhalak Dikhla Ja, a dance-based reality show on television. This made producers sit up and take note of Madhuri's still-strong connection with the masses and they queued up to sign her.

The veteran actor is now in the thick of negotiations with Bollywood biggies and will reportedly star in the remake of Satte Pe Satta, an 80s blockbuster starring Amitabh Bachchan where she will share screen time with Sanjay Dutt. Madhuri is also being considered as one of the two female leads in the sequel to Ishqiya, now re-christened Dedh Ishqiya.

Similarly, the still gorgeous Sridevi – whose last outing was Judaai (1997) – is all set to return to the silver screen after a 14-year hiatus with English Vinglish. The movie will be directed by debutante director Gauri Shinde, wife of director, R Balki (of Paa fame).

After starring in such 90s hits as Himmatwala, Jaanbaaz, Mr India and Chandni, Sridevi disappeared from the cinematic radar after her marriage to producer Boney Kapoor in 1996 and the birth of daughters Jhanvi and Khushi.

Raveena Tandon's story has been strikingly similar. Married to film distributor Anil Thadani, this mother of two took a sabbatical for five years. She is now warming up for her career's second innings and recently did an item song in the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap. Next, she will be seen acting opposite, Sanjay Dutt in a psychological thriller, Alert.

But Raveena refuses to call her return a comeback. "When Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock do one a film a year, it's not called a comeback, is it?' she quipped recently.

Meanwhile, Preity Zinta – who gradually faded from the silver screen – has launched her own production company. She is making Ishq In Paris with herself in the lead. The actor is also doing Mahesh Manjrekar's White, a hard hitting drama about a troubled woman and her tumultuous life. The actor's character will reflect the trajectory of a woman – from a 20-year-old to 60 years of age.

The star is thrilled at landing the role which is antithetical to her quintessentially "bubbly" image. "At this stage of my career," she told a daily recently, "I need new challenges. Luckily, directors can see beyond my chirpy, I'm-so-happy image."

Kajol, whose acting prowess had won her plaudits in films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, opines that it is the weight of a role which determines her saying yes to a project. She disappeared for five years between 2001 and 2006 after marriage to actor Ajay Devgan followed by the birth of two kids. She returned to the big screen in Kunal Kohli's Fanaa opposite Aamir Khan in 2006 and opposite Shah Rukh Khan in My Name Is Khan last year.

Apart from the actors' own willingness to take the plunge into a second innings, what has also spurred the comeback trend, say movie analysts, is the audience's maturity and willingness to embrace them wholeheartedly. "We're willing to accept senior and talented actresses provided they fit well into the story," says Rina Dharker, 26, a movie buff. "And of course, they have to look good too."

Also, point out trade analysts, New Age bollywood directors are far more flexible in their approach towards casting. They are enthusiastic about experimenting with all age groups provided they can deliver. For them, it no longer curves – but content – is king. They are crafting films with stronger storylines that find a resonance with senior actresses.

Interestingly, the word "comeback" is anathema to most of the comeback queens. Mention the word to Karisma Kapoor – who is playing the lead in Vikram Bhatt's 3D horror flick Dangerous Ishq to be released next year – and watch her explode. "How is this my comeback?" she snapped at a journalist recently. "To come back, one has to go away. But I've been here all this while. Just like, ordinary women go on maternity leave, I was busy with my two kids."

Never mind the fact that Karisma's last outing – Mere Jeevan Saathi – happened almost six years ago. And her only contact with the public has been through her sporadic brand endorsements.

Of course, mundane issues – like marriage and kids – don't impact the longevity and clout of male Bollywood actors. The three Khans – Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman – for instance, have been at the top of the game for nearly a quarter of a century. They continue to demand serious paycheques and progressively younger heroines, young enough to be their daughters.

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Provoking ideas

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 11:54 PM PDT

Art and science come together in the next few weeks in a celebration of film.

STARTING this week till next month, there will be no fewer than three film festivals happening in Kuala Lumpur. Film buffs will get to savour films on science, the environment and nature from a diverse selection from around the world.

First up is the increasingly popular Eco Film Festival (EFF), the fourth instalment of which begins today and will go on through the weekend, at Dewan Tunku Canselor, Universiti Malaya, from 10am to 8pm daily.

Having spent the last four years educating and entertaining the public on the environment, the EFF has seen tremendous increase in the number of films it showcases. From just 20 films shown at the first festival, this year it will be screening about 70 films, comprising about 40 international films and 30 local ones.

And like the previous instalments, this year's festival will also feature talks, forums, workshops, live music performances and exhibition of eco-friendly products.

All the local films, submitted by local filmmakers for the festival's competition, will be screened on the first day, while the international films will be shown over the subsequent two days.

The local films are all short films, and they include On Borrowed Time, directed by Lara Ariffin and Harun Rahman, about the efforts to curb wildlife poaching in the Belum-Temenggor forest reserve; and Gary Liew's Perspectives, about a little girl's journey to discover what 0% wastage means.

Among the international films to be shown are Leonids Story, by German director Rainer Ludwigs, about survivors in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster; They Come For It All, They Come For The Gold, by Christian Habaruk, an Argentinian story about a David vs Goliath battle between a Patagonian town and economic and political powers; and Food Matters, by Australians Jamesa Colquhon and Laurentine ten Bosch, an expose on the worldwide trillion-dollar "sickness industry."

> For more information and details, go to ecofilmfest.my.

n Starting Nov 1, and right through the entire month, the Alliance Francaise presents Month Of The Documentary. This is the 12th edition of the French festival dedicated to documentaries.

Four films will be screened:

On Nov 4 at 8pm, is Cleveland vs Wall Street, a film by Jean-Stephane Bron, about the city of Cleveland's lawsuit against 21 banks which it held responsible for a series of foreclosures that left the city in ruin. The film takes a look at the banking system that affected the world economy negatively.

On Nov 11 at 6.30pm is the opening of the photo exhibition, Of Forests And Men, followed by the screening of the short film of the same name. The short film, by director Yann Arthus-Bertrand who made the popular Home, was commissioned by the United Nations for the launch of the International Year Of The Forests 2011.

On Nov 12 at 8pm is the screening of Beef Eating Snakes, a film about naturalist Arnoult Seveau who travelled through Vietnam in search of a strange, unknown horned animal that is said to eat poisonous snakes. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Seveau.

On Nov 15 at 6pm there will be a conference on "The extinction of the Tapir."

On Nov 25 at 8pm, is Think Global Act Rural, directed by Coline Serreau, a film on new farming systems that ensure secure and sustainable food.

All the events and screenings will be held at Alliance Francaise, 15 Lorong Gurney, KL, and admission is free.

> For more information, call 03-2694 7880 or email marine@alliancefrancaise.org.my.

n Finally, there is the Science Film Festival, initiated by the Goethe-Institut, which will be held from Nov 8 to Nov 13 at the theatrette of HELP University-College, Damansara Heights, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

The festival's target audience is young people from ages eight to 15. It presents a variety of films that carry the theme "Forests", which is also the Unesco theme for 2011.

The Science Film Festival takes place in Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam over the month of November. The attendence of 130,000 in Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia last year made it one of the biggest festivals of its kind in terms of audience figures.

The films are divided into four categories – Family Edutainment; Ecology And Environment; Natural Science, Life Science And Technology; and Culture And History. The selection in each country may vary, but the films are all selected from 150 film entries from around the world.

In Malaysia, a total 17 films will be selected for screening by a Malaysian jury.

Penang and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah will have their own screenings, some of which will be accompanied by activities, Q&A sessions and quizzes.

> For more details go to goethe.de.

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Appealing old heroes

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 11:51 PM PDT

WHILE Indian actresses come with a definitive sell-by date, their male counterparts' careers display spectacular elasticity. Take Amitabh Bachchan, 67, for instance. The legendary actor continues his glorious innings in Indian cinema even at this ripe old age. He is straddling television, stage shows, brand endorsements and films with the consummate ease of a juggler.

Filmmakers have also indulged Amitabh by giving him all sorts of roles – from Babban Singh in RGV Ki Aag to a father in love with his teenage daughter's friend in Nishabd to a child suffering from a rare affliction in Paa. All the films didn't work, but the industry sure gave him enough leeway to stretch himself as an actor. Such is unthinkable – as yet – for an Indian actress.

Similarly 60-plus southern superstar Rajnikanth aka Shivaji Rao Gaikwad continues to prance around trees with girls young enough to be his granddaughters. After being paid US$5.9mil (RM18mil) for his role in Sivaji (2007), he became the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan. Other than acting, Rajinikanth also worked as a producer and screenwriter. He was bestowed the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, in the year 2000 for his contribution to Indian cinema.

Bollywood actor Dharmendra, 76, who has appeared in more than 247 Hindi films continues his cinematic run with pivotal roles. Recipient of the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema, he is often referred to as Bollywood's original "Action King". – Neeta Lal

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Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Jumaat, 28 Oktober 2011

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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