Kangana has her way with 'Tanu Weds Manu'

                                                                             "Tanu Weds Manu", which will see the fresh pairing of Kangana Ranaut and R. Madhavan, was initially titled "Manu Weds Tanu" but the name was changed at the lead actress' behest.

Director Anand Rai felt "Manu Weds Tanu" was an appropriate title, but Kangana who plays Tanu in the film, insisted that the title should be "Tanu Weds Manu" and not "Manu Weds Tanu" because the narrative unfolds from Tanu's point of view, said a source.

The director was taken aback, but Kangana explained her point saying Tanu, a small town, wild girl, is the one in the commanding position compared to Madhavan's character Manu who is shown as a simple NRI guy in the comedy.

When the director spoke to Madhavan, thinking he would get upset, the actor saw the point immediately and readily agreed with Kangana.

"It's true that the film was earlier titled 'Manu Weds Tanu'. However, we felt that 'Tanu Weds Manu' was a more suitable title, according to the demands of the script. So we decided to go with 'Tanu Weds Manu'," said Rai.

It’s my turn to dance to Farah's tunes: Sonakshi

                                                                             Dabangg is one of the year’s biggest blockbusters and the best new face of 2010, Sonakshi Sinha, admits that it feels wonderful to have made box-office history with her debut film. “But the one who’s really on top of the world is my dad (Shatrughan Sinha) who’s happy for and proud of me,” she beams.

“He relays with childlike delight every compliment he hears. He’s also a little bemused because suddenly, he’s not the only one getting the attention, despite one of his finest performances in Rakht Charitra. And his pampered darling is taking some of her own decisions too,” says she.

Lil’ Ms Sinha admits to being the obdurate sorts since she was a child. She points out that when everyone expected her to get into acting, she took up fashion designing. When they thought that she would never lose her puppy fat, she proved she could. “Then, they said I’d be just another star kid who was all talk and no show. I showed them I could do more than just talk,” she says.

Come 2011 and she has Shirish Kunder’s Joker to look forward to. Co-starring Akshay Kumar, she describes the film as “a real story in 3D”. Apart from the SFX, she’s looking forward to an item number choreographed by Farah Khan: “Farah had the choice of choreographing Tere mast mast do naina… and Munni badnaam hui… in Dabangg. She chose to do Munni… and made it the country’s siren call. Then, she turned Katrina into a sizzling Sheila in Tees Maar Khan. Now it’s my turn to dance to her tunes.”

There’s also Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kick. Even though it is a Telugu remake, it has some changes that should make it a bigger and better film. “Besides, it has Salman Khan,” she reasons.

He’s been recommending her and even presented her with a Being Human watch? “I bought the watch myself and the money went to his charity,” she clarifies. Sonakshi is looking forward to returning with Chulbul Pandey in the Dabangg sequel. That won’t be for a while though, since Salman is busy. Meanwhile, there’s Race 2 and Housefull 2, and reportedly, she’s the chosen one for both. But Sonakshi is wary of revealing too much too soon.

According to her, in some of these films, she’ll be seen in very different avatars. More glam, more westernised, but definitely no bikinis. “Since I was a child I’ve known what was off-limits. I’ve never run around in bikinis and shorts and I’m unlikely to do something that would make me uncomfortable. Why should I, when everyone wants a sister, daughter or wife like Rajjo?” she argues.

And will she walk the ramp again after her big Humpty Dumpty fall in the Lakme Fashion Week?

“It wasn’t a big or bad deal. But it was caught on tape and the media went to town with it,” she protests, pointing out that after that, she’s walked a more complicated ramp without stress.

“There was a time when designers wanted me because I was Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter,” she recalls. “I still am, but now they want me because I’m Sonakshi Sinha.”

Tracks to bring in 2011!

                                                                It comes out as a surprise that in a Bollywood centric city, international songs have been clear favourites as far as DJs in Mumbai are concerned. Most acknowledge the need to play Bollywood music to entertain the masses. But when it comes to ringing in the New Year, three out of 10 listed The time... by the Black Eyed Peas, as their most-spinned song.

The song is on the band’s recent album, The Beginning, which is chorused on the Dirty Dancing hit ‘(I’ve had) The time of my life.. Sheila ki jawani... from Tees Maar Khan and I got a feeling by the Black Eyed Peas tied as the Katrinasecond most spin-worthy tracks.

The Black Eyed Peas is a party favourite with five of the 10 DJs, who selected their songs to play at New Year’s eve parties. Munni badnaam hui..., one of the biggest hits of the year, features only in one DJ’s list.

1 DJ Akhtar, Renaissance, Powai
I will be playing either Munni badnaam hui... or Sheila ki jawani.... I haven’t decided on which one, but it is going to be one of these, as I will be playing to more than 3,000 people.

Since Bollywood sells amongst the masses, I will also play Laila o Laila... from Qurbani and a few Bappi Lahiri and RD Burman remixes, which I have specially produced for the New Year.

2 DJ Kiran, Valhala, Churchgate
I will play mostly Bollywood songs, depending on the crowd. I will bring in the New Year either with a remix
of Tees Maar Khan title track or Sheila ki jawani... or play contemporary English hits by Akon or Black Eyed Peas.

3 DJ Hiren, Sahara Star, Vile Parle
At Seduction 2011, I will be playing Munni badnaam hui..., Sheila ki jawani..., Amplifier..., Mithi mithi bolo... from Aisha and also The time..., by the Black Eyed Peas. For the final countdown I will play I got a feeling... by the Black Eyed Peas or Final countdown... by Europe.

4 DJ Ricky, Manchester United Café, Lower Parel
I will bring in the New Year by playing The time... (Dirty bit) by the Black Eyed Peas, as the song is very upbeat and has amazing lyrics that talk about good times. It’s a perfect track to make the club atmosphere crazy.

5 DJ Reji, Bonobo, Bandra
I will be playing The time... by the Black Eyed Peas at midnight. I guess it’s very popular and brings back old memories. Other tracks that I play will be Bollywood, especially from the last decade.

6 DJ Akbar Sami, Renaissance Club, Versova
I will be playing a soundtrack called, The anthem... by David Guetta. I have recreated it by adding numbers along with the sound. I will also play Bollywood numbers along with tracks by Black Eyed Peas and Akon.

7 Meldan DaCunha, better known as Big M, Soul Fry Casa, Fort
I will play Auld lang syne... which is a traditional Scottish poem played to bring in the New Year. Then I will play Soca music, which is very popular at my outlet and has community members also joining in to sing.

8 DJ Joel, Blue Sea, Worli
There have been a lot of commercial hits this year. So other than the Bollywood favourites Munni badnaam hui... and Sheila ki jawani... I have selected tracks by Axwell. But to bring in the New Year, I will spin The time... by the Black Eyed Peas.

9 DJ Emaan, Dome, InterContinental, Marine Drive
The song I would be playing is Party animal... by David Guetta feat Akon because it’s everyone’s favorite at the moment. It relates to people partying in the New Year.

10 DJ Henson, Gadda da Vida, Novotel, Juhu
I will be playing I got a feeling... by the Black Eyed Peas. It’s a song that is sure to get people into the feel of New Year.

Top 10 Bollywood songs

                                                                                          The year 2010 offered a wide range of Bollywood songs. While raunchy numbers like Munni badnaam hui kept the adrenaline pumping, soft and romantic numbers such as Dil toh bachcha hai jee and Pee loon caressed listeners' hearts and the Sufi number Sajda spelt bliss for music lovers.

The year cannot be dedicated to any one musician - from Pritam Chakraborty to Vishal-Shekhar; all enjoyed a fair share of the spotlight. But amid singers it was Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who made it big with a couple of hits.

Here're the most popular songs of 2010:

MunniDil toh bachcha hai jee: It was a melodious beginning to the year with the romantic number from Ishqiya. Vishal Bharadwaj directed the music and roped in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to sing the song that instantly struck a chord with listeners. The sound of the accordion was prominent in the composition and was reminiscent of Raj Kapoor songs.

Sajda: Composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy mesmerised listeners with this song from the film My Name Is Khan. Once again sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan along with Shankar Mahadevan and Richa Sharma, the Sufi number tugged at one's heartstrings. The sounds of tablas and dholaks were moulded together so beautifully that it helped the song become a chartbuster and stay on top for a long time.

Aap ka kya hoga (Dhanno): An interesting remix was packed into the Housefull album by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in the guise of Aapka kya hoga (Dhanno). Sung by Mika Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan and Sajid Khan, it revisited Amitabh Bachchan's popular song Apni to jaise taise from the 1981 superhit Lawaaris. The hit number appealed even after a makeover because the composers retained a few original lyrics. It was a winner all the way and made everyone dance to its tunes.

Bin tere: The song from I Hate Luv Storys managed to bring out the hidden romantic side in all of us. Composed by director duo Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravijiani, it surely is a soulful and melodious number. The simple lyrics were beautifully rendered by Shafqat Amanat Ali with ample support from Sunidhi.

Pee loon: The soft love ballad from the crime thriller Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai still occupies air time on most of the radio channels. Pritam Chakroborty's composition and Mohit Chauhan's voice have spelt magic for the song. It also contains traces of Sufi elements that add edge to the song.

Gal mithi mithi: This track is an amazing folk outing by Tochi Raina and is not like any run-of-the-mill Punjabi number. Composed by Amit Trivedi of Dev D fame for Aisha, the fast number instantly made its mark because of the unpredictable orchestration and the fun element woven together intelligently.

Munni badnaam hui: One of the most popular item numbers of the year, the fast-paced, catchy song with a rustic flavour created a nationwide sensation. Composed by Lalit Pandit and sung by Mamta Sharma and Aishwarya, Munni... from the superhit film Dabangg is still ruling the roost.

Tere mast mast do nain: Dabangg gave another hit in Tere mast..., but this time the composers were brothers Sajid-Wajid. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan crooned the moderately paced romantic track with such expertise that it made people sit up and take notice.

Zor ka jhatka: Even though the film failed to take off at the box office, this song from Action Replayy flew higher and higher on popularity charts. Sung by Daler Mehndi, Richa Sharma and Master Salim, Pritam's composition was appreciated for its quirky lyrics and unusual orchestration.

Sheila Ki jawaani: As they say the best is always reserved for the last, this song appeared almost at the end of the year and was an instant hit thanks to its urban appeal and a raunchy feel. It's giving competition to Munni badnaam hui for the best item number crown.

Brilliantly sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and composed by Vishal-Shekhar, the Tees Maar Khan number has foot tapping beats and an impressive composition has made it a favourite among people of all ages. With an urban appeal and a raunchy feel, the song is currently ruling every music chart.

Dabangg rated no 1 film of 2010

                                                                      The year has come to a close and it’s time to salute the winners of the box-office battle. But instead of crowning the highest grosser, we’ve selected movies that earned well in multiples of the money invested in them. In the trade world, everyone from analysts and theatre owners to head honchos of multiplexes and distributors had a unanimous answer — in terms of return on investment, the number one film of 2010 is Dabangg, which made `140 crore.

Komal Nahta, editor of Film Information, asserts, “Dabangg is the highest earner of the year. Not only did it do phenomenally at the box-office, it also fetched a great price for the satellite rights. The music too continued to do well long after the film’s release.”

One reason why Dabangg was made at a reasonable cost is that there’s nothing big in the movie except for Salman Khan. According to Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Films Ltd, “The director and heroine were both new. The film didn’t boast of extravagant sets or exclusive outdoors, so the production cost was automatically in control, at ` 32 crore minus Salman’s fee. In terms of volume, it returned about 300 per cent.”

Question them about Ekta Kapoor’s relatively economical Love Sex Aur Dhoka directed by Dibakar Bannerjee, which cost about ` 4 crore and grossed over ` 10 crore, and Mumbai distributor Ramesh Sippy says, “Although LSD had a turnover much in excess of its cost, it’s not an all-India hit nor will it go down memory lane. It is a commendable effort that paid off very well, but the fact remains that Dabangg worked all across.”

In the same vein, Suneil Wadhwa, a major distributor from CP (north India) territory, adds that universal appeal makes Dabangg the numero uno movie of 2010. “It worked equally well in single screens and multiplexes, in all centres from big metros to small towns, and struck a chord with the audience. Every distributor and exhibitor made money,” he explains.

The trade market shares a similar stance on Golmaal 3 being the second biggest hit of the year. “Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor were the biggest actors and it maintained a good risk-reward ratio. Being a Diwali release, it not only opened very well, but also went on to do good business in the third and fourth weeks, crossing over `100 crore,” says Delhi-based distributor Sanjay Mehta. Interestingly, Golmaal 3 scored over Dabangg in the Mumbai territory.

While a section of the trade put Prakash Jha’s political drama Raajneeti at number three, trade analyst Amod Mehra feels I Hate Love Storys, too, makes the grade. “Costing about `25 crore, it returned about `45 crore, which is very good,” he says, adding that Sajid Khan’s Housefull comes next, making the top five.

Apart from these, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and Peepli Live too make it to the hit category while Ishqiya and Tere Bin Laden are said to have done average business. Sanjay Ghai says Shankar’s Robot (Hindi) too did well earning `30 crore, while the figures of the Tamil original aren’t being disclosed by Sun, which produced and distributed the Rajnikanth-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan sci-fi extravaganza. Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol did very well internationally, but according to Ashish Saxena, CEO, Big Cinemas, “It didn’t make money for Fox Star, which distributed the film worldwide.”