Movie Review: Short Kut

The Story:

'Short Kut – The Con Is On' is a wise-cracking comedy about two strugglers – Raju (Arshad Warsi), a bad actor, and Shekhar (Akshaye Khanna), a wannabe film maker.
In their chase for success, Raju and Shekhar face a series of wacky situations which put them at the onset of scam, deceit, super stardom and the subsequent fall. Once they discover each others’ ambitious streak, Raju takes a shortcut: he steals Shekhar’s prized script and is shot to fame overnight. Shekhar plunges into depression and tries to save himself from shame by splitting with his wife, reigning actress Mansi (Amrita Rao), who goes on to share the sets with her new hero Raju. To add to his misery, Shekhar must also return the advance he received for his script before it was stolen. Now, Shekhar is left with only one motive in life – to get even with Raju.
While Raju runs the high hurdles with the help of his acting coach Guru Kapoor (Chunkey Pandey), Shekhar plots against him when they are reunited on the sets of Shekhar’s directorial debut, which stars Raju. At first, Shekhar refuses to cast Raju in the lead, but when the producer gives Shekhar a chance to direct, Shekhar takes advantage of his only opportunity to sideline Raju. As the film progresses, comical act of con, trickery and clashing egos reveal the ultimate plight of Raju and Shekhar.

The Cast:

Akshaye Khanna as Shekhar – sincere and hardworking, Shekhar is an aspiring assistant director who believes there are no short cuts to success. He is extremely gifted and confident, but his naïve character only makes him a victim in the cut-throat filmy world.
Arshad Warsi as Raju – a struggling actor who thinks he is Bollywood’s most prized possession and is willing to take all shortcuts to stardom. He betrays his friend Shekhar by stealing his script and becomes an overnight sensation. What he really is, is an over-confident, good for nothing actor.
Amrita Rao as Mansi – a highly successful actress with lots of sex appeal who has a heart of steel and will do everything it takes to stay on top. She marries Shekhar but later leaves him when his depression kicks in.
Chunky Pandey as Guru Kapoor – he partners up with Raju as his acting coach and cringes at Raju’s poor acting skills, but never discourages him.
Siddharth Randeria as Kantibhai – he is the landlord who backs Shekhar in all of his dreams.

The Crew:

Director: Neeraj Vora, Roshan AndrewsProducer: Anil KapoorProduction House: Anil Kapoor Films CompanyDistributor: Studio 18 Music Label: T-SeriesScreenplay: Anees BazmeeStory: Anees BazmeeCinematography: Ashok Mehta, Johny Lall, Arvind SoniChoreography: Bosco-CaesarMusic Director: Shankar-Ehsaan-LoyLyricist: Javed AkhtarCast: Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao, Simi Garewal, Chunkey PandeySpecial Appearance by: Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt

The Soundtrack:

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy produce an upbeat soundtrack with strong audio value. There’s a variety of foot-tapping numbers including the very filmy spoof ‘Pal Pal’ (‘Kyun Hota Hai Dil Deewana’), which is shot on the beach with a qawwali twist, the hot item number ‘Mareeze Mohabbat’ and the romantic song ‘Kal Nau Baje.’ The title track ‘Patli Galli’ is catchy with strong Indian flavour yet contemporary orchestrisation.

Beauty Queen Aishwariya Rai Bachchan Lends A Hand To Charity

L'Oreal is a cosmetics and beauty supply company many of us are familiar with and the company has ambassadors such as Eva Longoria, Jane Fonda, and Aishwariya Rai Bachchan. L'Oreal has been in business for 100 years now and they are giving back in honor of this milestone. This week L'Oreal India in association with Aide et Action launched their 'Beautiful Beginnings' campaign in Khar Danda Village, India. India is one of 60 countries that is participating in the campaign.

The campaign is designed to reach out to underprivileged girls who have dropped out from school. The 'Beautiful Beginnings' campaign will provide a 4 month training session in which girls will learn how to color and style hair, administer manicures and pedicures, and how to thread, wax, and give facials. With all these new skills, these girls will be able to open salons and provide their services which will help stabilize their futures. Aishwariya inaugurated the campaign in India and is very proud to be part of the L'Oreal family. She also took this opportunity as a time to mingle with the students who will be taking part in this campaign.

Michael Jackson's Paris wants to sing

The thought that one inherits the talent of their father's is indeed correct, as this is not a next Billie Jean moment but one of Paris Katherine Jackson who has showed interest in wanting to do a tribute to her dad in song. Paris appeared before thousands on Tueday during the memorial expressing love for her dad. The few words the 11 year old managed to mumble while crying caused many to break down in tears.

"Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say I love him so much."

With fans still leaving flowers and liting candles all over the world for the King, Paris has recently expressed her wishes to say goodbye through a song . Though her wishes may very well be the next upcoming blast for Fans wanting something to soothe the recent tragedy, the family is keen on keeping the kids away from the public.

This burning passion to entertain was made clear to Michael Jackson himself when he asked the 11 year old what she wanted to do when she grows up and she said she wanted to sing and dance. Many still are in shock with the families' openness with the kids at the memorial as the father has always insisted in hiding their faces from the public.

This will be fascinating news for many and the recent news is leaving alot to question and speculate. What do you think of this? Will she be as talented as Michael was? Will it be released in time for the upcoming August memorial in London? Would Michael Jackson want this?

Rakhi Sawant Wants to Look Like Aishwarya Rai on Her Wedding Day

Elegance and poise are not words that come to mind when thinking of Rakhi Sawant. For the most part Rakhi has shown us that she can be pretty darn improper. From her chest bearing, scandalous costumes to her wild behavior, it’s no wonder that her name is associated with being vulgar.

All of that might be changing as Rakhi prepares for her big day. While scores of suitors are lined up to bring Rakhi to the altar on her reality show, "Rakhi Ka Swayamvar" where men are competing for Rakhi's hand in marrige. she has been busy picking out her outfit. And surprise, it is not going to be trashy. Rakhi has opted for a much more traditional look. She wants to look like an Indian princess; she wants to look like the gorgeous and graceful Aishwarya Rai.

Rakhi is working with Ace designers Neeta Lulla and Farah Ali to coordinate her clothes and jewelry. The two shared some design sketches with Rakhi on the kind of look that she should have, and suggested various colors that would look good on her complexion. They also showed Rakhi various intricate stone studded designs that she should wear for her big day. From Diamonds to Kundans to Emerald and Rubies, Rakhi got a chance to try on necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings.

I wonder if Rakhi will embrace this new lifestyle of elegance and marriage and leave behind her vulgar days. In the mean time we have some photos of Rakhi trying on her amazing new wardrobe.