Chris Brown to spend birthday behind bars

Brown, who will now spend his 25th birthday on May 5 behind bars, has been held since March 14. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: Rapper Chris Brown will spend his 25th birthday behind bars after a judge who sentenced him to jail almost two months ago ruled he must remain incarcerated for at least another week as the pop star deals with dual cases on both sides of the country.

Brown, who will now spend his birthday on May 5 behind bars, has been held since March 14 after his dismissal from a rehabilitation centre violated the terms of his court-ordered treatment related to his 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, the pop singer Rihanna.

The Kiss Kiss singer was back in court Thursday hoping to get the gift of freedom for his upcoming birthday, but Brandlin told him he would have to remain in jail for at least another week as he deals with ongoing legal woes

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin said Brown would remain incarcerated unless a resolution on the terms of his probation in the Rihanna case could be agreed to between the prosecutor and Brown’s attorney by a scheduled hearing on May 9.

Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos, said if he cannot resolve the case with prosecutor, Mary Murray, by next week, he will ask the court to release Brown on certain terms and conditions.

Geragos’ past requests to have Brown placed under house arrest instead of jail have so far been denied.

The  singer also faces a misdemeanor assault trial in Washington, DC, after he allegedly punched and broke the nose of a man who was trying to get a picture with him last year.

The Washington trial, which could complicate matters in Brown’s probation case in Los Angeles, has been delayed so his defense could arrange testimony of Brown’s bodyguard, who was convicted last month of misdemeanor assault in the same case. 

Did you know? Lawrence named world’s sexiest woman

The second spot on the list belongs to English actor Michelle Keegan, who was placed fourth last year.

Oscar-winning actor Jennifer Lawrence has been named this year’s sexiest woman in the world by a popular men’s magazine. The British magazine, FHM, unveiled its 2014 Top 100 list of the hottest girls around the globe and The Hunger Games beauty who is known for her wit and carefree attitude claimed the throne, taking a huge leap from last year’s number 20 spot, reported Deccan Chronicle.

“Thank you so much to the readers of FHM and everyone who took the time and voted for me, I’m so flattered. I believe that being sexy isn’t wearing lots of heavy make-up or having the perfect hair or figure, it’s about self-confidence, being comfortable with yourself, smiling and being happy,” she said.

The second spot on the list belongs to English actor Michelle Keegan, who was placed fourth last year. Rihanna is down from number two to number four, while Kaley Cuoco is up one spot to number five.

Last year’s winner Mila Kunis slipped to number six. Other well-known Hollywood names in the Top 10 include Beyonce Knowles and Scarlett Johansson.

Movie review: The Past - six degrees of separation

A piercing insight into a failed marriage and the painful consequences for the people involved.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has followed up on his 2011 Academy award winner A Separation with another solid domestic drama The Past. Although in the long run it won’t be known as Farhadi’s best, it’s a special picture nonetheless.

Working outside of Iran for the first time and that too in the French language, Farhadi must have been out of his comfort zone. Yet any initial anxiety must have remained inchoate, for the film boasts a taut screenplay and a masterful direction to complement it.

Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) returns to France from Iran in order to finalise the divorce with his wife Marie (Bérénice Bejo). She is currently dating Samir (Tahar Rahim), an Arab man whose own wife is in a coma. If this is already too complex a narrative, their children Marie’s two daughters, Lucie and Léa (not Ahmad’s biological daughters), and Samir’s son Fouad complicate the plot even further. To say that their house is a powder keg would be an understatement.

In its essence, The Past is a film about communication, or the lack of it. Farhadi pulls all the stops to convey this theme but in some scenes it feels over-indulgent. Many a time, for example, the dialogue isn’t audible when two characters are separated by glass windows. At another crucial plot juncture, the usage of email seems to create evil. Does technology create more rifts than solving them? Farhadi might be onto something.

The cinematography of the movie by Mahmoud Kalari is effective but it doesn’t depict the France we see in Midnight in Paris or Amelié. This is a grittier look at Paris, reflecting the characters’ inner turmoil. Farhadi manages to draw out terrific performances from his entire cast, especially Bejo, who won an award for this performance at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The child actors deserve a special mention, particularly Elyas Aguis as Fouad. The children in this story are depicted as mature individuals, and this is perhaps intentional given how grown-ups regress to behaving like immature adolescents.

Unfortunately, in terms of narration, all threads do not add up. For example, we know too little of Ahmad’s character. His clean character is amiss amidst the besmirched lives of Marie and Samir. In the latter’s case, the stains are literal, since Samir works as a dry-cleaner. The Past is without a doubt a layered movie, giving much room for interpretation.

When it comes to director Asghar Farhadi, there are two inevitabilities. First, his movies should be available on a wider scale just like any other Hollywood director since the Iranian filmmaker has made six feature films since 2003 and every single one of them has been a gem. Second, he should pen works well-suited for the theatre. Farhadi is, after all, a graduate of The University of Tehran’s School of Dramatic Arts and his aesthetics on screen would perhaps be equally well suited to the stage. What The Past does achieve though, is keeping Farhadi’s reputation as a major world cinema director intact, whose next work is highly anticipated.

HBO series Girls: Good girls gone bad

Nothing unsettles an audience more than a bunch of girls venturing into unchartered territory.

When the HBO series Girls first hit our TV screens two years ago, it instantly found an audience for its brutally realistic and bold take on life after graduation. The show gives you a glimpse into the life of four friends struggling with romance, career and survival in New York City. There is Hannah, a struggling, overweight writer waiting for her big break; Marnie, her insecure best friend, who ends up hurting more people than she helps; Jessa, a free spirit who seeks solace in reckless relationships and substance abuse and Shoshanna, the eager-to-please fourth wheel in the equation.

A lot of loose ends that were neatly tied up in the last season —Hannah and struggling actor Adam’s fling maturing into a relationship and Marnie and her former beau Charlie getting back together in the show’s current run. The season kicks off with Hannah and Adam’s newly found comfort zone being impinged on by the arrival of Adam’s sister. The situation is aggravated as Hannah struggles with the death of her boss and the resulting cancellation of the publishing deal for her book. While Hannah’s self-centeredness makes her one of the least likeable characters this season, it is the very same quality that also allows the viewer to relate to her the most.

On the other hand, Marnie’s life this season is the opposite of what she imagined it to be. She lives in a one-bedroom apartment with poor job prospects and her personal life does not show much promise either. Not much rationale is given for her actions, especially her relationship with Ray, a generally harmless person who is also Shoshanna’s former flame. Their ‘arrangement’ is amusing at first, but ends up becoming painfully monotonous. Moreover, the pairing seems forced, as if there was no other cast member she could have been lumped with.

Jessa doesn’t do much this season other than coming in and out of rehab and floating around temporary jobs. There is also a constant reminder of how her lifestyle is wrecking her closest relationships yet she does nothing to save them. Shoshanna on the other hand treads a slippery slope and gives in to her neurotic tendencies. She is seen snapping at everyone while juggling university life and her casual interactions with the opposite sex are uncomfortable to watch.

Even though the first two seasons of Girls have been labelled a variety of things, from being revolutionary to downright vulgar, the show has never been guilty of being forgettable. Unfortunately, it loses that edge in the current season. The third season lacks fluidity and the character development seems a bit skewed for the average viewer to take in. The thinly spread plot and introduction of many new unlikable characters further diminishes the show’s overall charm. Even though, the writers did bring back Elijah, Hannah’s ex, to redeem the show, his overblown acting defeats the purpose. The likable characters too are underappreciated and not given due credit with Hannah’s co-worker being a case in point. Hopefully, creator Lena Dunham has a few tricks up her sleeve to revitalise the show in the upcoming season.

Rating: 3/5

Kapil Sharma getting ready for YRF film debut

The irregular hours and the erratic schedules have taken their toll on Kapil’s health. PHOTO: FILE

MUMBAI: 

With two episodes of his stand-up comedy show per week and an impending feature film debut looming over his head, comic entertainer Kapil Sharma is currently going through the most hectic time of his life. And now, he has a nutritionist accompanying him to all his shootings, as he needs to lose weight for his movie project.

The irregular hours and the erratic schedules have taken their toll on his health. “My schedules are so jam-packed that I just snatch sleep and food whenever I could. But I’ve decided health comes first. I’ve got a guy to control my food intake. The trouble is he feeds me boiled vegetables for dinner,” said Kapil.

“But then after that when I’m on my own, I end up cheating and snacking on bread and omelette while shooting. So I’m not losing as much weight as I’d like to,” he added.

“I need to create a bank of episodes of my show before I start shooting for my film from May 15. I can’t run back-and-forth from the film set to the shooting of the show. They’re two completely different disciplines, and I can’t allow them to clash,” he explained.

“Stand-up comedy comes as naturally to me as breathing, but film acting is an entirely new experience for me. I have to give it my 100 percent,” said the comedian, who is set to make his film debut with a Yash Raj Films project.

Regrettably, contrary to plans, the channel has refused to cut down the frequency of Comedy Nights with Kapil by half.

“The channel says the TRPs will suffer if we cut down the episodes. Luckily, I got an unexpected reprieve when the first schedule of my film Bank Chor was shifted from April to May. I am racing against time to create a bank of episodes, so I can complete one schedule ofBank Chor without any interruption,” he said.

Kapil says he has no time for himself. “My mother calls to complain that I don’t call her. How do I explain to her that I don’t know where I am coming or going?”

Shaan and Ali Zafar face-off

While the audience was taken aback by Shaan’s comments, it was Ali who offered him a rebuttal. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: 

Over the course of time, actor Shaan Shahid has received many film offers from Bollywood and has been equally vocal about refusing them. The most popular of the offers being when he was asked to play the villain in Aamir Khan’s Ghajini (2008).

Recently, at a film awards show, Shaan openly criticised Pakistani artistes who cross the border to be a part of Bollywood ventures, calling them “cheap sell-outs.” At the occasion, where he also unveiled the first look of his upcoming film Arth 2, he blamed local celebrities for making Bollywood a stairway to their success.

While the audience, which included stars such as Javed Sheikh and Zeba Bakhtiar, was taken aback by Shaan’s comments, it was singer-actor Ali Zafar who offered him a rebuttal.

When Ali went on stage to receive his award for the ‘International Icon of the Year’, he said in his acceptance speech, “Hum doosri cheezon ka sahaara letay hain apni khaamion ko chupane ke liye, patriotism ke naam pae, doosri cheezon ke naam pae…” (We make excuses to hide our weaknesses, sometimes, in the name of patriotism, sometimes, in the name of other things.)

“I think we should be honest. Humain sach bolna chahiye aur woh waqt agaya hai ke anay walay logon se sach bola jaaye,” he added. (We should speak the truth and the time has come when the new generation should be told the truth.)

Ali also mentioned how it was disrespectful of Shaan to blame the artistes as sell-outs. He mentioned a list of artistes who have worked in Bollywood, including Bade Ghulam Ali, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mohsin Khan, Zeba Bakhtiar, Salma Agha, Shafqat Amanat Ali and Atif Aslam. He said that these stars have made their mark in India through their work and have received tremendous appreciation for it.

He encouraged newcomers to not let anything deter them from going where they want to; he gave himself as an example as he was told by many people that he could never make it big internationally.

Ali’s words were followed by a huge round of applause, which not only showed that the audience endorsed his point of view, but also that Shaan is not the only driving force behind Pakistani cinema – Ali’s perspective also holds great value in the local film industry.

With more than 450 films under his belt, actor Shaan Shahid epitomises the true potential of Pakistani cinema. His dedication to the industry is nothing less than appreciable. In fact, it’s exemplary for other actors, who don’t take Lollywood as seriously as they take other filmdoms.

However, it’s unseemly for an artiste of Shaan’s stature to be critical of others who haven’t chosen to walk the same path as him. But the exchange of words between the two well-known actors is a positive sign for the industry as it shows the polarised perspectives that exist in it.

Ali represents the fresh generation of actors who opt for a more holistic, globalised view of things instead of indulging in needless jingoism, which has often resulted in the ban of Indian films in Pakistan. It’s time that the film industry takes up a more progressive approach towards international collaborations, which many young actors advocate. As Allama Iqbal says, “Jawanon ko Peeron ka ustad kar.” (Make the young mentors of the old.)

Farah nostalgic as Main Hoon Na clocks 10 years

Director speaks about her directorial debut on Main Hoon Na’s 10th anniversary. PHOTO: FILE

NEW DELHI: 

It’s been a decade since choreographer Farah Khan’s debut directorialMain Hoon Na hit the screens. She can only look back at her pool of memories with a smile. It had a gripping cycle rickshaw chase scene and a heated fist fight between superstar Shahrukh Khan and action hero Suneil Shetty. Choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan’s “loved film” Main Hoon Na had all elements that were anything but “ladylike”.

Farah went into a nostalgic mode when asked about her film completing 10 years. “We got very nostalgic with all the photos my fans are sending me. I don’t even have those photos. Even in the office we couldn’t find pictures, because we changed the office twice. We remember it like it was last year or something and suddenly it’s been 10 years,” Farah told IANS.

“I wanted to make it for so long. From the time I started writing the script, it took around two to three years before I got to make it. It was a very different film for a female director to make at that point. People were not expecting this kind of a film. They thought I’d make some ladylike film,” she added.

Calling it a “very macho film”, the movie also gave Shahrukh, the lead actor of the film, a break from romantic sagas like Kal Ho Naa Ho and Chalte Chalte.

“It was a very macho movie, even for Shahrukh. He wasn’t doing action at all at that time, he was only doing love stories. It was like an action macho film for him also. He enjoys doing action a lot more… He adds a lot in terms of making the action more thrilling. The movie did well everywhere — North, South, interior belt,” she said.

Though she thinks there’s always room for improvement, she considers Main Hoon Na to be the perfect film to launch her as a director.

“I had so much fun making it. It’s a loved film. It comes almost every day on TV and every day I get messages on Twitter or BB that they are watching it for the 20th time and still love it. I wouldn’t want to change things, I am very happy. Now my kids watch it and they enjoy it a lot,” said the mother of triplets.

It’s been 10 years, but the 48 year old still feels nervous.

After pausing for a while, Farah, who has two super hits behind her, said: “I am not confident as a director, I still get nervous. I don’t know whether I am heading in the right direction or no; I was far more confident when I was making Main Hoon Na. Now, there is pressure.”

The Om Shanti Om director is now tied up with Happy New Year, which she likes to call her “biggest movie” yet.

“Happy New Year is very hectic, it is definitely the biggest movie Shahrukh and I have made. It’s a very big movie in terms of scale, star cast and everything. Every shoot has thousands of junior artists. It’s a difficult film for me, but we are having so much fun. The cast and crew are lovely,” she said.

The movie also stars actors Deepika Padukone, Sonu Sood and Abhishek Bachchan.

She has done so much, but still has a lot more to do. When asked what’s left to explore, she said: “Arey, lots more.”